Catcing up with some more old friends.

Here's another round of artists previously featured here who have new material out:

Artist: The Great Affairs
Last Seen on AbPow: November 2010 with Ricky Took the Wheels.
New release: Happy Ender EP.
A few words: fORMER's Denny Smith is back with the third Great Affairs release in about 18 months time, and this EP is more of their laid-back, tuneful best. Happy Ender was recorded over two days in the studio and it has a loose-limbed feel, with the peppy "Bird on a Wire" the highlight. Smith also advises there's a new fORMER album in the works, always welcome news.
Links: CD Baby | iTunes | ReverbNation

Artist: Michael Gross & The Statuettes
Last Seen on AbPow: August 2010 with Telepath.
New release: Imaginary Signs EP.
A few words: Gross & Co. have been quite busy these days, and the new EP is a continuation of their heartland rock sound. The one departure here is "A Revelation", which reminds me of Bends-era Radiohead.
Links: Bandcamp | iTunes



Artist: The Brigadier
Last Seen on AbPow: November 2010 with The Secret of No Success.
New release: Holiday Special EP.
A few words: Matt Williams returns again with a seasonally-themed EP, this one summer-related. The standout here is the leadoff track "When the Sun Comes Out", which captures summer's optimistic, carefree nature while being a damn catchy tune.
Links: CD Baby | Bandcamp | iTunes



Artist: Radio Days
Last Seen on AbPow: October 2008 with Midnight Cemetery Rendezvous.
New release: C'est La Vie.
A few words: This Italian band is back with another disc of their Paul Collins Beat (with whom they shared a 7" release)-styled power pop. The followup to their debut EP is an excellent one, from the Beatlesque "Sleep it Off" to the Teenage Fanclub-influenced "Enemies for Friends" to the jangle pop of "Sweetest Lullaby".
Links: Bandcamp (two tracks) | iTunes

Two for Tuesday, 11/23/10

The Brigadier-The Secret of No Success. The power pop concept album about life in an office isn't exactly a novel concept as recent releases from Greg Pope's Edmund's Crown, Owen Sartori and Semion have demonstrated, but in our world the tune comes first. And Matt Williams (a/k/a The Brigadier) puts a tuneful spin on the topic with his latest opus, nowhere more evident than in the jaunty opening track "Doing the 9 to 5", which sees Williams moving away from the Brian Wilson-via-XTC sound of his previous releases into something more along the lines of Badly Drawn Boy. Other standouts include the irresistible (and rocking, as far as Williams goes) "Just a Little Kiss Miss Busy", the George Harrison-inspired title track, and the catchy "Money is the Motivator". His previous releases have been consistent, but here the highs are higher (especially the tracks mentioned here), making this the best Brigadier yet.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Blake Jones & The Trike Shop-The Underground Garden. My only previous exposure to Blake Jones & The Trike Shop was on an IPO compilation before he sent me his latest full-length, and until now the loss has been mine. This is buoyant, just plain fun and catchy as all get-out pop that draws on everything from dance-hall English pop to the Beatles and Brian Wilson (cf. "The Five Deadly Fingers of Dr. Theremin") with a touch of Zappa thrown in. The fun-house Beatles of "Forestiere Gardens" will leave it's "oh yeah" refrain burned into your brain, the shambolic "Sing Along" will have you doing just that, and "Sun Up" starts as a rewrite of "Magical Mystery Tour" then takes its own magical mystery tour into a synth-pop break and then back again. Some tracks are just plain goofy, like "Fighting the Big Dumb Noise" and "Here Comes the Bus", while others are sublime, like "Send the Band to Liverpool" an amalgam of various styles of 60s pop. If you can get past the quirk factor, there's a lot to like here. And even if some of the tracks here might be goofs, there are 15 of them and anyone with taste in power pop should be able to come up with 10 they'll really like.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes | eMusic

