CD of the Day, 11/28/07: Sparkwood-Kaleidoscopism

I normally don't like to post too much on discs that aren't readily available in the USA (and much of the world) but I do make exceptions when the situation warrants, and now that I have finagled a copy, it's time to extol the virutes of Sparkwood's Kaleidoscopism.

If you're familiar with the Texas band Sparkwood, it's no doubt due to their great 2005 disc Jalopy Pop, which made my 2005 top 20. Kaleidoscopism is cut from the same cloth, falling somewhere between the pop smarts (and smart alecks) of Fountains of Wayne and the effervescent vibe of Jellyfish with touches of Queen and ELO. In fact, their sound can almost be summed up by a single song: Queen's "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy", a cover of which they've thoughtfully added to the disc as a bonus track.

The opener "Welcome" isn't a 30-second introductory track but rather nearly 5 minutes of what could be described as the Beach Boys meet Jellyfish. "Ooh Sha La" sounds like what its title implies: a bouncy, peppy number that will stick in your head. But as earworms go, nothing here tops "The Bop Bop Song", another title that speaks for itself and where the Jellyfish comparison is most apt. And they pull off the slower numbers with aplomb as "Glaze In My Eye" and "Days Ago" close the disc (at least the proper non-bonus portion of it) in fine fashion.

But as I alluded to in the opening paragraph, there's a catch. Kaleidoscopism was only released in Japan, and frontman Bart Padar informs me that there is no domestic release planned at this time. So if you want it, you'll have to shell out import prices. But I've done the dirty work for you and found the cheapest US price on the net, $20.73 plus shipping from an eBay seller - not cheap by any means, but better than the $30-35 it's going for at Amazon and CD Universe. I can say that if you loved Jalopy Pop, you'll feel you're getting your money's worth, and given the time of year perhaps you can get someone to buy it for you as a Christmas present. In the meantime, you can stream three tracks at their MySpace.

David Bash's Top 25 of 2007 to date.

For those who love the lists, here's the Top 25 of the first half of 2007 from David Bash, Mr. International Pop Overthrow, as posted to the Audities list:

1. The Fast Camels-The Magic Optician
2. Peachfuzz-Catch Your Snap
3. The Scruffs-Pop Manifesto
4. David Brookings-Obsessed
5. The Singles-Start Again
6. The Red Button-She's About To Cross My Mind
7. Fountains Of Wayne-Traffic And Weather
8. The Orchid Highway-The Orchid Highway
9. Paul Starling-Ghost Waltz
10. Sparkwood-Kaleidoscopism
11. Switches-Heart Tuned To D.E.A.D.
12. The Peaces-Is/Are/Was/Were
13. Third Of Never-Moodring
14. The Tangerines-The Tangerines
15. The Procession-Musique Magnifique
16. Johnny Lloyd Rollins-Let's Be Poor Together
17. The Len Price 3-Rentacrowd
18. Zombies Of The Stratosphere-The Well Mannered Look
19. Maple Mars-Beautiful Mess
20. The Cheeks-Raw Countryside
21. Home-Is Where The Heart Is
22. John Hoskinson-Pancho Fantastico
23. The Gilligans-Snoring With An Accent
24. Farrah-Cut Out & Keep
25. Johnny Monaco-Overrated

A lot of these names will be familiar of course, but I have not heard his #1, The Fast Camels. Needless to say, I will be remedying that situation, since it's on eMusic. The other pleasant surprise on the list (of sorts) is at #10, where Sparkwood has a new album out, something else that eluded me. And it turns out with good reason, as the disc has only been released in Japan. I'm going to have to figure out a way to find it, though, as their 2005 release Jalopy Pop was my #18 disc that year (and Bash's #1).

My Top 20 of 2005, #18: Sparkwood-Jalopy Pop

Sparkwood's Jalopy Pop is much in the same vein as my #20, Checkpoint Charley: Catchy as hell, influenced by Jellyfish/Queen/Fountains of Wayne, etc. I'd even say there's some ELO influence in here as well, and a bit more of a 50s/60s vibe than Checkpoint. Standouts here include "Emergency", "In Your Lovin' Arms", and "D".

Some abdridged mp3s and a music video can be had at the band's site, and you can get some full-length streaming at their myspace page. It's all good - this Jalopy is one smooth-running machine.

UPDATE: I just noticed that Jalopy Pop was David Bash's #1 album of 2005. For those of you who don't know who he is, David is the man behind International Pop Overthrow, which is power pop's Lollapalooza, SXSW and Woodstock rolled into one. Actually IPO is several regional shows around the USA (and elsewhere) throughout the year. Here's the current schedule:

Nashville: March 15-19 and 21-22
Chicago: April 21-May 6
Liverpool: May 24-29
Los Angeles: July 28-August 13
San Francisco: August 16-22
East Coast U.S. (Philadelphia, New York, Boston): November

Make sure you go to one of these if it's in a city near you.