Fairmont - "Transcendence" cd  (Mint 400)
Apparently, the band sees this record as a bit of a screenplay or novella, and though I might not fully agree with that statement, its opening track, "Being & Nothingness" (a 5½-minute long epic with a jaunty first half and a big-sounding extended coda a la Polyphonic Spree) certainly does fit the description. The rest of the album (despite a few blatantly autobiographical moments) does not have a transparent underlying theme. The band's sound reminds me of a mix between the Smoking Popes, the Prom (especially due to the frequent use of bouncy keyboards) and a little bit of Fountains Of Wayne (particularly in "Prick"), mixing a crunchy guitar sound with occasional fuzzy synths. A couple of the songs at the beginning of the record seemed a bit too "alt-rocky" for me, nearly scaring me off entirely, but digging deeper into the album proved rewarding, with favorites including "Luck Will Change", "True Love Waits For Me" and the final track, "Melt Your Heart", which is an uplifting tune whose outro contains echoes of the coda from the disc's opener.  MTQ=7/10

Mary O. Harrison - "Factory Of Days" cd  (Two Sheds)
I know Mary - I've met and talked to her a few times, and she's an incredibly sweet person, so that this record is full of undeceptively sweet songs is no surprise to me. Actually, I like the songs on here more than the ones of Charm School, her previous band. To aid her on her first solo album, she enlisted the help of old friends Jason & Kay (of Casper & The Cookies) on drums and bass, as well as additional guitar, keyboards and backing vocals. She also gets extra help from plenty of other guests in the form of backing vocals and assorted brass and stringed instruments. Her songwriting style reminds me of Rose Melberg, but the music on this record is much more varied, ranging from simple acoustic tunes to fully orchestrated songs (sometimes both in the same song, as in "We're Not Alone"). And its moods range from sad and somber to cheery and upbeat, with several stops in between - except for angry or bitter, as Mary is just too nice for that...  MTQ=10/12

Le Man Avec Les Lunettes - "La Belle Epop" cd  (Series Two)
Not surprisingly for this band (who have a history of discography overlap), half of this material has already been previously released; the first five tracks are taken straight from their very first release, the 2004 "Saturate It, Than Reverse!" 3" cdep on My Honey Records (though, to be fair, that cd has been sold out for years). The rest of the cd is composed of newer songs (a couple of which have seen release on various compilations), which gives this record an interesting dichotomy, as the band have evolved substantially in the years since their debut. Much of their earlier material was a bit slower and lazier (in a fashion similar to Grandaddy), and though their newer stuff still reminds me of Grandaddy, the sound is a lot more developed and the songs just sound better. One of the most interesting parts is how they included a couple demos for songs from their newest album ("Plaskaplaskabombelibom"), one of which ("Apples"), they followed with the album track itself - and if I had not been paying attention, I don't think I would've even noticed that the two songs were the same, as the proper version is so much different from the demo! Simply put, their old stuff is nice, but their newer songs really are quite good!  MTQ=8/11

One Happy Island - "Secret Party That The Other Party Doesn't Know About" 7"  (Weepop!)
I was first introduced to this band last year after playing a show with them in their hometown of Boston, and I liked their demo cd enough to feature it as a Demo of the Week shortly thereafter. This is their newest single, and is not just their second release on the fabulous Weepop! label, but also the label's first vinyl release (though they also did a typically small run of 3" cds - it's funny when the cd version sells out long before the vinyl...)! These songs are among the band's best that I've heard so far - jangly and catchy, with just the right amount of playfulness (including ukuleles and songs about silly temporary tattoos), bringing to mind the Smittens - a band with whom these guys certainly share a kinship. As for the packaging, it's up to the label's usual quality of attractiveness, complete with blue vinyl and lyric sheet. Nice!  MTQ=4/4

