Scroll down for capsule reviews of releases by The Paybacks, Matthew Sweet, Oval-Teen, Channels, Dora Flood, Tim Lee, Tracy Spuehler, Midnight Movies, The Sirens, Lolas, Even, The Telepathic Butterflies, Atomic 7 and Johnathan Rundman

The Paybacks -- Harder And Harder (Get Hip): If you buy this record, and there are plenty of reasons to do so, you will note that it indeed rocks and merits its title. Yet, if you haven't seen The Paybacks live, you must know that as much as this cooks, it's about 75 percent of the full on rock they play on stage. Which is fine, as what is sacrificed in the studio rockwise is gained back in just enough polish to make sure that every hook is intact. This is a superb sophomore record that only suffers in comparison to the band's debut because there is no one defining track, a la "Black Girl" the last time out. Wendy Case still has one of the supreme mentholated voices in the business and the rhythm section is equally adept at pile driving or playing an R & B inspired groove and Marco Delicato is a masterful lead guitarist. The music here is a mix of hard rock bluster, Joan Jett pop, New York Dolls jive and glam rock bop. The band subtly expands its repertoire without losing its essential qualities. The song "Can You Drive" is particularly impressive, as it is a smart mid-tempo song, with Case playing the role of an aggressive woman who's probably a bit blotto, making a play for a man. There is something very real about this song, and her vocals are alternatively scary and tragic. Not typical Paybacks fare, but excellent stuff. "Jumpy" starts out bluesy bluesy, and then becomes bluesy rocking, with a nice swing. I'd love to hear a Delta-style blues rocker move this nugget back into time. Oh, I should also mention Delicato's spectacular bottleneck guitar solo. The band also delivers a knock out punch with its spiffy cover of T. Rex's "Celebrate Summer". A Marc Bolan song has probably never had so much balls. Along with this are a few good old fashioned hard rockers. The Paybacks make it sound easy, but believe me, it takes a lot of talent and hard work to sound this good. gethip.com

Matthew Sweet -- Living Things (Superdeformed/RCAM): Sweet is a quintessential craftsman who has a signature sound, and, more significantly, a pretty stalwart method of constructing songs. On any given album, you can find at least a few songs that sound like songs on previous records. What Sweet tries to do with each record is to alter the musical approach, giving each record a specific texture. On this album, there's no overt stylistic thrust, which is actually a nice change of pace. Working with long time colleague Ric Menck (drummer for Velvet Crush) and getting a lot of assistance from Van Dyke Parks on piano and accordion and other instruments, this is a relaxed and comforting album. Sweet shows off an unexpected sense of humor. "Cats vs. Dogs" is a goofy take on the pro and cons of cat and dog owners, with Sweet showing a pro-cat owning bias. This may be amusing or annoying, depending on your mood, but Sweet's position is simply wrong. He fares better on the wonderful "Push the Feelings", a bouncy Todd Rundgren-esque toe tapper which encourages repressing emotions and staying inhibited. The peppy tune and misguided lyrics are not just wry, dry and sly, they make a good point. Of course, this song may be adopted by Scientologists in their crusade against psychology. Sweet evokes memories of the bitter, edgy rock of his underrated *Altered Beast* album with the lacerating "I Saw Red", a menacing song that has a nice build up before unleashing all of the tension, while remaining tense. Tony Marisco's circling bass line, with Parks in hot pursuit on his piano, keys "Dandelion", an extremely well constructed track that is kind of psychedelic, without relying on the usual sonic characteristics of that genre. All in all, this is one of Sweet's better efforts. matthewsweet.com

Oval-Teen -- Yorkville, IL (Bi-Fi): A compilation of charming low-fi pop and rock. In fact, two CDs worth. Oval-Teen comes off like a more retro minded take on the music of Guided By Voices and Kleenex Girl Wonder. The work of Billy Childish comes to mind, as affinity for the music overcomes the musical limitations of the band. While I'm not sure that I needed two full discs of this stuff, there are plenty of fine, simple pop tunes with winsome vocals and enough yearning for about three power pop bands. When Oval-Teen transcended its seeming limitations, as exemplified on the splendid "It's Alright, It's Alright", the results were pop bliss. Starting off with drums and keyboards, then layering guitars and old school ‘shooby doo wop' backing vox, the song is a genre splice of three or four different eras of rock that is genius. The band could rock out pretty well as demonstrated on songs like "Smyle" and the mid-tempo "Smile Like Summer", a song that someone should cover immediately. The band also touched on ‘80s synth sounds ("Fingerpainting"), had plenty of mellow gems ("1000 Popsicles" is just one), could go folky ("The Record Player Song") and even touched on disco ("Drama Club Kids"). A band worth compiling for sure. bifirecords.com

