Early June Roundup.

Michael Carpenter & The Cuban Heels-Ain't Nothing Left to Say. When we last left Michael Carpenter the previous autumn he had released our album of the year, The Big Radio, which was billed as probably his last solo record. But that doesn't mean we've heard the last of him, and a scant seven months later he's returned with The Cuban Heels, his rotating band of fellow Aussie pop/rockers including Russell Crawford, whom we've featured here in his own right. The difference between a Cuban Heels album and a proper MC solo joint is that he turns to a more alt-country/Australiana sound but his gift for melody and the catchy tune isn't diminished by addition of some twang or pedal steel. In fact, the title track with its "na na, na na na na" backing would fit right at home on one of his pop albums, and "Photo" is more power pop than country. Still you do get some twang here (which in my book is welcome) with "I Should Have Told You" and "Wasted Years, Wasted Time". I could go on, but this is new Michael Carpenter music. I don't need to tell you it's worth a listen.

Bandcamp



The Person & The People-Dark & Low. This Minneapolis band has been kicking around the better part of a decade and Dark & Low is their fourth release in that time so it's long past time I mentioned them on these pages. Their sound is highly melodic indie rock, and although they mention Ryan Adams and Weezer as RIYL artists on their album page, I hear more Teenage Fanclub as covered by Superdrag. Anyway, it's an interesting brew and this album features such gems as the almost-jangly "Hot Summer Nights", the 2:08 burst of "Sleep All Day" and the crisp rock of "Until the Morning". And after you get into this one feel free to dive into their back catalog, which is quite good as well.

iTunes



David Brookings & The Average Lookings-David Brookings & The Average Lookings. Also back on our pages again is David Brookings, who this time bills himself with his backup band The Average Lookings. This is his seventh album and another great collection of his jangly, breezy west coast pop. Crediting the backup band here is appropriate as Brookings has a fuller sound here, heard on tracks such as "Time to Go", "The Optimist" and "You're Right, it Went So Wrong", which are Grade-A power pop. Also of note is the alt-countryish "I'm in Love With Your Wife", which considers the famous George Harrison/Patti Harrison/Eric Clapton love triangle, and the shiny pop of "Place We Can Go", perhaps the quintessential David Brookings track. They may consider themselves "average looking" but this is some pretty handsome pop.

iTunes

Friday Roundup.

Gregg Swann-Turn to Stars. As I noted upon his passing from colon cancer in early 2011, not only was Gregg Swann an outstanding power part artist (his 2006 release placed at #11 on my initial year-end list) but he was a gentleman as well in his dealings with me when it came to reviewing his disc. After hearing of his death, I thought we'd never hear new material from him again, but thanks to demo recordings he made in his last year or two along with newly-recorded backing tracks from his band who funded the process through a Kickstarter campaign, we have a new Gregg Swann album. And although it's a bit short and a bit uneven as posthumous albums of this type are, it's still a fitting sendoff and a damn fine record. "Rain Dance" opens on a staccato guitar riff similar to Green Day's "Brain Stew" and starts off the disc in melodic rocking fashion while the midtempo "Stereo Down" recalls the excellent "The Truth Hurts' from his previous album. Elsewhere, "LA, CA" is a fittingly mellow number about Los Angeles that sports a memorable chorus, "Idlewild" features a haunting, slow-burning melody and "Today" makes a fitting epitaph as it sends the album off with a buoyant power pop tune. RIP Gregg.

CD Baby | iTunes

David Brookings-The Maze. After four years largely away from music (along with a move from Memphis to the San Francisco bay area), David Brookings has returned with sixth album and first since 2009's Glass Half Full. The latest features more of his easygoing melodic style, and takes a more personal look at life. The jangly "If I Didn't Make it Back" starts things off in classic Brookings mode and makes us glad he made it back, while the Beatlesque and ornate "Cora" (which even name-drops Gene Simmons) follows as the disc's real standout. The autobiographical "No Regrets" is another highlight, as Brookings looks back on key moments of his life, and while "The Dream is Over" seems like a title for a dirge or an elegy it's instead a rollicking number that shows off Brookings' guitar playing and melodic skill. "Heroin Donna" is another catchy Beatlesque track, and "I've Got No Game Now" is a lovely ballad about the fear of having to date again. It's great to have Brookings back.

CD Baby | iTunes / Stream at official site

Three for Thursday.

Three discs to chew on in this late week roundup, two from familiar faces and one from a new one.

David Brookings-Glass Half Full. Nashville may have been getting all the Tennessee-related attention around here lately, but here's some equal time for Memphis as favorite son David Brookings returns with his fifth solo album since 2000. Brookings has long been a favorite in the power pop community with his easygoing melodic style, and has drawn comparisons to the likes of Jim Boggia, Mike Viola, Matthew Sweet and Michael Penn. With Glass Half Full, it'll hardly take an optimist to warm up to this collection of tracks. "Don't Wake Me Up" gets things off to a rollicking start with its McCartneyesque feel, "I Wish I Could Be With You" is as sweet as its melody, "Love Goes Down the Drain" mines some Jellyfish/Viola sounds, "Hazel" jangles and shines, and "Still Not Crazy Yet" is pop at its brightest. This might be his best yet.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Your Gracious Host-Easy Red. All I can say is that Tom Curless (a/k/a Your Gracious Host) is one productive guy. Not content to rest on the laurels of last fall's double-album self-titled debut, he's returned as YGH about nine months later to bring us Easy Red, 11 more tracks of the same winning indie-flavored power pop we loved on the debut. Standout tracks on this disc include the urgent "Alibi", which reminds me of Teenage Fanclub mixed with mid-70s Roxy Music, the angular "Rescue Me", the Andy Partridge-like "Blue Sky", and the pretty, languid title track. At this rate, I'll be back in the spring reviewing the 3rd YGH disc, and I'll be happy to do so.

CD Baby | MySpace

Billy Schafer-First to Believe. The debut mini-album (7 tracks) from this San Francisco singer/songwriter has been a revelation. Although it didn't bowl me over at first, it really has grown on me and become a real favorite. Schafer's style is similar to artists like Elliott Smith, Gus Black, AM, and Mark McAdam. Two tracks really stand out here as some of my favorites of the year - the opener "Wondering", which sounds both contemporary and classic, and the lovely "My Mona Lisa (The One)", whose chorus has been embedded somewhere in my brain for quite a while now. Both tracks make excellent and tasteful use of strings as well. The other five tracks are no slouches either, with "April Fool for You" and "The Dream is Alive" worthy of particular note. A very nice debut.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

CD of the Day, 3/7/07: David Brookings-Obsessed

Memphis's David Brookings has established himself as one of the more consistent power pop artists of the decade, and his fourth album, Obsessed, is another winner. Brookings' music has been described (according to Not Lame) as "power pop in the vein of such timeless faves here as Jim Boggia, Michael Carpenter, The Grays, Cherry Twister( and Parallax Project), Marc Carroll, Paul Melancon, The Candy Butchers and Matthew Sweet".

Obsessed has more of the sound of recent Mike Viola/Candy Butchers than some of the others listed above, and the punchy "I'm Not Afraid" starts things off with the right mix of sass and melody. "Get Behind Me" is a rollicking acoustic number, and the title track is a wonder - a wistful midtempo number that recounts Brookings' life to date in music. Other highlights include the classic power pop of "I'm In The Future Today", the gentle acoustic "What's Wrong With Nikki?" and the Michael Penn-ish "Don't Be Sad". "Get Behind Me" and "Obsessed" can be downloaded at the myspace link below.

CD Baby | MySpace

Also get his previous two albums at eMusic.