New Powerpop from Dave Hill & Valley Lodge – Use Your Weapons

Dave Hill and Valley Lodge are back – with a vengeance. Their debut album (same title as the band) was a powerpop blast and at times conjured up memories of everyone from Cheap Trick to The Sweet. Tons ‘o hooks and catchy melodies. I wasn’t as impressed with their second effort, Stranded at Sea, (I found it just as easy to buy the Japanese import, a testament to their following there, I suppose) but it still had it’s moments too.

Their third LP, Use Your Weapons, is a welcomed return to the pop formula that make their debut so successful. Available on iTunes as of this morning, this is one I’ve been enjoying since yesterday when I found the free streaming link.

I’m looking forward to purchasing this one on CD as its my preferred medium. “Make Up Your Mind” is already an instant classic and if you can listen to “Pretty Thing” without humming the melody to this one then we’ll start making your funeral arrangements today. “Gimme Gimme” is AM radio pop, pure and sugary – with ELO-like embellishments as the cherry on top.

And, as Hill is apparently fond of saying, “Also, there is lots of shredding going on.”

Stream it, enjoy it, buy it, dammit.