Vinyl Kings - Time Machine (2005)

Unlike many similar bands, the Vinyl Kings are at least upfront about what they're trying to accomplish. This seven-piece band is unapologetically obsessed with the pop music of the era roughly between 1963 and 1971, and their second album is a hodgepodge of lifts from the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and all the rest. (There's also a strong resemblance to classic-era Electric Light Orchestra in spots, mostly because Jeff Lynne himself was so enamored of the same pop music era.) Thing is, because the Vinyl Kings don't pretend to be anything other than a bunch of middle-aged Beatles fans who don't care about any music released after 1981 -- the lyrics of several songs, most notably "'67 (Home)" and the title track, are about this very obsession -- then it's possible to enjoy Time Machine for what it is: catchy, tuneful pop music of very little substance. It's only when contemporary bands try to "update" or "re-imagine" this brand of '60s pop that the results get truly tiresome; Time Machine is so unashamed of its tribute-band intentions that the unpretentious charms of the songs come through more strongly.