Monthly Archives: April 2025

Country-style!

29 Tuesday Apr 2025

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The borders between genres can be hard fought and nowhere has that been more true than country and western. The self-proclaimed music of ordinary folk has always had its own establishment gate-keepers and today their job appears to be to disavow any connection with their 1950s/1960s past. Guess that leaves the field open to others wishing to take up that country-style.

Australian Patrick Wilson adds a folky vocal charm to his countryfied 2023 release It’ll Be Alright. The delight here is in the delicate touches of pedal steel adorning “Medicine” and “All You Could Do.” Or the slight jangle guitar interventions colouring “Leave My Love” and the radio-ready single “Here Comes Another One.” “Other Side of the Line” weaves a winning rockabilly lead guitar line throughout the song. And then there’s “Coffee Song,” a stylistic departure that cranks the electric guitars amid a definite sense of dread. You don’t have delve very deeply into Gary Louris’ Dark Country release to know he’s a member of the Jayhawks. It’s there in the vocal, the song structure, the easygoing assurance propelling any given song. Opening cut “Getting Older” sounds pretty Jayhawks for sure. But the departure on this solo effort can be found in the striking guitar work. “Couldn’t Live a Day Without You” has some sparkling acoustic guitar picking framing a touching sentiment. By contrast on “Blow’em Away,” ooh, that acoustic guitar ring contributes to a very spooky feel. “Two Birds” works its acoustic guitar into a more folky blues vein. And for something different “Living on my Phone” moves the sound into a slightly ethereal direction.

The full impact of Brett Newski’s new album ameriCONa Pt. 1: Educate Freeloaders to Buy Art is coming soon but from the pre-release singles his signature Velvets-meets-Tom Petty stroll is as vibrant as ever. Recorded with backing band The Bad Inventions the opening track “Jesus Freak” has got plenty of Lou Reed attitude and a languid Stones-in-country-mode amble. “Narrow Escapes” has a more insistent lurch and alt-poppy sheen. I’m not sure Newski’s anti-Spotify crusade is going to take off but with this album it sure deserves to. You only have to look at the cover of Sweet Pete’s new album Three Ring to get a pretty good sense of what you’re in for. It’s the place where old time rock and rollers meet up with rough and ready country toughs at the truck stop. There might be mesh fencing in front of the stage for when the bottles fly. Opening cut and title track “Three Ring” sets the scene with a rollicking Nick Lowe vibe. “Carnival Queen” and “Private Eye” lean a bit more country. “Big Trouble” reminds me of Brad Marino’s recent solo work. “Can Opener” is a garagey dance number that sets the tone for the party to come while “My Inner Heel” is a bit more low-key, slinky, sung in a Ben Vaughn deadpan. Personal fave: “Dutch Hex” has a delightfully subtle hook in the chorus.

I’m a sucker for Patsy Cline and all those who took inspiration from her, people like K.D. Lang and Neko Case. So when I got wind of Chaparelle’s new LP Western Pleasure I knew I’d found something special. The twin vocals of Jesse Woods and Zella Day could be seen as just another hipster dalliance with country, a sort of She and Him sequel. But I hear a deeper connection here. Day aces a classic 1962 country vocal vibe on the aching opening number “Bleeding Hearts.” Then “Devil’s Music” add some honky tonk to the mix. A more contemporary country sound? “Playing Diamonds Cashing Checks” covers that nicely. Sometimes the authenticity comes through in the instrument choices, like the organ anchoring “Bad Loving,” the slide guitar teasing “Baby Jesus,” or pedal steel guitar undergirding “All Things Considered.” Then again, tracks like “Heart Broke Holiday” deliver the sentiment you’d expect from the title. But “Sex and Rage” is opposite, offering an understated American Songbook feel. I wouldn’t be surprised to see “Inside the Lines” end up as a break-out single, given how it veers over into folk pop. Album shocker is definitely the dramatic re-invention of Whitney Houston’s “Dance With Somebody.” If you love The Catus Blossoms or the Ruen Brothers you’ll be adding Chaparelle to your playlist before long.

Country is indeed a style, long severed from its origins in the Appalachian mountains, western plains and the Texas desert. But that doesn’t mean its inauthentic. The vibe is alive and you can feel it in stereo by clicking the links above.

