CD (EP) of the Day, 9/26/07: The Treasury-The Treasury

Usually I don't feature a CD on the site without having had it for at least a few days, if not a week or two, but this one was unfamiliar to me about an hour ago. But thanks to the combination of internet streaming and an instantly appealing sound, today I bring you The Treasury, a North Carolina 4-piece that has an instant contender for EP of the year.

Their sound is a great mix of the Beatlesque and the modern, with a twist of "popicana", a la The Jayhawks or Storyhill. I wouldn't be writing any of this if it didn't pull me in with opening track, and "What's Forever" is a gem, not unlike a lost Posies track covered by Velvet Crush. "All For Love" adds a bit of a Rainbow Quartz-styled psych-pop to the mix, while "Talk Talk Talk" is vintage power pop. "Don't Look Now" brings the tempo, but not the quality, down a notch and yields the Popicana referenes with its great harmonies and laid-back feel, and they close on a winning note with "Memory Lane" which reminds me of a more earnest, less cutesy Fountains of Wayne.

You can discover the EP just as I did by heading over to their official site, or if you prefer: CD Baby | MySpace


Alan Greenspan says it's not irrational exuberance to like The Treasury's debut EP.

Not your Father's Slightly Older Sibling's Roundup

When I've done these roundups in the past, it's often been to mention discs I've enjoyed, but haven't recommended as highly as those I've featured as CD of the Day. To translate that on the Brodeen scale, it's like the difference between "extremely highly recommended" and "big time extremely highly recommended" (We kid, Bruce, because we care).

Anyway, this roundup is going to be different, because all of these discs are worthy of a "CD of the Day" feature, but at the rate I'm cranking those out, it's quite possible one or more of these artists will be getting ready to release a follow-up before they all got done. So here they are, in one convenient blog post:

Neall Alcott-Rittenhouse Square. Just when I thought there were only two ways to spell the name that's a homonym of "kneel" (Neil and Neal), here comes Mr. Alcott and his two "l"s. In the end, he can spell his name any way he wants if he's going to churn out quality discs like this one, a fine combination of Beatle-pop and Britpop that recalls artists well known (XTC, Michael Penn) and others featured on this site (Steve Robinson, Gary Henson). If this isn't one of the better unheralded discs you'll hear lately, then my name isn't Steeve, er Steave. CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Frisbie-New Debut. Some bands are appropriately named. Case in point: Chicago's Frisbie, who released the great 2000 disc The Subversive Sounds of Love and then seemed to get stuck on the roof and couldn't come down. Well, seven years later they're back with New Debut (appropriately titled as well) and they've gone for a more "rawk" sound, kind of like when Sloan transitioned from One Chord to Another to Navy Blues. From the opening title track (more cowbell!) to the Tommy Shaw-esque "Half Breed" to the Cheap Trick of "S.F.B." (mentioned by name), it's like putting on an old K-Tel album from the 70s. CD Baby | MySpace

Backbeat-Eye-Dentity. Speaking of appropriately named bands, these Cincinnatians share their name with a classic Beatle biopic (even if Stephen Dorff was in it), and share their sound with classic early Beatles. They used to be known as Story, and they put out a fine disc under that moniker last year (available on eMu), and Eye-Dentity is more of the same. If your favorite Beatle albums were the first 3 or 4, then you'll love this disc (including the cover of "Not a Second Time"). I love the shamelessly retro "Soviet Secrets", which sounds like what the Beatles would have done had McCartney gotten the idea for "Back In The USSR" in 1963 instead of 1968. CD Baby | MySpace

Warm In The Wake-American Prehistoric. A couple of weeks back when I reviewed the new Ari Shine disc, I laid down my rules for artists going from debut EP to debut LP, and Warm In The Wake's American Prehistoric follows those rules with a fine disc of all-new tunes. We loved the Wilco/Autumn Defense meets Teenage Fanclub sound of Gold Dust Trail, and here are 15 more tracks to enjoy (mastered at Abbey Road Studios, no less). "Airport Girl" and "Antique Knives" are my favorites. eMusic | MySpace

