Jangly guitars don’t really go out of style. Especially if they’re wrapped up in a gauzy, shoegazey atmosphere and feature strong melodic hooks. The 1990s Britpop scene brought jangle back into the mainstream of the music charts and since then it has maintained a niche popularity. Now three new bands grab the torch and look poised to set the charts ablaze all over again. All hail from the north of England, though some are more northern than others. Manchester’s The Guest List have a restrained demeanor on their recent single “Something Real,” the vocal a laid back contrast to the bright lead guitar lines. At least until they get to the chorus where the vocals flare out with a bit more melodic vitality. Keyside are an exciting outfit from Liverpool that have rallied a glut of fans over the past two years with a series of killer 45s. The latest “Lemon and Lime” is a sunny, chime-driven bit of tune-age. Bit by bit there are filling out enough of a catalogue for a superb debut LP. Derby’s Marseille are the most southern of the groups and also the most hard hitting guitar-wise. The amps occasionally inch up to eleven here. You can hear the strong psych rock notes mixing with sheer Britpop jangle on the band’s last single “Out of the Blue.” If this is the beginning of a Britpop renaissance, count me in.
Click on the hyperlinks above to learn more about these fabulous Britpoppy bands.
Photo “American Poison” courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.
It’s not just oversweet factory-made lemonade. Country time is a state-of-mind way-of-life. You can stretch it in a bunch of different directions, mix it up with various other genres, and somehow not dislodge its essential country-ness. All the acts here come at country with their own special baggage. Let’s start unpacking.
Minnesota musical everyman Adam Levy returns with his country outfit Turn TurnTurn and a fabulous 11 track new LP All Hat No Cattle. The sonic flavours here range from the Appalachian Civil War-themed “Antietam” to the honky tonkin’ “Last Drink” to the Mexican-flavoured “Cities.” And that’s just the first three songs! Seriously, this band shifts country gears like a Kentucky sports car. Check out the shivery vocal work on “Magnolia Tree” or the Bakersfield twang and killer organ colouring “Trouble.” Most of the songs vibe country traditions in a pretty honest rendering but there are a few contemporary-sounding efforts too. Both “Serious” and “Hungry Ghosts” have great pop hooks. Or you can go back in time with “When Love Reigns” and its lovely 1962 rock and roll demeanor. I’m a sucker for the folky “Manitowoc” – such a sublime chorus. And make sure to hang in there after the closing cut “Solid State” for the hidden title track.
Slipping back in time genre-wise and with only half our previous title, Joshua Hedley gives up a full serving of western swing on All Hat. If you’ve ever hankered after a Bob Wills or Merle Travis tune then this is the record for you. Right from the opening cut “All Hat (No Cattle)” you know Hedley has nailed this. His evocation of the period is a high fidelity 1940s time trip. Every aspect of the historical mood is here. “Boogie Woogie Tennesse” is vibing Johnny Mercer something serious. There’s polkas with “Hedliner Polka” while “Fresh Hot Biscuits” is square dance central. “Clueless” is a perfectly structured 1940s song vamp with solo piano work that is exquisite. Songs with a recognizable historical style can sound stilted but Hedley has tracks like “Crawlin’ Home to You” sounding freshly pressed and ready to wear. And, as with a lot of western swing, there’s a strong jazz element to what is going on, as in evidence on “Over The Line” and “Come Take a Ride With Me.” Hedley notes on the album write up that western swing was dance music played in dance halls, not theatres. This record offers you what amounts to an amazing evening of classy dancing 1940s style.
Winnipeg’s Boy Golden mines a rich vein of rock and roll country on his latest long-playing release Best of Our Possible Lives. There’s a confident strut and swagger here reminiscent of a 1979-era Tom Petty. This is a take on country I can really get behind. The brilliance of the package on offer here is all there on opening cut “Suffer.” The ambience is cinematic, delivered with smooth talk/singing style I last heard aced on my Aaron Lee Tasjan records. ‘I want know where my money went, I want a new effin’ President,’ sings the founder and minister of The Church of Better Daze. All I can say is – preach brother! As the tracks play on you can hear the style defiance going on. Boy Golden puts a recognizable stamp on this work but nothing really sounds the same. “Cowboy Dreams” is another outstanding track, a duet with Cat Clyde. The vocals and distinctive lead guitar work weave together creating a special sonic space. “Eyes” takes haunting to new spooky levels. Then you’ve got a tune like “Meadowsweet” that straddles pop and folk with a meditative intensity. Title track “Best of Our Possible Lives” is a killer closer, so subtly catchy.
