Early October Roundup.

Brandon Schott-Crayons & Angels. This introspective SoCal singer/songwriter is back with another collection of pop gems, featuring a sound that's a blend of Joe Pernice, Elliott Smith and Jon Brion. There's a lot to like here, from the bouncy, Beatlesque "Henry" (which first appeared on a split EP with Andy Reed's An American Underdog) to the baroque "Verdugo Park" to the lovely "Every Little Song", a duet with Kelly Jones. Also of note are the power-popping "Seeing You in Stereo" and a cover of Elvis Costello's "Riot Act". So in what may be my worst pun yet, I'd recommend you give this one a Schott.

iTunes



Marco Rea-Wallpaper Music. Italian (by way of Glasgow) singer-songwriter Marco Rea is one of my favorite finds this year, as his debut album is a McCartney-esque delight. The catchy "Someone's Picture" is pure piano pop, while "Time" is the kind of ballad Macca would have put on Side 2 of the White Album. "Sunday" is another uptempo piano pop pleaser, and the epic ballad "To" recalls a lower-key "Maybe I'm Amazed". Impressive stuff. This is available on limited-edition cassette (together with digital download) from Bandcamp.

Bandcamp



William Bradford-William Bradford. William Bradford might be the first artist from Arizona I've featured in all my years here (although power pop luminaries Gin Blossoms hail from the state as well), and his debut disc is a fine collection of Wilco/Tom Petty-influenced pop/rock. Standouts include the jangly "Hear Your Heart", the 70s-styled singalong pop of "The Pier", and the Lennonesque "Just Like Yesterday". Don't overlook this one.

iTunes

Bandcamping it.

More and more artists are using Bandcamp, which allows for full streaming of tracks, downloads (many free or name your price), etc. Here are a few that caught my eye recently:

A free download of Plasticsoul & Brandon Schott covering Big Star? You don't have to drag me screaming to that.



Chris Richards with another vault-clearing collection? Always good stuff if you recall his previous Pathetic History.



Daniel Person is a UK artist whose sound falls somewhere between Elliott Smith, Ryan Adams and Jesse Malin, and he's offering up "Wishing Well", the first single from his new album as a free download. It's a quality tune.



Nick Piunti of The Respectables brought Ryan Allen & His Extra Arms to my attention and I'm certainly glad he did. Some of you may know Allen from his work as frontman of The Friendly Foes, and this is crunchy power pop par excellence. Best part is that most of the songs clock in around 2:15, and the slower ones sound like Paul Westerberg:



Oh, and it's not on Bandcamp, but here's a free download of the new single from Fountains of Wayne, Richie and Ruben.

Gimme an "e", gimme an "m".....

More titles at eMusic to get excited about:

The Contrast-Underground Ghosts. The latest (5th album, I think) from these Rainbow Quartz stalwarts, who have become big favorites of Little Steven and his Underground Garage, with their 60s garage-new wave-power pop sound (i.e., the Rainbow Quartz sound).

Brandon Schott-Golden State. If a Joe Pernice-Elliott Smith-Jon Brion hybrid is something you've dreamed about creating in a lab somewhere, put down the smock and grab this disc. This is billed as an "advance" on eMu, with a supposed CD release date of July 31, so you can be the first one on your block to experience its sonic joy.

Peachfuzz-Catch Your Snap. Great archetypal power pop in the vein of The Lolas, Velvet Crush and Splitsville, with the occasional flashes of humor, punk and alternarock.

(Side note to those who subscribe via RSS feed: Sorry I'm driving you crazy with what appear to be multiple posts, but I still haven't gotten into the habit of adding the labels, as I usually tend to realize it within milliseconds after hitting the "Publish" button.)