Another one of those “it-ain’t-power-pop-but-I-like-it” reviews: Named after a nearly vertical part of Mount Everest, The Hillary Step is a folk pop duo. It consists of Rob Schiffmann and Jon Rothstein, with a capable supporting cast. Their album, “Knee Deep in Giants” has some really gorgeous moments. The single “Olio” is a great song that rivals the best of Dan Fogelberg or Kenny Loggins. The albums opener, “Meanwhile” is another gem and a great example of the harmony filled greatness they possess. “The Only Thing” is a country-flavored pop tune that is also downright catchy, like classic Toad The Wet Sprocket. The production is slick, yet clean and lets the voices shine through perfectly. Occasionally, the songwriting is brilliant, telling compelling stories with great vocalizing like “Jackie” and “Midnight 1958.” You will find bits of classic Paul Simon mixed with lounge AOR-styled pop here as in “Coffee in Bed” with a vocal by Suzanne Morris. But some songs still border on the maudlin with Kenny G styled sax flourishes, like “Shine all your love.” However, the good easily outweight any bad here. The Hillary Step website has lots of great content too (Better than 95% of the artist with sites). Worth the trip, really.

The Hillary Step Website | My Space | CD Baby | itunes

E-Music has released this hard to find 2005 album from Hedgehog records. Cheese are fronted by the incredibly talented Marco Rossi, who models XTC’s Andy Partridge style like a well worn set of sneakers. The Beatles, Television, Big Star and Teenage Fanclub are all obvious influences here. It’s not surprising that someone with such good taste in music would come up with so many strong and intelligent pop originals of his own. This is polished pop and “Zero and Counting you down” even heads into Dukes of the Strateosphere-like magic. Other mid tempo songs like “Gurl Alone” and “Kid Gloves” sound like they’ve fallen off XTC’s “Nonsuch” album. Also hidden away is a a bit of Syd Barrett meets McCartney on “Nothing to See.” This one is released without much fanfare and is missing one track (“Wax Museum”), but essential listening. Get it now.

Pink Hedgehog | E-Music

This is an excellent group from Madrid, Spain. Yes, the market for power pop in Spain is huge. Just look at PopMadrid.com and see. The mellow relaxed vibe of “She” sets the tone for this album. Very laid back with great melody and vocal performance almost like a poppy Ryan Adams yields to the energetic single “Do it” that really stands out. This is followed by the very loungey “Paranoid” complete with fuzzy keyboards. But the classic here is the next tune “Life Is” – a beatlesque tour-de-force and my favorite here. It is a little bit of Sgt. Pepper mixed with some Penny Lane and wonderful. The mellow vibe returns with “Sing when you’re happy” and is a very enjoyable pop guitar song, like some of McCartney’s better ballad moments. The vocals are not unlike the Honeydogs’ Adam Levy with a slight European accent. And this really comes out on the last two songs of the album “Better If I” and “Goodbye.” A worthy addition to your music collection for sure.

The Sunday Drivers Website | Mushroom Pillow label | Amazon.com
The video for “Do it”

While not power pop, I will occasionally dip my toe in reviewing other genres of indie music. Sounding similar to Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Manaics mixed with The Cranberries, No Fixed Abode consists of Una Walsh and Tony Dean with a cast of talented supporting players. The band is based in Derbyshire and performs at festivals and clubs all over the UK. “What did I do” mines the indie folk-pop vibe with Una’s beautiful Irish voice and a great catchy chorus. “Kebab Crazed Nutter” reminded me of Mary Hopkin’s “Those Were the Days” and I knew then this album required repeat listens. Most of the album is what I would call modern Celtic folk, but some songs breakout of that mold. “Modern Life” is a gorgeous ballad and sounds like a Melanie classic with a nice trumpet solo. “Sunne Days” is a great song that mixes Harper’s Bizzare and Laura Nyro. Tony Dean’s guitar work is perfect accompaniment to Una’s vocals – never too strong or too much in the background. Overall, much better than I expected from a folk group and worthy of inclusion on your ipod for sure. Get it at CD Baby.

The No Fixed Abode Website | MySpace | CD Baby