It seems so old school but mail still regularly arrives, bills and grocery fliers mostly. Not so many envelopes with cheques as there used to be unfortunately. Luckily the electronic mail sack shows no sign of losing its girth. People write to tell me about their music and that gets me scribbling this note to you.

John Dunbar keeps exploring his alter ego Elvis Eno, mirroring the career of a slightly more famous not-from-Memphis Elvis on his recent LP I’ll See Myself Out. As other Elvis recorded an album with a classically minded quartet so too does this one with The Fragment Quartet. The effect is striking but underneath it all everything comes down to the songs. Here the stand out track for me is “A Lady of an Uncertain Age.” So XTC with a dash of Moody Blues. Ed Woltil has a new duo pairing, this time working with Kirk Adams to deliver a new LP Eat the Sunshine, Drink the Starshine. The record has got a well-crafted 1970s pop sound to my ears with so many interesting adornments tucked in here and there. “Last Call 4 Lost Dogs” is an exquisite mediation on pop tune-age with a bit swing. On album #7 Vancouver’s Star Collector have lost none of their star quality. The band kick out the jams on a number of rockers here but I’m loving the more low-key tunes. “Overblown” has a gentle pacing and lilting melody while “The Best Thing” is sunny poprock tossing off hooks like sparks.

Rumble Strip return with their affecting mix of folk and roots music on Sayonara, Baby. The songs are varied and maximum fun. “It Could Always Be Worse” sounds so Huey Lewis and News while “Uber Driver” has a vaudeville quality. “Adam West” is a great character-driven pop song. But the top track here gives the LP its name. Get a load of the deep psychedelic vibes coming your way from Seattle’s Acapulco Lips. Like The Primitives but with a more distortion pedal. “You Won’t” is from the band’s recent long-player Now and it just brims with pop excitement, driven by some fabulous reverb-drenched lead guitar work. It’s been awhile since we heard from Jonathan Rundman singing about librarians and such. Now he’s making Waves as his new release denotes and it’s an approachable mix of rootsy tunes with surprising hooks. “Veronika Ann” has a very Freedy Johnson feel while “Let’s Put on a Opera” is curio pop sophistication.

I’m a sucker for piano only albums. There is something stripped-down and reduced to essentials about a guy tickling the keys with just his voice for contrast. On Rich Restaino’s new record 88s and Heartaches: A Solo Piano Retrospective he goes out on solo piano limb and makes it work. “Drunk on the Company Dime” draws out the rich shades that only a piano can provide with lyrics that perfectly drape the tune.

Just popping this into the internet post for you. And you can carry on the chain mail with nary a stamp required. Just hit those hyperlinks for an express post to the music of your choice.

Photo ‘I wrote you a letter but forgot to mail it’ courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.