Monthly Archives: October 2025

Mad as hell and not going to take it anymore

30 Thursday Oct 2025

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America: it is the best of countries, it is the worst of countries. Its bully face is on full display right now and has been in full force ever since 2025 became a thing. But the country’s silver lining can always be found wherever good people push back against the bullies. Like today’s featured artists. Each one draws a musical line in the sand with wit, compassion, and more than a few good hooks.

On their self-titled solo album debut Dish Pit Violet take aim at capitalism, bigotry, organized religion, the American Dream, and whole lot more. And seldom are such topics taken up with such delicious stylistic variety. “Hi I’m Violet” kicks things off with a Magnetic Fields kind of lyrical directness mapped against an incrementally expanding musical backdrop. It effectively sets the tone for what’s coming: straight-up social commentary set to alluring music. Violet then offers a truly liberatory take on success with “You Are My American Dream,” asking ‘can I get my kicks outside of this capitalist framework?’ and answering ‘I get my kicks when I talking to you.’ But the analysis goes deeper, noting that ‘working for someone else’s dollar, it will become your collar.’ Insight worthy of old German philosophers everywhere! By song #3 we’re primed for “Nobody’s Better,” the big production, crowd-singalong number and the album’s obvious single. It oozes the elan of those early 1980s dance numbers that defied categorization but still filled the dance floor. The bass line here really ties things together. For a second helping of singalong time check out “Rough String” and it’s catchy chorus. From there the album shakes things up, vibing a host of possible influences. “I Hate It When I Do That” exudes an airy Talking Heads kind of simple sophistication to my ears. “Back Up” launches right into some synth dance beats reminiscent of 1980s Soft Cell. “Tip-Top-Drop-Dead-Knock-Out” is the closest thing to a conventional pop song here and it’s still wonderfully eccentric. In terms of single-age, “I Hope I’m Ready For You” gets my vote with its hypnotic looping synth hooks. The LP draws to a close with two nouvelle vaudeville numbers, “You Picked Jesus Over Me” and “Sweetheart,” the latter offering some light McCartney-esque shading. Don’t let the garden-scene cover fool you, Dish Pit Violet is a record that mixes sharp hooks, biting commentary, and a whole lot of heart.

I’ve been a fan of David Woodard for a number of albums and EPs and with each release he tweaks what he’s doing in some interesting way. Everything Belongs maintains his unerring power pop chops but adds a layer of political insight that flashes a high degree of lyrical artistry. Take “Freedom Fries,” a rollicking rock number where Woodard sings ‘we grew up deep fried American, even the food was partisan’ where [we] ‘believed in truth and fries, served with a side of lies.’ Clearly Woodard is not holding back. The album opens with “Everything That’s Wrong with Everything,” a song whose ambitious scope reminds me of Alabama’s Lolas in both melody and message. “Scapegoat” is more of a chord cruncher that runs against the bully grain of American’s current dominant political strain. Then “Everything Belongs” guitar blasts through the hypocrisy of organized exclusion that is much of what passes for faith in today’s America. “Myth of a Nation” is even more hard hitting, calling out America’s bait and switch approach when it comes to immigrants and opportunity. “Metastupid World” leans into its critique of America’s current world leader pretend. However, the record is not all three-chord Chomsky lectures (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Woodard does pause to enthuse about “Coffee Houses” and “Baseball Cards.” Most importantly, the songs are brimming with his signature poppy hooks. And that’s gotta mean more satisfying fist-waving at those demos.

Minneapolis, Minnesota strummer Samuel Wilbur describes his latest album Ivory Tower as an ‘anti-capitalist end-of-the-world Rock Soap Opera,’ a description that really captures the critique suffusing nearly every song here. Sometimes it’s obvious, as on “Everything’s Falling Apart” or “Social Security Number.” But other tracks like “Hornet’s Nest” work up a metaphor to convey its message about inequality and the groupthink of those who struggle to maintain it.  Stylistically, the record is harder to define, the material toggling back and forth between Americana and a cosmopolitan pop vibe. Opening cut “Everything’s Falling Apart” exemplifies this genre-crossing practice, nodding to 1980s English guitar bands while throwing in some American indie rusticity. “Social Security Number” gives voice to the information exhaustion we all feel with the endless requests for all manner of identification, with guest vocalist Dani Michaele casting quite a different spell over the band sound. Another guest vocalist Meghan Kreidler gives a modern Kate Bush wash to “Ivory Tower” while “The Remainder” begins all Beatles before heading into the 1990s. By contrast, “Tired” moves entirely into a modern pop indie sound, sometimes grinding along, sometimes offering sweetness itself. The record ends with a rumination on consumption in “Everything Repeats,” wondering if we can stop ourselves before it’s too late.

