Two for Tuesday, 8/25/09

Jon Auer & Cheap Star-Two for the Money. A very intriguing split EP between the Posies power pop legend and the upstart French band fresh off their Posie-esque debut Speaking Like an Elephant. Each act contributes one new song and a pair of covers to the mix, and the result is a must-get for Posies fans everywhere. Auer's contributions include the new track "Northern Sky", a fine track that mixes the classic Auer/Posies sound with a bit of Morrissey, and a cover of Say Hi to Your Mom's "Pop Music of the Future", right in Auer's wheelhouse with its insistent acoustic guitar. Cheap Star, meanwhile, gives us the original "Not My Friend", a dense, melodic rocker that fits right in with Auer's work, and a rollicking cover of Gene Clark's "Changing Heart". But the most interesting touch is that each covers the other as well here; Auer tackles Cheap Star's "You Got it All", while Cheap Star gives its take on Auer's "Josephine", making the synergy complete. Just as The Posies seamlessly stepped in for Chris Bell in the reunited Big Star, I could easily see Cheap Star stepping in for Auer or Stringfellow in 10-15 years if either is unwilling or unable to participate in a Posies reunion.

CD Baby | MySpace

Alan Windram-10 o'clock in the Morning. Windram describes his sound as "melodic, sun-kissed Scottish Americana" and who am I to argue? Fans of Daniel Wylie, his Cosmic Rough Riders, Teenage Fanclub and The Primary 5 will want to check out this disc. Highlights include the TF-ish "Someday", the catchy "Crazy Girl", the jangly "Under Her Spell", and "Out of My Head", the excellent uptempo rocker which closes out the album. A promising solo debut from the ex-Splendid Scotsman.

CD Baby | MySpace | eMusic

10 O'clock In The Morning - Alan Windram

CD of the Day, 8/23/09: Barnett/Gurley-Evidence

Jangle lovers and lovers of harmony, you're in for a treat. Mike Barnett, the Missourian whose 2006 release Nowhere Tennessee was featured on this site, has teamed up with kindred spirit Dennis Gurley to release Evidence and answer the music question, "What if the Everly Brothers were jangle poppers?"

Barnett on his previous albums has managed to meld a sound that's equal parts George Harrison/Badfinger and Steve Forbert/Bobby Sutliff, and with Gurley, a similarly-styled roots rocker on board, the synergy here is on a level with what Seth Swirsky and Mike Ruekberg did with The Red Button. The proceedings begin with the laid-back, silky-sounding "Elusive Smile", fronted by Barnett, followed by Gurley's "Need a Little Sunshine", a jangly number that also features some fine slide guitar work from Barnett. "She's a Mystery" is a wonderful acoustic-based number that gets double duty on the disc, with both Barnett's fully-produced version and a version of the song with Gurley on vocals as a bonus track.

The guys really hit their stride with the best track on the disc, the aptly-titled "Jingle Jangle", in which they trade vocals and harmonies awash in 12-sting guitars and harmonica. Pure jangly bliss. Elsewhere, the spunky "Hard Thing to Do" brings to mind the recently-reviewed Brian Jay Cline, "A Little at a Time" is positively Byrdsian (Sweetheart of the Rodeo-era Byrds that is), and "You Saved Me" is top-notch balladry from Barnett. The album closes with Gurley's excellent "Somebody Else", another jangly standout. Hopefully, this review will be all the Evidence you need to avail yourself of this understated treat.

CD Baby | MySpace

Here's a video for "Somewhere Else", peformed live:

Three for Thursday, 8/13/09

Grand Atlantic-How We Survive. The Aussies with the big pop/rock sound are back with the followup to 2007's This is Grand Atlantic, and they've managed another disc that will lodge its tunes in your head and give your speakers a workout. Oasis, Sloan and Cheap Trick are the bands that come to mind when describing their sound, and there are plenty of great tracks to choose from on this sophomore effort. You could start at the beginning with "Coast is Clear" with its dense guitar sounds and insinuating melody, or with the synths and handclaps of the catchy FoW-esque "Tripwires", or with the Oasis-styled "She's a Dreamer". Then go from there to the classicist power pop of "Freeway", the languid title track, or the raucous "Holding Pattern". No duds here, and most certainly no sophomore jinx.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Michael Gross & The Statuettes-Dust and Daylight EP. First Lamar Holley and now Michael Gross - it's a veritable flood of Utah poppers. Formerly with The Brobecks, Gross caught my ear with his solo disc Tales from a Country Home last year, and now has formed a new band to release Dust and Daylight. Gross & Co. fit into the pop/rock/Americana mix, with a hint of the Wallflowers about them. "I've Been Wrong Before" rocks with a distinct Western feel; "Stone Face" recalls the Old 97's, while "Novocaine" does the straight-ahead rock thing quite well. The Year of the Quality EP rolls along.

