CD of the Day, 8/29/12: The Honeymoon Stallions-Moonlighting

Andy Goldberg is back! Last heard from (with the exception of a track on Kool Kat's Christmas album in 2010) as The Goldbergs with 2008's Under the Radar, the Long Island purveyor of hooks (lines and sinkers as well) resurfaces with a new band name but the same top-notch power pop. Hearing the opener "If it Wasn't for You" will be putting on an old pair of slippers as Goldberg makes the melodies sound easy, and if this were 1975 "Radio Song" would actually be on the radio. Meanwhile, the piano-based "Every Now & Then" conjures memories of Badfinger and "A Little Love Tonight" closes the album on a real high with perhaps his catchiest number to date. There are a few stylistic detours here which mostly work as well - "Gonna Fall in Love" is bluesy power pop, "By the Moon.." is almost a torch song, and "Driftin'" is janglier than normal for Goldberg. Add it all up, and you have a triumphant return for one of the top power poppers of the last 6-7 years.

CD Baby | iTunes

Midweek Musings.

Lannie Flowers-New Songs Old Stories. I wanted to like Lannie Flowers' 2008 debut album Same Old Story, but it was really a tease - one short snippet after another in a medley of thirty-something overall song fragments. In 2010, he released Circles, which consisted of proper full-length songs and it was a revelation, placing #8 on my year-end list. To follow that up, Flowers went back and resurrected nine tracks from Same Old Story to record as full songs, based on requests from his fans. Having done that, he's bucking for a return trip to my top 10 as he continues his mastery of power pop. The Who-like "Another Weekend" opens things in rocking fashion, "Come on Girl" has an early-Beatles/Merseyside feel to it and "Give Me a Chance" is picture-perfect jangle pop. Now he just needs to do a few more volumes of the remaining 25 songs from Same Old Story.

CD Baby

The JAC-Faux Pas. Aussie Joe Algeri has been around a while, as a member of Jack & The Beanstalk and most recently the power pop supergroup The Britannicas, as well as several solo records to his credit. His latest is a solo effort, but he's chosen to go by "The JAC" here. Faux Pas is a pop record through and through, full of the various styles Algeri has shown throughout his career, ranging from the ramshackle 60s pop of opening track (and mission statement) "Play All the Instruments" to the straight-ahead power pop (if not straight-ahead lyrics) of "I Just Want to Be Weird" to the almost punk-pop of "Julie Got Angry". There's plenty of good ol' goofy weirdness here with fun tracks like "I'm a Glass of Orange Juice" and the Ray Davies-esque "Romano the Dog". And just to make the whole experience extra fun, Algeri includes a bonus disc of 10 covers titled Drugs, Trucks & Jesus. You can't say you won't get your money's worth from this one.

Kool Kat | Bandcamp

Midweek Roundup.

The Blood Rush Hour-Shrink. Now here's a pleasant pop surprise. The Blood Rush Hour are a four-piece Welsh band led by Robert DiStefano, and Shrink is an effervescent piece of British pop that channels Jellyfish and XTC. Opener "The Way Back Home" with its piano-and-horns backing as well as the buoyant "Delme" bring to mind fellow Brits The Feeling, while the frenetic back-and-forth stylistic shifts of "Into the Fire" and "My Life With the Omni One" have a Bryan Scary-meets-Jellyfish vibe. Elsewhere, "The Trauma Factory" and "Gone (Where Nobody Can Find Me)" show their appreciation for pre-Beatles British pop, and "The Tale of Sir Lancelot" along with closer "Show Me Your Self" also effectively show off their pop chops. This is an impressive a power pop debut as I've heard in the last couple of years, so don't shrink from picking this one up.

CD Baby | iTunes

Justin Kline-Cabin Fever Songs. Taking a break from his usual peppy pop tunes, site favorite Justin Kline is back with a lower-key, contemplative effort this time around which nonetheless shows off his gift for melody. The lo-fi, largely acoustic version of Kline sounds quite a bit like Elliott Smith or Connor Oberst, and the opener "Nighttime Girl" is an irresistible slice of folk/pop. Despite the lack of a "big" sound, "Your Mystery" manages to get the toes tappin', and "Carol Lynn" is a gorgeous number that would have fit in perfectly as a change-of-pace on one of his previous albums. A perfect album for a rainy Sunday afternoon.

CD Baby | iTunes

New EPs from old friends.

Supraluxe-Fuzz. The band which indirectly led to the creation of this site is back with a brand new EP after last year's return to form of The Super Sounds of Supraluxe. This one's called "Fuzz", which was the band's name in its original incarnation, and bassist Rich Pearson told me it was an intentional attempt to sound more consistent after the sonic adventures of Super Sounds. It certainly does have that classic Elliott Smith-meets-Big Star Supraluxe sound, with "A Little Radiation" and "Heavy Mustang" both dense and melodic. "Absinthe on the Beach" is another standout, a bright pop song that fits the mold of their sound. Great to see them back so soon, and word is that they have another 13 or songs lined up for their next full-length.