Art is another way to do politics. It can be hard-hitting, insightful and definitely more fun than door-knocking. Help spread the word!

Photo ‘House of Women’ film still courtesy James Vaughn Flikr collection.

A little fright music

25 Saturday Oct 2025

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Throughout the year I try to set aside seasonal songs for a range of holidays and I have to say the quality and quantity of Halloween fare has been steadily improving. Here’s a spate of fright night singles and a top rank compilation album dedicated to chilling, thrilling and haunting your playlist. Candy not included.

Justin Kerecz says he’s living in “Devil Town.” The song kicks off with a mournful tone, almost Springsteen-esque. But things pick up halfway through, adding drama and depth. Toronto’s The Suffragettes rewrite a classic classical-music instrumental as “Satan’s Holiday,” leaning heavily on surf guitar. And they don’t spare the tremelo. It’s corpse cool for sure. Bloodshot Bill takes us back to a 1950s rockabilly monster rock with “Meet the Count.” Goofy but offset with deadly hip lead guitar work. Victoria’s The Origin strike some lighter pop notes on their winsome track “So You Think You Can Necromance.” I love the wordplay! A dip into Crater Creek’s Horror Anthology could expose you to some chilling screamcore. But the two songs featured here are anything but. “Caveman” is 25 seconds of blistering narrative development while “See Through” adds a Beach Boys beach-party campfire feel to a lovelorn ghost’s failure to connect with his human target. And it can’t be Halloween without an appearance from those reliable holiday pop punksters Vista Blue. “I Didn’t Get Invited to the Halloween Party” works on so many levels. It draws from neo-1950s disaster song motifs, elevating and intensifying the elements with a 1990s punky panache. These guys never get old (hm? Are they zombies?).

The major event this Halloween music season comes from Big Stir Records in the form of a compilation album entitled Chilling, Thrilling Hooks and Haunted Harmonies. The record contain 41 tracks, divided between 21 songs by different acts associated with the Big Stir stable of artists and 20 short spoken word/sound affects ‘link’ tracks that give the package a semblance of a thematic show. The album is an obvious homage to the 1964 Disneyland Records release Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House, right down the spoken word/sound effects components and a cover clearly inspired by Paul Wenzel’s distinctive artwork from the original. But it is the music that makes this release so special. Let’s face it, thematic holiday albums can often feel like forced, slapdash affairs. Not this one. The 21 original tunes here are quality power pop, holiday or not. Opening musical cut “Ghoul You Want” from Librarians With Hickeys sets the bar high with its subtle, smooth Zombies elan. This is the hit single, surely. Not that the other 19 songs aren’t worthy of maximum Halloween-radio rotation. Really, this is such a solid collection of songs, though more than I can cover in detail here. Instead I’ll just single out three more tracks that really caught my ear. First up I’d draw attention to Splitsville’s “I Was a Teenage Frankenstein.” Plenty of power in the pop here, melding melody-rich vocals with striking rhythm guitars. Then The Gold Needles crank up some hypnotic lead guitar lines on  “Ghost in the Airwaves.” I love hearing the reverby guitars ring. Last on, The Incurables give us a throwback to that 1950s meets seventies garage rock on “Halloween Bride.” The album’s short spoken-word segments performed by The Pepper’s Ghost Players could have descended into cringey cheese but instead evoke the fun over-the-top melodrama of 1960s monster movies. Chilling, Thrilling Hooks and Haunted Harmonies is a fabulous collection, lovingly crafted, expertly executed, and nicely priced. It’s a must-have double-album addition to your vinyl, CD, or digital music crypt.

I do the love the cheese of early 1960s fright night music/entertainment and, as you can see here, that tradition remains alive and well. Click on the links above to stock up on Halloween tunes while letting I. Jeziak and the Surfers guide you musically to the exits with their All Hallows’ Eve instrumental “Mummy Walk.”

Photo courtesy Kristina Alexanderson Flikr collection.

Carnival Treats: Uncle Funkle, The Lemons, Eerie Wanda, and Bloodshot Bill

19 Sunday Oct 2025

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Fall fairs abound in the small towns of many nations, with booths oscillating between the obvious and the obscene. In popular culture the ‘carnival’ particularly is often off the beaten track. In that spirit we offer up some musical acts that ride a fine line between family entertainment and not-ready-for-prime-time playing.