Stream & Buy Here | MySpace


Broken Promise Keeper-Ice Cold Pop. Broken Promise Keeper is the Atlanta-area's Rob Stuart, who keeps cranking out the power pop each year with now his third release. He kind of has a retro-80s power pop sound, bringing to mind Shoes, Let's Active, R.E.M. and adds a level of wit and whimsy to the proceedings. Tracks you'll want to check out below: "I Blame James" (in which a series of famous James are blamed for our narrator's shortfalls), the exuberant "Kristine", and the Beatlesque "Worship from Afar". Good pop that goes down smooth.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

CD of the Day, 8/11/09: Throwback Suburbia-Throwback Suburbia

Heads up, power poppers! Portland's Throwback Suburbia returns with the followup to their fine 2006 release Eight Tracks, and has taken a great leap forward. Their self-titled second album is an instant contender for the upper reaches of year-end lists, and truly represents what most people think of as "power pop".

Their influences range from Jellyfish to The Tories to Velvet Crush as well as Cheap Trick, and they get your attention right away with "Private Oasis"; this track has it all, from clever lyrics to crunchy guitars to some nice piano fills (think The 88's "Hide Another Mistake"). "Asking Why" recalls The Raspberries, "Rewind" The Tories, and with its sprightly piano and quirky melody, "Head Over Heels" is straight out of the Jellyfish playbook.

Elsewhere, with its manic beat and sweet harmonies, "Say When" could be mistaken for solo Jason Falkner; "Perfectly Okay" adds sitars and snyths to the mix a la Fountains of Wayne, and "You'll Never Know" is a power ballad that pulls out all the stops (solo piano, strings, plaintive slide guitar solos) and builds to a satisfying crescendo that would make Rick Nielsen proud. The bottom line is that this disc features one killer track after another, and deserves to be right up there with other classics of the genre.

CD Baby | MySpace

(Not in digital distribution yet - another apparent victim of the CD Baby website changeover fiasco - so listen to the tracks on MySpace and get the CD itself)

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, 8/4/09: The Shazam-Meteor

News like this doesn't get any better for a power pop fan. Not only is The Shazam back with a new disc, but it's the first new release on the Not Lame label in over two years (not counting the IPO comps which bear their imprint). Of course the wait has been longer for Shazam fans - Meteor is their first since 2002's Tomorrow the World. The Shazam is Power Pop with a capital "P" (or "PP"), and it's all here: crunchy guitars, power chords, hooky melodies, a touch of glam, and just enough attitude.

The disc opens with "So Awesome", which aside from serving as a two-word condensed version of this review, is the calling card to let you know that The Shazam is truly back. Frontman/Guitarist Hans Rotenberry (great name) pulls out all the rock-star moves on this killer track, and the sound behind the track can be traced all the way from T. Rex to Sloan. The midtempo "Don't Look Down" follows, a winner with its psychedelic flourishes and Beatlesque feel and "NFU" (which stands for "Not F----d Up - enough") rocks with the attitude its title implies. "Disco @ the Fairground" isn't quite what its title implies, but it's a refreshingly goofy glam number that recalls Queen in its mid-70s heyday.

"A Little Better" kicks off the midsection of the album, and its acoustic guitars and early 70s vibe make it sound like a lost classic rock tune from the bastard child of Led Zeppelin and The Move. "Always Tomorrow" features an easygoing melody in support of some rocking moves and recalls Big Star, and "Let it Fly" is the power pop equivalent of those quiet/loud tunes that the Pixies and Nirvana were well known for.

The final third of the disc sees them go in a Ramones-with-more-melody direction ("I Got the Bomb"), the glam rock theme for an imaginary superhero ("Latherman") and the double-entendre rock of "Time 4 Pie". All in all, it's the perfect return for a long-lost power pop staple and a long-lost power pop label. A definite year-end contender.

Not Lame | MySpace | iTunes

Meteor [album] by The Shazam

Video of the Day

Here's an imaginative, stop-motion video for Bob Evans' "Hand Me Downs", from his latest album Goodnight, Bull Creek:

Catching up with some familiar faces.

Three artists are out with new albums and they're all known quantities, so I'm just going to say a word or two about them and put up the Lala embeds.

