Reviews by Jim Testa

BIG WILSON RIVER - Octopus (bigwilsonriver.bandcamp.com)

Part of the Black Trunk Records collective from Bergen County, Big Wilson River is yet another group of Jersey kids making rootsy Americana that references everything from the early Who to X. They call themselves "thrash punk" which comes as close as anything to capturing both the energy and earnestness of what they do. "Eighty Dead Armadillos" is Hank Williams by way of "My Generation," "Gypsy Song" mashes up Kurt Weill/The Doors' "Alabama Song" with Tom Waits, "Backyard Passout Fest" sounds like something Michael Hurley meets Nick Cave. Darrin and Emma (no last names anywhere I could find) mix and match lead vocals, backed by big loud guitars, thumping bass, and thrashy drums. It's folk rock for people who like mosh pits. It's really, really good too.

BANQUETS - Top Button, Bottom Shelf (Black Numbers)

Of the four bands whose names start with "B" in this column update, Jersey City's Banquets stand out as the one that someone listening across the country might peg as the Jersey band. As he did during his stint in New Brunswick's Let Me Run, singer Travis Omilian channels Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon with his throaty all-American inflections. Add to that a hearty helping of gang vocals, big crunchy riffs, and lyrics that both celebrate youth while mourning lost innocence . As they did on their promising debut 7-inch release "This Is Our Concern, Dude," the band shows a flair for memorable song titles (just "Me And My Canseco Rookie Card" says more about being 25 than any three Copyrights songs, if you read between the lines a little) and the band writes inspired ear-wig choruses that are tailor-made to be drunkenly sung in moshpits. Today, New Jersey; tomorrow, the coolest basement in your town. And after that, who knows?

BRIGHT & EARLY - "Louder Than Words" (Pacific Ridge Records)

I'll probably go to my grave a grumpy, bitter old man still insisting that New Jersey pop punk died with the Ergs, and these whippersnappers carrying on (and "defending") the genre today are just whiny emo brats whose singers over-emote and who wouldn't know real punk rock if Milo hit them over the head with Mike Watt's bass. Bright & Early do stand out as a something of an exception though; last year's "Something's Personal" was a courageous scene manifesto, dissing the glorified boy-band pap of All Time Low and lamenting the lost days of bands like Midtown. Singer John Browne could trade in his flannel and skinny jeans for a role on Glee if he wanted too; the kid has real pipes, as he proves on the acoustic opener "Stick By Me," with its faultless falsetto. The other three tracks strike more of a modern pop punk pose with chunky chordage, catchy melodies and riffs, with Browne hitting lots of high notes; the whole thing is way more Saves The Day than Screeching Weasel, but that's clearly the path pop-punk is taking, and so be it. Bright & Early seems more than capable of stretching the boundaries a little; "Selling Yourself Short" shows some very sharp songwriting chops, and while much of this is prettier than anything I'd label punk, the band does show a few welcome rough edges here and there.

BOY THINGS - EP (boythings.bandcamp.com)

This Hackettstown quintet sounds a bit like a Jersey version of Los Campesinos that's been listening to a lot of B-52's. It's delightfully upbeat, a bit dancey, and in places, a tad camp, with intertwining male and female vocals and gobs of youthful energy. Like London's Yuck, the music has a new-wave vibe yet isn't purposefully retro; it will, however, have you bouncing off the walls with glee. Where has this band been hiding? I hope to hear a lot more from them in 2012.

SETTLE FOR LESS - "Contemporary" EP (settleforless.bandcamp.com)

I have to apologize for taking so long to getting around to this 3-song EP from South Jersey's Settle For Less, self-released last Spring. But I'm glad that I finally heard it. The young quartet plays powerful brand of post-punk that reminds me a bit of a less emo Thursday. It's not really grunge (and doesn't in the least sound 90's retro) but I'm guessing the guys have listened to their share of Nirvana (and that's always a good thing.) The band eschews the usual verse/chorus pop-punk formula for roiling guitars and intense vocals. This is at heart a rock 'n' roll that's not pandering to any of the usual teen formulas and that's refreshing to hear. The next time they put somethingh out (and I hope that it's more than just three tracks,) I'll be right on it.

PLOW UNITED - SLEEPWALK: A Retrospective (Paper+Plastick)

Does a barely remembered 3-piece pop-punk band from Delaware really deserve a two-disc retrospective? You won’t ask that question once you give a listen to these infinitely catch two-minute blasts of snotty teen punk ‘n’roll. Originally formed as Plow in 1992, then rechristened Plow United at the height of the Nineties pop-punk revival in 1995, the trio recorded for small labels, played basements and VFW Halls from coast to coast, and through word of mouth, fanzine reviews, and lots of hard work, endeared themselves to a small but loyal cult of fans. Sleepwalk: A Retrospective collects the band’s three full-lengths, 7-inch singles and one unreleased track, and 20 years later, still sounds as fresh-faced and bratty as ever. Alternately thrashy and melodic, Plow United remain part Dead Milkmen, part Screeching Weasel, with a little Descendents and a whole lot of adolescent testosterone thrown into the mix.

RESTORATIONS (Tiny Engines)

Old punks never die, they just turn into Bruce Springsteen. That’s certainly one way to account for the small army of former thrash-rockers now touring the country with an acoustic guitar under one arm and a beat up Woody Guthrie songbook under the other. Featuring former members of Philly thrashers Jena Berlin, Restorations’ self-titled 8-song album showcases the raspy, two-packs-a-day vocals of Jon Loudon, whose style mimics the gravel-throated gravity of Jawbreaker’s Blake Schwarzenbach and punk-turned- troubadour Tom Gabel. On the bluesy, downbeat “Canadian Club,” Loudon even does a passable Tom Waits. And through it all, you can’t help thinking of Gaslight Anthem’s regurgitation of tried-and-true Springsteen tropes. The problem here is that everything sounds like something we’ve already heard before. Restorations likes to call its music “punk for grown ups,” but that assumes that grown ups care less about originality than they do about familiarity. This grown up disagrees.

YUCK (Fat Possum)

2011 will be remembered as the year that the Nineties revival came to almost completely dominate indie rock, from the return of iconic bands like Superchunk, Pavement and Dinosaur Jr. to active duty to the 20th anniversary hoopla surrounding Nirvana’s “Nevermind” to the fetishization of those acts’ fuzzed-out garage guitar sound. The UK’s Yuck epitomizes the “back to the Nineties” movement yet surprisingly does so with a great deal of elan; yes, almost everything they play sounds like something you might have heard on college radio in 1994, but they’re still songs you’d want to hear again. Sugar-coated melodies burst through fuzzy guitars like a reborn Jesus & Mary Chain on standout tracks like “Georgia” and “Get Away,” while the loungey, acoustic “Suicide Policeman” sounds like the sort of change-of-pace track that Yo La Tengo might slip on a B side. Perhaps it’s because vocalist Daniel Blumberg and lead guitarist Max Bloom infuse so much youthful enthusiasm into the proceedings that they can get away with what really amounts to inspired plagiarism; they’re not really repeating history so much as extending it into the present.

