Julie Ocean
Long Gone and Nearly There
(Transit of Venus ***1/2)

Jim Spellman likes his allusions: his former band, the charming Velocity Girl, took its name from an early Primal Scream song. "Julie Ocean" was a great new-wave pop single from Ireland's Undertones, which tips to one of the musical roots of this DC band.

Released on local label Transit of Venus, Long Gone and Nearly There is a terse (10 songs in 25 minutes) blast of nostalgia for the jangly, melodic guitar pop of the Eighties, from early decade new wave to mid-decade Brit Pop to later lo-fi underground America, from those Undertones to the Wedding Present to Guided by Voices.

Although it might help, one doesn't have to be history-minded to love the ecstatic harmonies of "#1 Song," the power-pop hooks of "Here Comes Danny," and the zippy guitar riffs of "At the Appointed Hour."

- Steve Klinge