Steven Mark-One Small Room. The common theme here is going to be if you liked the previous album(s), you'll like this one, and it certainly applies to the latest from this singer/songwriter, who shouldn't be confused with Steven Wright-Mark. Mark serves up another helping of his Elliott Smith-meets-Lennon pop, and throws in a cover of "The Logical Song" as well.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Fooling April-Three. This Philly band (whose first two album were on Kool Kat) is back with their third album, oh-so-cleverly titled Three. It's more of their modern-sounding piano-based pop that will appeal to fans of Jack's Mannequin, Harvey Danger and that Folds guy. It can be downloaded at the Bandcamp site for a price of your choice.

Bandcamp | MySpace | iTunes

Philip Vandermost-The Long Path. This California rocker caught the ear of Bruce Brodeen of Not Lame last year with his debut Automatic August, and played one of last year's IPO festivals. Now he's back with a new disc that hit the street this week. RIYL: Coldplay, Crowded House, Guster.

MySpace | iTunes

New Two Hours Traffic!

The finest Canadian power pop band this side of Sloan, PEI's Two Hours Traffic, is set to release Territory, their followup to 2007's Little Jabs, on September 8. To whet our appetites, they've released an mp3 of the title track.

Get it here:

Two Hours Traffic-Territory (mp3)

And here's a bonus video of their hit from Little Jabs, "Stuck for the Summer":

CD of the Day: 7/28/09, Scott Warren-Quick Fix Bandage

Quick Fix Bandage is the debut solo album from the frontman of Signal Hill Transmission, a band that has had an interesting history. They debuted in 2005 with Tomorrow, The Stars, a largely alt-country disc, followed it up with 2007's An Empty Space, which saw them move in a pronounced power pop direction (and featured "Cherry is a Girl", which would make my short list of top power pop songs of the decade) and then signed with ATO Records in 2008, hooking up with Pete Yorn & Liz Phair's producer and releasing the Starting Gun EP, in which they tried a bit too hard to be radio-ready.

The common thread in all the SHT albums, though, was Warren's songwriting ability, and now that he's gone solo he's managed to come almost full circle and release a laid-back, country-influenced pop album in the style of solo Rhett Miller and sometimes songwriting-partner Todd Herfindal of The Meadows, who helped engineer the album. "Before You Say Goodbye", which opens the album, is about as good as anything Warren's written, from its easygoing melody to its light country instrumentation. "Along for the Ride" and "Same Old Scene" are spare but lovely; and the atmospheric pedal steel of "For the Ride" should make happy all of those who wonder why Jeff Tweedy doesn't do these kinds of song anymore; and "Speed of Sound" will appeal to those who loved SHT's power-popping efforts. Warren closes the proceedings with a slowed-down cover of America's "Sister Golden Hair", which is nice but hurt my brain to listen to as the faster-paced original is so embedded in my memory that I found myself mentally singing along about 2-3 lines ahead throughout. I will give him credit for not doing a rote cover, however (cough, cough, Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs).

Buy CD here | MySpace | iTunes

New music from Michael Penn!

It's pretty amazing to realize that this year marks the 20th anniversary of Michael Penn's solo debut March, and that it's been that long since the great "No Myth" marched up the Top 40 (good luck with tunes like that today). Anyway, I've been a big fan of MP since I first saw the "No Myth" video on MTV, and I'm excited to bring you the news that he has some new material out, his first since 2005's Mr. Hollywood Jr. 1947.

These three tracks (which can be streamed in full and/or purchased below) are from the upcoming IFC miniseries Bollywood Hero, starring Chris Kattan. They're all quite good: "Untouchable", given its title and the subject of the miniseries, has some Indian instrumentation but is otherwise classic Penn; "In Two Worlds" is a duet with wife Aimee Mann, and "This is the Life" is the real standout of the three, a classic slow-build Penn ballad in the vein of "Bucket Brigade" or "I Can Tell".

And here's that "No Myth" video that hooked me back in the day:

Michael Penn - New Music - More Music Videos

Three for Thursday.

Three discs to chew on in this late week roundup, two from familiar faces and one from a new one.

