Around the dial: True Green, Brian Jones and His Elevator Music, Smug Brothers, and Pope

04 Sunday Oct 2026

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Sometimes you’re spinning the radio dial (or whatever is your modern equivalent) and something new pops out that you just can’t turn away from. Today’s crowd of artists offer up just those sorts of oh-so-pleasant surprises. Get ready to get stuck in.

True Green’s Hail Disaster is a journey through many moods. Opening cut “Italian Lightening” is all shades of autumn light, so many flickering guitar and keyboard lines dapple your senses. Sunny and bright got right, that’s this song. It also stands out as the most hit singley track on the album. From there things veer down many intriguing paths. “How To Draw Hands” talk-sings against echoey guitar chords and mellifluous keyboard runs. “Beatlemania” is a stark indie rock intervention, nothing like Beatlemania sonically (though it does ask all the right questions about that social hoopla). Then “Consider the Priesthood” brings banjo into a track that pushes the echo fader to the max. Folk figures strongly across many contributions here. “Hamlet and Juliet” has a unique folk ennui, a bit like Hayden. “Bindi Sue” and “Falconry” both give off acoustic folk vibes, the latter adding some Bruce Cockburn guitar artistry. Meanwhile “Jonathan” combines a folk feel with some comforting 1970s electric keyboard. But cuts like “Hail Disaster” and “Terry’s Parrot” lean closer to performance art. The guitar textures defining “Bodysurfing”  are mesmerizing in a low key way. Moody poprock makes an appearance with “Texas Instrument” while “Sparrows + Lillies” is all jazzy rumination. Hail Disaster may be a shifting mood buffet but it works on many levels.

On Outlandish Stances Brian Jones and His Elevator Music offer up that highly literate melodic rock and roll that made careers for bands like Squeeze and Fountains of Wayne and I can’t get enough. Record opener “Flowers” has a new wave freshness from its opening guitar chords, building to a triumphant, memorable chorus. Then “New Adventures” shifts gears into a rollicking poprock romp. “Some Men” opens with some distinctive jangle guitar, layering it up to good effect on this story song. It’s so easy to toss off possible comparisons to the styles that appear here. “The Last to Know” is so Squeeze, “Mexico” exudes an FOW ballad feel, while “Blessed and Highly Favored” reminds me of Freedy Johnston. “Sunday Best” is a personal fave – I love the liberal deployment of seventh chords. “When The Music’s Over” is something different again, closing things out with tender piano ballad.

Smug Brothers album #11 Pinhole to Vortex is a supremely great guitar record. What I mean is that the guitars are central to everything that is going on here, carrying the songs forward, adding depth where needed, and jumping out of the mix with various melodic and textural surprises. “Bolt Through the Blackout” is a great example of what I’m talking about with alternating guitar parts that keep grabbing our attention. “I’ve Seen Them Patch the Same Hole Trying to Get It Right” is another striking example where the hypnotic rhythm guitar attack lulls you just ahead of dynamic lead guitar breakouts. “Blitz Meridian” is something a bit different with its clockwork-meets-new wave rhythm guitar pacing. And I’m particularly keen on “Picasso Waltzes.” The song is a wonderful arrangements of pieces, from the lead guitar lines to the chorused vocals to the striking trumpet shots. Or listen to how “Extra All the Time” uses great lead guitar runs to lead us through the song. There is a some solid Beatles DNA threaded through countless songs here, from “Eureka Minor” to “From Crack to Shatter” to “Back at Earth.” There is stylistic variety here too, with “Speeding By the Way Things Used to Look” and “Wake Up (Be Your Own Planet)” holding a softer pop pose while “Chisel Would Say” showcases a harsher guitar attack. Personal faves include “The Other Wedge was Better” with its up-front guitar hooks and the full-on power pop of “Drive Open in the Delicate Streams.” Fair warning: with Pinhole Vortex you better get ready to notch your amp up to 11.