Boat - "Topps" 7"  (Magic Marker)
Boat has been steadily getting better since I first heard them a few years ago, but with this baseball-themed EP, they threw us a curve (sorry, couldn't resist) by giving us exponentially better songs than what we've heard from them before! Anyone who's seen them around town (or on tour) recently knows full well that this burst of energy and fervor is primarily due to the band's newest addition, our friend Jackson (ex-Racetrack) on drums. And in addition to drumming, Jackson also excels at recording bands, giving us the best approximation of Boat's live sound on record to date - oh man, I just know the upcoming full length will be awesome... Oh, and to go with the baseball theme of the song's A-side, the single comes with at least one Boat and/or baseball player-themed trading card, each drawn by David; but of course, I just had to spring for the whole set of 25! Nice!  MTQ=3/3

Andy Brazendale - "05 To 08 EP" cs  (Fox Pop)
Here's the first release from my friend (and IndiePages Board regular!), Alex, and his new label - and it's a great start! Though this is a cassette release, it's one of the better-looking tapes I've seen in a while, with nicely printed covers and everything. As the title hints, this is a collection of home-recordings from the last few years from this Australian fellow. Some of his older songs on the first side remind me of the Marbles, except for his oldest one, "Cold Locked Cupboards", which is more in the quiet, acoustic Elliott Smith vein. His three songs from this year, however, are a lot closer to Grandaddy in their slower moments (especially the hushed vocals), with "Surely Enough" being a dead ringer (complete with cascading synth noises). The last two songs on the tape ("My Anywhere" and a cover of Coco Rosie's "Tekno Love Song") are kind of dull, but I quite enjoyed the others.  MTQ=5/7

Broadfield Marchers - "The Inevitable Continuing" cd  (Rainbow Quartz)
Here's the second album from this Louisville trio, and it's full of quite a few stunning songs! Listening to these brief and catchy songs (19 of 'em in 42½ minutes!), I can't help but think of Guided By Voices in places, but these guys take that GBV songwriting mentality and apply a warmer, friendlier sound to it. Instead, they come off sounding closer to the Raspberries or the Who's softer moments circa "Sell Out" (even the production sounds quite similar). The only negative aspect of that, however, is that the album doesn't have very much variety; imagine if that aforementioned Who record only contained songs like "So Sad About Us" or "Our Love Was"... So although I really like almost every song on this record (with far too many highlights to bother listing any), I still find it kind of hard to sit still and pay attention all the way through. But at the same time, I still really look forward to hearing more from this band!  MTQ=18/19

Elf Power - "In A Cave" cd  (Rykodisc)
My opinion of Elf Power seems to differ from pretty much everyone I talk to. I remember absolutely hating them when I got their very first 7" on Kindercore a million years ago; enough so that I just ignored the band and their output for the next ten years or so. But then a few years ago, I heard a song from "Walking With The Beggar Boys" that I really liked, picked up that album, and then proceeded to fully dig into their back catalog. To this day, I still think that "Walking..." might be my favorite record of theirs, though I like the majority of their stuff after their too-bizarre earliest recordings (unlike any other old-school Elf Power fan, who insists they haven't done anything worthy in ten years). Damn, I hate it when I'm given a bad first impression of an otherwise good band! Like their last record, "Back To The Web", this one is considerably more subdued than their previous work, and takes a couple listens to get into, but there are certainly some instant favorites on here, like "Spiral Stairs", "Quiver And Quake" and "The New Mythology". Actually, the band I'm most reminded of while listening to this is Saturnine, who also had a keen ability to create moody, but jangly, pop songs. This one won't bring back any lost fans, but I see no reason why it wouldn't welcome some new ones...  MTQ=10/13