David Brookings-Glass Half Full. Nashville may have been getting all the Tennessee-related attention around here lately, but here's some equal time for Memphis as favorite son David Brookings returns with his fifth solo album since 2000. Brookings has long been a favorite in the power pop community with his easygoing melodic style, and has drawn comparisons to the likes of Jim Boggia, Mike Viola, Matthew Sweet and Michael Penn. With Glass Half Full, it'll hardly take an optimist to warm up to this collection of tracks. "Don't Wake Me Up" gets things off to a rollicking start with its McCartneyesque feel, "I Wish I Could Be With You" is as sweet as its melody, "Love Goes Down the Drain" mines some Jellyfish/Viola sounds, "Hazel" jangles and shines, and "Still Not Crazy Yet" is pop at its brightest. This might be his best yet.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Your Gracious Host-Easy Red. All I can say is that Tom Curless (a/k/a Your Gracious Host) is one productive guy. Not content to rest on the laurels of last fall's double-album self-titled debut, he's returned as YGH about nine months later to bring us Easy Red, 11 more tracks of the same winning indie-flavored power pop we loved on the debut. Standout tracks on this disc include the urgent "Alibi", which reminds me of Teenage Fanclub mixed with mid-70s Roxy Music, the angular "Rescue Me", the Andy Partridge-like "Blue Sky", and the pretty, languid title track. At this rate, I'll be back in the spring reviewing the 3rd YGH disc, and I'll be happy to do so.

CD Baby | MySpace

Billy Schafer-First to Believe. The debut mini-album (7 tracks) from this San Francisco singer/songwriter has been a revelation. Although it didn't bowl me over at first, it really has grown on me and become a real favorite. Schafer's style is similar to artists like Elliott Smith, Gus Black, AM, and Mark McAdam. Two tracks really stand out here as some of my favorites of the year - the opener "Wondering", which sounds both contemporary and classic, and the lovely "My Mona Lisa (The One)", whose chorus has been embedded somewhere in my brain for quite a while now. Both tracks make excellent and tasteful use of strings as well. The other five tracks are no slouches either, with "April Fool for You" and "The Dream is Alive" worthy of particular note. A very nice debut.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

CD of the Day, 7/21/09: Brian Jay Cline-Nashville Tracks

If you've only joined the power pop community in, say, the last four or five years, you may not have heard of Brian Jay Cline. Personally, I discovered him in early 2005 when his last record, One More for the Road, came out. After doing so, I had to seek out his back catalog. So it's quite possible you right now could be me circa 2005 if Nashville Tracks is your first exposure to this great roots-poppin' artist, while the rest of us are just grateful he's seen fit to release his first new disc in nearly five years.

If artists like Marshall Crenshaw, Walter Clevenger, Bill Lloyd and The Melroys are your bag, you'll wonder how you got by without Cline for all these years. The title of his latest is as unpretentious as his sound - these are tracks he laid down in Nashville, and if you had to guess without knowing the title, Nashville is where you'd probably think they were recorded. All the tracks here are good, but some are more equal than others. "Rave Up" finds him as a twangy Buddy Holly; "Talk of the Town" is right in that Lloyd/Crenshaw sweet spot; and "Lying at the Speed of Sound" has enough sass to make kindred spirit Terry Anderson proud. Elsewhere, "Last Chance" has a bit of a bluesy feel and one could easily picture someone like Robert Cray covering it, and "Road to Ruin" tackles our recessionary times.

The only quibble I have about the disc is that I can't share a Lala (or any other digital music provider) embed below; Cline is old school to the extent that his stuff isn't on iTunes or the other digital download places. You'll just have to check out the samples at Not Lame or his MySpace if you're unfamiliar with him.

(Meanwhile, things have really gotten to the point where it seems like every second or third record I'm writing about lately comes from Nashville or a Nashville artist; at the rate things are going, I might have to bifurcate my year-end list into Nashville and Non-Nashville in fairness to the rest of the world.)

Not Lame | Kool Kat | MySpace

New Codaphonic EP - free!

We've always enjoyed the Harry Nilsson-influenced Codaphonic around these parts, so I'm pleased to pass on the news that they're making Edison's Rival, their brand-new EP, available for a free download.

Get it here.

New iMix at iTunes!

Thursday Roundup.

Michael Harrell-Jericho Blues. After releasing one of 2007's best EPs, Greetings from the Village, Nashville's Michael Harrell is back with Jericho Blues, his debut full-length. The album picks up where the EP left off, with 10 tracks of what might be called the "Nashville power pop sound". "Give Me a Beat" channels Greg Pope and Edmund's Crown, while "Paint by Numbers" is Superdrag-esque. Other highlights include the Beatle-y "Action, Reaction, Dissatisfaction", the rocking "Katherine", and the lovely country-tinged "Tennessee Valentine". Harrell is a real talent, and Jericho Blues is definitely year-end-list material.