It’s been a month of regularly imbibing Pope’s new LP BFM and I’m still not done with it. I find myself fascinated with how the band manages to inhabit so many styles but never lose a sense of their own musical personality. Reviewers don’t skimp on comparisons, linking the overall aura to the 1990s alternative scene. My own take is that the potential influences go even further back (and forward). For instance, both “Song Two” and “Point of View” conjure the Dandy Warhols for me. Some suggest “Newboi” is vibing Teenage Fanclub but all I hear is REM. Obviously there are many ways to dissect Pope’s musical DNA, the point is indicate possible stylistic affinities. Case in point, “Town” has a SWMRS feel for me while “Good Enough” embodies a spot-on Kevin Devine demeanor. Another striking aspect of this LP is the seamless fluidity of the song order, despite the deployment of different lead vocalists. Ratboys singer Julia Steiner guests on “Sick Minute” and “Nothing for Nothing” and her appearances are both highly distinctive and very much in tune with the album’s overall tone. Overall BFM is a hard-to-pin-down album. Tracks like “Back to Centre” and “Underdawg” exude a folksy charm without going full-on folk. “Make You Feel” has a harsher guitar attack that is set off somewhat by vocals that seem to float over the backing. Then you have a song like “John Thomas” where a lowkey delivery in no way subdues the impact. After nine years without a release, BFM definitely marks Pope’s triumphant return.

Tuning in to these four acts will definitely enrich your listening pleasure. You can find more dedicated programming about them on their branded internet real estate.

Photo courtesy Joe Haupt Flikr collection.

Northern Souls: Keyside and The Guest List

28 Monday Sep 2026

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England’s northwest is alive with fresh jangly enthusiasm courtesy two bands springing from the region’s established music hubs, Liverpool and Manchester. Both Keyside and The Guest List have utilized the now ubiquitous drip-single-strategy of releasing nearly all the songs from an upcoming debut LP over the course of a year or more before it actually arrives to create interest and build an audience. And it has worked a treat for both bands, getting them loads of press and onto the UK top albums charts.

Keyside’s self-titled release features 12 tunes, 9 of which initially saw light as singles and EP cuts. As the early releases were chosen with an ear to catching the attention-overwhelmed audiences of today, the songs are all catchy but can survive multiple playings. Collecting them all in one place has, not surprisingly, produced an LP brimming with should-be hits. I could single out “Nikita,” “Down My Way” and “Rock My Love” as particularly strong but any fan might choose a different combination. The deluxe version of the album even digs further back into the band’s catalogue, including a brighter, more professionally produced version of “Paris to Marseille,” a track originally released in 2023. The three new songs that appear here are not cutting room leftovers either. In fact, “Red Ruby Red” may vie for the top track here with a jaunty bounce reminiscent of fellow Scousers The La’s. Altogether Keyside is one supremely fine debut. Despite releasing the material over a two year period the record has a sonic and songwriting consistency that is impressive. Sure to be voted one of the top ‘repeat play’ LPs of the year.

When I first heard The Guest List doing “Something Real” I was struck by the song’s dynamic tension, how a sense of anticipation kept renewing and resolving effortlessly. Other singles offered widely different takes on how to play with this taut sort of song form. Some like “Ruine” and “Mundane” mix an intermittent rock grind with more measured vocals while others like “You Should Care” exude a more Killers-like intensity. “If Ever Your Devil is Kind” conjures a wonderfully ‘falling in a dream’ kind of panicked pleasure. “Weatherman” just sneaks up on you with its haunting hooks. Like Keyside’s debut, most of the songs here (7 of 12) preceded the recent official release of Something Real. The five new songs on the LP add even more diversity to the going ons. “Sick Animal” combines country touches with a lovely histrionic chorus, “Slow Down Sally” builds up from a low-key folk feel to a Beatlesque turn, while “Craven” has a slow, stately and yet ominous cadence. And then the record ends with “The Only Ones,” a dark but classy Costello-ish ballroom ballad. The depth of songwriting here suggests this is a band that has only just begun to explore what they can do. Watch this space!

If you’re looking to scout an exciting musical frontier, you’ll want to go north these days. Northern England is just rife with talent. And these two bands are just the advance patrol – I see more emerging talent on the horizon.

Photo: fragment of The Guest List single art for “161.”