Two for Thursday, 10/1/09

The Brigadier-Time is a Wound. The prolific Matt Williams (known to you and me as The Brigadier) is back with a new full-length, and Time is a Wound follows in the footsteps of last year's The Rise & Fall of Responsbility. Williams serves up another quality slice of pastoral pop, the kind of Brian-Wilson-with-an-English-sensibility in the vein of Andy Partridge and The Milk & Honey Band. Highlights include the upbeat opener "I'm Gonna Make You Mine Missy", which throws a bit of Northern Soul into the mix, the jaunty "Oh, Paddington", and the dreamy "Something Good". Not pastoral at all is "Why Don't You Love Me?", which throws in synths and a somewhat funky beat. You won't get that from Andy Partridge.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Andy Kirkland-No Name Gallery. Kudos to Bruce at Not Lame (or was it Ray at Kool Kat?) for unearthing this Neil Finn-esque gem. Kirkland's an Aussie who's managed a disc of finely crafted midtempo pop that's a real treat. The opener "Wey & Dry" could easily pass for a Finn original, especially with Kirkland's voice quite similar to the Crowded House frontman's. But this isn't a slavish Crowded House imitation, as the disc's standout "That's When This Boy Sleeps" demonstrates. An uptempo number with Motown overtones, it recalls The Pearlfishers' "Womack & Womack" as well as Belle & Sebastian. Other highlights include the lovely "I Called You Up Today" and "Asleep in New York", which both namechecks George Costanza and quotes Supertramp. Now that Shane Nicholson's gone country, the opening for next-best-thing-to-Neil-Finn needs to be filled, and Kirkland sounds a good a bet as any.

Not Lame | Kool Kat | MySpace | iTunes

Tuesday Roundup.

To make up for the lack of posting lately, I bring you three discs today worthy of your attention:

The Brigadier-The Rise & Fall of Responsibility. The Brigadier is the UK's Matt Williams (not to be confused with the follicly-challenged former American baseball player) and his followup to last year's View From The Bath is a major step forward. This is a perfect album for those who enjoyed Andy Partridge's more Brian Wilson/Beach Boys-influenced excursions with XTC, and the opener "Growing Up Is Hard to Do (Part 1)" is a great example of this sound. Other standouts include the baroque pop of "The Language of Love", the 70s stylings of the languid "We Soiree", and the bouncy "This Is Why...", which seems to have borrowed its backing track from a combo of the 1975 Maxine Nightengale hit "Right Back Where We Started From" and Elton John's "I'm Still Standing". An excellent tour of pop styles with a unique British sensibility.
CD Baby | MySpace

Tranzfusion-Lotus. While a lot of regions of the US seem to be overrepresented on my blog, it's nice to check in for a change with a band from mid-Atlantic states: Salisbury, Maryland's Tranzfusion. Their debut Lotus is a promising one, and on their CD Baby page they manage to make their own series of comparisons that we critics enjoy using: Elliot Smith meets the Rolling Stones, Wilco meets the White Album, and CSNY meet Nirvana. Personally, I'd mix and match here, more like Elliott Smith meets the White Album. Start with "I Mean The Things I'd Never Say", a buzzy number that recalls Smith's more rocking side. "Tethered" might best be described as trip-pop, a bit swirly and Lennonesque. And don't miss "Blue Sky", which is where the Wilco comparison kicks in; the Wilco of Summerteeth that is. A bit off the power pop beaten path, but definitely worth a listen.
CD Baby | MySpace

My Brother Woody-It's a Long Way From That Sort of Thing You Were Raised. Sporting one of the longer titles this side of a Fiona Apple album, the debut of Dublin's My Brother Woody is cut from much the same cloth as The Brigadier disc above. "Another Wave of Harmony" melds Joe Pernice with Brian Wilson; "Hanging Around" is pure power pop a la Michael Carpenter; and "Your New Found Taste" is a wonderful midtempo number with some fine Alpert/Bacharach-like horn work. Top-shelf stuff.

Kool Kat | MySpace