Two for Thursday, 6/20/13

Travel Lanes-Hey, Hey, It's Travel Lanes! Philly's Frank Brown has been in the power pop scene for quite a while now, in bands such as Flight of Mavis and Buzz Zeemer, and most recently went solo with 2005's excellent Out of the Blue. He now returns with 3 of his fellow Philadelphians as Travel Lanes, and their 7-song debut EP is a treat for fans of Tom Petty and The Replacements. The catchy "Scared of Girls" opens the EP, with Brown's Elvis Costello-styled vocals and the driving rock beat recalling EC's own "Red Shoes", and "Intervention" could pass as one of his mid-80s guitar ballads. "Delinquent" is a sardonic and melodic mid-tempo tune that's Graham Parker meets Nick Lowe, while "Let You Down" closes the EP in riff-rocking fashion. No frills here, just high-quality rock like they used to make it.

CD Baby | iTunes

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Third of Never-Downrising. Kurt Reil doesn't let the grass grow under his feet - while not churning out records with his main band The Grip Weeds and releasing solo material, he's giving us new music with side project Third of Never, and Downrising marks that band's full-length followup to 2007's Moodring (with a split 2011 EP in between). Downrising features more of Reil's retro rock, kind of The Grip Weeds meet The Smithereens (literally so to an extent as Dennis Diken guests on drums). In between the various interstitial instrumental tracks that give it a 20th-century album feel are some top-drawer tunes. The driving "Automat" is a standout, with verses that recall The Moody Blues in their more rocking moments and a chorus that channels the Weeds. Also of high quality is the jangly "Green Roses", while "So Long" is classic psychedelic rock and "On My Way" betrays a hint of The Move. A classic example of classic rock.

CD Baby | iTunes

Two for Thursday, 8/18/11

Wiretree-Make Up. The career of Kevin Peroni (a/k/a Wiretree) has coincided with the existence of this site; his debut EP was one of the first reviewed here. So it's been interesting to follow him these past 5-6 years and see how his sound has evolved. He's gone from the Tom Petty/Wilburys sound of the debut and Bouldin to more of an indie rock sound with Luck, and has completed the transition here with Make Up. The one constant has been the songwriting, and whatever the subgenre, Peroni has consistently given us fine tunes. This time around, it's the ringing guitar chords of "Make Up", the catchy heartland rock of "Broken Foot" and the rollicking "The Shore", which is reminiscent of Green Day's "Holiday". The disc even closes with the Jayhawks-like country ballad "Josephine". But there are a few remnants of the classic Wiretree sound here with "Tinyhearts" and "Tonight". Overall, it's nice to see him branch out without sacrificing the quality of the tunes, and I look forward to what comes next.

CD Baby | iTunes

Third of Never, Kurt Reil & CJ Grogan-Life Saver (Three Fifths of a Third EP). Grip Weeds alert! Fans of that longtime power pop band will want to grab this split EP, which features lead singer Kurt Reil's Third of Never side project, two tracks from Reil himself, and two others from CJ Grogan (also in Third of Never). Third of Never's title track is excellent (and leads us to hope a followup to 2007's Moodring is the offing), Reil's catchy "Gonna Find My Way" is another standout, as well as his psych-rocking "Wake Up Time". Grogan's "Tracer" is an energetic rocker, but his piano ballad closer "Margaret" meanders a bit. Still, 4 out of 5 ain't bad.

CD Baby | iTunes

We're back!

Didn't plan on 2+ weeks of blogging inactivity, but things have been quite a bit chaotic for me recently, on many levels. Anyway, to play catch-up, I've going to mention a bunch of discs that caught my fancy in the meantime (or just before) in a "blurb-o-rama"-type fashion (apologies to the Power of Pop guys), along with some other tidbits.

First of all, one reason I haven't at least had an eMusic "filler"-type post up in this period is that they really haven't added anything compelling from a power pop perspective lately, save for the new Crowded House disc, Time on Earth.

Now, on to the discs:

Adam Bernstein-Dust Off The Timeless Night. Great singer-songwriter pop, with great melodies and thoughtful lyrics. Somewhere in between Mead/Rouse/Johnston, Ben Folds (more in the manner of sensibility rather than piano) Steven Mark, Paul Schneider and Joe Ongie. Highlight track: "The Poets of Avarice". This one has serious year-end list potential. CD Baby | iTunes

John P. Strohm-Everyday Life. The ex-Lemonheads guitarist/drummer and entertainment-lawyer-by-day has an excellent, midtempo batch of tunes here with hooks galore and a wry outlook on life. Highlight: "Waiting for the World to End". Kool Kat | MySpace

Knit Delicate-Pressed. I could make a joke about the fabric of their sound, or how they weave great tune after great tune, but I won't pull that thread. Instead, I'll just tell you that his Milwaukee band has come out of left field with a disc full of rocking, melodic tunes with a just a hint of poppier alt-country (think Summerteeth-era Wilco, or Fight Songs-era Old 97s) that fits just right. Highlight: "Redline". CD Baby | MySpace

Mark Norris & The Backpedalers-Stranded Between Stations. The Buffalo News described this disc as "The Basement Tapes recorded with Ray Davies instead of Bob Dylan", and they do have something there. To me, it's quality roots rock that will appeal to fans of Walter Clevenger, Brian Jay Cline, and Bill Lloyd. Highlight: "To Old Relations". CD Baby | MySpace

Stepsonday-Little Light. Here's some excellent indie pop that puts melody before quirk or attitude. Think Nada Surf or The Shins, but a bit different. And all I can say is that "1234" is one of my favorite songs of the year. CD Baby (only $8!) | MySpace | eMusic

Third of Never-Moodring. If I told you there was a new band featuring members of The Grip Weeds and The Smithereens, and asked you to imagine their sound in your head, then you'd come up with Third of Never. A mix of classic rock, jangle, psych and power pop that won't surprise you, but won't disappoint either. This one's been on my iPod for a while, and isn't wearing out its welcome. Highlight Track: "DJ". (also features a nice cover of "Let My Love Open The Door") CD Baby | MySpace

Tom Caufield-Mystic Chords of Memory. Bruce at Not Lame featured this one last time out, and with good reason. There's something here for everyone, which kind of makes sense as this is a sampling of songs he's written over the years rather than for a single album. So you get a mix of regular power pop, singer/songwriter material, soft pop and roots rock, all in one disc. Plus, Brad Jones produced the title track. What more can you ask for? Highlight: "First Girl on the Moon". CD Baby