NAT & ALEX WOLFF – Black Sheep (Saddleup Records)

Nickelodeon’s former Naked Brothers shake off their teen idol past and bid for indie-rock credibility on “Black Sheep,” and while it’s unlikely Pitchfork and the hipster blogosphere will embrace the boys anytime soon, the album does forego autotune, bloopy synths, and the other accoutrements of mass-market bubblegum-pop for modest production and earnest introspection; in fact, it sounds very much like what you’d expect from two teenagers who’ve spent a lot of time mooning over Pinkerton and The Strokes. Happily for the parents of the Wolffs’ Radio Disney demographic, everything remains age appropriate; 17-year old Nat channels his teenage rebellion on the upbeat “18” by equating freedom with hating his parents (or at least living at home with them,) while the still-pubescent Alex flexes his sweet choir-boy falsetto on the delightfully lovesick “Thump Thump Thump.” ‘Tweens will identify with the adolescent angst and pangs of puppy love on songs like “Disappointed” and “Help Me Understand” (little Alex thinks his hair is too curly and his head is too big; Nat wonders why his girlfriend dumped him) but even older listeners should enjoy the relatable lyrics, catchy melodies, and accomplished musicianship. I saw Nat and Alex perform in February, 2010 playing several of these songs and was impressed then; they’ll be back at the The Studio at Webster Hall in NYC on Sunday, November 20 for a 3 p.m. matinee. The Box Story opens. Click here for ticket info.

THE MISFITS – The Devil’s Rain (Misfits Records)

In the current episode of As The Misfits Turn, we find Glenn Danzig and Doyle Von Wolfgang Frankenstein doing Misfits (and Samhain) songs on the Danzig Legacy tour, while Doyle’s real-life brother, bassist Jerry Only, carries on the Misfits name with guitarist Dez Cadena (of Black Flag fame) and drummer Eric “Chupacabra” Arce. Questions about “authenticity” seem ridiculous at this point; in fact, Jerry Only does a much better faux-Danzig yowl on this album than Michael Graves did when he fronted the band a decade ago, and Only seems perfectly capable of plugging the band’s Ramones-y riffs and whoa-oh gang vocals into silly (but catchy) formulaic 3-chord punk songs (which is basically what the short-lived original Misfits did 30 years ago.) At least Only isn’t taking all of this nonsense – or himself - seriously, as Danzig still seems to do; from the cheesy horror-flick sound effects (haunted house thunderclaps, the scratching violin and campy grunts on “Ghost of Frankenstein”) to the sci-fi and monster matinee inspired lyrics, Only & Co. have fun with the concept and seem to really enjoy still being the Misfits. Producer Ed Stasium gives everything a big bright ringing sound (as he did with his work with the Ramones) which, while we’re on the subject, is a big improvement on those 80’s Misfits records, which all sound like they were recorded on wax cylinders in Danzig’s mother’s garage. The Devil’s Rain won’t inspire you to throw away your dog-eared copy of Walk Among Us; but if you’re looking for some catchy monster-inspired punk rock, you could do a lot worse.

PANTHER MODERNS - Back Off, Warchild, It’s A Demo! (panthermodernsnyc.bandcamp.com)

Panther Moderns brings together the talents of several notable NYC scene vets, including Atom Lame of Sucidie, Chris Grivet of the Steinways, and Oliver Lyons (a longtime Jersey Beat contributor, and formerly drummer of neo-goths Funeral Crashers, here seizing the mic for lead vocals.) This is no mere demo, however, since these four songs give birth to post-pop-punk, a new genre that scoffs at the restrictive boundaries of conventional Rock (like, say, singing in key, or playing in time.) Raw as the nerve of a root canal, Lyons’ tobacco-stained vocals ride roughshod over surprisingly fluid melodies and hooky shards of riffage that reflect influences as diverse as Black Flag, Screeching Weasel, and the fat naked guy from Fucked Up. As one might expect from a band fronted by a rock critic (think: Dictators, Yo La Tengo, Harvey Danger,) the lyrics are frequently brilliant as well; to wit, “And I already miss you more / than the days when you could smoke indoors.” To borrow a phrase from quintessential American cultural observer Dorothy Parker, Panther Moderns are not a band to be tossed aside lightly; they should be thrown with great force. Preferably into the ears of an unsuspecting public.

WYLDLIFE (wydlife.bandcamp.com)

Jersey City’s Wyldlife caught my attention with their self-released “Nicotine” EP and their wild, uninhibited, and extremely sweaty live shows. Their full-length debut happily harnesses that youthful energy and throws it right back at you with the uncouth snarl of vintage Johnny Thunders on a Wild Turkey bender. Perhaps it’s because they spend more time in the seedy bars of downtown Jersey City than the DIY hipstersphere of Bushwick, but frontman Dangerous Dave Feldman and his crew (Samm Allen on guitar, Spencer Alexander on bass, and Rusty Barnett on drums) seem completely disinterested in anything that Todd P. or Pitchfork might consider au courant. Instead they dive headfirst and shirts off into greasy rock ‘n’roll, channeling the Dolls on the sassy “S.W.A.K.”, unashamedly reveling in misogynistic fantasies on “The First Time I Killed Someone,” or assaying bar room country by way of Exile-era Stones on “Bird.” Allen’s guitar sizzles, Alexander’s bass provides a head-bobbingly melodic thump, and Barrnett’s steady drums hold the whole shootin’match together. A few favorites from the “Nicotine” EP get thrown in to flesh the thing out to full-length, which is fine given how the driving “Lit Lounge” and the howling “Sidewalk Queen” manage to kick up the last glowing embers of Lower East Side sleaze into a full-fledged conflagration. Don’t call it a throwback; this isn’t nostalgia, it’s rock ‘n’ roll. Wyldlife are here for your whiskey, your daughters, and your ears. Get ready to hand it all over.

THE AMBOYS – Led Into The Woods EP (theamboys.bandcamp.com)

There’s a lot of country twang, banjo pickin’, and rootsy rockabilly rhythm on the new Amboys EP, but there’s still a hint of Asbury Park swagger on their second release. Recorded live in a rustic cabin with no overdubs, “Led Into The Woods” captures the immediacy of the Amboys’ down home sound which – despite being Jersey boys – never sounds affected or ironic. The band sounds right at home singing about whiskey and loose women, channeling everything from honky tonk to gospel, set to acoustic guitars, banjo, piano, tambourine and shaker. The fervent “Trees” recalls fellow Jerseyites Roadside Graves while “Last Song Of The Night” adds a bit of Latin dance flavor and a hint of the Boss to the proceedings. The elegiac final track, “In The Woods,” adds sonorous cello, bird calls, trumpet, and one of frontman C.M. Smith’s most nuanced vocals to the mix. You could make a pretty gripping alt-country mix tape from the likes of The Amboys, the ‘Graves, River City Extension, and Montclair’s Porchistas, and Jersey City’s Ashes, to name just a few of the Jersey acts currently doing excellent work in this genre.

