CD of the Day, 3/4/08: Ted Lukas-Misled

It's always nice to write about a homeboy. Ted Lukas hails from Tampa, Florida, and is local power pop/alt-country royalty thanks to a resume that includes work in the great 90s band Barely Pink and more recently, the fine alt-country band Hangtown (whose most recent EP is an excellent listen, by the way). Now Lukas is out with his second solo disc, Misled, and it bridges the gap between his two chosen genres with great skill.

"OK with Everything" lets you know that everything will be OK on this disc, as Lukas fires up a rocker that's in the Matthew Sweet meets Steve Earle department; in fact, Lukas' vocals sounds like a cross between Earle and Terry Anderson (he of the Yayhoos and the Olympic Ass-Kickin' Team). The standout track is "Hearts Like Mine", a midtempo rocker with an easy melody and a hint of jangle. Elsewhere, "I Can't Believe" boasts a fresh, poppy chorus; the title track is an excellent roots rocker; and "Static Reaction" closes the disc in fine Pettyesque fashion. No hometown boost needed here - I'd recommend this disc even if Lukas were from Timbuktu or Togo instead of Tampa.

CD Baby | MySpace

Sunday Roundup.

A few discs for your weekend consideration:

The Celebrity Orphans-The Celebrity Orphans. This band from Seattle had me at "Hello". Actually that's the first track from their 9-song self-titled debut, and the lean to the more indie rock side of power pop. Other standouts on the disc include "You Got Nothin'" which has kind of a Supergrass-meets-Steve Earle sound (don't ask, just listen), the ballad "Every Charm", and the Spoon-ish "Carcrash". A promising debut. CD Baby | MySpace

The Humming Field-The Humming Field.
If you enjoyed The Hope Trust or The Incurables, a couple of similar discs I touted late last year, you'll definitely want to check out the debut from Massachusetts' The Humming Field. They share the same amalgam of Brit-Pop and Heartland Rock with smoky-sounding vocals with those acts as well as bands like Minibar and The Wallflowers. Standouts include the rocking "I Didn't Know", "Nothing But Alone", the Teenage Fanclubesque "Air So Empty", and "Running Blind". Fine, fine disc. CD Baby | MySpace

Cameron Dobb-The Ride.
This Vancouver singer-songwriter is a real talent. Self-described as the love child of Ben Folds and Tom Waits, there's truth-in-advertising there as his raspy voice is put in service of some great piano-based pop. "Hurricane" comes off just like that, with its insistent "Short People"-like piano chords, while slower numbers like "Justine" and "Safe" bring back fond memories of the Randy & The Bloody Lovelies disc I enjoyed so much a couple of years back. Other highlights include "Bee Sting" and the Folds-like "Sally Anne". Definitely a "Ride" worth taking. CD Baby | MySpace

CD of the Day, 2/28/08: Freedy Johnston-My Favorite Waste of Time

Freedy Johnston has always been one of my favorites; he, David Mead and Josh Rouse have comprised my "holy trinity" of singer-songwriters. While Rouse has been over-prolific and Mead has been about just right, Freedy hasn't put out an album of new, original studio material since 2001's Right Between The Promises. At long last, his site promises a new disc of original material (Rain On The City) which he presumably is in the studio recording. In the meantime, he's finally released his long-rumored disc of covers, My Favorite Waste of Time.

Freedy's a natural for covers, with his everyman type of voice and appreciation of pop music history. He's long been known for his liberal use of covers in live shows, he's teased us in later releases with a few. Promises' leadoff single was a cover of the Edison Lighthouse classic "Love Grows", and the hard-to-find Live at 33 1/3 included covers of the Hollies' "Bus Stop" and the Cole Porter chestnut "Night and Day", the latter two of which appear in studio form here. My general policy on covers albums has been that the artist shouldn't be content with note-for-note and inflection-for-inflection reproductions, but rather bring something of himself to the album; in other words, to make the songs his own and of a piece with his original material.

