CD of the Day, 11/18/12: VA-International Pop Overthrow Vol. 15

One of the more welcome annual traditions in the power pop community is the release of David Bash's International Pop Overthrow compilation, guaranteed to be 3 CDs of top-shelf power pop with new tracks from old favorites and a wide variety of tracks from up-and-coming power poppers. Volume 15 is no exception, including many artists who have been featured on these pages such as The Condors, Private Jets, Clockwise, The Foreign Films, The Afternoon, Vegas With Randolph, Throwback Suburbia and The Shamus Twins. But it's the new discoveries that make these compilations special, even for those who consider themselves well-plugged in to the scene.

Disc 1 starts off, however, with one of the genre's icons. As most of you know, Shoes are back with the first album in ages and the fine "Head vs Heart" is one of the better tracks off their highly recommended return, Ignition. Among the lower-profile artists, the standouts here include the Stonesy rawk of Marvin Etzioni's "The Grapes of Wrath", Fireking's jangly "So You Say You Lost Your Baby", the Who-like power chords of The Seasongs' "New Love" and the 60s pop of "Yesterday" by The Secrets.

Disc 2 opens with the harmonic, melodic pop/rock of King Washington's "The Gears", and The Sunychmes' "Revelations in Her Mind" is a great introduction to their 60s California sound found on their latest disc, Let Your Free Flag Fly. Other treats include the Brill Building pop of "The Coast is Clear" from The Housekeeping Society, Norman Kelsey's 70s R&B-influneced "On the Rebound", and the 70s AOR of "No One to Blame" by the wonderfully-named Salvador Dali Llama.

Disc 3 features the great retro-pop of Portland's The Cry ("Modern Cinderella") and the Beat Rats ("Only 16"), the trippy psych-pop of The Pondhawks' "Drive", some fine Popicana from the (unfortunately-spelled) Pengwins in "Naive", and the bright 60s pop of The Airwaves' "Miracle". And things close on a high note with Ed Tulipa's "Barbie", a catchy midtempo Beatlesque tune. These IPO compilations always make a great holiday gift for the power popper on your list, and not a bad present to buy yourself.

Kool Kat | IPO site (with streaming IPO 15 tracks)

Two for Thursday, 11/8/12

Bondo Camaro-Bondo Camaro vs Any Mammal. It's been quite awhile since we heard from Arthur Yoria (2007 to be precise) but he's resurfaced as part of Bondo Camaro, a LA band that's kind of grunged up his pop sound but left the melodies intact on their debut EP. Opener "Chemistry" gives us the formula for what's to follow, distorted guitars in the background with a sweet power pop melody, reminiscent at times of Matthew Sweet or a fuzzed-out Teenage Fanclub. "Put You to Sleep" is another standout as it asks the question "Is there such a thing as stoner power pop?" and answers "yes". This is probably nothing like anything you have on your music player of choice at the moment but you'll want to remedy that right away. Exclusively on Bandcamp right now.

Bandcamp

The Condors-3 Item Combo. Speaking of artists we haven't heard from in 5 years, here are The Condors with the long-awaited followup to... Wait for It. This time around it's more garage pop than garage rock, with excellent results. "Here I Go" and "Slice of Life" are almost jangle-rockers, while "Queer Fascination" brings The Grip Weeds to mind. Elsewhere, "Holiday" has a Smithereens feel to it and "Seraphina Way" is a pleasing midtemp rocker. With their old-school power pop sound, the Condors may hail from LA but they sound like New Jersey.

CD Baby | iTunes

Two for Tuesday, 10/30/12

Kurt Baker-Brand New Beat. The frontman of The Leftovers has been quite busy lately as a solo artist with various EPs and cover collections, but this is his first proper full-length release of new material. There may never be a more appropriately titled opening track this year than "Hit the Ground" with its lyric "we hit the ground running" as that's exactly what Baker does here with some high-energy power pop. "Don't Go Falling in Love" is another winner, which boasts some clever lyrics about a Halloween party (how timely) and an infectious chorus. Although for the most part the tempos are fast and the guitars rocking, Baker also shows off some skill with the slower tunes, such as "She's Not Sorry". But mostly this is old-school power pop done quite well.

Bandcamp | iTunes

Willow-Charcoal and Blue. Willow is the latest project from our old friend Mike Barnett, whom we've featured as a solo artist and part of Barnett/Gurley. If you liked his earlier releases, you'll love this one as it provides a steady dose of jangle. This time around, he's joined by Jerry & Denise Risner, the latter of whom provides some outstanding backing vocals on Wilbury-esque tracks like "Holiday" and "Good Love is Hard to Find". We also get two versions of the fine "Counting on You", one with Barnett on lead vocals and the other with Denise Risner. Once again, Barnett proves the master of low-key, front-porch-0style jangly pop, whatever his band name.