CD Baby | iTunes



Heap-Defriended. NYC rockers Heap are back with their first release since 2008's Oddball, and with these seven new high-energy melodic tracks it's like they never left. "Finger of Fate" rocks with swagger, "I Bet You Could" has a Rockpile pub-rock feel to it, "Noel Ford" continues their tradition of character stories going back to Oddball's "Running With Roosevelt Colson" and "Idiot Lust" channels 80s hair/glam metal. Fans of Cheap Trick, The Replacements and The Figgs will want to click the "like" button on this one.

iTunes

Summer of Sax.

Over the last 18 years or so, Scot Sax has been a big deal in the power pop community whether it be his solo material or band efforts with Wanderlust, Feel and Queen Electric. So it's noteworthy to have two Scot Sax-related releases out this summer, one of which features a Wanderlust reunion.

Wanderlust-Record Time. It's been a year of power pop reunions (Shoes and dBs among others), and none is more welcome than Wanderlust's. With bandmates Rob Bonfiglio (a fine solo artist in his on right), Mark Getten and Jim Cavanaugh back in tow, Sax led them in recording a "live in the studio" record of new material. Instant classics abound, from the opening rocker "Lou Reed" to the melodic and soulful "Blow Away" to classic rock sound of "Fork in the Road". It's been 12 years since their last album, but it doesn't sound like a day has passed.

Kool Kat



Scot Sax-The Los Angeles Years. Also newly out via Bandcamp is a 15-song collection of unreleased "songs written and recorded in the fun-loving, sushi eatin', sunny songwriting days from the Warner/Chappell years in Los Angeles 1999-2005", as Sax himself puts it. While Sax was penning tunes for megastars like Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, he continued to record his own material and some of these tunes stand among his best. "Cell Phone Again" recalls his slightly-mellower sound in Feel, "Busy Being Free" is a charming, bouncy, piano-based number, and "OK, You're Beautiful" sounds like it had to have been a hit for somebody at sometime. This must-have for Sax fans is a digital-only release at Bandcamp.

Weekend Roundup.

Dropkick-Paper Trails. Death, taxes and Dropkick. Three things you can count on as this Scottish band releases an album a year like clockwork, and 2012's entry is Paper Trails. They specialize in the melodic pop of bands like Teenage Fanclub and Cosmic Rough Riders with a touch of alt-country, suffused with Pernice Brothers-like harmonies, and the standouts this time around are the Summerteeth-era Wilco-esque numbers "Words Best Left" and the title track, the jaunty "Another Day" and the irresistibly jangly "Annabelle". Always great stuff, and we'll see them again in 2013.

iTunes



Dan Miraldi-Sugar & Adrenaline. When you think about it, "Sugar & Adrenaline" might be the perfect title for a power pop album. Ohio's Dan Miraldi does his level best to live up to the title with tracks like "Few Rock Harder", a great Butch Walker-type tune complete with "uh-huh"s in the chorus, the punchy pop of "The Runaround", and the charming retro rock of "Record Collection". But Miraldi succeeds with the slower and mid-tempo tunes as well with "Yonder St. Sebastian" and "The Many Shades of Blue".

CD Baby | iTunes

New Foreign Films single.

Although Bill Majoros has yet to release a proper full-length followup to his brilliant 2007 double-CD release Distant Star, he has managed a somewhat steady stream of singles and EPs over the past year or two and now he's back with a new single, which you can get for free at Bandcamp (and which you can listed to below):

Wednesday Roundup.

Snakehips-Must Be Present to Win. This veteran Memphis band first came to my attention a couple of years ago, and their latest trades in the traditional midwest-style rock and roll of bands like The Replacements. Opener "Tennessee" pays homage to their home state while not overlooking its faults, "Swinger" channels the Afghan Whigs, and the bright, poppy "New Day" sparkles and shines. Like the last time, I have to remark at how vocally similar frontman Mark Harrison is to Willie Nile, and fans of the NY rocker will enjoy this as well.

CD Baby | iTunes

Matt Webster-Army of One. Englishman Matt Webster has been around for a while, playing in a Sheffield band called Deluxe some 10-15 years back, and finally has released his first solo album. It's a winning collection of melodic Britpop, and should appeal to fans of Daniel Wylie and Noel Gallagher. "Done & Dusted" and "Bells & Whistles" open the disc with memorable hooks and sing-along choruses, while the melancholy piano-and-strings-based "The Ghost" is perhaps the album's top track, reminiscent of Oasis' "Don't Look Back in Anger". Elsewhere, "Every Bit of My Bones" adds a little danceability a la ABC, and the acoustic "2.0" gives a novel title to the old story of a guy who promises his woman he's changed. An impressive debut.


CD Baby | iTunes

Midweek Roundup.

Cliff Hills-Dream Good. About four years ago, I wrote that Cliff Hillis "is the golden mean of power pop - punchy enough to satisfy fans of Fountains of Wayne or Cheap Trick, but melodic enough to satisfy fans of Squeeze, Michael Carpenter and Paul McCartney". That was the last time Hillis released a solo disc, and now he's back with Dream Good which is just as good as The Long Now if not better. Hillis has a preternatural gift for melody and the immediate hooks of "Keep the Blue Skies" threaten to make it your new favorite song after just one listen. "Sing it Once Again" is an acoustic-guitar based gem with handclaps, "Ways and Means" finds him rocking like his days in Ike, and the moody, melodic Beatlesque "Welcome to You" would have fit in snugly on the last Red Button album. Just take about 35-40 minutes and listen below - it's easily one of the year's best.

Kool Kat | iTunes



Salim Nourallah-Hit Parade. A search of my archives reveals that somehow I've never featured a Salim Nourallah album here despite the fact that he's been a prolific artist producing high-quality pop for many years now. Nourallah is part of the "Texas pop/rock mafia" that features the likes of Rhett Miller, Joe Reyes, John Dufilho, John Lefler and others, who all tend to produce or play on each other's albums. Anyway, Hit Parade is perhaps the apotheosis of Nourallah's career, a fully-realized pop masterpiece. There's plenty to reward repeated listenings - for example, opener "38 Rue de Sevigne" sounds like your typical slow acoustic opening number until it isn't, "Travolta" sounds like an amusing faux-disco number until a closer listen to the lyrics reveals it to be the story of a man in crisis with a marriage pending, and "Never Felt Better" ends up belying its title. Nourallah's songcraft is at its peak - the Lennonesque title track burrows into your head, while "Goddamn Life" and "The Quitter" are top-notch guitar pop. With the surfeit of music out there, we don't always have the time to let albums grow on us, but this one is worth the effort in that department. I liked it on first listen, loved it a month later, and now I'm thinking it's my favorite album of the year so far. (Wish I had better samples for this, but the snippets below with the previews at Amazon/iTunes should give you a good idea of the sound).

Amazon | iTunes

New Cotton Mather Single!

Before anyone gets too excited, a few caveats: they have reunited, but only for a handful of shows; they don't have new original material, but they have released a new single. It's called "I'll Be Gone", and according to their Soundcloud page, it's "a long time staple of their live show, written by the Swedish pop genius Ola Framby. The track features Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame icon Ian 'Mac' McLagan on keys." Regardless of its origin, it's great to hear Robert Harrison's voice backed by Whit Williams' guitar and Dana Myzer's drums.

You can pick up a copy at iTunes.

Two for Tuesday, 7/3/12

Michael Carpenter-S.O.O.P. #5. Michael Carpenter concludes his 5-disc covers project with a twist - it's a duets album. This development jolts some life into the series, and features contributions from fellow power poppers such as Marty Rudnick, James Cooper and Chris Murphy. Although its stumbles out of the gate with "Where the Bands Are" (Carpenter strains to replicate Bruce Springsteen's gruff vocals), high points abound: Rudnick's Roger McGuinn-like vocals make The Byrds' "She Don't Care About Time" a treat, Dominique English guests to fine effect on Fleetwood Mac's "I Don't Wanna Know" and Carpenter & Cooper team up on what could almost be called a bubblegum version of George Harrison's "Awaiting on You All". The combination of covering deep album tracks for the most part ("Wouldn't it Be Nice" and "Already Gone" being the exceptions) and the duets elevate this one to more than a karaoke exercise and close the project on a high note. But now here's hoping his next release is original material.

Bandcamp | iTunes



Dave Birk-Speed Queen Mystery Date. Fountains of Wayne fans, this is the record to tide you over until Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesigner put out a new one. Minneapolis' Dave Birk captures the essence of FoW, from their high-gloss power pop to their suburban smart aleck worldview. It's an influence Birk does nothing to hide - the title of the opening track, "Hey Jody", recalls FoW's "Hey Julie"; "All Things Retro" borrows its melody wholesale from Utopia Parkway's "It Must Be Summer", and the title track tells a detailed story of a possible relationship between young urbanites. Plus there's "Country Music 101", a primer on writing country music that threads the needle between mocking the genre and celebrating it. So while Birk hasn't reinvented the power pop wheel here, I have to say I enjoyed Speed Queen Mystery Date more than any FoW album since Welcome Interstate Managers and there's some real talent at work here.

Bandcamp | iTunes

Tuesday Roundup.

