Two for Thursday, 11/19/09

The Tripwires-House to House. There's something about hearing this Seattle band's fun-loving, good-time power pop that brings a smile to my face when I hear one of their tracks. Following up their 2007 debut Makes You Look Around, The Tripwires (consisting of members and former members of The Model Rockets, The Minus 5, and Screaming Trees among others) assert themselves as the 21st Century Rockpile. The opening salvo of "Drawing a Blank" and "(Something in a) Friday Night" will convince you of this comparison, and "Another Planet Now" and "Soundalike" find them at their midtempo melodic best. And I could easily see Nick Lowe (in his heyday) writing a song called "Ned Beatty's in Love". Meanwhile, "Let's Get You Started" could be covered by a band like OK Go without straining, and "Zig Zag" might be their quintessential track. Rock on!

Kool Kat | MySpace | iTunes

Justin Levinson-Predetermined Fate. In early 2006, Levinson was one of my early "finds" - his debut 1175 Boylston was a bright, fresh and tuneful blast of piano pop that was as good as anything Ben Folds has done recently. Having tackled that subgenre, he mixed in some folk/rock with the piano pop on his 2007 EP Bury Your Love, and with his new disc, Predetermined Fate, the metamorphosis is complete. Going strictly with a rootsy, countryish folk-pop sound, he's made a move not unlike Ben Kweller did earlier this year with his Changing Horses album. Highlights include the pedal steel-drenched "Bandaid on a Bullet Wound", about a marriage gone bad; "Losing You to Tennessee", which sounds like Ryan Adams in country mode; and "Hopelessness", which has a "The Weight"-style melody. Which leaves the question: where is Levinson predetermined to go next?

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

EPs of the Day, 1/15/08: Justin Levinson-Bury Your Love; The Nice Outfit-Kissing Jocelyn

Two EPs for consideration today:

Justin Levinson-Bury Your Love.
Levinson was one of the early discoveries of this blog nearly two years ago (how time flies) when he released 1175 Boylston, an excellent piano-pop disc. But whereas 1175 Boylston was rooted more in the piano pop of Ben Folds, Bury Your Love is more the piano pop of Elton John circa the early 70s during his Tumbleweed Connection/Madman Across The Water period. No more so is this evident than in the length and breadth of the opening track "Heavy Weight", which clocks in at nearly six minutes and features a Davey Johnstone-like guitar solo. "Home" further distances itself from 1175 Boylston, with liberal use of pedal steel and acoustic guitar, and wouldn't have sounded out of place on Ryan Adams' Gold. Meanwhile, the title track is roots pop, and "When It Rains on Your Parade" could almost be called Dylanesque. The only exception to the new Levinson sound here is "Daisy May", which is a bouncy Folds-ish type of track. Overall, it's an interesting departure for Levinson, and full marks to him for not repeating his first disc. CD Baby | MySpace

The Nice Outfit-Kissing Jocelyn. This Milwaukee band has delivered a short-but-sweet 4-song EP of inspired power pop. And by "short", I note that the four tracks clock in at just over nine minutes total, but nevertheless it's quality over quantity. The sound here is a combination of The Kinks, The Figgs, and The Greenhornes. But guys, if you're going to have a track titled "One Minute Forty-Five", it ought to be 1:45 in length, not 2:15.
CD Baby | MySpace