Let’s start with the most unready for prime time candidate, Uncle Funkle. The album is called Portrait of My Penis – need I say more? The album appears to have 46 tracks but nearly half amount to 30 seconds or so of AM radio send ups. And I’m not going to even try to capture what is going on here artistically. Every kind of style gets a look in, if only briefly, while the lyrical themes are typically wacky, decidedly unserious, and often obscene. But there are some good tunes and hilarious lyrics here. “Wilderness Survival” mocks end-of-times survivalists with a sing-along gusto. The electric guitars propelling “There’s Still Guitars in Country Music” seem to defy the ostensible genre-nod happening here but I’ll take them. “Last Night’s Dinner” is a 1950s derivative pop novelty number. And then late in the game comes a song that really rocks things up. “It’s All a Game” is the kind of a song that gets music nerds arguing about just where to draw the line between hard rock and power pop. Uncle Funkle may not be for everyone but the band is a great goofy blast in small doses.

Going in a totally different direction, The Lemons are suitable for everybody from kindergarten to the old folks home. The sound is seventies DIY, a bit folk rocky meets bubblegum pop. These guys could sub for the house band over at Schoolhouse Rocks, for sure. Another Yellow World is the group’s first record of originals in a decade and essentially takes up where they left off. These are mostly pretty pop tunes meant to be squeezed out of a small AM transistor radio speaker playing somewhere outside. Opening cut “Lemonade” is sweetness itself distilled into a minute and 16 seconds of melody. “I Love Lee” is so late 1960s radio ready while “Laura” begs to be a campfire crowd singalong. Despite the consistent aural texture of these recordings, there is variety. “Over and Over” reminds me of The Archies whereas “Honey” marries a brittle Byrds riffing to a stark vocal. Just when you think you’ve the measure of what is going here “My Submarine” throws in a garage rock feel. Closing track “Tallulah Falls” is real departure with its strong country vibe.

Dutch/Croatian artist Marina Tadic really is an original. Her Eerie Wanda records combine a performance art temperament with a folk pop aesthetic akin to Laurie Anderson, Suzanne Vega and Canadian Jane Siberry. Her best known work appears to be 2019’s Pet Town, a low key collection of sly tunes that gesture toward so many styles without really committing to any. It’s like the songs just take the shading but Tadic’s own inimitable songwriting and performance really define everything. Take “Rockabiller” as an example. It keeps us edging toward a more rocking blowout but Tadic never lets go the reins. The magic here is often in the subtle deployment of sounds. “Hands of the Devil” features a hypnotic use of handclaps. Opening cut and title track “Pet Town” gives you the whole treatment with a light, almost pixie-like playful array of strumming, keyboard notes and overlapping vocals. If there could a single from this collection, it would be the seductive “Magnetic Woman.” The project’s debut album Hum also has some great tunes, like the 1950s throwback “I am Over Here” and the Tristan-esque “The Reason.” By contrast, 2022’s Internal Radio moves in a decidedly more experimental direction.

Slip the needle onto Montreal native Bloodshot Bill’s latest album So Fed Up and you could be forgiven for locating him somewhere well south of the Mason-Dixon line. But as the presser for his 19th album spells it out, the sound is “equal parts wild-eyed ‘50s punk, greasy garage rock, and untamed hillbilly howl.” So in that sense it sorta belongs to everyone. And you’re gonna want a piece of this party platter. Things launch with the rockabilly dancer “Talk to You” before steadying the groove expertly on “Kissin Underwater.” “Rule Book” will get those heels kicking up pronto. “Say What You Want to Say” is just a classic 1950s country warbler. The slickest should-be radio single here would probably be “It Happens.” Personally I just love the guitar tones on this disc. “Please Don’t Break My Heart” kicks off with a Johnny Horton rockabilly guitar lead line before settling into a Nervous Norvus-style vocal. “The Very Thought of You” evokes the classic country sound Nashville seems to have forgotten with just a drop of John Fogerty-style swamp. Stumbling across Bloodshot Bill all I can say is ‘what a find!’

You’ve strolled down the midway at our online carnival and the treats are on display. Go ahead. Indulge yourself.

Photo ‘Almost Blues’ courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Around the dial: The Cords, Absolute Losers, The Sonny Wilsons, and The What Four

13 Monday Oct 2025

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Radio silence is over. We just can’t keep these maximum-rotation AM-spectacular acts under wraps.

