Some overlooked 2007 discs.

As comprehensive as I try to be, there are still some discs that get by me, or that I get too late to consider for the year-end list. Here are three 2007 releases that would have made the year-end lists had things broken a bit differently:

The Tripwires-Makes You Look Around. This was featured as Not Lame's top disc a few weeks back, and with good reason. A solo project of ex-Model Rocket John Ramberg, this is high-quality "old school" power pop that traces its lineage from Rockpile in the 70s to artists like Terry Anderson today. But it's not all meat and potatoes, as there are some nice flourishes here too as well: the "Bang a Gong" nod in "Arm Twister", the Left Banke-ish "Big Electric Light" and the jauntiness of "I Was Afraid of That". A quality re-imagining of pre-80s power pop. CD Baby | MySpace

Big Kid-Big Kid III. This LA band has two quality power pop releases to its name, along with one of the top power pop songs of the decade ("When I Met The Girl" from All Kidding Aside), so expectations were high for disc #3. As some of the commenters on the CD Baby page for the disc have noted, it definitely sounds as if they have a new lead singer, but to me the overall sound is pretty much the same. Opener "Gold" is a hooky delight, and other highlights are the midtempo "Love's a Slow Song" and "Perfect Sunrise", and the high-energy "The Door". CD Baby | MySpace

Early Edison-Better Late Than Never. Speaking of high-energy, here's a great disc in the vein of recent discoveries like The Fizzies and The ACBs as well as the Rooneys and Weezers of the world. They can do the driving anthems like anyone else, but what sets them apart is their work on the numbers that slow down a notch or two like "Since I Left You", "Wish You Were Mine" and my personal favorite, the closer "White Socks". It's never too late to give these NY power poppers a listen. CD Baby | MySpace

UPDATE: Here's a pretty cool video Early Edison put together (done as an homage to early 20th century silent horror films and an Official Selection at the 2007 NYC Horror Film Festival) for "Wish You Were Mine":

CD of the Day, 4/7/06: Big Kid-All Kidding Aside

Another quality late 2005 release came from LA's Big Kid, with their sophomore effort All Kidding Aside. Big Kid likes to cite Jellyfish and Jason Falkner as influences, and it's not just idle name-dropping on their part.

After a cute sub 2-minute intro, Big Kid wastes no time getting down to business with nearly perfect "When I Met The Girl". Starting with a piano intro a la Ben Folds, it settles into a great, bouncy melody that compares favorably with the best of Jellyfish. Other highlights include the TSAR/Waltham-influenced "She Won't See Me", the Weezerific "What Can I Do", and I even hear a little Jon Brion on "With a Smile".

The first three I mentioned are streaming at their myspace page, the rest can be sampled at cd baby and the entire album is available at eMusic (handy subscription link at right...heh).