What's playing at AbPow 9/18/07

If you notice to the left, I've changed the ipod picture to reflect my pickup of a new Nano. It's a great little player, but I just wish there were cases available for it already given my track record of manhandling iPods (I've broken 2 hard drive-based iPods by dropping them, so I vowed to go flash from here on out). Anyway, here are the last several played:

"Never Leave"-Dave Derby, Dave Derby and the Norfolk Downs. Outstanding singer-songwriter record from the one-time Dambuilder and current "musical director" for comedienne Sarah Silverman. MySpace | CD Baby

"Seraphim", "Poem for the Middle Class"-The Seldon Plan, The Collective Now. As you can maybe judge from those two titles (which came up consecutively on the iPod), The Seldon Plan is an indie pop band. A very good one, though - I really enjoyed their 2005 release Making Circles, and this one is sounding quite good, too, in a Nada Surf kind of way. MySpace | CD Baby

"Abilene"-Knit Delicate, Pressed. I've already mentioned this disc, but I want to reiterate that it's really, really good.

"Hallelujah Chorus"-The Nobility, The Mezzanine. I really love this track, and this is another disc I've come to enjoy immensely; think The Decembrists if Colin Meloy could sing and if they didn't go for baroque, or David Grahame if he were less Beatle-obsessed. Formerly known as Jetpack UK. MySpace | CD Baby

"Zzzzz...."-The Twilight, Tempest in a Teapot. It's funny that this came back-to-back with The Nobility, since The Twilight is a very similar indie pop band that has released an irresistible disc. MySpace | CD Baby

"Heart of Stone"-Cyclones, Walk Fast Head Down. After all of those indie poppers, it was a nice change of pace to hear a more straightforward power pop band, and the Cyclones deliver on that score. From 2005. CD Baby | Official Site

eMu sightings!

The new power pop has been coming slow as molasses from eMusic lately, but there are a few additions of note:

Myracle Brah-Can You Hear The Myracle Brah? Andy Bopp is back with his first new disc in three years, and the raves are already coming (although not from me at the moment as I haven't listened yet).

The Safes-Well Well Well. This one came out late last year and has finally made its way to the site - Bruce at Not Lame sez: "Like Cheap Trick doing The Clash. Talk about kicking out the jangle jams! You`ll need to take some aspirin after tuning to this one after all the head-bobbing you`ll do."

The Donnas-Bitchin'. These ladies are now indies after their first two records were with Atlantic, so we get them on eMu. They certainly do rock.

Video (and Re-evalulation) of the Day: The Red Button-Cruel Girl

Stumbled across this video from The Red Button's She's About to Cross My Mind, perhaps the most "popular" power pop album of the year, given the buzz it's received. In fact, it's 2007's Alpacas Orgling; just like that project, this is an expert re-creation of a particular sound (mid-60s britpop vs ELO in the latter case) from power pop songwriting pros (Swirsky/Ruekberg vs Bleu/Sturmer). I didn't write much about the disc when it came out early this year, not because I didn't like it (it's #8 on my top 50 of the first half, and that's probably a bit too low) but because everyone else was raving about it, and I've never been a big fan of "me too" posts. Now that the hype has died down, I've really come to appreciate the disc even more - "Ooh Girl" might be my favorite song of the year, and "Floating By" and "Can't Stop Thinking About Her" might be in my top 10. Ironically (and perhaps another reason why I initially underrated this disc), the most publicized songs from the disc, "Cruel Girl" and the title track, are probably about my 7th and 8th favorite songs on the disc. Which doesn't mean "Cruel Girl" isn't a quality tune, and without further ado, here's the video:



UPDATE: Upon further thought, another possible reason I wasn't eager to jump on the Red Button bandwagon is that I'm not a real big fan of Swirsky's political views. It has nothing to do with his musical output, of course, and I'd never dream of telling him to "shut up and sing" like some of his political allies have done with outspoken musicians on the other side (cf. Dixie Chicks, Bruce Springsteen).