Should be a hit single: Greg Freeman “Gulch”

22 Tuesday Sep 2026

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Late to the Greg Freeman parade but making up for lost time, I’m here to sing the praises of just one single song. Namely, what I think should be the standout single from his 2025 album Burnover: “Gulch.” Ever since his debut LP I Looked Out hit the shops in 2022 the critical appreciation of his work has been building, with comparisons stretching from Pavement to Big Star. But “Gulch” is something different. Now stick with me here while I head out on a shaky limb but the influence I hear is none other than Bruce Springstreen. Think of all that voluminous material from The River that was sprinkled with just a touch of new wave charm. The cadence of the way the lyrics gel with the wonderfully chordy tune just sounds so New Jersey troubadour. Freeman is really cramming the lyrics in with a Bruce-ian intensity. But the value added here is dynamic rhythm guitar attack that comes between verses and the jazzy lead guitar breakout during the song’s instrumental excursion.

Freeman is just about to deliver his new album All Set The Bone and that is going to a sonic event not for missing. Check him out on his throwback 1990s website and Bandcamp locales.

Dial M for midterms

16 Wednesday Sep 2026

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They’re coming. The anticipation is real. Will they represent a sea change in American politics or just another day of MAGA myopia? Odds are usually stacked against the governing party at the midterms but lately all bets are off on predictions about US political trade-winds. We’ll just have to wait and see. As the anticipation builds we can check in with a variety of powerpop pundits not afraid to share their views about all things political. Definitely more CNN than Fox but what can I do? I’m working with the available material here.

Seems appropriate to start with some seemingly patriotic material. I say seemingly because Sorry Monks‘ “We The People” portrays the people as not as ‘in charge’ as we might think and he’s not even American. As he says ‘We the people” gotta pay the price, four more years of pettiness and vice.’  Then Beatles 2 claim to offer a “Hail to the Chief” but their sincerity is questionable. I don’t know who Beatles 2 are but they get a nice inner city jam going here.

The midterms are ultimately about what the voters are going to do. The ChrisVandaly Project pose the essential question to Mr. and Ms. America, namely “How Will You Know” what is real from what is not? You gotta find somebody to trust. People like Jeff Shelton seem pretty trustable. His Well Wishers lay out what is at stake on “I Want My Country Back” with a plea to return to all that has been noble in the American experiment of self government. By contrast, The Blusterfields expose the darker side American experience on their recent LP Thoughts and Prayers. The album explores the inequality and unfairness of American life, shining a light on both those who will not see and those made invisible. But “Here Come the Idiots” focuses its a damning indictment on the MAGA crowd and their enablers.

The Menzingers turn our attention to just who these people are claiming to ‘clean the swamp’ and defend the people. “Other People’s Money” highlights the charlatanry behind these slogans. A band called The Puritans seemed just too apropos not to include here, especially when they are singing how “I Am Surrounded By Evil.” Ok, I admit they probably had me with the ringing guitar drone. Former Mountain Goats bassist Peter Peter Hughes gives us a bit more analysis of the present moment and the illusions that need shattering on “The End of Your Empire.”

The Ekphrastics lay out an electoral strategy that pays particular attention to all the various races that are in play on “Antifascist Electoral Voting Strategy.” As they sing, ‘Vote ‘em out, throw ‘em out, vote ‘em out’ if that’s your jam.

Maybe it’s the beginning of the end for this bizarre political interlude America has been going through. Or maybe it’s not. Let the countdown to voting day begin.

Photo courtesy US National Archives Photostream.

Meaty melodies: My Life as a Bird, Ultra Lights, and A Country Western

10 Thursday Sep 2026

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Generally speaking I’m more light than dark. Give me chirpy treble lead guitar over screaming solos every time. But every now and then you can add in some chunky rhythm guitar parts and inch the amps up past 11. As long as there’s a melody buried in there somewhere. Today’s acts get a bit more meaty than our usual fare but don’t stint on the hooks.

A while back Bandcamp Daily ran a feature on power pop and I had covered every act but one – San Jose’s My Life as a Bird. Skipping through their latest LP The Cabana I was immediately drawn to the skipping-along fun-grind of track #2 “Cheers To My Old Friends.” It had just the right mix of dissonant rock intensity and carefree abandon. The influence haunting this record is Weezer, obviously, but in highly original ways. You can hear it in the combination of dread and hookiness on cuts like “Other Worlds” and “Growing Up.” “Ankle Brace” sounds a bit brighter, poppier, like Weezer cut with Sugar Ray. Meanwhile “I Hope You Don’t Hate Me” and “Sadie” both stretch out dissonant drone into more slow and seductive material. For departures, there’s “The Cabana,” a slowly building kind of punk Beach Boys while “Sleeping In” is just adrenaline fueled power pop. Then album closer “Who?” reminds me of the Plain White Ts.

