Shimmering pop melodies from Aprilsrain is the result of a collaboration between Roger and Chris Manning (both of Jellyfish) and about ten other musicians. But this is not a Manning album, and it does not resemble Jellyfish. The heavy lifting here is done by Jon Del Arroz, who handles vocals and John Corker, lead guitar. They sound like a clean mix of Death Cab for Cutie and Eric Matthews, with flowing orchestral strings overlayed over phased guitars. “Stumbling” is a highlight with it’s modern piano lead melody and Del Arroz’s strong vocals. “Nova” is another good song, a soothing ballad with the effortless ability to relax the listener. Lots of delicate harmony and baroque chord changes dominate this album which tends to veer toward the mellow side of pop. The pop jangle of “Dagobah” is another standout, similar to The Cosmic Rough Riders, with some memorable guitar work. “Useless Game” is a very contemporary pop song with a reflective playful mood. A pair of sentimental ballads end this ten song album, “Building Up A Wall” is one of them, a sweet duet with Mara Frager complete with violins and acoustic guitar. The Manning brothers production is clean and tight, but not every song has a good hook – so it’s a mixed bag here. Very much like The Pinder Brothers minus the retro spin, baroque and sunshine pop fans may enjoy this. If you are looking for pop angst, go elsewhere.

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Dave Milligan’s solo project Penguin Party is sure to appeal to fans of Martin Newell, with it’s very English nostalgic music hall pop. It opens with the quirky “Someone Else’s Turn To Be Me” a swirling mass of organ and cymbals with a smooth bassline driving the song along. The follow up is a reverb heavy ballad “Beaten, Black and Blue” with a bit of “Fool on The Hill” flute it makes a compelling listen. “Just Like A Chorus” is most definitely like a lost Cleaners From Venus track and this is followed by another low key tune “Mirrorball” which reminds me of an Andy Partridge pop ballad. By mid album, some 80’s synth influences creep back in on songs like “Lullaby” and “She Smells” – and it’s a flashback to Modern English! The best fun here is the pub anthem “Goin‘ Back To Grandma’s” with the hummable chorus and foot stompin‘ beat. There are a lot of subtle shifts in mood and genre on the album up to this point. The remaining tracks have a hard time measuring up, but this album has a charming set of pop that will sit well with ye merry anglophile power pop fans.

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