Channels -- Open (DeSoto): The latest project from J. Robbins follows the linear progression that he started with Jawbox and Burning Airlines. A mix of precise angular rock with snatches of melody and abstract and intelligent lyrics are standard issue Robbins by now. What has evolved over the past decade or so is that the snatches of melody more often become swaths. This seems to simply be a matter of increased confidence (though he's always seemed pretty confident), and when accompanied by two ace musicians (Janet Morgan on bass and backing vocals and Darren Zentek on drums), it makes for six terrific songs. On "Chivaree", the song starts at a gallop, like many a Robbins tune. The chorus is almost pop-punk, progressing into a bridge back into the verse that is melodic and smooth. This is prickly and shiny at the same time, leading to a nice breakdown with Robbins, whose voice sounds as robust as ever, singing over handclaps before bringing it home on the final chorus. Showing both good taste and smart arranging ability, the band does right by John Cale's "Fear Is a Man's Best Friend", doing a faithful rendition while molding the song into their own sound. Morgan takes some of the vocal, as she does on the finale "Win Instantly", her stately singing perfectly complimenting Robbins pretty bell-like guitar part (a bit reminiscent of Adrian Belew's work in King Crimson). The song is Dynamics 101, the beautiful verses contrasted by beefy instrumental interludes. If you've been following Robbins career so far, you must have this. If you're unfamiliar but intrigued, this is the place to start and then work your way back. desotorecords.com

Dora Flood -- Highlands (Elephant Stone): Veteran band forges on with more quality psychedelic rock. On their last album, they edged a bit more in the direction of shoegazing music, but here they mellow out, blending classic melodies that evoke late-‘60s Pretty Things, Pink Floyd and others with some blues and R & B underpinnings. This is understated yet played with enough intensity that the album unfolds over multiple plays. The best song is "Evening on My Mind", which is lysergic soul of the highest order, with a stretched out groove, tremolo and reverb on the guitar, lots of haunting lead guitar and synth squalls and a great falsetto vocal in the middle eight by Michael Padilla. This is one of the more original psychedelic rock numbers I have heard in a long time, and shows that there is always something new you can do in just about any genre. On the other hand, "Where You Belong" isn't original, but it's just a damn good psych-pop tune, ranking right up there with XTC during its Oranges And Lemons phase and modern contemporaries like The Pillbugs. Bonus points for the cool guitar solo before the final chorus. Padilla reaches the top of his vocal range again on the closer "Home", backed by Steve Cavoretto's delicate keyboards. This is a space rock ballad of the highest order, with a dreamlike feel. Fans of the above-referenced bands and other acts like Donovan's Brain and many Rainbow Quartz acts should check this out. elephantstonerecords.com

Tim Lee -- No Discretion (Paisley Pop): With a weather beaten voice, ace guitar skills and a bevy of rootsy rock songs, the former Windbreakers co-frontman (along with Bobby Sutliff) is pretty darned reliable. He combines some basic blues rock inspired moves with some more heady inspiration from the likes of Television and The Velvet Underground, throws in some strong hooks and substantial melodies, and then performs them with intensity. What's there not to like? The passion begins with "I Wanna Believe", a fiery declaration with stinging guitar work. With lines like "I once knew a lot things/I've since come to forget/grew up and I lost it/and it hasn't come back yet", this song could be looked at as a man questioning his faith, whether it's faith in religion or ideals. Superdrag's Don Coffey, Jr. pushes things along with his drumming (and his production -- in addition to Coffey Jr., Mitch Easter and Neilson Hubbard also twiddle some knobs). I love the title track, which has a Velvets-gone-South feel (using a structure similar to The Cars' Velvets-inspired "Moving in Stereo") with Lee's Dylan-ish vocal intonations perfect for his scathing lyrics: "‘cause talk is cheap they say/still you signed up for your lessons/but you don't have much to say/when you show up to confession." This is a slow burning conflagration. The album as a whole has a nice balance between catchy rockers like "Keep Me Down" and more pensive material such as "More or Less". The only thing better than this would be if Lee could hit the road and dazzle roadhouses across the country with this strong material. paisleypop.com

