Roots of Powerpop

While casting about eMusic.com looking for something interesting to download, I came across a compilation from 1996 called The Roots of Powerpop put out by Bomp! Records. It collects some great late-1970's power pop from the likes of acts I was familiar with like Flamin' Groovies, The Romantics, 20/20, Shoes, and the Plimsouls, in addition to other less known groups. Some of the songs are classic power pop, some have a Nuggets feel to them, and some have more of a new wave/punk feel. I don't know of any free MP3s but you can listen to samples at eMusic or at Amazon.com. If you're into this genre, this collection is a must-have! I will probably also check out a similar Bomp! compilation called Destination: Bomp!, which appears to include some good power pop, punk, new wave, and garage rock.

New Futureheads

The Futureheads, one of my absolute favorite bands of recent years, is putting out a new single entitled Area. You can download an advance copy here. I like the song but it remains to be seen if the Futureheads' new work will match the brilliance of their self-titled debut from 2004. That album remains in heavy rotation on my iPod, and I believe I'll be listening to it for years to come. Any band that takes early XTC and the Jam, mixes them up in a blender, and then adds their own original touch (including a willingness to sing a capella in delightfully thick Scottish accents), is alright by me.

Ballad of El Goodo

I really haven't bought into all the hype this year over the Decemberists. Nevertheless, I came across a great live cover by them of The Ballad of El Goodo, one of my favorite Big Star songs. Check it out here.

Editors

Editors is a new band from the UK that has been hyped as the British Interpol. Let's ignore the irony of that statement, which ignores the fact that Interpol basically has been making a decent living for the last few years pretending to be British and copping the sounds of British groups like Joy Division and the Chameleons. And let's ignore the fact that Editors' great single Munich is basically Interpol's Obstacle 1 sped up (seriously: check out that staccato rhythm guitar part playing 1/8 notes on the 1 and 3 beats - ching-ching! ching-ching! verrrrrrrrrrrrry similar). The fact is, the song rocks and is catchy as hell; I highly recommend it. And frankly, wouldn't it be rather jingoistic of me to applaud Interpol for channeling Joy Division but criticize Editors for doing the same? At any rate, currently, the Munich single is all that's available on iTunes. Unfortunately, Back Room, their full-length debut can only be bought as an import. Still, it seems to be available used from Amazon.com and others for a reasonable price, so I'll probably buy it soon.

Follow-Up, 11.28.2005
As promised, I did buy Editors' Back Room and am enjoying it immensely - dare I say more than the 2nd Interpol album? I'd recommend buying it. There seem to be many relatively low-cost used import versions out there. On a side note, mine arrived in great condition very promptly from an Amazon.com merchant. My only complaint, if you can call it that, is that some of the text on the back of the CD appears to be in Russian (just the legal/record label related stuff - all of the track names, liner notes, etc are in English). I knew that it would be an import but I foolishly assumed it was being imported from England. Oh well, I've always said that the Russian mob/black market does great work...

The Exit

The free single on iTunes this week is Don't Push by The Exit, a band that Steve Jobs (or his minions, anyway) compares to the Clash mixed with Bob Marley. I don't really get that... The song does have a vaguely reggae beat in a few sections. Nevertheless, I like it. Get it for free before next Tuesday.

Sun Kil Moon

One of my all-time favorite bands is the Red House Painters, San Francisco slow-core rockers of the 1990's with a penchant for unusual covers. Witness their dirge-like cover of Kiss's Shock Me, as well as covers of songs by AC/DC, Yes, the Cars, and Paul McCartney, to name a few. The band - basically a vehicle for serotonin-challenged Mark Kozelek - split up several years ago, but Kozelek's new band, Sun Kil Moon, carries on the Red House Painters' sound, as well as a flair for radically re-interpreting songs. Their 2nd album, Twin Cities, consists entirely of covers of Modest Mouse songs. It's an impressive work, at least from my perspective. I love Kozelek's work but am only a casual fan of Modest Mouse. The 2songs I know from the only Modest Mouse album I own (Lonesome Crowded West), are both good: Convenient Parking, and Trucker's Atlas. You can get a free download of Ocean Breathes Salty. Steve and any other San Francisco residents should check out this review from SF Weekly. And if you see Kozelek on the street (you might recognize him from the movie Almost Famous - he played the bassist in the band), wave for me...

And although this post is nominally about Sun Kil Moon and their kooky covers, I highly recommend that you check out their first album of originals, as well as the Red House Painters canon (start at their 2 self-titled albums from 1993 and work our from there, if so inclined).

Big Star - Lost In Space

Let's assume that John Lennon and George Harrison were still alive. Does anyone REALLY think it would be a good idea for the Beatles to get together and make another record at this late date? Or maybe the Velvet Underground would be a better comparison? After a silence of 30 years or so, can any incredibly influential band hope to surpass their seminal work(s)? Certainly not Big Star. I knew all that, and yet I couldn't help it: I downloaded In Space, the first Big Star studio album since the mid-70's, from eMusic.com last month. As expected, it was a disappointment, despite the presence of Ken Stingfellow and Jon Auer of the Posies, a band which is my personal favorite heir to the Big Star legacy. Don't get me wrong: there are some good songs like Dony (in particular), Lady Sweet (basically a Posies song), Best Chance We've Ever Had, February's Quiet, and Mine Exclusively, most of which sound like vintage-Big Star. But the album is uneven at best, riddled with the kind of fuck-around, mess-with-our-expectations crap that's marked/marred Alex Chilton's post-Big Star work (or even Sister Lovers/Third, for that matter). Love Revolution is just plain embarrassing ("Shake that funky thing," my ass!). My advice: start with Dony and the other songs I mentioned, but don't feel obligated by nostalgia to be a completist.

The Subways

The iTunes free-single-of-the-week is Rock & Roll Queen by London group the Subways. I don't know anything about the band other than what Steve Jobs tells me, but I hear a strong debt to Nirvana in their snotty sound. It would fit in fairly well on Incesticide. Get it while you can. I believe the free single changes on Tues so download it before 11/22/2005.

Blood on the Wall

Blood on the Wall is a Brooklyn-based group that evokes the Pixies and Sonic Youth. You can get free MP3s courtesy of their record label, The Social Registry. Of those, Mary Susan and Reunite On Ice, both from the band's new and 2nd album Awesomer (gotta love that title) are especially good. I wasn't familiar with them but heard one of their songs in the car just now on Radio K. It's not one of the aforementioned free MP3s so I'll need to track it down. Looks like eMusic.com has their first, self-titled album, so I'm hopeful that they'll carry the new release as well.