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The Parcels - s/t 7" These New York City kids play pure and simple pop. It would be both easy and fair to lay down the comparison to The Softies, so I will. (There, I just did.) Tara Mackay sings in a very laid-back style that reminds me of the very recorder she plays on "oh, what a busy day," but her voice on this single leaves me wondering whether she means to sing off-key. My fave is "I dream of jean genet", partially because it reminds me of a less bouncy Tullycraft. I hear they have a new singer, which should only strengthen the sound. (Brentwood Estates) Park Ave. - When Jamie Went to London ...We Broke Up Why did Jamie go to London? Why? It's clear that Jamie should not have gone to London. If only Jamie had been able to see what her extravagant lifestyle would do, I don't think she would have gone to London. If Jamie had called me, I would have told her not to go, that London isn't what it used to be, that Venice, Budapest, and yes, still Prague are where it's at. I don't know you at all, but I can tell you that London isn't all it's cracked up to be, Jamie. Actually, London's a blast. I can see why you moved there, Jamie, and you're probably glad that you did. But, I'll miss the idea of anticipating the next Park Ave. songs. After all, no one quite sings em like you guys. Pop songs about relationships and bands and band relationships. I like the songs that Clark Baecle (The Faint) sings too, but it's that male/ female vocal interplay that gets me. And the words... Gee, Jamie, I hope you're having fun in London. (Urinine Records)	The Plan - Only These Movements Remain Though not as strong as their debut, The Plan have created an album that is still more interesting that most. It's post-hardcore for those that don't mind a little innovation and experimentation in their rock. If you like Fugazi and loved the bands that came out of DC in the 1990s, then you have to hear how The Plan are expanding on that sound. (Matlock) Plymouth Rock - It's All Going to End in Tears It's rare that I can really sink my teeth into jangly pop albums anymore. It could be that I just got overloaded, but I think I just need music with a bit more teeth now. So, when I found myself actually getting into this, I was fairly surprised. It's a mess at parts and they could've trimmed a few from the 17 tracks, but pretty appealing overall and I don't really get why. Is it the pathetic nature of the singer's voice- part My Dad is Dead, part Silkworm, partly sung off-key, partly spoken? The fact that they wind these vocals around lots of different sounding melodies and styles?? Or maybe it's those great background vocals in that sound like Billy Joel ("Longest Time"!!) and the little touches like the horns and shouts in "Hey Hey Hey" "Goodnight Sweet Angel" or the "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay"-percussion in "Alright"? Or the surf-rock (with a story of a girl with money to waste sung over the top) of "Beautiful Surfer"? Yep.
Paul Newman - Re-issue! Re-package! Re-package! Re-evaluate the songs! The band, not the man, got it? This band plays some pleasant (mostly) instrumental tunes that will no doubt please any fan of the melodic pop, though they do get loud on a couple songs on the record. This is a collection of their songs from various compilations, singles, and EPs that works surprisingly very well on its own. (My Pal God Records) Pedro the Lion - Winners Never Quit I can't tell why I like this band so much. Their songs are rather simple, the vocals solid and pure. The lyrics are at times extremely heartfelt, almost achingly so. And while the world of Pedro the Lion is at-times more dark and at other's more spiritual than anything in mine, I find myself with chills every time I listen to this. Tackling the heavy topics of betrayal, Christianity, and death, it almost seams that singer David Bazan is on a quest to tackle the big topics and each album is an attempt to catch us up to speed on his voyage of discovery. The stunner on this album is a song called "A Mind of Her Own." The words are devastatingly harsh as the songs tells the story of a man who has done something wrong and is feeling betrayed by a lover that wants to turn him in. The song builds up to a Seam/Pell Mell-styled rave-up and a screamed "You put down that telephone. You're not calling anyone." The song is indicative of both the musical skill of this band and also of theunusual talent of its songwriter. (Jade Tree)	Polysics - s/t Oh my God! It's like Devo sped through a processor, all synthesized for our even more post-modern world. This is f*cking nuts. These Japanese kids are crazy, but if they can keep writing guitar lines like this, I'll keep listening. Propagandhi - Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes "Conclusion: the nail that sticks up gets hammered down..." The evolution from Less Talk, More Rock is so pronounced that this record should not be ignored. The lyrics are likely the smartest critiques of American imperialism, misguided foreign policy, false idols, and consumerism in the realm of music and short of a Noam Chomsky work. So intelligent they silence the critics that label "preachy" any punk rock that dares to question. (Fat)
Pesotum - Fading from the Strength of the Rust Three chord pop/rock songs, mostly clocking in at under 2 1/2 minutes. They've managed to absorb only the tastiest melodies of Dinosaur, Jr and the Cars and deliver a blast of understated emotion in such an appealing way. (Bombardier Recording Co.) Phaser - silverscreen daydream Is it true? Can there really be a band that can aspire to the melodicism of some of my favorite British bands like Teenage Fanclub, The Verve, and Oasis without suffering from the great exploding ego dilemma that plagues many that aspire to similar heights?? Yes, and their name is Phaser.	Promise Ring - Boys + Girls EP In another world, these guys would write the pop songs on the radio, instead of all the other boy bands currently soaring up the alterno-rock charts. Yet another step forward and away from their past efforts and towards a pop sound that allows for maximum enjoyment. This is fun as hell. The third song, "American Girl" is a bit of an anomaly, a lullaby. Too bad it's not the Tom Petty song. Far superior to Very Emergency! in my ears. (Jade Tree)
Phaser - skydive EP Another wonderful release from these young stargazers. I'm curious if DC knows what to think of their soaring melodies and Verve-like songsmithery. This is a truly wonderful batch of tunes and the opener, "Skydive," is miles above any recent British band's output. Piebald - We Are the Only Friends We Have review on AllMusic.com
Pilot to Gunner - Games at High Speeds "We'll make the math work, if it's the last thing we do." An incredibly impressive first full-length from a relatively new band, GHS is the sound of a band well aware of its musical predecessors but sounding like no one else in particular, a band willing to push the envelope and combine tricky verses with big sounding choruses. And they're just getting started... (Gern Blandsten, re-released on Arena Rock) Pinback - Some Voices EP Pinback is former Headhunter mates Rob Crow (Heavy Vegetable,Thingy) and Armistead Burwell Smith IV (3 Mile Pilot). This EP find them expanding upon some of the ideas and sound from their full-length, which is also a great find. The EP kicks off with a cool beat and bassline, the piano comes in, then some horns-ish keyboards. The vocals are laid back cool. The other tunes are quieter and the vocals take on a tone that resemble Doug Martsch from Built to Spill or Mac from Superchunk. The high-pitched wails work really well with these nice little grooves that they got going on. (Tree Records)
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