• About Me

Poprock Record

~ Songs with a hook

Poprock Record

Monthly Archives: April 2020

Summer is coming!

29 Wednesday Apr 2020

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Poprock Themepark

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Cabana Wear, Earlimart, Michael Slawter, Monnone Alone, Propeller, Steven Wright-Mark, Sweden, The Speedways, Tommy and the Rockets, Velvet Crush, Vista Blue

summer-is-comingWith sunshine and a hint of spring heat in the air, people are starting to think about summer. And just what is summer going to be like with face masks and gloves and social distancing? It’s going to look like a very polite zombie apocalypse, that’s what. Acerbic Toronto-based pop artist Rob Elliott colourfully captures our likely regimented future in the above graphic (check out his hilarious, biting Pandemic Diary) so I’ll do a creative take on the music side of things.

What got me thinking on this theme was hearing “Almost Summer” from Steven Wright-Mark’s 2012 LP My Plastic World. I’d heard it poking around his three albums of material on iTunes after checking out his latest EP Wake UP!, which is also pretty special (personally, I’m loving “Underground” from the new release). It’s got ringing guitars and shimmery harmony vocals – I mean, what’s not to like? Denmark’s Tommy and the Rockets come on a bit more Beach Boys-meets-Ramones on “Here Comes Summer.” You can almost smell the mixture of stale beer and salt sea air. London’s The Speedways suggest we’re headed for “Just Another Regular Summer.” Uh, not. Of course nobody in 2018 could predict we’d be stuck in pandemic town. San Francisco’s Propeller may short out the details on their blissful Teenage Fanclubby “Summer Arrives” but the feeling of freedom is definitely real.

https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/04-almost-summer-1.m4aSteven Wright-Mark – Almost Summer

But what is summer 2020 going to be like? Norway’s Sweden might be banking on a “Barefoot Summer.” I love the rush of this track, with its hooky descending lead guitar lines and pounding piano. Summer sounds fun here. Or it could be the “Summer of the Mosquito” if Melbourne’s Monnone Alone have anything to say about it. The title track of their 2019 release has the band sounding like a slightly less manic version of Titus Andronicus and that is totally OK. LA’s Earlimart haven’t released much in the last decade but one of their more recent songs was “Internet Summer,” surely a prescient 45 given our present circumstances. Everything will be just fine sing Vista Blue on their California-summer-1963 coated “Summer Wonderland” from last December’s EP Hit the Floor! I definitely feel like revving my woody (if only I knew what that was). Not bad for four boys from New Orleans presently camping out in Nashville.

https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/07-barefoot-summer.m4aSweden – Barefoot Summerhttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/11-internet-summer.m4aEarlimart – Internet Summer

Frankly, I think Velvet Crush literally crush all rivals in this 2020 summer song sweepstakes with “Weird Summer.” Yes, Bryan Hyland, it’s gonna be a long, lonely summer this time around. But there’s positive vibes out there aplenty with melodic treats like Michael Slawter’s “Summer’s Kind” on the turntable. Check out that sweet, sweet hooky lead guitar line! Finally, let’s leave things with grunge-meets-powerpop super group Cabana Wear and their song “Summer.” It’s peppy and a bit ambiguous, kinda like our future.

https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/10-weird-summer.m4aVelvet Crush – Weird Summer

With summer tours cancelled and musicians everywhere desperately strumming their acoustic guitars online for e-change, it’s definitely time to pony up for some great recordings. Like these. Do the click thing and get the money-go-round moving.

Breaking news: Chris Church, Mothboxer, The Stick Arounds, and Ex Norwegian

25 Saturday Apr 2020

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Breaking News

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Accelerator, Backwards Compatible, Chris Church, Ex Norwegian, Hot Singles Club, Hue Spotting, Mothboxer, Spotting Hues, The Stick Arounds

Screen Shot 2020-04-24 at 6.30.24 PMThe thing about news is that it’s always coming from some point of view. You think corporations own media empires and don’t influence what they produce? But that doesn’t mean everything is fake. You have to ask questions about where your news is coming from and what it is saying. For instance, this station is obviously biased towards covering melodic rock and roll. Sorry death metal fans! But today’s headline acts are loaded up with hooks – that’s a fact!