In most instances, Freedy accomplishes this task. The disc opens with the title track, Marshall Crenshaw's oft-covered B-side. Freedy's contribution here is to speed up the tempo a hair and to add a punchy guitar solo in the bridge; it would have fit nicely on Promises with the "Love Grows" cover. I have to confess I'm not familiar with the original of NRBQ's "I Want You Bad", and as a result it sounds to my ears as a Freedy original circa his brilliant 1997 disc Never Home, akin to tracks such as "I'm Not Hypnotized" and "He Wasn't Murdered" from that disc. An enjoyable version of the Bacarach-David classic "Do You Know The Way to San Jose?" follows, and it would take some real work to murder that number, which Freedy thankfully doesn't - in fact, he adds a bit of a Latin beat to it and it almost comes across as something that could have been on one of Rouse's post-move-to-Spain discs.

Another highlight is the somewhat out-of-left-field cover of Don Henley's "The Sad Cafe" from the Eagles' Hotel California The Long Run. Freedy really captures the beauty in the track that Henley's larger-than-life persona might tend to overshadow. For the true connection to power pop on the disc, there's a cover of Matthew Sweet's "I've Been Waiting", with the added touch of horns. Also interesting is Tom Petty's "Shadow of a Doubt (Complex Kid)", which Freedy also makes sound like a Never Home outtake. The new version of "Bus Stop" (which was solo guitar on 33 1/3) has horns and an electric sitar, a nice touch, and a loungy, almost bossa nova version of "Night and Day" closes things in fine fashion.

The only missteps here are the pair of McCartney covers which appear back-to-back in the middle of the disc. Freedy's "Listen to What the Man Said" is OK, but a little too note-for-note for my tastes. But the real problem is "Let 'em In". As much as I love Sir Paul, it's not exactly a reach to say he could write some of the most banal lyrics ever, getting many of these type of tunes across on his sheer charisma, charm and star power. "Let 'em In" may have the been the most banal of them all, and with all due respect to Freedy, he's no McCartney in the charisma/charm department, so it comes off just as silly as Joe Posnanski found it (scroll down to the italicized text following the first asterisk).

Nevertheless, this is one of the better covers albums I've heard in quite a while, so if you're any kind of Freedy Johnston fan, or just love several of the tracks here (aside from "Let 'em In"), head on over to his official site where it's available exclusively and pick up a copy. Unfortunately, there aren't any samples on his site (or elsewhere), so you're going to have to take my word on this one.

CD of the Day, 2/27/08: The Dress Whites-My God, The Shame!

Toronto's (by way of Montreal) The Dress Whites are a band that defies categorization. Blurring the lines between power pop, indie pop, and rock and roll, their debut full-length My God, The Shame! is an instant winner that will appeal to anyone who likes good, tuneful music.

After the instrumental opener "A Liberated Woman Will Destroy Us All" (which along with the closer titled "O'er The Transom of the Susan Constant" which might lead you to believe you've stumbled across a Decemberists disc off the titles alone), "Give Up The Ghost" kicks in with an upbeat melody, stacatto guitars and a call-and-response chorus that lets you know you're not in Kansas any more. "Spongecake" and "A Great Assault #8" are power-popping numbers that recall The Shazam, while "The Whale" and "Blood Work" keep up the pace in a Fountains-of-Wayne-meet-the-Rembrandts way. Meanwhile, "Two Times The Hurt" is a straight-ahead power pop gem that recalls fellow countrymen Sloan.

So get fancy and put on The Dress Whites; there's no shame in enjoying this one.

CD Baby | MySpace

CD of the Day, 2/25/08: Kevin Bents-The Means

It's been a while since I had some quality singer-songwriter pop to recommend, but thanks to NYC's Kevin Bents, I no longer have to wait as his solo debut The Means is an assured collection of melodic gems that will appeal to fans of David Mead, Freedy Johnston and Josh Rouse. Bents has worked with Mitch Linker and the Day Traders as well as Saul Zonana, so he keeps good company.

