Jeremy Messersmith is a delightful fellow, I’m sure. His albums are full of whimsy, wordplay and good feeling, even in the face of disappointment. In 2017 he released an album of 11 Obscenely Optimistic Songs For Ukulele, solidifying his reputation as a more highly produced Jonathan Richman. The guy even wrote a song about Tatooine, called “Tatooine” of course. To get a deep dish of just what he can dish out order up 2018’s Late Stage Capitalism. It’s a hookfest with songs defending Mondays, fast times in Minnesota, and the fact there are no superheroes in Cleveland. But I digress. We are here to spotlight a recent-ish 45 where he expresses his desire to end up a clue in one of the world’s most famous puzzles. And he managed to make it hummable. In “The New York Times Crossword Puzzle” Messersmith spills it, how there is no low he won’t sink to, no level of selling out he won’t consider to get of one those clue spots next to the grid.
We are sooo long overdue for a new Jeremy Messersmith album. Why not encourage the guy by giving this song a listen, a like, whatever your social media uses to acknowledge someone’s existence. Or catch up on Messersmith’s back catalogue. You won’t go wrong there, it’s a storehouse of smiles usable for any occasion.
Damn I miss Fountains of Wayne. A friend sent me their 1996 debut knowing I was snowed under with a new career path and from there they joined a small coterie of my very favourite bands. They didn’t put out a lot of records but I cherish each one. The group’s main songwriters also produced some great solo stuff, Adam Schleshinger with Ivy and host of other projects and Chris Collingwood with Look Park. Schleshinger sadly passed away in 2020 but lately I’ve been wondering if there isn’t something I’ve missed from Collingwood. It’s been eight years or so since his Look Park project debuted. Surely he’s worked up a tune or two since then? A search on the ole interweb didn’t turn up much, though I did come across mention of his short-lived Gay Potatoes indie supergroup and a live performance from 2000. From what I can tell, group members included Collingwood, Gentle Hen’s Henning Ohlenbusch and Phillip B. Price of The Maggies and Winterpills. So if I can’t have a new Collingwood or Look Park record at least I can get a few degrees closer by exploring these projects and collaborators.
Let’s start with the Gay Potatoes show. It’s a fun, ramshackle affair, apparently the band’s first live appearance. The song line-up reflects that fact there are three songwriters and singers in the group. Show opener “Another Right Time” definitely captures the band’s power poppy energy. Price’s “Ballad of Frank Strange” and Collingwood’s future FOW tune “Hung Up On You” are also highlights.
From there exploring Price and Ohlenbusch’s work is a research project all on its own. Price has 12 solo albums, as well as 8 with The Maggies and 7 with his Winterpills project. Ohlenbusch has an equally daunting musical resume. This is going to a very random sampling of their accomplishments. Though you don’t have wade very far into The Maggies second and third albums to see the kinship with Collingwood. Tracks like “Be My Guest” and “Long Dark See You” from 2000’s Cryptic Valentine have a very Bangles meets FOW vibe while “Covering Me Up” and “Everybody’s Golden Age” from 2001’s Breakfast at Belreck’s are akin to Collingwood’s more pop country stylings. Price’s solo work and Winterpills catalogue lean more into his textured folk sound and away from power pop, though the 2002 solo track “Please Don’t Change” is certainly FOW-adjacent.
Meanwhile Ohlenbusch has put out some great eclectic and electric Simon and Garfunkel worthy tracks as Gentle Hen. His solo work steers in both folky and poppy directions at times too. You can get a taste of this on “V66” from his now unavailable Henning’s School for the Dead album or “A Machine to Break Your Heart” from 2006’s Looks Like I’m Tall or “Amélie” from 2011’s Henning Goes to the Movies. But check out his Gentle Hen track “She’s Got It Bad” from 2018’s Be Nice to Everyone, you’d swear it was a FOW deep cut you’d overlooked.
Do fabulously creative people just give up being creative? In my dreams Collingwood is still crafting his trademark tune-age, just waiting to spring them on us as a delightful surprise. But if we can’t have more FOW or Collingwood solo material we can’t go wrong digging deep into work from melodic compatriots like Price and Ohlenbusch.