If you went to an Ultra Lights concert it would be like being buffeted by a consistent wall of sound, each song inviting you into a kind of aural mosh pit. Their songs have sonic equivalence that allow them to relate to each other while retaining their own original contribution. Sometime albums are like that, they exude a coherent slab of artistic feeling. That’s what I’m hearing on the band’s debut album Pleasure’s All Yours. The LP’s title track opens the record with a drony groove that only improves with repeated listens. The guitar tension pulling at “Good Enough” reminds a bit of The Futureheads. “Diamond Dreams” rides a relentless lead guitar lick into a kind of repeated meditative surge. Then you have “Nostalgia,” the clear radio-ready single here. “Got Damage” is also a singalong chorus charmer. This whole record is a full listen pleasure centre. You’re gonna hit play and just enjoy the trip from the start of side one to end of side two.

Check out the exquisite atmosphere A Country Western establish from the first bars of “Great is the Grip of the Hawk” from their 2024 LP Life on the Lawn. You are enveloped in a tonal topiary, so carefully manicured is the sonic landscape. Start the montage. Then “Sidewalk” clears the air, its aural attack is more straightforward. “The Dreamer” launches with legendary rock and roll chords before going for a Velvet Underground talk-singing strut. “The Spine” and “How Far (ft. Winter) couldn’t be more different in their vocal approach, one subdued, the other a bit wild. The rest of the album continues to play with layering sonic elements in slight tension with each other, sometimes bouncy (“Ridgeline”) or propelled by a buoyant lurch “Magnetic.” “For a Voter” is the closest thing to a pop song on the record, resting firmly in the REM tradition. “Hiding Out” dials things down to most minimalist folk rendering. Then closing cut “Wasting the Weekends” ambles us out the exits, releasing us from the grip of a pretty intense artistic experience.

Substantial doesn’t necessarily mean heavy, though that’s ok too. Here were three acts going a bit deeper sonically than our usual offerings but without neglecting the melodic hooks. Each bears spending a bit more time with to really land on their scene. Further hyperlinked liaisons are definitely recommended.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

They just haven’t earned it yet, baby

06 Sunday Sep 2026

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Are The Smiths uncoverable? I think most fans would say yes. Between Morrissey’s distinctive vocal and Marr’s ringing guitars, everything about the execution of their material says ‘this is it, the definitive version, don’t bother’. And yet people do make the effort. Here are handful of covers that attempt to square the ‘uncoverable’ circle by a variety of ingenious methods.

Covering The Smiths means addressing the Morrissey problem. The guy is like a new wave Frank Sinatra – immediately recognizable, putting his stamp on material in a way that says ‘this is mine and mine alone’. One strategy I see bands covering The Smiths take up is to do away with the vocal altogether. Clever. Goodbye Morrissey issue. But can a lowly instrument really replace the Mozzer’s weighty vocal dread? You’ll have to be the judge. Agent Double (By La Momie) definitely give the lead guitar and bass a workout all over “Girl Afraid.” Very Smiths sans Morrissey. By contrast Goodnight Productions’ take on “William It Was Really Nothing” is lounge weird in a fun, almost goody way. 8 Bit Mixtape is a bit more of a serious keyboard-dancey with “Bigmouth Strikes Again.” And we get even more serious with Jessica Gallagher’s solo piano interpretation of “Asleep,” which really suits the song. Janice Whaley reverses the strategy, ridding her cover of all instruments except her voice. I think her reinvention of “You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby” has definitely earned it. Baby.

Not everyone is ducking the vocal challenges here. The Persian Leaps rock up “Jeane,” reminding us that The Smiths material can be cast effectively in different rock registers. The Time Tourists chop up “How Soon Is Now?,” alternating the order of its components parts in an intriguing way. The Regrets really do invoke the spirit of the original on “These Things Take Time” with a vocal that does its own thing. The Bad William version of “The Queen Is Dead” is more loose and punk than the kind of thing our tidy Mancunians typically offered up. There’s plenty of dread and drama on The Rest doing “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before” with a vocal that sounds decidedly new romantic. Alternatively, William Fitzwilliam’s breathy murmur on “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want” is nicely complemented by intermittent banjo breaks.

