Friday Roundup.

Todd Herfindal-Shine Shine & More Than I singles. Todd Herfindal (ex-Meadows) is back with his first new music in nearly four years, and he's just as melodic as ever. Right now the new music consists of a pair of two-song singles, one of which came out last fall and the other just this past week. The two songs on the "Shine Shine" single were co-written by Herfindal with Rich McCulley, another favorite of the site, and together they've created some of the best Heartland power pop of the past several years. The title track is suitably tuneful and anthemic, while "Right Here Now" has a Gin Blossoms vibe. On the other single, "More Than I" is a bright rocker that's in the Tom Petty vein, and "Gratitude" boasts a sweet George Harrison-styled melody (with slide guitar) and some fine vocals from Herfindal. These are four outstanding tracks, and the best part is Herfindal's made them available with a "name your price" offer at Bandcamp. Here's hoping a full album will follow.

Bandcamp | iTunes (Shine Shine) | iTunes (More Than I)




Ted Billings-American Bedrooms. Boston's Ted Billings was the frontman of Age Rings, an indie pop band with two pretty decent albums to its name that I never got around to reviewing on the site but found their way into my iTunes library. On his solo debut, he's managed a collection of urgent, pensive tracks that should appeal to indie poppers and power poppers alike. Opener "Freedom" finds Billings singing of the scarring impact 9/11 had on his teen years and 20s, cautioning "it's not just me/but it's millions" and recalls Guided by Voices, while the relentless "Painaway" is probably the catchiest track here, with its insistent chorus and fuzzed-out guitars. Billings also sports some Wilco influence here - the raucous "House on Fire" wouldn't have sounded out of place on A Ghost is Born, while "Meet Me in Dreams" and "Goodbye and Good Luck" bring to mind some of Jeff Tweedy's catchier Summerteeth tunes. There's a cohesive sound here throughout American Bedrooms' eight tracks, making it a real album experience.

Bandcamp

Two for Tuesday, 2/19/13

JoDee Purkeypile-Messenger. Former Alice Rose frontman JoDee Purkeypile is back with his second solo album after his triumphant 2011 release October House, and Messenger is a more than worthy follow-up. Once again, Purkeypile purveys polished indie pop with a touch of a British influence - kind of like Glenn Tilbrook meets Jon Brion, with a hint of Elliott Smith. The piano-backed "Cruel Movements" opens the disc and is both melodic and haunting, the insistent guitars of "I Think It's Alright" and "My Inner Me" bring Bends-era Radiohead to mind, and the jaunty "Wired Wrong" has an AC Newman feel to it. The proceedings close nicely with the title track, which boasts a serpentine melody and biting lyrics. This is first-rate stuff, and an early contender for Best of 2013.

CD Baby | iTunes

The Amprays-Brave New Strange. Another act returning to our pages is The Amprays, whom we last heard from with 2007's Low Sun Fire. This Ohio band largely consisting of former members of Rosavelt has a sound that draws from Guided by Voices, The Replacements and Wilco, and those who fondly recall the debut will want to check this one out. "M.I.A.", with its stripped-down sound and plea to "be there" recalls another favorite of this site, Wiretree; "The Farthest Close" reminds me of one of Jeff Tweedy's midtempo numbers on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot without all the bells and whistles, and the raucous but short "4 Blank Walls" is where the Westerberg-meets-Pollard comparisons come in. Elsewhere, the fuzzed-out guitars of "All of This Hasn't Happened" is another example of GbV-styled rock, while "Cold Sweat Goodbye" is the kind of earnest, melodic ballad their forebears effectively used as a change of pace. Again, nothing groundbreaking here - just 9 quality tracks that won't wear out their welcome and feel like music for grown-ups.

CD Baby | iTunes

Weekend Roundup.

Goodman-What We Want. Goodman is Michael Goodman, a 22-year-old New York-area musician with some impressive pop chops. What We Want is his first full-length (he released an EP in early 2012), and it sounds like the work of a veteran singer-songwriter. Perhaps the artist Goodman most reminds me of is The New Pornographers' A.C. Newman in that his catchy pop is supported by a sense of nervous energy. Opener "Night Person" is a great example of this, with a restlessness right lurking underneath its frenetic melody. Elsewhere, "Waiting" offers a earworm chorus, and "Yawning" almost re-imagines Roy Orbison as an indie popper. My favorite track here is "Fever", which is pretty much a slowed-down "Sugar Sugar" that comes off as that song's neurotic (if not evil) twin. This is some impressive work, and Goodman has the potential to become one of the more interesting artists in the genre.

CD Baby | iTunes

John Amadon-The Bursting Sheaf. If Goodman's point of reference is AC Newman, John Amadon's is Elliott Smith, an artist he resembles vocally as well as stylistically (and geographically as well, hailing from Portland, Oregon). This was apparent on his outstanding debut (2011's Seven Stars) and on the follow-up he gives us more of the same. After clearing his throat with the fun 2-minute instrument "Saltwater Crocodile", Amandon gets down to business with the lovely and laid-back "Walking the Shoulder" which also owes a debt to Alex Chilton (another artist he bears a vocal resemblance to). The piano-backed "Set Stone" moves with purpose, and the midtempo "Two Hunters" features a slightly western noir sound that reminds me of Joe Pernice's "Bum Leg". But Amadon can also rock out a bit, as evidenced by "Sisters of the Blue Horizon" (which really does sound like something that came off Big Star's third album) and "Taking My Field Away" which wouldn't have sounded out of place on Smith's posthumous From a Basement on the Hill. This is top-notch stuff, and a welcome listen for those of us who miss his two greatest influences.

CD Baby | Bandcamp

Friday Roundup.

The Tor Guides-Strawberries & Chocolates. What better way to break up the dreary drudgery of winter than with a bright, sunny slice of Swedish pop? The Tor Guides have the answer with their first album after their 2007 debut, Honeybees & Tangerines. This time it's Strawberries & Chocolates, and the tunes are as sweet as the title. Just like their compatriots The Merrymakers and The Tangerines, The Tor Guides make it sound effortless on tracks such as "Every Little Thing" which features Torbjorn Pettersson's slightly nasal vocals (almost like a Swedish Chris Collingwood) and Jeff Lynne-style production, the buoyant "Summer's Green" (featured on the most recent IPO collection) and the aptly-named "Sweet Apple Pie". The observant among you may have noticed this disc slotted in at #4 on David Bash's year-end list for 2012. Since it really didn't get a proper US release until around the turn of the year (late December on Kool Kat, mid-January on iTunes), I'm going to put it on 2013's account where it probably has a top 10 spot locked up.

