Friday Roundup.

The Die Youngs-Nothing's Broken. Denny Smith's been supplying a lot of the music I've written about on the pages over the last several years, either through his roots-rockin' band The Great Affairs or his harder-rockin' band fORMER. Through that time, he's collected a fair number of tunes that didn't make the albums for one band or the other, and had some other songs kicking around, so why not create a third project? Teaming up with fellow Nashvillian Kenny Wright, Smith gives an album that may not be as cohesive as his other releases, but in my book 13 quality tunes are cohesion enough. So you get some fine Butch Walker-styled "hard power pop" in "As Fine as You Are" and "Dirty on the Stereo", rootsier moments like "Some Things Never Change" and "Crawl", and straight up power pop in "That's My Girl" and the title track. The common denominator here is Smith's radio-friendly sound, even if in this case we're talking about different radio formats.

CD Baby | iTunes

Phonograph (UK)-Phonograph Vol.1. Phonograph (I added the "UK" to their name since there's an American alt-country/roots rock band I'm fond of with the same name) is a 4-piece out of London who've made an auspicious debut that David Bash sent in my direction. They have a timeless sound that recalls many of the leading power pop touchstones, and "She Knows It" opens things in grand fashion, a Big Star-influenced number that's quite catchy, while the Beatlesque, midtempo "Waiting for the Sun" and it's "la da da da" chorus make for an instant earworm. Speaking of Beatlesque, "Don't You Bring Me Down" has a real Merseyside 1965 sound and "Fading into You" would fit nicely on one of Badfinger's first few albums. This is probably the most accomplished "classic power pop" debut since Cirrone a few years ago, and could be a year-end best-of contender. Right now, it's download-only from Bandcamp, and you'll have to convert pounds to dollars if you're in the USA, but it's worth it.

Bandcamp

Wednesday Roundup.

The Sun Sawed in 1/2-Elephants into Swans. The big news for 2013 so far is the return of The Sun Sawed in 1/2, Tim Rose's psych-tinged power pop group that ruled the 90s as one of the genre's top artists (1997's Fizzy Lift made John Borack's Top 200 Power Pop albums of all-time in his Shake Some Action! book). But after their fourth album, 2000's Bewilderbeast, all we heard from Rose was his Fresh Mowed Lawn project, which put out a fine 2006 album. The good news is that the new album is like they've never been away. "You're the Something" continues their big, brash, melodic sound, complete with horns; the title track recalls Jellyfish with its keyboards-based melody, and "Brittle Star" is a gleeful power-pop number. And the mark of a great power pop band is the ability to handle the slower material with facility; here, tracks like the McCartneyesque "Ocean" and "Nowhere Fast" are as strong as the rockers. A triumphant return.

CD Baby | iTunes | Bandcamp

The Great Affairs-4. For a few years now Denny Smith has been alternating between the hard power pop of fORMER and the roots rock of The Great Affairs, but now that he's retired the, uh, fORMER it almost seems as if he's merged the two sounds on this new 7-track EP from the latter. This is apparent right off the bat- while "Rock 'n' Roll Heart" rocks as hard as anything released under The Great Affairs name, it isn't exactly hard. "Shame on You", on the other hand, does rock fairly hard in the classic rock sense as its bluesy underpinning means it wouldn't sound of place on a Black Crowes record. For those who liked the traditional roots/country-rock sound of The Great Affairs, "The Ring" is a midtempo gem and "Gone" is a wonderful, primarily-acoustic ballad with an indelible melody. But "Fits & Guitars" is as loud and brash as its title implies, meaning that his, uh, former band isn't quite dead and gone.

CD Baby | iTunes | Kool Kat (with bonus disc and alternate artwork)

Two for Thursday, 9/8/11

Baby Scream-Secret Place. Juan Pablo Mozzolla & Co. are back again with their third full-length in three years, and Secret Place finds Baby Scream branching out from the (mostly) mellow Lennonesque pop they've become known for. There's a reggae track ("Cold Weather Reggae"), some neo-soul ("Patiently") and a T. Rex cover ("20th Century Baby") to spice things up, and the opening track "The Last Call" has a rootsy, Band-like feel. But those who come for the languid, melodic pop of the previous releases won't be disappointed either - "Hit and Run" and "London Sun" are standouts in this regard. Mozzolla continues to refine his craft, and we're the better for it.

iTunes | MySpace

Former-The Kids Deserve Cable. Since the release of 2008's And Nothing But the Truth, Former's Denny Smith has been busy with The Great Affairs, releasing 2 full-lengths and an EP. But here Smith puts his alter ego aside for another turn of hard power pop that has more in common with Butch Walker and Cheap Trick than the mellow roots pop of his other band. The frenetic "Head Light" lets you know where you stand right off the bat with a driving hard pop beat that recalls the Foo Fighters. "How Does it Feel?" steps off the accelerator a bit but still rocks out in a Steve Bertrand/Rob Bonfiglio fashion, while "Sister" has that Walker's kind of swagger. And "Lie to Me" is a flat-out classic (see video below). For those who want to emphasize the "power" in "power pop", this is your disc.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

A quick roundup.

Former-And Nothing But The Truth. This Nashville band describes their music as "loud pop", and I can't disagree. High-energy rock/pop that recalls Swirl 360, Steve Bertrand's Avion, and Rob Bonfligio in spots, Former is truly worth checking out. Highlights include "Lies", "I'll Sleep" and "Nobody Knows You". Perfect for those who love the "power" in "power pop".

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

SpreaderCraig-Who I Am. This pop singer/songwriter from Sheffield, England with the strange moniker has given us a charming debut that will appeal to fans of Neil Finn, Glenn Tilbrook and Mitch Linker . Top tracks: "I'm Gonna Make It", "A Million and One Things Unsaid" and "I'm on Top of the World". But be warned - these tracks definitely have a quite high stick-in-your-head factor.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Mitch Friedman-Game Show Teeth. You may not be able to judge a book by its cover but quite often you can with albums. No better example of that than Mitch Friedman's Game Show Teeth, which is as quirky and goofy as the cover art would indicate. No joke, though, is the fact that XTC's Andy Partridge and Dave Gregory help out with the proceedings, and Friedman is a fine songsmith even if his songwriting is in service of some silly numbers. "This is a Song" is a particular standout, as Friedman mocks, lays bare, and pays homage to the classic pop song structure. Obviously your QTF (quirk tolerance factor) may vary, and you'll know within one or two tracks whether you love it or hate it, but one thing you shouldn't do is ignore it.

CD Baby | Official album site (a hoot) | iTunes