Opener "Givin' It All Away (For Jeff)" is a nice acoustic number, but Bents really hits it out of the park with "Heart of Hearts", a lovely pop tune with a kind of Bacharach feel. The more rocking "My Love Save The Day" follows with a sound reminiscent of his buddy Zonana and has the instant catchiness that would make it a hit in an alternative universe that appreciated this kind of music. Elsewhere, "Fool on the Moon" is a pretty Beatlesque ballad, "Writing on the Wall" is a peppy uptempo number that has a hint of R&B, and "Good Life" is one of the better Donald Fagen/late-period Steely Dan tributes/pastiches/soundalikes that you'll hear (the auctioneer that appears two-thirds of the way through is an interesting touch). It's an excellent record from a real talent, and here's hoping you'll find The Means to pick up a copy.

CD Baby | MySpace

Friday Rock'n'Roll Roundup.

Time today to spotlight three discs that come down on the much more rockin' side of power pop, one of which you may already be familiar with, and two others you might not:

Watts-One Below The All Time Low. This Boston band has been featured on Not Lame and elsewhere already, so forgive me for being late to the party. But a party it is, as this band named after the Rolling Stones' drummer does their namesake proud with 14 rockin' tracks. More rocking than others: "20 to 12", the title track, "Everybody Wants You', "Start a Riot". Wake the neighbors. CD Baby | MySpace



The Molotov Cocktails-Do You Think You Can Save Me. They know how to rock in Jersey, and this band lives up to their home state with a (dare I say) explosive 10 tracks that are mostly loud but intelligent as well, incorporating aspects of Elvis Costello and Paul Westerberg in their more rocking moments. Highlight tracks: "8 AM", "Jumping Trains", "Kiss You Everywhere". CD Baby | MySpace



Gumption-Ultramaroon. Last year Kurt Hagardorn made a splash with his Ten Singles CD; as a result, he's re-released a 7-song EP featuring his old band, and which was produced by the legendary Chris Stamey. It's excellent indie rock with a pop sheen, and if you liked Ten Singles, this one's a must-get. Key tracks: "Gravity", "Burn It Down", "Around The Sun". CD Baby | MySpace

Not Lame has a blog!

The good folks at Not Lame have started their own blog. It's updated a bit sporadically at the moment, but there's some good stuff in there in the month or so they've been up. Check it out!

EP of the Day: Tim Halperin-You Are The Moon

It seems like I've been coming upon quite a bit of very good piano pop lately. Fresh on the heels of the fine Ian Axel EP from late last year, here comes Fort Worth's Tim Halperin with his debut EP, You Are The Moon.

Ben Folds is the obvious point of comparison here, and Halperin resembles Folds (as well as Justin Levinson) vocally. The title track would have fit nicely onto Whatever and Ever Amen with its scruffy amiability, while "What I Want" has a 70s vibe and "Nice to Be Free" adds some guitar virtuosity to the mix. The Coldplay-inspired "We Can Make It" caps off the disc. If you're a fan of the piano pop subgenre, Tim Halperin is definitely worth your acquaintance.

CD Baby | MySpace

CD of the Day, 2/18/08: Charlz Newman-Charlz Newman

In this day and age of a surfeit of music available on the internet and elsewhere, it's impossible to be comprehensive, no matter how detailed a niche you concentrate on. Or to translate it into simpler terms: I'm still finding great releases from 2007 that I missed during the year. It's almost getting to the point that I'm going to have to revise my top 125 list in a couple of months or so. The latest overlooked 2k7 gem is the self-titled debut full-length from Minneapolis' Charlz Newman.

In the tradition of Jethro Tull, Charlz Newman is a band with a person's name, rather than the other way around. Named after band leaders Mark Charles and Brian Neumann, Charlz Newman has crafted a power pop tour de force. From the opening Cheap Trick-style raveup "Craven Raven" to the loungy piano pop (a la Randy & The Bloody Lovelies) of "Lie Berry" to the Superdrag-style rock of "In The End" to the midtempo power pop of "Cheque Inn" and "True" to the antemic "Burn Your House Down", they pull it all off. They've caught the attention of the music biz as well, as they've opened for acts like Nickelback and Bon Jovi. But we won't hold that against them.

CD Baby | MySpace

Video of the Day.