CD Baby | MySpace

Mathew Street-Plastic Wings. Mathew Street - the road - is legendary in the music world, being the address for Liverpool's Cavern Club, where some guys in the early 1960s were well known for playing when they started out. Mathew Street - the Montreal pop/rocker - is less known but does his namesake street proud with his debut EP Plastic Wings, a collection of four quality Britpop-styled tunes. "Fine Glasses of Wine and Champagne" is one of those grab-your-attention-right-away pop tunes that reminds me some of The Feeling and Kit Ashton, "Because" and "Behind the Glass" are top-drawer power ballads, and the rollicking "Magic Mint" reminds me of Fastball. Now that he's distinguished himself from the famous road, just don't confuse him with Matthew Sweet.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Jeremy Nail & The Incidents-EP. Another artist from 2007 back with new music is Jeremy Nail, whose Letter was a favorite that year. Unlike Michael Harrell above, who went from EP to CD, Nail has gone from a full-length to an EP, and at only three songs I'd call more of a CD single. But they are three really good tunes, in the same Ryan Adams/Paul Westerberg-hybrid style of the full-length. Have a listen below.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

More Bleu for you.

Bleu's A Watched Pot, which I told you about a while back, has finally hit retail this week. I never did a formal review of the disc, because, well it's Bleu, and it's great, and if you're a power popper it's essential. Anyway, your Bleu experience is not complete without this bonus EP of outtakes from the Watched Pot sessions, which you can either get free or for the amount you're willing to pay from the good folks at Noisetrade:

Quirky Pop Tuesday.

Lamar Holley-Confessions of a College Student. One of these days, I'm going to compile a "United States of Power Pop" that references power pop artists in each state of the country. Off the top of my head, I can think of several states that are unrepresented, but I can now cross Utah off the list thanks to SLC's Lamar Holley. His Confessions of a College Student is billed as a pop musical, or "theater-pop" as he calls it, and it's a wonderfully melodic and quirky album that works as a whole or as standalone tunes. Mixing in a little Jellyfish, a little Ben Folds, some Beatles, and a lot of Brill Building, there's plenty here to like. "Forgotten Friends" brings the 'fish to mind, "Pretend That She's Ugly" is where the Folds comparisons come in, and "This is True" is a baroque blast. Tuition will only cost you $15, so it's a bargain.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Fred Van Vactor-Everything Good All at Once. If the Lamar Holley is up your alley, then you should also like the debut disc from this Oregon artist. While the sound is somewhat similar, Van Vactor comes at his material more from a slack aesthetic than Holley's theater geek. Regardless, this is buoyant pop that's catchy, quirky and clever. "Bottle of Wine" is great midtempo power pop, "Falling in Love with Jill Kotowski" is equal parts Dean Friedman's "Ariel" and Ben Folds' "Kate", and "L-O-V-E A.D.D." is as clever as its title. The only quibble I have here is that Van Vactor pushes the quirk factor a little too far late in the album with the goofy "Mexican Guitar" and the answering-machine-message-set-to-background-music "No More Gardening...", which Folds beat him to with "Your Most Valuable Possession" and kept under two minutes while this one drones on for nearly four. Nevertheless, there's enough here to please any pop fan.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Everything Good All At Once

Wednesday Roundup.

Benjamin R-The Other Side of Nowhere. This LA singer-songwriter (whose real name is Robert Selvaggio) has crafted a fine pop album that puts him right there with other contemporaries from the City of Angels such as AM and Gus Black, and also recalls Pete Yorn in places, especially on the engaging opening track "Quit". The uptempo "Falling Apart" is another standout, bringing Keith LuBrant to mind, and the melancholy "Tell Me I'm Wrong" also hits the right melodic notes. He also has a way with the ballads too, as he demonstrates on "Beautiful (Ugly Now)", while "Time is Running Out" has a bit of Jon Brion to it. An impressive debut.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

John's Revolution-Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World. When I first heard this disc and saw the cover, I could have sworn these guys were from England. After all, they have a big Britpop sound that owes a lot to Oasis and the Stereophonics. But no, they're from Italy, although I even question this given that the band is comprised of four guys named Alex Eschgfaeller, Othmar Schoenafinger, Juergen Lanthaler and Boris Egger. Whatever their origin, they have a rocking sound that definitely does put the "power" in power pop. "Dreammachine" gets in your face, not unlike Oasis' "Shakermaker"; "Pocket Symphony", with its mix of quiet and loud, yet all melodic, sounds like it came from a Jet album, while "Cosmos" is John Lennon by way of Noel Gallagher. But my favorites here are the brash "Walk Away" and the groovy 60s rock of "Pop Child". If I have any say in the matter, this disc will be "Today Absolute Powerpop, Tomorrow Your iPod".

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World

Odds and ends.

I Don't Like Cricket, I Love It!

