Almost Everything I Wish I'd Said the Last Time I Saw You . . . Kartel**

It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to describe Wakey! Wakey!'sexistence as art imitating life, considering that Mike Grubbs, the New York band's protagonist and erstwhile barman, plays the role of a singing bartender on teen series One Tree Hill.The piano-based pop-rock songs on his debut album could effortlessly soundtrack emotional montages from that show, too. Almost Everythingwill appeal to fans of The Fray's and Scouting for Girls' surging choruses and lovelorn lyrics, but its overly polished production robs it of any distinguishing characteristics. There's potential on tracks such as Feral Love, which sounds like a poppier Beirut, but these songs are simply too by-the-numbers to keep listeners alert and engrossed for 39 minutes. See grubbs.tumblr.com

Download tracks: Feral Love, 1876: The Brooklyn Theatre Fire