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A new album from Tamar Berk isn’t just a release, it’s an event. Tiny Injuries is the third installment of a trilogy of albums exploring love, loss and surviving. It’s also a love letter to all the musical influences she holds dear. Berk’s finely tuned ear reliably turns classic poprock sounds into something new. From the opening bars of album opener “if u know, u know” the feel is new wave 1979, until some insistent synth hooks blur the focus, leaching into the 1980s. Berk knows how to build a song and by continually adding subtle elements the track becomes timeless, unmoored from its initial influences. Some cuts here really draw out a gut level retro response. “drop in the bucket” is a genius 1980s reinvention, balancing a melodic menace with the rhythm guitar’s magnetic pull carrying the listener forward. The organ run kicking off “walking hurricane” knocked me off my chair but that was nothing compared to the song’s irrepressible Go Go’s rhythmic intensity. Dance party approved, indeed. “gonna call it” uses over-the-top 1980s synth drama to frame a rocking classic. By contrast, other songs bring to life a tender, almost Suzanne Vega-like combination of lyrical-musical introspection. It’s there on “what’s become of me, my friend,” “cash out,” and “i was saved by the beauty in the world.” Berk is also mindful of sonic texture. Just listen to how she develops “permanent vacation” starting with rugged acoustic guitar, slowly adding idiosyncratic synth and horns, and topping everything with ethereal background vocals. Should-be hit-single here, definitely “Sunday Driving.” Things get rocking with a load of tasty lead guitar hooks. At then the album ends with “if i could fix one thing,” a stark, striking, emotional closer. Tiny Injuries is Berk firing on all creative cylinders and the ride is more than fine.

Philadelphia’s Hurry seem aptly named on their most recent album Don’t Look Back. The pace of this record is relentless, a seemingly impenetrable wall of jangly guitars and sonorous reverbed-out vocals that just keeps coming at you. Not that I’m complaining. This is the bounciest, brightest break-up album I’ve ever heard. The song titles give the lyrical game away: “Didn’t Have to Try,” “Like I Loved You,” “Beggin’ For You,” etc. This guy is clearly hurting and more than a bit desperate. But you’d never know it from the sunny disposition of the music, drawing on equal parts Big Star, Teenage Fanclub and Matthew Sweet (though perhaps a bit more tightly wound than those acts). “Begging For You” does strike a somewhat unique note, vibing more Fountains of Wayne-reminiscent melodic turns and vocal phrasing. Another departure of sorts can be found on “For Us To Find Love” which slows the pace, sounding a bit more 1970s guitar pop. Don’t Look Back is a totally listenable full-album experience but on the stand-out tracks front both “Didn’t Have to Try” and “Like I Loved You” exude a hit single confidence, deftly balancing alluring, carrying-the-melody vocals with mirroring lead guitar work. Break up albums seldom leave their listeners feeling this buoyant.

On … Stepping Out! Arthur Alexander works his formidable array of influences into 12 new songs (and one cover) and the results are predictably spectacular. The ease with which he can work a 1960s motif into any tune and make it better is impressive. Case in point, the fab remake of The Sorrows song “It’s Not Love Anymore #2.” The rumbly guitar is so 1964 but it’s the melodic turns that nail such a subtlely, Mersey-inflected tune. The harmonica solo is just the icing on top. Or listen to how Alexander effortlessly weaves a James Bond-like theme into fabric of “She’s a Red Hot Lover.” The LP does have a bit of split personality, one part leaning heavily on sixties influences while another group of songs strongly vibe the pop elan of the 1980s. There’s “I’ll Miss You” for a solid 1965 poppy rock sound. The lead guitar sparkle and vocal harmonies so nail the period. But tracks like “A Little Too Much” put that distinctive 1980s synth to forefront just like Golden Earring did in the same decade. Along the same lines “Ashes” and “Silver Cloud” remind me of that sophisticated Alan Parsons Project pop sound while “Fly Away” could be a 1980s take on the Bryds. “Why Can’t You Come” is, again, pretty 1980s Golden Earing to my ears. Then there are the outliers, the 1920s swinging “Oh Lulu, Won’t Be My Girl” and hum-fabulous “Humming Blues in Four.” … Stepping Out! is a very good time: familiar and fun with more than a few delightful surprises.

With Storyboards Movie Movie offer a broader take on the band’s sonic palate, resting the 12-string electric guitar occasionally to dig a bit deeper into their Americana rock and roll roots. The previous Now Playing EP was a solid slab of jangle but on this LP it’s like they’ve been given permission to dabble a bit. The anthemic opener “Born to Win” signals a more muscular rocking posture, like an American Jam. From there the musical touchstones are mostly heartland America, with a shade of indie. “Only Time Will Tell” sounds like a very tight version of The Replacements, “Working From Home” reminds me of Wall of Voodoo, while “Time to Say Goodnight” feels very BoDeans. In “The Light That Shines in Her Eyes” I hear hints of Tom Petty, X, and The Violent Femmes. I love the kick-up-your-heels Tex-Mex party swing on “The Two Loneliest People in the World.” There are a few significant departures here too. “The Girl With the Wandering Eye” could have been recorded in airport hangar with The The’s Matt Johnston in the producer chair. “Lone Warrior” has almost a jazzy pop feel. “A Real Good High” is defined by the severe rhythm guitar sound of the late seventies Kinks. Then, in a direct contrast, the album ends with the jaunty “Better Off Friends” sounding like Lou Reed in pop mode. Storyboards reveals a complex, ambitious band destined for a long run at the box office.

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Photo ‘Radio on the Television’ courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.