Tags
American Suitcase, Army Navy, Jagger Holly, Kool Kat Kristmas Vol. 3, MonaLisa Twins, Sofa City Sweetheart, Sunshine Boys, The Brothers Steve, Todd Herfindal
It’s been blasting in your ears for last two months I know: festive music! Typically the same 20 songs or so. But I refuse to Grinch out on holiday music simply because we’ve become tired of the classics and not-so-classic that dominate the airwaves and the shops. So as my [insert appropriate holiday commitment here] present to you, dear reader, I’ve scoured the poprock-o-sphere for some fresh holiday tune-age. And I’m happy to report there’s still a whole lot of great stuff to choose from!
Let’s start with a brand new blast of melodic punky goodness from Jagger Holly. “Mistletoe” appears on the band’s just released seasonal LP It’s Christmas Somewhere. Overall, the record is defined by a Ramones-esque approach to crunchy speed rock and roll where the band takes on classics like “Santa Baby” while also offering up a host of original tunes. I chose “Mistletoe” because it slows the generally frenetic tempo a bit and showcases the band’s impressive stylistic range, tapping a more indie 1980s melodic rock vibe. With their album #1 The Brothers Steve already gave us a pretty spectacular present this year. But was that enough? No. So in time for the holidays they’ve cooked up a double-sided holiday single entitled Christmas Magic (even though neither song has that title!). Personally, I love “Listen Up! It’s Christmastime” with its oh so subtle ear wormy chorus and warm cocoon of background vocals enveloping the whole track. It’s got the sound of a classic poprock holiday tune to me! The Austria-cum-Liverpool MonaLisa Twins initially made their name as a YouTube cover tune sensation, though recently they’ve released albums of original material too. And they’re actually twins. Their records have an amazing vibe! Rootsy with Merseybeat accents and those spine-tingling blood harmonies. Their plainly-named seasonal record is Christmas, and it contains all the usual tunes with a key exception: “Walking in the Air.” The song is known to Brits from appearing in the Howard Blake-scored animated film of Raymond Briggs’ children’s book The Snowman. Child soprano Aled Jones’ version is a bit choiry for my tastes. The MonaLisa Twins transform the song into a rootsy, indie classic! I would have loved to hear the Everly Brothers cover this.
The Brothers Steve – Listen Up! It’s Christmas TimeMonaLisa Twins – Walking in the Air
Despite the un-Christmas-y climate, Los Angeles native Todd Herfindal gets right into the spirit, ramping up the jangle on a trio of jingle tunes with a maxi-single entitled Christmas Star. The title track sparkles guitar-wise with heartfelt vocals in the verses giving way to some shimmering harmonies in the chorus. Hard to choose between this one and the Fountains of Wayne swing of “Santa’s Got Something for You” as my fave. So why choose? Consider it a ‘double A-sided single’ with something extra. Chicago’s Sunshine Boys step on the stereotypical Christmas bells pretty hard as this song opens but what follows is an amazing tune, an instant sing-a-long. “I Love Christmastime” is a bit poignant, a smile-inducer for sure, with candy cane jangle lead guitar lines and a cool subtle organ layering in the background. Another instant classic, IMHO. Norwegians American Suitcase offer up tune that sounds like a country-era Byrds holiday moment with “Christmas Blues #2”: a catchy lead guitar line lures you in to a sweet tune, cloaked in holiday harmonies and hooks. A pleasing addition to any holiday mix.
American Suitcase – Christmas Blues #2
Now for something a bit different, Sofa City Sweetheart’s “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” from their holiday EP Christmas on the Sofa. While I’m not one for traditional carols as my go-to holiday songs typically, what works here is how the stark simplicity of the piano and vocals resonate in a truly beautiful and touching performance. The EP is full of other highlights as well, like the engaging instrumental “Boogie Woogie Midnight.” LA’s Army Navy also got into the holiday music game with “Stay In,” a lushly acoustic-driven poprock treat, with clever lyrics and a nice vocal counterpoint to lead singer Justin Kennedy with The Like’s Charlotte Froom. The tempo is very cozy-by-the fire hipster, in a good way. My last recommendation is a bit of a cheat – I usually limit myself to nine suggestions but the ninth this time is actually an album! But Kool Kat Kristmas Vol. 3 is worth bending the rules for. This is a solid collection in terms of songwriting and performance quality, consistency, and listenability (from a poprock perspective, of course). Highlights include Evert Almond’s Beach Boys-inflected “Have a Very Very Very Merry Christmas,” Nick Frater’s perennial parental threat “Christmas is Cancelled,” Richard Turgeon’s Pansy Division-esque “Skippin’ Christmas,” The Stan Laurels’ dreamy “Noche Buena,” and the big guitar sounds of Ed Ryan’s “Noel (You Gotta Sing).” You can put this one on and just hit play – it’s that good.
It is my belief that melody makes the world a little less dark, so I do hope my little blog has given you the gift of some happy moments this year. And to all the featured artists, I hope it has filled your bank account with some financial love. With that in mind, hey readers, click on the artist links and let the spirit of giving begin! Merry happy everyone, wherever you are and whatever you believe.
