Being an slightly aging music critic, it's like it is in the bylaws that I have to love power pop, that brilliantly hooky genre that never quite catches on despite our constant praise.

Well, there's a reason so many critics scream the virtues of the genre. This three disk collection, each disk covers one of the last three decades, is a good a primer as you're likely to find. The collection veers from occasional pop hits like Nick Lowe's brilliant "Cruel To Be Kind" and the Lemonheads' "Into Your Arms" to forgotten old favorites like the Smithereens "Behind The Wall Of Sleep" and Matthew Sweet's "I've Been Waiting" to completely overlooked gems like Candy's "Whatever Happened To Fun," Marshall Crenshaw's "Whenever You're On My Mind" and the Records' "Starry Eyes."

As is inevitable on a collection like this, you may disagree on a few of the choices, but you'll be shocked by the consistant high quality of the songs. If you can't find music that moves you on Poptopia, you don't have a pulse.