‘New England’s Newest Hit Makers’ by The Connection: At a brisk 18 minutes, the debut album from Portsmouth-based band The Connection offers eight delectable nuggets of rock ’n’ roll ear candy that beckon memories of chasing girls around the pool at the local rec center.

“New England’s Newest Hit Makers” is a trip into a simpler time in rock history, when the bouncy tunes that flooded the airwaves were stripped-down, fun and catchy—but still had just enough attitude to make your parents nervous. 

“Yeah, I’ve been at work all day / but when the clock strikes 5, you know it’s my time to play. / You, you know that I can hear / ’cause I’m only thinking about girls and getting two-dollar beers,” Geoff Palmer sings on the opening track, “It’s All Right.”

Indeed, this is Palmer’s time to play, and he does so with friends Brad Marino on backing vocals and guitar, Chris Faulkner on drums and Andy Casey on bass. Palmer also sings and plays guitar, rounding out a present-day fab four.

These musicians are no strangers to the Seacoast music scene, having already lent their talents to such punk and rock bands as The Queers, The Guts, Rydells, Red Invasion and the Jonee Earthquake Band. They come together with a simple mission to revive ’60s-era rock, channeling bands like The Kinks, The Beatles and the Stones, while foreshadowing the early punk of The Ramones.

The second track, “All You Gotta Do,” features a spryly frolicking guitar hook with jaunty, rhyming vocals. Another highlight is “Baby Doll,” which at first sounds like a knockoff of The Romantics but later brings in a growling vocal that echoes Eric Burdon and The Animals. The CD closes with the power-pop, surf-rock anthem “My Baby Likes to RNR,” which concisely conveys the album’s party spirit.

Visit www.the-connection.bandcamp.com.

‘Blacklight Ruckus’ by Blacklight Ruckus: Hailing from Durham by way of Exeter, Blacklight Ruckus is a fresh new band that blends danceable funk with psychedelic rock, bridging the decades from the late 1960s to today. On their 10-song, eponymous debut album, it’s easy to hear contemporary influences like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sublime flirting with classic acts like The Beatles and Pink Floyd.

The three band members here swap instruments to create a cohesive sound that is bigger than its parts, with Garrett Cypher on guitar, vocals and bass; Steve Kysor on drums, vocals and keyboards; and Thomas Forbes on bass, vocals, guitar and drums. They clearly had fun with the album, filling it with lighthearted, dance-happy tunes that don’t take themselves too seriously.

While the first couple of tracks feature peppy, rhythmic guitar hooks with a retro-psychedelic vibe, the third song, “The Widowmaker,” slows things down to a morose and meditative tempo. “Sexy MF” is a gratuitously sultry R&B bit, complete with a falsetto treatment of the acronymic title lyrics. The band incorporates a hip-hop scheme on “Lovely Vibes,” adding another genre to its repertoire.

This is the type of music that feeds on head-bobbing live audiences. The studio effort could use a little more kick, as the funk, at times, seems slightly restrained and the vocal delivery lackluster. The disc comes out of the gates strong with the commanding cadence of “Down & Out” but struggles to reach that level of gusto in later tracks.

Nevertheless, “Blacklight Ruckus” is a fun and promising debut. It closes with its heaviest song, “Joe Got Boots,” which stirs together many of the funk, rock and jam ingredients showcased throughout the album. When listening, it’s worth heeding the singer’s advice: “Take a minute just to savor all the flavor in your bowl.”

Visit www.reverbnation.com/blacklightruckus.

‘Ama’ by Mike Stockbridge: Following up on his self-titled 2009 debut, New Hampshire native Mike Stockbridge establishes himself as one of the state’s top jazz guitarists with “Ama.” It’s a breath of fresh, fall air for a largely underserved genre in the area.

The disc opens with Stockbridge’s experimental meanderings on “One for Charlie,” instantly calling to mind genre greats ranging from Wes Montgomery to Pat Metheny to John Scofield. The album never loses that exploratory spirit. Stockbridge and band mates Duane Edwards on double bass and Shawn Boissonneault on percussion prod for notes and chase their jazz imaginations through eight original tracks.

Tenor saxophonist David Wells deftly complements Stockbridge’s guitar on the second track, “Intuition,” mirroring the jagged root melody before launching into his first solo. The tempo picks up on “By George,” with Stockbridge improvising exultantly from start to finish.

The trio really lets fly on the fourth track, “Proof.” Stockbridge noodles up and down the frets to mesmerizing results while Edwards shadows him erratically on bass, and Boissonneault takes an impressive unaccompanied solo. “Miller,” as well as the closing track, “Blues for Boff,” have perkier, boppier melodies that seem to invoke the ghosts of jazz past.

Stockbridge has been playing guitar since he was 9 years old and has extensive teaching experience in New Hampshire and Maine. Over the years, he has effectively cultivated the vital ability to imbue distinct colors and moods with his playing, as well as an inventive songwriting voice.

He dedicates the CD to the memory of his mother, who painted the artwork that graces the album’s cover. Her name is the title of the sixth track, “Grace,” which is slow and wistful without being melancholy. A portion of proceeds from sales of the disc will go toward research on diabetes, Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Visit www.mikestockbridge.com.