Tracy Spuehler -- It's The Sound (Tracymusic): Writing melodic observational pop songs will only get you so far. Just because a singer plays in coffeehouses and such doesn't mean that he or she should make a record that sounds like it was recorded in a coffeehouse. This is what separates the likes of folks like Jill Sobule and Ron Sexsmith from most of their acoustic guitar toting brethren. Kudos to Spuehler for realizing this and teaming up with producer Liam Davis of Frisbie to take her songs, all which would be alright with just her guitar and voice, and make a textured pop record that resonates. Spuehler has one of those singing voices that somehow sounds artless and musical all at once, which creates an automatic intimacy, pulling the listener in. Moreover, she knows how to write songs that highlight her most attractive vocal qualities. For example, on "Take Your Coat On" she projects a winning girly vulnerability in the verses and then finds just the right melody in the chorus. When she moves up the scale just a little bit while singing "better be safe/or you gonna be sorry" it gets to me every time, it's sublime. Spuehler has a knack for direct lyrics which goes well with friendly and immediate songs like "Skin Deep" and the title cut. The hooks hit quickly and stick. Interspersed are more contemplative tracks like "Caution Tape", where Davis's contribution becomes readily apparent, as he layers on instruments with care, augmenting the emotional tone of the song (the sound here is on par with efforts from Brad Jones and Mitchell Froom). Very nice sounds throughout, really. tracymusic.com

Midnight Movies -- Midnight Movies (Emperor Norton/Rykodisc): Icy music which comes off as both romantic and decadent, the Movies are a rock band that builds a bridge from Stereolab to Nico, two artists whose sounds weren't that far apart to begin with. The singer for this trio is drummer Gena Olivier, and with Larry Schemel (guitar) and Jason Hammons (keyboards/guitar), some nuanced textured music ensues. Olivier's voice is sometimes stentorian and accented, and then she can move into a sensual high range that makes her sound like the desirable yet unattainable ice queen of dreams and nightmares. The music is well designed to augment that persona. Torch song melodies are accompanied by Moe Tucker-ish drumming and Schemel's basic but colorful guitar. Hammons then adds layers of whatever is necessary. This makes for an album with an automatically appealing surface, perfect for late night cocktails in a penthouse apartment or moonlit drives down the boulevards of city going to sleep. The Movies quickly assert themselves and show that despite the sophisticated trappings, they can rock, ending "Love or a Lesson" with a freight train fury. The Stereolab influence really comes through on the tracks where Hammon's keyboards drive the track, rather than just provide atmosphere – like on "Human Mind Trap". The difference is that the airy aspect of Stereolab is replaced by a darker edge, which on "Trap" is enhanced by slicing guitar solo by Schemel. On "Strange Design", the band reaches a melodic height on a lovely composition that skirts being a plain ol' pop tune. The lullaby construction gets deconstructed with a buzzing rock breakdown at the end. This is an impressive debut, though I'm wondering where they will go from here, as their sound is so fully realized. Fans of Denali and Portishead might like this too. rykodisc.com

The Sirens -- The Sirens (Get Hip): If Suzi Quatro and The Runaways were given the toughness of The Paybacks, you'd get something that sounds like Detroit's The Sirens. The band straddles the line between hard rock and glam, on an album that is almost entirely cover versions. They cover expected territory, such as Gary Glitter ("I Didn't Know I Loved You (Till I Saw You Rock And Roll)"), Slade ("Gudbuy T'Jane") and Suzy Quatro ("Glycerine Queen"). They have quite a few surprises too. They take on The Ikettes ("I'm Blue"), Roky Erickson ("Don't Slander Me") and Gladys Knight & The Pips ("I've Got to Use My Imagination"). They are tasteful and tasteless all at the same time, with the vocals sounding sneered about 100 percent of the time and playing barely above the basics of The Troggs, but with good songs, hard playing and the right attitude, this works. The production on this record is terrific. Detroit stalwart Jim Diamond manned the boards for three tracks and Michael Ivins of the Flaming Lips handled the rest, and the result is just the proper mix of rugged rawness with fidelity, with bits of high end popping up, though fuzzy thick guitars, stomping beats and throbbing bass dominate. The quintessential track here might be the version of The Equals' "Slight Diversion". Vocalist Muffy Kroha (her brother Dan is the front-tran for Demolition Doll Rods) toughs her way through the song, and while the rhythm section might not swing, but adapts the R & B groove to the band's hard rock purposes. This is a sleazy rock delight, and I can only hope they hit the road and come to my town and help me party it down. gethip.com

