Southern California’s Vinyl Candy has followed up the stellar “Pacific Ocean Park”with another rock and roll gem. The quartet here is Jim Leber, Matt Corey, Michael “WessC” Wessner, and Justin “JD” Brinsfield. The band has a distinct mid 70’s-era rock sound that mines influences like Queen, Bay City Rollers and Todd Rundgren pretty effectively. This album is also best compared to Imperial Drag with rock guitars paving the way for sticky pop sweetness. Opening with summery melody of “I’ll Be Fine (Part 1)” it has the reverb heavy guitars and Moog synths supporting the chiming harmonies in the chorus. The song moves seamlessly to “Fan Club History” with a Kiss-like ferocity in dense rock guitars and a heavy synth solo. “Chasing Time” is an fine mid-tempo pop example with a heavenly chorus and thick bass lines. “Gasoline & Tangerines” is another gem that tells more of the narrative of a life and possible death on the road. It can get close to the edge when all the varied loud sounds drown out the hooks (“Learn How To Fly”), but this is few and far between. “StarStruck” really comes closest to that Imperial Drag stabbing synth sound. The group has awesome vocal chemistry here, especially on the highlight “Want It So Bad.” The album ends with a slow “pub” version of the opener in “I’ll Be Fine (Part 2).” The theme of the album is the story of a rock star named “Land” and his rise to fame and ruin. It took a few listens to get the full linear story, but it flows nicely. Certainly this album should put Vinyl Candy on the rise to fame for sure.

Listen to “Chasing Time”

Listen to “Gasoline & Tangerines”

Utah native Lamar Holley emerges like a bolt out of the blue, and it’s clear he has a love of Broadway, Brill Building era songwriting style and dramatic power pop (Beach Boys, Beatles, Jellyfish, Queen, XTC). Confessions.. is like the soundtrack to an uber-nerd musical, on par with Paul Steel’s “April & I,” only at a higher grade level. The listener follows Lamar’s ups and downs during infatuation, rejection, and retrospect. Musically it concentrates on keyboards and perfect harmonies that plays a bit like Ben Folds without the bitterness. After a slick overture, the hooks start with “Biology” and the main monologue continues on the Jellyfish-styled “Forgotten Friends.” The compositions here are full of cascading melodies and layer upon layer of harmonies, dense instrumental details and genuine passion. Every song here is meticulously constructed for maximum emotional impact, and both powerhouse mid-tempo songs “Madame Shamrock” and “Pretend That’s She’s Ugly” are so catchy, you’ll be guaranteed to hear them over in your head all day long. It then takes us to the quirky “This is True” with it’s banjo lead, that reminds me of the band Fluid Ounces. The album’s second half then slows to a reverent romanticism that is the strongest musical statement I’ve heard since Pet Sounds. The next three songs that close out the album are like hymns to those “fleeting moments” of a love never requited. True to his vision, Holley will take this pop-musical on tour this fall, and I for one would not want to miss it. This album is also an easy contender for best album of 2009.

My Space | CD Baby | Lamar Holley’s site | itunes