Mini-review time.

I've accumulated several discs that I've been meaning to mention, so I'm going to catch up by giving them a sentence or two with the appropriate links. All are worthy of a listen:

The Crowd Scene-With Complete Glossary for Squares. This Virginia band is back with their first disc in several years, and it's a wonderful example of pop with a British sensibility as the sound is a cross between Ray Davies, Elvis Costello and John Lennon. After that description, would it surprise you that the best track on the disc is titled "Edward Learjet"? CD Baby | MySpace | Stream at Official Site

Mike Pettry-The Voices in My Head. If you're in the mood for sardonic, quirky New York piano pop, Mike Pettry's your man. A listen to the title track will tell you where he's at, and there's even a song about checking SiteMeter to see how many visitors your site gets ("Hits"). CD Baby | Listen at Lala

Cherrystone-Our Life. Fine Beatlesque EP from this London band (not to be confused with the plurally named Cherrystones). And when I say Beatlesque, I mean really Beatlesque. Unfortunately, their fab tunes are not found on MySpace, so you'll have to settle for the short CD Baby samples, although you can listen to "Our Life" at Lala. CD Baby | Two tracks at Lala.

Shane Barry & The Distractions-Radio Friction. This seems like one of those discs that's destined to be criminally overlooked (and I suppose I'm doing so as well by mentioning it here instead of a standalone review), as it's a genre-busting power pop disc of sorts. Rooted in a 70s sound, it's not just 70s-style power pop but pop with some R&B and punk mixed in as well. Opener "Let It Be Known" sounds like a lost FM classic, and the funky piano of "Kites" recalls McCartney's "Ninety Hundred and Eighty Five". A really cool album. CD Baby | MySpace | Listen at Lala

David Dewese-Make the Best of It. In which the erstwhile frontman of The Luxury Liners and The Foxymorons goes solo, with satisfying results in that lead-singer-goes-solo kinda way. "Dear Self" has the makings of a classic, and "Without You" is the kind of laid-back number lead singers gone solo tend to excel at. Not quite the triumph of another southern power popper's contemporaneous solo debut (Greg Pope of Edmund's Crown), but still definitely worth your ear time. CD Baby | MySpace | Listen at Lala