CD of the Day, 9/11/07: Rollo Time-Rollo Time

You've put in a hard day at work. You've finished fixing dinner. You've put the kids to bed. Now, it's Rollo Time.

OK, apologies to the Miller Brewing Co. aside, any time is Rollo Time if you're a fan of classic power pop in the vein of Superdrag, The Shazam, Splitsville and various other bands whose name starts with "S" (even though they start with an "R"). Hailing from the rather depressingly-named Downers Grove, Illinois, the Rollos deliver the kind of disc that rewards power pop fans for waking up each day and asking "what's new and exciting out there?".

Opener "Maintenance Free" is a Superdrag-styled opener that throws in enough left-field touches (i.e., the break at the 2-minute mark with just the lead singer and piano) to make it something more than cookie-cutter stuff. Meanwhile, "Float Down The River" has such an infectious beat and melody that your foot will still be tapping 5 minutes after the song is over. "Travel The World" rocks out with a bit of Cheap Trick attitude, and "Don't", "Cut Me to the Quick" and "Only If You Wanna" make a fine trio of rockers. Closing out the disc on a quality note is the trippy "Moth & Butterfly", which is most definitely NOT a Heart cover.

CD Baby | MySpace

What's playing at AbPow 9/6/07

Time to start a new feature here which might strike some as lame, but what the heck, it's my blog.

I'm going to try to at least once a day (which will probably mean once in a while when I get around to it) list the last 10 songs played on my iPod. Rather than some look into what my favorites are, the way I use my iPod almost exclusively is as thus: I have a 1000-1100 song playlist set on shuffle. This playlist is comprised of 200 tracks picked from my 21000+ song iTunes library at random, with the remaining 800-900 being albums I've added in the last two months or so. The purpose of this exercise is multifold: to give everyone a peek into a sample of my daily listening (to the extent anyone cares), and to bring out comments on discs I'm enjoying but otherwise might not blog about (or that I plan to blog about soon). So without further ado, here are the last 10 tracks that popped up on the pod:

"Instead"-Paul Starling, Ghost Waltz. I grabbed this mp3 off his site or somewhere - don't have the whole album (if someone wants to send it to me, I won't complain). RIYL: The Now People, Nelson Bragg, The Wondermints, Brian Wilson, etc. MySpace

"Outerspace"-The Millions, Disrespectfully Yours. These guys rock hard but very melodically; they're probably about as "heavy" as I'm going to listen to on a regular basis. CD Baby | MySpace

"Believe In Me"-Rooney, Calling The World. These guys are major-label types I usually don't write about, which isn't to say they aren't any good. I've enjoyed several songs from this album, especially the ELO-ish "Don't Come Around Again".

"Nightfall at Electric Park"-Great Lakes Myth Society, Compass Rose Bouquet. I only just added this one to the rotation, so I'm not ready to offer up an informed opinion. Indie pop/rock that sounds quite melodic though - Pitchfork deigned to give it a 6.5. eMusic

"Another Losing Season"-John P. Strohm, Everyday Life.

"Getaway"-Ryan Calhoun, What Are We Doing Here.

"Rollerskaters In The Park"-The Afternoons, Baby, You Know The Deal. Melodic Welsh band whose Rocket Summer was a fine 2005 release. This "new" disc is kind of a combo of Rocket Summer and some other tracks. MySpace

"I've Got Love"-The Twilight, Tempest in a Teapot. A really good indie pop disc that warrants further investigation. CD Baby | MySpace

"Miss You CA"-Dean Owens, Whisky Hearts.

"My Friend Hates Me"-P.Hux, Kiss The Monster. The latest from the Huxster. This is another random mp3 I got off his myspace back before that myspace mp3 thingy was shut down. Again, if he wants to send me a copy, I'll review it. :)

Well, this took a bit longer than I thought it would. But I'll try it again tomorrow.

