The Resonars - Nonetheless Blue (2007)

Matt Rendon's one-man British Invasion revival unit, the Resonars, have once again made one of the finest albums of 1965 -- this time in the year 2007. Nonetheless Blue wears its influences on its sleeve, from the Roger McGuinn-influenced guitar accents on "Whatever You Want" to the Merseybeat harmonies of "Sinking Is Slow," but Rendon's songwriting is good enough that this stuff sounds less like a collection of past clichés than a batch of classic-style pop tunes that look to the past while establishing an identity of their own. Just as importantly, Rendon and his helpers (if he had any) play these songs with enough urgency and force that they come off as great, high-energy pop tunes rather than genre exercises, and the guitar work is uniformly excellent throughout, with the production capturing just the right retro vibe. And if you want to hear Rendon rock out, the crash-velocity closer "Three Times Around" is just what you need. Nonetheless Blue doesn't re-invent the wheel within the garage revival universe, but it rolls smooth and fast and gets there in style; folks with a taste for the British branch of mid-'60s rock will eat this right up.