Late July roundup.

Todd Herfindal-Two Track Mind. It's been a long wait but ex-Meadows frontman Todd Herfindal is back with a new album, his first since 2013's Right Here Now. As always Herfindal is ably assisted by longtime collaborator Rich McCulley, who plays on and co-wrote several of the tracks here, and Two Track Mind is another collection of his roots-infused power pop. Opener "Bright White Light" has a "Wanted Dead or Alive" vibe to it, and "Muddy Water" is a stomping rocker while "Lucky One" has the signature Tom Petty-influenced sound of The Meadows. Other standouts include the midtempo "Bound for the Sun" and the straight-up power pop of "Sweet and Low (Get That)". A welcome return.

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Scott Gagner-Hummingbird Heart. Hummingbird Heart is the latest from Scott Gagner and a fine followup to 2017's Pins & Needles. Gagner remains one of today's more thoughtful singer-songwriters and this latest collection is another example. His songs range from folk/rock to power pop and once again the legendary (and indefatigable, judging by how many records he shows up on) Ken Stringfellow of The Posies collaborates. Leadoff track and lead single "Bella" definitely leans to the power pop side of the equation and it wouldn't be out of place on a Posies album while "Baby Gets What Baby Wants" is another catchy number complete with handclaps. "Other People" is a real highlight, a wonderful folk/rock song which gradually builds to a peak, complete with piano and a late guitar solo, the title track is a languid beauty with sweet backing vocals from Omega Rae, and the roots rock of "You Can't Break a Broken Heart" belongs on a late-70s playlist somewhere. And that's just the first half of this 13-track album, which should place highly on my year-end list.

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Farrington-Pictures of Pretty Things. LA's Farrington is one of the more exciting new artists to come across my radar this year and their debut album is a love letter to glam 70s rock/pop (and mastered by Andy Reed). After a couple of throat-clearing rockers to start the album the fun begins with tracks influenced by Elton John ("Stones"), Queen ("When I Was You", "The Love Show"), Jeff Lynne/ELO ("Hey Mr. Rock'N'Roll"), Jellyfish ("Stupid Plastic War", "Maybe if You Leave Her", "Blue"), and even some Ken Sharp ("Long Way to Nowhere", "Violins"). If you're looking for a new favorite band, you can do a lot worse than Farrington.

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