In one of the most anticipated releases of 2020, Chris Church delivers a welcome dose of his distinctive ‘heavy melody’ on Backwards Compatible. The record vibes a harder rock edge than your typical power pop release but still manages to hit some pretty impressive melodic marks. Some tracks are straight up power pop, like “Something’s Coming Fast,” the delicious slice of Matthew Sweet-inflected songwriting/playing that opens the album, or the rollicking rush of “Pop Dreams” that closes it. Others have a bit of ‘rawk’ around the edges, like the Van Halen touches on “These Days” and “Too Deep,” though I also hear a hint of Hall and Oates in the chorus of the latter. I love the relentless hooky riffing propelling “Dumb It Up” and “Begin Again” as well as the chunky poprock swing on “Kiss It Goodnight.” The marriage of melody and metal reminds me of Blue Oyster Cult at times, perhaps with some Crosby, Stills and Nash-style background vocals mixed in, particularly on songs like “Left in the Summer.” My own juke box jury says Backwards Compatible is a winner, a raucus 46 minutes of superior tune-age that will bend your ear in good way.

On Accelerator, Mothboxer move in a bit of a different direction than previous releases, wrapping their indie melodic temperament in a more complete coating of hooks. It’s all there on the opening cut and title track: “Accelerator” sidles up to the listener with a swinging, rocking ease only to latch on for dear life in the earwormy chorus. A definite single! Other points on the album clearly hit the XTC target (as on “Feel Something”) or go deep into Beatles ’66 territory (e.g. “Under Water,” “Can I Go Now”). By contrast, both “Long Time Coming” and “Funny How It Is” have a touch of psychedelic pop about them, while “Any Time” rolls out a spacey, pop soul feel. Altogether, Accelerator is a lovely collection of stylistic poprock set pieces (you get the vinyl from Kool Kat here).

Lansing is the town that The Stick Arounds stick around in, capital city of Michigan. Besides running the state, what else is there to do but sing in rock and roll band? In this case, that’s a good thing as their Hot Singles Club album is a bracing dose of melodic rock and roll, with discernable country and Americana touches. Let’s start by applauding the reverb-drenched guitars that define “Speed of Sound” and “Microscopic” or the spot-on Byrds-meets-Jayhawks vibe on “Laugh and Minute” and “Connection.” But the Stick Arounds won’t be contained by one style or sound. “Wait” is more a straight up Stones-y rocker, while “Fire and Rescue” has a bit of an REM halo, and their version of “That’s How I Got to Memphis” is a country love letter. Personally, I love the Bobby Fuller Four stomp fueling “Forward in Rewind” and the album’s not-so-hidden jem, the alt sure-fire hit single cover of Beulah’s “Gene Autry.” So, in a word or two, maximum fun. Indeed, Hot Singles Club can be the sound of party-time Saturday night whenever you hit play.

Two separate new albums from Ex Norwegian? There’s a bit of sleight of hand here, as one is the band’s new album – Hue Spotting – while the other – Spotting Hues – is the collected cover versions they’ve been posting weekly for some time. But both hit the poprock sweet spot, with more than just a splash of psych pop thrown in for good measure. Hue Spotting’s opening track, “Fear Backwards,” gets things swinging with a melodic Robyn Hitchcock élan and catchy chorus while “Bloody Parrots” uses its keyboard riff to get inside your head (in a good way). I think “Something 2020” is my favourite track sounding like something from a late 1980s teen movie soundtrack (in that brief moment when some pretty cool bands were getting exposure). Meanwhile, “Your Mind is Mine” does a clever bait and switch with its opening screaming guitar trading places with a hooky chorus – very nice! Hue Spotting’s accompanying album, Spotting Hues, is like an archival tour of late 1960s/early 1970s rarities from bands with names like July, Apple, Magic Roger and Dr. Strangely Strange. Fun stuff here for both the innocent tourist and more serious collectors and psych esthetes from your favourite exes.