THE PORCHISTAS – Save The Earth (theporchistas.com)

Montclair’s Porchistas remind me a lot of Cropduster, the Nineties Jersey band that mixed cowpunk twang with urban wit to such great effect. The Porchistas say they were “born on a porch,” and there is a loose, house party vibe to their tunes, powered by sinewy electric guitar, bass, and drums. The band reuses old folk melodies – they turn “Comin’ Round The Mountain” into “The PBR Song,” a paean to the cheap hipster brew, and they emphasize that the grade-school favorite “Down By The Riverside” was actually written as an anti-war protest song. Like Ween, they’re not afraid to shred and show off their chops on occasion, and also like Ween, they seem incapable of being serious for too long. This is good time party music with a bit of twang. Serve cold, with chips.

JEFFREY LEWIS – A Turn In The Dream-Songs (Rough Trade)

Anti-folk troubadour Jeffrey Lewis returns with his first new album of original tunes in two years, after spending time on a collaboration with ageless LES folkie Peter Stampfel and an album of Crass covers. While 2009’s ‘Em Are I presented a fuller band sound and forays into garage rock, A Turn In The Dream-Songs finds Lewis and his finger-picked acoustic guitar rummaging through his fertile imagination accompanied by violin, mandolin, and other sparsely used instruments, as always singing with great charm and dry wit self-deprecatingly about himself – about how girls don’t like him, or how he always feels lost, or trying to kill himself (but getting sold fake rat poison that thwarts the attempt,) or how awkward it is going out to eat by yourself. Lewis’ monotone delivery and two-chord melodies have always been entrancing, but never more so than on a bit of complete nonsense like “Krongu Green Slime,” the story of a primordial life force marketed in grocery stores. There’s also a song about the inexorable power of water (something that I, with a very leaky ceiling, can certainly identify with,) and “Reaching,” a cute boy/girl duet that’s as close as Lewis has ever come to being unironically romantic. But the highlight here is “Cult Boyfriend,” a quintessential Lewis narrative in which he compares his own unique charms to those of other “cult” favorites like the Misfits, WFMU, and (ugh!) haggis.

KEVIN DEVINE – Between The Concrete And Clouds (Razor & Tie)

It occurred to me while listening to this album that living in Brooklyn these days must be like trying to age gracefully in a college town. Every fall, there’s another huge crop of 20 year olds to replace the ones that have moved on, but you keep getting a year older. Kevin Devine reflects on turning 30 at least once on his excellent new album, but all 10 songs are shot through with musings about finding one’s place in the world, and coping with the knotty ties of family, religion, friends, and his reflections on mortality. Introspection has always loomed large in the Kevin Devine songbook, and often he’s been pretty hard on himself; yet his music remains buoyant and upbeat, optimistic and encouraging even when coping with hard times.

I became a fan (and friend) of Kevin’s back when he was still fronting The Miracle of 86, which had to have been the happiest pop-rock band ever tarred with the emo label; and this – his sixth solo joint – is his most “band” oriented album since those days. Kevin’s put away the acoustic guitar that dominated his early solo work (and infused even his most recent albums with a singer-songwriter feel.) Echo, chorus, sustain, delay - a plethora of effects pedals add distinctive tones to the electric guitars; nothing feels overproduced, but the shimmering “sound” of these songs definitely constitutes a consistency that was missing from albums like “Brother’s Blood” that segued from scratchy folk to sonic ear candy. Probably for contractual reasons (this is his first release for Razor & Tie,) the cover reads "Kevin Devine," but moreso than any of his other solo work, this is a Kevin Devine & The Goddamn Band album.

Devine’s distinctively reedy, raspy voice still tickles your ears on the verses , but it’s almost always multi-tracked into bright, ringing harmonies on the choruses. . If you want to stream a few songs before buying, check out the title song or “The City Has Left You,” which both showcase Devine’s knack for endearing melody as well as soul-probing lyrics. Then head over to Amazon.com, where the download is currently on sale at a super-low bargain price

THE FRONT BOTTOMS - s/t (Bar None)

In the name of full disclosure, I am not all that bright and frankly, I am often confused. Listening to the Front Bottoms has me blissfully confounded. This Jersey duo plays punk without sounding anything like a punk band, although drummer Mathew Uychich also plays bullhorn and I think that’s pretty punk. Actually, what makes this such a triumphant exercise in musical experimentation is Brian Sella’s soaring vocals and positively scathing lyrics. His storytelling sounds like stream of consciousness run amok; a wild, sardonic dissection of suburbia, growing up, and being bored. When he says on “Maps” that “I move slow, slow enough to make you uncomfortable”, he may be capturing the mood of the disc. There is a perpetual sense of confusion and disorientation that will either endear this band to one’s soul or fill a person with indescribable frustration. “Mountain” acts as a perfect example: the song begins innocuously enough with a well placed horn accenting such lyrical gems as “I love your eyes the way they look when you’re uncomfortable,” before effortlessly giving way to a surprisingly aggressive riff. As the noise fades, the beautiful horn returns and the song leaves quietly and quickly. Each track plays out like an intriguing short story; a mixture of brilliant metaphors with musical accompaniments that range from gritty to lush. One can find wildly funny and biting lines within the context of every effort, whether Sella is discussing homeless former classmates (“Flashlight”), being on the run to Florida (“Rhode Island’) or killing his father with a baseball bat (“Father;”) although my personal favorite comes from the aforementioned “Maps.” as Sella emotes in a marvelously deadpan delivery, “One day you’ll be washing yourself with hand soap in a public bathroom.” Wow. Even the bouncy, dance-hall groove of “The Beers” seems to take on a more ominous tone when the narration turns to the brutally honest admission that it was” the summer when I was taking steroids because you like a man with muscles and I like you”. The courage to express such awkward, even embarrassing, truths makes this an unforgettable listening experience. Within these songs, there is some piece of your own life experience whether you chose to admit it or not, and this will connect with people on a hauntingly personal level. The playing is fairly straightforward and somewhat minimalist, yet as all the components come together, there is a vast canvas on display for those daring enough to stay with this. For those who believe that the DIY aesthetic is fading away, find this and revel. - Rich Quinlan

Brian Sella (acoustic guitar, lead vocals) and Matt Uychich (drums, vocals) are the Front Bottoms, who until recently had been my pick as the best unsigned band in New Jersey. Enter Bar None, who offered to remaster and reissue the band’s barely-heard 2010 EP “Slow Dance To Slow Rock” along with six new songs as this eponymous debut full-length, available in a nifty two-disc 10” vinyl configuration along with CD and digital. The songs are fleshed out with dollops of synths, trumpet, and strings, although mostly it’s Brian Sella’s plaintive post-emo vocals and his vibrant imagination working against Matt Uychich’s minimalist drumkit, pounding home the beat. Sella portrays himself as the nerdy post-adolescent, fretting about girls (“I will remember that summer, as the summer I was taking steroids, ‘cause you like a man with muscles, and I like you”), pondering suicide like a latterday “Harold And Maude” (“there’s comfort at the bottom of a swimming pool”) and patricide (smashing his father’s head in with a baseball bat.) But his morbid fantasies are more than offset by his insecurities (the brilliant “Maps,” the creepy “Flashlight,” the obsessive-compulsive “Bathtub;”) and his ability to conjure up indelible images from the most prosaic details, often nonchalantly throwing in mind-blowing non-sequiturs (“I love your eyes, the way they look when you’re uncomfortable;” “I’m the last one on the dance floor, as the chandelier gives way.”) Or this one: “But you’re an artist, and your mind don’t work the way you want it to; one day you’ll be washing yourself with hand soap in a public bathroom.” And Sella speaks for the entire post-Obama generation when he sings, “I could stand up, I could man up, but it’s just so convenient to be fragile.” Every one of these original and provocative thoughts is set to an irresistibly catchy singalong melody too. In a perfect world, these songs would be the summer jams of misfit teens and twentysomethings everywhere, obsessing about growing up, getting laid, and leaving home (or worse, not being able to come back.) Then again, speaking personally, those themes resonate when you’re in your fifties too. As Sella sings in “The Boredom Is The Reason,” “you’re part of a program, so get with the program... You’re not even sleeping, you’re probably even listening.” God, I hope so. - Jim Testa

