Midweek Roundup.

Brady Harris Band-NoHo Confidential. Brady Harris rolls on with his latest release, another slice of his unique Beatlesque Americana. This EP, credited to his backing band and named after his Northern Hollywood locale, is 6 more easy-on-the-ears tracks to add to the Brady Harris canon. Opener "Kate, Stay Late" is definitely more Beatlesque than Americana, with its piano-based pop melody, George Harrison-style guitars, and its wordless harmony vocals. "Mexico" is another winner, a breezy, effortless-sounding number with a slight Latin flavor, and while "Northern Soul" is more jangle than Northern soul, that's a feature, not a bug. No need to keep this one confidential.

CD Baby | Bandcamp



Jeremy Porter & The Tucos-Partner in Crime. While The Replacements may have reunited recently for an EP of covers, the album of the year so far for the 'Mats fan is the latest from ex-Offramps frontman Jeremy Porter & his Tucos. While Porter doesn't quite approach the brilliance of Paul Westerberg (and I'm sure he'd be the first to admit it), the spirit of the 'Mats is presenc in Partner in Crime as rowdy rockers give way to heart-on-the-sleeve slower numbers and vice versa. So you get the one-two punch of "Castaways" and "Little Miss Awesome" as well as the plaintive country-influenced "Wedding Day", which is a thematic cousin of Westerberg's "Nobody" but stands on its own terms as a standout itself. Speaking of standouts, "Pizza Girl" is infectious rocking fun, "What You're Doing Today" is some find midtempo Americana, and the title track is one of those heart-on-the-sleeve, last-call-at-the-bar slower tunes I was talking about.

CD Baby | iTunes

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Two for Tuesday, 3/30/10

Jeremy Porter-Party of One. Party of One is a fitting title for Jeremy Porter's new release, considering he's now gone solo from one of Detroit's top power pop bands, The Offramps. For those who enjoyed that band, you'll be glad to know that Porter doesn't stray too far from their sound, although the results are a bit more singer-songwriter-y; think Westerberg solo vs. late-period 'Mats, and he even reprises a 'Ramps classic, "Hallmark Holiday". Highlights here are "Last Time I Saw You Happy", a midtempo number that really does channel PW; the acoustic "Dead on Your Feet", and the rocking "Out Inside". A must for Offramps fans, and worth a listen for the uninitiated as well.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

The Malibooz-Queens' English. The Malibooz have been around on and off since the mid-60s, and are co-founded by Walter ("Magnet and Steel") Egan. They've released on average an album per decade, and 2010 sees Queens' English, their first since 2002's Beach Access. Given their 60's roots, the sound here is classic British Invasion material, and they manage to pull off the sound without sounding too slavish. They've amassed quite a lineup of guest stars on this disc, including *the* Spencer Davis, Andrew Loog Oldham, and ex-Hollie Tony Hicks. It's one classic-sounding tune another, from the jangly "Hey Love" to the harmonies of "Just a Little Bit" to Egan's haromnica-fueled rave-up "A Bit of Awright" and the Merseyside pop of "Factory Girl". If your pop proclivities extend to the British Invasion sound, this may well end up your disc of the year.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Rock 'n' Roll Saturday.

Time to check in on a couple of rocking bands that we've featured in the past on the site and have new discs out:

The Offramps-Split The Difference. After catching our attention in 2006 with Hate It When You're Right, this Michigan band serves up another helping of Replacements-style rock that you can both tap your feet and bang your head to. "Actual Events (Based On)" is the kind of potboiling opener crucial to setting the tone, and it comes through big time. The pop leanings of "Take You Away" bring to mind Superdrag and the more rocking side of Matthew Sweet, and the boys throw a changeup with "Alimentar Los Moscas" ("feeding the flies"), an impressive acoustic Americana number. Meanwhile, "Race Among The Ruins" gives off a Buffalo Springfield vibe. No sophomore slump here.

CD Baby | MySpace

The Badways-Second Album. We stay in the state of Michigan with Detroit's The Badways, garage rockers extraordinaire, who are back with the imaginatively titled Second Album. On their debut Leave Her Alone, I wrote "Steve Van Zandt couldn't have invented a better band for his Underground Garage channel on Sirius", and that assessment still stands with the new one. "Cute Girlfriend" and "Turn You Engines On" are a great 1-2 punch to open the disc, while the midtempo "She Cannot Tell The Truth" is reminiscent of a lost Zombies track. Other standouts include "Paper Doll", "Albert Einstein", and the catchy "She's Just a Girl", complete with handclaps. Although the disc is available for download from iTunes and the like, make sure you get the CD on this one, as it contains 3 CD-only tracks including a cover of "When Doves Cry", which itself is worth the price of admission as the boys turn the Prince classic into a late 60s Nuggets-sounding track.

CD Baby | MySpace

NAIRBATLTWA 2: Power Pop Boogaloo.

Yes, the last NAIRBATLTWA went so well that I'm doing another one. Here goes:

The Skies of America-Shine. This is great crunchy power pop from Rob Bonfiglio's (Wanderlust) new band. I've heard the Velvet Crush and Matthew Sweet comparisons thrown around, but what keeps coming to mind when I hear this disc is Collective Soul when they were on top of their game (It almost seems too coincidental the disc is titled "Shine"). Plus, there's a cover of "Come and Get It". Come and get it at Not Lame, where you can stream the whole disc. The bonus offer may be over, but it's still worth buying.

The Offramps-Hate It When You're Right. This band is out of Michigan but sounds like more Minneapolis, as in The Replacements circa 1986. And the price is circa 1986 as well, as this disc is going for a mere $7 at CD Baby. You can download three tracks (plus a Cheap Trick cover) at their website, and/or stream my favorite song from the disc, "Hallmark Holiday", at their myspace page.

Central Services-Central Services. I'm probably giving these Seattleites short shrift here by not making them CD of the Day, so make sure you check them out. They have a Posies/Teenage Fanclub sound, and the acoustic ballad "Fun (While It Lasted)" makes me think they summoned Elliott Smith's spirit via Ouija board. Letting it play while I type here makes me think it'll make my top 100 list easily. Head on over to myspace, where you can download three tracks, or over to their site, where several other of the tunes are streaming. Or you can stream and/or buy at CD Baby.

The Morning Stars-You Can't Change The World. 80s and 90s Britpop directly from Hamilton, Ontario. Don't let my brevity on this disc fool you - they have the tunes (especially "Wrong"). CD Baby | MySpace