What I've been enjoying lately.

A quick look at some of my favorite releases over the last month or so:

Steve Robinson & Ed Woltil-Cycle. Tampa Bay's premier folk-poppers team up for one of 2015's best, a graceful and melodic collection of tunes that bring the pastoral side of XTC to mind. ["Love Somebody"; "Hello, Hello (We're Back Again)]. iTunes



Phil Yates & The Affiliates-No Need to Beg. Top-notch power pop that reminds me of Ken Stringfellow ("Burn it Down, Bernadette; "The Grass is Always Greener") (P.S. That's Lizzie Borden on the cover) iTunes



Stereo Tiger-Two Weeks. More great power pop from Michigan, like Mike Viola fronting Rooney. ("Magic Balloon", "Runaway")



The Weightlifers-St. Paul EP. Adam McLaughlin & Co's third EP (and first in seven years), and it's of a piece with the first two - thoughtful, moody, and melodic. ("High Drama"; "Man of Constant Sorrow"). iTunes | Spotify

Supraluxe-Morphine Creek. This is their best since the 2006 debut, the record which helped inspire me to start this blog. Lives up to their self-description of Elliott-Smith-meets-Big-Star. ("Circles"; "La La L.A.") iTunes



Jimmy Haber-Joy Acid Pact. Orlando rocker Haber delivers the goods with his shiny, vaguely psych power pop with a populist edge to it. ("Once I Strung 'em Up"; "Bad Day to Be Me") iTunes

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EPalooza!

Several artists we've featured here on the site are out with new EPs, so here's a quick look at them:

Steve Robinson-The Time of Our Lives. The English expat who hails from my home region of Tampa Bay is back with his first new music since 2007's outstanding Undercurrent, and this EP continues the folky pop strengths of that disc. Getting help from labelmates The Ditchflowers, Robinson shines on all 5 tracks here, but the real standout is "Bed of Nails", which features a slow build from a mostly acoustic number to swelling choruses and full instrumentation and reminds me a lot of my favorite Undercurrent track, "Wooden Hill". Robinson is a class act, and this EP was worth the wait.

CD Baby | iTunes | Bandcamp



Ike-The Little People, Church and the Steeple. Although the latest from these Philly rockers who put the "power" in "power pop" is nominally a full-length, I consider it to be an EP given that there are only five new tracks here (the remainder of the disc consists of acoustic versions of the five new songs & a radio edit). Still, these five new tracks continue the band's metamorphosis from a traditional power pop band when Cliff Hillis was on board to a harder-rocking sound now that John Faye is in charge. "Rock 'n' Roll Dreams" lets you know this right away with its stadium rock flourishes and Faye's take-no-prisoner lyrics. "If I Can Help It" has the 70s classic rock sound down, and "Just Like That" is vintage power pop with a driving chorus. I like Ike, and you'll like this EP too.

CD Baby | iTunes | Listen at ReverbNation





The Jellybricks-Suckers. Heading west from Ike's Philadelphia we find Pittsburgh's Jellybricks, who have been with us since the 90s. Their latest is more what we've come to know and love from the band, hard-charging power pop not unlike their statemates referenced above. "Rock and Roll Suicide" fits the definition of melodic rock to a "T", "Sold" has me sold with its rollicking beat and tuneful guitar attack, and how often do we get a track named after one of the more obscure elements on the periodic table ("Beryllium")? More good stuff, and the real suckers here will be those who miss out on this EP.

Buy at official site | MySpace | Soundcloud

CD of the Day, 7/13/07: Steve Robinson - Undercurrent

Today is a special day. Nah, nothing to do with Friday the 13th or anything like that. It's a day I get to feature an artist from my neck of the woods, the Tampa Bay area of Florida. Sure, we're known for the beaches, the weather, Super Bowls (including one won by the Bucs), a Stanley Cup for the Lightning, and the strip clubs of Dale Mabry, but one thing the area isn't notable for is a strong power pop presence (not to slight the late Barely Pink or The Ditchflowers, whose Ed Woltil helps out here). For example, I couldn't do what Gary Miller does and start an exclusive Tampa Bay Powerpop Blog; my posts would come around even less frequently than they'd have done lately.

Anyway, this is a rather roundabout way of introducing one of the better discs of 2007 that I've heard, Steve Robinson's Undercurrent. Robinson is an English expatriate who was a member of The Headlights, Roger McGuinn's backing band, and his sound here straddles the divide between folk and pop without ever losing sight of melody. Even within that ambit, there are a variety of sounds here. Opener "Wooden Hill" leans more to the pop side, with a melody and sound that reminds me of a stripped-down "No Myth". "Please Emmaline" is another winner, a catchy "Bo Diddley"-type number, while "Love Is Real" is as Beatlesque as its title implies. Other standouts include the uptempo "Wasted and Waiting"; "Forget About Love", the disc's rockingest track; "Class Clown" which also reminds me of Michael Penn, and the closer "I'm In Trouble (Again)", which wouldn't have sounded out of place on Bob Evans' Suburban Songbook.

It's too bad this missed the cut for my Top 50 list, as I had just received the disc while compiling it. Rest assured, it will be near the top when the year-end Top 100 rolls around, and if you're looking for something new and different to pick up, grab a copy of Undercurrent. And not just because Steve Robinson is my homeboy.

CD Baby

Side Note: Robinson's first solo release, the fine Away For The Day, is available on eMusic - it includes "The Golden Age of Steam", the best train song since, well, Al Stewart's "Trains".