CD of the Day, 10/1/08: Todd Herfindal-Collective

It's always a treat to get great music from an unexpected source, and after The Meadows put out their fine First Nervous Breakdown earlier this year, I figured that we'd hear from them again in a couple of years. But the wait only took about 8 months, as Meadows co-frontman Todd Herfindal has released his solo debut, and it's of a piece with the two Meadows disc, especially First Nervous Breakdown.

Collective is a bit of logical progression from the first two Meadows discs, as Breakdown was a bit more roots rock-oriented than the debut, and here Herfindal goes full bore into the Gin Blossoms-meet-Tom Petty vibe. This becomes apparent right off the bat with the ebullient "Air I'm Breathing" which shows off his melodic gifts in a heartland rocker that even features some tasteful horn backing. "Finally Movin' On" demonstrates the knack Herfindal had for the big chorus that he showed in The Meadows, and the laid-back "Waiting on the Sun" continues the Midwest-meets-California vibe. Elsewhere, standouts include the mildly Beatlesque "Forget It All Again", the rocking "Jaded" and the ballads "Won't Look Back" and "This Is a Love Song". Collective closes in grand fashion with "If I Hesitate", an anthemic number that starts off slow and builds to a big payoff. If you enjoyed either of The Meadows' two releases, this one's a no-brainer.

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CD of the Day, 2/12/08: The Meadows-First Nervous Breakdown

At the risk of sounding too technical, it can be said that some artists just have "it" - "it" being a certain sound, or a way of coming across that sounds natural, effortless, and authentic. The Meadows have "it", and their sophomore release First Nervous Breakdown is more of their radio-friendly pop/rock that you'd hear on the radio if it were friendly to independent pop/rock acts.

Following up on 2005's excellent self-titled debut, this San Francisco band ups the ante here with 10 gems that will appeal across the pop/rock/country spectrum from fans of Oasis to The Jayhawks to The Gin Blossoms, etc. Opener "Knowing Don't Change a Thing" is emblematic of their sound, in a kind of a Tom Petty-meets-The Rembrandts way. "Wheels on the Road" is enjoyable country rock with a chorus reminiscent of "Already Gone", while "Paralyzed" is a slow-building piano ballad that reminds of the some of The Nines' slower numbers. Meanwhile, "Give It Up" wears its anthemic Oasis sound on its sleeve, "Take Me Down" is top-shelf jangle pop, and the closer "Forever California" truly embodies the sound of their home state. An instant top 10 of 2008 contender.

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New at eMusic.

A few items of interest were added today:

* Sunflower, a 2-song "EP" from The Meadows. Their self-titled debut was featured on this site. I haven't listened yet, but it appears that "This Is a Call" is a Foo Fighters cover.

* A reissue (or digital reissue) of the Gigolo Aunts' first album, Flippin' Out. These guys, who have been around for what seems forever, have finally called it quits and have recently released a compilation of covers, b-sides etc (including an interesting "hidden" track acoustic cover of "Cum On Feel The Noize") called The Pride of Potsdam, available at Kool Kat.

* Nigel Clark's 21st Century Man. Clark used to be the frontman for 90's Britpoppers Dodgy, and his solo debut here is quality singer-songwriter pop somewhere in between Neil Finn and Brian Wilson.

As always, even non eMusic subs can listen to the samples at these pages.