Tags
A Boy Named Song, Dave Cope and the Sass, David Brookings, David Brookings and the Average Lookings, Electric Beauty, Erin Din, Goodman, Henry Chadwick, Mad Ones, Quadruple A, Sad About Girls, Steve Conte, Taking Meds, The Armoires, The Cynz, The Half Cubes, The Jellybricks, The Martial Arts, The Reflectors, The Secret Sisters, Wifey
Nowhere to go, nothing to do – parking with the radio on was pretty much a regular teenage thing to do back in my day. You might even punch the pre-set radio station buttons and catch the same song playing on different stations! But there are no repeats here. Just 21 singles itching to make your car-time playlist.
We kick things off with David Brookings touching love letter to his wife on “Shelby.” A nice midtempo pop tune giving voice to those age-old sentiments of couple love and companionship. The track is featured on an EP of the same name amidst a few song sketches about cancel culture, football names and a lullaby. Next we crank the pop meter with The Cynz on “Crow Haired Boys.” The song comes on strong with blasting opening chords and drums only to lull us with solid melodic interludes. Erin Din is something else, sounding more like those 1970s English folk rockers Roy Harper or contemporaries like Ed Ryan. “On Top of the World” ambles along with a rhythmic hypnotic quality. From Hanover, Germany comes a stripped down affair under the moniker A Boy Named Song. “You Got the Beat” carefully measures out its sonic interventions – guitar part here, vocal line there – until it all comes together in the chorus. A bit Stonesy, Tom Petty, or even The Replacements. The Midnight Callers are signalling they are coming back power pop strong with their new single “The Eraser.” Fans are comparing it to the Raspberries or The Flashcubes and I’d concur. Worthy b-side award for the band’s energetic cover of The Who’s “Substitute.”
Minneapolis music scene veterans Electric Beauty fill the time between albums with a choice cover of Peter and Gordon’s 1964 hit “I Go To Pieces.” It’s hard to miss the mark with such a great song and the boys do not disappoint. Another band filling time between major releases is Taking Meds. Their new 3-song EP Ext Meds includes an amazing re-interpretation of My Bloody Valentine’s “Drive It All Over Me.” Talk about re-inventing someone else’s tune – TM add more melodic depth to the song while featuring some really special tone on the guitars. You might think that half a band would lose something but The Half Cubes, literally half the membership of power pop stalwarts The Flashcubes, manage to tap into a whole different well of melodic rock goodness. Their new single is a cover of The Rubinoos “The Girls” and features help from original Rubinoos members John Rubin and Tommy Dunbar. The results are dynamically ear-worm good. The Jellybricks are also working on a new album and drip-releasing singles to keep fans on the hook. “All About You” bodes well for what is coming, with a magnetic melodic pull to the tune. Toronto band Mad Ones work a classic descending chord progression with mesmerizing intensity on “Stranger Stranger.” More of the good same can be found on their new album What It Takes.
Henry Chadwick works up his most pop psychedelic Beatles vibe on “I Hate the Sound,” a single from his new EP Leaving. It has a spare, spacey other-worldly quality like a kind of melodic meditation. For something a bit more driving and droney Quadruple A offer “Easy Rolling,” though get ready for a melody break-out in the chorus. This is Pennsylvania poppy rock at its finest. Now that southern California quintet The Armoires have finally produced a theme song you can just tuck this in front of the rest of their back catalogue. “We Absolutely Mean It” is a manifesto of musical intent, where making music is about having fun and bringing people together. The sunshine meets psychedelic pop backing is the perfect staging for this sentiment. Steve Conte has got a musical resume that goes on and on, working with artists as disparate as Prince, Peter Wolf and the New York Dolls. On this new LP Concrete Jangle his puts his own unique stamp on things, conjuring 1980s-style popping rock tunes like “Girl With No Name.” By contrast Dave Cope and the Sass reach further back, to a more fertile jangle scene we associate with the mid-1960s. “Precious Heart” lashes out from the start and grips you in its inescapable jangly melodic embrace. And there’s more of the same all through his fabulous new long-player Hidden From the World.
There’s something special about the distinctive sonic atmosphere Sad About Girls manage to create on all their releases. “She’s Not Here” from their new EP of the same name is no exception. Their vibe is slightly dissonant but always with a solid melodic punch in the chorus. And the EP contains a fabulous cover of Split Enz’s “History Never Repeats.” What’s a mere 18 years between records? Glasgow band Martial Arts just pick up where they left off, offering up more of their carefully crafted chamber poprock. New single “No Victory” has the pop drama chops of all those early 1960s and 1970s disaster songs. It’s enjoyable stress free crisis in a 4 minute song. Don’t know much about Brooklyn trio Wifey except that their debut single “Mary Ann Leaves the Band” is an unstoppable hook-filled aural assault, in the very best kind of way. Word is that an EP is coming entitled Just a Tease. Everything about LA band The Reflectors says its 1979 again. It’s the album covers, the outfits, and – of course – the songs themselves. Their new record Going Out of Fashion is one long love letter the late 1970s guitar band revival. But the standout track for me is “Supernova,” with its sly hooky twist in an otherwise understated chorus. Before you know it, it’s got you in its earwormy grip. I’d add “Time Is All I Have” as a worthy b-side. Words like ‘haunting’ accompany the work of Alabama’s Secret Sisters. Riding a fine line between Americana and country, their new release is Mind, Man, Medicine. There’s a lot to like here but right now I’m hooked on “Paperweight” with its Patsy Cline meets Neko Case rockabilly flair.
The work of Michael Goodman as Goodman is an enigma, unclassifiable in terms of genre. But whatever it is, I find myself drawn to whatever he puts out. His new single “Only Testimony” is grand and sweeping, except when its subtle and alluring. The guitars, piano and synth are crisply arranged to overlap and meld while the mix of vocals and harmonies are captivating. From a promised new album in the works.
There’s no danger of being hit with a parking violation for stopping here. You can idle away the time with these radio-friendly songs in park or drive.
Photo ‘Found Kodachrome Slide’ courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.
Poprock Record 