Friday Roundup.

JoDee Purkeypile-October House. If the name sounds familiar to you, it's because JDP was the frontman of The Alice Rose, a Texas band who put out a pair of outstanding Jon-Brion-meets-Squeeze indie pop albums in the last 5 years. The obvious parallel here is Greg Pope; like Pope, Purkeypile plays all the instruments here, and in the same manner as when Pope left Edmund's Crown, the solo flight has allowed Purkeypile to distill the essence of the sound he first forged in the band setting. So this is more Jon Brion than Squeeze, and that's a good thing here as "Disappear from Here" is among the best songs he's written, a swirling pop gem in a minor key. "Your Days Ends as Mine Begins" is first-rate guitar pop, and the rollicking "Company Man" has a Jellyfish by way of Michael Penn vibe. Elsewhere, "Summer Sunday" is a lovely slice of mellow indie pop, and the propulsive "Autumn Mind" channels Neil Finn. I could see this one ending up in 2011's top 20.



CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes



Marshall Holland-Statistically I Should Say. San Francisco's Marshall Holland put out an overlooked gem in 2004 titled Don't Jettison the Memories, an album of first-rate power pop in the style of Brendan Benson and The Posies. He re-released it last year, and has followed that up with Statistically I Should Say, an EP of new material. Don't miss him this around, as this might be the best power pop EP of 2011. From the urgent opener "Your Lies" to the perfect power pop of "I'm OK (for Now)" - the album's best track - to the buoyant, synth-happy "Meet Me by the Blue Balloon", Holland give us a welcome return. So after you've digested this confection, make sure you go back and get Don't Jettison the Memories.



iTunes | MySpace

Two for Tuesday: 10/6/09

Crawpuppies-World's Much Bigger. The second album from this Indiana band (after 2004's Peaceful Amnesty) finds them on the dividing line between power pop and classic rock, doing justice to both genres. They actually remind me quite a bit of Vegas With Randolph, a band reviewed earlier this year that a lot of folks took a shine to. There's plenty to like here: the rocking title track, the jangly "She Comes Lovely", the classic power pop of "Owe it All to You", and the honkytonk classic rock of "Sunflower Girl". They even throw a couple of fun tracks out at the end of the album: "So Mundane" is an ambitious 7 1/2 minutes number that's broken into three segments, and "Masquerade" starts out as a Jellyfish-style number that segues into a "Revolution 9"-like freakout. With 14 tracks, there's plenty to like here.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

The Alice Rose-In a Daze EP. After a couple of fine albums that made this band an AbPow favorite, they've snuck up upon us with a new EP, and it's a dazzler. "Awaken You" is a catchy number that might be the most immediate thing they've done - imagine Elliott Smith with a spring in his step (yes, back when he was alive). "Black Tresses" and "Silent Mary" are another two of their Jon Brion/Michael Penn-styled numbers that made their first couple of discs great, and the title track is lovely and melodic (see the video below). Apparently, the EP is only available from Kool Kat, so you won't have to figure out which retailer to get it from.

Kool Kat | MySpace

CD of the Day, 4/6/09: The Alice Rose-All Haunt's Sound

It's become apparent I've been doing this a while when I'm doing more and more reviews of second discs of bands I've discovered since starting this blog. The latest example is Austin's The Alice Rose, whose wonderful 2006 debut Phonographic Memory has been followed up by their equally wonderful sophomore release All Haunt's Sound.

The Alice Rose has a lush sound that falls between indie pop and power pop, but whatever the categorization, the common denominator is their highly melodic songcraft. The disc opens brightly with "She Did Command", which has a Jon Brion/Michael Penn feel to it, while the jittery beat of "Waste Away" sounds a bit like how Spoon would sound if they were guitar-based instead of piano-based. "Maybe a Ride" would be the obvious choice for the "single" from the disc if singles were a viable format these days, with its bright melody and uptempo sound. The Beatlesque "Slumberella" is another winner, and the joyous "It's All Allowed" will set your toes to a-tappin'. If you like your pop with a little bit of a sophisticated edge, The Alice Rose is perfect for you.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

EP Roundup.

Time to resume things with a look at a couple of EPs and a CD single, two of which come from familiar names:

Scot Sax-While She Was Working. Most of you know the Wanderlust and Feel frontman, and the quality LA pop he's been responsible for in both incarnations. This EP, however, is a bit of a departure. A good one, though. As Sax himself says, he felt he should have changed him name to Rodriguez after the sessions, and there is a definite Latin/urban feel (pardon the pun) to these tunes. "Bad 4 U" starts off in familiar territory then veers away; "Not Today" sounds like the work of a different but interesting artist, sort of Alejandro Escovedo meets Beck. Check out the samples. CD Baby | MySpace

Wild Bores-ReIntroducing Wild Bores. Wild Bores is Nashville-via-Chicago's John Whildin, and the sound here captures a mix of both of those cities: roots rock with a midwestern feel. The four tracks here are all outstanding in a Summerteeth-era Wilco kind of way, albeit a bit less ornately produced. A year-end EP contender, subject to being superseded by the scheduled full-length which is supposed to include these four tracks. CD Baby | MySpace

The Alice Rose-Body Offering (single). The Alice Rose burst onto the scene with their fantastic 2006 disc Photographic Memory, and they're getting to ready to release the followup. In the meantime, they've made available the first single from the disc, "Body Offering". It's a fine track, in the same Jon Brion-meets-Squeeze style that we saw on the debut. The b-side, "Wear That Cross", is no throwaway either. Get the single on iTunes.

MySpace | iTunes