Quirky Pop Tuesday.

Lamar Holley-Confessions of a College Student. One of these days, I'm going to compile a "United States of Power Pop" that references power pop artists in each state of the country. Off the top of my head, I can think of several states that are unrepresented, but I can now cross Utah off the list thanks to SLC's Lamar Holley. His Confessions of a College Student is billed as a pop musical, or "theater-pop" as he calls it, and it's a wonderfully melodic and quirky album that works as a whole or as standalone tunes. Mixing in a little Jellyfish, a little Ben Folds, some Beatles, and a lot of Brill Building, there's plenty here to like. "Forgotten Friends" brings the 'fish to mind, "Pretend That She's Ugly" is where the Folds comparisons come in, and "This is True" is a baroque blast. Tuition will only cost you $15, so it's a bargain.

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Fred Van Vactor-Everything Good All at Once. If the Lamar Holley is up your alley, then you should also like the debut disc from this Oregon artist. While the sound is somewhat similar, Van Vactor comes at his material more from a slack aesthetic than Holley's theater geek. Regardless, this is buoyant pop that's catchy, quirky and clever. "Bottle of Wine" is great midtempo power pop, "Falling in Love with Jill Kotowski" is equal parts Dean Friedman's "Ariel" and Ben Folds' "Kate", and "L-O-V-E A.D.D." is as clever as its title. The only quibble I have here is that Van Vactor pushes the quirk factor a little too far late in the album with the goofy "Mexican Guitar" and the answering-machine-message-set-to-background-music "No More Gardening...", which Folds beat him to with "Your Most Valuable Possession" and kept under two minutes while this one drones on for nearly four. Nevertheless, there's enough here to please any pop fan.

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Everything Good All At Once

Wednesday Roundup.

Benjamin R-The Other Side of Nowhere. This LA singer-songwriter (whose real name is Robert Selvaggio) has crafted a fine pop album that puts him right there with other contemporaries from the City of Angels such as AM and Gus Black, and also recalls Pete Yorn in places, especially on the engaging opening track "Quit". The uptempo "Falling Apart" is another standout, bringing Keith LuBrant to mind, and the melancholy "Tell Me I'm Wrong" also hits the right melodic notes. He also has a way with the ballads too, as he demonstrates on "Beautiful (Ugly Now)", while "Time is Running Out" has a bit of Jon Brion to it. An impressive debut.

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John's Revolution-Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World. When I first heard this disc and saw the cover, I could have sworn these guys were from England. After all, they have a big Britpop sound that owes a lot to Oasis and the Stereophonics. But no, they're from Italy, although I even question this given that the band is comprised of four guys named Alex Eschgfaeller, Othmar Schoenafinger, Juergen Lanthaler and Boris Egger. Whatever their origin, they have a rocking sound that definitely does put the "power" in power pop. "Dreammachine" gets in your face, not unlike Oasis' "Shakermaker"; "Pocket Symphony", with its mix of quiet and loud, yet all melodic, sounds like it came from a Jet album, while "Cosmos" is John Lennon by way of Noel Gallagher. But my favorites here are the brash "Walk Away" and the groovy 60s rock of "Pop Child". If I have any say in the matter, this disc will be "Today Absolute Powerpop, Tomorrow Your iPod".

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Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World

Odds and ends.

I Don't Like Cricket, I Love It!

Pugwash alert! One of the best lines from 10cc's immortal "Dreadlock Holiday" could be the mission statement of The Duckworth Lewis Method, a new band featuring Thomas Walsh (a/k/a Pugwash) and Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy. These two Irishmen have parlayed their love of cricket into a concept album about the sport. Released globally today, this is a must for Pugwash fans (as well as cricket fans, but you don't have to be one to enjoy it). In case you're wary, have a listen below:

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The Duckworth Lewis Method - T...

Your Favorites, free.

Many of you recall Bright Nights, Bright Lights, the outstanding release from The Favorites which placed at #15 on my 2008 year-end list. The band is now making the disc available free, gratis, without charge, yours for the taking, courtesy of NoiseTrade. A deal too good to pass up:

New Dan Bryk album

Dan Bryk has a new disc out, Pop Psychology. And it's available for download at his site, either free at 128 kbps by joining his email list, or you can pay as little as 50 cents a track for a higher quality version.

His stuff is great, whether solo or with bands like Down by Avalon, so check it out.

Retro Thursday.

The Boolevards-Real Pop. This Illinois band gives us the first of two retro-rockin' discs featured today. Real Pop is just that, assuming the year is 1965. Two and three-part harmonies, Rickenbacker solos, Merseybeat melodies - it's all here in an expert re-creation of the era. And like many acts of the era, The Boolevards are led by brothers - John & Joe Nowik, along with guitar slinger Hugh Murphy. They serve up a generous 17 tracks here, with the highlights being "It's Great", "It's OK", and "It Stinks" (OK, I made that last one up). "Look to the Sun" and "Hot on the Trail of Love" are standouts as well. If you have a picture of Peter Noone hanging on your wall, run - don't walk - to pick this one up.

