New Year roundup.

Donnie Vie-Beautiful Things. I'm kind of hestitant to even mention this album since it's not available now - it falls into what is kind of a nether region of being released as it started on Pledge Music. It's been released to those who pledged and as a result has been circulated on the internet, but you can't just go out any buy it right now. The same thing applies to the Jeff Whalen record, which I ranked in my top 10 of 2018 but is now being released to the general public as a normal release February 15. So is it a 2018 record or a 2019 record?

Getting back to Beautiful Things, it would have made my 2018 list as I came across it in last couple of weeks of December but I guess I can now put it on the 2019 list. It's assured of being there because the latest solo effort from the former Enuff Z'Nuff frontman is a melodic delight which takes his old band's amalgamation of The Beatles and heavy metal and put its thumb on the Beatles side of the scale. The title track is colored-glasses-psychedelia, "Plain Jane" is driving power pop, and "I Could Save the World" is both nostalgia for, and celebration of, classic rock with Roger Joseph Manning Jr. contributing on piano and strings. Make sure you find it, whenever and wherever it comes out.



Sam Hoffman-Fairweather. Another late 2018 release I missed, this jangly gem definitely would have been on the list. Reminiscent of bands like Teenage Fanclub and Dropkick, Nashville's Hoffman delivers a consistently tuneful debut. Highlights: "December", "Glencrest Lane", "All the Places"

iTunes



Baby Scream-Things You Can Say to a Stranger EP. No year-of-release controversy on this one (it came out January 7): this new EP is the first we've heard in a while from Juan Pablo Mazzola a/k/a Baby Scream and it's good to have him back. "Aching Life" is the kind of jaded Lennonesque number he's known for, while "Fake it Till You Make It" is a minor-key marvel. The EP highlight is the closer "Somebody Kill Me Now", a classic upbeat-melody-hiding-dark-lyrics tune that's first-rate guitar pop.

iTunes

First new music of 2015.

Time for the first reviews of 2015, and a couple of familiar names are back.

One Like Son-New American Gothic. This Alabama band made a splash in 2012 with its raucous debut Start the Show, notable because they recorded it on an iPhone. This time around, the boys took part in the 52 Weeks Songwriting Project, and each track was written and recorded within a week. Interesting back stories aside, they've served up another high-energy rocking collection of tunes with some lyrical punch. The opening title track tells the story of a lifelong love with a spin on the classic piece of American art, while "Little Valentine" is a Replacements-style rocker depicting an obsession that comes to a happy end. Elsewhere, we follow a "Punk Rock Prom Queen" while "Sister Mary (Got Her Gun)". And it's all capped off with "A Galaxy Far Away", a 7-minute track that recaps the original Star Wars trilogy, demonstrating that The Force is with them on this disc.

Bandcamp | iTunes



Baby Scream-Fan, Fan, Fan. Juan Pablo Mazolla, our favorite South American power popper, returns with an all-new collection of tunes that are a must if you've enjoyed his music before. This time around, he takes a more sardonic look at the world to accompany his always melodic sound. So we come to learn that "Everybody Sucks", he's "Back to Douche" and of course "Haters Will Hate". All three of these tracks are catchy of course, and he channels the spirit (if not the sound) of Beck in the raved-up "Loner". And the standout track here is the majestic "Human Being on Mars", a midtempo marvel that encapsulates his Lennon-esque sound. Oh and by the way, he also put out another album simultaneous to this, an odds-and-sods collection called the "The Worst of Baby Scream", with 22 more new tracks and five covers that frankly I haven't had a chance to dive into but I'll let you do so by embedding the player for it along with this one.

Bandcamp | iTunes

Weekend Roundup.

