Sweet Water - Clear The Tarmac (2009)

This is a fun album. It reminds me of the late 90s, and I don't mean that disparagingly, just that certain sounds - the guitar on "Grass Is Green" for example - make me think of songs on the radio back then. Which I guess makes sense since Sweet Water was putting out albums throughout the 90s. The songs explore the rockier side of pop, falling somewhere between power pop, pop punk, and alternative rock. What that means is that the guitars are generally plugged in, turned up, but still melodic and the choruses simple and catchy. The album would fit into a radio station playlist right in the middle of Blink 182, Sugar Ray, Third Eye Blind, and Matchbox 20. Maybe not the coolest station anymore, but one you might listen to in your car in traffic and accidentally find yourself singing along, drumming your steering wheel, and generally enjoying yourself. "Rock Steady" and "Stereo" are particularly catchy.