That’s the breaking news, but don’t take my word for it – check out these headline-grabbing acts for yourself and see if Poprock Record isn’t a news source you can trust. Click on over to Chris Church, Mothboxer, The Stick Arounds, and Ex Norwegian to get your fact-check on.

Cover Me! Jagger/Richards “So Much in Love”

19 Sunday Apr 2020

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Poprock Themepark

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Andrew Loog Oldham, Charles Dickens, Cheek, Ian and the Zodiacs, Ian Crawford, Jagger/Richards, Johnny Chester and the his Chessmen, Roxanne Fontana, The Hitmakers, The Inmates, The Lonely Boys, The Mighty Avengers, The Rolling Stones

Screen Shot 2020-04-19 at 7.04.20 PMDigging through my vinyl collection I came upon a 1974 Deram/London (Decca in the UK) Records release entitled Hard Up Heroes, a compilation focused mostly on lesser known tracks from British artists from the ‘beat’ era (roughly 1963 to 1967). It’s got some cool stuff on it but the real find was a track called “So Much in Love” recorded by The Mighty Avengers. What a tune! So subtle in its earwormy effects. Now imagine my surprise to discover it was a Jagger/Richards cast off from a period when they were trying to mimic the Beatles’ songwriting largesse by giving away their excess material to other artists. And what makes the story even more intriguing is just how many acts tried to make this a hit – unsuccessfully! Most of the versions came out in the mid-1960s period, with a few in the 1970s, one in the 1990s, and then one last version in 2018. And, of course, there may be other versions I’ve yet to find. I won’t feature them all here, just the ones that take the song in slightly different directions.

In my view, arguably the ‘best’ version of “So Much in Love” was the 1964 original by The Mighty Avengers. They were a Coventry band that were briefly a part of Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham’s stable of artists (as he attempted to mimic Beatles manager Brian Epstein’s success managing multiple acts). Oldham procured the song for them from the Stones and then produced the cut, with help from future Led Zeppelin member John Paul Jones. I love the sound of this era of British poprock and the band squeezes a nice amount of hookiness out of the tune, helped by some great plinky piano and a straight up early Moodies-style vocal.

https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/so-much-in-love-1964.mp3The Mighty Avengers

Subsequent versions of the song split between more poppy and rocky takes. In 1965, three covers of the song typify this division. Australia’s Johnny Chester and his Chessman offer up a very genteel, mannered pop arrangement that stylistically would not be out of place as an Everly’s album deep cut. Ian Crawford amplifies the song’s pop elements with horns and fancy background vocals. By contrast, Liverpool’s Ian and the Zodiacs deliver a classic Merseybeat version. Three more covers in 1966 continue this trend with The Herd rocking things with plenty of soul organ, Denmark’s The Hitmakers blowing up the pop sound, particularly on the vocals, while sometime fashion photographer Charles Dickens vibes a little Beach Boys with production help from Andrew Loog Oldham.

https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/so-much-in-love-with-you.mp3Johnny Chester and the his Chessmenhttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/ian-crawford.mp3Ian Crawfordhttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/so-much-in-love.mp3Ian and the Zodiacshttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/so-much-in-love-1.mp3The Herdhttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/so-much-in-love-2.mp3The Hitmakershttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/so-much-in-love-3.mp3Charles Dickens