As you hit play on The Cords self-titled debut album I bet I know just what you’re going to say. I was barely a minute into the record’s opening cut “Fabulist” when it struck me like thunder –  ‘wow, this is like The Primitives reincarnated.’ The reverb-drenched rhythm guitar, the hooky lead guitar lines, the lighter than air melodious vocals, it’s the total package. Follow up track “I Don’t Know (How To Be You)” also locks into a killer rhythm guitar groove that is relentlessly good. “October” then ups the ante adding some speed and a slightly more punky demeanor. “Vera” is something else again, with quirky chord changes and sixties-worthy ‘ba ba ba ba’s. “Bo’s New Haircut” was an early release single and it advertise the goods well with its slightly more slick C-86 style. Not that everything here is Coventry power-pop adjacent. “Weird Feeling” has a very different vibe going on, more poppy, less rocky, despite some strong beat group rhythm guitar work. By contrast “Rather Not Stay” conjures a very 1960s dolly-bird in minor-key style. Album closer “When You Said Goodbye” is a wistful farewell that carries a cinematic punch. You’re definitely going want to grab a copy of The Cords, it’s the guitar pop album we’ve all been waiting for.

Despite coming from Canada’s smallest province Prince Edward Island boys Absolute Losers have got a big big sound on their latest LP In the Crowd, brimming with jangle and Beatlesque melodies. Departing somewhat from the more experimental poprock sound of their 2023 debut album At the Mall, you only have to hear the opening chords of album opener “At the Same Time” to know this record is getting right to the rock and roll point. And it’s pretty much the same attack on “In the Crowd.” “Eagerness” pauses the rock bluster for some very April Wine high-melody moments. But the range of song stylings isn’t limited. There are clear Buddy Holly influences all over “Don’t Go” and some very George Harrison guitar flourishes colouring “For So Long.” “Better Things to Do” rides a pretty fine Beatles/Tom Petty line while “Kiss of Death” gives a punky feel to a solid BTO rhythm guitar groove. Shifting to a more modern mood, “You Never Say You Love Me” has a Sloan-like pop clarity to my ears. Then there’s “Letter,” a song that sounds like a more upbeat Weezer. Personally, I think “Your Colours” is also pretty special, almost folky with great jangly guitar and yearning vocals. Taken all in over one sitting the album is a delightful selection of tunes. Absolute Losers have produced a real winner with In the Crowd.

There’s no ambiguity for me, Maybe is definitely one the albums of the year. This debut release from Memphis outfit The Sonny Wilsons manages to sound comfortably familiar and strikingly different at the same time. It’s partly the tightness of the band’s performance. These guys sound like they’ve been playing together forever. But it’s also how the songs rework timeless rock motifs into something new. Take opening cut and title track “Maybe” as an example. It revs up like a lost new wave era classic but the distinctive vocal work somehow dislodges it from this period in a highly original way. Then “Deserea” gives us a taste of Led Zeppelin-style folkifying before launching a Blue Rodeo-like dark pop ballad. “Miss Kinetic” is more rock and roll hit single material, propelled by a twin blast of exciting electric lead and rhythm guitars. If there’s a divide in the material on this album, the cut lands between rockier and more acoustic guitar numbers. Songs like “Art of Letting Go” and “Who We Are” weave hooky lead guitar lines into rock songs that vibe The Beatles and even Blue Oyster Cult (in their poppier moments), respectively. Sometimes the rock drifts in more dissonant directions too, with both “Summer Rain” and “Ones and Zeros” reminding me of Chris Lund’s recent work. Contrasting this are the lush acoustic guitar tracks like “Favorite Spoon,” “Desert,” “What Happens,” and “Quicksand” where the band’s distinctive vocal work really come to the fore. I’d single out “Wheels” for future single-age. I love how its rocking verses veer a bit country in the chorus. And then there’s the big finish closer “The Way We Dance. ” What embarks as an off-kilter ballad, a slightly askew slow dance for a David Lynch soundtrack, picks up steam in the chorus in wonderfully unpredictable way.

On their debut EP (Four) The Record L.A. fourpiece The What Four offer us a gift from the past, both near and far. From the first bars of “Nowhere Blues” the atmosphere is set, it’s a neo-1950s J.D. McPherson vibe. This is only further reinforced by the languid bluesy groove established on “Long Long Way to Go.” But little will prepare you for the dramatic aural assault that is “Quarter to Midnight.” This track sizzles with a barely constrained rockabilly energy, enhanced by a modern set of pop melodic hooks. The effect is like a rockabilly version of the B52s. The EP’s hit single, definitely. Or is it? “Sunday Morning Ain’t So Easy” wraps up the show with a snappy danceable earworm that says play me over and over. This one would be in maximum radio rotation if I could buy the network. The only really disappointing thing about this release is its brevity, with just 4 songs running a scant 12 minutes. A long-player SOS has gone out for this act over all the usual channels.

