The Hazey Janes - 'Hotel Radio'

Their name is derived from a song (or actually two) by Nick Drake, but they extend beyond simply folk; you'll also find country-tinged rock with some stomping powerpop thrown in for good measure. They have a fine ear for strong melodies, and a musician friend of mine reckons they are THE best harmony band around, bar none.

'Hotel Radio' is their first full studio album, a follow-up to their debut mini-album 'The Hazey Janes' (also well worth a listen - 'After All' is a great track, and a live favourite). Lovely jangly guitars open the album at the start of 'Always There', indicating some Byrdsian influences. The country feel comes through on 'Moanin' Face' and there's something Beatlesque about 'Get Down'. It's fairly difficult for me to choose a favourite track, but I'd have to go for 'Your Enemy' - an absolutely stunning powerpop gem. (And it sounds simply amazing played live - it overflows with energy and confidence).

Buy it from their site, their label, NotLame, Amazon and so on (don't confuse them with a female singer who was using a similar name for a while). Good news is that the next album is in the works.

Crashland - 'Glued'

I happened to mention this album on a music forum a while back, and was quite surprised when a couple of people came back with "yeah, I've got that, what a great little album!" Maybe it's not as obscure as I thought!

The album's a mix of rock and ballads, and I personally prefer the rockier numbers. My favourite track is 'New Perfume' - it hooks you, reels you in, then stays in your brain forever. At least that's the effect it had on me. On average I find myself singing it about once a month, while thinking "What IS that? Oh yeah, Crashland ..."

Runner up in the Best Track stakes is 'The Sun In My Eyes', which has a gorgeous rolling, singalong chorus that once again gets lodged in your memory. After that, I find the album 'dips' in the middle section, but 'Little Dreams' raises the bar back to the jaunty level, followed by 'Waiting For Someone' - a song that has a smattering of Oasis about it - and we're back to the catchy singalong sound again.

The band had a short-lived career, producing only this album (plus singles) and a couple of EPs. Amazon have used copies of 'Glued' dirt cheap, as do a few eBay sellers.

747s - 'Zampano'

I 'found' this band about a month ago when a friend suggested I check out their myspace. They impressed me so much that I immediately bought their album, and went to see them play live the following week.

I was reading the bio on their website (which includes a great story about how they almost got arrested as terrorists!) - the band members have eclectic musical backgrounds that include jazz, classical, soul, reggae, folk, musicals - you name it. Needless to say, this variety filters into the music they make, but one common thread is a strong sense of melody.

A couple of the songs on the album ('Miles Away' and 'Nature's Alibi') sound to me as if they might have fallen off The Beatles' 'White Album' (McCartney section) or possibly an early Wings album. 'Goodbye For A While' is reminiscent of an Elvis Presley ballad and tiptoes around doo-wop territory. In contrast, 'Death Of A Star' sounds like something Muse might sing (and that's a big compliment, coming from me). There's a couple of mellow numbers, mixed in with some bouncier tracks; listen for their harmonies too - they're lush. I'm a pushover for a great bassline, and the one on 'The Return' is stunning. When they played that song live, I couldn't drag my eyes away from the bass player's fingers.

Check out their official site (where you can download a track for free), and their myspace. Their music can be downloaded from the usual places, and for the physical album and singles, try Amazon, NotLame, eBay, HMV.

Stratocruiser - 'Suburban Contemporary'

I guess I belong to the school of thought that says writing about music is like dancing about architecture - I find it quite difficult to describe music using 'mere' words ... though it might be easier if I just used a list of adjectives, rather than trying to construct actual sentences! Having said that, I'm also finding it tricky to describe so many powerpop albums without over-using buzz-words like 'hooky', 'catchy', 'melodic' etc. Maybe the answer is to simply recommend each album and leave folks to go listen for themselves and decide what it sounds like!

Anyway, today's choice is, ah, yep, catchy stuff. I'd say it's a powerpop staple: if you collect the genre and don't have this album, you really do need it. There isn't a bad track on here. The mood is mostly uptempo and upbeat, ranging from the more gentle sound of 'Blue Sparkle Daydream' to the driving rock of 'J'aime Suis Mouvais'. I can hear elements of Crowded House on some tracks, Wondermints on others. If by chance you're still not convinced, I'll just add that Robbie Rist not only played on the album, he also did most of the mixing.

The official site is here, and the Myspace profile here. For my money 'Surburban Contemporary' is their best album, but their other recordings all have merit and get plenty of play in my house. Try all the usual suspects for buying choices: NotLame, CD Baby, Amazon, eBay etc.

Admiral Twin - 'Creatures Of Bread & Wine'

Another 'must have' for powerpop fans. They cite all the usual powerpop influences on their Myspace; plus there's a distinctly 60s flavour to 'I'm Talking 'Bout Me', and 'Already Gone' has shades of The Beach Boys about it.

My vote for the best track goes to 'Wait For The Bang', a catchy, brimming-with-confidence song that I would use to demonstrate what powerpop is to someone unfamiliar with the term. Another highlight is 'On & On', which hooks you instantly. Not only is it a great track, it also has the distinction of being the only song I've ever come across that mentions Cair Paravel - that alone gets them brownie points!

They've released four albums and two 'Christmas EPs', and there's a new album in the works. More info at their official site, and look for their recordings at NotLame, CD Baby, eBay and Amazon.

What's New Pussycat?

Nothing new on the blog front for a while, simply because I'm not at home very much these days! This is an odd day off in the middle of a 6-week jaunt, so reviews aren't likely to resume till mid-November.

The title is a nod to the fact that I'm on tour with Cosmic Rough Riders, who are supporting Tom Jones around the UK!