The Slingsby Hornets-Borrowed and Blue. Jon Paul Allen (a/k/a Frank Slingsby) is back with his fourth album of half-covers and half-new material and the results are once again appealing. On the covers side, his rocked-up "Lady in Red" (Chris DeBurgh) and "Yesterday Once More" (The Carpenters) are his most daring reinterpretations to date while David Essex's "Rock On" also succeeds. Meanwhile among the new tracks, the Tommy Keene-like "It's Gonna Rain" is the standout. If you enjoyed the Slingsbys' mix of covers and new tracks before, you'll want this one.

CD Baby | iTunes

Jeff Larson-The World Over. Consistency, thy name is Jeff Larson. He should have a patent on the laid-back, melodic sound of mellow SoCal rock that he cranks out every year or two, and once again he's assisted by Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell of America as well as Jeffrey Foskett. So you know what you're getting here, but if you were to going to update your "Best of Jeff Larson" playlist, you'd want to pick "Monday Clouds, Tuesday Rain", "Approaching Midnight" and "Point of Rising" (which rocks a bit harder than Larson's usual fare).

CD Baby | iTunes

Mark Lane-Something New. Something New is LA singer-songwriter Mark Lane's first release since 2004's Golden State of Mind, and it's a treat for fans of artists like David Mead and Josh Rouse (the pre-move-to-Spain Josh Rouse, that is). Among the highlights, the ornate opener "For Whom it Concerns" brings back memories of Luxury-of-Time-era Mead, "Back in the Swing" and "Please, Lillianne" are lavish piano pop with a hint of the Beatlesque (incidentally, Lane played all the instruments here except strings), and the midtempo rocker "The King of Silence" has a noir feel to it. Fine stuff, and make sure you have a listen below:

iTunes

Monday Roundup.

One Like Son-Start the Show. While most of us with iPhones use them for such illustrious activities as playing Angry Birds or downloading fart apps, the band One Like Son used theirs to make Start the Show. Scattered across the southern USA, the band members recorded their bits wherever they could with an iPhone and put the whole thing together. And the best compliment of all is that from listening to it, you'd have no idea they didn't book weeks of studio time. Of course this would be all be an amusing novelty if the tunes didn't hold up, and here they do. OLS falls into the "Fountains of Weezer" camp as far as their power pop style goes, and they serve this subgenre well with the title track and several others. But they also manage to successfully break from the high-energy, manic pop/rock with the Beatlesque "Buried" and the contemplative "L.A." It's good stuff, and it would be fitting to listen to it on your iPhone.

Kool Kat | iTunes



People on Vacation-The Carry On EP. People on Vacation is the duo of Smile Smile's Ryan Hamilton and Bowling for Soup's Jaret Reddick, who've come together "on vacation" from their regular bands to craft an EP that's poppier and more mature than one might expect from their regular gigs. "Better Off Dead" reminds me of an Americanized Teenage Fanclub, the charming piano-and-guitar "It's Not Love" gets by on its whistle-along "luh-uh-uh-uh-uv" chorus, and "Where Do We Go Now" is quality dream-pop. All in all, it's six tracks of polished pop that should be up there for EP of the Year.

Amazon | iTunes

Two for Thursday, 6/7/12

Kevin Martin-Throwback Pop. Somehow this one got by us (and mos everyone else) when it was released last summer, but this is a stunning gem from San Diego's Kevin "Hair Bear" Martin, who was with the band Get Back Loretta. On Throwback Pop, Martin brings us the piano-pounding pop we associate with artists like Queen and Jellyfish, as well as contemporaries like Josh Fix. The opener "TV News" captures this perfect mix of melody and bombast and will bring an immediate smile to the face of any power popper, "I Need Your Love" and its "whoa-oh-oh-oh" chorus is an instant earworm, and the Beatlesque "I Wanted to Tell You" will have you thinking Secret Powers and The Nines. The back half of the disc is a bit ballad-heavy, but they're top-notch ballads. In this age of the internet and an active power pop community, it still baffles me how something this good went unheard last year but better late than never. (And if you really end up digging this album, Martin has an instrumental version of it available).

CD Baby | Kool Kat | Bandcamp | iTunes



Paul Bohan-For Now & Ever. This one is a tough find, and I can't even link you to samples so you'll have to take my word on it. Bohan is an Englishman with 1969 Records, Pugwash's label, and it's not a stretch to say fans of Thomas Walsh & Co (who contributes here) will want to add this one to their collection. "My Dream Baby" opens the disc with bright, catchy power pop, while "Heads I Win" has a more 60s British pop sheen to it, not unlike Rinaldi Sings. Elsewhere, the prominent guitars of "Inside Out" bring Pugwash to mind, and the title track's reliance on a horn section also has that Swingin' 60s feel. Only available in the US through Kool Kat and in England from the label.

Kool Kat | 1969 Records

Friday Roundup.

