Festival Bands Face the Task of Keeping a Classic Genre Fresh

“Pop” is a big word. When it refers to popular music, it can mean anything from Tony Bennett to Led Zeppelin. But the musicians gathered for the third annual International Pop Overthrow festival, which opened over the weekend, tend to gravitate toward the classic ‘60s pop sounds of the Beatles, Beach Boys, Kinks, et al.

For some of the bands at the two-week festival’s Saturday afternoon show at Spaceland, it occasionally meant music that was sloppy and slight. But such bands as American Suitcase, the Quarter After and the Flashcubes proved old sounds can still be worthwhile.

A highlight Saturday was American Suitcase, a quartet from Norway that added rock muscle to its jangling pop. The band was like high-octane Byrds during “The Secret,” as its two singer-guitarists traded vocals and old-school hooks.

The Flashcubes were introduced by comedian Bobcat Goldthwaite, who knew members of the band in Syracuse, N.Y., when they worked at a local record store. “They sold us records,” Goldthwaite joked, “but they also stole a lot of their equipment from the store.”

The 30-minute set that followed had the Flashcubes tapping into pop more as a state of mind rather than as some ancient museum piece, with tight, melodic passages that had more in common with the Plimsouls than the Raspberries.

Singer-songwriter David Houston’s dark, understated songs were often overwhelmed by crowd chatter. The Twigs offered interesting passages, but occasionally their songs seemed unfinished. And the Quinton Flynn Four were tight and retro, but it was unclear what the band was bringing that was new to the table. All of which just proves that making pop music only sounds easy.

International Pop Overthrow, through Aug. 3. Schedule and venues available at https://www.sandplum.com/ipo.