Kool Kat | iTunes

Stephen Lawrenson-Obscuriosity. Stephen Lawrenson's third album (and first since 2009's Someplace Else) might just be his best to date. The Pennsylvanian power popper has signed on with Kool Kat, and he continues to perfect his ELO-meets-Crowded-House-with-a-little-Brian-Wilson sound. The title track is the real highlight here, inverting the usual order of things by making the verses more urgent than the chorus while all the while giving it a "lost classic" feel (in other words, an "obscuriosity"). "Words to Say" adds some jangle to the mix, and the piano-backed "Small White House" captures the mid-to-late-period Beatles vibe with all its attendant bells and whistles. This is top-notch stuff, and fans of this style won't want to miss it.

CD Baby | Kool Kat | iTunes

Wednesday Roundup.

The Sun Sawed in 1/2-Elephants into Swans. The big news for 2013 so far is the return of The Sun Sawed in 1/2, Tim Rose's psych-tinged power pop group that ruled the 90s as one of the genre's top artists (1997's Fizzy Lift made John Borack's Top 200 Power Pop albums of all-time in his Shake Some Action! book). But after their fourth album, 2000's Bewilderbeast, all we heard from Rose was his Fresh Mowed Lawn project, which put out a fine 2006 album. The good news is that the new album is like they've never been away. "You're the Something" continues their big, brash, melodic sound, complete with horns; the title track recalls Jellyfish with its keyboards-based melody, and "Brittle Star" is a gleeful power-pop number. And the mark of a great power pop band is the ability to handle the slower material with facility; here, tracks like the McCartneyesque "Ocean" and "Nowhere Fast" are as strong as the rockers. A triumphant return.

CD Baby | iTunes | Bandcamp

The Great Affairs-4. For a few years now Denny Smith has been alternating between the hard power pop of fORMER and the roots rock of The Great Affairs, but now that he's retired the, uh, fORMER it almost seems as if he's merged the two sounds on this new 7-track EP from the latter. This is apparent right off the bat- while "Rock 'n' Roll Heart" rocks as hard as anything released under The Great Affairs name, it isn't exactly hard. "Shame on You", on the other hand, does rock fairly hard in the classic rock sense as its bluesy underpinning means it wouldn't sound of place on a Black Crowes record. For those who liked the traditional roots/country-rock sound of The Great Affairs, "The Ring" is a midtempo gem and "Gone" is a wonderful, primarily-acoustic ballad with an indelible melody. But "Fits & Guitars" is as loud and brash as its title implies, meaning that his, uh, former band isn't quite dead and gone.

CD Baby | iTunes | Kool Kat (with bonus disc and alternate artwork)

Midweek Roundup.

Keith LuBrant-Who I Am. Jersey power popper Keith LuBrant is back like clockwork with his third album, having last entertained us six years ago with Searching for Signal and releasing his debut album six years before that. Like his first two albums, Who I Am features catchy, no-frills power pop but with a bit more emphasis on the guitar sound this time around. The pulsing rocker "Wide Awake and Alive" comes roaring out of the gate as LuBrant announces his return with a declarative statement about playing music he loves, and "She Always Finds a Way" shows his mastery of the power pop form with crunchy guitars and a sing-along chorus. Elsewhere, "Call Off the Search" recalls vintage Gin Blossoms, the midtempo "Breathe" boasts an easy melody and some fine guitar work, and the agreeable rocker "Stranger in My Skin" nods to the guitar riff of "Baba O'Riley" in its chorus. LuBrant sounds like he's never been away, and he'll probably sound that way when his next album comes out in 2019.

UPDATE: Now available from Kool Kat with a bonus disc.

CD Baby | iTunes | Kool Kat (w/bonus)

Daniel Novick-Devil Down. The debut full-length from NYC singer-songwriter is billed as his "journey from Nashville to Los Angeles to New York, a path filled with love, heartbreak, pain, and redemption" and while it may be that, it's also an extremely agreeable pop record with hooks and melodies galore. The opening title track is Exhibit A for this premise, with a driving beat and an earworm of a chorus. "Pacific Coast Highway" isn't a bad follow-up, a perfect soundtrack for driving around with the top down (or at least the windows open). The moody piano-backed "Safe With Me" brings Steven Mark and Michael Penn to mind, and the minor-key melody of "Reason to Leave" is straight out of the Neil Finn playbook. Overall, Devil Down has proved to be one of my more pleasant pop surprises of the past few months and hopefully yours too.

CD Baby | iTunes

David Bash's Best of 2012, Part 2.

Here's Part 2 of David Bash's comprehensive year-end lists. Today's installment covers 2012's best reissues.

*********************************************************
Reissue Categories

For this category, at least one of the following criteria must be met for the album to qualify:

a. those that are on CD for the first time
b. those that had been previously issued, but are now out of print or difficult to find
c. those in whose current issue have lots of bonus tracks, or some other unique feature
d. those reissued on LP where they never had been

A CD or LP which contains exclusively previously unrelesed material which is not from current times is still considered a “reissue” in my ranking structure.

With the above in mind, while quality is the major factor in determining the rankings, other factors such as number and type of bonus tracks, liner notes, sound quality, etc…do come into play.

Those marked with an * are LP-only.

