Thrift Shop Stop

(Dan Villanueva photo from MySpace)

My weekend was consumed by lots of strenuous, but worthy, activity. None of it had much to do with music, though, so I thought I'd write about a local disc I discovered at the Hope House Foundation thrift store -- the one across from Doumar's.
Astropop 3's self-titled disc from 1998 is a testament to that group's ambitions and to the talents of Astropop guitarist and singer Dan Villanueva. "You're the One" "and So Happy" drip with both sweet melody and sour melancholy. Arrangements are simple, strumming guitar and restrained bass and guitar make up the meat of the tracks. Dan sings in a bit of a monotone -- and I think that probably ultimately makes Astropop 3 a tough sell for some people. But on tunes like "China Doll" he sounds confident, clear and pretty inspired.
As of earlier this year, the band was still around, but I think they're playing much less frequently.