Another year, another load of really good albums. Creativity was off the charts in 2024, in both senses unfortunately. But banish despair, here at Poprock Record we make up our own charts, shining light on a deserving collection of should-be stars. Here’s our list of 25 must-have albums from the past year and, trust me, you’ll find plenty of variety within our self-imposed parameters of poppy rock. You’ve got jangle (Ducks Ltd.), gender (Day Dreams) and heartbreak (Tamar Berk). There’s retro (Terry Anderson), metro (Super 8) and fun (Scoopski). We’ve got artists singing in Spanish (Star Trip) and wide variety of accents from the British Isles (the list would be too long). And so much more.
The envelope please, here are Poprock Record’s 25 must have LPs from 2024:
Day Ricardo’s Day Dreems project was groundbreaking in so many ways, lyrically touching on gender, the body, ADHD, oppressive nostalgia and more, while musically mashing up hints of Squeeze, Crowded House and the Beatles into their own distinctive voice. It’s a most worthy choice to sit at #1. But close behind Tamar Berk wowed us with yet another winning collection of introspective yet downright hooky numbers. Brent Seavers, now there’s a guy who knows how to pack an LP full of highly listenable tunes. I mean, he does it again and again. I could go on … and do in the original posts hyperlinked above.
The EP format continues to offer artists a creative outlet that falls somewhere between the noble single and a more herculean long-playing effort. True for some it may amount to little more than a glorified single with additional alternative versions, demos and live cuts (not that I’m complaining). But for others it’s a carefully curated musical statement in its own right. I think our cast of 6 must-have EPs from 2024 lean more in the latter direction:
I deliberately leave legacy artists – i.e. those that gained conventional chart success and still benefit from that or have a major label sponsor – off my yearly lists. They don’t really need any push from me. But I do love a lot of those acts and it is great to see them still putting out solid creative works. So here’s a legacy artist shout out to some notable releases in 2024:
I’m a non-recovering Beatlemaniac, it’s true. I’m always on the lookout for some fun and creative riffs on the Fabs. This year Nick Frater blew away the competition with the further development of his Rutles project, a riff on a riff on the Beatles. So meta! Thus our best riff on the Beatles this year is:
Last year I singled out The Flashcubes for their amazing Pop Masters album. It was one where they covered a host of new wave era classics with members of the original bands. This year their spin-off band The Half Cubes produced their own version of that project with equally impressive results. You see where this is going. This year’s special award of awesome poprock meritgoes to:
As I wrote in the original review, “Pop Treasures is a monster of a collection” that is ‘lovingly relentless’ in its coverage of 1970s and 1980s hit-makers and indie darlings. It’s a hits package worthy of K-Tel, and that is high praise coming from someone who lived through the seventies. So many great songs here, including our #1 most inventive cover for 2024 “Make You Cry.” Treat yourself, this is a guaranteed good time.
Album fans, the form is in safe hands if the releases from this past year are anything to go by. Sure the kids may not be into them the way their 1960s through 1990s peers were but they’ll have something to dip into when they get older.
Time to rev up our annual Poprock Record should-be hit singles list of songs we’ve featured at some point during 2024. Let’s be honest up front, we barely scratched the surface of all that was going on out there music-wise, even within the confines of our own narrowly defined genre (what I’ve been calling poppy rock). As I peek at the lists of other melodic rock taste-makers I see loads of great acts I somehow missed out on. Oh well. There’s only so much needle-dropping your scribe can do. From what we did manage to cover I just want to take this space to remind you of some stand-out tracks. So today we single out 50 should-be hit singles from 2024, songs that deserve another shot at chart glory. Click on the hyperlinks to hear each of the songs and read the original write ups.
Drumroll please, here are Poprock Record’s top 50 should-be hit singles from 2024:
Music blogger extraordinaire Eclectic Music Lover put me on to Won Phreely’s captivating single and I was hooked. Both Real Estate and Used struck me as mining that elegant Shins brand of manicured poprock. Lo Fi Ho Hum grabbed my attention with his quirky, amusing video but his melody lingered long after. Tamar Berk just goes from strength to strength in her songwriting and you can hear it here. I could go on. This is a list bursting with jangle and heartbreak – and hooks, of course.
Next up, Poprock Record’s most inventive covers from 2023:
The covers just keep on coming and I’m fine with that. Poprock veterans The Half Cubes gave us a double album of carefully curated pop hits from the past but it was their cover of The Sighs’ signature song that really floored me. Georgia’s Mattiel could sing the phone book and keep most people happy but her cover of Terri Gibbs’ 1981 hit is nothing short of transformative. Then there’s Super Ratones doing Fountains of Wayne. Lovely and timely.