CD Baby | iTunes

Two for Thursday, 10/18/12

The World Record-Freeway Special. Andy Creighton & Co. haven't been heard from since 2006's Guitars Forever, but they make up for lost time by releasing what would be called in old days a double album. There are 18 tracks here, and you get 5 bonus ones if you go the old-fashioned route of vinyl and they do a fine job of keeping the quality up with the quantity. The dominant motif here is midtempo power pop, in the vein of Big Star or Teenage Fanclub, which might come as a bit of surprise to those who remember the boisterous "Were #1" from Guitars Forever (and which reappears here in a remixed form). And while "Cats on the Roof", "Call the Doctor" and "She's Not a Liar" rock out to some degree, the best tracks find them in straight pop territory such as "Marsha (Think it Over)" and "I Met the Girl (I'm Gonna Leave You For)" while the laid-back "Candy" and "Be Nice" are also rewarding. It's great to have these guys back.

Official Site (CD/Vinyl) | iTunes

Eliot Bronson & Yonder Orphans-Milwaukee. When we last left Eliot Bronson (formerly of The Brilliant Inventions), he released 2011's Blackbirds, in which he leaned more to the folk side of folk-pop. This time around he's added a backup band and cranked things up a bit, displaying more of a heartland rock sound not unlike Ryan Adams and Paul Westerberg. This becomes apparent on the driving "One Mississippi", a rocker you could easily hear Adams or Tom Petty doing. "Waiting on a Sign", "Emily" and "It Don't Get Easier" also follow in this vein and the latter especially is a treat. Elsewhere, "Down to Me" is top-drawer Popicana, and "Longshot" and the title track are the kind of the folky-pop gems that drew us to him in the first place.

CD Baby | iTunes

Midweek Roundup.

Electrolic-Live on Land. Electrolic is the latest project from Scott Gagner, who's released discs under his own name and Cartographer that have been featured on this site. This time around, he's teamed up with Steve Enstad for a work that's similar to his previous offerings but a bit more electronic and psychedelic. "Hello Hello" is a catchy opening number that serves the purpose of its title, while "Benefit of the Doubt" is the kind of lush, intricate pop Gagner has become known for, but with a synth twist. The highlight here is "Refreshing", which at its roots is a jangly pop song but becomes a distillation of what the album is all about with its drum loops and psychedelic sheen. Also of note are "After the Fall" (another jangler at heart) and "Belmont Pedigree" (a twisty rocker recalling later-period Wilco). While this is all a bit off the beaten power pop path, it's still rewarding and enjoyable listening.

CD Baby | iTunes

Paul Rocha-Crayons. Californian Paul Rocha describes Crayons as "British Invasion by a left-handed American" and his take correctly pegs the album as a somewhat quirky, tongue-in-cheek evocation of Beatlesque pop. Rocha's pop is similar to artists like Roger Klug and XTC, and opening track "Sevens into Nines" gives you a good idea where he's coming from as it segues from sweet pop into a White Album-like guitar freakout into a bombastic pop song. Meanwhile, "Peaches and Lemon Lime" takes a slight psych turn (love that sitar) in its straight-ahead power pop, "Medicine Ride" is McCartneyesque chamber pop, and "Don't Go in the Water Now" and "Fairies in the Yorkshire Glen" have that Andy Partridge pastoral feel. Elsewhere, Rocha offers up his twisted yet melodic outlooks on Amelia Earhart, peace signs on the wall, and why nobody names their babies Adolph (or OJ or Lee Harvey) any more. Another excellent pop disc in a year full of them.

CD Baby | iTunes

New Marco Joachim single.

While Marco Joachim's 2007 debut Songville was a fine album recommended on this site, he really took a quantum leap with last year's Hidden Symphonies, a Beatlesque marvel that made my top 10. Now he's back with a new single with a 70s R&B-influenced feel, "Made in the USA". and you can have a listen below:

CD Baby | iTunes

Weekend Roundup.

Scott Warren-Dyed in the Wool. The former frontman of Signal Hill Transmission is back with his second solo album after 2009's fine Quick Fix Bandage. As I mentioned in that review, Warren never likes to make the same album twice, and here he veers from Bandage's popicana to a more indie pop sound not unlike a psychedelic Shins or Jo Dee Purkeypile's The Alice Rose. "Divisible/Indivisible" opens with a spry melody buoyed by Janelle Williams' trumpet and some well-placed whistling while "When She Comes Around" sounds like Paul McCartney if he were a 21st century indie popper. Elsewhere, the pretty melody of "When in Rome" and the "la-la-la" chorus of "Sinking Feeling" (which also features the "shooby-do-wa" refrain from "Revolution 1") help these two tracks stand out from the rest. And closer "Tongue-Tied" might be the best of the lot with its halting melody and bells and whistles that make it sound like a lost track from Wilco's Summerteeth. Another winner for Warren.

CD Baby | iTunes

The Lazy Suns-The Lazy Suns EP. This is the latest from Mark Clayton & Co., who were known as "Mark Clayton and The Lazy Suns" a couple of years back when I gave them I a brief shout-out on this site. The new EP is a enjoyable melange of power pop meets Americana, somewhere in the general direction of Tom Petty and The Wilburys. Opener "Bundled" is straight-up country rock, "Last Train Home" is top-shelf jangle pop and "Start All Over" closes with the guitar solo from Badfinger's "No Matter What". And the final track "Troubled Sea" is a sing-along sea shanty that was featured on the TV Show "The Deadliest Catch" and sports The Hooters' Eric Bazillian on hurdy-gurdy. So there's quite a bit to enjoy here if your tastes run into this sub-genre.

