The Week in Fresh Tracks [Norm, Jota Ese, Faux Ferocious, Los Colognes, Millionaire Magicians, The Bang-Up]

I'm proud of the local rock 'n' roll set. Nary a week goes by wherein we at the Cream don't see a smorgasbord of genuinely remarkable local music, and this week is absolutely no exception. Let's not dillydally. Follow me below to hear: Norm's catchy and quirky bedroom pop; Jota Ese's soul- and jazz-sampling instrumental stoner hip-hop; Faux Ferocious' loose garage-punk; and Los Colognes' breezy, Americana-rooted jam-pop. That's not to mention some not-brand-new but newly rediscovered rock 'n' roll from two defunct local outfits: Millionaire Magicians and The Bang-Up. Dive in. It's a really, really good week.

Norm, Norm

Norm is the solo outing of Privates frontman, My So-Called Band frontman and my fellow music scribe (at someplace called Tennessean?) Dave Paulson. In case you never happened to notice from his tenure with The Privates, Paulson is exceptionally gifted when it comes to constructing left-of-center pop numbers, and this eponymous full-length — Norm's second eponymous release — features nothing but idiosyncratic, catchy bedroom pop. While I personally think it sounds great as-is, Paulson promises a fully mastered version in the not-too-distant future. "Right now, it's best heard in my '03 Honda Civic," says Paulson. "The mastered version will come out in May, and everyone who's already downloaded will be sent a download code for it. That version will be put up on Spotify, iTunes, etc. next month, too." Nice. Stream the whole thing above or download it for any price you like at Norm's Bandcamp page. "Funny Face" and "On to You" are my favorites.