It’s been a tough year. It’s been a year full of great songs. We’ll certainly need more of the latter in the days ahead and Poprock Record with be there to bring you more should-be hits. So click on the links above to remind yourself how good 2024 was and make sure to visit the artists and wave a little cash in their direction.
… and you should too. I mean, what choice have we got? There’s darkness on the doorstep while all that national and international chaos from last year looks like it’s getting renewed for another season. We are going to have to look for the light a little closer to home, person to person, on the streets where we live. There’s a lot in The Rifles most recent long player Love Your Neighbour that speaks to our present moment that bears reflecting on.
Ok, so with lyrics like “don’t cry your heart out cause nobody cares” perhaps opening cut “The Kids Won’t Stop” doesn’t sound like the motivational music I’m supposed to be offering to kick off the new year. But stick with me for a moment – there is some a real-world optimism going on here. The point of the song as I read it is that whatever you may be thinking about what is going on in the world the adults in the room are just going to have get up and get on it with it because our kids are going to need us regardless. All delivered with a whimsical, driving, sometimes dance-able emphasis. Moving on, “Days of Our Lives” has the jaunty feel of a 1982 era Madness tune and who doesn’t need a bit of that? Then “Mr. Sunflower” is where the album title appears in the lyrics, with a message that says ‘share a little love with the world’ and you might just get some back. It’s the leap of faith that makes humanity possible.
I hope it’s coming through just how great this new Rifles album is. I only discovered them in 2016 with their Big Life album. From there I travelled backwards through their solid back catalogue, impressed by their social commentary and relentless hookiness. It seemed to me like they took up where The Jam left off, with flashes of Billy Bragg here and there. So waiting for this new album to arrive seemed like an eternity. But Love Your Neighbour is as good as anything they’ve put out. I love how tracks like “There is My Heart” seem propelled by a deft use of mellotron sounding keyboards. Or how songs like “Out for the Weekend” clearly are meant to devolve into a raucous singalong at the band’s shows or your Friday night party. “Money Go Round” is pretty timely, turning everyone’s economic crisis into a dance vamp, complete with ringing cash register. And you don’t get a much more ‘new years’ sentiment than “Starting Monday” where the singer promises to start ‘turning my life around’ after just ‘one more for the road.’ It’s an idler of a tune that becomes a rollicking pop banger in the chorus.
Maybe we can’t change the world in quite the way we would like but we can change the station, put out a different message, and in that small way contribute something positive. The Rifles sound like they’ve started down that path already and I’m all for following.
Back for round two of this year’s year-end record round-up. These misplaced but not forgotten submissions are now getting their due, just before the year times out.
Our first three contributors are not afraid to boost their signal to get the hooks across. Speed Circuit grind out some big chords on their LP Survey the Damage but lurking beneath all the distortion are some fine tunes. Take “Lucky Breaks” as an example. Appearing half way through the record, the song wears its hooks on its sleeve. “Maybe Another Time” even starts with just an acoustic guitar before fattening up the sound with a jangle rock backing. “Emotional Support Dog” perfectly marries the band’s grungy rock vibe with an unerring sense of melody. And then there’s the fab should-be hit single “Swept Away” which hits all the marks with its super-charged guitar hooks and handclaps. At first listen, Vancouver’s Jupiter Motel appear to exude a 1980s guitar rawk feel on their recent self-titled EP, offset by some power pop vocals. The mix of mad guitar riffing and vocal laying all over “Summer Kids” gives you the picture. Then “Fast Forward and Rewind” is more of a pop tune, overlaid with a Blue Oyster Cults sense of guitar menace. By the time we get to “Playing With Ghosts” we now hear a jangle band, effortlessly knocking out an AM radio hit. It’s an effective mix of pop and rawk touches throughout this all-too-brief EP. Moving a bit south Seattle Washington’s Sleeping Bag set the amps back to 11 on Beam Me Up. Opening cut “Jay’s Jam” has a Swervedriver kind of guitar dissonance going on but that gives way to something more stripped back on “Troll 3.” From there the band shifts back and forth, cranking distorted guitar chords on one track and then dropping them out in favour of a more vocal melody focus on the next. For instance, compare the simmering guitar dissonance of “Jokin’” with the laid-back acoustic guitar and chorused-vocal treatment on “Life.” Love the driving, almost propulsive feel of the instrumental “Splish.”