The 1963-4 Beatles’ sound has become its own distinctive musical oeuvre, influencing bands around the world and across time. In the Merseybeat era, one could hear it from English bands like Gerry and Pacemakers and Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas or Americans like the Bobby Fuller Four, and many others. The late 1970s saw the sound revived by mocksters like The Rutles or in note-perfect tributes from Utopia on their Deface the Music. Then a host of new wave bands dug out their skinny ties and rediscovered the sound as the 1970s gave way to the eighties. Now it’s just a thing music-literate bands might do to show off their stylistic chops! Today’s post attends to that melodic Mersey sound, both old and new.
Can’t believe the mailbag is full again! But here we are. It’s nice to hear from people and even nicer that people pay attention to what I’m doing and send suggestions that really work with the blog’s over-arching theme. So here’s another batch of self-promoting rock and roll melody pushers that deserve three minutes or so of your time!
Who needs black Friday and interminably long line-ups when you can just hit ‘buy track’ from the comfort of your own electronic device? Doing some e-music shopping today instead would be my advice. And, luckily for you, Day 5 of our solid-week-of-singles event ends today with a strong set of poprock suggestions to go musically shopping for. Swiss producer David Langhard is the force behind Howlong Wolf and our featured song “You Made It (Into This Song)” from their latest album Norwegians Can’t Refuse. I love the muscular slickness of the production here. Back when AM radio used to both reflect and influence popular tastes, this is just the sort of polished poprock that ruled (and rightly so). New Jersey’s Joe Normal and the Anytown’rs are slick too, but in a different way. Their killer single “Don’t Hurt Me” exudes classic rock and roll radio, with a nice melodic undercurrent. In that brief time when the FM dial was the new rock trendsetter in the 1980s, this baby is just the sort of thing that blasted out of cars all over town. Jordan Jones’ album is titled Self-Titled and it’s being written up across the powerpop blogosphere but what is interesting to me is how everybody seems to choose different tunes to focus on. Personally, I’m loving “Waiting” with its 1960s-meets-1980s hooky sound and distinctive guitar ring. We here at Poprock Record loved Propeller’s 2017 LP Don’t Ever Let This Let You Down. Now they’re back with a neat EP entitled Three Steps to Better Listening and it’s not false advertising. “There Goes a Day” has a big shimmery guitar sound and layered vocals reminiscent of The Mighty Lemon Drops or Matthew Sweet or The Primitives. Is this a prelude to a new album? Yes please! Another highly anticipated release for this blog is anything by Portland’s wonderful music eccentric Mo Troper. We gushed over his stunning 2017 LP Exposure and Response and gasped when the Bond franchise didn’t snap up his should-be Bond theme “Never Dream of Dying.” Now he’s back with a pre-release single from his forthcoming 2020 album Natural Beauty and it’s another winner. “Jas from Australia” is a sneaky piece of pop goodness, slightly jarring but ultimately ear-wormy in its effects upon repeated listenings.
Thursday’s child doesn’t have far to go for some hooky tunes this week. Day 4 of our solid-week-of-singles event runs the gamut from jangle to rawk guitars to neo-glam swing to fully-loaded keyboard pop. Sugar World is the new project of two former members of Florida’s Naps, now relocated to San Diego, California. Their lone release is the single, “Sad in Heaven,” which reminds me of the janglicious work of German indie darlings, The Catherines. Bouncy, light, and memorable – just what a single should be! Aloner likes to set his amp to 11. Regularly. Don’t let the adorable kitties on the covers fool you, this is a guy who likes to rawk. But beneath the wall of guitars veneer are some solid melodies, like “Middle Man” from his latest long-player In Between. Even the rock solo is hooky! (I confess, there are few acoustic interludes on the record now and then, like the lovely “Not Cool”). Hanky Panky bring a bit of continental French cool to our post with a song from their latest release, Life is Not a Fairy Tale. “Milk” opens with chords and guitars that sound punk before being overtaken by some uber cool organ swirls that take the song in a more indie poprock direction. The vocalist’s discernable French accent also adds allure to an already winning tune! Chicago’s Lucille Furs 2019 album another land channels a lot of influences to my ears: the neo-glam sound of acts like Vaccines or Bosco Rogers, the vocal stylings of Mika (if he were a new wave artist), to name just a few. It’s an album of fun songs but “Paint Euphrosyne Blue” really stands out for me. It’s an irresistible tune with a driving beat and solid retro guitar and keyboard hooks. And not many lyricists can work ‘cisgender boys’ into a song and not sound pedantic! Last up for Thursday, we head off to Italy to hear Zac’s new single, “I Got Something in my Mind.” The track opens with an ominous keyboard that suddenly shifts into a sound that is so late 1970s poprock a la Supertramp, if that band recorded new wave tunes. The album is also called Zac and there’s more of the poptastic same all over it.