Pugwash alert! One of the best lines from 10cc's immortal "Dreadlock Holiday" could be the mission statement of The Duckworth Lewis Method, a new band featuring Thomas Walsh (a/k/a Pugwash) and Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy. These two Irishmen have parlayed their love of cricket into a concept album about the sport. Released globally today, this is a must for Pugwash fans (as well as cricket fans, but you don't have to be one to enjoy it). In case you're wary, have a listen below:

MySpace | iTunes

The Duckworth Lewis Method - T...

Your Favorites, free.

Many of you recall Bright Nights, Bright Lights, the outstanding release from The Favorites which placed at #15 on my 2008 year-end list. The band is now making the disc available free, gratis, without charge, yours for the taking, courtesy of NoiseTrade. A deal too good to pass up:

New Dan Bryk album

Dan Bryk has a new disc out, Pop Psychology. And it's available for download at his site, either free at 128 kbps by joining his email list, or you can pay as little as 50 cents a track for a higher quality version.

His stuff is great, whether solo or with bands like Down by Avalon, so check it out.

Retro Thursday.

The Boolevards-Real Pop. This Illinois band gives us the first of two retro-rockin' discs featured today. Real Pop is just that, assuming the year is 1965. Two and three-part harmonies, Rickenbacker solos, Merseybeat melodies - it's all here in an expert re-creation of the era. And like many acts of the era, The Boolevards are led by brothers - John & Joe Nowik, along with guitar slinger Hugh Murphy. They serve up a generous 17 tracks here, with the highlights being "It's Great", "It's OK", and "It Stinks" (OK, I made that last one up). "Look to the Sun" and "Hot on the Trail of Love" are standouts as well. If you have a picture of Peter Noone hanging on your wall, run - don't walk - to pick this one up.

CD Baby | MySpace: None! - they didn't have MySpace in 1965) | iTunes

Listen to full album at the band's site

Peter & The Penguins-How to Choose a Sweetheart. Like The Boolevards above, this Norwegian band is oh-so-retro. But they have a bit more of a diverse take, branching out to include some Beach Boy-style sounds as well as well as some surprise sounds at the end. Of course, the Rickenbackers are out in force, so the difference is more of degree. "Sweetheart" is all hooky harmony, while "The Walk" is jangly fun, and Beatle lovers need to hear "There Goes Pete Best". They also throw in a rousing cover of Lavern Baker's "Bumble Bee", and perhaps the album's most interesting track is the midtempo closer "Give Me a Clue", which trades early-mid 60s Merseybeat for the late 60s/early 70s pastoral sound of The Kinks. (Note: the band's self-released "label" is Penguphone Records, a nice little touch.)

CD Baby | Myspace | iTunes

Two for Tuesday: 6/30/09

Charles Ramsey-Good Morning & Good Night. The music of Philly's Charles Ramsey could be summed up best by invoking 3 famous "B"s: The Brill Building, Burt Bacharach, and Brian Wilson. And it's quite reminiscent of a disc last year from another "B": Brent Cash's How Will I Know If I'm Awake. (If I really wanted to pile on the similarities, I could also cite a fifth "B", Ben Sadock). Anyway, enough of the influences and similar artists - they aren't worth a damn if the songs aren't good. That's not a worry here, as you'll find out right away on the bouncy opening title track with its bright melodies and classic 60s-pop horn section. "Odelia" is another highlight, channeling those early Bee Gees records before they went disco, while "Still Waiting" has me looking for Jimmy Webb in the songwriting credits. And he saves the best for the second half of the disc: "She Changes You" might be the best track on the album, with Ramsey in fine voice and a string section that manages to be very prominent yet not overbearing, and the piano-based "My Lost Days" is where the Bacharach comparisons come in. If this kind of pop is up your alley, this will be a major find.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Kevin McAdams-It's My Time to Lose My Mind. NYC's Kevin McAdams, if nothing else, is going to have one of the top tracks of 2009 when I compile that particular year-end list. "Start Over Again", which opens the disc, is a joyous ELO-styled number that's catchy as hell and which would probably make Bleu jealous. The rest of the album ain't bad either, as McAdams manages to stay on the baroque side of indie pop. The pensive "Us vs World" and "A Different Love Song" find their way into Beck/Grandaddy territory, while the manic "The Bannerman Nightmare" and "Leave Us Alone" will delight Bryan Scary fans. A promising debut.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

It's My Time to Lose My Mind by Kevin McAdams

Friday Finds.