CD Baby | iTunes

Two for Tuesday, 9/18/12

Sitcom Neighbor-Charm. LA's Sitcom Neighbor is a three-piece band led by John Murphy, and their second release (I missed 2007's eponymous debut) is a power pop delight that falls somewhere between The Posies and XTC. Opener "Amphetamine" belies its title with a languid pop melody and featuring a memorable acoustic guitar hook, "The Satisfaction of Love" comes across as a less quirky Colin Moulding XTC tune, and the midtempo "Let it Go" makes great use of its wordless backing vocals and twisting melody to recall Abbey Road-era Beatles. Elsewhere "Buy Your Farm" and closer "Darlene" find the band in a more rocking mode without sacrificing melody. An impressive record, and now I need to seek out the debut.

CD Baby | iTunes

Los Angelfish-Welcome to Los Angelfish. Last year Tim Culling had my second favorite EP of 2011 with Goodbye Western Sun, and here he returns with Michael Fink as Los Angelfish, serving up more of the roots-inflected pop/rock we enjoyed last time around. Opener "Winning Score" recalls vintage Paul Westerberg, while the piano-based "You Can Only Try So Hard" has a Wilco feel to it. Other standouts include are the bluesy "You'll Fly Away" and the Tom Petty-style closing rocker "Every One Knows". If Culling caught your ear last year, you'll definitely want to grab this one.

CD Baby | Soundcloud (all tracks)

Upcoming power pop.

I'm firmly convinced 2012 has been a far better year for power pop than 2011, and here come two more upcoming releases that will be vying for a top spot on a very competitive year-end list.

First up is the long-awaited return of David Grahame, who hasn't put a proper full-length album since 2004's DT & The Disagreeables, but has now teamed up with Lane Steinberg for a project titled - you guessed it - Grahame Steinberg. It's due out next month, and below is a 10-minute sampler of all the tracks. It almost works a medley unto itself, and it stands to be the most interesting power pop collaboration since Seth Swirsky and Mike Ruekberg got together:



Also back for the first time in several years is The World Record, last heard from with the great Guitars Forever in 2006. They're making up for lost time by giving us an 18-track double "album", also available in 23-track form on LP, due on October 9. To whet your appetite, they have a 7-track sampler up for your listening pleasure. Andy Creighton & Co. sound just as good as ever (EDIT: here's the full album now for streaming):

Friday Roundup.

Tim Husty-A Step Back. Pennsylvania's Tim Husty released this album at the very tail end of 2011, but I'm going to count it as a 2012 release. I mention this only because A Step Back is likely to end up fairly high on my year-end list as Husty has managed to make retro sound fresh in an effort that should appeal to fans of Marshall Crenshaw, Eugene Edwards and Gentleman Jesse. Whether it's the pre/early-Beatles rock'n'roll of "Be All Mine", "I'm Done" (complete with Lennonesque harmonica) and "Who's to Blame" or the more sophisticated pop of "She is Loved" and "Linear Man" or the epic Jimmy Webb-like closer "Goodbye", Husty has 60s pop down cold, almost like a one-man Red Button.

CD Baby | iTunes



Jason Karaban-Shift. LA's Jason Karaban returns with another quality album of singer/songwriter pop/rock that's of a piece with his earlier work featured on this site. Opener "Misplaced" is a richly-produced, anthemic tune that recalls Coldplay at their best, "Succeed 101" (originally released as a single) manages to be both breezy and melodic, and the driving "Tumbleweeds" finds itself in Tom Petty territory. But the real standout here - especially for us power poppers - is "Devil That I Know", a track co-written with Toad the Wet Sprocket's Glen Phillips that's the catchiest thing he's released and deserves to be a hit somewhere.

iTunes

Midweek Roundup.

Ruby Free-Introducing Ruby Free. Ruby Free is Maple Mars' Rick Hromadka side project team-up with wife Lisa Cavaliere, and it's a sonic return to those carefree 1970s days when spouses like Paul & Linda McCartney, Richard & Linda Thompson, Sonny & Cher, and (non-spouses) Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris would record laid-back classics. Opener "Bongos & Beards" is a wonderfully chirpy opener with a McCartneyesque melody, the jangly "Slow Parade" has just the right psychedelic touch, and the piano psych pop of "Good Company" would have fit right in on Wings at the Speed of Sound. "Tiny Stars" borrows the famous Motown bass line in service of a catchy melody, and closer "One Last Song" with its ethereal melodies and strings closes things in appropriately epic fashion. The album is a wonderful evocation of a subgenre we didn't realized we missed. And yeah, there's also a song here called "Sonny & Cher".

