• About Me

Poprock Record

~ Songs with a hook

Poprock Record

Monthly Archives: May 2019

Famous people, a song before you go!

30 Thursday May 2019

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Poprock Themepark

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Bad Things, Bonkers, Burt Reynolds, Cary Grant, Dunbar, Harrison Ford, Humphrey Bogart, James Dean Driving Experience, Jessica Lange, Joel Tyler, John Wayne, Keaunu Reeves, Middle 8, Miss Polski, Parents Fighting, Queen Sarah Saturday, Robert De Niro, Sean Connery, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, The Ruse, Tom Hanks

Screen Shot 2019-05-30 at 10.19.27 AMPeople do the love the famous. Me, I’m not really into famous people per se but I’m fascinated by the phenomena. The famous are clearly just distorted-mirror projections of ourselves, our unfulfilled hopes and dreams, our alter-selves, if only we had the time, genes, and personal trainers. Or they’re just a bit of innocent fun, a chance to live vicarious lives at no real cost. And musicians write songs about them. Whether it’s classical music giants (Falco “Rock Me Amadeus”) or silver screen icons (Kim Carnes “Bette Davis Eyes”), the famous get further immortalized in song. Personally, I like finding the more obscure odes to the famous from great unheard-of poprock bands, like the crew featured in this post below!

Today’s musical tributes focus on movie actors, some much revered, others not so much. But don’t go looking for detailed character studies. In most cases the famous name is just riffing on a mood, exuding a kind of musical cool if you will. Parents Fighting give “Keanu Reeves” just the right discordant River’s Edge emo vibe. Miss Polski’s “Humphrey Bogart” sounds delightful but I have no idea what they have to say about the movie icon, if anything – the song is sung entirely in Polish. Some actors get more attention than others. Both Middle 8 and Queen Sarah Saturday pay homage to “Robert De Niro,” the former offering up a bit of Blue Rodeo-ish roots-poprock while QSS leans more on a nineties brand of gungy power pop. Spinning the 2014 self-titled debut from LA’s Bad Things, they sound like a band that arrived just a bit too soon as later groups like the Vaccines hit paydirt with a similar vibe. It’s all there on “John Wayne.”

https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/03-humphrey-bogart.m4aMiss Polski – Humphrey Bogarthttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/01-robert-deniro.m4aMiddle 8 – Robert De Nirohttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/01-robert-deniro-1.m4aQueen Sarah Saturday – Robert De Nirohttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/13-john-wayne-bonus-track.m4aBad Things – John Wayne

Taking things down a few notches, Joel Tyler offers up an airy, acoustic, vocally harmonious tribute to Hollywood everyman “Tom Hanks.” Check out his “Black Box” from the same 2017 EP Arms Are Meant For Holding – definitely worth an honourable mention (even if nobody famous appears in the title). And then our artists start shamelessly conjuring up the 1980s. You can hear it in the undisguised jauntiness of Dunbar’s “Cary Grant” or The Ruse’s “Burt Reynolds.” But it’s also there in the atmospheric jangle on “Sean Connery” from James Dean Driving Experience. Norwegian band Bönkers nail a particular John Waite 1980s sound on “Jessica Lange.” And then there’s the ever inventive Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin who offer up a shimmery, clubby pop and rocky confection dedicated to “Harrison Ford.” It’s a great closer.

https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/01-cary-grant.m4aDunbar – Cary Granthttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/09-burt-reynolds.m4aThe Ruse – Burt Reynoldshttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/01-sean-connery.m4aJames Dean Driving Experience – Sean Conneryhttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/05-jessica-lange.m4aBönkers – Jessica Lange

Click on the links above to groove more permanently on these odes to fame or just check out the bands’ broader catalogue.

Spotlight single: Hollerado “One Last Time”

23 Thursday May 2019

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Spotlight Single

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Born Yesterday, Hollerado, One Last Time

Screen Shot 2019-05-23 at 12.41.51 PMIt looks like it’s last call for Ottawa-based band Hollerado. Earlier this month the Canadian band announced they were releasing one last album and going on one last tour before calling it quits. Such a Canadian exit. No storming off stage mid-show, no fisticuffs in the dressing room, no purported creative differences. Just a polite ‘it’s been fun but, you know, time for a change’ explanation. The full album comes out in June but the pre-release singles suggest the band is going out on a high note. The aptly-named “One Last Time” is a hooky, sing-along invitation to fans to come out and dance, yes, ‘one last time.’ Also pre-released is the lovely, more acoustic “Straight to Hell.” Am I disappointed? Hell yes. Not with these songs – which are great – but with the end of band that, in my view, has yet to reach their creative peak. 2017’s Born Yesterday was a killer album that honed all the group’s strengths in terms of melody and performance, captured perfectly in the addictive ear wormy title track. Now their new album Retaliation Vacation promises to be even better!