I. Top 75 Proper Albums

1. Small Faces: Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake: Deluxe Edition (Universal/Decca/Charly)
2. The Beach Boys-Today! Mono/Stereo (Capitol)
3. Paul and Linda McCartney-Ram: Deluxe Edition (MPL)
4. The Beach Boys-Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!): Mono/Stereo (Capitol)
5. The Byrds-Younger Than Yesterday: Mono/Stereo (Sony Japan)
6. The Beach Boys-Pet Sounds Mono/Stereo (Capitol)
7. The Beach Boys-Sunflower (Capitol)
8. The Beach Boys-Surf’s Up (Capitol)
9. Durocs-Durocs (Real Gone)
*10. Jellyfish-Spilt Milk (Omnivore)
11. Klaatu-Hope: 2012 Remaster (Klaatunes)
12. Rick Springfield-Beginnings (Real Gone)
13. Sugar-Copper Blue: Deluxe Edition (Edsel)
14. Small Faces: The Immediate Album: Deluxe Edition (Universal/Decca/Charly)
15. Daughters Of Albion-Daughters Of Albion (Now Sounds)
*16. Paul and Linda McCartney-Ram: Mono (MPL)
17. Kirsty MacColl-Desperate Character (Salvo)
*18. Jellyfish-Bellybutton (Omnivore)
*19. Shoes-One In Versailles (Numero)
20. Del Shannon-Home & Away (Now Sounds)
21. The Byrds-The Notorious Byrd Brothers: Mono/Stereo (Sony Japan)
22. Small Faces: From The Beginning: Deluxe Edition (Universal/Decca)
23. The Alan Bown-Outward Bown (Grapefruit)
24. Kirsty MacColl-Kite (Salvo)
*25. Shoes-Black Vinyl (Numero)
26. The Late Show-Portable Pop (Trashy Creatures)
27. Curved Air-Air Cut (Repertoire)
28. The Beach Boys-All Summer Long Mono/Stereo (Capitol)
29. Gilbert O’Sullivan-I’m A Writer, Not A Fighter (Salvo)
30. Spider-Spider (Air Mail)
31. The Byrds-Mister Tambourine Man: Mono/Stereo (Sony Japan)
32. Cotton Mather-Kontiki: Deluxe Edition (The Star Apple Kingdom)
33. The Jam-The Gift: Deluxe Edition (Universal)
34. Harpers Bizarre-Anything Goes (Now Sounds)
35. The Electric Light Orchestra-The Electric Light Orchestra 40th Anniversary Edition (EMI)
36. Kayak-See See The Sun (Esoteric)
*37. Octopus-Restless Night (Guerssen)
38. The Beach Boys-Shut Down Volume 2: Mono/Stereo (Capitol)
39. Small Faces-Small Faces: Deluxe Edition (Universal/Decca)
40. Strawbs-Of A Time (Witchwood Media)
41. Curved Air-Airborne (Repertoire)
42. Sugar-File Under Easy Listening: Deluxe Edition (Edsel)
43. Tir Na Nog-Strong In The Sun (Esoteric)
44. Candy-Whatever Happened To Fun…(Rock Candy)
45. Brewer & Shipley-Down In L.A. (Now Sounds)
46. Kayak-Royal Bed Bouncer (Esoteric)
47. Steve Miller Band-Brave New World (Edsel)
48. The Beach Boys-Smiley Smile Mono/Stereo (Capitol)
49. Gilbert O’Sullivan-Back To Front (Salvo)
50. The Byrds-Turn! Turn! Turn!: Mono/Stereo (Sony Japan)
51. Phil Seymour-1 (Fuel)
52. True Hearts-True Hearts (Kool Kat)
53. The Sex Pistols-Never Mind The Bollocks: Deluxe Edition (Universal)
54. Blur-Parklife: Special Edition (Food/Parlophone)
55. The Beach Boys-Little Deuce Coupe Mono/Stereo (Capitol)
56. Jamie & Steve-English Afterthought (Air Mail)
57. Lyres-On Fyre (Munster)
58. The Byrds-Fifth Dimension: Mono/Stereo (Sony Japan)
59. R.E.M.-Document: Deluxe Edition (Capitol)
60. The Spinners-Truly Yours: Their First Motown Album w/Bonus Tracks 1963-1967 (Kent)
61. T. Rex-Electric Warrior: Deluxe Edition (Universal)
62. Chubby Checker-Chequered (Sunbeam)
63. The Mamas & The Papas-People Like Us (Now Sounds)
64. Kayak-Kayak (Esoteric)
65. Curved Air-Phantasmagoria (Repertoire)
66. The Brotherhood Of Lizards-Lizardland (Kool Kat)
67. The Glitter Band-Listen To The Band (7 T’s)
68. My Bloody Valentine-Loveless (Sony Music)
69. The Tokens-It’s A Happening World (Real Gone)
70. Nervous Rex-Nervous Rex (Air Mail)
71. Sugar-Beaster: Deluxe Edition (Edsel)
72. Family-Music In A Doll’s House (Pucka)
73. The Beach Boys-Surfer Girl Mono/Stereo (Capitol)
*74. Rockin’ Horse-Yes It Is (Sing Sing)
75. Wally Tax-Love In (Relics)

II. Top 5 Two-Fers, Three-Fers, and Four-Fers: Proper Albums

1. Peter & Gordon-Peter & Gordon 1964/In Touch With/Hurtin’ ‘N Lovin’/Peter & Gordon 1966 (BGO)
2. 20/20-20/20, Look Out (Real Gone)
3. SRC-SRC/Milestones/Travellers Tale (BGO)
4. Sam & Dave-Hold On, I’m Coming/Double Dynamite (Edsel)
5. Peter & Gordon-Sing And Play The Hits Of Nashville/Woman/Hot Cold & Custard (BGO)

III. Top 25 Compilations, Single Artist

1. The Association-The Complete Warner Bros & Valiant Singles Collection (Now Sounds)
2. The Beach Boys-50 Big Ones: Deluxe Edition (Capitol)
3. The Byrds-Original Singles A’s & B’s 1965-1971 (Sony Japan)
4. Jellyfish-Stack-A-Tracks (Omnivore)
5. Shoes-35 Years: The Definitive Shoes Collection 1977-2012 (Real Gone)
6. The Critters-Younger Girl: The Complete Kapp & Musicor Recordings (Now Sounds)
7. The Pencils-Anthology (Kool Kat)
8. Every Mother’s Son-Come On Down: The Complete MGM Recordings (Now Sounds)
9. The Knack-Rock & Roll Is Good For You: The Fieger/Averre Demos (Zen)
10. The Fifth Estate-Anthology Volume I: The Witch Is Dead (Fuel)
11. The Jackson Five-Come And Get It: The Rare Pearls (Hip-O-Select)
12. Kaleidoscope-Further Reflections: The Complete Recordings 1967-1969 (Grapefruit)
13. The Hollies-Radio Fun (EMI)
14. Carole King-The Legendary Demos (Concord Music Group)
*15. Shoes-Pretense: Demos 1978-1979 (Numero)
16. Alex Chilton-Free Again: The “1970” Sessions (Ace)
17. The Knack-Time Waits For No One: The Complete Recordings (Now Sounds)
18. The Electric Prunes-The Complete Reprise Singles (Real Gone)
19. MC Squared-Tantalizing Colours: The Reprise Recordings (Now Sounds)
20. Jackie DeShannon-Keep Me In Mind: The Complete Imperial and Liberty Singles Vol. 3 (Ace)
21. Hotlegs-You Didn’t Like It Because You Didn’t Think Of It: The Complete Sessions 1970-1971 (Grapefruit)
22. The Move-Live At The Fillmore 1969 (Right Recordings)
23. Design-One Sunny Day: Singles and Rarities 1968-1978 (RPM)
24. Amen Corner-Round Amen Corner: The Complete Deram Recordings (RPM)
25. Christie-No Turn Unstoned (Angel Air)

