Late July roundup.

Todd Herfindal-Two Track Mind. It's been a long wait but ex-Meadows frontman Todd Herfindal is back with a new album, his first since 2013's Right Here Now. As always Herfindal is ably assisted by longtime collaborator Rich McCulley, who plays on and co-wrote several of the tracks here, and Two Track Mind is another collection of his roots-infused power pop. Opener "Bright White Light" has a "Wanted Dead or Alive" vibe to it, and "Muddy Water" is a stomping rocker while "Lucky One" has the signature Tom Petty-influenced sound of The Meadows. Other standouts include the midtempo "Bound for the Sun" and the straight-up power pop of "Sweet and Low (Get That)". A welcome return.

iTunes



Scott Gagner-Hummingbird Heart. Hummingbird Heart is the latest from Scott Gagner and a fine followup to 2017's Pins & Needles. Gagner remains one of today's more thoughtful singer-songwriters and this latest collection is another example. His songs range from folk/rock to power pop and once again the legendary (and indefatigable, judging by how many records he shows up on) Ken Stringfellow of The Posies collaborates. Leadoff track and lead single "Bella" definitely leans to the power pop side of the equation and it wouldn't be out of place on a Posies album while "Baby Gets What Baby Wants" is another catchy number complete with handclaps. "Other People" is a real highlight, a wonderful folk/rock song which gradually builds to a peak, complete with piano and a late guitar solo, the title track is a languid beauty with sweet backing vocals from Omega Rae, and the roots rock of "You Can't Break a Broken Heart" belongs on a late-70s playlist somewhere. And that's just the first half of this 13-track album, which should place highly on my year-end list.

iTunes



Farrington-Pictures of Pretty Things. LA's Farrington is one of the more exciting new artists to come across my radar this year and their debut album is a love letter to glam 70s rock/pop (and mastered by Andy Reed). After a couple of throat-clearing rockers to start the album the fun begins with tracks influenced by Elton John ("Stones"), Queen ("When I Was You", "The Love Show"), Jeff Lynne/ELO ("Hey Mr. Rock'N'Roll"), Jellyfish ("Stupid Plastic War", "Maybe if You Leave Her", "Blue"), and even some Ken Sharp ("Long Way to Nowhere", "Violins"). If you're looking for a new favorite band, you can do a lot worse than Farrington.

iTunes

Weekend Roundup.

Todd Herfindal-Right Here Now. Todd Herfindal, the Ex-Meadows frontman and longtime running mate of the recently reviewed Rich McCulley, is back with his second full-length solo album and it's another fine collection of roots-influenced power pop. A handful of these tracks were already released as singles and reviewed earlier, but they fit together even better with the whole of the album. McCulley co-penned all but one of the tracks with Herfindal, and if you enjoy his material you'll want this one (in fact the title track appeared on McCulley's last album as well). The midtempo "Keeping Me Up Nights" kicks thing off with aplomb, while "She Can Run" is janglly bliss. The middle three of "Gratitude", "Shine Shine" and the title track are just as melodic as I remember them from the singles release, and the wonderful acoustic-based "Closer to Home" makes a nice complement to the Tom Petty-ish "Hang the Stars". Herfindal manages once again to make it all sound effortless, and you can verify for yourself at the full album stream below.

Bandcamp | iTunes



The House of Jed-The House of Jed EP. A funny story about this side-project band of Admiral Twin's Jarrod Gollihare. About a month ago I came across this EP with the band name Away and I was about to review it a few weeks ago. But before I could the EP disappeared from CD Baby, only for it to return about a week ago with the more SEO-friendly band name The House of Jed. It's not too far off from Admiral Twin's brand of sophisticated power pop, and the opener "Coming Off Pretty" and its clipped, slightly-distorted guitars make for a strong introduction. The propulsive "Last Entry (Gotta Run Now)" and "I Won't Survive You" come across as Spoon mixed with Of Montreal, while the closer "Everybody Lies" is probably the closest to the traditional Admiral Twin sound. An interesting effort from Gollihare & Co. and a must for AT fans.

CD Baby | iTunes

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Friday Roundup.

Todd Herfindal-Shine Shine & More Than I singles. Todd Herfindal (ex-Meadows) is back with his first new music in nearly four years, and he's just as melodic as ever. Right now the new music consists of a pair of two-song singles, one of which came out last fall and the other just this past week. The two songs on the "Shine Shine" single were co-written by Herfindal with Rich McCulley, another favorite of the site, and together they've created some of the best Heartland power pop of the past several years. The title track is suitably tuneful and anthemic, while "Right Here Now" has a Gin Blossoms vibe. On the other single, "More Than I" is a bright rocker that's in the Tom Petty vein, and "Gratitude" boasts a sweet George Harrison-styled melody (with slide guitar) and some fine vocals from Herfindal. These are four outstanding tracks, and the best part is Herfindal's made them available with a "name your price" offer at Bandcamp. Here's hoping a full album will follow.

Bandcamp | iTunes (Shine Shine) | iTunes (More Than I)




Ted Billings-American Bedrooms. Boston's Ted Billings was the frontman of Age Rings, an indie pop band with two pretty decent albums to its name that I never got around to reviewing on the site but found their way into my iTunes library. On his solo debut, he's managed a collection of urgent, pensive tracks that should appeal to indie poppers and power poppers alike. Opener "Freedom" finds Billings singing of the scarring impact 9/11 had on his teen years and 20s, cautioning "it's not just me/but it's millions" and recalls Guided by Voices, while the relentless "Painaway" is probably the catchiest track here, with its insistent chorus and fuzzed-out guitars. Billings also sports some Wilco influence here - the raucous "House on Fire" wouldn't have sounded out of place on A Ghost is Born, while "Meet Me in Dreams" and "Goodbye and Good Luck" bring to mind some of Jeff Tweedy's catchier Summerteeth tunes. There's a cohesive sound here throughout American Bedrooms' eight tracks, making it a real album experience.

Bandcamp

CD of the Day, 10/1/08: Todd Herfindal-Collective

It's always a treat to get great music from an unexpected source, and after The Meadows put out their fine First Nervous Breakdown earlier this year, I figured that we'd hear from them again in a couple of years. But the wait only took about 8 months, as Meadows co-frontman Todd Herfindal has released his solo debut, and it's of a piece with the two Meadows disc, especially First Nervous Breakdown.

Collective is a bit of logical progression from the first two Meadows discs, as Breakdown was a bit more roots rock-oriented than the debut, and here Herfindal goes full bore into the Gin Blossoms-meet-Tom Petty vibe. This becomes apparent right off the bat with the ebullient "Air I'm Breathing" which shows off his melodic gifts in a heartland rocker that even features some tasteful horn backing. "Finally Movin' On" demonstrates the knack Herfindal had for the big chorus that he showed in The Meadows, and the laid-back "Waiting on the Sun" continues the Midwest-meets-California vibe. Elsewhere, standouts include the mildly Beatlesque "Forget It All Again", the rocking "Jaded" and the ballads "Won't Look Back" and "This Is a Love Song". Collective closes in grand fashion with "If I Hesitate", an anthemic number that starts off slow and builds to a big payoff. If you enjoyed either of The Meadows' two releases, this one's a no-brainer.

CD Baby | MySpace | eMusic