Strung together like a series of diary entries, Poema’s debut EP may come off as a bit ‘teenage’ in nature, but then again considering both members (sisters) Elle and Shealeen are teenagers, maybe it’s expected.

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There are a lot of bands with the name Bright Young Things, it almost seems like a race to see who can rise above the rest first and then make the others change their name. The group (duo?) that caught my attention though was the electronic band from Australia. If you remotely like Young Love, Lady Gaga, or any of these other dancey pop acts you should absolutely love Bright Young Things. The song “Good Times” which is labeled a demo, does not sound like a “demo”, but rather sounds like a current radio single.

Although catchy in all the ways a mainstream pop record should be, ‘Echo’ is simply trying too hard to follow in the success of the last album for it to make any impact. “Can’t Breathe”, “Outta My Head” and “Broken” are just a few of the tracks which push ‘Echo’ from being a guilty pleasure to being a mistake.

Listen to Leona Lewis

Here is an unknown band that I’m truly excited about. Freelance Whales combine pop, synth and catchy vocals to make something really joyful. The [mostly] bright and cheery sounds make for a fantastic listen which is not trendy nor hokey. Do yourself a favor and check out this band.

‘QU’ articulates the simplicity of summer wrapped around a catchy melody. Sherwood has gone back in time to re-live their first EP, not so much to recreate the music, but to bring back the feelings you originally got from the music.

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Any type of record from this band has been along time coming, I mean along time, but these 6 songs [including 3 acoustic] are still able to make you forget that quickly as you sink into the poppy rock music. I seem to be a sucker for this band as I would still recommend this release even though there are really only 4 original songs, not counting the Jackson 5 cover and “Fine” appearing both acoustic and as a full band

Listen to Jaymes Reunion

Song to start with: “Fine”

This album is probably worth checking out if you are a big fan of bands like The Hush Sound, 1997, or Kate Voegele because of the female fronted vocals of Lynhurst. Then again, if you are a fan of those bands you may, like me, find this record very lacking with the big issue being the feeling of no commitment to these songs from both the singer and the band.

Listen to Lynhurst

Song to start with: “Exactly”

This album is definitely in the running for one of the worst in 2009. I wasn’t much of a fan of this band’s last album, but ‘Love Drunk’ only runs more in the fake, plastic, radio rock direction and this record will be little less than a memory by years end. Besides the contrived songs, the thing that really kills the album is the non-music effects like the heavy breathing/crying before “Shot Heard ‘Round The World”.

Listen to Boys Like Girls

Remember this name, Eat Sleep Attack, because although 3/4 of the songs on this EP are very “demoy” the song “Fallin” shows how big this band (or rather Sam Little) could be. Mostly made up of an acoustic guitar, the title track does use a bit of electronics to stress the slick vocals, but all falls by the wayside when you get caught up in the melodies.

Listen to Eat Sleep Attack

Song to start with: “Fallin”

This latest reader feedback was a big success with a lot of good, relatively unknown bands coming to the light. One of which was Civalias who recently released a new EP entitled ‘You.Me.We’. Piano driven mellow pop/rock and full vocals make Civalias compelling for fans of Aqualung or even buzz word band, The Fray.

Also it has already been mentioned but Brand New also released their first single for everyone to listen to called “At The Bottom”

Not exactly sure how many people will be interested in Seth Glier, but he’s still worth mentioning. I have to admit that I really loved the song “Gotta Get Away” as soon as I heard it but felt like some of the other songs fell short, or rather were just not what I was hoping for. Seth is pretty much pop, with the emphisis on a vocal or soulful side of the genre similar to that of James Morrison.

‘Aim And Ignite’ is just as much fun as you would expect, laced with instruments and tempos of all sizes. As much as I enjoyed The Format, this new band from the previous lead singer is overall a better experience. While some melodies are definitely comparable to those whimsical ones of Panic At The Disco, fun. still has a more authentic and indie feel which results in a more enjoyable experience and better product.

Listen to fun.

Song to start with: “Walking The Dog”

fun., spelled accordingly, is the new band of Nate previously from The Format. fun. is not only fun, but also lively, hardly a better name to give or describe the band with. The songs are energetic and almost musical like with elements that may remind some of Panic At The Disco. The band’s new album comes out August 25th with 2 new songs available currently for streaming.

After randomly coming across the Pop/rock band TV/TV I fell in love with the catchy and slightly unique style the band has. This band will blow up given the chance.

Song to start with: Indie Rock Girl