IV. Top 20 Compilations, Various Artists

1. Buttons: From Champaign To Chicago (Numero)
*2. Fading Yellow Volume One: Times Pop-Sike & Other Delights 1965-1969 (Flower Machine)
3. Down Under Nuggets-Original Australian Artyfacts 1965-1967 (Warner Music)
4. Smash Boom Bang!: The Songs And Productions Of Feldman-Goldstein-Gottehrer (Ace)
5. Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 (Rhino)
6. Power Pop Prime Volume 1: 1996-1997 (Pop Geek Heaven)
7. Power Pop Prime Volume 2: 1998-1999 (Pop Geek Heaven)
8. Piccadilly Sunshine Part Ten: British Pop Psych and Other Flavours 1966-1969 (Particles)
9. Honey Honey: The Sound Of Bubblegum Pop (Sony Music)
10. All Kinds Of Highs-A Mainstream Pop/Psych Compendium 1966-70 (Ace/Big Beat)
11. Mixed Up Minds: Obscure Rock & Pop From The British Isles 1968-1972 Part Three (Particles)
12. Something Good: From The Goffin & King Songbook (Ace)
13. Da Doo Ron Ron: More From The Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry Songbook (Ace)
14. Piccadilly Sunshine Part 7: British Pop Psych and Other Flavours 1966-1970 (Particles)
15. Piccadilly Sunshine Part 9: British Pop Psych and Other Flavours 1964-1970 (Particles)
16. Fading Yellow-Volume 14: Spanish Pop Psych and Other Delights 1967-1973 (Flower Machine)
17. Mixed Up Minds: Obscure Rock & Pop From The British Isles 1969-1973 Part Two (Particles)
18. The Red Bird Girls-Very First Time In True Stereo 1964-1966 (Real Gone)
19. Sassafras & Moonshine: The Songs Of Laura Nyro (Ace)
20. Action!: The Songs Of Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart (Ace)

V. Top 20 Box Sets: Single Artist

*1. The Beatles-Stereo Vinyl Box Set (EMI)
2. Paul and Linda McCartney-Ram: Superdeluxe Edition (MPL)
3. Dusty Springfield-Goin’ Back: The Definitive Dusty Springfield (Universal/Mercury)
4. 10CC-Tenology (Universal)
5. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band-40th Anniversary (Creature Music)
6. The Searchers-Hearts In Their Eyes: Celebrating 50 Years of Harmony & Jangle (Universal)
7. The Kinks-At The BBC (Universal)
8. George Harrison-Living In The Material World (Universal)
9. The Beatles-Magical Mystery Tour (Capitol)
10. Blue Rodeo-1987-1993 (Warner Music)
11. Cheap Trick-The Complete Epic Records Collection (Sony Legacy)
12. Pink Floyd-The Wall: Immersion (EMI)
13. Green Day-The Studio Albums 1990-2009 (Warner Bros.)
14. Roxy Music-The Complete Studio Recordings (Virgin)
15. Bill Withers-The Complete Sussex and Columbia Albums (Sony Music)
16. Heart-Strange Euphoria (Sony Music)
17. T. Rex-Electric Warrior: Superdeluxe Edition (Universal)
18. The Velvet Underground & Nico-The Velvet Underground & Nico: 45th Anniversary Superdeluxe Edition (Universal)
19. World Party-Arkeology: Diary & Music Collection (Seaview)
20. The Yardbirds-Glimpses 1963-1969 (Easy Action)

VI. Top 3 Box Sets: Various Artists

*1. The Rubble Collection-Volumes 1 To 5 (Pilot)
2. Surf-Age Nuggets: Trash & Twang Instrumentals 1959-1966 (RockBeat)
3. Mind Expanders: 80 Rare Trips From The ‘60s & ‘70s (Particles)

VII. Top 5 Reissue Labels

1. Now Sounds
2. Futureman
3. Ace
3. Real Gone Music
4. Salvo

Note: Capitol and Universal would definitely be on this list somewhere, but since they’re not exclusively reissue labels, I decided not to include them.

Note 2: Some of the sharp-eyed among you might wonder how Futureman finished at #2 without having any albums place on any of my reissue lists. It’s because Futureman specializes in download-only releases, and for reissues I don’t wish to place download-only albums on my lists. Having said that, Futureman has done a wonderful job of bringing about awareness of several awesome powerpop albums from the last 10 years, by artists like Starbelly, Liquor Giants, Gladhands, Lisa Mychols, and so many others, and for that they deserve plenty of kudos (as well as a #2 ranking here!).

David Bash's Best of 2012, Part 1.

Just when you thought you were done with Best of 2012 lists, it's time once again to bring you David Bash's year-end lists, which are even more comprehensive than mine. To keep things manageable, today's post is limited to new material, and tomorrow I will follow up with his reissues lists. So without further ado, I turn the floor over to Mr. Bash:

******************************************************************

Hi Everyone,

Here are my lists of favorite albums of 2012. As is my usual custom, I've broken this down into several categories, as I'm just not comfortable ranking unlike entities on one list.

Contemporary Categories

Those marked with an * are LP-only releases and those marked with an ** are download-only releases. I’m hoping I didn’t forget to include some of the download-onlies: my filing system for them isn’t too efficient. 

I’ve probably obtained more albums in 2012 than I have in three or four years, and it definitely showed in the quality level. I’d planned to limit the first category to 100, but it quickly became clear that there were just too many releases I thought were list-worthy, so I kept going. I decided to stop at 125 because I didn’t want to test your patience (as if 100 wouldn’t do that!), but even then there were several albums I was sorry didn’t make the cut.