Of course, one way to cover The Smiths is to be a spot on Smiths cover band. This Charming Band definitely deliver the goods on “Hand In Glove.”

Photo courtesy Markus Janssen Design.

Spotlight single: The Sway “Bright Eyes”

31 Monday Aug 2026

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A few weeks ago I caught one of those short reels that pop up on social media for a tune by Liverpool band The Sway. The clip was enchanting, offering just 20 seconds or so of a song whose rhythm, pacing and mix of instrumentation was both alluring and a bit mesmerizing. But the clip didn’t identify the name of the song. So that led to a rabbit hole search to find out about the band and their catalogue. Yet after I had needle-dropped my way through their handful of available material I was no closer to finding the mystery cut. Trolling through their recent social media posts did eventually turn up the song’s title: “Bright Eyes.” Talk about playing hard to get. The band was teasing fans with snippets of the song and what appeared to be a video or live performance while making us wait weeks for the final reveal. Turns out the track was the final addition to the group’s latest EP World in a Picture, which finally emerged into the full light of day at the end of August. Getting to hear the whole song was even more of a revelation. The basic, mildly propulsive verses remain a point of extreme attraction but now we can hear the dynamite bridge and chorus too. Stylistically and sonically, the song marks a distinct departure from their usual more indie-rock material, emphasizing a lighter, poppier jangly vibe. It’s an effort that one could favourably compare to fellow up-and-coming Liverpudlians Keyside.

I’m liking where this band is going with their latest release so I’m going to keep my eye on them. You can too at these fine social media establishments.

Breaking news: Bleu, The Cases, Deadbeat Beat, and Robinson & Woltil

27 Thursday Aug 2026

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Plenty of breaking news to report on from the melodious rock front – long overdue releases, surprisingly polished new acts, and the return of reliable favourites. Put down that remote! These are the music stories you need know about.

Songsmith/producer extraordinaire Bleu has finally graced us with a new album and it is a staggering accomplishment, a rich mediation on friendship, aging and death. The record’s title might sound Python-esque but Sargeant Pepper Grinder is anything but joking. Opening cut and title track “Sargeant Pepper Grinder” kicks things off riffing only slightly on its obvious Beatles inspiration, referring obliquely to someone, a producer or fellow musician, that forms a returning reference point for songs throughout the record. Said missing friend is referenced again in song #2 “Start a Band” which signals both a mood and stylistic change, the taut musical vibe a throwback to the poppy rock sound of earlier Blue recordings like Redhead. “This Song Won’t Sell” shifts again, its dissonant pop melody perfectly framing its frustrated lyrical content. “Where the Colors Bleed” acknowledges how time can make us re-evaluate our approach to life while firmly taking us into Beatlesque/ELO territory musically. “Scootch” returns the focus to another missing friend who ‘woulda liked this song. But he’s dead.’ Instead of a dour reflection, the track sounds like a celebration of someone that still feels present. The songs here go back and forth between remembrance of those past and how death forces us to re-evaluate ourselves. Both “Shiny Dimes” and “The Last Sign of the Magic Dead” reflect on missing people, with various degrees of operatic intensity (definitely more on the latter). Meanwhile “Deathbed,” “In the Red” and “I’m Not Dead” are all about what death means, both in the future and in the here-and-now. However, each deploys a unique musical attack, the first with a Randy Newman-ish tenderness, the second enveloped in breezy AM pop single, and the last with a John Waite “Missing You” buoyancy. Things wrap with a return to the opening theme, sort of, with “S.P.G. Reprise. Here the tune gets a serious performance enhancement via a full band workout that sounds a lot of like Todd Rundgren’s Utopia. But the finale also includes an undisclosed extra. Tucked in past 30 seconds of inner groove silence is a hidden, extra mini-track “No Longer Goodbyes.” Less than a minute long, the song is a smile-inducing positive send off for the album’s themes. In the end, Sargeant Pepper Grinder is a positive rumination about loss and what can be gained by taking the seriously.

