CD of the Day, 7/16/08: Jeff Bruckner-Take Me to the West Coast

Now this is more like it - the kind of infectious power pop that grabs you on first listen. Jeff Bruckner, hailing from the Philly area, has enlisted the local power pop mafia (Smash Palace's Stephen Butler, MezzRow's Anthony Bezich) in crafting his winning debut album, Take Me to the West Coast. This disc has it all: gobs of hooks, sing-along choruses, enough bpm to get your feet tapping and one killer track after another. Fans of Cheap Trick, 100% Fun-era Matthew Sweet, and Big Kid will love this, as well as most power poppers with a pulse.

It wouldn't be this kind of disc without a great opener to draw you in, and "Chicago" fits the bill, with its "come on, come on" chorus and crunchy guitars. "Not Feelin' It" rocks with purpose, and while "Point of View" slows down the tempo a bit, it's top-shelf jangle pop. "Murdering Man" calls The Posies to mind, and it's followed by perhaps the catchiest track on the disc, "Quarterback Lover". Other tracks of note include "Song to Pay for You", another melodic gem, and the largely acoustic "Envy of All Our Friends". The common thread through all these tracks is Bruckner's delivery, which keeps a high level of enthusiasm going and makes each song more than the sum of its parts.

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