Kevin Bronson on April 4th, 2012

0

So much good classic rock is being relegated to background music for TV, film and advertising these days, you wonder why anybody in his right mind would make an entire album. Alex Troup has – his L.A.-bred quintet Troup has synthesized the singer-guitarist’s keen sense of melody, arena-rock urges and deft juggling of the melancholy and hopeful on the album “Last Chance for Romance.” It’s a jump forward on the path Troup began over a decade ago in the U.K., where the Wales-born songwriter fronted the band Crashland, purveyors of high-adrenaline Britpop who came along about the time Britpop was losing its luster (or, in the case of bands like Keane and Snow Patrol, watering itself down for the Starbucks crowd). Troup moved to L.A. in 2006, eventually meeting producer/keyboardist Evan Beigel while browsing the vinyl bins at Amoeba. Now, with guitarist Claudio Tristano, bassist Darren Thomas McGuire and drummer Brandon Davis, Troup has arrived at a still-radio-friendly sound that reflects his new American roots.

||| Download: “Edge of the World”

||| Live: Troup plays April 24 at the Mint.