A couple of returning solo artists take us into the weekend:

Dan Kibler-Dan Kibler. Back with his first album since 2008 and his debut on the Kool Kat label, Dan Kibler once again regales us with an album of mature power pop. With production from Parallax Project's Mike Giblin and help from longtime collaborator Jeff Murphy of Shoes, Kibler's tunes remain rooted in pop yet have a world-weary tinge of Americana to them, not unlike Bryan Estepa or Ted Lukas. Opening rocker "The Misunderstood" is a great example of this dynamic, as is Tom Pettyesque "Broken Bent and Bound". "45 Seconds More" is straight-ahead power pop, as is his cover of The Zombies' "I Can't Make Up My Mind", and "Another Day" and "Is it True" show he's capable of first-rate roots rock. A welcome return, and Kool Kat is offering up their usual bonus disc including tracks from his fine first two discs.

Kool Kat | Listen at official site

Kevin Bents-The Honors. Also back for the first time since 2008 is Kevin Bents, whose The Means was a pleasant out-of-left-field surprise. But while he isn't surprising us this time around, The Honors is still top-drawer singer-songwriter pop. "Not the Kind" is an excellent mid-tempo track that recalls solo Donald Fagen, the piano-and-guitar number "I Wait" shows off Bents' pop skills, and the spare ballad "Somebody Got a Hold" has staying power. Perhaps the most interesting track here is "Downtown", a busy yet melodic track that starts and ends slowly yet rocks and mixes in some R&B in between. So do I go for the usual punny ending and say that Bents passes here with "honors"? Why yes I do.

CD Baby | iTunes

Two for Thursday, 5/24/12

Drobinko-Drobinko. This band with a Ukranian-sounding name is actually the New York band formerly known as Joe Lies, who had a nice 2005 debut. They gave up the name to avoid confusion with other bands with the "Joe Lies" name and are back as Drobinko. Whatever you want to call them, they've released a fine album of Green Day/Weezer-styled power pop that's a little less bratty and a little more mature than you might expect from this subgenre. Girls are the usual subject here, and the top tracks are "Karina" and "Kelsey Grammer's Daughter" (which may or may not be based on a true story). And the largely acoustic "My Own Way" works as well.

CD Baby | iTunes


Bryan Dunn-Sweetheart of the Music Hall. Austin's Bryan Dunn fancies himself somewhere between George Jones and George Harrison, and on his third disc he hits that mark with a pleasing blend of roots rock, power pop and country. "New Mercedes" opens things with some hard-driving pop/rock in the vein of Tom Petty, while the languid title track has a Wilco feel (except for the melancholy trumpet). Elsewhere, "Marlene" is a playful number replete with accordion and clarinet, "Audio/Stereo/Radio" is pure power pop with its stacatto guitars and sing-along chorus and "Six Black Horses" recalls Gram Parsons. If you're looking for an album where each song doesn't sound like the one that just came before it yet is consistently enjoyable, this is the one.

CD Baby | iTunes

EP Friday.

John Lefler-Shout Fire. Dashboard Confessional's lead guitarist is back with his second solo outing after 2009's excellent Better by Design, which placed at #15 on my 09 year-end list. Shout Fire picks up where the full-length left off in the quality department, beginning with the outstanding title track, a driving slice of power pop with enough commercial sheen to have been a lost 80s hit. "The Good Life" is a beautiful Neil Finn-esque ballad, while "Shelter in Place" recalls The Gin Blossoms. All six tracks in fact have their merits, and Lefler should be near the top my year-end EP list this time around.

CD Baby | iTunes



The Stanleys-Always. This Aussie band makes an impressive debut with this 4-song EP. The title track is a fine example of their Fountains of Wayne/Weezer-inspired power pop, but even better is "What Are We Gonna Do?", which features a 70s bubblegum feel not unlike The Raspberries. Elsewhere, "Kid's Gonna Rock" sounds like you'd expect it to, and "My World" is almost contemplative as it rocks, kind of like an early Smithereens track. Can't wait to hear what these guys do next.

CD Baby | iTunes

Friday Roundup.

