If you’re a fan of modern-day power pop, you seen Nelson Bragg’s name. As a session drummer, percussionist, guitarist, and/or singer, he’s appeared since the eighties on dozens of albums from likeminded folks like the Mockers, the Quarter After, Stew, Pugwash, Anny Celsi, the Lovetones, GospelbeacH, and many more, including Brian Wilson, in whose band he served. But he’s also made four solo albums in the twenty-first century, and now uses Melodie de Nelson (nice Serge Gainsbourg reference) to re-introduce himself to the pop-loving public. Somewhere between creamy folk rock and sugary power pop. with a special emphasis on luscious harmonies, Bragg’s songs go straight to the hook-craving part of your brain. The vibrant “Lost All Our Sundays,” stunningly winsome “Tell Me I’m Wrong,” wry “I’m In No Mood,” and effervescent “You Could Believe” soothe and stimulate in equal measure, and those are just the tip of the iceberg. We could just as easily cite “Whitechapel Girl,” “The Last Girl I Ever Loved,” or “We’re Gonna Laugh About it,” the brand-new tune that kicks off the comp. Or anything here, really – Bragg is clearly a skilled purveyor of pure aural pleasure.