Future Clouds and Radar-"Build Havana"

Being a double album and all, Robert Harrison's Future Clouds and Radar was a mixed bag, although with enough highlights to place it highly on my top 100 of 2007 list. And to me this was the biggest highlight, one of my favorite tunes of the year.

Power pop at SXSW.

The SXSW lineup is out, along with mp3s galore for many of the artists. A couple of years ago when I started this blog, I did a list of power pop and near-power pop mp3s available from the SXSW site, but last year Powerpopulist did it. I'll give it a stab again this year, though. Here goes:

Aberfeldy-Come On, Claire
AM-Old Song
Blue Rodeo-This Town
The Breakup Society-13th Angry Man
Bryan Scary & The Shedding Tears-Imitation of the Sky
Buttercup-In Love
Canadians-Summer Teenage Girl
The Chevelles-Get It On
Jason Collett-Out of Time
The Deadbeat Poets-Ernest T.
Deadstring Brothers-Heavy Load (great song)
The Dimes-Delilah
Dr. Dog-The Girl
The Golden Dogs-Construction Worker
Great Lakes Myth Society-Heydays
Brendan James-Green
The Krayolas-Little Fox (Spanish)
Limbeck-Let's Get Crazy
Minipop-Like I Do
Patty Hurst Shifter-Life Is Mostly Waiting
Paul Collins Beat-Don't Wait Up For Me
The Playing Favorites-Indigenous
The Presidents of the United States of America-Lump
The Redwalls-Modern Diet
Ari Shine-Cooler Than Me
The Singles-Summer
The Steps-Belle
Tammany Hall Machine-Unknown Song

If there are any other artists I missed that you think would be of interest, please note them in the comments.

CD of the Day, 2/14/08: Three Hour Tour-B Side Oblivion

Now here's a blast from the past. Darren Cooper and Three Hour Tour have actually been around since 1989, but have been dormant for the last 10 years (stuck on Gilligan's Island, perhaps?). So it was a nice treat to see them release B Side Oblivion early this year. Despite the title, this isn't a collection of B-sides, rarities, etc. - it's 10 new power-poppin' tracks.

Cooper really enlisted the help here - Adam Schmitt plays bass, and Velvet Crush's Paul Chastain and Ric Menck add bass and drums, respectively. If you're a fan of Schmitt or Velvet Crush (or a fan of quality power pop at all), this one's a must-get. "I Wanted You Around" has just the right measure of guitar crunch and melody that reminds me you why power pop is your favorite genre; "A Girl That I Once Knew" is the kind of midtempo track you'd get if you combined Badfinger and Eric Carmen; the slide guitar that propels "Lonely Place" along is worth the price of admission; the title track recalls Tom Petty's Wilbury-era stuff; and "Easter Basket Grass", while likely being the first song ever to mention the product, is also a great rocker. It continues to get easier and easier to come up with an early Best-of-2008 list.

Kool Kat | Not Lame | MySpace

CD of the Day, 2/12/08: The Meadows-First Nervous Breakdown

At the risk of sounding too technical, it can be said that some artists just have "it" - "it" being a certain sound, or a way of coming across that sounds natural, effortless, and authentic. The Meadows have "it", and their sophomore release First Nervous Breakdown is more of their radio-friendly pop/rock that you'd hear on the radio if it were friendly to independent pop/rock acts.

Following up on 2005's excellent self-titled debut, this San Francisco band ups the ante here with 10 gems that will appeal across the pop/rock/country spectrum from fans of Oasis to The Jayhawks to The Gin Blossoms, etc. Opener "Knowing Don't Change a Thing" is emblematic of their sound, in a kind of a Tom Petty-meets-The Rembrandts way. "Wheels on the Road" is enjoyable country rock with a chorus reminiscent of "Already Gone", while "Paralyzed" is a slow-building piano ballad that reminds of the some of The Nines' slower numbers. Meanwhile, "Give It Up" wears its anthemic Oasis sound on its sleeve, "Take Me Down" is top-shelf jangle pop, and the closer "Forever California" truly embodies the sound of their home state. An instant top 10 of 2008 contender.

CD Baby | MySpace | eMusic

Sunday Roundup.

