I’ll be the first to admit to my longtime addiction to pop music, but let me be clear; I’m talking about “pop music,” not just what’s popular. In recent years, way too many artists have been lumped into the pop music category, turning the genre into a murky cesspool of music that bears little resemblance to the real roots of pop. For example, a well-known publication recently rated the top 40 pop acts of all time, which included Beyonce, Jay Z and Britney Spears on the same page with The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Duran Duran. Really?

To my delight, this past holiday season brought some new music into my house beyond the sound of the kid’s new Wii. English Afterthoughts is the latest release from longtime pop rock legends The Spongetones, or more precisely, band members Jamie Hoover and Steve Stoeckel (aka Jamie & Steve). Released on Hoover’s own Loaded Goat label this past December, English Afterthoughts can best be described as a 12-song collection of perfect pop songs. Imagine The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds if XTC’s Andy Partridge had been invited to offer some input and you’d be close to English Afterthoughts.

The opening track, “Emily’s Ghost,” sets the tone of the CD with smart pop lyrics, tightly crafted harmonies and Hoover’s flawless guitar riffs. If you want to learn how to write a real pop song, dissect this tune and use it as your template. “Fly Girl” follows with a sound closer to The Beach Boys but again, Hoover interjects a slightly harder guitar sound to brand it his own. Although I didn’t find a single skippable track on this CD, my favorites would have to be “Do Be Cruel” and “In The Other Life and On Another Day.”

This article appears in Jan 13-19, 2010.