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These are the endearing stories that makes being a music reviewer that much more rewarding. Jon Troast is a paycheck-to-paycheck musician who recently completed a 100 Concerts in 100 Days tour, performing in gracious people’s living rooms. The album is a melting pot of Americana, pop-rock, folk, and indie singer/songwriter fare. Blessed with earnest lyrics with working-collar melodies, Jon Troast’s “Living Room” is a testament that struggling musicians can get by if they try hard enough, self-promote the right way, and frankly get out there and perform in front of people. Oh did I mention he doesn’t plan on charging for his shows in 2010, but just will rely on album sales alone to get by? So what are you waiting for? Help a man out and be rewarded with gift of strong songwriting and the wordplay of a true traveling minstrel.

Watch a video of Jon playing at a barn:

Sultry off-jazz vocals with the constructs of electro-pop and indie pop building a foundation, Panda Transport, a duo consisting of Kathy Compton and Thierry Holweck have been around since ’06. The duo found fame with their single “Transmission” off of their critically acclaimed debut “Plush Mechanique”, which was featured on Greys Anatomy. Having written their debut essentially through Internet-based collaborations, Panda Transport set out to do something more organic and intimate. Intelligently blending ‘found sounds’ (they sampled cicadas outside of Kathy’s yurt and car-door-slams became a new found kick drum) with personal and emotional vocals, light melodies, sweet harmonies, and future pop rhythms, “Monorail” builds upon the success of their debut and proves that they’re far removed from the dreaded sophomore jinx. Pop fanatics will covet the truly catchy nature of many of the tracks, while the more indie and experimental music junkies will drool over decomposing and digesting the varied musical tapestries that make up each track.

Denver’s Kill Paradise who having been touring with bandmates Brokencyde (you read that right, sigh) is electro pop with mall punk and club synths & beats embellishing and utilizing as many of today’s pop clichés as possible. Auto-tune? Check and then some. Hot Topic exclusive? Yup. Music featured on one or more MTV reality TV series? Absolutely. Mixing dance beats with emotional vocals (cough, emo, cough)? Yes. I just shudder for the children of today if this is truly what the hell they like. The real question is if they can sing more than a single bar or two without the help of vocal effects like auto-tune…I think I know the answer to that. Hey maybe that’s what they mean about “The Second Effect” – that they’ve found one other than auto-tune? This can’t even be a guilty pleasure without wanting to jump off a bridge after listening to it. Don’t believe me? Just watch the below video.

Watch the video for “Just Friends”:

Love the albums byline/disclaimer: “All harmonies are real. Self-produced and self-released. No politics and nothing corporate.” Music industry, this is a big call-out from one of the more important independent groups out there writing pop music that, given the chance, could easily act as a trash compactor to all the drivel that you’d “hear” on American Idol. (If you ask why I put hear in quotes, it’s because the whole damn thing is a farce of over-dubbing and effects). The Kimberly Trip has over the years been one of the best female-fronted outfits that I’ve had the pleasure of hearing. To review them, is like to critique gods and goddesses from age-old mythology; there’s simply not enough you could write to justify their influence and awesomeness let alone their legendary status. How could a band possibly not be awesome when they have a song called “There’s No ‘I’ in ‘Team’ (but there’s a ‘u’ in ‘stupid’)”? Love-struck pop melodies from this Sacramento pop outfit are unleashed with nary a care of ensuring that they fit within the cookie cutters known as today’s pop-rock – guess that makes their album title “Generation Stereotype” that much more ironic, eh? You can’t go wrong with a single track on this album, easily the group strongest, which is saying a lot. I declare that The Kimberly Trip has officially made my Top Ten Pop Bands I’d Love to Eat Pizza with. This is a coveted list, for sure!

Watch their videos.

Cincinnati indie-pop via British pop influences, The Minor Leagues’ fifth album out on indie label, Datawaslost, is an astonishing presence. Collecting lyrical stories that would make any rock opera blush crimson, “This Story Is Old, I Know, But It Goes On”, is a dashingly brilliant soulful and melodic jaunt down the Memory Lane where Pulp, Apples in Stereo, Blur, and the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” reside. Helping out on the album is a who’s who of studio wizards and musicians of past and present such as John Kathman (Nirvana in ’93), Josh Combs (Kinks in ’67), Luke McGlasson (Specials in ’78), Hilly Kenkel (Ronettes in ’62), and Amanda Lee Anderson (Belle & Sebastian in ’99) forming an pop-rock orchestra septet that traverses the best elements of ’60s Motown soul, ‘70s rock (with a quick nod towards glam), and the best of Brit-pop from the ‘90s. “Good Boys” is easily the best track on this fantastic album with an entertaining up-tempo and fingersnapping melodies. Catchy? Absolutely and then some. Fun? Without a doubt – after all a band that lists Hilly Kenkel as a “choir of one” and “laughing” as an instrument “played” by half a dozen folks in the studio is seriously ready to put the L’s and O’s in LOLing. Building off of the standard rock set-up of guitar, bass, drums, and vocals, The Minor Leagues add in the complexities of cello, trumpet, trombone, viola, off-the-beaten-path percussion instruments such as triangle, sleigh bells, tambourine, umbrella (yes), bongos, with plenty of kazoo to please. Great way to end 2009 with a smart album of undeniably awesome catchiness and pop glitz with replay ability of infinity and beyond (thanks Buzz) all recorded in four bedrooms, a couple of band rooms, and two living rooms that surprisingly sound like a multi-million studio affair.