CD Baby | iTunes



Steven Wright-Mark-Plastic World. NYC's Steven Wright-Mark is back with his first release since 2008's Sideshow Freak, and he picks right up where he left off with his Matthew Sweet-meets-Elvis Costello blend of singer-songwriter pop. "I Wanna" bolts out of the gate with a swagger that's both mission statement and an electric power pop number, "Almost Summer" channels Fountains of Wayne, and Wright-Mark shows off his sardonic sense of humor with "My Friends Are Trash". Elsewhere, "Lean" sounds like a lost Tommy Keene classic, and closer "Your Name" might be the best pure pop on the album. It's Steven Wright-Mark's plastic world, and we're all living in it.

iTunes

CD of the Day, 8/29/12: The Honeymoon Stallions-Moonlighting

Andy Goldberg is back! Last heard from (with the exception of a track on Kool Kat's Christmas album in 2010) as The Goldbergs with 2008's Under the Radar, the Long Island purveyor of hooks (lines and sinkers as well) resurfaces with a new band name but the same top-notch power pop. Hearing the opener "If it Wasn't for You" will be putting on an old pair of slippers as Goldberg makes the melodies sound easy, and if this were 1975 "Radio Song" would actually be on the radio. Meanwhile, the piano-based "Every Now & Then" conjures memories of Badfinger and "A Little Love Tonight" closes the album on a real high with perhaps his catchiest number to date. There are a few stylistic detours here which mostly work as well - "Gonna Fall in Love" is bluesy power pop, "By the Moon.." is almost a torch song, and "Driftin'" is janglier than normal for Goldberg. Add it all up, and you have a triumphant return for one of the top power poppers of the last 6-7 years.

CD Baby | iTunes

Midweek Musings.

Lannie Flowers-New Songs Old Stories. I wanted to like Lannie Flowers' 2008 debut album Same Old Story, but it was really a tease - one short snippet after another in a medley of thirty-something overall song fragments. In 2010, he released Circles, which consisted of proper full-length songs and it was a revelation, placing #8 on my year-end list. To follow that up, Flowers went back and resurrected nine tracks from Same Old Story to record as full songs, based on requests from his fans. Having done that, he's bucking for a return trip to my top 10 as he continues his mastery of power pop. The Who-like "Another Weekend" opens things in rocking fashion, "Come on Girl" has an early-Beatles/Merseyside feel to it and "Give Me a Chance" is picture-perfect jangle pop. Now he just needs to do a few more volumes of the remaining 25 songs from Same Old Story.

CD Baby

The JAC-Faux Pas. Aussie Joe Algeri has been around a while, as a member of Jack & The Beanstalk and most recently the power pop supergroup The Britannicas, as well as several solo records to his credit. His latest is a solo effort, but he's chosen to go by "The JAC" here. Faux Pas is a pop record through and through, full of the various styles Algeri has shown throughout his career, ranging from the ramshackle 60s pop of opening track (and mission statement) "Play All the Instruments" to the straight-ahead power pop (if not straight-ahead lyrics) of "I Just Want to Be Weird" to the almost punk-pop of "Julie Got Angry". There's plenty of good ol' goofy weirdness here with fun tracks like "I'm a Glass of Orange Juice" and the Ray Davies-esque "Romano the Dog". And just to make the whole experience extra fun, Algeri includes a bonus disc of 10 covers titled Drugs, Trucks & Jesus. You can't say you won't get your money's worth from this one.

Kool Kat | Bandcamp

Midweek Roundup.

The Blood Rush Hour-Shrink. Now here's a pleasant pop surprise. The Blood Rush Hour are a four-piece Welsh band led by Robert DiStefano, and Shrink is an effervescent piece of British pop that channels Jellyfish and XTC. Opener "The Way Back Home" with its piano-and-horns backing as well as the buoyant "Delme" bring to mind fellow Brits The Feeling, while the frenetic back-and-forth stylistic shifts of "Into the Fire" and "My Life With the Omni One" have a Bryan Scary-meets-Jellyfish vibe. Elsewhere, "The Trauma Factory" and "Gone (Where Nobody Can Find Me)" show their appreciation for pre-Beatles British pop, and "The Tale of Sir Lancelot" along with closer "Show Me Your Self" also effectively show off their pop chops. This is an impressive a power pop debut as I've heard in the last couple of years, so don't shrink from picking this one up.

CD Baby | iTunes

Justin Kline-Cabin Fever Songs. Taking a break from his usual peppy pop tunes, site favorite Justin Kline is back with a lower-key, contemplative effort this time around which nonetheless shows off his gift for melody. The lo-fi, largely acoustic version of Kline sounds quite a bit like Elliott Smith or Connor Oberst, and the opener "Nighttime Girl" is an irresistible slice of folk/pop. Despite the lack of a "big" sound, "Your Mystery" manages to get the toes tappin', and "Carol Lynn" is a gorgeous number that would have fit in perfectly as a change-of-pace on one of his previous albums. A perfect album for a rainy Sunday afternoon.

CD Baby | iTunes

New EPs from old friends.

Supraluxe-Fuzz. The band which indirectly led to the creation of this site is back with a brand new EP after last year's return to form of The Super Sounds of Supraluxe. This one's called "Fuzz", which was the band's name in its original incarnation, and bassist Rich Pearson told me it was an intentional attempt to sound more consistent after the sonic adventures of Super Sounds. It certainly does have that classic Elliott Smith-meets-Big Star Supraluxe sound, with "A Little Radiation" and "Heavy Mustang" both dense and melodic. "Absinthe on the Beach" is another standout, a bright pop song that fits the mold of their sound. Great to see them back so soon, and word is that they have another 13 or songs lined up for their next full-length.

