The greatest event of the year for pop fans is the annual International Pop Overthrow Festival in L.A. Each August bands of every pop stripe (power pop, Europop, jangle pop, etc.) from every corner of the globe descend on La La Land. For the second year in a row, good-old Del-Fi Records has issued a collection of recordings from bands appearing at the festival. This time around, they’ve wisened up and made the collection a 2 CD set.

Apart from Yesterday Girl Record’s Pop Under the Surface series, this is probably the single greatest place to start for an overview of the rich late 90s pop scene. Tracks from Jason Falkner, Helium Angel (mod pop), Outrageous Cherry (British Invasion-style garage pop), Evelyn Forever (a cross between the Beatles and the Jam), and Liquor Giants are just a few of the endless array of highlights. Don’t hesitate – buy it now.