‘Love, Save the Empty’

‘Love, Save the Empty’

Erin McCarley

(Universal Republic)

Grade: A

Some artists debut with albums that show promise, while others storm out of the gate with potential already fulfilled. Erin McCarley is closer to the latter on “Love, Save the Empty.”

The 29-year-old Texan’s introductory set has clearly been fine-tuned and meticulously contoured by a strong production team, but it sports an engaging sprawl of mildly quirky pop distinguished by its vibrant flavors.

McCarley’s songs are propelled by juicy, carefully manicured hooks in which her breathy singing applies a gentle bite, a prod to the springy sweep of “Pony (It’s OK).”

The arrangements are decorative, yet clutter-free, whether pulsating through the sizzle-gilded liveliness of “Hello/Goodbye” or soaring into the sturdy chorus of “Blue Suitcase.”

Tunes such as “Sticky Sweet” are polished and loaded with snippets of texture to the point of near fussiness, but such ornamental patchwork complements the fluid bob of the title track.

Offbeat in her contemplative ebbs and kinetic when she flows, McCarley comfortably exhales her way through reliably vivid pop collages.

—Thomas Kintner, Hartford Courant

‘Girls on Film’

Von Iva (Von Iva Music)

Grade: C

On the band’s myspace, the members of all-girl trio Von Iva list “early Tina Turner” as an influence.

At first blush that doesn’t seem to fit with the band electro-pop mindset, but a quick spin through the 6-song EP “Girls on Film” exposes enough traces of soul and funk to make it legit.

The San Francisco band’s third release coincides with some wider exposure, including a song and cameo in the Jim Carrey comedy “Yes Man.” “Girls on Film” recycles some songs off the band’s 2007 release, “Our Own Island,” and features three new songs.

Von Iva is anchored in the dance-friendly time warp of the 1980s. The throbbing bass and keyboard foundation of “Girls on Film” songs such as “Guise” doesn’t break new ground, but there’s a good beat.

The insistent beat is pretty much the appeal of the opening “Living 4 It,” with its equally repetitive lyrical mantra: “How can we not change our ways; should be living for another day.” In the studio, the energy takes it only so far, even if singer Jillian Iva’s chirpy alto injects quirkiness into things.

Her playfulness is at the heart of tracks such as the chugging “LaLa,” the band’s acidic ode to Los Angeles, and the kinetic “Electricity.”

The latter takes Iva’s vocals into the neighborhood of Tina Turner’s “Nutbush City Limits,” a good place for the band to be.

—Jim Abbott, Orlando Sentinel

‘fantasy black channel

Late of the Pier (Astralwerks)

Grade: A

British rock band Late of the Pier has inspired some Frank Zappa comparisons, and the imaginative material on “Fantasy Black Channel” comes close to validating that idea.

Oh, it’s not nearly as outlandish, but sonically inventive rockers such as “Space and the Woods” harness the band’s obvious Gary Numan fixation and do something more than imitation.

“Space and the Woods” is all about the bass and keyboards, but that doesn’t stop the band from unleashing a funky break to insert to wacky mayhem.

There’s also cool, tubular-sounding percussion and unhinged electronic fun in “The Bears Are Coming.”

I can’t exactly follow the story line, but it’s not a deal-breaker with such a looney musical track.

There are plenty of unexpected turns in “Bears,” too, including what sounds like a cocktail party in that “Star Wars” cantina and a weird 21st-century take on oldies rock.

—Jim Abbott, Orlando Sentinel

‘American Grit’

The Remnants

(Slow Summer Records)

Grade: B

If you think rock ’n’ roll should be nothing more than simple songs, gritty electric guitar and a bunch of older dudes playing original tunes with a message, then you will appreciate Annapolis, Md., rockers the Remnants.

They are not complicated. There are no pretty-boy singer-songwriter influences here or flashy pop leanings.

If anything, they may be trying to channel such classic rock legends as the Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin.

“Party Lights,” the first tune on the Remnants’ latest album, “American Grit,” is a great rock ’n’ roll song in the vein of Social Distortion.

It will for sure inspire people to bob their heads and party. The simple ballad “Everything’s Good” follows the album’s formula and includes unflashy, if a bit square, guitar solos that suit the band’s sound.

—Moira E. McLaughlin, Washington Post