Monday Roundup.

Making up for my recent absence with 3 reviews today:

The Ditchflowers-Bird's Eye. Brian Merrill (ex-Barely Pink) and Ed Woltil are back with the followup to 2007's excellent Carried Away, and Bird's Eye is another triumphant collection of sophisticated adult pop. "Sunshine Lifetime" blasts out of the speakers with some horns and Stones-style swagger, "You Could Hurt Someone" is alternately bouncy and brooding, and the ballad "Rainout" is a melodic winner with background vocals from fellow Tampa Bay rocker Steve Robinson. Also of note is the frenetic power pop of "Pictures of You", and the shuffling "Love, The Conqueror" which features ex-Wilco drummer Ken Coomer. A magnificent record.

CD Baby | Listen at Official Site | iTunes



Mozley-S/T. My Google skills have really been put to the test by the mysterious Mozley. As best as I can tell, he's from Arkansas and that may or may not be D.B. Cooper on the album cover. Nevertheless, you don't need his life story to enjoy his self-titled debut, and fans of The Replacements and Big Star will want to check this one out. The shambolic rocker "Never Meant to Be" has a Westerbergian edge to it, "Earthquakes" has a brooding yet melodic feel, and "Leave Tonight" recalls Ryan Adams when he's serious about classic rock while "Wake Up" is a jangly mid-tempo rocker with a Tom Petty vibe. A nice slice of Mid-South rock from out of nowhere.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

The Phantom Six-Plastic Rain. The Phantom Six is a West Virginia garage rock band led by singer-guitarist Mark Poole, and along with his bandmates (who include AbPow favorite Clint Sutton) has crafted a fun, energetic collection of late 60s-styled rock nuggets. "Corianna", full of reverb and stop-start guitars, and "ahhhhh" harmonies sets the tone, and "Inspiration" doesn't suffer from a lack of it. The piledriving "About Love" and the title track recall Dinosaur Jr., while "Lose Control" comes across as Foo Fighters with more gravitas. With one kick-ass rocker after another (even the jangly "Shades of Sunday"), Plastic Rain will appeal to fans of melodic rock, including those of us who loved the Clint Sutton disc even if his contributions here are as a sideman.

CD Baby | Listen | iTunes

The siren strikes again.

Clint Sutton's disc sold out on CD Baby.

UPDATE, 1/16/08: Back in Stock. Almost as hard to buy as a Wii.

Special Bonus CD of the Day, 1/12/08: Clint Sutton-Clint Sutton

Two things that don't often happen on this blog: I post two CDs of the Day, and I break out the siren. But I just didn't want to wait until tomorrow or Monday to spread the word about Clint Sutton's self-titled debut, which will shoot right to the top of my Best of 2008 list. This disc reminds me more than anything of one of my favorite power pop discs of the 90s, Matthew Sweet's 100% Fun. It's got the big crunchy guitars, the sugary sweet melodies, and hooks galore.

Leadoff track "Somebody Told Me" knocks it right out of the park on the first pitch, and will have instant appeal to fans of the great "S's" of powerpop: (Sweet, Superdrag and The Shazam), and followup "Stone's Throw" is virtually its equal. There isn't a bad track here, but to quote Orwell, some here are more equal than others: "Foregoing the Breakdown" dials things down to midtempo, but loses nothing in melody and drive; "Tomorrow" rocks with a Beatlesque bounce; "Theory" adds some nice harmonies and synths to the mix; "Song You Like" almost jangles; and "Watershed Broke" closes the album, not with a ballad whimper, but with a bang. In fact, there are no ballads here to break up things, just 11 tracks that really put the power into power pop.

Just head over to the Baby and listen to the samples. If this doesn't shoot to the top of your "must get" list, please turn in your powerpop enthusiast membership card at the door.

CD Baby | MySpace