The Individuals - "Fields/Aquamarine" cd  (Bar/None)
I hadn't heard of this band before, but the brief essay in the liner notes reads like an excerpt from "Our Band Could Be Your Life", with mentions of highly interesting/almost enviable things like Glenn Morrow's previous band (which featured most of what became the Bongos) playing the venerable Maxwell's inaugural show and the band working on their "Fields" LP with Mitch Easter at the same time that R.E.M. were recording "Chronic Town". And as their pedigree suggests, this band from the early '80s not only fits in perfectly with their peers of the time, but you have to wonder why this reissue hasn't seen the light of day ages ago! The band's sound incorporates both the catchy, jittery pop of the Feelies and the dB's and the artier pop of bands like Talking Heads and Oh-OK (with the latter especially noticeable on "Monkey", which was sung by bass player Janet), with a bit of the roughness of Television. With everything presented on this disc, I think I prefer the sound and songs on their debut EP, "Aquamarine", but the diverse range of styles and sounds found on the "Fields" LP is rather impressive. There are a few bonus tracks tacked on the end, but they're no more than an afterthought consisting of throwaway tracks and alternate versions of two album tracks (though I do have to admit I think I prefer the single version of "Our World"). Still - I'm grateful that these gems have been uncovered for the many of us who missed out on 'em the first time around...  MTQ=16/21

Nana Grizol - "Love It Love It" lp  (Orange Twin)
I hadn't heard of this band before seeing them at Athens Popfest this past year, but I was certainly impressed by what I could hear (unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch most of their set). But hey, at least I could pick up their album - and it's really great! It's a lot more laidback than I remember the live show being (where I described them as the Thermals on Plan-It-X); listening to the record, I'm actually reminded of David And The Citizens. I can hear it in the music (both in the upbeat and slower songs), and especially in the singer's excitable voice and lyrics. The cutesy record sleeve seems to suggest an air of amateurism to the band, which I'll admit does exist, but only in the recording quality (even on vinyl, the record sounds a little tinny) and the simplicity of the songs themselves. But that doesn't matter at all, because I love all of the songs on the record, from the instantly catchy "Stop And Smell The Roses" and "Everything You Ever Hoped Or Worked For" to the gentler "Tamborine-N-Thyme" and "The Idea That Everything Could Possibly Ever Be Said". Definitely check this one out!  MTQ=11/11

Northern Portrait - "Napoleon Sweetheart EP" cdep  (Matinee)
It hasn't been too long since this band's debut EP, and these four songs are just as excellent as the four we heard before! And just as the first single's A-side was the first song the band had ever written, this EP's A-side, "I Give You Two Seconds To Entertain Me", is the second song they've ever recorded (though it has been remixed for this release). It's impossible not to compare this band to the Smiths, as listening to these songs, you can't help but hear the likeness in the music, lyrics and vocals. But where one might say that this could be passed off as "lost Smiths b-sides" from any of the countless bands that have copied the Smiths' sound since that band's debut nearly 25 years ago, instead I would say this was an entire lost single - and one that would've easily been a big hit in the mid '80s...  MTQ=4/4

Desmond Reed - "Window Shopping EP" cdep  (Susy)
Here's the second release from this fine new label in Peru (and one that's already off to a great start, having even more fine releases ready since this one!), and it contains three new songs from one of my favorite acoustic popkids around today, Desmond Reed! Though he adds some keyboards in a couple spots, these are all rather sparse arrangements, with just an acoustic guitar and multi-tracked vocals. But I kind of have to wonder if Desmond is wanting a full band behind him; I can easily see "Dizzy" and "No More Room" turning into Weezer-ish rock tunes with a pop edge. What I find really funny is that though Desmond hasn't released too much to date, everything he's done so far has been on 3" cd (with this, as well as releases on Wee Pop! and Cass-et-tape), though he does have a full length album coming soon on Series Two - watch this space, I'm sure...  MTQ=3/3