Check out Hollerado on their website and Facebook pages!

Jangle Thursday: The Bobbleheads, Armchair Oracles, The Top Boost, and more!

16 Thursday May 2019

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Poprock Themepark

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Armchair Oracles, Caught by Light, Dreaming, jangle, Myths and Fables, Once and Always, Quiet Riots, The Bobbleheads, The High Strung, The Top Boost, Tripwire, Turn Around, Young Scum

Screen Shot 2019-05-16 at 3.17.31 PMThat ringing in your ears? Yup. Jangle Thursday is back! Though this round does include a few bands not entirely dedicated to the genre, but that’s OK. We’ll focus on the jangle but rest assured their other efforts are also the highest quality poprock.

Screen Shot 2019-05-16 at 3.18.25 PMOnly four of the twelve tracks from The Bobbleheads new long-player Myths and Fables might be considered jangle but, man, everything here is still worth your attention. The hooks in these songs are ‘outasight’. Opening track “Like Oxygen” cranks up the jangle at the start but dims the sparkle a bit as the song’s swinging melody kicks in. Other jangle highlights include minor-chord heavy “Holding On,” the band’s tribute to Canadian songstress “Anne Murray,” and “Feel This Way” and “Afternoon,” both with great trebly lead lines. But check out other killer cuts here like “Listen You Know,” “Do You” and “Become One.” Between the jangle and the amazing 1980s indie feel, Myths and Fables is like a great lost early-to-mid period R.E.M. record.

Screen Shot 2019-05-16 at 3.19.09 PMNorway’s Armchair Oracles have been compared to all the big ‘B’ bands i.e. Big Star, Badfinger and the Beatles. I can hear all that but there also seems to be hint of 1980s Moody Blues and the Alan Parson Project, particularly on some of the vocals. On the whole, Caught By Light has a nice buzzy undercurrent that allows the jangle to stand out on tracks like “Porcelain Heart,” “All My Time” and “Don’t Let It Break You.” But I also really like the slower tempo acoustic vibe on “Several Stories” and “Downsized Life.” You can really hear the late-period-Beatles Harrison guitar influence on the album closer “The Last of All Suns.” Beatlemaniacs be warned – this album is full of triggers!

Screen Shot 2019-05-16 at 3.20.07 PMA quick review of The Top Boost’s 2016 release Turn Around reminds us these boys know their way around treble-heavy guitars with uber jangle-heavy tracks like “What If She Loves You.” The new EP Dreaming shows they have lost none of their jangle chops. Title track “Dreaming” has ringing guitars all over the verses that work in tension with a wall of ‘ah’-ing background vocals in the chorus. “I’ll Be There” is another great contribution that melds 1960s and 1970s pop influences, with a simple but seductive guitar lead line that would make a Beatles For Sale-era George Harrison proud. Damn, these guys know their late 1960s sunshine poprock!

Ok, time for a lightning round of songs that exhibit some quality jangle to finish things off. Like Young Scum’s “Wasted Time” from their self-titled 2018 release. The Morrissey/Smiths comparisons are unavoidable. The vocals are very Morrissey minus a bit of the mope (if that is possible) but the guitars sound pretty Johnny Marr, a man who did much to resurrect jangle in British rock and roll in the mid-1980s. Detroit’s The High Strung have a great new poprock record with Quiet Riots, though little of it works the jangle seam – except “Summer of Night,” a track located somewhere on the jangle spectrum between Dylan and the Byrds in terms of an acoustic and electric mix. Last up on the jangle playlist is a track from the new Tripwire album, Once and Always, entitled “Act Fast.” Again, R.E.M. comparisons are hard to avoid, particularly on this jangle-heavy, vocal harmony-drenched hookster. But as with the other recommendations, you may come to this record for the jangle, but you’ll stay for the superior songcraft and performance.