The Roseline-Vast as Sky. Colin Halliburton resurrected his alt-country band which released two quality albums in the mid-00s and it's great to have them back. They offer tuneful Americana, somewhere between the Pernice Brothers and Whiskeytown, and the new disc has plenty to offer. Opener "Back of My Mind" has a nice Jayhawks feel to it, and "You'll Be Fine" makes use of female harmony vocals in the tradition of Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris through Ryan Adams/Caitlin Cary. Elsewhere, the title track is as majestic as its title, "Flowers on the Cheap" rocks a bit, and "Young Things" - my favorite track on the disc - boasts a Wilco/Autumn Defense-like melody with a memorable chorus. This is Grade-A "popicana", so if your interests lie in this genre this one's a must.

iTunes



Jared Lekites-Star Maps. Lekites' 2010 debut EP caught my year with its Brian Wilson-meets-John Lennon sound, and his first full-length builds on that promise while leaning a bit more on the Brian Wilson side of the equation. "Too Far Gone", with some nice harmonies from K.C. Clifford, is a pop delight with that California sound, while "Star Map" wouldn't sound out of place on Wilson's "Smile". "Along the Lines of Love" is a gorgeous piano-based ballad, "For Lack of a Better Heart" reminds me of an old Joe South tune, and "Girl Don't Tell Me" makes nice use of Laurie Biagini on vocals to sound like a lost 60s classic. With the new Explorer's Club album not living up to the promise of their debut, this is the album to get this year for fans of this sound.

CD Baby | iTunes

CD of the Day, 5/4/12: Didn't Planet-We're Going Nowhere

You're reading this site for one reason: to discover new music. But you're not representative of the music-consuming population as a whole. Most people take comfort in the familiar, and when out on the town they'd rather hear covers of known songs than original compositions. This is the dilemma for bands like Boston's Didn't Planet, who have a creative knack but need to make ends meet by playing covers. We're Going Nowhere is their lament, a concept album about a cover band. Like last year's excellent concept album by Meyerman about playing in a power pop band, it's great tunes that hold the concept together and ultimately make it more than the sum of its parts.

Didn't Planet's sound here is somewhere between Fountains of Wayne and Weezer, with the just the right amount of smartass those bands are known for. This becomes readily apparent as the album opens with the band's reworking of the Fat Albert theme as a way of introduction. For those of a certain age, hearing "na na na, gonna have a good time" brings back the memories. The driving "Maryann(e)" recalls the poppier side of Green Day; the title track rocks while detailing their plight, and it's almost obligatory that a power pop album of this kind have a track called "California".

Although its first 40 seconds are a recording of a voicemail, "Bitter" is one of the album's highlights - a power ballad of sorts that asks "have you ruined any new songs recently?". Elsewhere, "Over You" and "Adam" are highly melodic rockers, and the country-inflected "Someday I Might" closes out the album in wistful fashion. It's nice to see ambition meet execution, and these guys have learned enough from playing those covers to make a sound of their own worth covering.

CD Baby | iTunes

Listen at Spotify

Friday Roundup.

A couple of our favorite bands from the Northeast make welcome returns today:

Smash Palace-Do it Again. These Philly power pop icons really need no introduction, and album #8 finds them once again in top form. In fact it takes about three seconds to come to this conclusion, as the jangly guitars that open "Living it Lonely" let you know that you're at home.
"It's Easy" is a melodic rocker that compares to their 80s compatriots The Smithereens, and the title track manages to be both bluesy and Beatlesque. They're also effective when they take things down a notch, on the plaintive "21st Century Boy" and the mellow but menacing "Sympathy Runs Deep". Stephen Butler and company Do It Again, and by "it" I mean deliver the power pop goods.

Buy at official site | iTunes




The Successful Failures-Here I Am! This Jersey band has always been a favorite, mainly because they're not afraid to eschew the familiar power pop song topics of girls and cars in favor of stuff they just find interesting, and they usually do so with a skewed, humorous bent. This time around, subjects of their whimsy include "How People Start Sentences", "The Rise of China", "Mickey Mantle's Knees" and "Viking Heroes", among others. But while their choice of material might be goofy, they take their melodies and musicianship seriously so they don't come across as cute or precious. The common thread here is no-nonsense, straight-ahead rocking power pop in the tradition of their label (FDR), and this might be their best and most consistent release.

CD Baby | iTunes

Old Faces, New Names.

Today it's two releases from artists we've featured before under a different name:

The Buzz-Got Me Runnin' EP. The Buzz is the latest project from Washington DC popper J. Forte, whom we last heard from as The Secret Pop Band a few years back and also has recorded under his own name as well as with Ape House. As The Buzz, Forte gives us an excellent 4-song EP that meshes well with his past work, with the title track a spare yet melodically rocking winner and the "Hey Beatles" finds him calling on the Fab Four for inspiration. And you don't have to be Canadian to enjoy the midtempo "Sweet Manitoba". A release worth buzzing about, and a shoo-in for the top 10 year-end EP list.

CD Baby | iTunes



Hall of Ghosts-A Random Quiet. Hall of Ghosts is the solo debut of the UK's Jim Williams, who is more likely known to you as the frontman of Popicana purveyors Additional Moog, whose Thirty-Three & Third was a real standout several years back. Williams doesn't stray too far from his old sound on this 8-track mini-CD which will appeal to fans of The Jayhawks and Wilco. The opener "Bye Bye, Big Blue", in particular, has a real Gary Louris feel to it, and "Giant Water" recalls Joe Pernice's work in the Scud Mountain Boys. And the upbeat "We Are Finally Happy for Standing Still" has the melodic charm of tracks like "El Guiro" from his Additional Moog days. A definite claimant for the title of melodic Americana album of the year to date.