Ok, without further ado, here are the lists!

I. Top 125 Albums

1. Nelson Bragg-We Get What We Want (Steel Derrick)
2. Marty Graveyard-Summer Holiday (V2)
3. David Myhr-Soundshine (Lojinx, Thistime)
4. The Tor Guides-Strawberries & Chocolates (Self-Released)
5. Green Day-Tre! (Reprise/Warner Bros.)
6. Throwback Suburbia-Shot Glass Souvenir (Self-Released)
7. King Washington-The Gears (Self-Released)
8. Sweet Diss and The Comebacks-Emerald City Love Song (Thistime)
9. The Kik-Springlevend (Excelsior)
10. Sitcom Neighbor-Charmed (Gravy Works Music Group)
11. The dB’s-Falling Off The Sky (Bar None)
12. The Trashed Romeos-Where Dreamers Never Go (Trashy Creatures)
13. The Primitives-Echoes and Rhymes (Elefant)
14. Shoes-Ignition (Black Vinyl)
15. Jared Lekites-Star Map (Self-Released)
16. The Explorers Club-Grand Hotel (Rock Ridge Music)
17. Wanderlust-Record Time (Zip)
18. Green Day-Uno! (Reprise/Warner Bros.)
19. Kurt Baker-Brand New Beat (Collector’s Club)
20. Ruby Free-Introducing Ruby Free (Sodastar)
21. The Demos-Lovely (Thistime)
22. Chris Richards and The Subtractions-Get Yer La La’s Out (Gangplank)
23. Cliff Hillis-Dream Good (Tallboy)
24. Mark Crozer & The Rels-Mark Crozer & The Rels (Planting Seeds)
25. Uncle Green/3 Lb. Thrill-Rycopa (Self-Released)
26. Latvian Radio-Kill The Static (Belpid)
27. Secret Powers-More Songs About Her (Self-Released)
28. A.C. Newman-Shut Down The Streets (Matador)
29. Bryan Scary-Daffy’s Elixir (Paper Garden)
30. The Corner Laughers-Poppy Seeds (Mystery Lawn)
31. Redd Kross-Researching The Blues (Merge)
32. Wes Hollywood-Fantasy Arcade (Sweet Science)
33. Green Day-Dos! (Reprise/Warner Bros.)
34. The Breakup Society-So Much Unhappiness, So Little Time…(Get Hip)
35. The Moons-Fables Of History (Schnitzel)
36. The Junipers-Paint The Ground (Self-Released)
37. The Anderson Council-Looking At The Stars (Sinclair)
38. The Afternoons-Fan Fiction (Saturday)
39. Lannie Flowers-New Songs, Old Stories (Aaron Ave.)
40. The Mayflowers-Plymouth Rock (Rooster)
41. The Blood Rush Hour-Shrink (Nicola)
42. The Well Wishers-Dreaming of The West Coast (Thatwasmyskull)
43. Paul Rocha-Crayons (Crackback Flause)
44. Peter Baldrachi-Back To The Start (Prodigal Son)
45. Gavin Guss-On High (Fin)
46. The Housekeeping Society-Postcards (Self-Released)
47. Frederick Herrmann-Fairy Tale Musik (Self-Released)
48. Christopher Holland-Corner Green (Cosmic Harmony)
49. Lukah Boo-Calidad De Vida (Rock Indiana)
50. Kontiki Suite-On Sunset Lake (Self-Released)
51. Brendan Benson-What Kind Of World (Readymade)
52. Kevin Martin-Throwback Pop (Self-Released)
53. Holmes-Complication Simplified (Groove Gravy)
54. Three Minute Tease-Three Minute Tease (Untitled Music)
55. Hot Freak Nation-Lifetime To Lifetime (Trashy Creatures)
56. Oberon Rose-Wunjo (ThouArt)
57. Graham Gouldman-Love and Work (Rosala)
58. Rob Bonfiglio-Mea Culpa (Damask)
59. Bubble Gum Orchestra-II (Out Of This World)
60. The Sunny Boys-Freeboobin’ (Self-Released)
61. Jay Gonzalez-Mess of Happiness (Self-Released)
62. Ben Folds Five-The Sound of The Life of The Mind (Sony Music)
63. The Hi Risers-Hang Around With You (R &R)
64. The Jigsaw Seen-Gifted (Vibro-phonic)
65. Kjarr-Kjarr (Self-Released)
66. Jeremy-Love Explosion (Jam/Rock Indiana)
67. Ben Kweller-Go Fly A Kite (The Noise Company)
68. Sidewalk Society-Venus, Saturn and The Crescent Moon (Grandioso)
69. Marmalade Army-All Tomorrow’s Yesterdays (Modern Artichoke)
70. Trevor Childs-Spirit Guide (Self-Released)
71. Juan Antonio Ross-Durante El Fin Del Mundo (Clifford)
72. Goodfellows-Happynitol (Kzoo Music)
73. Eytan and The Embassy-Everything Changes (Self-Released)
74. Norman Kelsey-On The Rebound (Self-Released)
75. Brad Brooks-Harmony of Passing Light (Mouth Magic Music)
*76. Suzi Chunk-Girl From The Neck Down (State)
77. The School-Reading Too Much Into Things Like Everything (Elefant)
78. Spygenius-The Comforting Suture (Whammo Whammo Whammo Excellent)
79. Metropolitan Farms-Our Hero Pleads His Flimsy Case (Braceling)
80. Stay-The Fourth Dimension (Subterfuge)
81. Peter Buzzelle-Museum of Peter Buzzelle (Self-Released)
82. The Condors-3 Item Combo (Vital Gesture)
83. Paul Starling-Shipwrecked Commotion (Tomboy & Twine)
84. The Breakups-Running Jumping Falling Shouting (Self-Released)
85. Dave Birk-Speed Queen Mystery Date (Self-Released)
86. Archie Powell & The Exports-Great Ideas In Action (Good Land)
87. The Cheeks-Featured Tigers In A Magic Zoo (Teen Sound)
88. Ed Tulipa-Pop Terapia (Lapro Duktiva)
89. The Catholic Girls-Exposed! (Cinema)
90. Salim Nourallah-Hit Parade (Tapete)
91. The Floorettes-Pocketfull Of Soul (Waterfall)
92. The Galileo 7-Staring At The Sound (State)
93. Michael Carpenter-SOOP #5 (Self-Released)
94. Cow-Dedicated To…The Mighty Drum (Self-Released)
*95. Kenny Howes-Tornadoes Here & Past (YEAH!)
96. The Flashcubes-Sportin’ Wood (Air Mail)
97. Grahame/Steinberg-Grahame/Steinberg (Dog Turner)
98. Vinnie Zummo-Swinging Guitar Sounds Of Young America, Vol. 3 (VAZ Music)
99. Kent-Jag Ar Inte Radd For Murkret (Universal)
100. The Lemon Clocks-Now Is The Time (Jam)
101. William Seen’s Transport Music-Can I Sit Here And Absorb? (Crane Lake)
102. Pony Taylor-How To Fold Paper In Half Twelve Times (SuperHomard/Clifford)
103. The Sick Rose-No Need For Speed (Rock Indiana)
**104. Peelgreems-Big Adventure
105. Nine Times Blue-Fading Slowly (Renegade)
**106. Andy Goldberg-Moonlighting
107. Beyond Veronica-Hard Times For Dreamers (Fetish Pop)
108. Matt Purcell & The Blessed Curse-Mathew Street (Self-Released)
109. The Standards-A Slight Distraction (Schnapps House)
110. The Jac-Faux Pas (Egomaniac Music)
111. Magatha Trysty-Your Clothes Will Wear Themselves (Self-Released)
112. The Sunchymes-Let Your Free Flag Fly (Self-Released)
113. Paul Bohan-For Now & Ever (1969)
114. Smash Palace-…Do It Again (Zip)
115. I Am Next-How To Tell The Phonies From The Phakes (Self-Released)
116. The Electric Mess-Falling Off The Face of The Earth (Self-Released)
117. The Pozers-The Sun’s Going Down (Mirror Town)
118. The Seasongs-Out Of The City (Self-Released)
119. Jeff Litman-Outside (Born Enormous Music)
120. Jason Karaban-Shift (Ascend)
121. The Jooles-To Mr./Mrs. (Waterfall)
122. Mark Lane-Something New (Orange Deuce)
123. Your Gracious Host-1Up 2Down (Meccanic)
124. The Honey Wilders-Singles For Singles (Rubber Bucket)
125. The Ace-Next Time Around: Images In Sound (Self-Released)