Few acts pay tribute to Wednesday. Elvis Costello, the Undertones, and that band from L.A. were on to something with “Wednesday Week.” Of course, the idiomatic expression actually refers to a week from Wednesday but we’re not waiting. Day 3 of our solid-week-of-singles event can’t be put off. Stuart Kidd is one hard working musical dude, involved with countless bands and musical projects in his native Scotland. But he still finds time to pump out solo albums under the moniker KiDD. Chance Weekend is his latest long player and I’m particularly partial to “Little One.” The song has a breezy charm, coating a timeless pop tune with just a bit of 1990s indie grind. Just another reason that Scotland really seems like a poprock Mecca to me these days. Australia’s Tim Minchin gets more done before breakfast than most people do in lifetime: actor, hit musical writer (e.g. Matilda), film producer/director, comedian, political commentator, and so on. He also puts out some sparkling one-off singles. “15 Minutes” seems almost operatic in its ambition and scope but works because underneath it all is catchy tune. And where are those robots, by the way? On this track and many others, Minchin is worth paying attention to. Todd Herfindal is another musical over-achiever (lucky for us!) with songs appearing all over the TV and movie-sphere. “Bound for the Sun” is a solid piece of poprock songwriting, delivered with a recognizably 1980s FM radio sheen. Herfindal’s back catalogue is definitely worth exploring (but more on that in another post!). Closing out Wednesday’s quartet are The Enlows, a three piece hailing from Sacramento, California. Their recent album, Taking Aim, is a rollicking collection of punk-tinged good-time tunes. But I just can’t stop hitting repeat on the addictive “Without Your Love.” From the head-turning opening guitar lead line hook to the head-bopping chorus, it’s a song that dares you not to dance. I’d pay just to see the band do this one tune! But I’d stay for the rest too.
It’s a moody Tuesday afternoon and day two of our solid-week-of-singles event. We need a little Drew Neely and the Heroes to set the right ambience at the outset. Their new single “Chasing Danielle” is a rollicking heartland tune that rides the edge between pop and rock, straight out of Frankfort, Illinois. Then it’s right up I-94 north along Lake Michigan to get to Milwaukee’s favourite band named for an obscure Beach Boys song, Cabin Essence. The beach influence seems to have faded with their new single, the lovely, lilting “No More.” Now the sound is more trebly guitar leads and understated harmony vocals. And still great. The Dave Anderson Project hails from Huntsville Alabama, essentially a side project for Anderson who seems very busy with a host of other music commitments. “Welcome” is a fabulous slab of synth-poprock, with just hints of ELO, Adam Daniel and Farrah around the edges. It was touted as the band’s teaser advance single but so far nothing else has emerged. Insert Poprock Record sad face here. Earlier this year this site gave up the love for No Win’s winning new collection, Downey. Apparently that wasn’t enough – the band is back with a super new single, “Blood on your Tooth.” I love the crunch guitar on this track and slowburn hookiness of the chorus. Another band hitting the poprock-harder bottom is Cleveland’s Herzog, at least to start. “Amps II Eleven” talks a good game about rocking out but the song actually features a sweet vocal and some lovely lead guitar lines, amid a wash of 1960s pop psychedelia. From their fab new album, Me Vs. You.
A Marshall Crenshaw turn of phrase gets our solid-week-of-singles catch-up underway. The backlog of songs was never going to get posted without some serious melodic triage so every day this week (barring week-ends) we’re busting out the tunes in 45rpm increments. First stop: Östersund, Sweden with a track from The Tor Guides new album, Backwards in Reverse. A great deal of this record is tuneful mellow town, which is why “Always Somewhere Else” stands out for me. It’s a bit more peppy with wonderful Rickenbacker guitar accents all over the place. Next stop: Nashville, where punk and pop collide in the indie supergroup Vista Blue. There’s more than a little Beach Boy harmony on the blissful opening to “Big Stars” before the song settles into some guitars-to-the-front poprock. But don’t stop there. The band’s new EP Hit the Floor! has two other beachy hook-loaded tunes. Up north Montreal’s Elephant Stone turn up the psychedelia on “Hollow World,” a single from their upcoming 2020 album Hollow. Dreamy without entering the sleep zone, the song has the band channeling a seemingly effortless 1967 Beatles vibe. Last stop: Bowling Green, Kentucky with Dan Luke and the Raid on “Disco is as Disco Does.” The song is a bit of departure from the rest of their recent LP Out of the Blue, taking their fuzzed out poprock sound and adding some spooky keyboards before breaking out into a great neo-1950s chorus. But the whole record is pretty solid.
Thursday always seems to be good time to let the guitars ring. Today’s mixture has both albums and singles of note, with varying degrees of sibilance on display.
It’s something that’s all around us. Everyone is caught up and defined by it. Yet it is almost never publicly acknowledged, let alone commented on. Let’s change that. We live in a world defined by class, organized economically and experienced socially. A properly functioning culture would reflect on that. So today’s post is all about melodic ruminations on class.
Poprock Record 