Sprites: Modern Gameplay (Darla)
release: September 18, 2006
styles: Cutey indie pop inspired by 1980s culture
similar: Barcelona, March records, Small Sins, Tullycraft, Papas Fritas
rating: ***1/2

Like Sprite soda, Sprites are bubbly. Oh good one! high five! But seriously, folks, this is some sweet innocent indie pop with bops of electronics from ex-members of Barcelona. Except for the song about blogs, called "I Started a Blog Nobody Read." A lot of us can identify with this, it hits close to home. It's real sad when no one reads your blog. Going through the rest of Modern Gameplay, it's apparent that Sprites are more about the '80s than anything else. The best thing is that it's not obvious, they don't talk about cliche things like hairstyles and clothing. The title track refers to video game systems back in the day and "Me and the SYSOP" is about system operators and BBSs. I can identify with that too. -Kenyon
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Chris Van Cott: Happy Again (self-release. local!)
styles: happy posi singer songy lite rock
rating: ***

Chris Van Cott doesn't want to grow up (good!). On the record's cover, he's on a swing, looking back and smiling. He could have written today that fan letter he has to Michael Jackson on the back of the cover. His third solo record is just as solid as the other two and full of fun-in-the-sun acoustic-based slices of his life. Whether uptempo or ballady, Van Cott knows what he's doing. If the countries at war would just look to the music of CVC, there'd be peace! -Kenyon