II. Top EPs

Disclaimer alert: I’m not a big fan of EPs, as they always seem to leave me wanting more. For this reason, I never seek them out the way I do full-length albums, and 2012 was no exception. A few of them came my way, regardless, and I will list those I particularly enjoyed, in alphabetical order. I realize my rationale for not actively pursuing EPs is anything but…rational…and I will definitely seek to change this in 2013.

The Freddie Steady 5-1000 Miles
The Iveys-Days & Nights
The Jellybricks-Suckers
Nushu-Joystick
Fernando Perdomo-Home Is Wherever You Are
*Sunday Sun-I, II, and III
**Talk Tonight-A Single Day
Two Sheds Jackson-The Collaboration Series, Movement One

Note: some people have combined the three Sunday Sun EPs and ranked the aggregate on their “best album” list. I’m not going to do that because I believe that the cream of these EPs will come out as an album in 2013.

III. Top 5 Compilations-Various Artists

International Pop Overthrow: Vol. 15 (Pop Geek Heaven)
Power Pop Planet: 30 Bands-30 Smiles (Pop Geek Heaven)
Powerpopaholic Fest-Original Soundtrack Vol. 1 (Powerpopaholic)
The New Sell Out (Futureman)
Pop Garden Radio-The Rock On The Road Tour (Pop Garden Radio)

IV. Best DVD

Beatles Stories-A Fab Four Fan’s Ultimate Road Trip, By Seth Swirsky

V. Some Fine 2011 Releases I Found Out About Too Late To Be Ranked Last Year (In Alphabetical Order)

The Ash & The Oak-Searching For The Soft Rays
The Broken Vinyl Club-The Broken Vinyl Club
Mark Carroll-In Silence
Ivan Mudd-Greetings Earthlings
The Hazey Janes-The Winter That Was
Ben Jones-Kaleidoscope
The Little Black Bottles-Let Them Eat Red Velvet Cake
The Sons-The Prime Words Committee

VI. 2013 Releases I’ve Heard And Am Excited About (In Alphabetical Order)

The Beat Rats-Have Mersey! (Cavern)
Paul Bertolino-Where The Buildings Hit The Sky (Kool Kat)
The Bottle Kids-Such A Thrill (Self-Released)
The Fast Camels-Dead Rooms And Battery Dreams
Goodman-What We Want
Stephen Lawrenson-Obscuriosity (Kool Kat)
Peachfuzz-Fall Down Dreaming
The Popdogs-Cool Cats For Pop Dogs (Self-Released)
The Resonars-Crummy Desert Sound (Burger)
Secret Friend-Time Machine
Chris Stamey-Lovesick Blues (Yep Roc)
Surf School Dropouts-Summer Is A State Of Mind

Friday Roundup.

Static in Verona-Some Things You Knew EP. Rob Merz, a/k/a Static in Verona, is back with a brand new EP that builds on the strength of his previous releases. Opener "White Knuckles" is an atmospheric dream pop delight, while "Everything You Knew" is a piano-based stomper that recalls Spoon and "Look Like Gold" would fit at home on a Pernice Brothers album. Top-rate stuff to kick off the new year, and best of all if you like what you stream below you can download it free off the official site.

Send Newsletters to your fans from ReverbNation.com

Engloria-Shine. The debut full-length from this New York band will undoubtedly appeal to fans of Brit Pop, especially Oasis as frontman/chief songwriter James Stewart bears a vocal resemblance to Liam Gallagher. This is readily apparent on the title track which commences the proceedings, which wouldn't have been out of place on What's the Story, Morning Glory?. "High Tonight" is another strong rocker, and the midtempo "Where You Are" has a bit of "Roll With It" to it. Meanwhile, "I've Been Down" has a lighter, jangly pop feel and "Melrose" manages to combine Brit Pop with a heartland rock sound. The most impressive thing about this album is that they keep the hooks coming, and there really isn't a clunker to be found.

CD Baby | iTunes

The Absolute Powerpop Top 100 of 2012, #1-50.