LET ME RUN – “Let Me Run” EP (letmerun.bandcamp.com)

New Brunswick’s Let Me Run has been nothing if not a work-in-progress, not to mention perseverant; Rocky Catanese is the third lead singer in a band that only dates back to 2007. And on their new self-titled, self-released, 5-song EP, this plucky quartet has pretty much reinvented itself as a lean, energetic, relentlessly tuneful rock ‘n’ roll machine that’s embraced its punk rock roots. Let Me Run’s earlier recordings, especially 2009’s “Meet Me At The Bottom,” leaned heavily towards Gaslight Anthem-styled bar-room rock. The new songs still feature fist-pumping gang vocals on the choruses to excellent effect, but the music’s been stripped of its nostalgic bluesy roots-rock for a more modern punk feel with a nod towards the classic punk melodies of bands like Bad Religion. The chugga-chugga guitar parts and rewarmed Springsteen tropes of older tracks like “The Count of Monte Fisto” and “We Bring The Booze” have been supplanted by more intricate guitar lines and more complex lyrical ideas; instead of celebrating weekend beer blasts, the band is now addressing the damage alcohol and addiction can wreak on “Broken Brother.” Rather than living in the moment – or in the past – the band’s now writing songs about looking inside and contemplating one’s place in the world (a logical progression when you’re suddenly 24 instead of 19.) Instead of knowing all the answers, Let Me Run are now asking a lot of good questions. That’s called growing up. And becoming a better band.

THE END MEN – “Build It Up” EP (theendmen.com)

Matthew Hendershot used to play in a Brooklyn band called the Dead River Company that I enjoyed a few times. Drummer Livia Ranalli played in Top Ten Lovers. When those groups disbanded, the duo formed this bluesy project, with the assistance of Jason Godbey on harmonica and lead guitar. Hendersot’s got a gruff, gravelly, voice that can’t help but draw comparisons to Tom Waits; it pairs with Godbey’s bluesy harp as perfectly as whiskey and ice. Ranalli adds skittish minimalist drums to the proceedings. On tracks like “A Dirty Song,” Hendershot hams it up almost to Buster Poindexter-ish extremes, like a more theatrical version of early White Stripes or a more stripped down take on George Thorogood’s back-room blues. It’s all very entertaining and a nice break from the overreaching hipster artiness of most of what comes out of Brooklyn these days.

THE CALL OUT – “Closer” EP (thecallout@hotmail.com)

In a perfect world, “Kally” would be the jam of the summer, a radio-perfect power-pop shoulda-been-a-hit with an infectious chorus and clever lyrics about longing for a girl named Kally who’s back in California while the narrator’s stuck in Jersey. For me, it’s the best song on the Call Out’s excellent new 5-track EP. The band plays catchy day-glo post-emo pop that teen girls pine over and dudes in tees and sandals can mosh to, but happily the Call Out does it a bit better than most of the other bands in Jersey working this genre. Start with Jon Ferris, a gifted lead singer who not only has an American Idol-worthy set of pipe (not a “pitchy” note here) but the ability to infuse these lyrics with honest emotions (as opposed to the lovesick ferrets who all too often yelp this sort of thing.) The arrangements show that the band really sweated over these tunes too; almost every song has some original guitar bit – a weird chord or a stop/start bit of riffage - that catches your ear. It seems like the band’s been through more bassists and drummers than Spinal Tap in its short existence but hopefully this lineup will stay together and the right people will get to hear this record. (That starts with you, by the way.)

CAMDEN – “Totally Fine” EP (Camden.bandcamp.com)

The members of Camden split their time between South Jersey and Boston due to college, so we don’t get to see them very often around these parts (although NJUnderground and Jersey Beat were able to lure them into driving down to play Maxwells at our joint showcase last winter.) On their 3-song “Totally Fine” EP, the band goes in a more rock direction than their debut “Vale” EP and that’s a good thing. “Vale” had an electro-pop edge with R&B and soul influences that sounded much more “indie rock” when played live. Frontman Jason Sibilia put aside his samplers and synthesizers and made this much more of a band record. “Diamonds In Bloom,” the standout track here, is a beachy summer jam with a relaxed, groovy melody that sounds like it floated out of some Bushwick loft. The crisp studio production keeps this safe from the chillwave tag but certainly this band would mesh perfectly with the hipster sounds of Brooklyn heavyhitters like Oberhofer or the Drums. “Let’s Go For A Drive” is a surprisingly straightforward pop song and the bouncy, head-bobbing ‘Mustangs” is similarly perfectly suited for listening on long summer drives with the top down and the wind in your face. The only thing wrong with this disc is that it’s only 3 songs.

SPEED THE PLOUGH – Shine (Dromedary)

Speed The Plough was born back in the Eighties, when the moonlighting members of the Feelies decided to reunite. Toni Paruta, Jon Baumgartner, and Marc Francia - who had been playing with Bill Million and Glenn Mercer as the Trypes – decided to carry on as Speed The Plough. Though there were several incarnations of the band (including, at different points, rock journalist Jim DeRogatis and Feelies Stan Demeski on drums), the Baumgartners (Jon and Toni married) and Francia created a distinctiv sound rooted in the insinuating polyrhythms of the Feelies coupled with a pastoral, post-hippie sort of mysticism. Fast forward to 2009, when Speed The Plough re-emerged with the core three intact, this time abetted by a second generation – Toni and Jon’s son Michael on guitar, Marc’s sons Dan and Ian on bass and drums. With Jon and Toni still sharing vocal duties, the new lineup still sounds like Speed The Plough. Only … well… different. There are still echoes of the Beatles (especially George Harrison’s raga influences) and the Feelies (the slow-build syncopated build up that begins “Madeleine”) but the instrumentation adds synthesizers, accordion, flute, and woodwinds to the basic guitar/bass/drums mix. “Madeleine” includes a solo (by something that sounds like a cross between a synth, a trumpet, and a kazoo) that wanders off into the melody from “My Favorite Things” from The Sound Of Music. “Can’t Get Over You,” with a wistful vocal by Jon, features a colorful organ part over strummed Feelies-esque guitars, while “Pour Man” wanders into Fairport Convention folkie/faerie territory. “Honey Bee,” in contrast, has Jon laying a soulful Hammond Organ part under one of Toni’s declamatory vocals, while a playful jazz saxophone tickles the melody. “(Love Is) The Best Revenge” features a vocal duet between Jon and Toni, with strummed guitars and organ erupting into a pastoral flute solo by Toni that’s one of the prettiest things I’ve heard in a while. “Sea Of Tranquility” – whose lilting chorus gives the album its title – showcases Jon on organ and Toni’s mellifluous lead vocal. And the old-timey piano ballad “Who Knew The World” ends the album on an appropriately nostalgic note, with ukulele and pealing guitar under Jon and Toni’s mixed voices. “Shine” is an appropriately sentimental and slightly old-fashioned collection of songs representing a sentimental and slightly old-fashioned ideal: A family that loves one another, and loves playing together.