Despite its failure in the 1960s bands would continue to keep trying to push “So Much in Love” onto the charts. Arguably the most successful was Australian band Cheek, whose 1977 version briefly made that country’s top 50. However, the band broke up shortly afterwards, having released only two singles and no album! Three years later UK pub rock/new wave band The Inmates featured a rollicking version of the song on their second album, A Shot in the Dark. The next cover came 15 years later from a band that technically didn’t exist. The Lonely Boys were created to provide the music for a fictional 1960s band featured in a 1990s book and movie of the same name. The band’s performance exceeded all expectations, producing a strong debut album and a killer version of “So Much in Love” that seemed to out-sixties the actual 1960s recordings. Most recently Roxanne Fontana turned out a peppy yet understated classic rock and roll rendition of the tune in 2018.

https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/so-much-in-love-4.mp3The Inmateshttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/08-so-much-in-love-2006-remastered-version-1.m4aThe Lonely Boyshttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/01-so-much-in-love-1.m4aRoxanne Fontana

Discovering this great lost Jagger/Richards tune has got me thinking there has to be a Songs the Stones Gave Away collection out there somewhere, full of overlooked gems, even if their efforts did not bear the same fruit as their Merseyside competitors.

This post benefited from research insights from PopArchives.com and SecondHandSongs.

Gardens of hooky delights: Poprock collections, compilations, and compendiums

16 Thursday Apr 2020

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Poprock Themepark

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

For the Record: A Tribute to John Wicks, Futureman Records, Garden of Earthly Delights: An XTC Celebration, John Wicks, Kool Kat Records, Lame-O Records, The Records, Wild Honey Records, XTC

Screen Shot 2020-04-16 at 11.22.07 AMWhat’s not to like about compilation albums? They’re like a load of presents crammed onto one or two pieces of vinyl, or they’re akin to a kind of melody buffet tempting to you to gorge on each one. This post runs the gamut of definitive compendiums on a theme (XTC) to compilations based on style (sunshine psychpop) to diverse collections serving other purposes altogether (the Wild Honey and Lame-O collections). Let’s dig in!

Kicking things off is a rather titanic offering, a truly ambitious labour of love that I’m happy to report is a stunning success: Futureman Records’ Garden of Earthly Delights: An XTC Celebration. XTC were a strikingly intelligent, musically adventurous, should-be hit machine. In some universe music creators as talented as the duo mostly responsible for XTC’s multi-decade output would be lauded with accolades and bags of cash. In this universe, by contrast, the eccentric, highly listenable genius of Partridge and Moulding produced 14 brilliant albums but mostly indifference from the record buying public, other than a small army of dedicated fans. Luckily, if this fabulous tribute album is anything to go by, just about every fan must have gone on to form a band! The collection draws from every period of the band’s catalogue with an amazing 49 cuts. And the quality is very high indeed.

Some of the covers here seem like spot-on recreations of the originals (e.g. Jim Laspesa and Rob Bonfiglio’s “Dear Madam Barnum”). Others take the songs in new directions, cast them in a different register, speed them up or slow them down, etc. (e.g. King Radio’s “Mayor of Simpleton”). Really, there something here for every kind of fan, from the band’s art rock/punk origins to their psychedelic Dukes’ records to the perfect poprock of their later period offerings and even some album deep cuts. I can’t possibly comment on them all so I’ll just single a few tracks that caught my ear. I love how the Kickstand Band kicks off “Life Begins at the Hop” in such a familiar way, but then bends and reinvents the melody a bit with their distinctive harmony vocals. Coke Belda and El Inquieta Roque elevate “Standing in for Joe” into classic-sounding poprock tune. You can hear the XTC-isms in Danny Wilkerson’s version of “Where Did the Ordinary People Go” but he also manages to highlight the song’s hookiness. The acoustic guitars in Gentle Hen’s take on “No Thugs in our House” lighten the mood and nicely accent the song’s melody without removing the dread that suffuses the tune. Glowbox add a nice bit of urgency to a great selection from XTC’s magisterial 1986 album, Skylarking. For XTC fans, or for those just discovering the band, Garden of Earthly Delights offers a unbeatable treasure trove of yet to-be-discovered treats.