CD of the Day, 9/5/07: Ari Shine-A Force of One

When an artist who releases an outstanding EP gets ready to unleash his full-length, there are two things I look for: 1) are the songs from the EP on the full-length? (The answer I hope to get is "no", because adding 5-6 new songs is really just releasing another EP, and often when this phenomenon is present, the new songs usually aren't as good), and 2) do the new songs live up to the standard of the EP?, as it's a lot harder to come up with 10-12 decent tracks than 4-5.

Thankfully, the answers here are "no" and "yes", as Ari Shine had one of last year's best EPs (#5 in our year-end list) with Age/Occupation and has now released his debut full-length, A Force of One. The comparison touchstone for Shine has been late 70s-era Elvis Costello (and "Crank It Out!" from the EP would have fit snugly onto Armed Forces, for sure) but it's more 70s Costello with a modern sheen, not unlike say, Eugene Edwards. Also of note is that the disc is produced by Earle Mankey, a former member of the legendary Sparks.

"Cooler than Me" blasts open the disc with its pounding piano and cranked-up guitars, while its lyrical content (guy apparently pushing 30 tries to pick up a 21-year old) seems a cross between "Hey Nineteen" and "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes", making it an unforgettable track. "Most Popular Girl In The World" almost sounds like you'd imagine if you just went off the title (i.e., vintage power pop); "She Wants It (More Than Me) features an insistent guitar riff and a Figgs-like sound, while "Beat U" stakes a different claim to the sound of late 70s new wave (think Cars) with its dominant synths.

Other highlights include the synthtastic "Party People", "Beirut 1978", which reminds me thematically of Don Henley's "All She Wants To Do Is Dance" and ironically may be the least 1978-sounding track on the disc; and "It's a Shame", which betrays a hint of jangle. No sophomore jinx here, that's for sure.

CD Baby | MySpace

Vote for Wiretree!

I don't normally do this, and by doing this I'm not inviting every artist I've blogged about to enlist me in helping to win an online contest, but I'm a big fan of Kevin Peroni a/k/a Wiretree's music, and I think it would be extremely cool to see him on Austin City Limits. So I'm asking my readers to vote for Wiretree in a contest that mp3.com is running to get an independent artist a spot in the 2007 Austin City Limits Music Festival lineup.

Click the banner below if you so choose, and give Kevin a boost (he's made it to Round 3 but is 13th now and needs to make the top 5 to advance to the final round). His full-length debut Bouldin is #2 on my top 50 of 2007 in case you're still unfamiliar with him.

CD of the Day, 8/24/07: Ken Sharp-Sonic Crayons

Ken Sharp has been something of a power pop renaissance man, having started out as a music writer (having authored or co-authored 10 books), and then actually releasing his own albums (1301 Highland Avenue and Happy Accidents) to great acclaim on Not Lame's label. It's been seven years since Happy Accidents, and now Ken is back with Sonic Crayons. The wait has been worth it, as he's given us a strong contender for Top 10 of 2007 honors.

While his previous two discs were outstanding in a lighter, sugary manner, Sonic Crayons has a meatier, crunchier sound and features help from Enuff Z'Nuff's Chip Z’Nuff and Donnie Vie. On discs this good, it almost seems unfair to pick out individual songs lest others be slighted. Nevertheless, those more equal than others include "Better Every Day", "Melody Hill" (a contender for Top 20 tracks of 2007 honors), the rocking "New Attitude", the languid and Beatlesque "So Simple Radio", the catchy as-all-get-out "Get Yourself Together" and the beautiful ballad "Why Girls Cry".

It's available through the usual suspects, but your best bet is ordering it directly from Ken at his myspace page where you can also listen to four of the tracks including three highlighted above. Joe Jackson might have admonished us once to "look sharp"; now I'm advising you to get Sharp.

Better Latebirds Than Never.