Photo ‘John Baeder’s Road Well Taken’ courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

People pleasing Strange Neighbors

22 Tuesday Apr 2025

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Looking for a good time? You won’t go wrong giving a spin to Strange Neighbors second long-player People Pleasers Pleasing People. New York City’s premier sardonic popsters deliver ten new tunes full of whimsy, social critique, and killer hooks. And a bit of heartbreak. The trio of pre-release singles that came out over the past year captured this melange of moods nicely. “Influencer” is a merciless takedown of the onslaught of online narcissism being dressed up as a career choice. And you can even dance to it. “Without a Head” and “Hate Me Less” are more self-reflexively about coping with love lost. If it feels good to feed bad then these tune will have you feeling great.  Stepping back to take in the album as a whole, it’s hard to put my finger on just what kind of sound is going on here. Reviewers tend to refer to a general 1990s alt/indie vibe but what I hear is both more light and dark. Opening track “Crush” is fun and poppy, like the Go Go’s running at half-speed. Jangle is definitely a key element in a lot of songs, setting the scene for tracks like “Retrograde,” “Whenever We Fall” and more subtly on “You Got Love.” When you combine that with Aiden Strange’s distinctive vocal attack I sometimes feel it’s as if Debbie Harry had joined REM. Check out how it all comes together on the magisterial jangle fest that is “Beer at the Bar.” Other highlights here for me include “Silk and Cyanide” with its edgy guitar tone and the country hoedown stomper “Your Last.” The latter’s Bakersfield-sound country-snap guitar work is positively delicious.

I can confidently say that People Pleasers Pleasing People is heading right on to my ‘best of the year’ pile. Get your copy at the band’s Bandcamp page and let the pleasing begin.

Smoking jacket required

17 Thursday Apr 2025

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Sometimes we go classy here at Poprock Record. Sure, generally we like rambunctious guitar-centric beat group stuff. We love the thrill and the rush of great hooks. But every now and then we crank the mood lighting, fish out the Gauloises from their hiding place, and let loose the expensive cognac. And feature some classy artists who are not afraid to show off their smarts.

Few artist pressers contain quotes from Kurt Vonnegut but Rich Restaino’s no ‘strap on a guitar and go’ performer. There’s lyrical depth in the contributions to his recent EP Mostly We Lie. The title track calls out the short game many are playing, too often going for self-interest in the here and now. Then “Man Has Shit For Brains” has a tin pan alley kind of rough melody and wisdom. Restaino doesn’t paint a pretty picture of contemporary manhood here. “Every Cliché You’ve Heard is Partly True” rocks up the talking blues to good effect while “Life is for Losers” has a country shading. Personally, I’m loving the low-key jazzy pop coating “Don’t Fall Asleep on Me Just Yet.” This is a kind of well-crafted protest music from a man who clearly cares, despite his biting critique.

Just one run through his latest LP you know Lane Steinberg truly is Mr. Lane. This record is all class, bottled and displayed sonically over 12 sophisticated tunes. This time out Steinberg strikes a decidedly soul note on a number of songs, in an early 1970s Philly soul or Motown kind of way. “Number One” falls somewhere between cool jazz and early Hall and Oates. Then on “Than U” Steinberg vibes Smokey Robinson’s falsetto on a jazzy slow swing of a song. “The Words I Love You” moves the needle to a more pop position with some simple jangly lead guitar and a great pop vocal. “Pleasantville Sunshine” is more supremely pleasant pop. Steinberg is the master of the aching vocal, as exhibited on “Best Tears I’ve Ever Cried,” a track that sounds like a lost Beach Boys deep cut. Or check out what he does on “Wistful Baby Blue,” creating a kind drone with a slow, meditative ballad. Personal fave: “The Loneliest Man on Earth.” The vocal is so alluring, draping a mournful yet light pop crooner of a song, artfully framed in a spare jazzy arrangement.

Chris Church has got a philosophical bent that comes out all over his new record Obsolete Path. Titles like “What Are We Talking About,” “I’m a Machine” and “Tell Me What You Really Are” kinda give it away. The opening title track bristles with a gentle tension, preparing us for something contemplative. From there the records shift into its rock groove, a distinct new wavey 1970s California rock vibe that’s up front on tracks like ”Sit Down,” “I Don’t Want To Be There” and “The Great Divide.” In a related vein both “Tell Me What You Really Are” and “Running Right Back to You” operate in an adjacent musical space, the first registering strong hints of Walter Egan, the latter conjuring more of a sombre Fleetwood Mac. But musical departures abound here. “She Looks Good in Black” could easily be a Marshall Crenshaw single. “Life on a Trampoline” has a sonic shiver reminiscent of The Police sound on Ghost in the Machine. Then you have “I’m a Machine,” a selection that reminds me of a distinct early 1980s poprock sound I associate with Robert Palmer or Moon Martin.