Preston UK’s The Cases sound every bit the fresh young things they are on their debut EP Mr Penny and new stand-alone single “Don’t Lose Your Nerve.” The title track of the EP is bright and poppy, very much in the British guitar pop tradition. “The Curse” strikes a more laid back, jazzy feel, at least initially, adding a bit more rhythm guitar heft near the half way mark. “She Said” is something different again with a distinct rhythm guitar backdrop reminiscent of other recent English guitar groups like Arkayla and The Guest List. “Romantic” is more a ballad, a lament for love lost, though the lead guitar does let loose near the end. By contrast, the band’s new single is a bit more rocking, both in pacing and lead guitar work. “Don’t Lose Your Nerve” must be the live crowd favourite as a crowd can really get dancing to this one.

Turning on Deadbeat Beat’s new album From Here to Ohio it’s hard not to conjure up the glory days of 1980s American indie jangle, e.g. REM, Let’s Active, Beat Happening, etc. The record also offers the most coherent and consistent sonic palate the group has ever worked with. Perhaps taking seven years between releases has allowed them to really hone what they are doing stylistically. Whatever the reasons, I’m loving it. “Peach Suite” sets the tone with non-stop jangle and a vocal drone that harkens back to the sunshine sixties. ‘I’m on the edge of a total nervous breakdown …’ is the lyrical opener for “Dying On That Hill.” Hm, tell me more. The feel of the tune is almost a ping-ponging loping rhythm. “Pink Dust” has a bit more muscle in its delivery while “Mellow” offers up deliciously overlapping vocal parts. Meanwhile, “Heaven” embarks with what sounds like The Cure in fine form. Not everything here leans on the jangle pedal with equal force. Both “Straight Friends” and “Atmospheric River” turn the sparkle down, focusing more on a straight up melody. I love the interesting keyboard effects sprinkled throughout this album, e.g. “Pic Gal.” Should-be hit single? Definitely “Butchertown.” Seven years is a long time to wait for such a great album. Welcome back Deadbeat Beat!

Regardless of when Steve Robinson and Ed Woltil release their albums they tend to arrive like an extra installment of summer. Their new LP Temporary Sun is no exception. Though perhaps more mixed stylistically than previous efforts, the overall effect is bright and light (with the occasional more serious dip into relationships and politics). The basic package is on display right from the start with “I Won’t Let Go” featuring acoustic guitars, harmony vocals, and a distinctive lead guitar riff. Sometimes the acoustic guitars are more to the front of the mix, as on “Take Two If You Want One.” Very folk rock. At others points they frame a broader mix of instruments, as is clear on “Learn You By Heart” and “When We Were Kings.” “Strange Orchestra (Everyone’s a Song)” ups the rock quotient, moving into Beatlesque territory. “Junk Drawer Heart” and “Perfect Day” fall into a more XTC register. And then there are the outliers. “Famous Last Words” is a lush, classic sounding ballad while “The Man With The Interrupted Heart” comes off as some mad, unrestrained fun. The album ends on more serious notes, with “Mourning Mothers” tackling war while “Squint” takes up relationship challenges. Fleeting or not, Temporary Sun shines brightly.

We don’t handle weather and sports, just getting the melody headlines down is enough work. You can follow up on these leads on your own time by hitting the headliner hyperlinks above.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

The long haul: Bob Hillman and Dave Kuchler

22 Saturday Aug 2026

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Music is a cruel business. Sometimes people who can barely play their instruments have big hits while others with more talent labour away in obscurity. A lot people take a stab at a music career but few last out a decade. But then there’s the crew that’s in it for the long haul. That’s our focus here, the ones who just keep going and damn the indifference.

San Francisco’s Bob Hillman has been kicking around the music scene since the 1990s, barring a ten year break in the new millennium to try out some ‘real jobs.’ Over that time he’s put out 5 LPs, 4 EPs and the occasional stand-alone single. His catalogue reveals a definite foot in the folk camp, though adjacent genres routinely crowd in. Performance-wise, the styles range from straight-up 1960s folk singer to the slight Americana of a Robbie Fulks or the rootsy rock or country of John Hiatt or Lyle Lovett. The songs themselves are often sardonic, sometimes political, and apparently widely misunderstood – if the entertaining self-penned bio on his website is anything to go by. Personally, I can’t see how people don’t see what is going on here. “List of Enemies” (Playing God 1999), “Movie Star” (Welcome To My Century 2001), and “My Satanic Friends” (If You Lived Here, You’d Be Home 2006) are firmly tongue-in-cheek while “I’ll Replace You With Machines” (Lost Soul 2016), “Cocaine Ruins Everything” (Some of Us Are Fee, Some of Us Are Lost 2019), and the COVID-inspired “Now I’m In Favor of a Wall” (Inside and Terrified 2020) are obviously political. Perhaps it boils down this: if you write smart, sophisticated material not everyone is going to get it.