CD Baby | iTunes



Heap-Defriended. NYC rockers Heap are back with their first release since 2008's Oddball, and with these seven new high-energy melodic tracks it's like they never left. "Finger of Fate" rocks with swagger, "I Bet You Could" has a Rockpile pub-rock feel to it, "Noel Ford" continues their tradition of character stories going back to Oddball's "Running With Roosevelt Colson" and "Idiot Lust" channels 80s hair/glam metal. Fans of Cheap Trick, The Replacements and The Figgs will want to click the "like" button on this one.

iTunes

Summer of Sax.

Over the last 18 years or so, Scot Sax has been a big deal in the power pop community whether it be his solo material or band efforts with Wanderlust, Feel and Queen Electric. So it's noteworthy to have two Scot Sax-related releases out this summer, one of which features a Wanderlust reunion.

Wanderlust-Record Time. It's been a year of power pop reunions (Shoes and dBs among others), and none is more welcome than Wanderlust's. With bandmates Rob Bonfiglio (a fine solo artist in his on right), Mark Getten and Jim Cavanaugh back in tow, Sax led them in recording a "live in the studio" record of new material. Instant classics abound, from the opening rocker "Lou Reed" to the melodic and soulful "Blow Away" to classic rock sound of "Fork in the Road". It's been 12 years since their last album, but it doesn't sound like a day has passed.

Kool Kat



Scot Sax-The Los Angeles Years. Also newly out via Bandcamp is a 15-song collection of unreleased "songs written and recorded in the fun-loving, sushi eatin', sunny songwriting days from the Warner/Chappell years in Los Angeles 1999-2005", as Sax himself puts it. While Sax was penning tunes for megastars like Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, he continued to record his own material and some of these tunes stand among his best. "Cell Phone Again" recalls his slightly-mellower sound in Feel, "Busy Being Free" is a charming, bouncy, piano-based number, and "OK, You're Beautiful" sounds like it had to have been a hit for somebody at sometime. This must-have for Sax fans is a digital-only release at Bandcamp.

Weekend Roundup.

Dropkick-Paper Trails. Death, taxes and Dropkick. Three things you can count on as this Scottish band releases an album a year like clockwork, and 2012's entry is Paper Trails. They specialize in the melodic pop of bands like Teenage Fanclub and Cosmic Rough Riders with a touch of alt-country, suffused with Pernice Brothers-like harmonies, and the standouts this time around are the Summerteeth-era Wilco-esque numbers "Words Best Left" and the title track, the jaunty "Another Day" and the irresistibly jangly "Annabelle". Always great stuff, and we'll see them again in 2013.

iTunes



Dan Miraldi-Sugar & Adrenaline. When you think about it, "Sugar & Adrenaline" might be the perfect title for a power pop album. Ohio's Dan Miraldi does his level best to live up to the title with tracks like "Few Rock Harder", a great Butch Walker-type tune complete with "uh-huh"s in the chorus, the punchy pop of "The Runaround", and the charming retro rock of "Record Collection". But Miraldi succeeds with the slower and mid-tempo tunes as well with "Yonder St. Sebastian" and "The Many Shades of Blue".

CD Baby | iTunes

New Foreign Films single.

Although Bill Majoros has yet to release a proper full-length followup to his brilliant 2007 double-CD release Distant Star, he has managed a somewhat steady stream of singles and EPs over the past year or two and now he's back with a new single, which you can get for free at Bandcamp (and which you can listed to below):

Wednesday Roundup.

Snakehips-Must Be Present to Win. This veteran Memphis band first came to my attention a couple of years ago, and their latest trades in the traditional midwest-style rock and roll of bands like The Replacements. Opener "Tennessee" pays homage to their home state while not overlooking its faults, "Swinger" channels the Afghan Whigs, and the bright, poppy "New Day" sparkles and shines. Like the last time, I have to remark at how vocally similar frontman Mark Harrison is to Willie Nile, and fans of the NY rocker will enjoy this as well.

CD Baby | iTunes

Matt Webster-Army of One. Englishman Matt Webster has been around for a while, playing in a Sheffield band called Deluxe some 10-15 years back, and finally has released his first solo album. It's a winning collection of melodic Britpop, and should appeal to fans of Daniel Wylie and Noel Gallagher. "Done & Dusted" and "Bells & Whistles" open the disc with memorable hooks and sing-along choruses, while the melancholy piano-and-strings-based "The Ghost" is perhaps the album's top track, reminiscent of Oasis' "Don't Look Back in Anger". Elsewhere, "Every Bit of My Bones" adds a little danceability a la ABC, and the acoustic "2.0" gives a novel title to the old story of a guy who promises his woman he's changed. An impressive debut.


CD Baby | iTunes

Midweek Roundup.

Cliff Hills-Dream Good. About four years ago, I wrote that Cliff Hillis "is the golden mean of power pop - punchy enough to satisfy fans of Fountains of Wayne or Cheap Trick, but melodic enough to satisfy fans of Squeeze, Michael Carpenter and Paul McCartney". That was the last time Hillis released a solo disc, and now he's back with Dream Good which is just as good as The Long Now if not better. Hillis has a preternatural gift for melody and the immediate hooks of "Keep the Blue Skies" threaten to make it your new favorite song after just one listen. "Sing it Once Again" is an acoustic-guitar based gem with handclaps, "Ways and Means" finds him rocking like his days in Ike, and the moody, melodic Beatlesque "Welcome to You" would have fit in snugly on the last Red Button album. Just take about 35-40 minutes and listen below - it's easily one of the year's best.

