Our top stories are breaking big with brand new talent, a peppy return from a comeback kid, a seventies style revival, and some solid, dependable jangle. Headlines don’t tell the whole tale so dig in to the detailed coverage below.

Toronto’s Mike Frolick is the brains behind the Birthday Squirrel operation. His new debut LP Higher, Warmer has a rustic charm, flashing indie folk, Americana, and Tom Petty vibes. Opening cut “Did Ya Ever” conjures a dark folkie groove that soldiers along, interspersing striking though subdued instrumental ornamentation here and there. Definitely a mood setter.  “Marc Maron” tips things into a more Hayden-esque direction. Then “Low Life” has touches of Tom Petty in his more acoustic guitar settings. The songs on the album tend to move in one of two directions, a consistent groove lightened by unexpected sonic adornments or something that builds as it goes along. “Better Than I Was” and “2 Chords” are solid examples of the former while “Parts Boutique” and “Home About” showcase the latter. As a listening experience this is an album you can really live with, picking up hints of other artists upon repeated listens. A bit of Joe Pernice on “Holding You,” a Jayhawks feel to “Operation Hazy Jane,” or more Tom Petty with “Cowboys on the Weekend.” Standout track here for me is undoubtedly “Methylene Blues.” The opening banjo catches my ear and I love the light dusting of keyboards lingering in the background before the song dives into the grungy chorus. Very Eels-like. “Belts” wraps things up with something different again, especially the distinctive keyboard flourishes.

In 2020 Bruce Moody was the middle-aged comeback kid, peddling a fabulous collection of his unreleased 1980s era recordings as Forever Fresh! Then in 2024 he pulled a few more lost treasures out of the vault, giving them a modern makeover for PopCycle. Now on the aptly-named Keep Showing Up! he proves his creative spark is definately alive in the present. The vibe here is still very much in that power pop sweet spot circa 1978-82 though, given how our times have broken down all genre walls, the songs could be from anytime in the new millennium. Dropping the needle anywhere on the album the sound could be Dwight Tilley or The Outfield or Mark Oliver Everett’s ‘E’ project. “Mary Goes ‘Round” opens the record with a splash of keyboard but then it’s new wave rhythm guitar all the way. “She’ll Never Know” is very 1979 Knack or Cars. Then “Break My Silence” ventures out into a broader 1980s feel. As the record plays it’s clear the songwriting throughout the album is consistently strong. Moody’s tunes often sound deceptively simple but routinely feature a knock-out killer chorus. As you can hear on “Local Hero,” “Love Is,” and “Cruise Control.”  Stylistically, there are departures too, like the psych Beatles-tinged “Natassja” that includes a bagpipe solo and the enigmatic “Ghosts!” with its distinctive opening and uneasy pop tension. Or check out the inventive build on “Waiting for You.” This one has a Buggles or a-ha sonic appeal to it. Run, don’t walk, to your power pop retailer for this LP!

Chicago’s Modern Shag sound anything but modern or shaggy. They are smooth sixties-sounding jangle purveyors, with hints of psychedelia and California sunshine pop vocals. Their self-titled EP opens with “Dream of Your Life Right Now,” an easy-going, laid-back introduction to this band’s oeuvre. “Feel Luv” sounds more Beatlesque in a 1967 groovy mode. Sometimes I feel this EP wavers between the Bryds and Buffalo Springfield, occasionally slipping into Crosby, Still, and Nash territory. “You can hear it on You Gotta Go” where insistent vocals are matched by in-your-face jangle guitar. By contrast, “I Think I Get It Now” could be seen as a newer example of the genre, e.g. The Jayhawks. Then you have “Backpage,” a track that launches with alluring guitar work before grabbing you with the vocal melodies. And then it’s over all too soon, just shy of 15 minutes.

Two years after they wowed us with their debut LP Don’t and Do’s The Radio Field return with Air and Sunlight and it’s a jangle stunner, stretching the genre in new directions. Things open with the familiar sounding “It’s Alright.” This is the stop for Dropkick and Teenage Fanclub fans. “Ride With Me” is parked in this same wheelhouse. But hear the difference on tracks like “Apogee” and “Same” where the jangle ambience is darker, more remote. This is an album that is regularly shifting gears. There’s the swinging positivity of “Sellout” and bustling drumming pushing “Hey You” along. “What It Takes” fattens the jangle sounds while “Sun Dial” does the opposite, giving space to jangle guitars to really ring out. This oscillation of moods and tempos makes the album feel like a journey, one you don’t want to end.

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Photo courtesy Alex Eylar Flikr collection.