Lolas -- Something You Oughta Know (Jam): The first time I popped this on, I thought to myself, ‘wow, Tim Boykin has gone all political on us!' Then I realized that what I thought was "we're going down to the poorhouse" was actually the song "We're Going Down to the Boathouse". No wonder he sounded so cheerful. Of course, cheerful is pretty much Boykin's default mode. On the third Lolas disc, he makes most power pop bands sound like Bauhaus in comparison, as his music is so swathed in a sunshiney vibe. As always, the Lolas music sounds like they heard The Descendents cover of "Wendy" and thought that if they could make tunes that managed to be a bit more in the vein of The Beach Boys and a bit more power pop than punk pop, they'd be onto something. On this disc, there aren't as many loud guitars, and there's a wee bit more attention paid to harmonies and arrangements (not that they've skimped before, mind you). The end result is adult bubblegum music, as evidenced by numbers like "Dana the Chromium Girl" and "Plenty of Dogs" (as in, I've got plenty of dogs, meaning he doesn't need to buy him a dog because he needs a friend). Or "Little Deedra", which has is a modern glam rock stomp (a la Slade or Gary Glitter), with a muscular guitar solo and a twee and fun chorus. This is catchy times three. On "Master Cat", the Lolas reach a rarified area of brilliance, melding Standells organ fueled garage rock verses with a Burt Bacharach worthy bridge, pulling them together (with the garage rock dominating) in the chorus. This is novel without being a novelty. One thing I like a lot is the utter lack of self-consciousness here. The sweet as a Krispy Kreme "Light Up Every Doorway" is sung and played with utter commitment. Though it's feather light, the melodies still have an emotional pull, making this delicious and nutritious. The Lolas are now three-for-three, with another strong album. jamrecordings.com

Even -- Downpayment On Future Glories (1995-2003) (Dionysus): This disc compiles some highlights from the career of this Aussie power pop band who has a major Beatles jones. They are in love with the 1966-67 era Fabs. Everything here is well done -- great sound, fine vocals, memorable songs. Probably the only drawback is that on some tracks they go beyond homage into mimicry (what could be called Oasisville). Okay, it's not all Beatles. For example, on "Stupid Dream", they work a nifty variation on the melody of Big Star's "Back Of My Car", and it's splendid. On "End to End", there is pretty direct Beatles lift during the bridge, taking a melody right from Lennon (it's so obvious and familiar it's overwhelming my ability to remember which Beatles track it lifts from). Yet these venal sins are easy to overlook when the less derivative tracks are expansive guitar pop tunes that may encourage speeding down the freeway with the speakers blaring. The first track on the comp, "Open Your Eyes", is familiar, but psych-pop isn't usually so anthemic. Moreover, it sucked me in from the get go, the band chanting the title in rhythm, with the constant rhythm trapping me in a pleasure zone. Hitting with a similar vibe, "Rock and Roll Save My Life" is such a classic sounding song, it's as if the band just plucked it out of the ether. The band earns a Mott The Hoople merit badge for making a song with ‘rock and roll' in the title that doesn't disappoint in any way, shape or form. I also like the winding acoustic number "Bowie in My Dreams". The name dropping tune isn't profound, but the tune is pretty, and it's hard to argue with the "share your love" sentiments. Modern day flower power, indeed. Obviously, if your keen on this style, this is a great introduction. dionysusrecords.com

