Wherewithal Price: $13.00 Artist: Andy Bopp Description: Brand new release from the former Myracle Brah frontman, the followup to his terrific “Blisters And Thorns” release from 2017! “I mentioned how great Myracle Brah were in the review of Andy’s great ‘Blisters And Thorns’. But the even better news is that he’s moved on a pace since then and ‘Wherewithal’ just might be the best thing that he's ever done. The album reminds me a lot of Ian McNabb's latest, ‘Our Future In Space’. There are plenty of similarities. ‘Melting Into Velveteen’ is interchangeable, it could be either's song. But the comparison goes deeper, as both will be compared to their previous band. Yet their solo work is far deeper, far more fulfilling, but will get less attention than what's gone before. Bopp leans more towards Psych Pop. McNabb to classic rock, but the charm and ability is equal. Both have produced exceptional albums this year. ‘Sure And True’ is a wonderful example of how good Andy is now, it's got a killer Beatlesque chorus. ‘Lonely Driver’ is indie joy, built around a funky bass riff. ‘Push And Pull’ is pure Bowie, complete with sax and some incendiary guitar. It's a belter. Even the moody piano instrumental ‘April Is Near’. There’s really so much here. Closer ‘Stranger Is Strange’ is all twangy moodiness, think Ian Hunter's ‘The Outsider’. ‘Blind Faith’ is a haunting strum, it could make you weep, it's inspired. ‘Shadow’ is anthemic in a Lennonesque manner. These 10 songs contain so much in them, so many twists and turns in each. They’re all beautifully arranged and feature some outstanding guitar playing. You even find yourself singing along to the slower numbers. This is nothing like Myracle Brah and you wouldn't want it to be. Andy Bopp is at the top of his game. ‘Wherewithal’ is a definite inclusion in my Top 10 of 2018. Moody, yet incredibly melodic. I can't recommend the album highly enough.” – IDontHearASingle.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Working The Long Game Price: $13.00 Artist: Bill Lloyd Description: We’ll let John Borack give you the eloquently stated lowdown on Bill’s new record. “Bill Lloyd’s first two solo records - 1987’s ‘Feeling the Elephant’ and 1994’s ‘Set to Pop’ - are rightfully seen as classic of the power pop/melodic rock genre. Combining ringing guitars with a keen sense of melody in songs such as ‘Lisa Anne,’ ‘Nothing Comes Close,’ ‘Trampoline,’ ‘Niagara Falls’ and several others, he created a template that was difficult to top. Several releases for several different labels would follow, with each one being very good or better; still, to this writer, he hadn’t quite been able to return to the elusive heights he achieved on his first few efforts. Until now, that is. ‘Working the Long Game’, is not only his finest solo collection in nearly 25 years, it’s a solid contender for album of the year in my book. A dozen tracks, each one carefully crafted and melodically stimulating, and a sterling showcase for what can still be done with a solid base of guitars, bass and drums. Of course, there are some other complementary touches - the strings on the devastatingly beautiful and delicate ‘Wake Up Call,’ Lloyd’s mandolin on the ever-so-slightly middle-eastern sounding Graham Gouldman co-write ‘What Time Won’t Heal’ - but on the whole, these are uncluttered, six-string powered gems that are instantly likeable and retain their substantial charms long after the disc stops spinning. Several of the songs stand up with his best ever. ‘Wake Up Call’ deftly balances musical sweetness and lyrical sadness, with an acoustic guitar figure that recalls Big Star’s ‘Thirteen,’ while the joyously catchy ‘Go-To-Girl’ sounds like it could have topped the charts in 1965. Then there’s ‘Yesterday,’ a wonderfully loud, loose-limbed rocker that features Cheap Trick’s Tom Petersson on bass (who co-wrote the song with Lloyd), followed by the similarly muscular ‘Interrupted’ (co-written with Scot Sax) extols the frustration of attempting to collaborate on music via the internet. It features just a whiff of a ‘Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress’ vibe in the verses and adds a positively incendiary guitar solo as a bonus, and ‘Merch Table,’ is driven by a slew of cascading guitars and slam-bangin’ drums (Lloyd is credited with “many guitars and vocals” on this) and lyrically serves as something of a statement of purpose for the struggling independent musician. Both songs will deposit themselves directly into your memory bank. On the final two tracks, ‘Miracle Mile’ and ‘Shining,’ he one-man bands it in quite fetching fashion: his controlled-yet-powerful drumming on the former tune is a revelation (who knew?), while on the latter he closes things out in a mellower manner that’s somewhat reminiscent of Paul McCartney circa 1973. Beautiful vocal arrangement on this one, too. Everything else on the record is more than worthy as well, especially the jaunty title track which welds a perky little melody around a guitar riff inspired by the Beatles’ ‘Getting Better’ and adds a cheeky set of