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Listen to full album at the band's site

Peter & The Penguins-How to Choose a Sweetheart. Like The Boolevards above, this Norwegian band is oh-so-retro. But they have a bit more of a diverse take, branching out to include some Beach Boy-style sounds as well as well as some surprise sounds at the end. Of course, the Rickenbackers are out in force, so the difference is more of degree. "Sweetheart" is all hooky harmony, while "The Walk" is jangly fun, and Beatle lovers need to hear "There Goes Pete Best". They also throw in a rousing cover of Lavern Baker's "Bumble Bee", and perhaps the album's most interesting track is the midtempo closer "Give Me a Clue", which trades early-mid 60s Merseybeat for the late 60s/early 70s pastoral sound of The Kinks. (Note: the band's self-released "label" is Penguphone Records, a nice little touch.)

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Two for Tuesday: 6/30/09

Charles Ramsey-Good Morning & Good Night. The music of Philly's Charles Ramsey could be summed up best by invoking 3 famous "B"s: The Brill Building, Burt Bacharach, and Brian Wilson. And it's quite reminiscent of a disc last year from another "B": Brent Cash's How Will I Know If I'm Awake. (If I really wanted to pile on the similarities, I could also cite a fifth "B", Ben Sadock). Anyway, enough of the influences and similar artists - they aren't worth a damn if the songs aren't good. That's not a worry here, as you'll find out right away on the bouncy opening title track with its bright melodies and classic 60s-pop horn section. "Odelia" is another highlight, channeling those early Bee Gees records before they went disco, while "Still Waiting" has me looking for Jimmy Webb in the songwriting credits. And he saves the best for the second half of the disc: "She Changes You" might be the best track on the album, with Ramsey in fine voice and a string section that manages to be very prominent yet not overbearing, and the piano-based "My Lost Days" is where the Bacharach comparisons come in. If this kind of pop is up your alley, this will be a major find.

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Kevin McAdams-It's My Time to Lose My Mind. NYC's Kevin McAdams, if nothing else, is going to have one of the top tracks of 2009 when I compile that particular year-end list. "Start Over Again", which opens the disc, is a joyous ELO-styled number that's catchy as hell and which would probably make Bleu jealous. The rest of the album ain't bad either, as McAdams manages to stay on the baroque side of indie pop. The pensive "Us vs World" and "A Different Love Song" find their way into Beck/Grandaddy territory, while the manic "The Bannerman Nightmare" and "Leave Us Alone" will delight Bryan Scary fans. A promising debut.

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It's My Time to Lose My Mind by Kevin McAdams

Friday Finds.

Chase Hamblin-A Fine Time. The cover gives it away. Chase Hamblin's debut EP, A Fine Time, is steeped in 60s/70s trippy pop. At one end of the spectrum it channels 60s revivalists like El Goodo, but at the other end it recalls more modern artists such as Elliott Smith and Grandaddy. The title track is a tour-de-force, melodic in a Beatlesque way but with enough twists and turns and bells and whistles to reward mutliple listens. "Think of the Good Times" starts out with some bossanova and then segues into what sounds like the soundtrack to a hip late 60's film. "Never Let You Go" sounds like a Zombies/Animals hybrid, and the joyous pop of "We're Gonna Make It" and the "Hey Jude"-like "Bye Bye" close this extraordinary debut EP out. "Chase" this one down.

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Shout With Grass-And Then Again. And the Year of the EP just keeps asserting itself. Yet another quality debut EP comes from British Columbia's Max Sensini, who calls himself Shout With Grass. This EP will resonate with fans of Crowded House and the aforementioned Elliott Smith. "Walk the Tightrope" finds Sensini in fine voice, sounding not unlike Ken Stringfellow, and features a piano-based melody reminiscent of McCartney's "1985", while "Hole in the Sky" closes out the four-song EP with a dreamy feel. Another higlight is "Softly in Your Ear", which recalls fellow Canadian Jay Ferguson of Sloan.

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Gidgets Ga Ga-The Big Bong Fiasco. One listen to this disc and you won't have any problem identifying this band as being from Minneapolis, as they capture the classic Replacements/Soul Asylum sound with a 60s power pop sheen. The disc clocks in at a generous 18 tracks, but doesn't wear out its welcome. Since there are so many to choose from, I'll highlight "Beki", "Baby, You're a Star", "The Bomb", the jangly "Hit by a Train", "Offer You Can't Refuse", and "Lullaby", which is anything but. If you like this kind of driving melodic rock, you'll go "Ga Ga" over this one.

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