Pop music is dead. Or so one would think with the paparazzi crotch shots, the rampant pitch correction, and the general emphasis on monetary remuneration over what should be a purely happy, catchy, or poignant expression. Brady Murphy seems to understand this deeply. With every chord and every lyric he gets closer to what the genre once was. Lay it on the Line, the newest EP from Murphy, or Danger Stranger as he calls himself, has him proving it. Be it the killer doo-wop ya ya ya's in I Know the Feeling or The Perfect Chance's wrangled distortion or the calm and closeness of the title track, he follows in the footsteps of Alex Chilton and Robert Pollard; a legacy of simplicity and feeling.

-Matt Fields