A quick perusal of the three Pencils singles in the Drawer had us flummoxed as to which one is the best. "Pictures of Paris" is very nice indeed, but this one gets the slight nod. For now, anyway. The Pencils' output, while undeniably well-crafted, caught the end of the UK power pop trend, and perhaps this might explain the fact that they remain fairly obscure even to people who love this kind of thing.

Charlie Fawn's debut 45 is a pretty tasty bit of UK power pop; sources who should know report that the self-titled LP from which it comes is quite solid indeed. All of Mr. Fawn's records that we've heard are worth a listen, especially his second single "Hothead Handshake Tremble."

This is exactly what I think of when I hear the words "power pop." Not so much power chords and punky tempos, but actual emotional power, y'know. "Wednesday Week" was always my favorite Undertones song. I've heard exactly two songs written by Carl Rusk, but that's enough to know that this guy pushes all the right buttons.

This gem, put together with some of the San Diego revo-garage scenesters (Crawdaddys, Tell-Tale hearts, etc.) may be my favorite power pop song of all time. Rusk's vocal makes his longing sound positively apocalyptic. Everything about this song is perfect, from the Who chord-voicings of the opening to that wonderful Beatle chord that snaps your bent heart in half at the end. Great lyrics, brilliant production, get out the checklist, yep, it's all there.

Dennis Pash of the Leopards loaned me a video of this being performed live on some local LA(?) TV show hosted by Dominic Priore(?). It was pretty cool, and also featured Dennis and the lads running through "Psychedelic Boy." Anybody know what I'm talking about?

I've heard rumors of other Nashville Ramblers stuff existing, and that the band was also called the Black Diamonds at one point. I do know that with some of the Tell-Tale Hearts Rusk had a band called the Mystery Machine, whose great "She Is Not Mine" is on Voxx Records' Battle of the Garages CD, as well as the Roots of Powerpop! CD. I also would swear that I saw a 7" version of this listed on eBay once. Was I high?

This was at one point scheduled to be on Rhino's forthcoming Nuggets III: Children of Nuggets box set, which it now appears will be released on August 30. I've not been able to find a current tracklisting online, so I don't know exactly what's going to be on it, but we'll try to keep you updated. I'm sure Mr. Cat will have a few comments about his favorite Vipers song they didn't use, as well as a host of other gripes.

This might be the coolest thing Matthew Sweet has ever done; not an insignificant accomplishment considering the fact that he continues to turn out fine albums like clockwork. "I've Got Gold," is a really good example of what can happen when a pop composer explores the ideas suggested by Pet Sounds, rather than just copying the sound of that record. It illustrates nicely Sweet's ability to step into scientist mode (see also: Stamey, Eno, Scott Miller, Martin Phillipps). It is strange, huge, and glorious.

This track only appeared on the CD issue of the DB records compilation Squares Blot Out the Sun. I've heard rumors that it was taken from a second Buzz of Delight record which while never released, did reach the test pressing stage. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

To paraphrase Byron Coley, they very idea of adults playing songs on toy instruments is nausea-inducing. Why then, was this Peter Holsapple-produced LP one of the most charming of the 80s? Songs, m'boy, songs. Really good songs. Songs that are so good that you sort of forget that they're being played on toy drumkits and pianos and ukeleles. As Great Plain/Gibson Brother Don Howland says in his excellent liner notes, "It's a music filled with weird little plips and plunks, like music heard through a wall from a parallel universe. A parallel universe where everybody is nice." The end result is far less cloying than the average Of Montreal album.

Unfortunately, the creator of these wonderful tunes, Alex Garvin, seems to have gone 'round the bend after the band made a second LP, which consequently was never released. Anyone ever get to hear it?

Four Letter Words was a wonderful budget 45 label run by Maz of the Mummies. Recording, as evidenced here, was done in primitive circumstances. The records were one-sided to save on mastering costs, and the sleeves were those prefabricated die cut thingies which were subsequently silk-screened. They're really beautiful little objects. This track by the gloriously hooky Tiger Trap is one of the best things the label issued, although first prize would almost certainly go to Allan Clapp's "Change In the Weather."

The Moss Poles were a UK indie pop outfit that had at least one other 45, but the important thing is that in researching the band on the Internet, I found this really great resource for info regarding the UK Indie Charts courtesy of the good folks at Cherry Red.

I don't know much about this Australian band except that they later became the Cruel Sea, but what a odd, delightful little record this is.