lyrics. Oh, and let’s not forget ‘’Til the Day That I Break Down,’ a classic Lloyd pop-rocker penned with frequent collaborator David Surface and another all-by-himself recording that sounds like anything but. It all adds up to a revelatory release, proving yet again that there is still plenty of life in the tried and true guitars/bass/drums formula as long as you have the songs. And boy oh boy, has Bill Lloyd ever got ‘em this time around.” GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Ten Times Four Price: $14.00 Artist: Caddy Description: The follow up to “The Better End” is here and is already being proclaimed one of 2018’s best power pop releases! “I've been waiting impatiently for the new Caddy album all year and today is the day that its poptopia is unleashed on the world. It's been too long since ‘The Better End’. Since then, Tom Dahl became a Stanley whose debut was lauded as one of the best power pop albums of 2017, rightly so. ‘Ten Times Four’ lands somewhere in the middle of those two albums, gloriously so. ‘The Better End’ was beautifully arranged, but the songwriting was reflective, a little melancholic, when it broke out, it did it gently. ‘In The Basement’ here mines similar territory. The Stanleys album is more heads down, have a good time, power pop and that influence is also revealed here. At times, these songs are built on meandering memorable riffs, never more so than on ‘Not The One’ and ‘Somewhere Beautiful’, a song that wouldn't be out of place on The Stanleys album. The moody ‘Roadblocks’ is built around a slow sinister riff, far different to the rest of the upbeat songs. ‘Reverie’ is a jangle fest, all Teenage Fanclub, a wonderfully melodic strum along building to an ‘Everything Flows’ bridge. The closer, ‘The Good Ones’ is a splendid anthem, a real sing your heart out building to a Thin Lizzy twin guitar crescendo. If ‘Miracle Turn’ is the ideal opener with it's glorious chorus, then ‘The Good Ones’ ends the album in similar feel good mode. Special mention has to go to ‘Safe Travels’, a glam rock masterpiece with some fine Beach Boys harmonies. There's so much packed in to its four minutes. I've followed Tom's career since The Yums Yums and I can honestly say this is his best album yet. It's magnificently feel good, epic in its pop scope. It's so easy to forget that Caddy is a one man band. Thus far, 2018 has been a fine year for pop rock. ‘Ten Times Four’ is another contender for album of the year. As soon as the album finishes, you want to play it again. Forget about what's happening in the world, this will make you feel that everything is A OK.” – IDontHearASingle.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

A Salty Taste To The Lake + bonus disc Price: $17.00 Artist: Caper Clowns Description: They’re back with a brilliant sophomore effort! “I know that I've been rattling on about what a great year 2018 is for Pop Rock. The end of year charts are going to be so competitive and there's more to come yet. One of the albums that I've been looking forward to most is Caper Clowns' second album and it doesn't disappoint. Quite the opposite in fact. I loved the band's debut album, ‘The Buca Bus’. These Danes have moved on apace, the maturity gained from all those gigs has resulted in one of the great pop albums of this year. ‘A Salty Taste To The Lake’ has been trailed by two splendid singles, ‘The Way I Dream’, in which they out Finned Crowded House and the jaunty McCartney pop of ‘Sacre Bleu’. A third single, Paper Trail has just been released. All three singles are worth grabbing, each includes an unreleased B Side (see below – we’ve got you covered!). The ‘Paper Trail’ flip, ‘Just Another Supersonic Mastodon’ is particularly great, 4 minutes encroaching on Psych Pop with its constant changes. No difficult second album problems are present here. Whilst still mastering Beatles-like pop, Caper Clowns broaden the range. ‘Paper Trail’ is classic Difford and Tilbrook, you can imagine a boy band grabbing hold of Loops and bringing it to the masses. ‘What If’ is an acoustic orchestral ‘Windmills Of Your Mind’ sort of thing. ‘Me For A Friend’ reflects a lot of what I feel about the album. It reminds me of one of those great pop rock albums of the 70's. ‘Lifeline’ starts with a Roy Wood/Move-like riff, it's a fantastic piece of Psych Pop. From the minute that I heard ‘The Way I Dream’ earlier this year, I knew the album was going to be a stormer, I'm still singing the song six months on, it's a real earworm. ‘A Salty Taste To The Lake’ is an upbeat melodic joy. The biggest problem that I've had is keeping quiet about the album until now. It's been on constant repeat for the past few weeks. All of the things that were great about ‘The Buca Bus’ are present, but the band have grown into an even greater outfit. There is real depth in these 11 Songs. Caper Clowns may very well be my favourite band of the last couple of years. The album is a must have.” – IDontHearASingle.com COMES WITH AN EXCLUSIVE BONUS DISC OF 6 SONGS THAT WERE RELEASED AS SINGLE/EP B-SIDES THAT ARE NOT ON EITHER THEIR “THE BUCA BUS” AND “A SALTY TASTE TO THE LAKE” FULL-LENGTHS! GREAT!!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