Spent the last few days trying to piece together what I lost from a failed hard drive, so things have gotten a bit backlogged. With that in mind, here are three discs worth checking out:

John P. Barton-Love Etc. Houston's John P. Barton is back with Love Etc.., the followup to 2003's Does Not Play Well With Others. Barton's sound is upbeat pop somewhere between George Harrison, Tom Petty and (to be more obscure) Brian Jay Cline. The opener "Beautiful Friend" is reminiscent of "If I Needed Someone"; the breezy melody of "Minute" is another highlight, as well as the roots rock of "Sweet Dreams". 18 tracks in all, so you're bound to find something you like. CD Baby | MySpace

The Stereotypes-5. The Stereotypes are not stereotypical when it comes to followup time between releases. Hot on the heels of last summer's outstanding 4, the San Diego band is back with 5, an 8-song "mini-CD" that's becoming known as The Black and White Album for its cover art. If you liked 4 (or 3 or 2 or 1 for that matter), you'll certainly like 5, although it has a slightly darker sound. Plenty to like here, from the bombast of opener "Home" to the jangly "The Lines" to the song noir of "Black and White Film" to the beautifully melancholy "All My Angels". Here's looking forward to 6, and to knowing we probably won't have to wait all that long for it. CD Baby | MySpace

Secret Beauty Cream-Addicted to You. Secret Beauty Cream is Pasadena, California's Bob Owen and he's in the vein of classic power poppers like Richard X Heyman, The Spongetones and 20/20. You certainly get bang for the buck with this disc, 21 tracks in all. Although some are a bit "demo-ish" in production there are many full-blooded highlights here, including my personal favorites "Understanding You at All", "Saturday", "As a Friend" and "Attracted", the latter of which reminds me a bit of early Replacements. Pick up the disc, find your own, and program your iPod accordingly. CD Baby | MySpace

CD of the Day, 2/6/08: The Cheeksters-Movers and Shakers

The last year or so has been good for boy/girl indie pop bands. While the New Pornographers are the exemplar of the subgenre, recent releases by such acts as Georgie James have been outstanding as well. Which brings us to The Cheeksters, the latest entrant into this derby, and their fine new disc Movers and Shakers.

The Cheeksters are the Asheville, NC duo of Mark Casson and Shannon Hines, and this is (by my count) their fifth disc. Casson is originally from England and he brings a natural British pop sensibility to their work, which is apparent off the bat with the infectious "What The Pretty Girl Did", a kind of Kinks-meet-Merseyside bouncy number. The ragtime-y title track follows and continues the disc's appeal. Other standouts include "The Top of the Tree", in which Casson channels Gilbert O'Sullivan; the anthemic "Waiting in the Wings", swelling strings and all; and "Love Hearts In My Eyes", in which Hines contributes a sultry vocal over a winning indie pop beat.

So move and shake on over to the links below, and check 'em out.

CD Baby | MySpace

CD of the Day, 2/4/08: Sheboygan-It's OK Say Yes

First things first. Sheboygan is not from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. (Or as the English would say, Sheboygan are not from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Why is it that the English treat singular nouns that refer to a collective entity, such as a sports team or musical group, as plural when it comes to subject/verb agreement? I'll never know). They're actually from Austin, Texas, but what Sheboygan lacks in geographic accuracy they more than make up for with great power pop, as their full-length debut It's OK Say Yes realizes the promise of their 2004 self-titled debut EP, itself an overlooked gem.

One thing Sheboygan has going for them on this disc is that they feature two equally talented songwriters, always a good thing in a band (cf. Sloan, Fastball, XTC and some guys called The Beatles). Here it's Chris Gebhard and Cory Glaeser. Glaeser, who wrote all the songs on the debut EP, is the more traditional power-popper of the two: alternating crunchy-guitar based numbers a la Matthew Sweet such as "The Stars and the Moon" and "Got No Game" with piano and keyboard-based tracks like "Everybody Knows" and the absolutely fab "Birth of Venus". Gebhard, meanwhile, has a more languid pop sound: "Star Child", "Dream" and "I Got So Sleepy" are Cloud Eleven crossed with Jellyfish, while "Time Machine" has a jangly, Teenage Fanclub sound. The combination of the two (who generally alternate tracks on the disc) makes for an outstanding album and an early best of 2008 contender. If they keep making discs like this, they can call themselves Yeehaw Junction for all I care.