It’s a wrap on country time with the Brennan Wedl and Waxahatchee cover of the Kathleen Edwards song “Six O’Clock News.” This one is just effortless good -time tuneage by all concerned.
Live it up, country style. Who knows when country time may be coming around again.
If good radio could clean up the nation we’d be making a start here. Sound salvation? It could be, it’s whatever works for you. Today’s crew help out by offering many routes to the same good place.
Jeremy Messersmith’s new LP Fox/Coyote is all about ambience. Take opening cut “Billionaires” as a case in point. Its hypnotic slow-shuffle buffets a sweet-mellow pop vibe. It’s like you’re floating above all those tawdry economic conflicts going on below. “Boomers” is cut from the same stylistic cloth and further develops Messersmith’s populist economic critique. More hummable than Marx’s Capital that’s for sure. “Huckleberry” completes this urban pop triptych. The sonic atmosphere is akin to anything you might hear on the charts but still retains some semblance of melody. “Stallions” also fits into this dreamy pop milieu. From there the album starts to take a turn, back to more familiar Messersmith curio song stylings. “I Don’t Trust That Boy” puts the guitar and a twisted lyrical sense back front and centre. “Spiral Bound” has to resonate with any progressive politically-aware American these days. The album also sees Messersmith auditioning to be somebody’s boyfriend in his trademark droll, sad sack way on tracks like “Rainy Day Boyfriend,” “Lucky Number” and “The View.” And “Nothing At All” has great advice for world-wrecking tech bros everywhere. Favourite cut? It would have to be “Can’t Get Out Of My Own Way” with its Beatles ’67 meets ELO aura. My advice is spend some time with Fox/Coyote – it’s a dose of what’s right in American independent music today.
Imagine if those kids from theatre camp started a band. Now listen to Boys Go to Jupiter. It’s like you’ve been dropped into some manic musical, but without all the dance routines. Second album Now You’re a Circle takes up where the band left off on Meet Me After Practice with more big and bold numbers. Opening cut “Sunshine (Never Trust Anyone Named Jeanette)” has a 1970s Jeff Lynne sense of spectacle, with just a touch of disco strings. Actually I can totally see this as big Broadway staged production. From there the tempo shifts into smooth pop on “Wake Up Layla” and “Do It Over.” Then “Flying Machine” comes out of nowhere with its enticing mix of acoustic instruments and harmony vocals. “Revenge Tour” is like one of those second act songs where the lead’s best friend does some truth telling. Then I imagine “Handstand” is the sweet melancholic summer’s end goodbye from that girl in the Beach Boys’ “Girl Don’t Tell Me” (she really meant to write). The album closer is an emotional powerhouse where “The Rules of You” sees vocalist Jess Kantorowitz channeling a Joni Mitchell-esque tenderness. Trust me, a spin or two of Now You’re a Circle will make you a believer that lasts into the run-out groove.
A master doesn’t have to step on the gas pedal quite so much to get where he’s going. That’s Robert Ellis Orrall – songwriter, performer, producer, hit-maker, and then some. You can hear what I’m talking about all through the title track of his new LP Wonderland. It’s an understated masterpiece, grand and sparely delivered all at the same time. Then with “Brand New Me” and “I’m Coming With You” we steer into a familiar AM radio pop groove. “Carol Ann” departs from the formula, adding an ominous undercurrent to its radio friendly hooks. Orrall’s arranging skills come to fore on this LP. He really knows how to dress a song. Listen to how he drapes both “I Disappear” and “Underground” with alluring guitar lines. It’s easy to hear how both “When Will You Love Me Again” and “Where Do We Go From Here?” could be larger-than-life hits for any number of artists but I like Orrall’s even tempered 1980s treatments. This is really apparent on “I’m Only Me (When I’m With You),” a song that practically begs to be big and dramatic but Orrall keeps it low-key and pretty, only upping the punch slightly in the chorus. The record ends with “End Title Song,” an amusing tip of the hat to all those songs that run out over the movie credits. Wonderland really reminds me how much I’ve been missing this kind of performance.
