EPs Gone LP.

Today we feature a pair of full-lengths that consist of previously-released EPs plus about five new songs. Although it's not a practice I'm fond of, the music here is good enough the second time around, and those who missed out on the EPs will want these full-lengths.

The Offbeat-In Love Field. First, I'll cut and paste from last year's review of To The Rescue, whose five tracks are repeated here:

The Year of the EP continues as another outstanding one comes down the pike, this time from the Brit popsters The Offbeat, whose self-titled debut last year was a real treat. If you liked that disc, then you'll love this EP as it serves up more of the same Merseyside, early Beatles pop without being too retro. "She Can Make the Sunshine" lives up to its name as glorious sunshine pop, "Someday Somehow" uses the "Bo Diddley" beat to nice effect, and "Blue Sky" is jangly goodness.

How about the new tracks? They're worthy additions to the Offbeat canon. Among them, "Where is the Girl?" is a moody Beatlesque number in the vein of "For No One", "Word to the Wise" has a George Harrison jangly vibe to it, and "A Love to Last" channels Billy J & The Dakotas. If you missed the EP, don't miss out here.

CD Baby | Official Site | iTunes | eMusic

Michael Gross & The Statuettes-Telepath. Early this year upon the release of their EP Impulse & Exports, I wrote "I can wait for a full-length if Gross & Co. are content to crank out a top-notch EP every six months or so." In essence, that's what they've done, adding six new tracks to I&E to make up their debut full-length. Here's what I had to say about the EP:

Gross & Co. have further refined their heartland-rock-with-a-touch-of-Americana sound. The noirish "Keep Driving" sets the tone with its late-period Replacements rock style, and the moody yet urgent "On and On" is equally outstanding. And for those familiar with Gross and his earlier solo disc Tales From a Country Home, he offers up a full-band version of that disc's "No Good", and it's anything but.

As for the highlights from the new tracks, "When the Curtains Come Down" is a fine soft/loud rocker, the fast-paced "You Can't Go Home Tonight" will leave you breathless, and "Real Gone" earns the 'Mats comparison again. Again, this is a fine introduction to Gross & Co. if you don't already have the EP. Or just pick and choose your downloads if you do.

Official Site | MySpace | iTunes

Three for Thursday, 8/6/09

The Offbeat-To the Rescue EP. The Year of the EP continues as another outstanding one comes down the pike, this time from the Brit popsters The Offbeat, whose self-titled debut last year was a real treat. If you liked that disc, then you'll love this EP as it serves up more of the same Merseyside, early Beatles pop without being too retro. "She Can Make the Sunshine" lives up to its name as glorious sunshine pop, "Someday Somehow" uses the "Bo Diddley" beat to nice effect, and "Blue Sky" is jangly goodness. I don't think there's any doubt this year I'm going to be doing at least a top 20 EP list at year's end rather than usual top 10.

CD Baby | Official Site | iTunes

The Offbeat EP

The Pundits-Echo Chamber. You won't be seeing these pundits on CNN, MSNBC or Fox News; these guys dispense with the hot air and instead just bring you straight ahead power pop and rock with some jazzy elements throw in. Coming across at times like a cross between Elvis Costello and The Replacements with a touch of the New Pornographers, this Minneapolis band delivers quality tunes with crunch. "In Books" demonstrates this aesthetic, while "Locate Me" adds a 70s sheen to their sound. Other standouts include the new-wavy "Surface Tension", the angular rock of "Gold Approach" and the classic sound of "Take Another Look at Your Man". Always nice to see a bit of a twist on the power pop/rock template.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

David England-Little Death. We namechecked Elvis Costello as an influence in the review above, but he definitely comes more to mind here in the sound of this Indiana native's second album. England has a voice and a sound that could be described as the golden mean of Costello, Dave Edmunds and Graham Parker. Fans of those artists will love the Rockpile-like opener "You Don't Have To" as well as "Don't Go Back", which has a bit of a country touch a la Brinsley Schwarz. After those two fine opening tracks, the hits just keep on coming: "Catch Your Breath" sounds like King of America-era Costello, "Out of the Blue" sports a breezy pop melody, and "Not Today" introduces some jangle to the mix. It's a must-have for fans of this classic style of power pop.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Little Death by David England

CD of the Day, 6/4/08: The Offbeat-The Offbeat.

The vintage guitars on the cover tell it all: The Offbeat is all about 60s British pop, jangle pop, and all points in between. The is without a doubt the best album of its kind since The Red Button and Smith & Hayes from last year, and needless to say, fans of those discs will want to snap this one up. The Offbeat are actually English, so in that respect they have one up on the Yanks who served the style so well on those other discs.

"Lonely Girl" is the leadoff track, and it's an elegant piece of early(or pre)-Beatles pop. The midtempo "Wasted" follows with a more Rubber Soul-era Beatles sound, and "Keep It Real" has a Beach Boys/Bacharach-without-the-flugelhorn vibe. "Say The Word" is a smooth, Merseyside number, "First Love" is a true melodic delight, and "Between Us" has a bit of a Motown beat to it. In fact, there truly isn't a bad track on this album, and if the calendar read 1965 instead of 2008, these guys would be regulars on Top of the Pops and American Bandstand. I'd say we have a real top 10 of 2008 contender on our hands here.

CD Baby | Official Site