2012 off to a great start.

Two excellent new discs to kick off 2012:

Justin Levinson & The Valcours-This Side of Me, This Side of You. Boston-area piano popper Justin Levinson has been around about as long as this site, going to back to his impressive 2006 debut 1175 Boylston. Back then, he sounded like he wanted to be Ben Folds but with each subsequent release he veered into Ryan Adams territory, with mixed results. Now he's back with a backing band and seems to have found a happy medium with his strongest release since the debut. The breezy piano-and-guitar number "Water Wears the Rock" opens the proceedings in fine fashion, while "You Become a Ghost" is a Folds-type number that would have fit right in on 1175 Boylston. But the real strengths here are Levinson's forays into 70s singer-songwriter pop, including "Let You Go" (which features Will Dailey, a fine artist in his own right) and especially "Say What You're Gonna Say", a soulful number with horns that's easy like Sunday morning and my new favorite song of 2012. It's good to see Levinson back on track.

CD Baby | iTunes




Pete Donnelly-When You Come Home. If the name seems familiar, it's because Donnelly is the bassist for The Figgs, Graham Parker's occasional backing band and respected pub-rockers in their own right. In 2009 we saw frontman Mike Gent offer up a fine solo disc, and now it's Donnelly's turn to shine with his first solo release in 11 years. While there are some Figgs-sounding tracks here, Donnelly has blazed a more eclectic path here, from the gentle and melodic "Far Away Angel" to the Beatlesque piano pop of "Original Wonder" to the vaguely loungy-feel of "Can't Talk at All". Meanwhile, Figgs fans will appreciate rockers like "22nd St", "The Only One" and the title track. All in all, it's a fine solo foray from a guy who sounds like he had a lot of musical ideas just waiting to be implemented.

CD Baby | iTunes |

Two for Tuesday, 6/1/10

The Figgs-The Man Who Fights Himself. The Figgs reign as power pop royalty, having been around for 23 years and 10 discs as well as serving as Graham Parker's backing band. Disc #10 may very well be one of their best, as The Man Who Fights Himself finds Mike Gent & Co. in top form. "Gone Spent" might not be as rip-roaring as some other Figgs disc openers, but it's a mature, assured midtempo tune that lets you know the grownups are in charge. The moody, jangly "Stuck on Leather Seats" is reminiscent of Gent's fine solo disc from last year, and "Ravena" is classic Figgs rock. "She Can't Say No" is another standout, and you shouldn't say no to these power pop legends at the top of their game.

CD Baby | MySpace

The Mike Benign Compulsion-Rollicking Musical. Milwaukee brings us The Mike Benign Compulsion, purveyors of Midwestern power pop not unlike The Shoes or The Bradburys, and Rollicking Musical is just that, a rollicking set of tunes both catchy and clever. "Legendary Heroes" and "The Soothing Sounds of Seals & Crofts" comply on both counts, with the former hitting just the right nerd-rock vibe and the latter follows its title with "make me want to put a bullet in my brain". "All The Married People" features an irresistible guitar hook, and "She Believes It" sounds like Crowded House if Neil Finn grew up in Milwaukee and had a smartass streak. Other highlights include the garage sound of "What a Way to Go" and "Hotel Bar", the best song about a bar since "Here Comes a Regular". Give these tracks a listen, and your compulsion will be to pick up a copy.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Monday roundup.

Mike Gent-Mike Gent. The Figgs' singer/guitarist goes solo and the results are promising. While in band mode Gent & Co. can be rocking and raucous, here he goes for a more laid-back rootsier sound. "(Romantic Needs Led To) False Alarms" recalls Salim Nourallah in its spare but tuneful production, while "Paper Knives" brings Dylan and Elvis Costello to mind. But the real highlight is "Haste & Wrath", which builds on its simple "Picture Book"-style guitar riff to hypnotically catchy effect. An old-school disc which Gent compares to Rod Stewart's Never a Dull Moment and Pete Townshend & Ronnie Lane's "Rough Mix", it certainly captures the spirit of those two classics.

CD Baby | iTunes

The Milk & Honey Band-Dog Eared Moonlight. Released on Andy Partridge's Ape House Label, the Milk & Honey Band's second album will appeal to XTC fans, provided they go more for "Chalkhills and Children" rather than "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead". In other words, the more (to use a word invoked in virtually every other review of this disc) "pastoral" sound of XTC. This is great rainy day music, from the spare opener "Just You" to the pedal steel-drenched "No World at All" to the quintessentially British "Maryfaith Autumn". While not quite as immediate as their debut The Secret Life Of..., it's still a grower worthy of your time.

MySpace | iTunes

Clockwise-Faders on Stun. This Toronto band matches the cartoony flair of their album cover with a cartoony flair to their power pop, which recalls Sloan (opener "Opposites Attract"), Elvis Costello & the Attractions ("Boomtown"), and The Odds ("Upside Down"). Other standouts include the hypercatchy "You Really Got Me Goin'" and "If You Don't Want Love (I Must Be Wrong)". They even get environmentally conscious on "Water on the Moon". Good stuff.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

New eMusic.

The new Figgs disc, Follow Jean Through The Sea, bows on eMu today - these guys have rocked us for years, and the new one is no exception.

Also, we featured Voxtrot a while back, and another of their EPs, Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives is now available.