The Junior League - Catchy

"Catchy" could not be a more appropriate name. 12 String Jangle Alert, too! The Junior League are Major League power pop for many Not Lamers. Okay, now that we got that out of the way, let`s get down to business and get you all to just jump below and start listening to the soundbites - we prefer that to do the talking. But there`s not even one half-good track here! Fans of Sloan, The Gripweeds, classic Lemonheads power pop, Big Star and bands that have been influenced by Buffalo Springfield but are making modern-day pop, The Junior League are IT.

The AbsolutePowerPOpBlog(a must read!) has it down: When you title an album "Catchy", you`re either being ironic or confident. In the case of the Junior League (actually singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Joe Adragna), it`s clearly the latter. Adragna has crafted a fine disc of breakup and post-breakup songs in a power pop setting that calls to mind many of the touchstones of the genre. Opener "These Tender Things" is anything but tender in its sound, a blend of Kinks-rock and garage pop. "This Is What We Are" might be the standout on the disc, providing the answer "damn great" to the musical question "What would Marshall Crenshaw sound like if he were backed by The Smithereens?" Following is the mid-tempo "Let Me Win", featuring some nice falsetto vocals by Andragna on the chorus. "This Beautiful Room Is Empty" reminds me of Crenshaw again (Andragna really can sound a lot like him) as well as Eugene Edwards, as does "Hear My Voice" which jangles and sounds like Crenshaw covering the Byrds covering Bob Dylan. (cf. Crenshaw`s cover of "My Back Pages"). And if you think I`m pushing the Crenshaw comparison too far, listen to the sound clip of "The Enemy" over at the CD Baby page for the disc, or stream "Would You Believe" at his myspace page, and judge for yourself. (Interestingly, among the myriad influences cited at his myspace page, MC is not one of them, and neither did the handful of other reviews I read mention MC either, so maybe it`s just me). Anyway, this is a highly recommended disc, two thumbs up, four stars (truly not a bad track to be found), and all that. And damn, it`s catchy." "A beautifully woven collection of luminous, melodic 60`s style pop songcraft in the vein of "Revolver"-era Beatles or Syd Barrett`s Pink Floyd with plenty of tambourines and handclaps. With pop hooks aplenty and a full, jangly sound, it would be easy to karaoki an early Fab Four or Kinks hit over the top of any track, but Joe Adragna`s vocals instead stand alone - plaintive, high and a little intense, recalling Old 97s frontman Rhett Miller"-BestOfNewOrleans. You got it, Big Time Extremely Highly Recommended.

Let Me Win - mp3

The Beautiful Room Is Empty - mp3

These Tender Things - mp3

Hear My Voice - mp3

I Don`t Believe In Love - mp3