The Bobbleheads, Armchair Oracles, The Top Boost, Young Scum, The High Strung and Tripwire need to know who loves jangle. Click on the links to show you care.

Spotlight single: Jenny Lewis “Rabbit Hole”

15 Wednesday May 2019

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Spotlight Single

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Jenny Lewis, On the Line, Rabbit Hole, Rilo Kiley

Screen Shot 2019-05-15 at 7.15.16 PMWhen I saw Rilo Kiley with my buddy Rob Elliott at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto back in 2004 we were blown away by an act we’d barely heard of. Then, like so many bands, they eventually broke up. Now we know that sometimes separated parts don’t add up to the whole. But Rilo Kiley lead singer and rhythm guitarist Jenny Lewis has produced some real gems on her solo releases. Here I’m thinking tracks like “One of the Guys” from her first post-RK album in 2014, The Voyager. Now she’s back with On the Line and it’s a winner, embracing a pop sensibility that channels a fun 1970s swing. Check out the swagger on “Wasted Youth” with it’s interesting change ups in the chorus. Who thought ‘do do do do do’ could be trotted out again and sound original? But my absolute fave on this outing is the infectious “Rabbit Hole.” Something about its stark simplicity allows Lewis to embroider the edges with a load of hooky charms that makes this ear-worm central. And she manages to name check the Beatles and Rolling Stones without making it sound awkward or trite. Get ready to hit replay again and again!

https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/11-rabbit-hole.m4aRabbit Hole

Jenny Lewis has a super cool website and regular updates on Facebook. Go on.

Breaking news: No Win, Supercrush, and David Brookings and the Average Lookings

11 Saturday May 2019

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Breaking News

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

David Brookings and the Average Lookings, Downy, I Don't Want to be Sad Anymore, Never Let You Drift Away, No Win, Scorpio Monologue, Shelly Duvall, Supercrush

Screen Shot 2019-05-11 at 11.15.31 PMIt is too early to start working up a best albums list for 2019? Because the crew on this edition of the breaking news team are going for broke on the ‘all killer, no filler’ kind of long players. These are album downloads – no point wasting your time buying them song by song.

Screen Shot 2019-05-11 at 11.18.17 PMI was minding my own business on iTunes searching out movie star names as song titles when I ran across No Win’s “Shelly Duvall.” And that led me to their new album, Downy, 36 minutes of muscular poprock with a decidedly Weezer vibe. I thought I’d stumbled across a real unknown find but almost immediately glowing No Win reviews started showing up across my blogroll. Well, they deserve it. “After Your Legs” opens things up, setting the tone with a melodic but hard-hitting edge, as does “Vision.” “2 Real” sounds a bit like Fountains of Wayne meets Weezer to me while “Being Teen” and “Waiting for a Call” change up the pace, establishing a slower, more acoustic atmosphere. But “Shelly Duvall” is the obvious single to these ears, with its slightly dissonant hooks and smooth vocals. It’s a track that screams perfect movie montage music.

Screen Shot 2019-05-11 at 11.19.17 PMSupercrush might be described as a ‘change of life’ band. The members foreswore their hardcore roots in other groups to go full on power pop with this project and their first complete album release, Never Let You Drift Away. The record brings together a group of singles that have been on a slow drip release stretching back years, but the collection has proven to be worth the wait. There is nary a weak track here. And for an LP that came together in bits and pieces, the whole thing has a consistent sound and style, with “Melt Into You (Drift Away)” and “I Don’t Want to be Sad Anymore” ready to be added immediately to any Top 40 hit singles rotation. On the other hand “I Can’t Lie” and “Walking Backwards” have a great 1960s jangle aura. This is a crank-me-up at the beach good time.