It's been a long time since I posted a video, but with The Latebirds popping up on my iPod, I was inspired to Google them and found this video for "Dream Dream", a great track from a great album (Radio Insomnia):

CD of the Day, 8/22/07: The Orchid Highway-The Orchid Highway

(Note: This was the best picture of the disc I could find online and my scanner isn't working; if you click on the picture above, it won't go right to the "buy the cd" link.)

Those of you who saw David Bash's midyear top 25 last month may have noticed a band that hasn't been talked about a lot in the power pop coummunity listed at #8: The Orchid Highway. Well, I'm going to do my part to change that, as their self-titled full-length debut is worthy of the spot on David's list (and undoubtedly, one on mine at year's end). Some have called this Vancouver band Western Canada's answer to Halifax's Sloan, and while there may be something to that, they have a bit more of a singular sound.

I've always thought that every great power pop album should have at least one undeniably "killer" track on it, and these guys come through in spades: "Sofa Surfer Girl" leads off the disc, and you might end up wanting to hear it two or three times before moving on to the next one. Opening with chords reminiscent of "Dig a Pony", it goes right in to a more traditional Beatlesque sound with one hook after another. If these guys had been around in the late 90s with this one, it very well could have found its way onto the radio along Ben Folds, Semisonic and Fastball. "Sofa Surfer Girl" is a tough act for the rest of the album to follow, but the Orchids are up to the task: "Medicine Tree" is a fast-paced pop/rocker that earns them the Sloan comparison; the largely acoustic and trippy "Let's Stay In Instead" has a winning melody; "Next World" has a Nugget-y, Rainbow Quartz-like sound to it that reminds me of another Canadian act, The Telephatic Butterflies; and "Pop Tart Girl" sounds just like you'd imagine. Also not to be overlooked are the McCartneyesque "Tea With Shandra", and the tres cool closer "Legion Hall", with a middle section that could have come straight from an old Del Shannon record.

This disc hasn't found its way to the Kool Kats, Not Lames and CD Babies of the world, so you'll have to order it directly from the band at their MySpace or their official site. They've also recently played IPO Los Angeles and are set to perform at IPO Vancouver, so get out and see them if you're in that neck of the woods.

A herd of eMus.

Finally, some serious pop action on eMusic over the last couple of days. This is what's new and notable:

Starter-Through The Morning Sky. This Madrid-based band came out of nowhere last year to place #65 on our top 100 of 2006, and now they're apparently getting US-based distribution. If this one is missing from your collection, remedy that oversight now.

The Chevelles - several releases. Recently, eMu's added a number of Chevelles titles, including their best-of, Delerium, and the excellent Girl God. This is pure power pop with a capital "P", from Australia's answer to The Lolas (or perhaps that should be the other way around, since the Chevelles have been around longer).

AM-Soul Variations. The latest from this poppy singer-songwriter, whose Troubled Times was a fine release and also available on eMusic. Comes with a special eMusic bonus track.

Luke Temple-Snowbeast. I enjoyed his 2005 release Hold a Match For a Gasoline World, so be sure to at least sample the latest from this singer-songwriter with a keen pop sense.

Milton & The Devil's Party-How Wicked We've Become. Intellectual power pop? The band is comprised of professors of literature at Widener University, and their somewhat esoteric lyrical moments are in service of great Figgs/Elvis Costello/Graham Parker-sounding pop/rock.

Imperial Teen-The Hair the TV the Baby and the Band. If you could find "indie pop" in the dictionary, this band would be staring you right in the face. Here's their latest.

Saturday Blurb-o-rama, Roundup, whatever you want to call it.

Still making up for lost time here, so I figure I'll trot another batch of discs for your consideration.