The Simple Carnival - "Girls Aliens Food" cd  (Sundrift)
I have to wonder - if I had been able to follow through on my offer to release a Simple Carnival 7" on Jigsaw a few years back (which I still regret, despite the fact that it wouldn't've actually worked for me financially), would I have also released this album? Because the honor of having anything to do with a song like "Really Really Weird" (arguably one of the best songs I've heard all year, and one that's constantly been in my head since I first heard it) would've been pretty amazing. This record contains most of the EP that preceded it (everything but the Harry Nilsson cover, "Me And My Arrow"), so I already knew that I adored a quarter of this record - and of course, there's plenty more pop delight where that came from! Instant favorites included "Misery" and "You Jump First", though I loved pretty much every song, except for the silly quasi-instrumental "Cocktails", if only for that incessant cowbell! The sound is best described as Nilsson/Wilson-esque soft pop, frequently led by keyboards that could've been lifted right from a number of '70s classics. Everything is performed solely by Jeff Boller, which is rather impressive when you listen to something like the a capella "Nothing Will Ever Be As Good", which has several-part vocal harmonies. Actually, impressive is a pretty good adjective for this record, but I can't say I'm surprised - I knew he had it in him!  MTQ=10/12

Super XX Man - "Volume XII" cd  (Tender Loving Empire)
I used to regularly keep up with Scott's work with his solo project, Super XX Man (especially as I was a big fan of his old band, Silver Scooter), but I kind of lost touch with him when he moved to Portland several years back. It's nice to get reacquainted with him, though, and I have to say that he's really grown a lot since the last record of his that I heard. Musically, this is a lot more varied than his earlier output; he's now got a full band backing him up on a few of these songs, though some of them were still completely performed by himself. But even the solo songs here sound a little more stark than before. Even more noticeable, while Scott's never had any sort of unifying lyrical theme throughout his records in the past, these songs all deal with depression and mental illness and coping with both; in fact, had I not read the accompanying press kit (to find that he spends his days working at a psychiatric facility), I would've really been concerned for my old friend. What hasn't changed, though, is his ability to tell stories in such a compassionate way...  MTQ=10/13

Tears Run Rings - "Always, Sometimes, Seldom, Never" cd  (Clair)
Just as I was getting started to review this record this evening, my kitty jumped into my lap to curl. Never one to turn away a kitty, I gave him a good hug, and he decided it would be comfortable to nestle in my arms on my chest/stomach. That made it impossible to type, but as I had already put the record on and had the sleeve visible, I just made mental notes while we sat and enjoyed each other's warmth in this cold house. As we traded relaxing sighs and various body parts drifted off to sleep (left arm, right foot, bottom...), I quietly enjoyed this record. Though this is the new band of Ed from Shelflife Records, I think its release on Clair makes a little more sense, as it fits closer with their roster (namely Airiel, Pia Fraus and Brother Kite), and is also more on the louder end of the spectrum than his previous bands, the Autocollants and Evening Lights (between whom this band shares a few common members). The songs have boy/girl vocals (frequently at the same time): his voice is a lovely tenor, and funny enough, I had to double check that it was Laura Watling singing, as it didn't really sound like her usual voice! A couple of these songs (particularly "World Upside Down" and "Run Run Run") stood out, but the record generally flowed along smoothly, making only smaller waves, as most shoegazey records seem to do.  MTQ=8/11

Thistle - "The Small Hours" cd  (Tiberius)
After hearing this band for the first time a few years ago when I reviewed the previous record, "Tired Anchor", I was prompted to pick up their earlier material, and was excited to hear that this record finally saw the light of day - especially since I already knew a few of these songs from 2006's "Beneath The Antlers" teaser EP! As regular readers are likely aware, I'm a total sucker for '90s-styled indie rock, and with Thistle's sonic mix of Dinosaur Jr and a more muscular Superchunk, I have to vote with a resounding yes! As with those bands, there's a good mix of noise and catchy melodies in these songs, with better ones including "Send The Owls" and "In Multiples". There are also places (especially "Crest Nursing" and the interlude piece that follows, "The Ground Begins") where I'm reminded of ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead when they were in their prime, and even Jawbox in other parts. Yeah, I'm not too into the pair of interlude tracks, but the songs themselves are the strongest the band has done yet!  MTQ=9/11