Screen Shot 2019-05-11 at 11.20.23 PMDavid Brookings has the look of a classic 1970s poprock star with his David Cassidy-like impish grin and wavy mop of hair. Now he’s got the album to go with it. Scorpio Monologue is a timeless slice of 1960s-70s infused should be hits. Brookings writes songs that echo a time when radio was dominated by standout guitar hooks and sweet harmony vocals. It’s all there on the opening track, “And It Feels Like,” with its driving, chiming guitar lines and mid-period Blue Oyster Cult feel for melody and menace. Things lighten up a bit with the winsome, summery  jangle of “I Grow Up Fast” and turn on the late Beatles-era McCartney influences on “Rainbow Baby.” Brookings shows his mastery of styles whether dialing up the rock factor on “Big Gun” or adding a tasteful bit of yacht to “Be Gone (Whoever You Are).” “Silicon Valley” has a slight Billy Joel meets country flavor to me and nicely (but gently) skewers tech’s home town. And check out the great surf rock rumble guitar opener to “That Girl’s Not Right,” a song that shifts to a distinctive melody in the chorus, combining sunshine elements with a hint of malice. And then “Sleep to Dream” closes the album on surprisingly uneasy note, bittersweet ennui being a bit of a departure for Brookings songwriting-wise. Scorpio Monologue is an impressive development of the David Brookings and the Average Lookings sound. It should be on every poprock fan’s 2019 summer playlist!

2019 is already shaping up to be another great year for melodic rock and roll. Let’s increase the odds that other bands might follow suit by showing No Win, Supercrush, and David Brookings and the Average Lookings a bit of the money love! Click on the bandcamp links and start spending now.

Photo: Larry Gordon “Veil on Bloor Viaduct” April 2019

Twanging TV: Los Straightjackets “Game of Thrones Theme”

08 Wednesday May 2019

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Artist Spotlight

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Channel Surfing, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Theme, GOT, Los Straightjackets

Screen Shot 2019-05-08 at 4.49.44 PMThe world is in the midst of a full blown cultural tsunami that is Game of Thrones. The hit HBO fantasy series has escaped the bounds of normal viewership to become a must-see show for anybody that hopes to relate to their fellow human beings. The talk shows can’t stop talking about GOT, Facebook bulges with GOT memes, and YouTube is rife with GOT send ups. As the battles of Westeros draw to their final chilly end, it’s a challenge to remain aloof or immune from the phenomena or potential plot spoilers. But I think this musical contribution to the mega-event that is GOT hits the right spot. Los Straightjackets, everybody’s favourite Mexican-wrestler-dressed instrumentals band, has joined the fray lathering their own inimitable guitar stylings over the normally strings-heavy Game of Thrones theme. It’s magic! Los Straightjackets have been busy backing up Nick Lowe over the past year (following the release of the band’s tribute album of Lowe tunes) but somehow managed to record a new EP entitled Channel Surfing, featuring this new song and three others. Twangy guitar – it was just what Westeros was missing!

The latest adventures of Los Straightjackets come more quickly than any GOT season. Check them out on Facebook and their webpage.

Blogroll

  • Absolute Powerpop
  • I Don't Hear a Single
  • Power Pop News
  • PowerPop
  • Powerpopaholic
  • PowerPopSquare
  • Powerpopulist
  • Sweet Sweet Music

Recent Posts

  • Around the dial: The Small Breed, Electric Beauty, Turn Turn Turn, and Best Bets
  • Cover me! New Order “Blue Monday”
  • Poprock self-starter kit: Orchidales and Where Is Your Dog Now?
  • Poprock Record’s 25 must-have LPs for 2022
  • Poprock Record’s should-be hit singles for 2022

Recent Comments

Bernie L. on It’s 1965 again with The …
Dennis Pilon on Cover me! New Order “Blue…
EclecticMusicLover on Cover me! New Order “Blue…
Mark G on Poprock Record’s should-be hit…
Scott on Poprock Record’s should-be hit…

Archives

  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015

Categories

  • Around the Dial
  • Artist Spotlight
  • Breaking News
  • Poprock Themepark
  • Should be a Hit Single
  • Spotlight Single
  • Uncategorized

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

  • Around the dial: The Small Breed, Electric Beauty, Turn Turn Turn, and Best Bets
  • Cover me! New Order “Blue Monday”
  • Poprock self-starter kit: Orchidales and Where Is Your Dog Now?
  • Poprock Record’s 25 must-have LPs for 2022
  • Poprock Record’s should-be hit singles for 2022

Recent Comments

Bernie L. on It’s 1965 again with The …
Dennis Pilon on Cover me! New Order “Blue…
EclecticMusicLover on Cover me! New Order “Blue…
Mark G on Poprock Record’s should-be hit…
Scott on Poprock Record’s should-be hit…

Archives

  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015

Categories

  • Around the Dial
  • Artist Spotlight
  • Breaking News
  • Poprock Themepark
  • Should be a Hit Single
  • Spotlight Single
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Poprock Record
    • Join 161 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Poprock Record
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...