10 More Rock Super Hits Price: $12.00 Artist: Jeff Whalen Description: WOW!! BUBBLEGLAM is here! Jeff Whelan is the former lead vocalist for poppers extraordinaire Tsar. Citing their primary influences as Guns ‘N Roses and the Monkees, Tsar’s music was a hook-filled hybrid of post-grunge alternative, power pop, and glam rock. The group split in 2005. Not to be deterred, this is Jeff’s terrific, Linus Of Hollywood-produced, solo debut! And, it’s getting nothing but glowing reviews! “A bubblegum fans wet dream!” – David Bash/IPO “My first thought was that this album just makes you happy. You can’t be in a bad mood after listening to this, it's impossible. Great from top to bottom, and well worth the wait! Infectious!” – Gary Martin “A joyous set of sparkling pop rock that inflate the heart and stuff the ears full of sunshine” – Ginger Wildheart “This is seriously my #1 contender for AOTY (along with Linus' ‘Cabin Life’). I might contract diabetes - it's so sugary sweet! Love the vocal production, handclaps, instrumentation, keys and horns! ‘The Alien Lanes’ is the kind of tune Cheap Trick should still be making (but can't) - and ‘Don't Give It Up’ is maybe the most head-bopping catchy song on the record, (though the title track is also total ear candy). This record is WAY better than it even needs to be (hope that comes off as a compliment) and it needs to be heard by the masses!” – Andy Solum That should be enough to get you excited about this record! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Sugar Price: $11.00 Artist: Lisa Mychols Description: Lisa’s intoxicating amalgamation of girl-group sweetness with powerful melodies and instrumentation makes for a polished sound, where the guitars are out in full force, the lyrics are poignant, and the vocals are nothing less than impressive and charming. “A fantastic new album from Lisa Mychols, featuring Lisa's beautiful vocals and poignant lyrics, together with creative melodies and chord changes and cool powerpop instrumentation and production. Think southern California girl power pop, garage sunshine, indie pop, mod, and psychedelic pop/rock. Lisa is a unique American pop/rock treasure!” – Bill Jacobs “’Sugar’ is perhaps the most appropriately titled album of the year – a joyous, harmony-filled singer’s showcase, imbued with sweet songs sung sweetly. This is the sound of pure pop made for a life under sun-drenched skies spreading light and love over lazy mid-year, carefree days. The record is nothing less than Lisa’s greatest achievement, and that, as has been said before, is really saying something. One part girl-group aesthetic and one other part sunshine pop, Sugar’s songs, built around gorgeous, rich harmonies and Lisa’s most assured vocals ever, should have no trouble lifting spirits as they entertain. It would be impossible to deny the pleasing power of beauteous creations such as ‘Loving You’ and the full-on, sugary sweet uptempo wonder ‘Don’t Wanna Close My Eyes.’ And then there is ‘He’s Got Me Dreaming,’ a girl-group confection running atop a steady rock beat, ‘Domino,’ within which rock steady verses meet pop choruses, and ‘Next to Impossible,’ a sweet, bluesy ballad. It’s a wonder to behold, this album full of wonders. This is your summer album, sung sweetly by one of melodic pop music’s most enduring, endearing talents. Steve Refling produced, played all of the instruments, and co-wrote all of the songs with Lisa. ‘Sugar’ is sweet. Don’t miss it.” – Alan Haber/Pure Pop Radio GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Edison Park Price: $10.00 Artist: Reaction Description: R.E.M. ALERT!! The roots of Reaction can be traced as far back as 1981. When James McNaughton, Steve Cieslak, and Jim Murchison found themselves in need of a drummer, Mark O'Neill joined the band adding his steady beat, thus completing the original lineup of Reaction. In 1982, the band added Bob Lara on lead guitar. By 1984 the band consisted of Bob Lara, Mark O'Neill, Steve Cieslak and Jim McNaughton as Reaction was then and is today. In 1985 the band traveled down to Atlanta to record 6 songs that were produced by Peter Buck of R.E.M. (which in retrospect makes perfect sense as “Edison Park” is very R.E.M.