THE COPYRIGHTS – North Sentinel Island (Red Scare)

Ridiculously catch singalong gang vocals on every track? Check. Subtly insightful lyrics championing the underdog and the working class? Check. Songs that make you feel happy to be alive and ready to jump headfirst into the next available moshpit? Check. So it must be the new Copyrights album. I wish there was something original I could add to this conversation, but this crew has been the most consistently excellent purveyors of this sort of fist in the air pop-punk going back to 2003’s “We Didn’t Come Here To Die.” This is their fifth album and might just be their best; as always, Brett and Fletcher and Jeff and Luke capture the relentless back-breaking torment of day-to-day survival at the bottom of the food chain, yet still manage to inject notes of optimism and hope. “Ignorance is bliss, they say,” they sing on “Never Move Your Back Row,” “and I’m a tough motherfucker who can make it through the day.” So how do they – and we – keep on going? Because there’s always tomorrow, and it might just be better, and we’ve always got our dreams: “I wanna die with a worn out passport, in the pocket of stolen jeans, on a beach somewhere I’ve never been before, surrounded by people I’ve never seen.” Don’t say you’ve heard all this before; you may have heard music like it, just like you’ve heard the blues or soul. But every note the Copyrights play, every word they sing, comes from the heart, and that never, ever gets old.

ARE YOU LISTENING? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 from New Jersey Artists by Gary Wien (facebook.com/AreYouListeningNJ)

Gary Wien has quietly worked behind the scenes, mostly in Asbury Park music circles, as a publisher, writer, journalist, and most recently, curator of one of the Internet radio stations that airs my show (so, you know, caveat emptor here.) He set himself the Sisyphean task of listening to over 2,000 recordings by New Jersey artists released in the decade 2000-2010 and the results - ranked through some arithmetic process by which each record was given a point ranking by Wien - can be found in this handsome trade paperback (there is also a less expensive B&W edition). The handsomely illustrated tome provides colorful photos (not just recycled publicity stills) as well as background information on Gary's top 100 New Jersey records and the artists who made them.

It goes without saying that this is Gary's list - not mine, not yours - and so, yeah, there are going to be some quibbles, as there always are with these best-of lists. No Wrens, no Ted Leo, no Yo La Tengo? No Roadside Graves or Tris McCall or Screaming Females? Well, to each his own. Wien's taste runs heavily (and I do mean heavily) to white guys with guitars; Val Emmich shows up three times, to give you an idea of his taste. There are women artists well represented in the book, but no virtually hip hop, jazz, or soul. (One wonders if the title shouldn't have been "The Top 100 Indie and Folk Rock Albums From NJ Artists.")

There's precious little metal, hardcore, or underground punk for that matter, unless you want to count post-teen emo-punks Echo Screen (who get two albums on the list, despite being dismissed by AbsolutePunk as "a simplified and high octane Fall Out Boy and Punchline hybrid.") But Saves The Day, Early November, Hidden In Plain View, Boysetsfire? Uh uh.

There are a few ringers, as well; Fountains of Wayne (who, name aside, really were never a NJ band;) Dramarama, who relocated to L.A. decades before recording Everybody Dies in 2004; Springsteen's The Rising, which technically qualifies but doesn't really fit into the indie vibe of most of the book; and the (admittedly excellent) album April Smith made years after she'd moved to Brooklyn.

There are a few recognizable "names" on the list besides The Boss - My Chemical Romance, Thursday, Gaslight Anthem, Bouncing Souls - and a couple of up and comers (the Gay Blades make the list, as does Titus Andronicus' annoyingly self-indulgent The Monitor. But there's nothing from contemporaries like Real Estate, Steel Train, Vivian Girls, and all those other Ridgewood/Glen Rock bands that Pat Stickles went to high school with, or the hugely-lauded 2009 album by Cymbals Eat Guitars, whose genesis was in Manahawkin. Wien does recognize Jersey's history of breeding great punk rock bands in sweaty house shows in several of his essays; but unless those bands eventually graduated from the basement to Starland Ballroom (Thursday, MCR, Bouncing Souls,) they don't make the list: For Science, Measure (SA), Plastic East, Mohawk Barbie, Atomic Missiles, Full of Fancy, Hunchback, Seasick, and that whole '00 generation of New Brunswick punk goes unmentioned.

Mostly you'll find guitar-centric indie-rock bands like Souls Release, Maybe Pete, Bill Owens Five, Successful Failures, Sunday All Stars, Wicker Hollow, Steel Mill, and Red Wanting Blue who spent most of their careers in small clubs like the Saint, Brighton Bar, Court Tavern, and Maxwells. There's also a surfeit of singer/songwriters, many with Jersey shore ties, like George Wirth, Ken Shane, Keith Monacchio, Arlan Feiles, Jon Caspi,Bob Burger, Lisa Bouchelle, James Dalton, Zak Smith, Anthony Walker, Rick Barry, and Christine Martucci.

Don't get me wrong; in the context of this particular book, that's a good thing. It's these largely unheralded and often forgotten artists who are the real stars here, and it's commendable that Wien has chronicled their efforts and provides some background on their work. But even there I have a quibble. (Of course.) Reading between the lines often uncovers a predilection for hyperbole, as when Wien states that Gaslight Anthem's "The 59 Sound" "practically made them a household word for rock n roll fans all over the world." The album peaked at 70 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart and has yet to be certified as a gold record, which means that under 500,000 copies have been sold. (Granted, many more have doubtlessly been shared illegally... but that's another book altogether.) Gaslight Anthem got big in Jersey and did some tours, but "a houseold word around the world" suggests Lady Gaga, Kanye West, or Madonna, not five guys in white t-shirts from Jersey whose biggest claim to fame is how well they rip off Bruce Springsteen. Heck, I doubt the Boss is a household word in Belarus or Pakistan.

Want more? Divine Sign, the fine but humble folk pop pairing of Lindsey Miller and Kerry McNulty, are compared to "Neil Young, the Band, and even Fleetwood Mac," which is a little like comparing that play your 11 year old son made in Little League this morning to the iconic Willie Mays basket catch that helped win the '54 World Series.

Side note: Links or references on how one might access some of this music would have been helpful, too.

If you've been a regular reader of Jersey Beat or the Aquarian for the last decade, Are You Listening? will bring back some pleasant memories and might even inspire a visit to the unvisited corners of your CD collection. And if you weren't there, this is as good a place as any to discover a little of what you missed.

But really, Gary, no Ergs?

