Square

The Orange Peels' Allen Clapp is a songwriter firmly planted in the classic power pop tradition. On Square, he follows the genre's standard formula of bright, ringing guitars and effortlessly catchy melodies to the letter, but brings to the table so much assurance and fresh-scrubbed energy that the album never feels like anything but a breath of fresh air. To be certain, Square doesn't offer listeners anything they haven't heard before — Clapp's reedy vocals at times suggest Matthew Sweet, and a handful of his melodies seem a little too familiar for comfort. But anytime classic pop is delivered with this much flair and affection, it's impossible to quibble; in a perfect world, the standout "Something Strange Happens" would become a smash, although it's not difficult to imagine any one of the album's 14 tracks finding a home on the hit parade. [A Japanese version adds a bonus track.]