It’s a real shame when you discover a great new group only to find out they are history. This Washington D.C. pop combo is a supergroup of sorts, parts of former bands (Velocity Girl, The Saturday People, Swiz) and then the day job of Jim Spellman (who works for CNN) got in the way when he was relocated to Denver. The group released “Long Gone and Nearly There” in May and now it becomes another legendary one album wonder (like “The La’s”). The short ten song debut is a collection of near flawless two minute power pop gems delivered with an irresistible guitar-pop fizz. “Ten Lonely Words” and “#1 song” borrows from the best of Bob Mould and Sugar, The Undertones, Velvet Crush and Teenage Fanclub. Add to this the Beach Boys harmonies all over each chorus throughout the album. “#1 song” has a good lyric about the disposable nature of power pop singles (I can recall Joe Jackson’s “Pop Single” saying the same thing). Amazingly, it never drags, as every song here is a short, snappy standout from the early Beatles stab of “There’s A Place (In The Back of My Mind),” to the fast tempo beat of “Bright Idea.” Lead singer Spellman’s Evan Dando-esque vocal inflections backed by woo-woo harmonies and those big fat pop hooks don’t get any better. The only drawback here is that it ends way too soon as the entire album is only about 25 minutes long (including the Well Wishers, this looks like a musical trend). Despite this it’s contender in my book for power pop album of the year. I’ll stop writing and just urge you to listen to the song below – it’s a MUST.

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Listen to the “#1 Song”

Here is the video for “Ten Lonely Words”

Jeff Shelton has always been a pop favorite with The Spinning Jennies and his current band, The Well Wishers. The new album “Jigsaw Days” brings Jeff back to his power pop roots, and it’s obvious here that The Well Wishers are the heir apparent to The Posies. “Heroes” is a dead ringer for that classic sound, full of buzzing guitars and sweet hooks. “All The Suckers” continues this template, with Shelton’s vocals anchoring the chiming melody. And there is much more where that came from. The acoustic, folk-pop styled “Florida” has a wonderful jangle and it’s instantly memorable. “Moving Mountains” and “Love Lies” are additional standouts with an upbeat tempo and harder guitar sound. Some tunes get more contemplative, like “Drunk On The Tilt-O-Wheel” which recall Teenage Fanclub’s best ballads. Fans of Matthew Sweet, Nada Surf, Bob Mould will also find a lot to love here. Other than “Poor Old Man” (I felt it was a bit long) every track here shines like a diamond. With only ten tracks here, Shelton has cut the fat from this album and has given us power pop fans the red meat we crave. This is a worthy of top ten album for 2008 as well. A great release that will please fans and casual listeners alike.

My Space | Not Lame | CD Baby | Jam Recordings