MODERN HUT - "Wrong" EP (Don Giovanni Records)

Modern Hut is the solo project of Joe Steinhardt, formerly of New Brunswick pop-punkers For Science, and one half of Don Giovanni Records. The band's been through several incarnations (including a duo for a time with Chelsea Lacatena of Short Attention,) but at this point it seems to be Joe and whomever he can corral into recording with him. As Modern Hut, Steinhardt has in the past performed acoustic versions of For Science songs as well as folkie, thoughtful originals, but "Wrong" offers an interesting change of pace, a dense swirl of electric guitars behind Joe's trademark laconic vocals. The man has always had an ear for melody and this one's catchy as hell; the tune nods along a little like solo Bob Mould. I think that's Fid (ex Measure SA) shredding the solo in the background. The flipside "Life" is a song I recognize from hearing live; here, Joe's enlisted Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females to duet with him over strummed acoustic guitars. It's a gently pokey tune with a droopy, shuffling beat; hearing Marissa play Emmy Lou Harris to Joe's Gram Parsons is a real treat. Given the stable of talent Joe can draw from just from his own label, we can almost certainly look forward to Modern Hut serving up more surprises like this in the future.

ANTIETAM - Tenth Life (Matador)

It's been 30 years since Tara Key and Tim Harris relocated their Southern boogie-punk Babylon Dance Band north to Hoboken, where the streets were lined with recording contracts and gold nuggets and free John Courage Ale poured from every spigot. Of course the Hoboken of the early 80's wasn't quite that idyllic but Tim and Tara did manage to put down roots, forming an enduring alliance with Yo La Tengo and other musicians (especially Tara's collaborations with Rick Rizzo). So here we are three decades later, Antietam still very much a band, Tim and Tara still very much a couple, and Tenth Life one of the group's most focused and tuneful releases in a while. Tara Key still creates a maelstrom of sound with guitar and voice - in many ways, she's the template for what Marissa Paternoster is doing now in Screaming Females - but the jamming and shredding is kept to a minimum, working in service to some of the band's strongest melodies in a while. Like Sonic Youth and and Mission of Burma and a whole host of Eighties noise-bands who are still making meanintful rock records, Antietam shows no signs of age or irrelevance. Girls with guitars never seem to get the same adulation we extend to our punk poets like Patti Smith or the small army of post-punk divas who strut across stages mic in hand but can't play a note. It's about time Tara got credit for a voice and a guitar style that's as unique as anything indie rock has given us in the last three decades.

BIG UPS (bigups.bandcamp.com)
FLAGLAND (flagland.bandcamp.com)

These two collegiate bands both serve up giddy, fun punk rock perfect for beer-soaked basements. Joe Galarrga's high-pitched half sung/half shouted vocals sound like an 8 year old on a sugar high when Big Ups is raging about the simple pleasures pizza, high 5's, or their favorite comic strip. Most songs clock in under 2 minutes, which is perfect for this sort of silly ADD punk, although the band does stretch out a bit for the thrashy party anthem "Breaking Things (Reluctantly.)" Flagland offers variations on the same themes, with whiny post-emo vocals and songs like "Asshole Boyfriend" and "My New Gun." Think Jonathan Richman for frat party mosh pits and you've got the idea.

DEVO SPICE - Gnome Sane? (devospice.com)

Tom Rockwell aka Devo Spice needs no introduction if you're a fan of the Dr. Demento show or an aficionado of nerdcore (a genre primarily composed of comedic rap songs.) But if you haven't heard of him, get ready for a good chuckle. With a deadpan delivery, sampled beats (that often turn into clever mashups,) a sharp wit, and a plethora of nerdist pop-culture references, Devo Spice wrings humor from our technology-obsessed day to day lives. If there's a knock, it's that he often visits the same territory twice: There are songs about nerds and geeks, Christmas and Halloween, Twitter and Facebook. But Rockwell (along with a stellar cast of nerdcore guest stars, including Worm Quartet, the Great Luke Ski, MC Lars, and YT Cracker) hits the mark more often than he misses. Pick hits: "Platform Wars" (Mac vs PC), "I'm Not Your Personal IT Guy," and probably the ultimate nerdcore in-joke, " Weird Al Didn't Write This Song."

LAURA STEVENSON & THE CANS – Sit Resist (Don Giovanni)

On her second full-length with her talented multi-instrumentalist band, Laura Stevenson steps aside from her role as the cute punk chick in Bomb The Music Industry and full embraces her new identity as a sultry chanteuse of folk and blues. Stevenson’s smoky, fragile voice has a vulnerability that’s not unlike the great Billie Holiday, although the band’s jaunty forays into uptempo pop also invite comparisons to the vaudevillian jauntiness of Brooklyn indie-rocker April Smith. The Cans make a compelling backup band when they stick to guitar/bass/drums fundamentals but their real appeal and distinctiveness comes into play when they introduce trumpet, accordion, banjo, and violin into the mix, on standout tracks like “The Healthy One,” “Peachy,” and “Barnacles.” On the traditional “Red Clay Roots,” Laura and the band sound like they’re being beamed through time from a Grand Ole Opry radio broadcast from the Fifties. Like Alex Winston and Lykke Li, two other 2011 breakout performers, expect Laura Stevenson to keep turning heads and winning new fans as more people discover the allure of her voice and the depth of her backing band.

QUINCY MUMFORD & THE REASON WHY - Speak (quincymumford.com)

ANTHONY WALKER & THE MEDICINE CHEST – This City Won’t Sleep (Anthony-walker.com)

Anthony Walker, Matt Wade, Tor Milller, Julian Sutton, Quincy Mumford… those names may not mean a lot now, unless you’re a habitué of the Jersey shore indie scene, but just wait a few years. Asbury Park is enjoying a youth movement that’s bursting with talent and ready to break out into the national spotlight. Although he’s not old enough to order a beer, Allenhurst’s Quincy Mumford is a seasoned veteran of this scene and “Speak” is, remarkably, already his third album. With a polished backing band of locals, Mumford qualifies as one of the jammiest artists on the Jersey shore, working a smooth reggae groove into his compositions. He’s also one of the “beachiest” kids on the scene; it’s hard to imagine Matt Wade skateboarding or Anthony Walker on a surfboard, but the strikingly handsome Mumford looks like he was born to walk around in boardies and sandals trying to catch the eye of an Abercrombie & Fitch photographer. Karlee Bloomfield’s colorful runs on electric piano and organ flesh out Mumford’s knack for low-key melodies and head-bobbing rhythms; Travis Lyon adds complexity with his fluid and funky lead guitar. Brian Gearty on bass and Jeff Mann on drums add the polyrhythmic prowess that fuels Mumford’s penchant for island rhythms and sould grooves. On “Rally,” Mumford shows off his vocal dexterity, nimbly spitting out the verses hip-hop style over jaunty pop melody. ‘Sounds Like Music” sounds like a hit single, a ; te with horns. Mumford & Co. rework these tropes – reggae, ska, funk, soul, and hip hop – on the signature “Full Tank Of Gas” and the horn-driven “My Friends.” Speak is a delight from start to finish, from Mumford’s boyish but confident vocals to the impressive musicianship of his band to the deft intermingling of reggae, ska, soul, and funk that runs through his songwriting. Next thing you know, the kid will be dating Jenifer Aniston.

