"Another high quality pop disc from Au..." more

"Another high quality pop disc from Australia, another one produced by Michael Carpenter. The man with the tunes this time around is Bryan Estepa, and his solo debut All The Bells and Whistles is most definitely worth your acquaintance.

Estepa's sound can't quite be pigeonholed. The opener "By The Window" has enough honky tonk in it to pass a possible lost Grateful Dead/Band track, while "Your Best Night" is classic midtempo pop, much in the vein of his producer. The real triumph here is the 6-minute pop gem "Western Tale", which betrays a Beach Boy influence but also throws in handclaps, backing female vocals, and that's just the first three minutes." less

"The sound here is a mix of XTC, Beach..." more

"The sound here is a mix of XTC, Beach Boys, Roger Joseph Manning of Jellyfish, Elliott Smith, and vocally above all, Joe Pernice. Standout tracks: "All My Rivals", "Right on Time" and "I Won't Ask Why". Listen to the samples." less

"I found these guys on eMusic while ch..." more

"I found these guys on eMusic while checking out new arrivals, and it might have been my best pure eMu discovery. Something True is power pop with a folk/rock feel to it, and is a melodic treat." less

"David Mead's always been one of my fa..." more

"David Mead's always been one of my favorites, and Tangerine has its share of Mead classics that stand up to anything in his canon. In particular, the funky "Chatterbox", "Hard to Remember" and "Fighting For Your Life" are real treats." less

"This is a must for fans of Neil Finn,..." more

"This is a must for fans of Neil Finn, XTC and Badly Drawn Boy. Although the album is described on his cdbaby page as "infused with artistic traces of The Beatles, Travis, Oasis, Blur, Radiohead, and Coldplay, to name a few", to me it sounds a bit more retro than those bands (the Beatles excepted, of course), with more of a sixties british pop sensibility (Small Faces, anybody?)." less

"Great piano pop from North Carolina b..." more

"Great piano pop from North Carolina by a guy not named Ben Folds. "Not on the Radio" is the standout track." less

"If it's a great new Ben Folds disc yo..." more

"If it's a great new Ben Folds disc you want, pass on Songs For Silverman and get this debut from Justin Levinson. Piano-based power pop at its best; "Sunny Day", "Empty Line Cliche" and "Sky Is Falling" are the standouts." less

"Ashton definitely has the British pop..." more

"Ashton definitely has the British pop sound down on Blindsided. While opener "You You You" is a quality tune, things really take a step forward with "Take The Strain", which sounds like The 88 by way of Parallax Project, with a bit of Jellyfish thrown in. "Fantastic" is just that, with some Robbie Williams/Supergrass influences to go along with the Jellyfish sound. All in all, a promising debut." less

"Still reigning as my #1 pick for 2006..." more

"Still reigning as my #1 pick for 2006, this disc melds the more Beatlesque side of Elliott Smith with a touch of the Pernice Brothers and Todd Rundgren. Standout tracks: "Blue Sky", "Love Sweet Love", "Boyfriend"." less

"This tour de force has been likened t..." more

"This tour de force has been likened to an indie Pop Pet Sounds, and that isn't far off the mark. Great, great pop with all the bells and whistles. Standout tracks include "The Compromise", "She Doesn't Get It" and the title track." less

"The HJ's are at the intersection of m..." more

"The HJ's are at the intersection of my two favorite styles of music: power pop and alt-country. The Jayhawks and Cosmic Rough Riders comparisons are most certainly apt." less

"The great lost Oasis album. These guy..." more

"The great lost Oasis album. These guys are almost an Oasis tribute band, and lead singer Foster Calhoun is a dead sonic ringer for Liam Gallagher, only without the English accent. If you liked Definitely Maybe and Morning Glory and wondered what happened to Oasis after that, here's your disc." less

"Rainbow Quartz strikes again, unearth..." more

"Rainbow Quartz strikes again, unearthing another great band that evokes the classic power pop of the 60s and 70s without sounding terribly retro. "Chocolate" and "Peter Shilton" are my favorites here." less

"The Slides are from Down Under - Bris..." more

"The Slides are from Down Under - Brisbane to be specific - and they follow in the footsteps of fellow countrymen like Michael Carpenter, Chris Murphy and Simon Morel in bringing us pure pop goodness. There's also a hint of their colleagues across the Tasman Sea, Neil Finn and Crowded House." less

"The Vestals are brothers Ben and Jere..." more

"The Vestals are brothers Ben and Jeremy Gordon, and they've been called the "Jon Brion and Jason Falkner of the Twin Cities". That's not too far off the mark, and this is one of the better pure power pop discs of the year. "Before I Run" is magnificent, and "Drag to be You" and "Going Going Gone" are standout tracks as well." less

"It seems like we've had a run of Auss..." more

"It seems like we've had a run of Aussie bands lately with the Neil Finn/Michael Carpenter sound, and darned if Third Floor Story doesn't sound like another one of these. The difference is that these guys don't hail from Down Under - they're from London.

Unlike most albums, which are front-loaded, Lonely City actually gets better as it goes along." less

"Not strictly power pop, but pop-influ..." more

"Not strictly power pop, but pop-influenced alt-country in the vein of The Old 97's, Jayhawks and Ryan Adams. In fact, this disc reminds me of earlier Ryan Adams before he went Hollywood. Favorites: "Tietze Park", "Four Pictures" and "Where The Streets Remain"." less

"Warren Zanes' Memory Girls (also avai..." more

"Warren Zanes' Memory Girls (also available on eMusic) was my favorite disc of 2003, and this followup is no slouch either. Sophisticated adult pop in the vein of Josh Rouse and Freedy Johnston (only with a bit more bite), it won't let you down. Recommended: "Jr's Bag of Tricks", "Carrying Me/Carrying You", "Ella's Arms"." less

"This disc took me by surprise after c..." more

"This disc took me by surprise after coming to it a bit late this year. It's just a great melodic tour of New York City and classic rock and pop. "Asking Annie Out" rocks, and the cover of "Police on My Back", faithful to The Clash version, is well done." less