CD Baby | MySpace

CD of the Day, 1/31/08: Codaphonic-The Ballad of Codaphonic

Codaphonic is back. The Nashville band who gave us one of top EPs of 2006, Good Morning Radio, is back with The Ballad of Codaphonic, their first full-length. And as the saying goes, if you liked the EP, you'll love the full-length (which repeats none of the EP tracks - yay!).

For those who didn't hear the EP or click through the link to my review of it above, the Codaphonic sound is bright, hook-filled power pop with a bit of subversive edge a la Harry Nilsson or Barenaked Ladies, with a bit of Sloan thrown in for good measure. "Never Slows Down" serves as both an opening track and a mission statement for the disc, with its crunchy guitars, bubbly synths and enough "ba ba"s, "la la"s to get you going over its entire 1:54. "A Lot Like Me" gets by on a great guitar hook for its first 2/3s, then turns it over to some great piano; "Long Night" is borderline alt-country; "The Most Important Thing" is British Pop with a touch of Nilsson; "Nothing to Do" adds horns to the power pop mix; and "Sun vs. Moon" does likewise in a manner reminiscent of Sloan. Quality all around, and a top 10 of 2008 contender.

So check them out if you haven't already - everything you need is at their site: streams, mp3s and a place to order.

Codaphonic Site | MySpace

mp3s: The Most Important Thing | Sun vs. Moon

CD of the Day, 1/29/08: Pale Hollow-Pale Hollow

Now here's an exceptional disc. Pale Hollow is Cleveland's Michael Allen and he recorded this album in Detroit, but don't be fooled - this is the sound of the English Midlands rather than the US Rustbelt, and he's given us a tasteful disc of the highest craft. Think Muswell-era Kinks as interpreted by Teenage Fanclub with an attention to craft and detail, and you have an early Best of 2008 favorite (Yes, the disc came out in December of 2007. So sue me.)

"Don't It Leave You Lonely" opens the disc and gives you a great idea of what you're in for the rest of the way. Coming down like a great lost Laurel Canyon 70s-era track, its breezy melody and midtempo beauty let you know that a pro is at work. "Sugarcane" follows with a more rocking sound, almost Neil Young-ish in parts but with a wonderfully melodic middle eight that will leave you humming. "Let the Change Begin" almost sounds like a grown-up Oasis; "Roll The Stone Away" reminds me of prime Peter Bruntnell; "Satisfied Mind" is excellent folk-rock in a Donovan-meets-Al Stewart manner, and "Soul Explosion" would make Ray Davies proud.

A very pleasant surprise indeed, and kudos to Kool Kat for unearthing this gem. While it may not appeal to the under-35 crowd, music fans of any age would be well served to add this one to their collection.

CD Baby | MySpace

NOTE: The four tracks at MySpace are downloadable, although it's hit or miss at the moment.

Audities Best of 2007 List.

The votes are finally in, comments (mostly grousing) to follow:

1. Fountains Of Wayne -- Traffic And Weather (685 points)
2. The Red Button -- She’s About To Cross My Mind (501)
3. The Nines -- Gran Jukle’s Field (326)
4. Future Clouds & Radar --Future Clouds & Radar (269)
5. Paul McCartney -- Memory Almost Full (268)
6. Bruce Springsteen -- Magic (241)
7. Amy Winehouse -- Back To Black (231)
8. John Hoskinson -- Pancho Fantastico (225)
9. Wilco -- Sky Blue Sky (217)
10. The Broken West -- I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On (206)
11. Nick Lowe -- At My Age (205)
Robert Plant and Allison Krauss -- Raising Sand (205)
13. Crowded House -- Time On Earth (202)
14. Spoon -- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (198)
15. Rooney -- Calling The World (194)
16. The New Pornographers -- Challengers (192)
17. Maple Mars -- Beautiful Mess (171)
18. Lewis Taylor -- The Lost Album (168)
19. Farrah -- Cut Out And Keep (165)
20. Ken Sharp -- Sonic Crayons (156)

