In an absolute power move earlier this year, Big Stir Records announced the signing of six legendary acts from the powerpop and guitar pop scene. Arthur Alexander, Graham Parker, sparkle*jets u.k., Tony Valentino (The Standells), The Cyrkle and The Flashcubes are now all part of the Big Stir extended family. What a way to celebrate their 6th anniversary!<\/p>\n
Sparkle*jets u.k. recently released their first album in 20 years, paying tribute to the bands they shared stages with and songs from other bands they want the world to discover if they haven’t already. Listen to it here<\/a>.\u00a0The Flashcubes take a similar route for their debut on Big Stir. Pop Masters,<\/em> which came out yesterday, features twelve covers and offer a direct route through power pop history. The Flashcubes take on songs by The Posies, The Motors, Chris Stamey, Dwight Tilley and Sparks. To add to the fun, members of some of the other original bands (e.g., Shoes, The Spongetones, Pezband, Paley Brothers and Pilot) jump in and play along to the covers of their own music. I am kinda hoping that Big Stir has studio footage, because The Flashcubes et al. sound like they had a blast in the studio. These are loving and inspired renditions of well (and some perhaps lesser) known classics, and if you are a fan of the genre this is an excellent stop while you are exploring the world wide web for new music.<\/p>\n