Snowball II
Flashes of Quincy, Doughnut Records, doughnutrecords.weebly.com
Snowball II — yes, named after the cat from The Simpsons — is the recording project of L.A.’s Jackson Wargo, a prolific newcomer who’s on his third album in a year. A shoegaze label is habitually applied to Snowball II, but it definitely isn’t warranted — Flashes of Quincy is joyous, guitar-forward pop in the vein of Band of Horses and Guided By Voices, with lyrics that resurrect ’90s alternative rock. It must make a great live show (Wargo recruits a full band for the stage) — and is guaranteed to induce toe-tapping. (Scott Bryson)