CD Baby | iTunes

Friday Roundup.

Latvian Radio-Kill the Static. This New York band snuck into my 2009 Top 100 with Seven Layers of Self-Defense, which at the time I didn't actually review. Rest assured they'll place significantly higher at the end of this year, however, as their latest disc Kill the Static is a joyous power pop delight. The best way to describe their sound is a mix of Shins-like indie pop, Brendan Benson and Elvis Costello. The title track is one of the standouts here - catchy, driving and pleasantly agreeable, while "Cigarettes & Soda" combines a new wave beat and sunshine-y pop. Elsewhere, "Dead Weight" could pass for a Replacements-styled rocker, and "Out of Your Mind" is a tasty treat that makes use of horns. A highly enjoyable disc that's perfect for the summer to come.

CD Baby | iTunes



Jonny Scaramanga-Listen EP. An impressive debut EP for this English rocker. Scaramanga fits the classic power pop mold, following the Butch Walker/Cheap Trick template of crunchy guitars and sugary melodies. "It's Good to Be Alive" opens with just the right amount of melody and swagger, and the title track could find its way onto "modern rock" radio. Meanwhile, the power ballad "What If I'm Not Enough?" shows that he has his craft down. Fans of the "power" side of power pop will want to give this a......Listen.

CD Baby | iTunes

Mini-review Tuesday.

Acid-Acid. This Jersey band may be tough to Google, but their hard-driving Cheap Trick-meets-The Replacements melodic rock is easy to enjoy. There's also a touch of glam here as well as Strokes-like vocals, and their frontman goes by the name "Special K". What's not to like? Top tracks: "Dead", "Sheila", "Born to Stay".

CD Baby | iTunes

Dale Murray-Dream Mountain Dream. Murray is the former guitarist for the Canadian folk-rock-Americana band Cuff the Duke, and his return to solo recording is an excellent "Popicana" record chock full of Wilburyesque jangle. Those who enjoyed recent releases from the likes of Mike Barnett and Marco Joachim will want to have a listen. Top tracks: "Dream Mountain Dream", "Assess the Mess", "Now You've Been Warned".

CD Baby | iTunes

Brad Brooks-Harmony of Passing Light. Quirky popster Brad Brooks is back with his followup to 2007's Spill Collateral Love, and it's another effort that doesn't quite exactly sound like anything else in your collection. Brooks mixes various pop styles and puts his own spin on them, making each song a surprise from what came previously. Top tracks: the piano & sitar R&B-based "Calling Everyone", the George Harrisonesque "Steal My Disarray" and the Rufus Wainwright-style balladry of "Farewell to Folderol".

CD Baby | iTunes

The 88-Actors. "Actors" is an appropriate name for an EP by a band whose songs have found their way into numerous films & TV shows (including the wonderful "At Least it Was Here", the theme for NBC's "Community"). Their latest is a bit more subdued than normal but still highly melodic, and a must-have if you count their earlier releases among your collection. Top tracks: "Blue Skies are Black Again", "Do You Love Me", "My Friend John".

CD Baby | iTunes

The Squires of the Subterrain-Sandbox. The Squires are back with more of the XTC/Dukes of Stratosphear-meet-the-Beach Boys sunshine-y psych-pop we've known and loved from them in the past, and Sandbox fits right into their canon, with a bit more of a lean to the Beach Boy sound this time around (hence the title, I suppose). Top tracks: "Idling in the Sun", "Surfin' Indiana", "Woodrow Wilson".

CD Baby | iTunes

EP of the Day, 3/26/12: Richard Cummins-5 Things I Learned from Paul McCartney in Song

British Columbia's Richard Cummins is an unabashed Beatlemaniac, and his latest EP is an enjoyable homage/tribute to Sir Paul McCartney. The EP features two original tracks, "Paul McCartney Taught Me Right"- a jangly Rickenbacker-laden number that cites McCartney as a role model and features an always-welcome timpani in the chorus - and "Paul, He Used to Sing With Me", a trippy mellow number that quotes McCartney lyrics. The rest of the EP is a couple of note-perfect covers of McCartney standards "Mull of Kintyre" and "Back Seat of My Car", along with an Abbey Road Studios mix of "Paul McCartney Taught Me Right". Cummins does sound a lot like McCartney, so if you don't pay close attention, you might think Paul was honoring himself. Still in all, it's a fun little EP and you don't have to be as big a McCartney maniac as Cummins to enjoy it.