There are bands that put out so much music that by the time I get round to covering them they’ve already got new stuff out. That’s pretty much Go Set Go to a T. Their most recent LP (as of today) is Pre-Shattered Glass and it brims with taut social observations, all delivered with an unmistakable DIY poppiness. Think the Smiths without the all the moaning and fewer jangly guitars. “Why Am I An Extra In The Movie Of My Life” goes where you think it might go but that takes nothing away from its relevance. A lot of songs here deal with the challenge of coping with modern life. “No Way Back Man” incorporates a bit of the Batman theme by way of recounting all the ways the singer is struggling with. “Broken Girls Loving Broken Boys” updates the class kitchen sink relationship drama. “Adios Motherfuckers” even makes suicide sound a bit chipper. “Debt, Rent, and Letting People Down” again is pretty straightforward audio verité. Personal fave: “The Seconds We Spend” with its lovely ‘whoo hoo’s and a hushed main vocal treatment.

Mae Martin’s new album I’m a TV is a lovely, slightly spacey place to be. They’ve got something to say but they’re not going to fight for your attention. The record is like an invitation to join Mae in a quiet booth somewhere for a chat. “Try Me” is practically a personal invite with its slightly hushed tone and languid lead guitar lines. “Good Dream” becomes a bit more insistent, in a ‘hey get up here a sway to the music with me’ sort of way. The vocals fall somewhere between Suzanne Vega and Elliott Smith in terms of their shivery warmth. “Big Bear” comes on with a contained cinematic sweep to start before the swirl of vocals start lapping up like the lull of the ocean tide. You get a lot of variety here, within the cocoon of Martin’s consistent sonic styling. There’s the hit single-ish “Stowaway” with its slick gentle hooks. The lush “I Love You So Much” which musically mimics the tentativeness of its lyrical content. You get folk pop on “People Get Back Up.” There’s even a light country kick to the pedal steel pop of “No Cowboy.” Hit singles? Sure. There’s the aforementioned “Stowaway” and “Garbage Strike” is another candidate with its quiet, sneak up you hooks. And then there’s “Quiet Street,” so quiet, so spare, so moving. And that horn section. As a full album experience, I’m a TV is gorgeous, full stop.

To cap off our classy interlude, you have to tune in to Lydia Loveless doing a 1950s ballroom version of Irving Berlin’s “What’ll I Do.” You don’t get a classier mix of piano and heart-wrenching vocals than this.

It’s late (or early). Grab your jacket on the way out.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Selections by Ava: Djo, Role Model, and Japanese Breakfast

11 Friday Apr 2025

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When people find out I write a music blog they routinely ask where I find all this new stuff. Early days I would scour a load indie music sites and other blogs but over time I’ve found that most of what I end up writing about just falls into my lap, via a variety of sources. Record labels send stuff, artists contact me directly, and folks just tell me about what they are listening to. Today’s post is door number three. Ava is a twenty-something music fan who likes soundtracks and poppy material that stretches from emotive folk to elevated power pop and she has put me on to three fabulous, supremely talented acts.

Djo wins the award for novelty origins, being the work of Stranger Things actor Joe Keery. Fame may get you onto a playlist but usually some talent is required to stay there. A tour through his third LP The Crux answers the talent question in the affirmative. Opening cut “Lonesome is a State of Mind” comes on like a Mark Everett’s solo project ‘E’ with its stylish, curt melodic twists and turns, adding a jaunty element in the chorus. Early release singles “Basic Being Basic” and “Delete Ya” have that cheeky Bleachers combo of 1980s-meets-contemporary sonic motifs. “Link” hits the Hall and Oates marks hard, bringing the duo’s trademark vibe up to date for now. The guitar playing on this record is sometimes light and ethereal, as on “Potion.” Here the Hall and Oates influences marry nicely with early 1970s McCartney. “Charlie’s Garden” moves into more demonstratively Beatles territory. Things do get a bit more rock edgy on tracks like “Gap Tooth Smile” and “Back On You,” harkening back to Keery’s former band Post Animal. I’m also partial to the more reflective, winsome contributions here too. Both “Golden Line”  and “Crux” lean on melancholy piano to good effect.

Though he started his musical career working the rap side of the street Role Model now offers pretty catchy guitar-based bedroom pop. With the re-release of an expanded version of 2024’s Kansas Anymore, now rechristened Kansas Anymore (The Longest Goodbye), he can squeeze his recent hit single “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” onto the collection, along with a few others gems. The track is earworm good with its warm, acoustic guitar pop country swing, definitely an ‘immediate repeat’ selection. What is striking about this album is its airiness, the roomy separation between Tucker Pillsbury’s clean vocals and his often rather spartan approach to instrumentation. I mean, a track like “Oh Gemini” could easily slip onto a record by Joshua Radin or Calexio. In fact, the album is basically divided between a load of these gorgeous low-key folk numbers and a number of more energetic pop workouts. “Writing’s on the Wall,” “Deeply Still in Love” and “Scumbag” all pick up the pace while “Look At That Woman” falls somewhere in between. Standout tracks: “Superglue” with its ear-catching ‘whoo hoo hoo’s and closing number “The Longest Goodbye,” a Lyle Lovett winking tribute to country formalism.