The back story to the fabulous Kool Kat Records release of For the Record: A Tribute to John Wicks is nothing short of tragic. The legendary frontman for new wave indie darlings The Records had amassed an album full of superior tunes and got them half finished before sadly dying of cancer in 2018. But the happy ending is how co-songwriter and music blogger Richard Rossi, producer Jamie Hoover, and a cast of power pop luminaries finished the record. The album sounds amazing! The songwriting is so strong and the performances are stellar. Of course, with help from people like Peter Case, Paul Collins, Don Dixon, Bill Berry, Al Stewart and so many others, it’s hardly surprising that For the Record is such an enjoyable listen. Personally, I’m stumped picking out just a few faves. Love the “1-800-Colonoscopy” (lead vocal from REM’s Bill Berry), “Repo Man” (featuring Jamie Hoover), and Wick’s own turn at lead vocal on “She’s All I Need.” However, if I had to single out one tune it would be Paul Collin’s amazing take on “Glittering Gold,” apparently recorded live yet still hit-single-worthy. Buy this record, it’s worth it!

Our present state of corona virus upheaval has brought out the latent benefit record proclivities of both artists and record labels. We’re featuring two interesting contributions from Wild Honey and Lame-O Records, respectively. The Wild Honey release, The Benefit of Things to Come, has a great cover, mimicking the classic look of the California pop scene of the late 1960s. The Lame-O collection has a great name, Don’t Stand So Close To Me: A Lame​-​O Compilation For Self-Isolation – so apropos! The latter is mostly a lofi indie and rock and roll set but with a few sterling melodic contributions from U.S. Highball and Mike Bell and the Movies. The former is a bit more in our pop rock wheelhouse, with killer cuts from The Rubinoos, The Peawees, Doug Tuttle, MojoMatt, Peretta, and others. Our last featured collection is more about vibing on a style, this time perhaps drawing from some early Style Council plus light 1960s pop psychedelia on the fadeawayradiate records release, F.A.R. Out: A Sunshine Psychpop Compilation. It’s an eminently listenable collection, but make sure to check out the tracks from Night Heron, Young Scum, the Catherines and the Suncharms.

Compilations often give us a bit of what we know and a lot of what we might otherwise not check out. As such, there’s a real sense of adventure about the whole enterprise. And sometimes, as with the cases above, they’re also for a good cause. So click on the links and book your adventure to start now.

Spotlight single: Graham Gouldman “New Star”

14 Tuesday Apr 2020

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Spotlight Single

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

10cc, Graham Gouldman, Modesty Forbids

Screen Shot 2020-04-14 at 5.02.15 PMIt’s hard to believe how much Graham Gouldman has given us. Back in the 1960s he wrote such iconic hits as “For Your Love” for the Yardbirds and “Bus Stop” for The Hollies and a host of other great songs. Then in the 1970s he was one of the four talented guys that made up 10cc, contributing to hits like “I’m Not in Love” and “The Things We Do For Love.” I remember being so blown away by “For Your Love” when first heard it on Vancouver FM radio station CFMI’s annual ‘BC 500’ marathon of the top rock and roll songs in 1980 that I immediately hopped a bus to Kootenay Loop to visit a used record shop that specialized in re-issued oldies 45s. I’d barely gotten home with the single when CFMI played “Heart Full of Soul” and I was back on the bus! Over the decades Gouldman has accumulated an impressive catalogue of material, covered expertly by himself and others.