Kool Kat | iTunes



Salim Nourallah-Hit Parade. A search of my archives reveals that somehow I've never featured a Salim Nourallah album here despite the fact that he's been a prolific artist producing high-quality pop for many years now. Nourallah is part of the "Texas pop/rock mafia" that features the likes of Rhett Miller, Joe Reyes, John Dufilho, John Lefler and others, who all tend to produce or play on each other's albums. Anyway, Hit Parade is perhaps the apotheosis of Nourallah's career, a fully-realized pop masterpiece. There's plenty to reward repeated listenings - for example, opener "38 Rue de Sevigne" sounds like your typical slow acoustic opening number until it isn't, "Travolta" sounds like an amusing faux-disco number until a closer listen to the lyrics reveals it to be the story of a man in crisis with a marriage pending, and "Never Felt Better" ends up belying its title. Nourallah's songcraft is at its peak - the Lennonesque title track burrows into your head, while "Goddamn Life" and "The Quitter" are top-notch guitar pop. With the surfeit of music out there, we don't always have the time to let albums grow on us, but this one is worth the effort in that department. I liked it on first listen, loved it a month later, and now I'm thinking it's my favorite album of the year so far. (Wish I had better samples for this, but the snippets below with the previews at Amazon/iTunes should give you a good idea of the sound).

Amazon | iTunes

New Cotton Mather Single!

Before anyone gets too excited, a few caveats: they have reunited, but only for a handful of shows; they don't have new original material, but they have released a new single. It's called "I'll Be Gone", and according to their Soundcloud page, it's "a long time staple of their live show, written by the Swedish pop genius Ola Framby. The track features Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame icon Ian 'Mac' McLagan on keys." Regardless of its origin, it's great to hear Robert Harrison's voice backed by Whit Williams' guitar and Dana Myzer's drums.

You can pick up a copy at iTunes.

Two for Tuesday, 7/3/12

Michael Carpenter-S.O.O.P. #5. Michael Carpenter concludes his 5-disc covers project with a twist - it's a duets album. This development jolts some life into the series, and features contributions from fellow power poppers such as Marty Rudnick, James Cooper and Chris Murphy. Although its stumbles out of the gate with "Where the Bands Are" (Carpenter strains to replicate Bruce Springsteen's gruff vocals), high points abound: Rudnick's Roger McGuinn-like vocals make The Byrds' "She Don't Care About Time" a treat, Dominique English guests to fine effect on Fleetwood Mac's "I Don't Wanna Know" and Carpenter & Cooper team up on what could almost be called a bubblegum version of George Harrison's "Awaiting on You All". The combination of covering deep album tracks for the most part ("Wouldn't it Be Nice" and "Already Gone" being the exceptions) and the duets elevate this one to more than a karaoke exercise and close the project on a high note. But now here's hoping his next release is original material.

Bandcamp | iTunes



Dave Birk-Speed Queen Mystery Date. Fountains of Wayne fans, this is the record to tide you over until Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesigner put out a new one. Minneapolis' Dave Birk captures the essence of FoW, from their high-gloss power pop to their suburban smart aleck worldview. It's an influence Birk does nothing to hide - the title of the opening track, "Hey Jody", recalls FoW's "Hey Julie"; "All Things Retro" borrows its melody wholesale from Utopia Parkway's "It Must Be Summer", and the title track tells a detailed story of a possible relationship between young urbanites. Plus there's "Country Music 101", a primer on writing country music that threads the needle between mocking the genre and celebrating it. So while Birk hasn't reinvented the power pop wheel here, I have to say I enjoyed Speed Queen Mystery Date more than any FoW album since Welcome Interstate Managers and there's some real talent at work here.

Bandcamp | iTunes

Tuesday Roundup.

The Slingsby Hornets-Borrowed and Blue. Jon Paul Allen (a/k/a Frank Slingsby) is back with his fourth album of half-covers and half-new material and the results are once again appealing. On the covers side, his rocked-up "Lady in Red" (Chris DeBurgh) and "Yesterday Once More" (The Carpenters) are his most daring reinterpretations to date while David Essex's "Rock On" also succeeds. Meanwhile among the new tracks, the Tommy Keene-like "It's Gonna Rain" is the standout. If you enjoyed the Slingsbys' mix of covers and new tracks before, you'll want this one.

CD Baby | iTunes

Jeff Larson-The World Over. Consistency, thy name is Jeff Larson. He should have a patent on the laid-back, melodic sound of mellow SoCal rock that he cranks out every year or two, and once again he's assisted by Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell of America as well as Jeffrey Foskett. So you know what you're getting here, but if you were to going to update your "Best of Jeff Larson" playlist, you'd want to pick "Monday Clouds, Tuesday Rain", "Approaching Midnight" and "Point of Rising" (which rocks a bit harder than Larson's usual fare).

CD Baby | iTunes

Mark Lane-Something New. Something New is LA singer-songwriter Mark Lane's first release since 2004's Golden State of Mind, and it's a treat for fans of artists like David Mead and Josh Rouse (the pre-move-to-Spain Josh Rouse, that is). Among the highlights, the ornate opener "For Whom it Concerns" brings back memories of Luxury-of-Time-era Mead, "Back in the Swing" and "Please, Lillianne" are lavish piano pop with a hint of the Beatlesque (incidentally, Lane played all the instruments here except strings), and the midtempo rocker "The King of Silence" has a noir feel to it. Fine stuff, and make sure you have a listen below:

iTunes

Monday Roundup.