Chase Hamblin-A Fine Time. The cover gives it away. Chase Hamblin's debut EP, A Fine Time, is steeped in 60s/70s trippy pop. At one end of the spectrum it channels 60s revivalists like El Goodo, but at the other end it recalls more modern artists such as Elliott Smith and Grandaddy. The title track is a tour-de-force, melodic in a Beatlesque way but with enough twists and turns and bells and whistles to reward mutliple listens. "Think of the Good Times" starts out with some bossanova and then segues into what sounds like the soundtrack to a hip late 60's film. "Never Let You Go" sounds like a Zombies/Animals hybrid, and the joyous pop of "We're Gonna Make It" and the "Hey Jude"-like "Bye Bye" close this extraordinary debut EP out. "Chase" this one down.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Shout With Grass-And Then Again. And the Year of the EP just keeps asserting itself. Yet another quality debut EP comes from British Columbia's Max Sensini, who calls himself Shout With Grass. This EP will resonate with fans of Crowded House and the aforementioned Elliott Smith. "Walk the Tightrope" finds Sensini in fine voice, sounding not unlike Ken Stringfellow, and features a piano-based melody reminiscent of McCartney's "1985", while "Hole in the Sky" closes out the four-song EP with a dreamy feel. Another higlight is "Softly in Your Ear", which recalls fellow Canadian Jay Ferguson of Sloan.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Gidgets Ga Ga-The Big Bong Fiasco. One listen to this disc and you won't have any problem identifying this band as being from Minneapolis, as they capture the classic Replacements/Soul Asylum sound with a 60s power pop sheen. The disc clocks in at a generous 18 tracks, but doesn't wear out its welcome. Since there are so many to choose from, I'll highlight "Beki", "Baby, You're a Star", "The Bomb", the jangly "Hit by a Train", "Offer You Can't Refuse", and "Lullaby", which is anything but. If you like this kind of driving melodic rock, you'll go "Ga Ga" over this one.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

In honor of Michael Jackson...

...here's one of my favorite artists, David Mead, with a cover of "Human Nature":

Freebie Friday!

Today would be a good day to subscribe to my Twitter feed, as I'm tweeting freebies from Amie Street, most of which I've reviewed in the past on this blog.

Of course as always with Amie Street, these albums may no longer be free by the time you get to them, so act fast.

CD of the Day, 6/18/09: John Lefler-Better by Design

It often seems like every indie band has a sideman who's a power popper at heart, and behind the emo stylings of Chris Carrabba and Dashboard Confessional lies DC's guitarist/pianist John Lefler, who's put out one of the more impressive power pop debuts with his solo album Better by Design and has an instant contender for album of the year here.

Lefler touches all the power pop buttons here. "Dream Your Life Away" opens the disc with a Jellyfish-inspired track that could have come off Spilt Milk, with its British invasion melody, staccato guitar riffs and snare drums, all delivered with a certain joie de vivre that a power pop fan can almost innately pick up. There's no dropoff next with the title track, with its insistent piano beat and McCartney-esque melody, and the sweet and jangly "Lucy" is 2:16 of pure ear candy.

An opening trio like that is hard to follow, but Lefler hangs in there with several more gems. The midtempo rocker "Afraid Anymore" recalls both Fountains of Wayne and Cliff Hillis, "Hard Act to Follow" (hey, didn't I just use that phrase?) is another 'Fish-styled number with a quality guitar solo, and "Helplessly" is a pretty ballad that does a fine job of letting the listening catch his or her breath.

The latter portion of the disc is rounded out with the file Sloan-styled "Better Than You", the bright rocker "Ordinary Guy", complete with "oh-oh-oh"s and a Matthew Sweet/Gin Blossoms sound, and the dreamy Lennonesque closer "Up My Sleeve". A stunning debut from Mr. Lefler, and one I can see in a lot of power poppers' top 10 lists come year's end.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

No Lala embed (listed as mp3-only there), so here's a link to hear it free on Napster:

Better By Design

Midweek roundup.

The Seldon Plan-Lost and Found and Lost. These tuneful Baltimore indie poppers are back with their third disc, and it may be their best yet. Calling to mind Nada Surf, The Happies and Matt Pond PA, The Seldon Plan is never short on melody, and "Fire in Day's Field" and the title track will demonstrate that for you right off the bat. Perhaps the track name that best encapsulates their upbeat pop sound is "Run, Go!", but they can also slow things down a bit and still come out with flying colors; the acoustic-based "Philadelphia and a Moment" and the moody "French Cinema" attest to this. Also make sure you check out the catchy "See a Word". Be glad you "found" this one.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Secret Pop Band-Pardon the Solar Interruption. We head down I-95 a short distance for our next band, Washington DC's Secret Pop Band. Given their name, I can't tell you (unless you have a security clearance) whether they've played Dick Cheney's undisclosed location, but I can let you in on the pop goodness of their debut disc, Pardon the Solar Interruption. Secret Pop Band is the newest outlet for the irrepressible J. Forte, whom many of you may know as the frontman of Ape House and who put out a solo disc of his own a couple of years back (titled - what else? - Secret Pop), and as Forte decided to form a band with the backing musicians from that disc, Secret Pop Band was formed. If you liked either of those discs, you'll want this one, and if you never heard of them (or him), you'll probably want it as well as they belt out one catchy number after another. "Your New England Winter", the breezy "Solar Interruption", and the Kinksian "Week Old Beer" are the highlights, but close behind is the rocking "Sunday's Hard Rock Falls" and the amusingly titled "Rachel Harmony". Give it a listen below.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