Brett Terry-Retrospective Lives. Fine singer-songwriter stuff for those like their pop a bit folky. Standout track: "Left The Earth Today". CD Baby | Official Site

Dean Owens-Whisky Hearts. The third disc from this Scottish singer-songwriters has turned out to be one of the more pleasant surprises for me this year, striking me as something of a cross between Bob Evans' Suburban Songbook, Willie Nile's Streets of New York, and Ryan Adams' Gold. Recorded in Nashville, Owens utilized local help like Will Kimbrough, Robert Reynolds of The Mavericks, Jen Gunderman (Jayhawks) and Thad Cockrell, a fine artist in his own right. And where else are you going to find a track that sounds like Springsteen ("Years Ago") followed by one that sounds like Josh Rouse ("Beth on the Trampoline"). I'm probably giving this one short shrift by not breaking it out as a CD of the Day, but I've spilled too much ink already to go back. MySpace | CD Universe (import)

Green Peppers-Domino Mornings. England's Neon Tetra is one of those labels that I'm beginning to consider picking up its releases on spec, kind of like Rainbow Quartz in the US. Already home to Daniel Wylie and The Hazey Janes, two artists who can do no wrong in my book, they bring us Jim McCulloch's Green Peppers, a kind of loose-knit gathering of McCulloch, and whichever one of his buddies happened to pass by the studio while he was recording. This vibe undoubtedly led to the disc's best track, "Honest Injun", featuring ex-Del Amitri frontman Justin Currie on lead vocals. Meanwhile, the rest of the disc should appeal to those who enjoy the other Neon Tetra artists. And while it's an import, you can snap it up on eMusic. MySpace | eMusic | Kool Kat

The Cosmosonics-Junk Rock....for Lovers! For those like the glam side of power pop, Pittsburgh's Cosmosonics are your guys. Standout track: "Rave It Up!", the title of which could serve as the band's mission statement as well. MySpace | Official Site

The Grip Weeds-House of Vibes Revisited. Any power pop fan worth his or her salt knows the Grip Weeds well, and here they come full circle by re-releasing their 1994 classic, House of Vibes, the disc which put them on the map. If Little Steven is calling one of your tracks ("Salad Days") the coolest song in the world, well you know you've done something right. But there's more to it than this, and anyone who's come to the Weeds late (as well as anyone who came to them early) needs to pick this one up. Bonus tracks galore, interviews with band members, it's all here. Standout track: "Salad Days", of course. CD Baby | Kool Kat (w/even more bonus tracks)| MySpace

The Small Stars-Tijuana Dreams. This side project of Fastball's Miles Zuniga (under the nom de plume of Guy Fantasy) is a real treat, especially for those who preferred his stuff in Fastball over Tony Scalzo's (even though all the big hits were Scalzo's, save "Fire Escape", the exception that proves the rule). Anyway, just imagine what Paul McCartney would have sounded like had he grown up in a Tex-Mex setting, and you have Tijuana Dreams. Favorite track: "Love Is Grand". CD Baby | MySpace

Overlooked Gem of the Day: Sugarhit-Takin' for a Ride

Every once in a while I feel compelled (usually as the result of random iPod play) to bring up a a two or three-year old release that seems to have been overlooked by the power pop community at large, and today's installment brings us Sydney's Sugarhit and their 2004 EP Takin' For a Ride.

They're appropriately named, at least as to the "Sugar" part (had they debuted in the 70's, the "hit" part would likely be true as well), as you get sugary-sweet vocals and melodies over a solid rhythm section, yielding power pop bliss. "Brand New Baby" (not to be confused with the Semisonic semi-hit of the same name) sets the tone from the start with its catchy melody, and "We Go Round" follows with a sound that might best be described as "playful garage". This leads to the disc's best track, "Wherever We Want", whose chorus I defy you to get out of your head after hearing it. "Save My Love" is another delight, and was featured in a Not Lame Podcast. Like all of the best EPs, this is quality over quantity, so if you missed this one when it came out, don't overlook it again.

Kool Kat | Not Lame

A few eMus.

