Two for Thursday, 10/18/12

The World Record-Freeway Special. Andy Creighton & Co. haven't been heard from since 2006's Guitars Forever, but they make up for lost time by releasing what would be called in old days a double album. There are 18 tracks here, and you get 5 bonus ones if you go the old-fashioned route of vinyl and they do a fine job of keeping the quality up with the quantity. The dominant motif here is midtempo power pop, in the vein of Big Star or Teenage Fanclub, which might come as a bit of surprise to those who remember the boisterous "Were #1" from Guitars Forever (and which reappears here in a remixed form). And while "Cats on the Roof", "Call the Doctor" and "She's Not a Liar" rock out to some degree, the best tracks find them in straight pop territory such as "Marsha (Think it Over)" and "I Met the Girl (I'm Gonna Leave You For)" while the laid-back "Candy" and "Be Nice" are also rewarding. It's great to have these guys back.

Official Site (CD/Vinyl) | iTunes

Eliot Bronson & Yonder Orphans-Milwaukee. When we last left Eliot Bronson (formerly of The Brilliant Inventions), he released 2011's Blackbirds, in which he leaned more to the folk side of folk-pop. This time around he's added a backup band and cranked things up a bit, displaying more of a heartland rock sound not unlike Ryan Adams and Paul Westerberg. This becomes apparent on the driving "One Mississippi", a rocker you could easily hear Adams or Tom Petty doing. "Waiting on a Sign", "Emily" and "It Don't Get Easier" also follow in this vein and the latter especially is a treat. Elsewhere, "Down to Me" is top-drawer Popicana, and "Longshot" and the title track are the kind of the folky-pop gems that drew us to him in the first place.

CD Baby | iTunes

Upcoming power pop.

I'm firmly convinced 2012 has been a far better year for power pop than 2011, and here come two more upcoming releases that will be vying for a top spot on a very competitive year-end list.

First up is the long-awaited return of David Grahame, who hasn't put a proper full-length album since 2004's DT & The Disagreeables, but has now teamed up with Lane Steinberg for a project titled - you guessed it - Grahame Steinberg. It's due out next month, and below is a 10-minute sampler of all the tracks. It almost works a medley unto itself, and it stands to be the most interesting power pop collaboration since Seth Swirsky and Mike Ruekberg got together:



Also back for the first time in several years is The World Record, last heard from with the great Guitars Forever in 2006. They're making up for lost time by giving us an 18-track double "album", also available in 23-track form on LP, due on October 9. To whet your appetite, they have a 7-track sampler up for your listening pleasure. Andy Creighton & Co. sound just as good as ever (EDIT: here's the full album now for streaming):

Champions - Again!

National champions in football and basketball at the same time! An NCAA first.

Listen to the song.

thank you for the invitation
we're sure your show will be very nice
gonna see if we can make it but hey maybe
we can offer you some advice
no, we're not trying to talk down at you
it's from the goodness of the whole of our heart
but we can tell just by looking at you
that you better quit before you start
in the meantime i need some mean time
to wipe out any good will building up
check the score, we're #1
turn round now back where you're from
wrote this tune, soon everyone's gonna
check the score and see that we're #1
yeah you make a decent stand in
typically boring of course
and anyone who asks yeah well we feel
we've got to give them our full report
in the meantime i need some mean time
to break down the defenses of our enemies
one less person in dress rehearsal
one less hopeless dreamer

Thanks to The World Record for coming up with the perfect power pop theme song for the Florida Gators.