CD Baby | iTunes | Bandcamp

Two for Thursday, 3/22/12

The Brixton Riot-Palace Amusements. These Jersey rockers are back with their full-length debut after 2008's fine Sudden Fiction EP, and they serve up more of the Replacements-meet-Smithereens rock that we enjoyed then. "Signal to Noise" lets you know right off the bat that they can seriously rock, and its "keep my head down/'til I hear that sound" refrain will stay in your head. "Canvas Shoes" channels the 'Mats, and "Hipster Turns 30" might be the album's best track with its mix of wry lyrics and a clever melody. With apologies to Nick Lowe, this is pure rock for now people.

CD Baby | Bandcamp | iTunes



The Honey Wilders-Singles for Singles. We keep the amps cranked up to 11 with San Jose's The Honey Wilders, who bring the classic rock on their debut disc. Drawing from Cheap Trick, Tom Petty, Thin Lizzy and other 70s icons they craft some fine tunes here, including the opener "Summertime in the Suburbs" which is catchy as all get-out. "Life in Stereo" has an Exile-era Stones swagger, while "Geneva Ave." comes off as a more rocking Gin Blossoms. Elsewhere, "Sweet Alice" sounds like a lost arena rock classic, and the piano-based "Light of Day" has a Queen-like theatricality to it. So if your local classic rock station actually played new songs, it might sound something like Singles for Singles.

CD Baby | iTunes

Listen to all tracks on YouTube

CD of the Day, 3/16/12: David Myhr-Soundshine

The gauntlet has been thrown down. For the rest of 2012, power pop albums will have to be measured against David Myhr's Soundshine if they want a spot on year-end best-of list as the former Merrymaker has crafted a solo debut that reminds us all again what we love about power pop. About 10-15 years ago, the Merrymakers were the gold standard for power pop and Myhr's solo debut, so long in the making, lives up to that billing. Like the best power pop, his songs are instantly likeable but don't wear out on repeated listens. The piano-based "Never Mine" is a tremendous opener, with its Beatlesque verses and sing-along chorus. "Looking for a Life" recalls his former band with its breezy melody and urgent pace, and the punchy popper "Got You Where He Wanted" is 70s-tastic, featuring female backing vocals in the chorus and a bit of an Andy Kim feel.

Elsewhere, "I Love the Feeling" is pure sunshine pop that reflects its title, replete with a "wooo-oh-oh-wooh" chorus, "Cut to the Chase" is another driving popper that will insert its "come on, come on" refrain into your subconscious and you won't be able to say "no" to "Don't Say No" another pop winner that would have been a guaranteed Billboard #1 in 1976. "Loveblind" is another treat for Merrymakers fans, a buoyant number with another unforgettable chorus. The lovely ballad "The One" gives the listener a chance to catch his/her breath, and then it's back to pop perfection with "Wanderlust" and "Icy Tracks", the latter featuring synths and some fine guitar work. "Ride Along" makes the perfect closer, returning to the piano pop that opened the album and giving the impression of everyone gathering to sing along and waving goodbye as the credits roll.

As you may have figured by now, this one shoots to #1 on my Best of 2012 list to date. Although it will only be released March 29 in Europe and Japan for now, the good news for US-based readers is that it's being made available through Kool Kat and Ray is taking pre-orders for autographed copies. You can also get a free download of an alternate version of "Never Mine" from David Myhr's site (see widget below).

Kool Kat

Midweek Roundup

The Mike Benign Compulsion-Martha. These Milwaukee power poppers are back with the followup to 2010's excellent Rollicking Musical, and the results are once again...compelling. In fact, this time around legendary dB Chris Stamey is on hand to mix, and he lends the proceedings a timeless sheen that places the sound of this disc comfortably in any recent decade. Whether it's the stomping opener "Chemicals to Candy" or the Shoes-like pop of "My Michelle" or the jangly "Valentines and Honeybees", the MBC delivers the pop goods here. And they really hit their stride on "I Won't Let You Down", which wouldn't have sounded out of place on one of Stamey's releases. Album closers "Feed the Family" and "Tattoos of Bruises" find the subject matter getting serious, but without a loss of melodic focus. There's something for every power pop fan here.

CD Baby | iTunes

Your Gracious Host-1UP 2DOWN. Tom Curless has become a regular in these parts, and his fourth album might be his best since his self-titled 2008 double-disc debut. What makes the new one a step in the right direction is Curless' decision to crank up the guitars, a decision that's almost always good in my book (for example, I defiantly cling to Monster as my favorite 90's REM disc). You don't have to wait long to hear for yourself, as "Made to Suffer" rocks harder than anything on his previous two discs, and "Wheels are Turning" marries his trademark melodic sound to a Petty-esque rocker. But the highlight here is "Merry Go Round", perhaps the most Beatles-influenced track Curless has produced to date. It's nice to see an artist shake up the formula a bit, and here it really pays off.

CD Baby | iTunes