And here's what you've been waiting for, the top half of the top 100. A few words on my #1 pick follow the list:

1. Salim Nourallah-Hit Parade
2. Shoes-Ignition
3. Scott Warren-Dyed in the Wool
4. Cliff Hillis-Dream Good
5. Kevin Martin-Throwback Pop
6. David Myhr-Soundshine
7. Jay Gonzalez-Mess of Happiness
8. Lannie Flowers-New Songs Old Tories
9. The Honeymoon Stallions-Moonlighting
10. Ruby Free-Introducing Ruby Free
11. Oberon Rose-Wunjo
12. Sitcom Neighbor-Charm
13. Bill Lloyd-Boy King of Tokyo
14. Gavin Guss-On High
15. Paul Rocha-Crayons
16. Tim Husty-A Step Back
17. Holmes-Complication Simplified
18. Throwback Suburbia-Shot Glass Souvenir
19. Chris Richards & The Subtractions-Get Yer La La's Out
20. Redd Kross-Researching the Blues
21. Secret Powers-More Songs About Her
22. JP Cregan-Elba
23. Jeff Litman-Outside
24. Jackdaw4-Dissecticide
25. The Blood Rush Hour-Shrink
26. Smash Palace-Do it Again
27. The Stars Explode-Between the Lines
28. Aimee Mann-Charmer
29. Wanderlust-Record Time
30. Didn't Planet-We're Going Nowhere
31. AC Newman-Shut Down the Streets
32. Steven wright-Mark-My Plastic World
33. The Breakups-Running Jumping Falling Shouting
34. The World Record-Freeway Special
35. Dave Birk-Speed Queen Mystery Date
36. Stay-The Fourth Dimension
37. Rob Bonfiglio-Mea Culpa
38. Slink-Desert Gem
39. Hidden Pictures-Rainbow Records
40. Jared Lekites-Star Map
41. Latvian Radio-Kill the Static
42. Minky Starshine-Womanity
43. Trapper Schoepp & The Shades-Run, Engine, Run
44. Mike O'Neill-Wild Lines
45. Dan Miraldi-Sugar & Adrenaline
46. Frank Bango-Touchy Feely
47. Eliot Bronson & Yonder Orphans-Milwaukee
48. The Roseline-Vast as Sky
49. The CRY!-The CRY!
50. Electrolic-Live on Land

I went with Salim Nourallah's Hit Parade at #1 for several reasons - it was the album I enjoyed the most, the one that grew on me the most with repeated listens, and most of all it felt to me like a contemporary Beatles album with Nourallah playing all four parts. The wonderful "38 Rue de Sevigne" opens the album with a slow build into full-fledged McCartney-esque goodness, while the title track and "God Damn Life" (which are both thematic cousins of "Working Class Hero") bear a profound John Lennon influence. Meanwhile, the ringing guitars and lyrics that speak of disappointment yet hope in someone else of "The Quitter" feel like George Harrison, while the faux-disco "Travolta" mixes humor and pathos in much the same way Ringo's Beatle tunes did. In the past I've always enjoyed Nourallah's songcraft even though it felt cold and distant at times, but here he takes a warm and wistful look back at life from middle age (life's "hit parade" as it were) and the result is the best album of his career.

The Absolute Powerpop Top 100 of 2012, #51-100

Here's the bottom half of the top 100, with the top half to follow tomorrow.

51. Paul Bohan-For Now & Ever
52. Any Version of Me-A Matter of Time
53. Jason Karaban-Shift
54. Bryan Scary-Daffy's Elixir
55. Even-In Another Time
56. fun.-Some Nights
57. Dan Kibler-Dan Kibler
58. The Figgs-The Day Gravity Stopped
59. The Condors-3 Item Combo
60. Nick Frater-Throw Money
61. Nada Surf-The Stars are Indifferent to Astronomy
62. HighMay-The Upside
63. Well Wishers-Dreaming of the West Coast
64. Bryan Dunn-Sweetheart of the Music Hall
65. Pete Donnelly-When You Come Home
66. Peter Buzzelle-Museum of Peter Buzzelle
67. The Shins-Port of Morrow
68. Justin Kline-Cabin Fever Songs
69. Jud Norman-Baby Step
70. The Afternoons-Fan Fiction
71. Matt Webster-Army of One
72. Conceptus-Trebly Feelings
73. The Mike Benign Compulsion-Martha
74. Fallon Cush-April
75. Hannah Cranna-A Real Nice Parade
76. Eric Miller-Voices of Mirrors
77. The Honey Wilders-Singles for Singles
78. The Pozers-The Sun's Going Down
79. Dale Murray-Dream Mountain Dream
80. Acid-Acid
81. Snakehips-Must Be Present to Win
82. Drobinko-Drobinko
83. Kurt Baker-Brand New Beat
84. Ken Stringfellow-Danzig in the Moonlight
85. Saul Zonana-Fix the Broken
86. Archie Powell & The Exports-Great Ideas in Action
87. Brendan Benson-What Kind of World
88. Mark Lane-Something New
89. Kevin Bents-The Honors
90. The Brixton Riot-Palace Amusements
91. The Successful Failures-Here I Am
92. Lightships-Electric Cables
93. Veneer-Songs About Gardening
94. Mozley-II
95. Hall of Ghosts-A Random Quiet
96. Hot Freak Nation-Lifetime to Lifetime
97. Nelson Bragg-We Get What We Want
98. One Like Son-Start the Show
99. The Squires of the Subterrain-Sandbox
100. Mark Heineke-Lovely

The Absolute Powerpop Top 15 EPs of 2012.

Let the list-making commence. Today it's the top 15 EPs, tomorrow it's the bottom half of the top 100 full-length list, and Friday will be the top half.

1. John Lefler-Shout Fire
2. Two Sheds Jackson-The Collaboration Series Movement One
3. Sunday Sun-III
4. The Lazy Suns-The Lazy Suns
5. Los Angelfish-Welcome to Los Angelfish
6. Bob Evans-The Double Life
7. Bill DeMain-Extended Stay
8. People on Vacation-The Carry On
9. Blair Gilley-Almost Home
10. Supraluxe-Fuzz
11. The Stanleys-Always
12. The Metal Babies-The Metal Babies
13. The Buzz-Got Me Runnin'
14. Prattle On, Rick-Songs of Our Fathers
15. Johnny Scaramanga-Listen

EP Friday.

