Two for Tuesday, 1/11/11

Wild Bores-Welldone and Charred. John Whildin continues to maintain an almost Robert Pollard-like level of prolificacy with his third full-lenghth (on top of an EP) in approximately three years as Wild Bores. It's more of the fine power pop we've come to love on the previous releases, with maybe a bit more of a rock edge. In fact, the Pollard comparison applies to the music as well as "Expect Me Now" has a Guided by Voices feel to it, while "Biology" has hooks galore to go with its start/stop guitar riffage. Other standouts include the 80s-inspired "Forward is Backwards", the bright pop of "Freake" and the Matthew Sweet-like "All Fall Down". Never a Bore, Whildin has proved he's good for 10-12 fine tracks a year.

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Marc Danzeisen-Released. LA's Marc Danzeisen has been an accomplish studio drummer for a couple of decades now, and has been at the fringes of the power pop scene in the band Powerslide and as a solo act with 2004's Absorbent. He's back now with Released, a late entry onto my 2010 top 100 list which deserves more than a mere year-end listing. Danzeisen is reminiscent most of Rob Bonfiglio as he brings a "professional" power pop sound to the proceedings. "No Me Without You" has the sheen of a classic power ballad, "See Yourself" recalls Cliff Hillis-era Ike, and "Love Till it Hurts" boasts mood and atmosphere in addition to melody. And "'68 Chevelle" is just plain fun, a rework of a Powerslide tune that captures the near-universal male lament of why one's woman can't be as reliable as his car. A pleasant surprise, and Absorbent is worth a listen as well.

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