Bruce's NEW AT NOT LAME Update for late Oct. 2008!!!

Straight from the boss, here's Bruce's list of what's new at NOT LAME...

Here are the Top New Releases on the Not Lame web site for late September. There are many new releases on da 'ole home page, but for the time starved, these are the ones worth of your precious time. Click on the links for full mini-reviews on each CD and listen 'n sample lots of soundbites, as well. Have Fun!

CLASS THREE OVERBITE - HEROES FOR COURSES
We have TWO in this space this week that will make my top five or ten. Class Three Overbite is one of those - right next door to the right is the other one!
I hear some early Queen, Imperial Drag (yup, and some Jellyfish goes along w/ that), Electric Light Orchestra, Bryan Scary, Roger Joseph Manning’s solo work and a whole host of others, but the band is not mimicking while it wallows in its inspirational launch-pads here with this killer batch of 12 songs(and not a bad one in the bunch!). There’s an encyclopedic embrace of just lots of great musical inspirations all over the place.
The arrangements are accomplished and ambitious and all the songs are sweetly filled with layers of vocals and affects, this is a varied, textured album that makes their ambition and skill abundantly clear. MASSIVELY EXTREMELY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

GREG POPE - POPMONSTER
Along with the CD at the top, Greg Pop will be making my top five or ten for 2008. There is so much here for *all* pop fans. Like what? The Shazam, Matthew Sweet, The Replacements (at their finest!), the Grays, Terry Anderson or Bill Lloyd and plenty of more of that where this comes from!
Greg Pope is the leader of Edmund's Crown, long a favorite here at Not Lame but on this solo outing, he not only pulls out all the stops, Pope plays every instrument and does the impossible: it sounds like a band at work here there’s so much connection of the instruments to the material. Big ‘ole Talent? You betcha – in spades. MASSIVELY, PROFUSELY Extremely Highly Recommended!

THE WELL WISHERS - JIGSAW DAYS
You have not heard the Well Wishers? Well, now is your chance to score big! Order the Well Wishers brand spankin’ new fourth release and I’ll send you an eleven song “Best Of” CD-R compilation of my personal favorite tracks from their previous three albums PLUS two bonus songs!
I'm a huge, huge fan of Jeff Shelfton and all his work over the past ten years with Spining Jennies and The Well Wishers - in fact, Not Lame put out the first two WW CDs. This one sees yet another creative step forward into the template of pop wonderfulness.
It's all easy to enjoy for genuine power pop fans with chugging, melodic rhythms, powerful hooks, angelic vocals, verses that tickle `n hint at `the great money shot of a classic chorus and a respectful homage to pop peers. Those inspirations include Shoes, The Posies, Nada Surf, Matthew Sweet and REM.

CLIFF HILLIS - THE LONG NOW
This offer will be PULLED SOON as Cliff really wants the folks who take action in a very short time of this CD coming out to ACT - so do not wait. What is this bonus? It's a six song CD-R of rare, out of print and unreleased tracks
This is Cliff Hillis' third solo album and like his previous efforts since leaving one of the 90's best power pop bands, Starbelly, Hillis stretches his wings a bit, never losing is innate and natural ability to deliver melody and hooks to the fore. It`s impossible for his being, apparently. Powerful, guitar-driven pop that`s slick withut being cheesy, light and pleasant without inducing cavities, and that has a rock `n roll soul. Cliff Hillis is one more great reason to empty your bowl. DO NOT MISS THIS ONE!

THE SMITH BROTHERS - RESTLESS
What a surprise! It’s been seven or eight years since we’ve heard from The Smith Brothers, whose debut album LOST was a huge favorite at the turn of the century here and has been out of print for a *long* time (due to be reissued soon – details coming!). Now, RESTLESS has been unleashed and ushers in the powerful, triumphant return of this ‘lost’ band. So cause for celebration, pop fans old ‘n new. More than a welcome return for power pop fans, an event!

ROB SMITH - TRICK OF THE LIGHT
This work features more terribly appealing power pop that fans of the Rubinoos, the Knack and Spongetones need to check out. Fourteen happy, bouncy "ever-green" pop gems. These songs have Beach Boys-ish rich harmonies and catchy pop hooks in the tradition of the Raspberries & the Rubinoos!
So that means lift those lighters, pop fans – Rob Smith (he of the classic Australian skinny-tie power pop band, The Innocents) has delivered a classic that should pull at the heartstrings and sensibilities of most folks hanging out in these quarters on the Not Lame site. For those who like comparisons (or like to trace influences) one can hear unmistakable shades of the Beatles, Split Enz, the Raspberries, the Records and the Rubinoos. Rob Smith’s voice also contains flashes of Roy Orbison and Cliff Richard. He’s released a string of really strong albums this decade but TRICK OF THE LIGHT leaves those so far in the dust, it’s hard to even draw a connection to those.
Hard find any fault to bring up on TRICK OF THE LIGHT–he mixes things up with different styles of pop with assured control and confidence.

BLUE ASH - NO MORE, NO LESS
This offer expires on October 31st! Leader Frank Secich has gone back the original studios where the band recorded throughout the 70s and has unearthed a lot of songs to offer Not Lamers for picking up the reissue of NO MORE, NO LESS from this site - Details on the Exclusive Bonus thirteen Song CD-R at this link.
As for the CD reissue itself, the twelve songs are all at the link for you to sample - they sound great and the liner notes from leader Frank Secich are in depth with the full behind the scenes story of this classic.

ANDY BOPP - THIS GUITAR KILLS SONGWRITERS
EXCLUSIVE BONUS for THIS GUITAR KILLS SONGWRITERS is a cool six song mini CD-r of six of my favorite tracks from Myracle Brah, including a few from the out of print "Life On Planet Eartsnop" , one of the 90's most important power pop albums and #44 on the list of the All Time Best Power Pop Albums in SHAKE SOME ACTION!
This is the first solo album from Andy Bopp, frontman and songwriter for Rainbow Quartz’s sparkling guitar pop melody makers Myracle Brah. Chock full of acoustic versions of Myracle Brah songs performed in a semi-Unplugged mode – plus a few brand new tunes – your ears will be treated to pristine, gorgeous arrangements with beautiful acoustic guitar work while delivering jangly psychedelic rock-pop.

NEW ENGLISH - s/t
THIS is what it’s all about. A ‘out-of-left’ field find! It’s all here – very commercial, immediately catchy power pop in the most classic sense. Reminds us most of *really* good Matthew Sweet, The Churchills, The Rosenbergs, Adam Schmitt, The Bears and Edmund’s Crown for those well versed with what’s going on with indie power pop. Echoes of Cheap Trick and The Who sneak inside the grooves.
It’s one of those releases where if you had to explain to someone who does not ‘get’ what ‘power pop’ is all about and you put something on say --- “THIS is what’s it’s about!”