Like Mumford, Anthony Walker (formerly known as Anthony Fiumano) broke into the Asbury scene as a teenager, performing callow solo/acoustic performances at coffeehouses and open mics. With the formation of his band the Medicine Chest, though, he morphed from a folksinger into more of a modern-country and Americana artist. On This City Won’t Sleep – funded by fans through a Kickstarter.com campaign - Walker flexes his songwriting chops as well as the muscle of his impressive backing band, which includes lead guitarist Tommy Strazza (a local headliner in his own right) and talented young keyboardist Matt Wade. When Walker released the vibrant, catchy “The Movie Universe” as a single a while ago, it looked like this new album might take a more straight-ahead rock approach, but most of “This City Won’t Sleep” has a rootsy quality. “Once And For All” emphasizes the western in country-western, with its twangy guitars and barrelhouse piano. Walker’s folkie roots (and panache for clever lyrics) come to the fore on the acoustic-driven “Call Me Custer.” The winsome peel of pedal steel sets the tone for the elegiac “Forget The Railroad,” while Strazza’s searing lead guitar and a throbbing, funky bass line steal the spotlight on “Sundowners.” And “Darlene” ranks as one of the best ballads Walker’s ever written; he should sell it to Scotty McCreery after the wannabe American Idol finishes his run this season, it’d be a monster country hit.

Next up should be the debut album by Matt Wade, the curly-headed Elton John of the Asbury scene; and right behind him there’s the Tor Miller Band and the 10-piece Julian Fulton & The Zombie Gospel, both of whom turned in impressive sets at this year’s Bamboozle.

Don’t look now, Bruce, but they’re gaining on you.

READYMADE BREAKUP (readymadebreakup.com)

Readymade Breakup’s third album turns out to be the self-titled one. That’s a trick bands usually use either to reintroduce themselves after a long hiatus, or to announce a reinvention of the band’s sound. And both of those things are true in a way here. It’s been two years since the group’s last full-length, Alive On The Vine, and in that time RMB has dropped its keyboards and acoustic guitars and found a much more muscular, dynamic sound, thanks to the addition of guitarist Jim Fitzgerald. In that time, bassist G.E. and his wife had a baby, lead singer/guitarist Paul Rosevear moved to Greenwich Village and released an acoustic EP, and drummer Spicy O’Neil left the band and then decided to come back. It’s been a tumultuous period in the band’s history but much to their credit, they’ve emerged from it all with their best and most cohesive collection of songs yet. With those powerful guitars, melodic bottom, and Rosevear’s chameleonic vocals, Cheap Trick comes instantly to mind, seamlessly combining the best elements of power-pop and classic rock. “Just” exemplifies RMB’s robust dynamism as Rosevear goes from an evocative whisper to a bombastic arena-rock roar, surrounded by a kaleidoscopic fusion of harmony vocals and dense guitars. “Waiting For You” builds from O’Neil’s precise percussion to a soaring falsetto epiphany in the chorus, while “There” brings a dash of Tom Petty-like Americana to the mix. “Unzip My Face” continues the Cheap Trick comparison; it’s power-pop with real power, and that “I miss you” chorus is to die for. “Bravest Smile,” about solidering through tough times (in fact, inspired by a close friend with a terminal illness,) packs even more punch with its quadraphonic harmony chorus and Rosevear’s searing “you’re not alone” refrain. “Good Things” borrows from the Who, Kinks, Green Day, and every other rock band who’s used an acoustic guitar to bolster a rock track to excellent effect. Even the inevitable ballad – “Not Through With You Yet” – proves a high point, with one of Rosevear’s most powerful lyrics on the album. “Erased” ends the album on a note of Beatlesque psychedelia – another change of pace, but a welcome one. This isn’t just one of the strongest albums to come out of New Jersey in 2010, it’s one of the best records of the year, period.

THE GAY BLADES – Savages (Triple Crown/ILG)

Clark Westfield and Puppy Mills still do one thing better than any other band I can think of at the moment: They poke a finger in your eye and dare you to guess what they really mean. The flamboyant and theatrical NJ-based duo create a monster sound on their second album, with a kitchen-sink approach that mixes music-hall razzamatazz with fractured 60’s pop (I swear they’re ripping off Jimmy Webb on “November Fight Song,”) and post-punk squall. When the band delves into weighty subject matter – like the solemn family issues of “Try To Understand” – the music turns jaunty and (in the old-fashioned sense) gay; when the vocals seem solemn and emotion-wracked, they’re singing some nonsense like “Puppy Mills Presents” (“well we could find God and join a seminary, if I was Father Clark then I'd be Father Puppy, after all God pays pretty well, we could pay off all the kids to show and never tell.”) Not since Panic At The Disco has strutting around like a popinjay been taken to such arrogant (and entertaining) extremes. The Gay Blades are not a band to be tossed aside lightly; you may want to take this CD and throw it full force into the nearest wall. Or this might just turn out to be your favorite band ever. Me, I’m voting for the latter; if these guys aren’t playing to Screaming Females-size audiences in a year, something’s very wrong with the world.

THE MEASURE (SA) – Notes (No Idea)

Brooklyn (by way of New Brunswick) pop-punkers The Measure (SA) turn in a wonderfully compelling full-length after releasing a string of excellent singles and split EP’s. Lauren DeNitizio’s fragile vocals still hold the spotlight, but guitarist Fid’s doing more singing, which is a good thing (especially on the tracks like “Be Yours” where they trade lead vocals and harmonize. Chris “Gobo” Pierce returns to the fold on drums (following the defection of Mikey Erg to Minneapolis and the road,) so it goes without saying that the drums fucking rule, and Tim Burke plays some nice throbbingly melodic bass parts. Standout tracks include “I’m No Daniel Craig” (with Fid on lead vox and some nice harmonica,) Lauren’s achingly vulnerable “Fear of Commitment,” the super-catchy, hand-clappingly awesome “St. Kathleen,” and the hard-rocking “Sigh;” but really, there’s not a track on here you’re going to want to skip.

KENNY CHAMBERS – Under The Tracks (Bad Blood)

After a long hiatus, former Moving Targets frontman Kenny Chambers returns to the indie rock world with Under The Tracks, inspired by the untimely passing of his two former bandmates, Pat Leonard and Pat Brady. Although Chambers most recently stayed active in music with American Pulverizer (as you might guess, a hard rock/punk combo,) his Eighties roots are evident in the jangly guitars and easygoing tempos of the songs on “Under The Tracks.” Themes of loss, aging, separation, and moving on flicker throughout the album, guided by Chambers’ amiable, somewhat reedy vocals. Although Chambers recently moved back to his native Boston after years in L.A., the feel here is more Eighties Minneapolis. This album would have fit perfectly on the Twin/Tone roster back in the days of Jayhawks, Replacements, and early Soul Asylum. It’s a bittersweet but ultimately engaging collection of 15 songs, a little softer (and older, and wiser) and less aggressive than Moving Targets, but eminently listenable nonetheless.

