All sorts of rockers

Rock is forever and these three albums show why despite the constant flow of R&B and its derivatives like rap and hip-hop, there are always great new sounds to delight the rocker.

Save Me San Francisco by Train: Train is everything that a good rock band should be. They do this great mix of alternative rock and country, which is very commercial. These boys write catchy tunes with lyrics that take your breath away. Jimmy Stafford on guitars and Scott Underwood on drums are so at ease with their music and there is an excellent lead singer with a unique style in Pat Monahan. I also like the fact that Train seems to keep a low profile, no controversies or misbehavior, preferring to make its presence felt only by the music they make.

It is no wonder then that Save Me San Francisco is a big hit. The band’s first in three years is a solid production of well-made songs. This is the sort of album you might not think much of initially, unless you remember how good Train was with Drops Of Jupiter from some years ago. But one spin will get you hooked. Aside from Pat’s vocals, you will surely like the way the songs move at an easy pace like early Doobie Brothers recordings. By the third or fourth spin, you wilI surely get into the lyrics and in awe of the clever and at times moving writing.

Tops on my list is the heartbreak ballad This Ain’t Goodbye with other love songs like Parachute and Marry Me as runners-up. The hit singles are Hey Soul Sister and the title cut Save Me San Francisco. Curious? I say you have to listen to find out why this Train from California is singing Save Me San Francisco. The other songs are I Got You, If It’s Love, You Already Know, Words, Brick By Brick and Breakfast In Bed.

Everybody Wants To Be On TV by Scouting For Girls: This is the true sound of British rock. Part Beatles, part Beach Boys and lots of fun. Here are the tunes that you want playing in your head when you are walking on city sidewalks and feeling very mod. Okay I know the word mod is very ’60s but that is how Brit rock should make you feel and these boys have it down pat.

The boys are Roy Stride on vocals, keyboards and guitars; Greg Churchhouse on bass; and Peter Ellard on percussion. They started gigging with close friends in Harrow, a school in England. This is their second album and their big play for big time stardom. It should happen soon. Everybody Wants To Be On TV is a tight production of pretty, lilting melodies and soaring vocals.

This Ain’t A Love Song makes for a rousing opener. Everybody should find Little Miss Naughty truly infectious. And Famous is the most fun. The other cuts are Goodtime Girl, Silly Song, On The Radio, Blue As Your Eyes, Posh Girls, 1 + 1 and Take A Chance.

Congratulations by MGMT: I do not know why MGMT chose to name itself after the human gene or how that name relates to the music they create. Admittedly though, the name is what keeps the band in mind. Like I instantly knew to whom the news items were referring to in the Grammy nominations. It was that human gene band. MGMT got it for Kids. Or of how their Oracular Spectacular CD was named one of the best albums released in the decade of 2000 to 2009 and of MGMT as one of the best new bands.

MGMT comes from New York. It is made up of frontmen Andrew Van Wyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, who formed the group while in prep school. They were later joined by Matt Asti on bass and back-up vocals; Will Berman on drums and back-up vocals; and James Richardson on guitar and also back-up vocals. They make this engaging mix of ’70s New Wave and psychedelia and have this fearless approach for the unconventional.

The CD Congratulations is presented like a soundtrack album with no clear singles. The cuts flow and focus on particular emotions. It is best to keep the CD sleeve nearby while listening to be able to keep tabs on what they are trying to say. Once you get the hang of it though, you will find it easy relating to how the songs are sequenced and the story they tell.

Still, there is really no way you can keep a good band from turning out hits. MGMT did not intend to but Someone’s Missing is definitely a good single and It’s Working is one powerful rocker. Also included are Song For Dan Treacy, Flash Delirium, I Found A Whistle, Siberian Breaks, Brian Eno, Lady Dada’s Nightmare and Congratulations.