Imagine your favourite 45 year old band returned with a new album and it sounds as fresh and inspired as their early work. That’s what you’re gonna get with The Krayolas new LP Barbed Wire. Ok, only six tunes here are new but the mix of old and new just makes my point – everything here is quality tune-age. The record rocks in a number of styles: very Stonesy on title track “Barbed Wire Road,” more swamp rock blues a la George Thorogood with “Long Leaf Pine,” and turning to a 12 bar vamp on “Goose Is Cooked (Yakety Song).” But folk styles fill out a great deal of the record too, from the harmonica-laden Dylanesque “Hurtin’ Me Baby” to the more English folk feel of “Bird Don’t Fly Away” and “Does She Know.” “Deceiver” switches gears again, reminding us of the band’s strengths with mid 1960s pop motifs. “Exit Saleda” closes things out with a strong Mexicali flavour, featuring Augie Myers and Flaco Jiminez. What a band! And they’re promising a whole LP of new material sometime in 2027.
Well we’ve filled out a few more inches on the reel-to-reel. Take your pick and tune in more closely to whatever sounds like salvation to you with the hyperlinks provided.
Sometimes you really don’t know what you’re missing until you stumble across it. Like Luxury Fruit. I mean, what is such a thing? Just pieces of fruit in really nice condition? Or a cheeky musical outfit offering hours of fun for the discerning listener? I’ve just discovered the latter and their recent EP In Case You Didn’t Feel Like Selling Out and I’m still recovering from how funny and smart the songs are. “Liked You Better” kicks things off lowkey, like some off-Broadway exposition song, before breaking into a gorgeous chorus. Then “Cowards” sounds 1970s California pop smooth with just a bit of edge. “Tekken Liberties” appears to combine Japanese fighting games and pretty raunchy sex. And to wrap things up the band offers up “Space Bees,” a mini-rock opera about bees, complete with performance instructions contained in the Bandcamp lyrics drop-down toggle. There’s something really 10cc-meets-Todd Rundgren’s Utopia going on here. My only complaint is the brevity of the whole enterprise, barely filling their allotted 15 minutes of fame.
But this is where things get good because Luxury Fruit are not some indie rock slackers serving up an EP and a lame live album in alternating years. Over the past twelve months they’ve served up three EPs. That’s right, for the low, low price of just $12 US you get a whole year’s supply of Luxury Fruit. And I can attest that level of productivity comes at no cost in creative quality. EP #2 Neo Rococco is full of slightly twisted poppy delights. “Please Mr. Deputy” is like a country add to the A Mighty Wind soundtrack. “discofugazi” pop course corrects, with this EP’s sex content. “Cynical Man” is carried by a notable George Harrison lead guitar quaver. The EP ends with “No Alibis,” a finely structured pop masterpiece.
This brings us to the band’s first installment in this year-long trilogy of EPs, Being Calm is Fun. I don’t want to appear to play favourites with the children but this one is my fave. “Jesus Christ or Spider Man” is both pop song and pop culture genius. And it sounds like it could easily slip into the 1960s cartoon soundtrack. ‘Spider Christ amen’ indeed. Then “Grifters on the Grind” kicks off with an uber cool guitar riff before scaling up in the chorus with some amazing vocals. The message is pretty on-point timely too. “My Deadly Gender Reveal” vibes some ethereal Moody Blues before launching a Blue Oyster Cult rocking interlude. “You Know Like You Do” is a big-finish pop wonder of a tune.
Luxury Fruit combine pop culture smarts with winning hooks that falls somewhere between XTC and They Might Be Giants. So don’t delay, get stocked on up your one-year supply right now. And when that runs out, you can check out their cheeky earlier outfit, Westside Daredevils! Psst, don’t forget to explore the lyrics tabs on Bandcamp for some hilarious hidden commentary.
Poprock Record 