Blair Gilley-Almost Home. Nashville rocker Blair Gilley, after fronting a couple of bands, goes solo with impressive results on his debut EP which brings to mind the likes of Oasis and Green Day in their poppier moments. This is "modern-sounding" power pop that also calls to mind Rooney, especially on the anthemic opener "Hopelessly". The power ballad "My Communication" slows things down to a degree but works equally as well, and the real winner here is the closer "What You Do to Yourself" which sports an indelible chorus. A brash and impressive debut.

CD Baby | iTunes

The Metal Babies-The Metal Babies EP. This band from Sydney caught my eye with their name, an obvious homage to a classic Teenage Fanclub song. The caught my ear as well with their sound, which despite their name isn't a slavish attempt to recapture the TF sound. Instead, they have kind of a "heartland rock" sound which shows on the "This Cloud of Mine", while the opener "In the Dirt" has a Tom Petty feel (as well as an always-welcome "woo hoo hoo" in the chorus). Elsewhere, "Trainwreck" is an enjoyable rocker and the midtempo "Willing to Wait" boasts some fine guitar work. Nothing flashy here, but five above-average tracks that will be welcome on your music player of choice.

Bandcamp

Help Justin Kline help kids at Christmas.

Passing this on from Justin Kline:

Hey there, Justin Kline here with a favor to ask…

My new Christmas song "Once a Year" is available for digital download via NoiseTrade… and 100% of the proceeds will benefit TOYS FOR TOTS... (or you can download it for free too)

Happy Holidays,
Justin Kline

Political Power Pop.

In honor of this very political year (what with a US presidential election and all), here are a pair of releases from artists we've featured before who've decided to make a political statement with their power pop:

Neil Nathan Inc.-Sweep the Nation. We last heard from this rocker in 2010 with the excellent The Distance Calls, and now he's back as "Neil Nathan Inc.", ready to Occupy your music player of choice with Sweep the Nation, an attack on crooked corporate capitalism. Of course you can get political commentary from virtually nook and cranny on the Internet, so the key here is whether the music behind the viewpoint holds up. And here it does, from the kinetic (and appropriately-titled) Matthew Sweet-style opener "Jumpstart" to the anthemic title track to the Tom Petty-esque "For the Lucky Ones". In some respects, Swept the Nation is power pop's answer to Bruce Springsteen's Wrecking Ball, another mad-as-hell-and-not-going-to-take-it-anymore album that still sounded great when you weren't paying attention to the lyrics. Fittingly this album isn't available from any of the big corporate outlets, but only on the artist-friendly Bandcamp.

Bandcamp

UPDATE: Now available through CD Baby.

Khalid Hanifi-A Brief Respite from Shooting Fish in a Barrel. Khalid Hanifi has been a welcome presence in the power pop scene for over a decade, whether recording under his own name or as The Maypops. Here Hanifi, an Afghan-American, trades his mild-mannered singer/songwriter power pop to rail against the treatment of his ancestral land and the corporate-military complex behind it. And as in the case of Neil Nathan's record, Hanifi still manages to express himself through some solid songcraft. The loping "Free the World to Death" pulls no punches, and "The Splendor of Empire" is first rate dream-pop with a serious kick. Elsewhere, the acoustic-based "Rock and Roll Frankenstein" and "Whose Idea Was That" sport lovely melodies, and "Hog Futures" is the kind of catchy power pop Hanifi made his name with.

CD Baby | iTunes

Friday Roundup.

Hidden Pictures-Rainbow Records. Hidden Pictures hail from Kansas City and boast an impressive pop pedigree. Lead vocalists Richard Gintowt and Michelle Sanders were in the band OK Jones, which had a couple of fine releases in the middle part of the last decade, and Erik Voeks (of the legendary 1993 power pop album Sandbox) plays bass. And while it all looks good on paper, it sounds just as good to the ear. For the most part, Rainbow Records is buoyant, effervescent pop - opener "Calling Christine" and closer "Oldies 104.3" bookend the album with sugar galore and find the band as a less indie rock-oriented New Pornographers. Meanwhile, "Solo Record Shop" and "Boyfriend A.D.D." rock a bit more but keep the sweet melodies going. This might be the perfect summer record of 2012, but even in winter you'll want to have it to keep you warm.

Bandcamp | iTunes

Mooner-Unpronounceable Name EP. The third EP from this Chicago band led by brothers Lee & David Ketch is a real treat for lovers of meaty, melodic guitar pop. They claim Television and Tom Petty as influences and it's not hard to hear it in "Shapeshifter", with its angular guitar hook and insistent melody, while "Overrated" rocks relentlessly. The other tracks, the midtempo "White Lines" (which builds slowly and ends up in Petty territory) and the power ballad-turned-guitar freakout "Never Alone" also show the band's talent for unpredictability.

Bandcamp

Pre-Thanksgiving Roundup.

J.P. Cregan-Elba. JP Cregan's 2009 debut Man Overboard was one of the more pleasant surprises of that year, placing #12 on my year-end list. Now he's back from exile with his followup full-length Elba, and serves proof the debut was no fluke. Opening track "Wreck" is a great slice of melodic pop which practically swings with its playful guitar riff and horns, "Here it Comes Again" is straight ahead power pop in the Cliff Hillis/Michael Carpenter vein, and "Saw Her on the Metro" has enough of a wall of sound that it recalls a Jeff Lynne production. But in addition to the traditional power pop sound, Cregan moves into foik/rock territory on a few tracks, including the winsome acoustic-based "Susie, Please" and the near-rockabilly of "I Want to Let You Know". This is definitely another strong candidate for the year-end Top 20 in what's shaped up to be a very strong year for power pop.

CD Baby

The Pozers-The Sun's Going Down. Another artist unveiling their sophomore effort is The Pozers, whose debut disc Embrace Your Addiction got quite a bit of love in power pop community back in 2004 before yours truly got immersed in the scene, and on the basis of their fine newly-released followup I'm going to have to back and check that one out. As for The Sun's Going Down, it's a tour de force of power pop styles produced by none other than Roger Manning. The fuzzed-out guitars of "Spacecar" answer the question of what Guided by Voices would have sounded like in 1968, the loping yet melodic "All She Wrote" could pass for a lost Nuggets classic, and "The Separation" expertly evokes Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys. They may be retro, but when you get retro this right you can't be wrong, and that's no pose.

CD Baby | iTunes

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