Billy Tibbals

Keeping the rock flame fully lit, Billy Tibbals has been a powerhouse of power pop over these past few years. With a history of brief, but bright releases, Tibbals sticks to the short formats with a second EP for Silver Arrow this week. The record revels in the ‘70s pomp n’ primp — the crossover between glam’s grandeur and the soft pout of power pop that would follow. On more than one occasion the specter of Sparks is raised here, with the most prominent fumes rising off of “The World Revolves.” Tibbals knows how to pack a song full of the kind of rock meets pop maximalism that got swept away in the growl of the ‘90s, save for torchbearers like The Blondes and Redd Kross, both of which might feed into the fray here.

With pounding pianos, towering guitars, shout along choruses and background coos, the EP fizzes with life under the hot lights. Tibbals embraces the larger than life persona, but the stage life is backed and bonded by the songs. Not a dull moment in ‘em, and then he caps the collection with a tender Bowie burnout that flickers like a lone candle in the night. Paired with his previous LP, there’s already an indispensable album spread over the past couple of years, but here’s hoping this is just the beginning.