It’s been a while since the last Sloan album and I feel it’s about time. Although this is a worthy inclusion into the Sloan cannon, the group has a serious case of “Robert Pollard-itis”. That is have 30 tracks, but only about 14 complete songs – the remainder are melodic snippets. It’s as if they decided after a minute of playing a song, “Ok, Let’s do something else.” These songs should have been worked on and expanded or kept in the vaults. As it is they are interesting snippets. However the other songs more than make up for it. “Fading Into Obscurity” is a great Abbey-road styled epic song with changing key signatures and themes. “Before the end of the Race” is a classic Sloan song complete with hand claps and ringing guitars. In fact, lots of the songs sound like they were written prior to the “Navy Blues” period. So they really aren’t changing the Sloan sound any further than previous albums. Maybe these were demos they wanted to release? Anyway, you the listener will have to be the editor here, and pick out the songs you like. Currently this CD is an import you can get on Not Lame or Amazon and it’s a bit pricey. If you are a Sloan fan, get it for sure. Others can wait for a US release.

You know some critics just can’t be objective. Look at world-famous web site Pitchfork’s opinion about this album. Honestly, I have no idea what they are so pissed at. What we have here is a decent follow up to the smash hit album “Get Born.” The first single “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is” is a great example of the AC/DC meets Badfinger. With the heavy guitar, screaming vocals and melodic choruses, it makes a great tune, but it falls short of last years “Are you gonna be my girl?” “Get Born” had more songs on it that were in your face and raw. The next song “Bring it on Back” is a decent Black Crows styled ballad and the rest of the album follows with more mid-tempo ballads that are all enjoyable. The stylistic shifts are a bit jarring. From the Oasis styled ballad “Shine On” to the Def Leppard-like arena rock of “That’s All Lies” it really spreads around the influences. It’s hard to give this a bad rating if you like quality rock ‘n roll. There are really no duds on the album. Unlike other critics – the Beatles influences are warmly welcomed here in the world of power pop. Even the tune “Shiny Magazine” could fit on the new L.E.O. album. This may make some music critics cringe that Jet has lost some “street cred” – but it’s not like they suddenly became Smashmouth. Utimately, it’s very good album and should be listened to. They also have a really nice website. Buy it on Not Lame, amazon.com or most major music outlets.

Well, the wait is over and you can finally sink your teeth into this release. Bruce at Not Lame Recordings is making this one special with all sorts of bonus stuff. You can hear the entire album streaming right here. I listened to what is basically a Jeff Lynne lovefest by a huge group of accomplished Power Pop artists, like Andy Sturmer (Jellyfish) and Mike Viola (The Candy Butchers). This entire recording was a labor of love by Bleu McAuley (Bleu), who did most of the heavy lifting here. I swear you will hear every single Electric Light Orchestra production technique crammed into these songs. “Distracted” is the big single and my favorite tune. I will stop writing here — click on the link and listen yourself.

Before Brenden Benson became everyone’s favorite Raconteur, he produced this with The Greenhornes. The Greenhornes are influenced by the best of the 60’s (Byrds, Zombies, Animals, Yardbirds, Beatles) but still let plenty of their own style come through. Benson opens up their sound by adding subtle layers of psychedelia to some tracks and changing up pacing and structure to keep it lively. This EP is a nice little gem that swings from Beatlesque pop to garage rock, however it’s only 5 songs.. My favorite pick on this disc is the melodic “I’m Going Away” – a great Merseybeat styled tune. You can download this from iTunes or buy it at Amazon. Guys I’m waiting for more – maybe a full LP’s worth of songs next time (a greatest hits LP doesn’t count).

It’s been a long ten years since The Lemonheads last CD “Car Button Cloth” – and fortunately Evan Dando brings the old sound back. With Bill Stevenson on drums and Karl Alvarez on bass – the Lemonheads manage to keep their old melodic rock sound intact and if you close your eyes it’s 1997 all over again. The songs are about equal quality to thier last album – but it doesn’t come close to the classic “It’s a shame about Ray.” On the song “No Backbone,” Dando sings “It’s become routine…” and the album sounds a bit routine to me. This will CD will definitely please the Lemonhead fans – but it won’t convert anyone else. The song “Pittsburgh” is my fave here – it’s got that great jangle and heavy drum beat. You can download this on emusic right here. or get it on amazon.com