In their middle-period albums, The Beatles taught a pop music class. No other band has had so many pop-perfect songs.
What relatively recent song do you think is almost worthy of inclusion in a middle-period Beatles songbook? What is your really-pop-perfect song of the past era?
The La’s - “There She Goes”
XTC - “Mayor of Simpleton”
Fountains of Wayne - Radiation Vibe (substitute almost anything else by them for taste)
I was going to add Fountains of Wayne - classic pop music. “Welcome Interstate Managers” is a must-have album for anyone who loves pop music.
For a while, Oasis was considered the ‘new Beatles’, on the strength of songs like Wonderwall and Don’t Look Back in Anger. But they never really lived up to that potential, IMO.
But for my money, the band today that currently carries the Beatles’ torch in terms of experimentation, wide range of musical style, and instrumental and songcraft ability is Wilco. They’ve done experimental concept albums (“Yankee Hotel Foxtrot”), straight up pop songs (“Hate it Here”), beautiful ballads (“Sunken Treasure”), and distorted, very Beatles-like songs (“I’m the Man Who Loves You”).
Honorable mention for The Jayhawks and Spoon, both of which have written great pop albums. The Jayhawks lean to the alt-country side like Wilco, but that doesn’t stop them from writing catching pop tunes with great hooks like “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me”.
In terms of “pop-perfect” I have to go with Maroon 5. They seem to write songs that are just catchy enough to love, but shallow enough to be despised by “real” musicians.
They are the anthesis of Fall Out Boy, whose songs are well written and complex, but have been painted with the “angsty emo bangs” pop brush.
White Stripes, songs like Apple Blossom, Do, and You Don’t Know What Love Is.
I think we have the same music collection. Score! 
Speaking of which, the entirely of Pretty. Odd. by Panic at the Disco besides the first song would definitely count as New Beatles content. I personally prefer angsty emo bands, but their singing and music is so good on this album that I don’t care.
I personally hate it that all popular “emo” bands suddenly decide that what they really wanted to be all along is the next Beatles, Queen, or Rush.
The La’s have been mentioned already. There’s also a load of songs off The Stone Roses’ first album, “Waterfall” and “Made of Stone” especially, and the Bluetones’ Expecting to Fly, in particular “Slight Return”.
Yup, I think if the Beatles had been around in the 80’s, they’d have been more like The Stone Roses, than Oasis.
Perfect pop, song of which actually surpasses the Beatles in perfection:
the Magnetic Fields - “strange powers,” “I think I need a new heart”
Beulah -“popular mechanics for lovers”
+1 on all Adam Schlessinger (Fountains of Wayne, Ivy, “That thing you do,” etc.)
Well, here’s my obligatory “I cain’t believe y’all didn’t include this one” post:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIcFgl6zf3A
I hear Beatles/McCartney all over that song, y’all!
Q
And I’d nominate Radiohead for their experimental phase.
As Ugly as I Seemby the White Stripes has George Harrison all over it in a musical sense and Lennon all over it by it’s meandering lyrical content.
Recent pop perfection was achieved sadly also by the uber hateable Jason Mraz with the song I’m Yours.
XTC’s entire Skylarking album
Yo La Tengo
Was in meetings all day yesterday, couldn’t post to this thread…
Okay - a few thoughts:
Jellyfish - That is Why (youTube) - when this came out I thought they were the new voice of PowerPop, but only this single and The King is Half Undressed off the same CD really got play…
Fountains of Wayne - have to agree with all of the above recommendations. I will add that off their most recent CD, the song Suburuis just a totally rockin’ tune with funny/geeky lyrics.
Jet - their second album, Shine On (youTube for the title song) is far more Beatles-y than their first CD, Get Born, which sounded more like AC/DC meets the Stones. Taken end-to-end, the rocking moments (and there are a bunch) are intergrated into a much broader cut of music - more like the Beatles. Surprisingly ambitious, and while they don’t come close to the Beatles, they do pull off creating a solidly good, repeat-listen CD…
All I got for now…gotta get back to work.