Two for Tuesday, 6/1/10

The Figgs-The Man Who Fights Himself. The Figgs reign as power pop royalty, having been around for 23 years and 10 discs as well as serving as Graham Parker's backing band. Disc #10 may very well be one of their best, as The Man Who Fights Himself finds Mike Gent & Co. in top form. "Gone Spent" might not be as rip-roaring as some other Figgs disc openers, but it's a mature, assured midtempo tune that lets you know the grownups are in charge. The moody, jangly "Stuck on Leather Seats" is reminiscent of Gent's fine solo disc from last year, and "Ravena" is classic Figgs rock. "She Can't Say No" is another standout, and you shouldn't say no to these power pop legends at the top of their game.

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The Mike Benign Compulsion-Rollicking Musical. Milwaukee brings us The Mike Benign Compulsion, purveyors of Midwestern power pop not unlike The Shoes or The Bradburys, and Rollicking Musical is just that, a rollicking set of tunes both catchy and clever. "Legendary Heroes" and "The Soothing Sounds of Seals & Crofts" comply on both counts, with the former hitting just the right nerd-rock vibe and the latter follows its title with "make me want to put a bullet in my brain". "All The Married People" features an irresistible guitar hook, and "She Believes It" sounds like Crowded House if Neil Finn grew up in Milwaukee and had a smartass streak. Other highlights include the garage sound of "What a Way to Go" and "Hotel Bar", the best song about a bar since "Here Comes a Regular". Give these tracks a listen, and your compulsion will be to pick up a copy.

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Monday roundup.

Mike Gent-Mike Gent. The Figgs' singer/guitarist goes solo and the results are promising. While in band mode Gent & Co. can be rocking and raucous, here he goes for a more laid-back rootsier sound. "(Romantic Needs Led To) False Alarms" recalls Salim Nourallah in its spare but tuneful production, while "Paper Knives" brings Dylan and Elvis Costello to mind. But the real highlight is "Haste & Wrath", which builds on its simple "Picture Book"-style guitar riff to hypnotically catchy effect. An old-school disc which Gent compares to Rod Stewart's Never a Dull Moment and Pete Townshend & Ronnie Lane's "Rough Mix", it certainly captures the spirit of those two classics.

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The Milk & Honey Band-Dog Eared Moonlight. Released on Andy Partridge's Ape House Label, the Milk & Honey Band's second album will appeal to XTC fans, provided they go more for "Chalkhills and Children" rather than "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead". In other words, the more (to use a word invoked in virtually every other review of this disc) "pastoral" sound of XTC. This is great rainy day music, from the spare opener "Just You" to the pedal steel-drenched "No World at All" to the quintessentially British "Maryfaith Autumn". While not quite as immediate as their debut The Secret Life Of..., it's still a grower worthy of your time.

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Clockwise-Faders on Stun. This Toronto band matches the cartoony flair of their album cover with a cartoony flair to their power pop, which recalls Sloan (opener "Opposites Attract"), Elvis Costello & the Attractions ("Boomtown"), and The Odds ("Upside Down"). Other standouts include the hypercatchy "You Really Got Me Goin'" and "If You Don't Want Love (I Must Be Wrong)". They even get environmentally conscious on "Water on the Moon". Good stuff.

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