Now with that career-spanning introduction out of the way, let’s get to his brand new EP King of the Bees. This outing leans into Hillman’s more glossy poprock side, which can be heard on early tracks like “Movie Star” and “Bolted Down” from Welcome to my Century. Opening cut “Invisible World” sets the scene with striking keyboards and pop hooks that jump out via the polished, smooth vocal style. You can definitely hear here why Suzanne Vega took him on tour. “Interesting Friends” has a bit more heft amid subtle melodic turns while “American Smoke” bristles with a tense, combustible, but enjoyable energy. “When He’s Cain” slows things down, the pacing is lush, hypnotic. Note the alluring bass playing on “All I Do Is Dream” as it draws you into a track that gives off some strong Tom Petty vibes. Last up is “Pierre, You Married Wrong.” This one is a real treat and a bit of departure from the rest of songs. I love how the darker shading in the verses then allows the run up to the chorus to really break out. Some great rocking guitar solos here too. Not surprising perhaps given appearances on the record from Nada Surf’s Matthew Caws and the Attractions’ Pete Thomas. Though just 22 minutes long, King of the Bees makes every moment count.

We’ve given out Dave Kuchler’s back story before with coverage of his former band Soul Engines and his solo LPs It’s Pronounced (2020) and Love and Glory (2023). To sum, he came so close to breaking big with Soul Engines in the early 2000s with their amazing album Closer Still but the brass ring seemed just out of reach. His two more recent solo albums have worked to mine and expand on that Soul Engines sound. Now he’s back with a new EP that proves he still got it when it comes to rock and roll chops. “Brand New” eases us into his new EP as the soulful, poppy title track. The simple piano adornments and tasty lead guitar lines really elevate an already pretty strong number. Follow up “Lyra Ann” is a gorgeous, heartful welcome to the world for Kuchler’s new granddaughter. I love the creative organ work that threads its way throughout this tune, adding real warmth to a touching song. For “You Won’t Break My Heart” Kuchler breaks out a horn section to add to a stomping, rocking dance number. “Memorial Hall” closes out the EP and for me this track has a solid Soul Engines throwback feel to it. The combination of organ, solid guitar riffing, and Kuchler’s towering vocal attack creates some palpable excitement here. And then we’re done – how can this be over so soon? Brand New may be short but that doesn’t take away from the sweetness of its contents.

Some people keep plugging away at music, despite a distinct lack of fan adulation, limousine rides, and fat royalty cheques. With these two performers, we are all better for it.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Sizzling summer singles

17 Monday Aug 2026

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Let’s pretend your biggest worries right now involve finding a beach towel, a ride to some beachy locale, and keeping sand out of the radio. And if you’re particular about your summer playlist you can needle drop your way through the 21 tunes gathered here to get some ideas.

We kick things off with a new song from Australian band Beddy Rays. “Morning Light” has a rollicking indie rock sound not unlike The Front Bottoms or Catfish and the Bottlemen. Definitely singalong-able. It’s hard to put your finger on just what Murfreesboro, Tennessee band Piglett is doing style-wise. And I really like that. Their recent album On The Upswing alternates between moody alienation and slightly less moody alienation. “The Rock in Your Shoe” is a sweetly melancholy number carried along by its spare electric guitar work and vulnerable vocal attack. I really dug Jody and Jerms 2025 LP Love Descends so a new single from the band was a welcome development. “Grace” is no disappointment, marrying their impressive range of stylistic elements – folk, pop, indie rock – with their usual aplomb. Why isn’t Richmond, Virginia’s Dazy a big star? Everything about this act’s sound and demeanor says huge impact to me. Their recent double-sided single “Big Problem” / “Gravity” sounds like a cross between Beck and Sugar Ray and that’s a winning combo. Toronto’s Zuffalo sound like a seventies throwback on “Hellos Are Free,” a track from their recent album Flock of the Town. The vibe is the rock side of country rock, a bit Band-like or reminiscent of The Jayhawks.

