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

Only recently did I get to enjoy Cheap Star’s debut album “Speaking Like An Elephant” released earlier this year. It’s an obvious mix of Cheap Trick and Big Star in the name, but the sound is The Posies, Teenage Fanclub, Byrds, and Velvet Crush. In fact, this is almost a Posies album with Ken Stringfrellow and Jon Auer deeply involved here (producing, mixing, playing, etc.) . The other members from France are Remi, Thomas and Vincent and they are very good musicians that carry over the style perfectly. With the second album, Jon Auer formally collaborates with the trio and includes vocals. “Northern Sky” builds into a first class single with Auer’s vocal a smooth as ever. The other tracks are a bit more low key, as “Pop Music” and “You Got It All” sound like outtakes from the first album. “Changing Heart” is a robust, country tune that would make Gene Clark proud. It ends with the strong guitar work on “Josephine” and Auer projects the intensity of a doomed relationship and dueling harmonies of “I guess I’ll never know why.” For fans of the first album, this is a no-brainer – I would have most pop fans start with Speaking… first, as it’s another strong contender for my top ten of 2009 list, so don’t let it slip by you.

My Space | CD Baby