Today’s line-up populating our radio dial are astonishingly good. Give then a crack at radio stardom or the sale of a tune or two by clicking the hyper-links above.

Photo courtesy Joe Haupt Flikr collection.

I get mail: Elvis Eno, Star Collector, Rumble Strip, and many more!

07 Tuesday Oct 2025

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It seems so old school but mail still regularly arrives, bills and grocery fliers mostly. Not so many envelopes with cheques as there used to be unfortunately. Luckily the electronic mail sack shows no sign of losing its girth. People write to tell me about their music and that gets me scribbling this note to you.

John Dunbar keeps exploring his alter ego Elvis Eno, mirroring the career of a slightly more famous not-from-Memphis Elvis on his recent LP I’ll See Myself Out. As other Elvis recorded an album with a classically minded quartet so too does this one with The Fragment Quartet. The effect is striking but underneath it all everything comes down to the songs. Here the stand out track for me is “A Lady of an Uncertain Age.” So XTC with a dash of Moody Blues. Ed Woltil has a new duo pairing, this time working with Kirk Adams to deliver a new LP Eat the Sunshine, Drink the Starshine. The record has got a well-crafted 1970s pop sound to my ears with so many interesting adornments tucked in here and there. “Last Call 4 Lost Dogs” is an exquisite mediation on pop tune-age with a bit swing. On album #7 Vancouver’s Star Collector have lost none of their star quality. The band kick out the jams on a number of rockers here but I’m loving the more low-key tunes. “Overblown” has a gentle pacing and lilting melody while “The Best Thing” is sunny poprock tossing off hooks like sparks.

Rumble Strip return with their affecting mix of folk and roots music on Sayonara, Baby. The songs are varied and maximum fun. “It Could Always Be Worse” sounds so Huey Lewis and News while “Uber Driver” has a vaudeville quality. “Adam West” is a great character-driven pop song. But the top track here gives the LP its name. Get a load of the deep psychedelic vibes coming your way from Seattle’s Acapulco Lips. Like The Primitives but with a more distortion pedal. “You Won’t” is from the band’s recent long-player Now and it just brims with pop excitement, driven by some fabulous reverb-drenched lead guitar work. It’s been awhile since we heard from Jonathan Rundman singing about librarians and such. Now he’s making Waves as his new release denotes and it’s an approachable mix of rootsy tunes with surprising hooks. “Veronika Ann” has a very Freedy Johnson feel while “Let’s Put on a Opera” is curio pop sophistication.

I’m a sucker for piano only albums. There is something stripped-down and reduced to essentials about a guy tickling the keys with just his voice for contrast. On Rich Restaino’s new record 88s and Heartaches: A Solo Piano Retrospective he goes out on solo piano limb and makes it work. “Drunk on the Company Dime” draws out the rich shades that only a piano can provide with lyrics that perfectly drape the tune.

Just popping this into the internet post for you. And you can carry on the chain mail with nary a stamp required. Just hit those hyperlinks for an express post to the music of your choice.

Photo ‘I wrote you a letter but forgot to mail it’ courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Shopping for singles

02 Thursday Oct 2025

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Back in the day the big decision was whether to pick up a 45 or go for the whole album. If you knew you were going to like it, the album was definitely the better deal financially. But in the era of physical product it was often hard to needle-drop across the full LP before ponying up the cash. Thankfully those days are over! Now you can sample these 21 new tunes with no commitment at all.

Brooklyn’s Cut Worms dial up the country vibe on their recent 45 “Evil Twin” in a very Wilco way, accent on acoustic guitars and tasty electric lead guitar licks. Game Theory are one of those legendary great lost bands whose fan base mostly consists of other musicians. Chris Richards and the Subtractions cover the band’s “Make Any Vows” with the loving care of real fans. The tune really suits their clashy guitar sound. Australian Gavin Bowles is not shy about sharing the details of his lady problems. This time his band Gavin Bowles and the Distractions lays it out on “She Hates My Guts.” Ouch. Plenty of ringing lead guitar lines and sad sack lyrics of the most enjoyable kind. The career of Daisy House is proof positive the charts are not just. Their ability to conjure up the best elements of the 1960s was unparalleled. Still, band leader Doug Hammond manages to find a few lost tracks here and there, like the striking ballad “The Seducer.” The aura is so Netflix Elizabethan-period drama love-scene. Check out the appetizing lead guitar work luring you in to Invisible Rays’ recent stand-alone single “I Don’t Dream of You.” The Boston combo are just so reliably good.