One Like Son-Start the Show. While most of us with iPhones use them for such illustrious activities as playing Angry Birds or downloading fart apps, the band One Like Son used theirs to make Start the Show. Scattered across the southern USA, the band members recorded their bits wherever they could with an iPhone and put the whole thing together. And the best compliment of all is that from listening to it, you'd have no idea they didn't book weeks of studio time. Of course this would be all be an amusing novelty if the tunes didn't hold up, and here they do. OLS falls into the "Fountains of Weezer" camp as far as their power pop style goes, and they serve this subgenre well with the title track and several others. But they also manage to successfully break from the high-energy, manic pop/rock with the Beatlesque "Buried" and the contemplative "L.A." It's good stuff, and it would be fitting to listen to it on your iPhone.

Kool Kat | iTunes



People on Vacation-The Carry On EP. People on Vacation is the duo of Smile Smile's Ryan Hamilton and Bowling for Soup's Jaret Reddick, who've come together "on vacation" from their regular bands to craft an EP that's poppier and more mature than one might expect from their regular gigs. "Better Off Dead" reminds me of an Americanized Teenage Fanclub, the charming piano-and-guitar "It's Not Love" gets by on its whistle-along "luh-uh-uh-uh-uv" chorus, and "Where Do We Go Now" is quality dream-pop. All in all, it's six tracks of polished pop that should be up there for EP of the Year.

Amazon | iTunes

Two for Thursday, 6/7/12

Kevin Martin-Throwback Pop. Somehow this one got by us (and mos everyone else) when it was released last summer, but this is a stunning gem from San Diego's Kevin "Hair Bear" Martin, who was with the band Get Back Loretta. On Throwback Pop, Martin brings us the piano-pounding pop we associate with artists like Queen and Jellyfish, as well as contemporaries like Josh Fix. The opener "TV News" captures this perfect mix of melody and bombast and will bring an immediate smile to the face of any power popper, "I Need Your Love" and its "whoa-oh-oh-oh" chorus is an instant earworm, and the Beatlesque "I Wanted to Tell You" will have you thinking Secret Powers and The Nines. The back half of the disc is a bit ballad-heavy, but they're top-notch ballads. In this age of the internet and an active power pop community, it still baffles me how something this good went unheard last year but better late than never. (And if you really end up digging this album, Martin has an instrumental version of it available).

CD Baby | Kool Kat | Bandcamp | iTunes



Paul Bohan-For Now & Ever. This one is a tough find, and I can't even link you to samples so you'll have to take my word on it. Bohan is an Englishman with 1969 Records, Pugwash's label, and it's not a stretch to say fans of Thomas Walsh & Co (who contributes here) will want to add this one to their collection. "My Dream Baby" opens the disc with bright, catchy power pop, while "Heads I Win" has a more 60s British pop sheen to it, not unlike Rinaldi Sings. Elsewhere, the prominent guitars of "Inside Out" bring Pugwash to mind, and the title track's reliance on a horn section also has that Swingin' 60s feel. Only available in the US through Kool Kat and in England from the label.

Kool Kat | 1969 Records

Friday Roundup.

A couple of returning solo artists take us into the weekend:

Dan Kibler-Dan Kibler. Back with his first album since 2008 and his debut on the Kool Kat label, Dan Kibler once again regales us with an album of mature power pop. With production from Parallax Project's Mike Giblin and help from longtime collaborator Jeff Murphy of Shoes, Kibler's tunes remain rooted in pop yet have a world-weary tinge of Americana to them, not unlike Bryan Estepa or Ted Lukas. Opening rocker "The Misunderstood" is a great example of this dynamic, as is Tom Pettyesque "Broken Bent and Bound". "45 Seconds More" is straight-ahead power pop, as is his cover of The Zombies' "I Can't Make Up My Mind", and "Another Day" and "Is it True" show he's capable of first-rate roots rock. A welcome return, and Kool Kat is offering up their usual bonus disc including tracks from his fine first two discs.

Kool Kat | Listen at official site

Kevin Bents-The Honors. Also back for the first time since 2008 is Kevin Bents, whose The Means was a pleasant out-of-left-field surprise. But while he isn't surprising us this time around, The Honors is still top-drawer singer-songwriter pop. "Not the Kind" is an excellent mid-tempo track that recalls solo Donald Fagen, the piano-and-guitar number "I Wait" shows off Bents' pop skills, and the spare ballad "Somebody Got a Hold" has staying power. Perhaps the most interesting track here is "Downtown", a busy yet melodic track that starts and ends slowly yet rocks and mixes in some R&B in between. So do I go for the usual punny ending and say that Bents passes here with "honors"? Why yes I do.