Bubble Gum Orchestra-The Discovery. A 2013 release I missed was the latest from Michael Hildebrandt, a/k/a Bubble Gum Orchestra. As there haven't been any hints of Bleu and Mike Viola reconstituting L.E.O., this is where you'll have to get your fix of new "ELO" music. As on his previous releases, Hildebrandt is anything but subtle with his ELO homages and the title of this disc alone indicates that. So it wouldn't be a surprise that the best track on the disc is an "Evil Woman"-styled proto-disco/rock track called "Evil, Evil Girl". Other treats include ihe jaunty "Lovely Days, Lovely Nights", which has a hint of "Mr. Blue Sky" about it; the frenetic "There Goes My Baby", and the catchy "Until You Say Go". Fun stuff, and since Jeff Lynne isn't going to be walking through that door anytime soon, a must for ELO fans.

CD Baby | iTunes

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Baby Scream-Greatest Failures. Juan Pablo Mazzola has had enough releases as Baby Scream to warrant his first-ever compilation, which he's self-deprecatingly titled Greatest Failures. While they may be "failures" from a commercial perspective, there's no failure of quality here and for those who have until now been immune to the charms of his Lennon-esque musical stylings this is a great opportunity to catch up. Thanks to Bandcamp, you can visit (or re-visit) all these tracks yourself, but if you want to know my favorites they're the languid "Mars", the sneering rocker "Every Day (I Die a Little Bit)", the gentle and melodic "The Riots", and the twisty "Nicole". How does the old song go? "I scream, you scream, we all scream for Baby Scream".

Bandcamp | iTunes

Two for Thursday, 9/8/11

Baby Scream-Secret Place. Juan Pablo Mozzolla & Co. are back again with their third full-length in three years, and Secret Place finds Baby Scream branching out from the (mostly) mellow Lennonesque pop they've become known for. There's a reggae track ("Cold Weather Reggae"), some neo-soul ("Patiently") and a T. Rex cover ("20th Century Baby") to spice things up, and the opening track "The Last Call" has a rootsy, Band-like feel. But those who come for the languid, melodic pop of the previous releases won't be disappointed either - "Hit and Run" and "London Sun" are standouts in this regard. Mozzolla continues to refine his craft, and we're the better for it.

iTunes | MySpace

Former-The Kids Deserve Cable. Since the release of 2008's And Nothing But the Truth, Former's Denny Smith has been busy with The Great Affairs, releasing 2 full-lengths and an EP. But here Smith puts his alter ego aside for another turn of hard power pop that has more in common with Butch Walker and Cheap Trick than the mellow roots pop of his other band. The frenetic "Head Light" lets you know where you stand right off the bat with a driving hard pop beat that recalls the Foo Fighters. "How Does it Feel?" steps off the accelerator a bit but still rocks out in a Steve Bertrand/Rob Bonfiglio fashion, while "Sister" has that Walker's kind of swagger. And "Lie to Me" is a flat-out classic (see video below). For those who want to emphasize the "power" in "power pop", this is your disc.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Two for Tuesday, 12/14/10

Eric Crugnale-Carol Was Here. Getting in under the wire for my 2010 year-end list (which is coming next week) is Long Island's Eric Crugnale and his excellent debut Carol Was Here. This is fully-realized mature pop in the vein of David Mead and Seth Swirsky, and the lovely, Bacharachian title track draws you in right from the start. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is smart guitar pop, and "I'm So Glad" has a soulful feel to it that recalls Scot Sax & Wanderlust. There's no doubt that the whole album sounds like something unearthed from the 1970s, and the production from Kevin Bents (whose The Means was a favorite of ours a couple of years back) is top-notch. Other highlights include the bouncy, catchy "Unreliable Friend", the McCartneyesque 1:39-in-length "Never Thought", and the gentle, inspiring "Leave Your Worries Behind", which sounds like an oft-covered standard but isn't. A mightily impressive debut that sounds more like the work of a 20-year pro.

