The Lodger "Grown Ups"

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The Lodger are a melodic indie-pop group with a knack for throwback 80s guitar pop a la The Smiths and The Housemartins. And the album “Grown Ups” is full of jangly energetic pop nuggets. “Many Thanks for Your Honest Opinion” is the bouncy opener that groups like Belle and Sebastian would kill to have. This is followed by “Kicking Sand” a very Housemartins styled pop tune with all the proper hooks and quick riffs. If you enjoy the band Ok Go, you’ll flip for “Getting Special” which uses a great guitar dance beat. Every song here is catchy and mines the late 80s post-Smiths guitar jangle for all it’s worth. In most cases it’s loads of fun and and makes for excellent listening. “A Free Period” has a U2-styled baseline and clever chorus. The song “Simply left Behind” adds a bit of Squeeze and Zampano here, and is the winning single on this album, that elevates it above the average. Listen to this one first. It slums a bit on the last few tracks, but nothing too bad and it “The Story’s Over” would’ve been a fitting ending track here, but the ballad “Bye Bye” has a bit of Aztec Camera coolness as well. Check this microsite out to hear the entire album streaming.

The Lodger Website | MySpace | E-Music

Listen to “The Story’s Over”


Kicking Sand Video

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The Millions "Disrespectfully Yours"

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If you like your power pop with alot of muscle, we’re talkin’ Enuff Z’nuff and Cheap Trick, you may well enjoy The Millions. “On My Mind” starts with sweeping guitars and a killer chorus. The music is full of great guitar instrumentation that recalls Def Lepard, Zebra, Whitesnake and a tiny bit of Roger Manning’s Imperial Drag. “We’re Through” and the title track “Disrespectfully Yours” continue this sonic attack with a good melodic sense. The next track “island of You” bears a passing resemblance to The Churchills or Tories and is my favorite here. It has a great arena rock feel and the guitar work of Johnny Million and Dan “The Fox” Edwards are on par with the above mentioned bands. The album slowly begins to get heavier and the melodies are not as memorable on the second half, with “I’m So Lame” being a prime example. A lack of variety hurts here and it could have used a power ballad or two. Some of the songs here begin to feel a bit like filler at this point, but this is redeemed by the nicely done mid-tempo “Twice a Woman” and the energetic closer “Outerspace” with a fantastic guitar solo here. Make no mistake here, these guys have loads of talent and their music is also featured on the TV show “Laguna Beach”. Check out the my space page to hear some tracks.

MySpace | Millions Web Site | CD Baby

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The Rosewood Thieves "From the Decker House EP"

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The Rosewood Thieves originally released this as a 6 song EP last year. It has been reissued with added bonus tracks that qualifies it more as a full album now. With equal parts John Lennon and Dylan, lead singer Erick Jordan serves up a fine collection of tunes here. Staring out with the lazy rock shuffle of “Los Angeles” and then heads “Back Home to Harlem” with an energetic strum that touches on a country-tinged state of restlessness. Then the album really takes on a Beatles White-album era sound on “Cold in the Country” that conveys loneliness in a rich melodic tone. The double tracking of the vocals on “Diamond Ring” really bring this to classic status with the rough organ and carny atmosphere it evokes. The track “The Tale of Gustav Grimes” is a dead ringer for John Lennon, vocaly and melodically and makes it worthy of purchase for this track alone. The remaining tracks sort of mix the influences a bit more, as I hear some Dire Straits, The Thrills and Wilco. This was all created in a spooky old house in upstate Deposit, NY and not unlike the legendary “Music from Big Pink” was for The Band, some awesome stuff was created here. The band being sequestered pay it off here.

MySpace | Kool Kat Musik | Itunes | Amazon

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The Saltshakers "Up All Night"

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The Saltshakers are a catchy Milwaukee, Wisconsin foursome that has a Replacements meets Cheap Trick style. “Believe” has awesome power riffs and lead singer Chad Curtis has wail that reminds me of The Kinks Ray Davies and The Replacements’ Paul Westerberg. The alt. pop rock side of the band comes out on “NOLA” and it is a commercial ready-made hit. The next tune, “Whiskeytown” is a whiskey soaked tribute to Ryan Adams, but the vocals here sound a bit too inebriated. The title track also has that manic ‘Mats energy with furious pop guitar that just keeps the party goin’ strong. Later on the tracks settle into a nice groove, like “Kick the Can” and are really enjoyable to listen to. “Happy now?” gets lost in a crazed riff that sounds like a punk rock version of Tom Petty. After a few listens the rough edges here fade a bit and you realize this is a really strong debut album. Personally I can’t wait to see them perform live (Come visit NYC, guys). Visit the bands website to hear the entire album streaming.

MySpace | The Saltshakers website | CD Baby

Listen to “Believe”

Listen to “NOLA”

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Frisbie "New Debut"

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Frisbie released a bona-fide power pop hit album in July 2000 with “The Subversive Sounds of Love.” A critical hit that put them on the map, however personal problems for band members prevented further albums. Now we get a really strong effort with “New Debut” — and it’s another classic. Built on catchy melody and supported with incredible musicianship, it inspires and takes influences from Cheap Trick, Big Star, Kiss, Styx and the best of the guitar-driven pop bands of the 70’s. It opens with the brilliant title track “New Debut” that has a juicy cowbell and guitar chorus. “Distaster” is another gem that gets downright Bandwagonesque, but most of the tracks here recall classic Styx mixed with Kansas more than anything else. In fact, “Half-Breed” sounds like it belongs on Styx “Pieces of Eight.” But what makes this album so special is that the overdone bombastic approach of the era is gone in favor of the melody. Both guitars and harmonies are nicely done on “I Speak Your Mind” and other than the strange schizophrenic lyrics of “S.F.B.” not a single track is wasted here. “The Main Complaint” has elements of Thin Lizzy, Alan Parson Project and even Yes. Both singers, Liam Davis and Steve Frisbie do a great job and make this album shine brighter than “Subversive Sounds” ever did. Listen to the entire album streaming here.

Frisbie’s Site | MySpace | Kool Kat Musik | Itunes | Not Lame

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