Sometimes a record is a feast for the ears. Japanese Breakfast’s latest LP For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women) is on that menu. The sonic impact of each of the individual tunes is deliciously distinct. Every instrument so carefully placed in the mix they emerge like landscape portrait details you notice as your eye sweeps across the picture. Feel how the timbre of the stringed instrument carrying “Orlando in Love” lets the vocal float somewhere above it. Or check out how the wavery keyboard effect on “Mega Circuit” gives the song a forward propulsion. Another aural standout is the sonic melange created on “Picture Window” with its melodic hints of light and dark. This might seem off brand but I hear a stong Jill Sobule kind of vocal intimacy from songwriter and lead vocalist Michelle Zauner. In the places the album alternates between a kind of orchestral complexity (“Honey Water”) and embroidered folk simplicity (“Little Girl”). Gorgeous doesn’t begin to really capture the beauty here.

I like think I’m eminently teachable. I’ll take direction from anyone if it leads me to great melodic tunes. So thanks Ava! And all the other Ava’s past and future who continue to give me great suggestions.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Breaking news: Jonathan Personne, The Loft, and Tristan Armstrong

06 Sunday Apr 2025

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In today’s news we’ve got some totally new finds. Some are going solo from their regular band duties while others get the band back together after decades of silence. All work the melody side of the street pretty hard.

Montreal’s Jonathan Personne is normally hanging with his psych-rock band Corridor. But he occasionally gets out a solo album with results that are wonderfully overwrought, combining elements of Morricone spaghetti western soundtracks, shoe-gazey dream vocals, and an easygoing indie-rock slouch. New album Nouveau Monde radiates personality from its striking cover, also designed by Personne. Things  kick off with the charging, unrelenting, utterly captivating “La vie, la mort.” Contrast the gritty guitar attack with airy sunshine pop vocals here, it’s a propulsive combination. From there things mostly slow down. “Deuxième vi” has a sixties folk pop feel, at least until what sounds like a bandsaw kicks in and rallies an intense challenge to the simple piano and vocals. By contrast, the guitars driving “Les jours heureux” are more conventionally poprock, enlivened by some neat organ work. The creativity in instrumenting this album is off the charts. Title track “Nouveau monde” has a repeating keyboard riff that is delightfully hypnotic. There’s also much variety amidst a recognizably consistent sonic palate. For instance, “Nuage noir” is aurally lush with a new wave edge that gets more intense over time while “Le cerf” gives off a late 1960s psychedelic vibe. And if I close my eyes I’d swear “Vision” is a Moody Blues deep cut. Standout track for me? “Zoé sur la montagne.” Just soft-rock gorgeous.

Not many bands get to make a debut album 40 years after they briefly flame in and out of existence but The Loft have done it, and with their original line-up intact. And they’ve really done it justice. Everything Changes Everything Stays the Same is a fabulous record from a pack of geezers who’ve clearly not been sitting idle all these years. All in all, the band sound tight and they are playing a killer batch of songs. Early release singles “Feel Good Now” and “Dr. Clarke” effectively showcase where this group is now. I really hear a lot of Paul Kelly on the former while the latter’s Beatlesque nods are joyously unmistakeable. Probably my favourite tune here is “Storytime” with its slightly melancholic demeanor and exquisite lead guitar work. “Somersaults” also has a slightly sombre, haunting quality. But a sense of boyish fun is also present on tracks like “Do the Shut Up” with its Squeeze-like playfulness or “The Elephant” which goes from jarring to smooth effortlessly.

Powerpopaholic rarely steers me wrong and the new Tristan Armstrong LP is no exception. The Lonely Avenue is a supercharged, bespoke slice of power pop. Though there’s a strong Americana undercurrent just about everywhere too. Title track “The Lonely Avenue” charges along shifting its sonic shading ever so slightly, drawing you in, closer and closer. Then “Periscope” offers what appears to be a nice acoustic ballad, at least until it picks up steam and intensity as it rolls along. Things shift again on “Sing In Your Sleep” with its lilting, almost country pop veneer. “The Lender” leans into the acoustic guitar to provide the serious swing driving this tune. Both “Gimme a Sign” and “Would You Take an IOU” work the Americana angle while “Queen of Diamonds” and “On the Run” get us back into power pop territory, the latter with some winning guitar work and a Matthew Sweet melodic charm. “Twice and Bright” is another acoustic guitar-led sparkler, with a Chris Isaak airiness.

That’s our update. If you want to get beyond the headlines hit the links above to dig a bit deeper into the musical details.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.