Cheeky Chris Stamey has put out an album covering old tunes but dubbed it Modernism. That could have a number meanings ranging from sarcasm to interpretation. Whatever the intent, it’s an inspired collection drawing from The Kinks, The Beatles, The Everly Brothers, Sly and the Family Stone, and many more. But I’m drawn to the mesmerising reworking of Stamey’s own tune “Of Time and All She Brings to Mind.” I keep hearing REM. But that’s hardly surprising because when I listen to REM I often think I’m hearing the Stamey’s previous band The dBs. Ryan Hamilton has a new LP Haunted By American Dreams and right now I’m loving “That Girl” and its particular mix of chiming guitars and a Tom Petty melodic drive. Definitely replay-able again and again. Leeds band The Rise and Fall offer up a range of choices on their second long-playing release Coma Chameleon but I found myself drawn to the driving, sonorous “Pigs.” The guitars never let up while the vocals sound like a blend of church monk chorus meets Pugwash. What’s not to love? Vista Blue are so on top of popular culture. They’re always coming out with timely cuts about politics, sports and entertainment. This time they draw inspiration from the summer smash movie The Odyssey with “Wooden Horse.” The song notches down their usual frenetic pop punk attack for a more measured melodic pace, to great effect. First Leeds now Sheffield: Yorkshire’s music scene is definitely getting a look in here. This time it’s First Prize with a pleasant song entitled “Goodbye to the Day.” I hear more than little of 1980s Haircut 100.

On “Wherever” My Raining Stars so evoke a melancholic late 1980s UK guitar vibe it was like I was transported back to Manchester’s Arndale walking street. “It Will Take Me A While” from the same LP Toy Club is pretty sweet as well. Scottish lush guitar pop masters Dropkick are teasing us with a song well in advance of a new album Throughlines, coming out in October, cleverly titled “Side Note.” The mood is dreamy but with a touch of unresolved tension. Definitely LP appetite whetting. I initially thought the title to Lolas new single was “Summer Song” but turns out the band has produced another fine bit of hooky pop with a political theme. The actual title is “Summer Smog,” effectively soundtracking our world-on-fire 2026. Not that we need reminding but The Goods want us to know that “Summer’s Almost Gone.” But here’s the good news – this track is jangle-gorgeous. Almost like Teenage Fanclub meets the Beach Boys. San Fran’s Richard Turgeon may have (slightly) slowed the pace of his prolific releases but he spares nothing on the creative front. His new single “Let’s Hide Away” captures the uncertainty of our present times, balancing an earnest, low-key vocal against an alternating spare-versus-wall of guitars backdrop.

It feels like it’s been a while since we’ve heard from Philadelphia’s 2nd Grade. “Cellophane Girls” reminds me how much I’ve been missing them. Just listen to these shimmering lead guitar lines and subtle melodic hooks. Bliss! Another reliable set of guitar hook-masters come in the form of Seattle band Shake Some Action. Forget the Pacific Northwest for moment, this act sounds like they’re from swinging London 1966. That mod elan is definitely there on their latest solo single “Last Long Weekend.” Now for something a bit different, Ben Guterl from Forth Wanderers and Dan Howard from Victoryland team up as Billboard Style doing a song called “Billboard Style.” The track has a relentless drone that is curiously soothing and danceable to boot. Westside Cowboy have got a new LP out entitled It Goes On with cool tunes like “Kick Stones (The Boys)” and “Pin Up Boys” but I’m going to double back their January EP So Much Country ‘Til We Get There to showcase “The Wahs.” This is another track with a relentless quality to it, banging on with a buzzy guitar backdrop and a sunny singalong melody. The tenor of the new Hardwicke Circus single “Behind the Lines of Reason” is all 1980s sonic melodrama. Definitely montage worthy.

Wrapping things up this round is a fantastic tip from our friend Ralph for Melbourne, Australia band Hexham Heads. Last year they put out a fine self-titled EP but the track that has me hitting replay right now is “In Time,” their contribution to most recent Popboomerang collection, Shake Your Popboomerang 4. Light, jangly, with just a touch of XTC here and there.

Let’s pretend its mid-July rather than mid-August. Plenty of time to give a newly minted summer singles playlist a few beach spins. And you can hit the hyperlinks above to find plenty of raw material for it here. Definitely.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.