Old Faces, New Names.

Today it's two releases from artists we've featured before under a different name:

The Buzz-Got Me Runnin' EP. The Buzz is the latest project from Washington DC popper J. Forte, whom we last heard from as The Secret Pop Band a few years back and also has recorded under his own name as well as with Ape House. As The Buzz, Forte gives us an excellent 4-song EP that meshes well with his past work, with the title track a spare yet melodically rocking winner and the "Hey Beatles" finds him calling on the Fab Four for inspiration. And you don't have to be Canadian to enjoy the midtempo "Sweet Manitoba". A release worth buzzing about, and a shoo-in for the top 10 year-end EP list.

CD Baby | iTunes



Hall of Ghosts-A Random Quiet. Hall of Ghosts is the solo debut of the UK's Jim Williams, who is more likely known to you as the frontman of Popicana purveyors Additional Moog, whose Thirty-Three & Third was a real standout several years back. Williams doesn't stray too far from his old sound on this 8-track mini-CD which will appeal to fans of The Jayhawks and Wilco. The opener "Bye Bye, Big Blue", in particular, has a real Gary Louris feel to it, and "Giant Water" recalls Joe Pernice's work in the Scud Mountain Boys. And the upbeat "We Are Finally Happy for Standing Still" has the melodic charm of tracks like "El Guiro" from his Additional Moog days. A definite claimant for the title of melodic Americana album of the year to date.

CD Baby | iTunes

Monday 3-pack.

I was getting tired of using "roundup" for multi-disc posts, so I made the switch.

Chris Richards & The Subtractions-Sad Sounds of the Summer. Talk about patience paying off. The power pop community has been waiting a good five years for the followup to Chris Richards' Mystery Spot, a power pop disc so well-received that it even managed a 7.3 from Pitchfork. Well, our long national nightmare is over. The Detroit popper has added a backing band and released Sad Sounds of the Summer, and it's just what the doctor ordered - even if the sounds aren't sad and it's springtime. Some tracks jangle more than others (opener "I Can't Quit Her"), some rock harder ("I, Miss July"), and some do both ("Oh Canada"), but all are quite fine. Meanwhile, Richards' backing band really helps him focus his sound here, a clear case of addition by Subtractions. A must-have for classic power poppers.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Cheap Star-Speaking Like an Elephant. This French band takes its name from two of the long-time titans in our genre but sounds less like either of them and more like Teenage Fanclub and The Posies, which isn't a bad thing at all. Of course, sounding like The Posies isn't a shock here as half of the disc was produced by Ken Stringfellow and the other half by Jon Auer, in what could be considered the production equivalent of their Private Sides EP. Of course it's one thing to sound like a band and another to sound like a band and have great songs of your own. Thankfully, Cheap Star falls into the latter category with gems such as "For Saving Grace", "Sugar & Candy", "Shell" and the all-too-brief "Free to Believe".

CD Baby | MySpace

Additional Moog-Endless Air. This UK band's pop/Americana masterpiece Thirty Three & a Third made my top 10 in 2007, and they're back with the followup. While not as immediate or upbeat as its predecessor, it's still a quality laid-back listen in the vein of Autumn Defense or Hotel Lights. The title of the opening track, "Quietly Through the Canyon", is a good indicator of where they're going here, and other standouts include "Harmonica Fuel", "I'm Not Safe in This World" and "Signs on Fifty-Four".

CD Baby | MySpace

Popicana!

OK, that's my none-too-clever word to describe pop-informed Americana/alt-country, but there have been several recent releases that will appeal to those who don't mind their pop a bit countrified. Here they are:

Additional Moog-Thirty Three & a Third. Their CD Baby page touts sound as "Uber-melodic rootsy Americana meets lo-fi rock with a 60's Brit Pop sensibility. Here's what some have said : "...an absolutely BRILLIANT band..." -BBC Radio "...timeless..." -Kerrang. Radio "...gorgeous melodies...a hint of Wilco and The Jayhawks." I endorse these descriptions completely. CD Baby | MySpace

Kurt Hagardorn-Ten Singles. Hagardorn played for Thad Cockrell and Caitlin Cary, so you know that gives him a leg up in my book. Our friends at the Seattle Powerpop blog put it best: "Chock full of tunesmithy goodness, he's got this great roots pop thing happening that seems equally influenced by the Beatles, the Everly Brothers and some of the modern-day alt country folks like The Jayhawks (with perhaps a bit of 90's indie pop a la Portastatic thrown in for good measure)!" Kool Kat | CD Baby | MySpace

OK Jones-Elephantoms. Last year I featured their Push/Pull disc, and now they have a new one out. They've actually abandoned some of their "hardcore" Americana for a more power pop/indie rock sound, and they're the better for it. I love the leadoff track "Electric Bed", and the rest of it ain't bad either. Buy | mp3 of "Electric Bed" | MySpace | eMusic

Storyhill-Storyhill. This Minneapolis duo has been around awhile, and refers to themselves as either a male Indigo Girls or a contemporary Simon & Garfunkel. Either way, it's extremely tuneful & melodic. If you loved 70s duos like Seals & Crofts, England Dan & John Ford Coley, and Loggins & Messina, you'll love these guys (and yes, they put out a 70s duos cover disc of their own). Meanwhile, if you want some power pop linkage, the disc is produced by Semisonic's Dan Wilson. Amazon | MySpace