CD Baby | iTunes

Two for Thursday, 5/24/12

Drobinko-Drobinko. This band with a Ukranian-sounding name is actually the New York band formerly known as Joe Lies, who had a nice 2005 debut. They gave up the name to avoid confusion with other bands with the "Joe Lies" name and are back as Drobinko. Whatever you want to call them, they've released a fine album of Green Day/Weezer-styled power pop that's a little less bratty and a little more mature than you might expect from this subgenre. Girls are the usual subject here, and the top tracks are "Karina" and "Kelsey Grammer's Daughter" (which may or may not be based on a true story). And the largely acoustic "My Own Way" works as well.

CD Baby | iTunes


Bryan Dunn-Sweetheart of the Music Hall. Austin's Bryan Dunn fancies himself somewhere between George Jones and George Harrison, and on his third disc he hits that mark with a pleasing blend of roots rock, power pop and country. "New Mercedes" opens things with some hard-driving pop/rock in the vein of Tom Petty, while the languid title track has a Wilco feel (except for the melancholy trumpet). Elsewhere, "Marlene" is a playful number replete with accordion and clarinet, "Audio/Stereo/Radio" is pure power pop with its stacatto guitars and sing-along chorus and "Six Black Horses" recalls Gram Parsons. If you're looking for an album where each song doesn't sound like the one that just came before it yet is consistently enjoyable, this is the one.

CD Baby | iTunes

EP Friday.

John Lefler-Shout Fire. Dashboard Confessional's lead guitarist is back with his second solo outing after 2009's excellent Better by Design, which placed at #15 on my 09 year-end list. Shout Fire picks up where the full-length left off in the quality department, beginning with the outstanding title track, a driving slice of power pop with enough commercial sheen to have been a lost 80s hit. "The Good Life" is a beautiful Neil Finn-esque ballad, while "Shelter in Place" recalls The Gin Blossoms. All six tracks in fact have their merits, and Lefler should be near the top my year-end EP list this time around.

CD Baby | iTunes



The Stanleys-Always. This Aussie band makes an impressive debut with this 4-song EP. The title track is a fine example of their Fountains of Wayne/Weezer-inspired power pop, but even better is "What Are We Gonna Do?", which features a 70s bubblegum feel not unlike The Raspberries. Elsewhere, "Kid's Gonna Rock" sounds like you'd expect it to, and "My World" is almost contemplative as it rocks, kind of like an early Smithereens track. Can't wait to hear what these guys do next.

CD Baby | iTunes

Friday Roundup.

The Roseline-Vast as Sky. Colin Halliburton resurrected his alt-country band which released two quality albums in the mid-00s and it's great to have them back. They offer tuneful Americana, somewhere between the Pernice Brothers and Whiskeytown, and the new disc has plenty to offer. Opener "Back of My Mind" has a nice Jayhawks feel to it, and "You'll Be Fine" makes use of female harmony vocals in the tradition of Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris through Ryan Adams/Caitlin Cary. Elsewhere, the title track is as majestic as its title, "Flowers on the Cheap" rocks a bit, and "Young Things" - my favorite track on the disc - boasts a Wilco/Autumn Defense-like melody with a memorable chorus. This is Grade-A "popicana", so if your interests lie in this genre this one's a must.

iTunes



Jared Lekites-Star Maps. Lekites' 2010 debut EP caught my year with its Brian Wilson-meets-John Lennon sound, and his first full-length builds on that promise while leaning a bit more on the Brian Wilson side of the equation. "Too Far Gone", with some nice harmonies from K.C. Clifford, is a pop delight with that California sound, while "Star Map" wouldn't sound out of place on Wilson's "Smile". "Along the Lines of Love" is a gorgeous piano-based ballad, "For Lack of a Better Heart" reminds me of an old Joe South tune, and "Girl Don't Tell Me" makes nice use of Laurie Biagini on vocals to sound like a lost 60s classic. With the new Explorer's Club album not living up to the promise of their debut, this is the album to get this year for fans of this sound.

CD Baby | iTunes

CD of the Day, 5/4/12: Didn't Planet-We're Going Nowhere

You're reading this site for one reason: to discover new music. But you're not representative of the music-consuming population as a whole. Most people take comfort in the familiar, and when out on the town they'd rather hear covers of known songs than original compositions. This is the dilemma for bands like Boston's Didn't Planet, who have a creative knack but need to make ends meet by playing covers. We're Going Nowhere is their lament, a concept album about a cover band. Like last year's excellent concept album by Meyerman about playing in a power pop band, it's great tunes that hold the concept together and ultimately make it more than the sum of its parts.

Didn't Planet's sound here is somewhere between Fountains of Wayne and Weezer, with the just the right amount of smartass those bands are known for. This becomes readily apparent as the album opens with the band's reworking of the Fat Albert theme as a way of introduction. For those of a certain age, hearing "na na na, gonna have a good time" brings back the memories. The driving "Maryann(e)" recalls the poppier side of Green Day; the title track rocks while detailing their plight, and it's almost obligatory that a power pop album of this kind have a track called "California".

Although its first 40 seconds are a recording of a voicemail, "Bitter" is one of the album's highlights - a power ballad of sorts that asks "have you ruined any new songs recently?". Elsewhere, "Over You" and "Adam" are highly melodic rockers, and the country-inflected "Someday I Might" closes out the album in wistful fashion. It's nice to see ambition meet execution, and these guys have learned enough from playing those covers to make a sound of their own worth covering.

CD Baby | iTunes

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