And now he’s back with a whole album of fab new material on the just released Modesty Forbids. One hardly knows where to start applying the praise. “Standing Next To Me” melodically immortalizes his time playing with Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band, while “That’s Love Right There” hits all the right British musical hall notes, and I haven’t even gotten to the exquisite collaboration with Bill Lloyd, “What Time Won’t Heal,” a surefire hit in my view. But rather than a full album review (part of which I have sneakily inserted here as prelude), I really just wanted to bring one particular song from this album to your attention. To be sure, if you’ve liked what has gone before in the Graham Gouldman musical universe, you won’t be disappointed with any part of this new album. But to me, the album’s final cut is a particular treat. With its spare jazzy/folkie acoustic guitar arrangement and lovely light vocal touches, “New Star” is just a delightful, positive little track, evidence that this old pro has got a few more surprises left in the bag.

https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/11-new-star.mp3New Star

Modesty Forbids is available now from that swinging cool UK label, Lojinx. Find out more about the new album from interviews with Graham and his website.

Searching for the 5 O’clock hero: Paul Weller “Friday Street”

08 Wednesday Apr 2020

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Artist Spotlight

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

Friday Street, Heavy Soul, Paul Weller, The Jam

Screen Shot 2020-04-08 at 3.34.32 PMI have an unerring knack of discovering artists or bands at the very point their career is about to implode, call it quits, or forget how to write songs. So it was with The Jam. Living in my parents’ basement in godforsaken North Burnaby I somehow got wind of “A Town Called Malice” in grade 11 and I was hooked. I was an instant Jam-o-phile! The band’s tight Who-meets-Beatles sort-of new wave sound was right up my alley. From then I only got to enjoy the two extended singles (“The Bitterest Pill” and “Beat Surrender”) before they disbanded in 1982. Sure, I signed on to The Style Council and their first few records were nice but it just wasn’t the same. Not even close. But after the Style Council split I thought perhaps Weller would get back to some Jam-like stuff as a solo artist. For the most part I’m still waiting.

Paul Weller has released 15 solo albums since 1992 and I’ve waded through them all, needle dropping every cut for signs of something reminiscent of anything from the Jam’s 5 year, six album run. After reviewing the roughly 200 tracks that populate all those Weller solo albums, I can find (IMHO) only one truly Jam-worthy cut: “Friday Street” from 1997’s Heavy Soul. The guitar, the harmonies, the subtle hook in the chorus all sound Jam-ish enough to me to be squeezed onto any of the band’s mid to late releases.

https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/friday-street.mp3Friday Street

Perhaps you have a strong opinion about some other Weller solo cut that you think is suitably Jam-like that I’ve overlooked? If you do, please let me know – I’d love to find more!

The single file: The Stroppies, Brad Peterson, Green Buzzard, Foxhall Stacks, and more

06 Monday Apr 2020

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Poprock Themepark

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Brad Peterson, Business of Dreams, Foxhall Stacks, Green Buzzard, Hanemoon, Paulusma, Shadow Show, Son Little, The Coolies, The Stroppies

Screen Shot 2020-01-09 at 10.13.58 AMToday’s single file is bulging with digital 45s just itching for an e-spin. There’s a bit blues and rock and roll and, of course, strummy poprock in the rotation.

Melbourne Australia’s The Stroppies give drive to their single “First Time Favourites” on a killer combo of addictive organ runs and jangly guitars. A breezy rush of fun from their 2019 LP Whoosh. Chicago’s one man wunderkind Brad Peterson is back with his trademark easygoing Steve Miller-esque panache on “Keepsakes in the Garbage,” a poppy remake of a track from his time in a full on rock and roll band. Back to Oz with Green Buzzard and I love the variety of guitar sounds on “I Just Don’t Want to Be Alone.” There’s a lovely swinging Primitives kind of joy here, mixing jangle and crunchy lead guitar work with some solid strummy rhythm backing. In the USA’s capitol city Foxhall Stacks crank up the punky elements of power pop on “The Old Me” from last year’s Coming Collapse long player. This baby says ‘dance now’! When I first heard Business of Dreams’ opening cut on Ripe for Anarchy, “Chasing That Feeling,” I could have sworn I was listening to a great lost track from The Silencers’ fantastic 1987 release, A Letter From St. Paul. Band leader Corey Cunningham has nailed the ambience with a song that really does justice to the era yet still sounds timeless.