It was really hard to pick just one song to feature from Toronto’s The Young Novelists new album These Dark Canyons. At first I thought I’d go with the Americana-ish “All My Friends Are Leaving.” Then I was struck by the strong new wave hooks defining “Gimme Your Love.” But then I heard “Run Away” and that was it. The song kicks off very Golden Seals before settling into a sing-along chorus. You can always rely on Peter Yorn for something a bit different but still hooky. On “Ana Capri” you’ve got an AM radio chorus wrapped in verses that take up an inventive, intriguing soundscape. Have we got time for an oldie? If it’s Robert Ellis Oral the answer has to be yes. “Love’s On the Way” is from his 1986 album The War Between Us and it time-trips me back to a very special kind of poprock, one that could combine commercial chops with ear wormy hooks. Time to get back to the garage for some down and dirty rock that never loses grip on its magnetic melodic undercurrent. The Low Spirits “Can’t Love You Back” is a distilled drink of 1966. Another pull from the past is a song from Dave Paulson’s 2018 Tommy Boy themed album Sandusky, Ohio. “Don’t Let It Get You Down” sounds like a 1970s singer-songwriter romp, oscillating between different instruments and pacing while falling somewhere between Gilbert O’Sullivan and ELO.

Toronto’s Nicky Koro gets his jangle on with his recent summer 45 “Dreamin’.” Wow, this track has got ‘classic’ stamped all over its 2 minutes and 22 seconds. The shimmery guitars and seductive vocals meld together so pop perfectly. Not everyone in The Jerrys is named Jerry. The gal in their recent song “Kentucky Girl” may not even be from Kentucky. What we do know is the band combines an infectious hit of Merseybeat with the folk pop sensibility of bands like The Lilac Time. Nothing seems to be able arrest the creative energy of Power Pop Hall of Famers The Spongetones and that is a very good thing. Their most recent album is a 40th anniversary concert that also includes three newly recorded songs. They’re all so good it seems almost churlish to highlight one over another. Nevertheless, I’m leaning toward “Lulu’s In Love” as my current fave (but that could change by next week). More Toronto? Yes please. Ontario’s capital city gives us Octoberman and his indie folk rumination implicating “Harry Nilsson.” Things get a bit rocky in the middle but I’ve always like that kind of folkie flexibility from acts like Hayden and this one. Man has this band Pouts got the mid-sixties British Invasion sound down, with just a bit Britpop coating. “Stay Awhile” swings along, largely carried by its rhythm guitar with break out lead guitar lines adorning all the non-vocal spaces. Delightful!

Mark Ward’s new stand-alone track “I Don’t Care” launches hard with loud guitars before melting into a melody-drenched chorus. The overall feel is very early 1980s melodic rock while the sentiment is good old fashioned social critique. Grrrl Gang are an Indonesian force of nature. Their music is super-charged and danceable while their melodies are positively delectable. “O, My Love” is brimming with energy and insight – another winner, for sure. If we want to genre-shift to something a bit more homey and old time country-meets-rock and roll then The International Treasures fit the bill. “Last Regret” would have made a good number for the Everlys but this version is pretty sweet too. I’m getting my Canadian content in today, particularly from my own Toronto neighbourhood. Ron Sexsmith has a new album out and it is everything you’d expect: wistful, aching, and packed full of memorable melodies. I’m hitting replay on “It’s Been Awhile,” which captures my own longing for more Sexsmith material over the years. Another band with a new album are The Mommyheads. No Quietus is another installment of intelligent pop music, played with the pop sophistication of an XTC or Tally Hall. Check out “It’s Only Life” to get a taste of this superior pop product.

Ron Sexsmith “It’s Been Awhile”

One more time to the Toronto well for a wrap on our 21 single salute with Pony’s seismic song “Superglue.” This one has got the gloss, the shimmer, and the cheeky alluring hooks that just keep coming and coming. Surrender to the total sonic wash going on here.

Single shopping was never so easy as this. No salesman will call. Just hit on the hyperlinks and pile up your purchases from the comfort of your own couch.

Photo ‘Bruntsfield at night’ courtesy Bryonv2 Flikr collection.