The Telepathic Butterflies -- Songs From A Second Wave (Rainbow Quartz): The well has not even come close to running dry for Rejean Ricard, who leads this Winnepeg, Canada trio through another excellent collection of psych-pop. Probably the biggest difference between this album and the debut is that the recording seems more ‘live', with the band rocking just a little bit more. This comes to the fore on the disc's best track, "A Passing Glance". The rhythm section of Eric Van Buren (bass) and Jacques Dubois (drums) lay down a pulsating foundation on a driving number that contrasts an early Bee Gees style melody with an indelible melancholy guitar figure. Showing a great deal of confidence, the band stretches out to allow guest guitarist Rob Pachol to trade leads with Ricard in an extended instrumental section. The basic components of the song are strong, as is the band -- this could have gone on a few more minutes, as far as I'm concerned. It goes to show that when you can write tight songs, loosening up once in a while is good. Yet again, Ricard shows a remarkable consistency, which is a slight drawback, only because it takes a while for some of the songs to penetrate the brain pan -- on the other hand, if you're making a mix disc, you can pretty much pick any track and come up a winner. Such as "The Cutting Elm" which sounds like The Beatles circa 1967, mixed with...someone else? OK, not a very helpful comparison, but this is swell pop number that is full of nifty parts that flow together well. With great harmonies, to boot. Then there's the peppy "Angry Young Man", where Ricard creates an elastic melody that accommodates the various rhythms and shifts in the song. Finally, the finale, "Big Bang!" is another swell stretched out number, that sounds like a cuddlier Rockfour. rainbowquartz.com

Atomic 7 -- ...En Hillbilly Caliente (Mint): The title hints at the contents of this disc from yet another swell instrumental act on Mint Records. Atomic 7 throw in a C & W twang into their songs, while staying true to the spiffy sounds that have characterized like minds from The Ventures to Los Straitjackets. Of course, when you're led by former Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet guitarist Brian Connelly, you have a damned fine pedigree to begin with. Moreover, you like to come up with silly titles like "The Wreck of the Dick Family Wiener Boat", "Meet Me Tonight in the Shadow of Love" and "Kicking at the Ghost of Ass". On their second album, Connelly, Clinton Ryder (bass) and Mike Andriosso (drums), show off incredible skills on plethora of punchy tunes (only one exceeds 2:30). Andriosso is particularly impressive, as he can lay down a fast shuffle on "Stab It & Steer It" or big pounding beats on songs like "Celebrity Cocktails". The best balance between surf and turf, so to speak, may be on the aforementioned "Kicking at the Ghost of Ass", where Connelly alternates between classic surf rock twang and making his guitar sound like a pedal steel. On "Devil's Mittens", Connelly seems to engage in some trickery that sounds like Speedy West produced by Les Paul. I don't know how he did it, but it sounds great. Another highlight is "Shadow of Love", which starts off in spy movie fashion, and then rides a nifty melodic wave. Top notch. mintrecs.com

Jonathan Rundman -- Public Library (Salt Lady): This talented Minnesota folk rocker teams with producer Walter Salas-Humara to make one of his strongest records. Rundman writes basic songs with simple melodies that don't strain his friendly reedy voice. His raison d'etre is intelligent lyrics that allow him to make clever observations about his surroundings and direct declarations regarding matters of the heart. Indeed, even when Rundman is being clever, it's not through wordplay, it's due to his novel take on things. A great example of this is "Librarian", a celebration that any bibliophile can appreciate. Rundman seems to think of every clever angle on this ode to the patron saint of bookworms: "Like Gutenberg and Luther/with press and pen in hand/I take the message to the masses/in a form they understand." The music is pretty basic, but that's all that's needed for this grin inducing tune. Rundman gets off a couple of nice rambling rumbling folk tunes (a la Jim Croce's "Rapid Roy, The Stockcar Boy"), on "747" (Rundman's assignment, to create a medley with Paul Pena/Steve Miller Band's "Jet Airliner") and the awesome hootenanny styled closer, "Every Town's the Same". The latter song might be old style, but Rundman's spot on about an America that has become more generic. What makes this album special, and where I believe Salas-Humara made his biggest contribution, is on the poppiest songs on the record, which get the full arrangements they deserve. "Falling Down" is a gentle mid-tempo charmer that T-Bone Burnett or The BoDeans would be proud to call one of theirs. Rundman's vocals verge on soulful, as he dials it down a bit, very effectively. His singing is even better on "Second Language", which comes in with brushed snare drum and electric piano, and has a stately and elegant chorus, accompanied by strings. This is a lovely song that combines Rundman's eye for detail with an ability to capture universal sentiments to create a fulfilling emotional experience. Great stuff. I've listened to this enough to say that it is the best Rundman disc to date and I hope he and Salas-Humara can continue working together, as it's a great combination. saltlady.com

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