Various Artists

Looking for three packed discs' worth of the best bands and artists you've never heard of - and a few you have?  Look no further than the 23rd (!) volume of International Pop Overthrow.  Curated by IPO founder David Bash and Rina Bardfield, this collection brings the long-running series back with a bang after a three-year hiatus due to...well, you know!  Live music is back, and so is IPO; the fest has so far in 2022 hit cities including Phoenix, Chicago, Liverpool, San Diego, Vancouver, New York, and Boston.  This eclectic 68-song sampler is overflowing with big hooks, bright guitars, shimmering harmonies, and an abundance of the kind of melodies you'd wished were still being written...and they are!  Familiar names here include Fernando Perdomo, Badfinger's Joey Molland (performing with The Raz Band), April March (with a cut from her 2022 Omnivore release In Cinerama), singer-songwriter Seth Swirsky, and The Pengwins' Danny Wilkerson, but each artist is choice.  The Tambourine People, The Vinylos, Lisa Marie Claire, Brent Windler, The Glimmer Stars, and countless others just might become new favorites.  Throughout, you'll hear shades of Todd Rundgren, Cheap Trick, Badfinger, Big Star, The Cowsills, and The Sunshine Company - and the package lives up to the music, with art direction and design by Now Sounds' Steve Stanley.  IPO Vol. 23 is a treat that will fit snugly in any stocking and brighten the holiday season.