And the rest of the Top 50
21. The Shins -- 155
22. Frisbie -- 136
23. The Clientele -- 134
24. Jason Falkner -- 130
25. Ryan Adams -- 129
Jackdaw 4 -- 129
27. Ian Hunter -- 126
28. Silverchair -- 123
29. Band Of Horses -- 105
Jens Lekman -- 105
31. Myracle Brah -- 102
Automat -- 102
33. Ice Cream Hands -- 100
Kaiser Chiefs -- 100
35. Apples In Stereo -- 92
36. Lily Allen -- 90
37. P. Hux -- 88
38. LCD Soundsystem -- 86
39. Rilo Kiley -- 85
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists -- 85
41. Travis -- 84
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings -- 84
43. Everybody Else -- 83
44. The Weakerthans - 82
Relient K -- 82
46. Graham Parker -- 81
47. Nushu -- 78
The Well Wishers -- 78
49. Mike Viola -- 76
50. Nicole Atkins -- 74
Josh Rouse -- 74

Well the Audities #1 didn't even crack my top 125. Of course my list is more focused on power pop and some offshoots whereas the Audities lists invariably have a lot of "indie rock" on them. However, FoW is as power pop as it gets, but Traffic & Weather just didn't do anything for me. It's not that I have anything against them - their previous three proper releases would have been on my lists had I done them those years, especially 1999's Utopia Parkway. This effort sounded like FoW by the numbers, and although they've always had a "formula" (just ask Robbie Fulks), this disc was all formula and little inspiration when it came to the tunes. The short stories they're famous for in the lyrics continue to be great, but it seemed that they were concentrating on the lyrics at the expense of the music this time around. It wasn't a bad disc, just not a particularly memorable one.

Meanwhile, what seemed to me uninspired efforts from big names (McCartney, Wilco, Crowded House) took high spots, the inevitable result of democratization of a list (97 participants here) where name recognition often trumps quality. Of course it's all subjective, but that's where I come down. I thought The Red Button might take the prize, but I'm still glad to see my #1 at #2 here. The Nines won last year, so third place wasn't a surprise. Interestingly, although I prefer last year's Calling Distance Stations to Gran Jukle's Field, I had the former at #23 last year and the latter at #10 this year, mainly due to this year's top 25 being weaker from 5-25 than last year's was. I'm also glad to see The Broken West, Ken Sharp and Maple Mars get their due. Speaking of name recognition, I see Jason Falkner at #24; luckily, this was a Japan-only release or it would have likely received an unwarranted top 10 spot.

I'm not even going to discuss Amy Winehouse.

Weekend roundup.

Dave Foster-Blue Circle. Excellent singer-songwriter pop from the frontman of Bubble, a beloved NYC power pop band that put out some fine discs around the turn of the century. "One Day" is a wonderful midtempo number that's Neil Finn meets Ron Sexsmith, and the bouncy "Neverending" brings to mind PJ Olsson. Other highlights include the modern beats of "All My Friends" and the lush balladry of "How Are You". Check it out. CD Baby | MySpace

Bob Collum & The Welfare Mothers-Set The Stupid Free. In the description of his previous disc, 2004's outstanding The Boy Most Likely To..., it says "File under "Alt-Country Rock Power-Pop and Roll". The new one here leans a bit more alt-country, but it's a great listen nonetheless. The roots pop of the title track is a particular highlight; "Virginia Mystery" shares this pop sensibility in the service of a more rocking number; and the ballad "Nevermore" shines as well. CD Baby | MySpace

Blank Pages-On My Street. New Jersey's FDR label is one of the more underrated power pop labels around. In addition to recent releases from The Successful Failures and the fine compilation About a Girl, they've released On My Street, the latest from statemates Blank Pages. This is meat-and-potatoes, straight-ahead power pop with a flavor (or is it smell?) of the garage. Top tracks: opener "Easily Misled", "Killing Conversation", and the title track. CD Baby | MySpace