Lazy Susan-Places That Made Us. Aussie power pop has been berry, berry good to us over the last decade, and Lazy Susan has been a mainstay in that scene since the turn of the century. Places That Made Us is their fourth album, and would it surprise you to find out it's produced by Michael Carpenter? I didn't think so. This is a real gem, from the moody Neil Finn-esque opener "Easy Targets" to the raved-up "Find Me a Way Back Into Your Heart" to the epic ballad "Responsibility of Love" to the punchy power pop of "Somewhere" and the McCartney-in-boogie-piano-mode styled "Sore Losers". Great stuff, and you can spend the next 45 minutes or so listening to it in its entirety on Lazy Susan's Bandcamp page. Kool Kat is offering up it up with a bonus disc deal as well.Bandcamp | Kool Kat | MySpace | iTunes
The Shamus Twins-Garden of Weeds. The Shamus Twins have been kicking around the periphery of the power pop scene since their debut disc in 2004, appearing on a few IPO compilations, while Shamus Twin Tim Morrow released a solo disc, Back to Delton, in 2008. But they're back in a big way with their second full-length, Garden of Weeds. Morrow is joined by Jerry Juden, and they have a sound that mixes heartland rock with power pop. The standout tracks here are "You Know My Name", a melodic, snarling rocker that does not include the phrase "look up the number", the jangly "Life is Strange", the harmony-drenched "Ain't Letting Go", and the hooky "Did You Have to Change". Have a cigar and congratulations, it's Twins!CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes
