Terrific power pop from Jet Electro and Poplord

There's a lot of power pop artists that peter out after about four songs, so when you run across an act that delivers start to finish, it's hard to squeeze anything else into the playlist. Believe it or not, some of the best of the genre is coming out of the Fresno area, where not one but two acts are quietly producing majestic power pop on par with anyone else currently in the game.

Say hello to Jet Electro and Poplord. And here's the weird thing: Jet Electro is an offshoot of Poplord. How's that for doubling down? 

Poplord has released three special albums over the past few years while Jet Electro just released its self-titled debut. Jet Electro is really Poplord guitarist Craig Daniel in disguise and accompanied by a bunch of friends. 

Both acts work the same terrain, with lush arrangements and soaring harmonies layered atop smart lyrics. I hear influences ranging from Badfinger, Todd Rundgren and The Raspberries to The Skeletons, XTC and The Elms. But this is more than just a trip down memory lane: Poplord and Jet Electro honor their influences but produce richly crafted songs that stand on their own.  

(Not sure where the name Jet Electro came from but I remember a fantastic "Leave It To Beaver" episode in which Beaver and Wally foolishly ignore Ward's advice and invest money in a high-flying space-age stock called Jet Electro).

Unlike Jet Electro the stock, the musical act has a promising future. This is Grade A stuff, and well worth the investment in time and money. 

Best music of 2012, so far

It's almost July, which means we're already getting bombarded with "best of 2012. so far" lists. 

I'm partial to music lists, and here are three good ones (two of which come in excellent podcasts):

• "All Songs Considered": Good mix of songs, albums and surprises. My biggest surprise is the lack of boring tender songwriter crap that usually ends up on All Songs. lists. 
• "Sound Opinions": Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis have come up with my favorite mix of the lot. Gotta go dig up that dBs disc. 
• Paste Magazine: Six lists from different staffers. 

If there are any trends from this small sample, it's that Alabama Shakes, Japandroids, Dr. John and Killer Mike seem to be front-runners for year-end lists.

'Chalk Talk' demystifies F1 science

Formula 1 describes itself as "the pinnacle of motorsport" for good reason: top teams have budgets of $400 million a year and build cars that delivery mind-boggling performance. 

A closeup of the Red Bull F1 car shows 31 pitot tubes used to measure air flow toward the rear of the car during race testing.The engineering behind such machines is staggering, and Speed TV's Steve Matchett is among the geeks who marvel at the technical details that deliver the 10ths of a second that separate winning cars from backmarkers. 

Before each F1 race, Matchett records "Chalk Talk," a SpeedTV.com web series that delves deep into racecar engineering. This most recent "Chalk Talk" episode is among Matchett's best, and describes how one minor bit of craftsmanship in an aerodynamic device can be the difference in a legal racecar (Ferrari) and illegal (Red Bull). 

If it sounds geeky, it is. But hardcore F1 fans will find it fun viewing.