Gavin Guss and Paul Rocha

Gavin Guss “On High“
Gavin Guss returns after his sharp debut and happy to report there isn’t a sophomore slump. After starting out with the piano ballad “Avenue A,” it reminded me more of Mark Bacino or Elvis Costello. The tempo picks up quite nicely on “Come Over” and its got a sweet guitar hook in the rhythm. This album is a bit more personal, the breakup song “Voice Inside My Head” has an interesting percussive treatment and the slow melodic ballad “Riga In The Fall” is similar to Jeff Larson’s laid back approach.

The rock guitar comes bouncing back on the title track, but it sounds a little forced compared to the other songs. (Note: originally I thought the lyrics were about Jesus, but it’s not. Doh!)  And it gets better as we go forward. The serious subjects of “Wonder Too” and “Invent You Myself” are on par with Mike Viola and the brilliant “Will To Fly” with its solid melody and catchy chorus really impressed me. Overall, a smart showcase for Gavin’s expanding songwriting talents.

Paul Rocha “Crayons”
Paul Rocha starts Crayons with a Beatlesque gem in “Sevens into Nines” sure to warm the heart of power pop fans. British styled hooks and melodies are all over this album, with a psychedelic touch “Peaches and Lemon Line” uses sitar and overdubbed acoustic strums making it sound like a Gripweeds tune. It stays fairly trippy until the acoustic title track, which is full of strings and sweet chord shifts in a pastoral XTC style.

The awesome guitar bombast of “Sunshine Sue” is closer to early Matthew Sweet with its Revolver styled bass line. Then we get to “Fairies in a Yorkshire Glen” with demented sped-up laughter and its repeating melody. Similarly “Amelia Earhart” starts with a 12 string strum, and sardonic lyrics. One of the best songs here is “Tomorrow Soon” with its ascending bridge and looping chorus. The sorrow (?) of losing the names of Adolph, O.J. or Lee Harvey is beautifully described in “Baby Adolph.” Overall a terrific pop album with all the melodic goodies that appeal to fans of Pugwash and Andy Partridge. Too many beautiful melodies to ignore, and it makes my top ten list this year.