Kevin Bronson on February 3rd, 2009

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[Catching up on a batch of album releases by SoCal artists …]

Go West Young Man, “Go West Young Man””  (today, One Cell Records) – Melody merchant Damin Suarez (ex-the Fictions) has crafted an homage to classic pop that pushes the same buttons as the likes of Elvis Costello, Ben Folds and a host of ’60s and ’70s hitmakers who used horns and harmonies to sweeten their piano arrangements. Whether guitar- or keyboard-based, Suarez’s tunes are as memorable as anything contemporaries such as the 88 or the Little Ones have made, and GWYM’s frisky rhythms punctuate the bite in his lyrics. In an era so many artists feel compelled to deconstruct pop to make it interesting, Suarez has built himself a castle. Recommended.

||| Stream: “Chinatown” [audio:http://www.mediafire.com/file/mxz3zvznzkz/Go West Young Man_Chinatown.mp3]

||| Live: GWYM plays Feb. 18 and 21 at the Scene.

Nico Vega, “Nico Vega” (today, MySpace) – Which Nico Vega are we to consider: the music that channeled Janice Joplin to great effect in the band’s early days; the desperately crooning ballad-pushers; or the tunes that sound like they came off a nu-metal assembly line, special delivery to alterna-rock radio programmers in Des Moines? Over 14 songs, this sprawling collection (I resist calling it an “album”) has it all. Ex-art schooler Aja Volkman’s Joplin/Slick/Karen O chops save the day, though, cutting through the thrashiest of rawk bits like a fauxhawk through the haze of a fog machine. If you have a broad palate, there’s plenty here to make this disc a keeper. Recommended.

||| Stream: “Rabbit in the Bag” [audio:http://www.mediafire.com/file/z0ciyjwn2f2/Nico Vega_Rabbit In The Bag.mp3]

||| Live: Nico Vega’s record-release show is Thursday at the Roxy.

After the jump, quickies on other albums that have reached my ears:

Roger Joseph Manning Jr., “Catnip Dynamite” (today, Oglio) – Another slice of unfettered power-pop genius from the former Jellyfish/Imperial Drag keyboardist who writes hooky songs like he invented the Moog.

The Bird and the Bee, “Rayguns Are Not Just the Future” (Jan. 27, Blue Note) – I’ll have a Vesper martini and a ride on whatever spaceship Greg Kurstin is piloting. The charming Inara George hostesses, of course, singing resplendently over arrangements that represent a nifty update of the electro-lounge pop stylings the duo achieved on their first album. (Live: Friday at the Natural History Museum)

Nightfur, “Illusions” (Nightfur Music) – This was actually released when I was on holiday break. “Illusions'” photogenic psych-rock channels the softer side Spiritualized and their brethren, good in small doses but a bit too melody-starved to make a full meal. (Live: Feb. 11 at 3 Clubs)

Primitive Painters, “Say It ‘Til You Mean It” (Keeper) – Released in November, the first full-length in over a decade from these O.C. veterans retains songwriter Dennis Crupi’s fondness for the earnest, U2-leaning anthems that peppered rock radio in the 1990s. Nice comeback.

Swim Party, “Pixie Dust on the Blood Range” (self-released) – I feel compelled to mention this ’08 release while it’s on my mind, since the San Diego band is playing Feb. 23 at Spaceland. “Pixie Dust” is simply a solid record, a little Modest Mouse, a little National, a little of indie-rock’s forebears from the 1990s. Worth tracking down.