June singles roundup

Some new singles to get your summer rolling:

JoDee Purkeypile-What I'm Missing/Never is Not. Been quite a while since we had new music from the former frontman of The Alice Rose, so it's great to see him back in the swing with this 2-song single. Both tracks are in his signature form, indie pop that could be Nada Surf crossed with Jon Brion.

iTunes



Peter Baldrachi-Breathe. Another artist whose output has been sporadic this decade is power popper Peter Baldrachi, who's released a few singles over the recent years but his last full-length was in 2011. His latest single is a rocking gem that will have you wishing for more and makes great use of the pause (a la "No Matter What"), between "stop!" and "breathe" in the chorus.

iTunes



Freedy Johnston-20 Radios & Tryin' to Move On. One of my favorite singer-songwriters is back for the first time since 2015's brilliant Neon Repairman album with a pair of singles that right now are only available on CD Baby (so I can't embed the tracks). The bouncy folk/rock of "20 Radios" sees Johnston returning to the roots of his 1992 classic Can You Fly? album with some of the same musicians from that album while "Tryin' to Move On" (featuring the same crew) finds Freedy in more of a power pop mode. Neither song is going to be in his pantheon, but they're worth it if you've been any kind of fan of his.

"20 Radios" at CD Baby
"Tryin' to Move On" at CD Baby

Bryan Estepa-I'm Not Ready for This. A familiar name to most of you, Bryan Estepa returns with a new single in advance of his upcoming full-length due in August. "I'm Not Ready for This" finds him in classic form with the kind of bright guitar pop he's given us in the past and which is also reminiscent of fellow Aussie and sometime collaborator Michael Carpenter.

iTunes



The Confusions-Sunday Mornings. This Swedish band has been around for 25 years or so and I have several of their albums in my music collection but somehow I've never mentioned them on the site until now. Anyway their latest single is a great place to start. "Sunday Mornings" is the kind of buoyant pop song that defies easy categorization so I'll let them describe it: "sounds like Ringo and Paul are in charge of the rhythm, like Phil Spector has recorded the strings, mixed with wild reverb guitars and a chorus that really sticks with you". I'll go along with that.

iTunes

Two for Tuesday, 2/19/13

JoDee Purkeypile-Messenger. Former Alice Rose frontman JoDee Purkeypile is back with his second solo album after his triumphant 2011 release October House, and Messenger is a more than worthy follow-up. Once again, Purkeypile purveys polished indie pop with a touch of a British influence - kind of like Glenn Tilbrook meets Jon Brion, with a hint of Elliott Smith. The piano-backed "Cruel Movements" opens the disc and is both melodic and haunting, the insistent guitars of "I Think It's Alright" and "My Inner Me" bring Bends-era Radiohead to mind, and the jaunty "Wired Wrong" has an AC Newman feel to it. The proceedings close nicely with the title track, which boasts a serpentine melody and biting lyrics. This is first-rate stuff, and an early contender for Best of 2013.

CD Baby | iTunes

The Amprays-Brave New Strange. Another act returning to our pages is The Amprays, whom we last heard from with 2007's Low Sun Fire. This Ohio band largely consisting of former members of Rosavelt has a sound that draws from Guided by Voices, The Replacements and Wilco, and those who fondly recall the debut will want to check this one out. "M.I.A.", with its stripped-down sound and plea to "be there" recalls another favorite of this site, Wiretree; "The Farthest Close" reminds me of one of Jeff Tweedy's midtempo numbers on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot without all the bells and whistles, and the raucous but short "4 Blank Walls" is where the Westerberg-meets-Pollard comparisons come in. Elsewhere, the fuzzed-out guitars of "All of This Hasn't Happened" is another example of GbV-styled rock, while "Cold Sweat Goodbye" is the kind of earnest, melodic ballad their forebears effectively used as a change of pace. Again, nothing groundbreaking here - just 9 quality tracks that won't wear out their welcome and feel like music for grown-ups.

CD Baby | iTunes

Friday Roundup.

JoDee Purkeypile-October House. If the name sounds familiar to you, it's because JDP was the frontman of The Alice Rose, a Texas band who put out a pair of outstanding Jon-Brion-meets-Squeeze indie pop albums in the last 5 years. The obvious parallel here is Greg Pope; like Pope, Purkeypile plays all the instruments here, and in the same manner as when Pope left Edmund's Crown, the solo flight has allowed Purkeypile to distill the essence of the sound he first forged in the band setting. So this is more Jon Brion than Squeeze, and that's a good thing here as "Disappear from Here" is among the best songs he's written, a swirling pop gem in a minor key. "Your Days Ends as Mine Begins" is first-rate guitar pop, and the rollicking "Company Man" has a Jellyfish by way of Michael Penn vibe. Elsewhere, "Summer Sunday" is a lovely slice of mellow indie pop, and the propulsive "Autumn Mind" channels Neil Finn. I could see this one ending up in 2011's top 20.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Marshall Holland-Statistically I Should Say. San Francisco's Marshall Holland put out an overlooked gem in 2004 titled Don't Jettison the Memories, an album of first-rate power pop in the style of Brendan Benson and The Posies. He re-released it last year, and has followed that up with Statistically I Should Say, an EP of new material. Don't miss him this around, as this might be the best power pop EP of 2011. From the urgent opener "Your Lies" to the perfect power pop of "I'm OK (for Now)" - the album's best track - to the buoyant, synth-happy "Meet Me by the Blue Balloon", Holland give us a welcome return. So after you've digested this confection, make sure you go back and get Don't Jettison the Memories.

iTunes | MySpace