Dutch melodian Jelle Paulusma defies categorization with “Crying Shame,” at times vibing a strong late 1960s California pop but then effortlessly shifting to 1980s indie poprock flavour. With a killer horn section at the three-quarter mark! On “Yeah I Don’t Know” LA’s The Coolies sounds like Lucinda Williams got herself a rock and roll band and that sound is amazingly good! Super melody-tinged rock and roll, with just a bit of grit in the mix. Berlin delivers some light and frothy acoustic-y Dropkick-like tracks from Hanemoon’s latest record Mammals, particularly the obvious single, “Sunday Afternoon.” The blend of acoustic guitars here are exquisite, with an nice punch in the chorus from the vocals (get the vinyl from Kool Kat Records here). Love how the song fades into an engine idling near the end! Son Little packs subtle but strong melody into his soul sound, kinda like a Sam Cooke-meets-Howlin’ Wolf mash-up. I remember being blown away by the cross-over brilliance of “Cross My Heart” from 2014’s EP Things I Forgot. Now he’s back with another striking single, “Mahalia” from his new album Aloha and it’s a winner! Why am I not surprised the electric Shadow Show hail from Detroit? This kick ass band kick out a jam like the B52’s garaged up to the nines and ready for a dance party. The guitar and vocals on “Things I Do” are so strobe light, mini skirt and somebody go go-ing into the wee hours. Skip the club and just turn this up loud.

What’s a single? 99 cents? A buck and bit? Click on the highlighted band names to check out what these acts have to offer a bit more closely and do your part to keep the new music wheel spinning.

Another look at Eugene Edwards

01 Wednesday Apr 2020

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Artist Spotlight

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Eugene Edwards, My Favorite Revolution

Screen Shot 2020-03-21 at 10.53.43 PMHe’s got regular gigs already, serenading the ladies who win K-EARTH 101’s daily ‘Office of the Day’ contest in Yuma, Arizona and laying down hot licks with Dwight Yoakam’s back up band. So that might explain why there’s been no follow up to Eugene Edwards’ amazing 2004 debut album, My Favorite Revolution. But that’s a shame because the record seemed like just the first of many inventive, career-spanning releases (along the lines of an Elvis Costello or Tom Petty). I mean, listening to just this one album, man can this guy write songs!

https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/01-your-own-nightmare.mp3Your Own Nightmare

The poprock influences are all over this record – the 1960s, new wave, Britpop – but somehow never risk overwhelming what is new and fresh here. From the opening bars of the opening cut, “Your Own Nightmare,” you know you are in for an uber cool experience when the beat just won’t let you stand still. “It Doesn’t Get Better Than This” opens like a Costello number but the melody is so Squeeze. “Congratulations My Darling” uses jangle to good effect, with a nice British invasion vibe. “The Next Time You Go” slows things down, acing a great Colin Blunstone phrasing. “At Your Place,” “I’d Like to Think So,” and “Permanent One” could be mistaken for an American version of Squeeze or Crowded House while “Shattered Flower,” “Not That Kind of Girl” and particularly “Victim at Bedtime” have the Costello chops in mixing music with lyrics. Meanwhile “Telling the Lie Again” reminds me of The BoDeans with its rustic Americana rock and roll sound.

https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/02-it-doesnt-get-better-than-this.mp3It Doesn’t Get Better Than Thishttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/03-congratulations-my-darling.mp3Congratulations My Darlinghttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/09-victim-at-bedtime.mp3Victim at Bedtime

If My Favorite Revolution is it, album-wise, from Eugene Edwards, I guess we should be grateful. It’s a stunning piece of work that does not fail on any of its 14 tracks. It sounds as fresh and exciting today as it did on release in 2004. Buy it, play it, enjoy it. And maybe drop Edwards a line of new-album encouragement while you’re at it.

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...