Went to the local record store the other day and picked up a few used albums from the bargain bin. Overall, it’s been a pretty slow fall for me in terms of new music — I’m a poor grad student and the local record store simply doesn’t have a very good selection (though perhaps I’ve been spoiled over the years by living near such fine establishments as Reckless Records in Chicago and the Encore/Wazoo combo in Ann Arbor). I actually went in looking for a few mid-90’s rockers, but ended up with a much lighter fare:

Three Mile Pilot, The Inevitable Past Is The Future Forgotten, 2010. Found a promo copy of the new 3MP album. I’m a big Pinback fan (3MP was Zach Smith’s original outfit), so this one hasn’t been too difficult to get into. To be honest, it basically sounds like Summer In Abaddon era Pinback with Pall Jenkins (The Black Heart Procession) filling in for Rob Crow on vox — definitely not a bad thing, but nothing all that surprising either. CIOIYL: Pinback, The Black Heart Procession

Film School, Alwaysnever EP, 2003. Only four tracks, but this might be my favorite of the three so far. Quiet, breezy pop songs with elements of Shoegaze thrown in. CIOIYL: Lilys, American Analog Set

The Velvet Teen, Out Of The Fierce Parade, 2002. I randomly bought their 2004 album Elysium several years ago, and while I’ve never really felt the need to own anything else by them, the $2 price tag was tough to turn down. Overall, an enjoyable piano-based pop album with some Appleseed Cast-style drumming and a singer who sounds remarkably like Jeremy Engik at times. I think I still prefer Elysium’s stripped down approach (they recorded the entire album without guitars or a bass), but it’s interesting to finally hear what led up to that release. CIOIYL: Appleseed Cast, SDRE, The Autumns