The Lund Bros-Songbook IV. This Seattle band (led, natch, by brothers Chris & Sean Lund) have gone for broke with their fourth album - a sprawling, 22-track double disc set that features everything from, among other things, vintage power pop, hard rock, instrumentals, a ballad about John McCain and a closing Dylan cover. In other words, something for everyone. Highlights: The rootsy "Such a Ride", the Beatlesque "Find the Sun" (which also reminds me of The Orchid Highway), the jangly Chilton-inspired "Magnifying Glass", "Listen" (positively Posies-esque), the 70s Sloan-style rock of "C'mon C'mon", and the laidback "Forget It". CD Baby | MySpace
Baby Scream-Ups and Downs. Proving there are no hard feelings from the Falklands War, Argentine Juan Mazzola relocated to England and brought Baby Scream with him. Their (his) debut disc, Ups and Downs, is a melodic treat that fans of Teenage Fanclub, The Pernice Brothers and Big Star will enjoy. The gorgeous "Away" opens, reminding me of Cotton Mather's "Baby Freeze Queen", and it's followed by the midtempo "Suddenly", which out-TFs Teenage Fanclub. Just to show they aren't exclusively "soft", Mazzola & Co. rock out on the raucous "Everyday (I Die a Little Bit)", but "Morning Light" and "World from Outside" reinforce their melodic bonafides. Like the Lund Bros above, they close with a cover - a nice version of The Replacements' "Skyway".CD Baby | MySpace