HUNTERS & RUNNERS – “I Was The Ghost” EP (Bright & Barrow)

Released as a free download on Halloween weekend, Hunters & Runners’ new EP brings a fresh jazzy vibe to the NYC indie scene. The music-hall tone of “Meet Your Maker” suggests what the Gay Blades might sound like without the snarkiness, while “Knife” has an almost Steely Dan like jazz groove. I really like the final track, “The Ghost,” with its layered harmony vocals and propulsive melody. This band borrows a lot of tropes from Sixties pop but makes it all sound quite modern, a neat trick. Mostly this 3-song treat makes me eager to see them live. Download the record at huntersandrunners.bandcamp.com

CARE BEARS ON FIRE – Girls Like It Loud (carebearsonfire.com)

The three teen gals in Park Slope’s Care Bears On Fire might not be old enough to remember the Clinton administration, but they’ve got a ton of rock’n’roll history packed into their sound. With echoes of the Runaways and Go Go’s, the girls four super-catchy originals and two inspired covers (Tears For Fears’ “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” and the Marbles’ “Red Lights,” a club hit back in late 70’s Manhattan.) The girls’ musicianship and vocals are certainly solid (they hit the harmonies on “Red Lights” way better than the Marbles ever did!), but it’s their songwriting that really impresses: “ATM” tells off a boyfriend who’s always borrowing money , with a “whoop whoop” chorus that will have you dancing around your bedroom. “What Could I Be” and “Ask Me What I Am” both qualify a teen girl anthems that blow away anything Miley Cyrus has ever done, but even they don’t compare with the brilliant “Barbie Eat A Sandwich,” a song about female body image and empowerment. The digital download (available from iTunes) comes with three videos - two different versions of “Everybody Else” from their last record, and a hilarious green-screen visualization of the Barbie song.

VAL EMMICH - Looking For A Feeling You Never Knew You Needed (valemmich.com)

TV fans know him from Ugly Betty or 30 Rock, or maybe one of his many TV commercials. But here in NJ, we know Val Emmich is a musician first and actor second. The singer/songwriter pulls out all the stops and gives us a taste of everything he’s learned in his 10-year career on the digitally-released Looking For A Feeling.... He tugs at the heartstrings with the piano-driven ballad “Gone,” pumps up the volume on uptempo indie rockers like “Don’t Wanna Go Home” and “Next To Me,” and hits the dancefloor for the beat-heavy “Sidekick.” Lyrically, many of the songs return to the same themes, the search for identity and the difficult passage into adulthood - understandable for a talented musician who keeps getting cast as boy toys as an actor. Emmich started on an indie, went through the major label meatgrinder, and now he’s self-releasing himself digitally. Do yourself a favor and download this.

SARIN McHUGH & THE EVERYMEN – “Rotocoma Pollution!” EP (myspace.com/ sarinmchughandtheeverymen)

Lo-fi garage punk from the wilds of South Jersey. Imagine Jay Reatard if someone put a foot through the speaker in his amp. Mystery man McHugh mixes in some pop elements (like the Beachy whoo-hooos on “Telephone”) and some big Spector-ish chordage (along with an old Blondie hook) on “Dance Only (Only Dance)” so this isn’t just sonic squalor with a beat. Although you could certainly call it that too.

KURT BAKER – Got It Covered (Oglio Records)

Much like the Methadones, Kurt Baker of the Leftovers has given us an album of his favorite power-pop classics from the 70’s and 80’s, delivered with his usual high energy. With the Leftovers on hiatus (I pray it’s just a hiatus,) Kurt’s recruited a top-notch backup band for these tunes, which include Cheap Trick’s “Let Me Out,” Nick Lowe’s “Cruel To Be Kind,” and the Vapors’ “Turning Japanese,” all done with considerable respect to the originals. Kurt’s strength with the power-poppy Leftovers – maybe this has something to do with coming from Portland, Maine – has been to imbue even the cheesiest sentiments with a fresh-faced earnestness; he sings everything with a smile, never a smirk, which allows him to make even Top 40 AM Radio fodder like Rick Springsfield’s “I’ve Done Everything For You” into something resembling punk rock. And with his lugubrious take on Joe Jackson’s “Is She Really Going Out With Him?”, Kurt proves that he always has a career in lounges to fall back on in case this rock ‘n’ roll thing doesn’t work out.

SCREAMING FEMALES – Castle Talk (Don Giovanni Records)

By now most of you will know that Screaming Females are the red-hot post-punk trio from New Brunswick with that crazy girl who screams like a banshee and shreds like Hendrix. And yes, all the reasons why we fell in love with this band are still present, but Marissa Paternoster actually reins in the solos and keeps the shrieking to a minimum here. Castle Talk features more in the way of actual singing and – holy smokes – Marissa’s started rhyming and enunciating so you can actually hear the lyrics. These are songs now, not just awesome collections of sounds, riffs, and hooks stitched together. While all eyes (and ears) remain focused on Paternoster, it should be noted that bassist “King Mike” Abbate approaches Mike Watt-ian levels of melodic bass here, completing songs that would be lacking a vital piece without his contributions. The way the bass and guitar play off each other, giving each room to breathe on the electrifying “I Don’t Mind It” gives an early harbinger of the growth evidenced on this album. Meanwhile Jarrett Dougherty’s grounds the band with a steady but unshowy barrage of percussive propulsion. Given all the superlatives I’ve showered on this band in the past, it’s actually a little scary that they’re still getting better; but Castle Talk goes places the Screamales haven’t been before, and it makes you salivate at the thought of where they might take this next.

GEOFF USELESS – Don’t Stop (Livid Records)

Geoff Useless has long been a master of ultra-catchy power-pop and pop-punk in bands like The Guts and She’s A Guy (he’s also toured as a member of the Queers.) But on “Don’t Stop,” he indulges his country side, adding a lot of twang (along with some pedal steel, fiddle, and acoustic guitars) on a collection of bright, sassy cowpunk tunes. While the instrumentation and arrangements go country, Geoff’s ingratiating, boyish vocals still sell the tunes, his lyrical wit remains intact, and of course country-western’s as catchy as pop-punk anyway. Geoff throws in a Beatles cover (“I’ve Just Seen A Face”) and a Guts cover (“Easy Come, Easy Go,”) and there are still traces of Geoff’s pop-punk proclivities on some of the backup vocals and power-pop choruses. Your enthusiasm for this album will depend on your regard for country-western tropes and the trebly sound of pedal steel replacing the usual punk-rock sonics of electric guitars and bass; but as a longtime Geoff Useless fan (who doesn’t particularly listen to country,) I thoroughly enjoyed this change of pace offering.

HOODLESS – Music For Jerks (hoodlessrocks.com)

Jersey City’s Hoodless play straight ahead Nineties metal, complete with technical guitar solos and seamless, razor sharp harmonies on the choruses. It’s not a style I’m a huge fan of, but if a little bit of your soul died when Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins knocked Warrant and Alice In Chains off the charts way back when, this is the band you’ve been waiting for. That said, I do not approve of the cover art (heroin or coke being proffered in a spoon) or song titles like “Be My Whore.” You can be retro without being stupid, guys.

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