AbPow rewind: David Mead's Wherever You Are

One of the first things I ever did on this blog was anoint this EP the best of the decade. I still stand by that proclamation. "Make it Right" just popped up on my iPod, and since we didn't have Lala embeds back then (the dark ages of early 2006), it deserves one now:

Video of the Day

Before Valley Lodge, comedian/rocker extraordinaire Dave Hill had another band, the amusingly named Uptown Sinclair, who released a self-titled 2001 album that's a must have for any kind of VL fan. Here's a funny video for the disc's biggest "hit", "Girlfriend":

CD of the Day, 6/11/09: Roger Klug-More Help for Your Nerves

Back for the first time in nearly a decade, Cincinnati's Roger Klug has unleashed a 17-track power pop marvel. Klug bills himself a "pop scientist", and that's an apt description as he takes a mad scientist approach to this disc, experimenting here and there and trying a little bit of everything. In some measures, this disc is reminiscent of Greg Pope's Popmonster, which also threw quite a bit at the wall in its 17 tracks.

So we get the clever opener "Tinnitus", which mixes the metaphoric and literal ringing in one's ears of a song, and the worldplay of "tonight" and "tinnitus". He also gives us the straight-ahead power pop of "Dump Me Hard", the early XTC-sounding "An Artist in the Field", and the hyper-melodic "Girl After My Own Heart", which really does sound quite a bit like Pope. Then the quirk kicks in. "About Time" starts off as a jangly mid-60s number then segues into a wall of noise followed by a Robert Johnson-esque guitar solo before coming full circle, along with a couple of tracks whose names speak for themselves: "Witch from Hell" and "The Day I Had My Brain Removed".

And that only gets us through the first half of the disc. The rocking "Hi-Hat" is a treat, and he nicely juxtaposes the bitterly jealous lyrics of "A Girl Like That" with strings and a Bacharachian melody. Elsewhere, there's the Stones-ish "Souls to Heaven", the piano-noir pop of "Bogeyman" (which recalls Ben Folds' "The Last Polka"), the rave-up "Man's Man" and closer "Your Diary", an eight-minute opus that could almost serve as a condensed version of the album itself. Unlike many artists that come back from a hiatus with something that sounds like they could have knocked it out in a few months, Klug apparently has the used the time to craft what is perhaps the most ambitious power pop album of the year, and there's so much here that it demands repeated listenings.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Two for Tuesday: 6/9/09

Dave Caruso-Elizabeth Parker EP. This EP from Michigan's Dave Caruso bears a 2004 copyright, but only recently emerged on CD Baby and the digital download outlets, so I seriously doubt that more than a handful of AbPow readers have heard of it. Now's the time to remedy that, as Caruso demonstrates pop craft of a high order here. The title track is the standout, a jangly treat that would have fit it perfectly on The Red Button's 2007 album of the year. "I Can't Be on Time" is no slouch either, 2:13 of Michael Carpenter-esque power pop, and "Letter to My Ex" follows in the same vein. A couple of demos (including a version of "Elizabeth Parker" that recalls Elvis C's "Veronica") round out the EP. I'm going to have to make a judgment call on whether this one qualifies for the 2009 EP list, because on merit alone it's a gimme.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Elizabeth Parker

Ryan VanDordrecht-Hurts Like Hell. It seems like a lot of the good music this year has come in EP form, and this one from Portland's Ryan VanDordrecht (who looks a bit like Elvis Costello in the album photo) is no exception. He was in the bands Castella and Sidestar, who played bills with the likes of The Gin Blossoms and Cake, and his solo debut is high-grade melodic rock. "One More Cigarette" has a Tom Petty-meets-The Smithereens vibe, and "I Ain't Coming Home Tonight" takes off on a more Jayhawks/Son Volt tangent. Elsewhere, the title track recalls the Blossoms' more melancholy moments, while "Your Records" is the poppiest treat on the EP with an irresistible chorus. Here's hoping this one propels him to record a full-length.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes