Limbeck "Limbeck"

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The state of alt country is in good hands with groups like Limbeck. Like the Honeydogs, Limbeck has taken the lead in the genre since the demise of The Jayhawks and my apparent disappointment of the latest Wilco album. In the past Limbeck couldn’t seem to reconcile the country leanings and sugary pop tendencies. On this album they come together perfectly. Limbeck frontman Robb MacLean tells a great bunch of road stories that are pure Americana with a West Coast laid-back flavor. There is no filler on this album and every song seems to flow at it’s own smooth pace, suited for lazy sunday afternoons in summertime. The details here show a finely crafted masterpiece. “Big Drag” has a bluesy beat with little Sax flourishes that has a awesome chorus. “Let Me Come Home” almost sounds like a country-flavored Fountains of Wayne tune. Even a slow country ballad “Reading The Street Signs” gets a bit of Beach Boys harmonies. “Wake Up” is a Tom Petty styled rocker that keeps your toe tappin’ with excellent guitar riffs. “Your Story” has some great harmonic shifts and chord changes that is the stuff of greatness and my favorite track on the album. This is definely on my top ten list this year and if you are an alt country fan this is a “must-have” album. Listen to the album streaming on the Pure Volume site.

Limbeck’s Site | My Space | Pure Volume | Not Lame

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Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich "Hold Tight"

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Quentin Tarantino continues to assert his influence with movie soundtracks. Much like when he generated loads of attention for Dick Dale with Pulp Fiction, Quentin has unearthed Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, an obscure sixties group that was better known for “Zabadak” and a number of great overlooked performances. “Hold Tight” is featured prominently in the new film “Death Proof”

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Brad Brooks "Spill Collateral Love"

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For those of you who enjoy your pop on the baroque side, the new Brad Brooks album will definitely be your cup of tea. “Spill Collateral Love” contains a flood of orchestral and harmonic details with those guitar power chords. “Love on my sleeve” is a good track that recalls the hypnotically repeated guitar chords from Beatles’ “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).” This is followed by “Lathered in Cream,” a bouncy, hook-filled classic slice of power pop and the obvious “single” on this album – unfortunately that’s it for the high energy songs. The rest of the album takes a rather moody turn. It begins with the melancholic “Ex-stripper Librarian” that sounds alot like a great Stephen Trask show ballad. “The Loon of Altitude” and “Francis of Alaska” mixes a bit of classic piano and Vaudevillian styled narrative rock that recalls Jellyfish’s best moments. In fact, Brooks sings his heart out on this album with an emotional resonance resembling Freddy Mercury or 10cc. I’m sure there is a full story connecting all these songs, with arcane run-on-sentence lyrics like, “..this town is a crazy playground of lost daisies are chaining…,” I’ll need to listen to it more. When we get to “The Sonic Twins” we get back to the classic Brad Brooks sound for a bit, before the album contiunes with the harmonica driven “Pleading Amnesia” that sounds like it would fit well on Pink Floyd’s The Final Cut or any Guided By Voices album. The album ends with “Luxurious Latitude” a fitting music-hall styled ending. It’s good to shake things up a bit and have power pop not so cheery, but very dramatic and visceral. Listen to this album streaming at Not Lame to hear it all.

Brad Brooks Site | My Space | CD Baby | Not Lame

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Superdrag "Changin’ Tires on the Road to Ruin"

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The Tennessee power-pop band Superdrag became a big hit with “Who Sucked out the Feeling” in 1996. They broke up in 2003 after nearly a decade of label troubles and personnel instability that robbed the group of any career momentum. Changin’ Tires on The Road to Ruin is a 14-track anthology of demos, live tracks, and b-sides from 1997 to 2003. If you’re a Superdrag fanatic, you’ve already heard most of these demos and assorted b-sides. But most of us haven’t. Best of all, the remastered sound makes them sound like a brand new release. I consider Superdrag one of the most under appreciated power-pop groups ever to exist. They stand toe-to-toe with other classic power pop bands like the Posies, Fountains of Wayne, and Sloan. “Here We Come” and “She Says” grabs you and the album doesn’t let you go. “Doctors are Dead” features the amazing harmonies and musicianship of John Davis — and even these scraps from the cutting room floor blow most other bands out of the water! Things get a little uneven by mid point in the album, but there is so much greatness here you will even enjoy the live tracks at the end of the LP. Don’t miss this one. Hearn some tunes at MySpace, and buy it at itunes.

Buy Direct from Superdrag | My Space | itunes | Not Lame

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The Alan Wauters Alliance "This Is My Life"

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Alan has a long musical career that spans several decades, as a session man with The Left Banke, The Standells and The Birth of Spring. This CD is a collection of his own tunes created over the years. “This is my Life” and “Living on the Edge” sounds like a long lost pop singles from those classic early power pop bands 20/20 or The Flaming Groovies. In fact there is some great jangly guitar and folk-rock that you thought they just don’t make like this anymore. “Great Accuser” is an amazing slice of “retro” rock and roll, if you close your eyes you can image a combination of Eddie Money, Boston and Simon & Garfunkel. Speaking of S&G, the pristine version of “Sounds of Silence” is just amazing. Because these songs were recorded at different times with different session men it feels like a collection of singles, instead of a cohesive album. Most of the time it does a great job “Friend of Mine” is a priceless mix of Bob Dylan, The Kinks and Pink Floyd all rolled into one. The album ends with “Resolution” – and it is the strongest track in my opinion, with great guitar and harmonies, almost like what The post-Michael Brown Left Banke may have sounded if they had not broken up. This song also features Steve Coronel (ex-Wicked Lester, with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS). Ahh the sweet smell of nostalgia…Visit the Cherry Bomb site to hear this album streaming.

Cherry Bomb Records | My Space | Kool Kat Records | Not Lame

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