CD Baby | Official Site | iTunes

Baby Scream-Baby Scream. Baby Scream is Argentina's Juan Pablo Mozzolla, and he's become a regular around these parts with a full-length, and EP and now another full-length in space of about 2 years. If you like the first two releases, you'll love this one, and if you missed them this is a good a place to start as any. The Teenage Fanclub-ish "Powerpop Crush" announces Mozzolla's intent, and the moody "Exile" is a treat. Additionally, the martial, staccato "Getting Better"-like beat of "Mental Case" is irresistible and the social conscience of "Watching the End of the World (on TV)" is backed up by its intelligent melody and structure. Mozzolla has been known to channel John Lennon in his vocal style, and "What About You" finds him channeling the snarling Lennon of "How Do You Sleep" to good effect. Another high-quality outing that wears its influences well.

MySpace | iTunes | CD/Vinyl (from England)

Two for Tuesday, 2/23/10

Baby Scream-Identity Theft. Argentina's Juan Pablo Mozzolla is back with the followup to last year's Ups and Downs, and the result is a nifty little EP that's the most Lennonesque thing this side of Future Clouds and Radar. The lovely (and short at 1:12) "Be" kicks things off, "Dead Woman Walking" bears a Jon Brion influence, and the midtempo "Nicole" is where the Robert Harrison comps come in. "Memories" almost sounds like something from McCartney's first solo album, and "Underground Blues" recalls Lennon in his Phil Spector phase. Early line favorite of Top EP of 2010.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

The Tangerines-In Season. With bands like The Merrymakers and Beagle no longer with us, someone needs to pick up the torch of classic Swedish power pop, and The Tangerines are ready to fill the bill. After their excellent 2007 self-titled debut, Per Tolgraven and Hakan Eriksson are back with In Season, 16 tracks that will feel like a breath of fresh air and put a spring in your step. The opening 1-2 punch of "You'd Better Stop" and "Rock'n'Roll Girl" will immediately catch your ears with their non-stop pop hooks. Other tracks of note include the strangely-70s-ish "New Sensation" which somehow reminds me of Joe South meets The Bay City Rollers (don't ask me why, just listen to it below), the exquisitely jangly "Girl of My Dreams", "Diamonds in the Dew", which would make a great TV theme, and the Beatlesque "Hey Hey Michelle". How Swede it is!

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

MLK Day Roundup.

I doubt MLK was a power popper, but I had a dream - about the discs that had backlogged on my desk. So without further ado, here are a couple of late 08 releases that could have found their way onto my year-end list had they found their way to my ears before early December:

The Lund Bros-Songbook IV. This Seattle band (led, natch, by brothers Chris & Sean Lund) have gone for broke with their fourth album - a sprawling, 22-track double disc set that features everything from, among other things, vintage power pop, hard rock, instrumentals, a ballad about John McCain and a closing Dylan cover. In other words, something for everyone. Highlights: The rootsy "Such a Ride", the Beatlesque "Find the Sun" (which also reminds me of The Orchid Highway), the jangly Chilton-inspired "Magnifying Glass", "Listen" (positively Posies-esque), the 70s Sloan-style rock of "C'mon C'mon", and the laidback "Forget It".

CD Baby | MySpace


Baby Scream-Ups and Downs. Proving there are no hard feelings from the Falklands War, Argentine Juan Mazzola relocated to England and brought Baby Scream with him. Their (his) debut disc, Ups and Downs, is a melodic treat that fans of Teenage Fanclub, The Pernice Brothers and Big Star will enjoy. The gorgeous "Away" opens, reminding me of Cotton Mather's "Baby Freeze Queen", and it's followed by the midtempo "Suddenly", which out-TFs Teenage Fanclub. Just to show they aren't exclusively "soft", Mazzola & Co. rock out on the raucous "Everyday (I Die a Little Bit)", but "Morning Light" and "World from Outside" reinforce their melodic bonafides. Like the Lund Bros above, they close with a cover - a nice version of The Replacements' "Skyway".

CD Baby | MySpace