Still getting my sea legs here, I plan on having another "blurb-o-rama" in the next day or two, and perhaps a CD of the Day or two. In the meantime, things remain pretty quiet on the power pop front at eMusic, but there are a few releases to note.

The latest from Aussie powerpopper Danny McDonald, Summer City, has been added. Sez Bruce at Not Lame: "As with the best of Australian Power Pop, Fans of DM3 and The Chevelles will want to check out McDonald closely. For fans of shimmery guitar pop, hooks and ringing chords...they are all here. Add some surf, garage and earthy country yearnings in the fully framed picture of what Australia Pop is all about, you have Danny McDonald".

Helpful reader Mike pointed out in comments to the last post that the John P. Strohm disc, Everyday Life, is on eMu as well, so in case you didn't see the comment, I figured I'd mention it in a post.

I also neglected to mention that the new Josh Rouse disc, Country Mouse City House, is on there too. While nobody was a bigger fan of Rouse through his 2005 release Nashville than myself, I found last year's Subtitulo to be a disappointment, and while the new one is better, it doesn't quite measure up to his brilliant run of Under Cold Blue Stars/1972/Nashville. But you can judge for yourself.

Finally, although he isn't power pop, I've always had a soft spot for Al Stewart, and his 2005 release A Beach Full of Shells is now on the site as well. Like new discs from many other artists who were big decades ago, it's a latter-day release that has its moments but doesn't rank with his best.

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

Absolute Powerpop on a brief hiatus.

I have a major work-related project underway (one of those where you have to spend time in the office nearly 24/7, except to go home and sleep), so I won't be posting at all during the next 6-7 days or so. So stroll through the archives, listen to some bands you may have passed over before, and keep popping!

CD of the Day, 7/25/07: The ACBs-The ACBs

A bright new face on the power pop scene is Kansas City's The ACB's, with a self-titled debut that should bring a smile to the face of power poppers old and young alike. Fans of classic bands like Cheap Trick and The Cars as well as fans of newer bands like Rooney, Waltham and The Fags should find a lot to like here; in fact, in many respects they remind me of The Fizzies and their fine Contest Popularity disc released earlier this year.

Highlights on this disc are many: Opener "You Did It Once" sets the tone, establishing their high-energy no-nonsense power pop; "Windows Up" brings the tempo down a notch but the melody quotient a notch up; "Sometime" adds falsetto and a bit of funk; "Suzanne" captures their essence perfectly, a sing-along that rocks; the gorgeous "Everyone Wants to See"; and the closer "Oo Jane", in which I can swear I hear a hint of Collective Soul. Great stuff all around, and making the choice to pick this one up should be as easy as A-C-B.

CD Baby | MySpace

EP Friday.

Seems like I haven't reviewed too many EPs this year, so here are 3 for your weekend consideration:


The Weightlifters-Last of the Sunday Drivers. This is the brainchild of Chicago's Adam McLaughlin, former guitarist for the Philly power pop band The Idle Wilds (not to be confused with Idlewild), who were signed to a then-revived Ardent label by Big Star's Jody Stephens in the late 90s. There is a bit of a Big Star sound here, but more like Big Star by way of Teenage Fanclub. It's really quite good stuff, and you can stream the full EP at their (his) site. CD Baby


The Pacific-Sound x3. This LA band not only knows how to rock, but manages to do it in a highly melodic manner. I'm a little surprised their self-titled debut in 2004 didn't garner more attention in the power pop community (thanks to Mark at Rock and Roll Report for bringing them to my attention). The best way I can desribe their sound is a kind of Oasis-Kinks-Cheap Trick amalgam. The good news is that both this new EP and the debut full-length can be found on eMusic.

MySpace


Jason Lyles-Ethereal. Chattanooga TN's Jason Lyles is more of a rocker than a power popper per se, but there are more than enough hooks and melodies to make Ethereal an enjoyable listen for you Absolute Powerpop readers out there. And the slower numbers might be the best on the EP: "Move On" and the anthemic title track.

CD Baby | MySpace