The new one from The Jigsaw Seen offers up some of the best power pop this side of the Atlantic can offer. The Jigsaw Seen For The Discriminating Completest (Rarities And Singles 1989-2015), out Friday on Burger Records, is a set of gems that shine with the wit of The Kinks and the spark of the best Nugggets-era bands.
A run at "The Best is Yet to Come" kicks things off in a decidedly fine fashion, the cut nothing like what Mr. Sinatra ever did with the number, while "Celebrity Interview" charms with the sort of pop that the Davies brothers made at one point with The Kinks. Elsewhere, a cover of the Bee Gees standard "Melody Fair" does right by the original, even as the fiery "Have a Wonderful Day" sounds like the best power pop stuff from the Seventies. "My Name is Tom" churns like something from The Standells or The Electric Prunes, while album closer "Another Predictable Song" rocks out with the kind of hard riff-age favored by The Smithereens.
A fine compilation, The Jigsaw Seen For The Discriminating Completest (Rarities And Singles 1989-2015) collects a bit of the past of The Jigsaw Seen. Serving as a nice introduction to the band's blend of power pop, the set works as the sort of thing that is sure to appeal to fans of bands as disparate as Fountains of Wayne, Barenaked Ladies, and The Plimsouls.
The Jigsaw Seen For The Discriminating Completest (Rarities And Singles 1989-2015) is out Friday on Burger Records. Follow The Jigsaw Seen via the band's official Facebook page.
[Photo: Theresa Donoghue]