-like). The band shopped this demo and had several indie labels interested. The band turned down a deal with Walk Thru Fire records, and ultimately, the Buck-produced songs were not released until 2016. In 1987 another demo was recorded that was produced by Mike Hoffmann of E*I*E*I*O. In 1988, there was strong interest from Warner Brothers Records to the Hoffmann produced tapes. Though there was no record deal from these recordings, the band remained intact and determined. Reaction continued to play shows well into 1990 and continued working on another demo to release. The band would be together up until 1991, when life, as it does, caused the band to move on. Never really breaking up as many bands do, Reaction remained friends over the years. The band would be together off and on (briefly reuniting in 1995), but more off than on. Edison Park is the neighborhood in Chicago where Reaction used to rehearse. It's the commuter rail station in the photo on the cover. It's was a time in their lives when possibilities seemed endless. “Edison Park” is the album. It marks the first collaboration of Reaction with Mike Hoffmann recording and co-producing. These tracks from 1987 are a restoration of a long lost master tape. Rescued in the nick of time from turning to dust with Hoffman's help, they are now released into the wild as they were always intended to be. These are songs of love and freedom, the moment and the time - a snapshot of a place in their hearts. This is Reaction. This is “Edison Park”. All songs were written and sung by Steve Cieslak and are VERY R.E.M.-like! EXCELLENT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Four Price: $12.00 Artist: Starbelly Description: JUST ARRIVED!! They’re baaack! Armed with lots of jangly guitars, harmonies and hooks are emboldened by the strong songwriting duo of Cliff Hillis and Dennis Schocket. Bryan Ewald has mastered George Harrison’s slide technique and Greg Schroeder hits his drums with furious precision. After years of music making, "Four" finds the band all grown up. Lyrics touch on a father’s passing (“The Boy Who Learned How to Cry”), a suffragette’s fight for equality (“She Will Go On”), life changes (“Lay Low”), and a beleaguered rock star’s obsession with "making it" (“Danny Opus”). All supported by crisp, clean production, “Four” is a testament to both top notch songwriting and performance! “Starbelly exists as a part of nature. They will go forever, draping the world in beautiful harmonies. But only with this recording has their glory been properly captured. Much-needed and long-awaited, this is their finest yet. Feed on this and grow stronger!" - Warren Zanes We certainly have and will continue to moving forward! Welcome back guys! We missed you! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

House Price: $13.00 Artist: The Greenberry Woods Description: After more than 20 years, Baltimore’s best are back with “House”, a collection of 14 live/studio tuneful gems made between 1989 and 1995 that will please old fans to no end – and surely make some new ones, too. The four members of Greenberry Woods reunited earlier this year, and played a pair of sold out warm-up shows. Even after all these years, the vocal harmonies and irresistible hooks were as airtight as ever. “While this is not brand new stuff, fans of the band's two outstanding records, as well as those (very often the same) who loved the two Huseman brothers' follow-up project Splitsville, will find both solace and pleasure in welcoming them back.” – Pop Phil “Just as with ‘Rapple Dapple’ and ‘Big Money Item’, the hooks are fast, furious and plentiful. From the opening track, ‘Are You In Love Again’, it becomes evident that the guys hadn’t lost a thing. ‘You’ve Been Good’ is propelled by a quick, steady beat and harmonies that make for one of those irresistible, sing-along tune. ‘Good Man Down’ is as melodically pleasing a track as has been made this year. And the ‘hits’ keep on coming. ‘Drop Away’ may be the best track of all, with its deliciously distorted guitars and repetitive chorus. Bottom line: ‘House’ is as catchy a slice of power pop as you’re likely to hear this year and will most certainly have a place on our year end list of best power pop albums.” – Rich Rossi/PowerPopNews GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Everyone Loves You When You're Gone Price: $13.00 Artist: Van Go Description: AVAILABLE OCTOBER 19 – ACCEPTING ORDERS NOW!! Chicago rockers, Van Go, return with their long-awaited 6th release (their first in nearly 8 years, and their Kool Kat Musik label debut!) “Everyone Loves You When You’re Gone”, that finds the guitars big and crunchy, the drums even bigger and unrelenting, with bold and impassioned vocals, all arranged tightly together with dynamic, hook laden precision. The band (Lou Galassini on bass, Steve Brown and Jeff Shapuras on guitars, Bryan Thomas on drums, and Dave Sippel singing), formed in Chicago in 1996, with “Amsterdam”, the debut LP released in 1997, followed by “Super Genghis” (1999), “We Happy Few” (2002), “Pop Your Heart Out” (2005), and “The Long Lost Last Call” (2010). Described as ”one of the best albums I’ve heard in years” and “best Van Go release yet”, on this “all killer, no filler” effort, “the band sounds astonishing”, grabbing the listener from the start and not letting go, finishing with a blistering cover of Paul Collins’ classic “Walking Out On Love” after the eleven stunning originals. Behind the robust, shiny and polished exterior of the music, lie darker lyrical themes: “at times ironic, tender, and blackly humorous”. Van Go has been around the block more than a few times, and is more than willing to share tales of life gone good, bad, and in between at your local dive bar between sets. GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none