Listen to “Good Boys” [Free MP3 Download]

Listen to “The Love That Never Was” [Free MP3 Download]

The second this band loses their lame-o image (do we really need more scenesters that look plastic?), you’ll see them propel themselves even farther than they have already gone thus far. “The Continental Divide” is a magical ride of a melodic alternative rock album that is populated by cynical lyrics with a dash of angst, heavy and catchy harmonies, and a vocal talent just this side of Morrissey. If you could imagine the Smashing Pumpkins playing The Cure songs with Morrissey at the helm, adding a dash of London punk, you’ll have War Tapes on tap. Look for these guys to become really big in the next couple of years.

Fresh off their “Hootenannies” tour in support of their third self-titled album, often referred to as “The Red Album”, Weezer kept that spirit strong by quickly putting pen to paper and releasing “Raditude”. What the band captured best was the spirit and drive discovered on that tour, a tour that often had the band inviting fans (sometimes hundreds) on stage to learn and play Weezer songs similar in vein to old folksy sing-a-longs made famous in the simpler and more open age of the ‘60s. That became the inspiration for the entire “Raditude” album, and indeed became their new “attitude” if you will. Cuomo himself has dubbed “Raditude” as feeling  “like the greatest realization of my musical goals”. And if that’s what it is, holy cow what a goal it was. Finding the true standard of Weezer’s gift of infectious melody song after song while keeping things loose and unwittingly surprising, “Raditude” features such surprise gems as “Can’t Stop Partying” with rappers Lil’ Wayne and Jermaine Dupri and “I’m Your Daddy”’s intriguing electro glides. Sleekly produced, the album is once again rich in Cuomo’s intelligent but playful songwriting; Rivers himself knows he can’t take himself nearly as serious as some of his critics and cult-like fans insist he is. It is funny to see to what degree Weezer is willing to bend towards, just to tease everyone that thinks this group is only capable of writing a simple harmonious pop song that you’ll forget as soon as the next one hits rotation. The first single and beginning of the album is the illustrious and gigantic “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To” (watch the video here). Featuring a MoTown glitzy rhythm, handclaps, three-part harmonies, and lyrics like “The Slayer t-shirt fit the scene just right”, it tells the tale of young love growing old together – interestingly perfectly befitting an old original Weezer fan following the group since “The Blue Album” was the first installment of the mighty self-titled Weezer muses.

Lounge pop gems from a trio of teenagers (none of whom are older than 17 mind you) known simply as The Da Vincis that sound as if they are grizzled veterans of the music industry with intelligent lyrics, piano melodies, ukulele pop, and even some kalimba. How many bands would be brave enough to write about getting a friend request ignored on Facebook and not sound like a bunch of kids? “50’s Film” is bouncy pop crystallized with cheeky lyrics and fun kitschy harmonies. Intelligent indie pop from such a young group of kids that is actually damn talented and worthy of its underground buzz? I think the universe is about to implode!

Songstress Lara Herscovitch weaves a tapestry of strong songwriting, lyrical prowess, and awe-inspiring vocals with a neatly folded pop edge. Her music is far removed from the seemingly bland folk-pop that seems to permeate coffee houses and small pubs up and down the east coast. Her La Rama Records is based in her native Connecticut and is the perfect catapult for launching her far-reaching poetic lyrical wit and smartly fashioned folk ballads. Another true gem from Lara.

Wow Portishead is still alive and kicking? I pretty much gave up on this break-through trip-hop band years ago when you know, they weren’t DOING ANYTHING. So it’s been a long time coming since 1997 when the band released their self-titled sophomore follow-up to “Dummy” which was released half an eon ago in 1994. Fortunately the wait was worth it, groove-laden tracks and sultry singing aside, the band has displayed an uncanny ability to redefine themselves in these modern days with even a nod in the direction of the acoustic world on “Nylon Smile”. Beauty shrink-wrapped in plastic indeed.