In the presser for the latest John Sally Ride LP Melomaniacs we learn that the album title is a real word meaning ‘an individual with an excessive or abnormal attraction to music.’ These days anyone still trying to make a go of making music (or writing about those who do) would probably fit that description. Taking a gander at the song titles here, this is a serious clever-bunny concept at work. Songwriter John Dunbar has gotten inside the head of every music super fan with lyrics that bring to life Nick Hornby’s characters from his novel High Fidelity. It’s all here – enmity towards bands you don’t love (“The Band I Can’t Stand”), the anticipation for your fave band’s new album (“Their New Album”), the ritual of sitting with the album’s inner sleeve lyrics sheet while listening (“The Lyric Sheet”), as well the omniscient observer shining light on the madness of record collecting (“His Record Collection”). But this isn’t just a gimmick concept because the songs stand up as compositions. “The Only Man She Ever Loved” has a late 1960s ominous pop vibe while “The Lyric Sheet” sounds like it marries the Moody Blues with Squeeze. But my fave is the driving, jaunty pop tune “Music(I/F)an.”
The cover of Pleased to Meet You from Joy Buzzer riffs on the Replacements but what appears on the inside draws strongly from the Beatles playbook. I mean, listen to how the band lean in to some pretty fab group vocals on “You’d Be Surprised.” I will grant that the beat group influence here might reflect more how 1980s indie bands took it up. Tracks like “Jeanette,” “All These Yesterdays” and “You Don’t Even Know My Name” step on the power pop pedal with an emphasis reminiscent of The Tearaways. “Vicki Loves a Garden” reminds me of how artists like Costello or Tilbrook wield Beatles influences. But for something more indie, both “Judy, Judy, Judy” and “Peggy’s House” have that 1980s ambience. Kingdom of Mustang offer up more than a hint of Lennon opening Glad Days with “More Than They Deserve.” From there the Mersey influences are more muted, held in abeyance to serve this great collection of songs. See how title track “Glad Days” throws out a low-key melody with the subtlety of someone like Marshall Crenshaw. “Say Hey to Blue” is an another example of this band’s understated approach to songwriting. Things start out pretty easy going, only to kick up a few gears in the chorus and bridge. “All You’ve Got To Do is Love” is another come-from-behind wonder, sneaking up on you with its winning hooks. On the other hand, “Not the Special Girl” wears its Merseybeat group influences a bit more on its sleeve. With 14 tracks, there’s a lot to love here.
The presser for The Lost Days debut album In the Store describes duo members Tony Molina and Sarah Rose Janko bonding over Bill Fox and the Bryds and you can really hear it on the opening tracks “Gonna Have to Tell You” and “Half the Time” respectively. Jangly DIY could be a shorthand to describe the ten songs here but there’s a sophistication to these deceptively low key and fleeting efforts (eight clock in at less than 90 seconds). Each contribution echoes some bright star of lofi pop, whether Elliott Smith or those acoustic numbers on the Beatles White Album. Or listen to how the duo work up a full band Abbey Road sound on title track “In The Store.” Personally I love the instrumental “Outro” with its Jon Brion keyboards and lovely guitar work. Drew Neely and the Heroes take us in a different direction with their recent long-player Inner State. “Quit Calling Me” is an epic pop romp, flashing a bit of Queen and a very timely sentiment. The song almost seems comic but cast against the rest of the material here it also fits with the album’s more serious themes of alienation and struggle. “Friday Afternoon” captures that moment of freedom from work, despite knowing it’ll be coming back around Monday morning. A lot of the record has an early 1980s soft rock sheen, though tracks often break out bit in the chorus, like “Find My Way Back Home.”
With Eager to Please Munster Germany act Neon Bone channel so many interesting, sometimes seemingly contradictory influences. There’s punk, a raft of 1950s derived song styles, plenty of Ramones for sure, and much more. Sometimes the songs are just classic pop punk ear candy, like “Girl I’m Getting Used to You,” “I Wanna Know,” and “Pull the Other One.” Others put a frenetic energy into what are essentially standard 1950s song structures. I mean, dial down the distortion and “Dreams” could easily be crooned by some brill-creamed heartthrob. It’s there again on “Sometimes” and definitely on the rollicking “Don’t Fall in Love with Her,” the latter taking a classic 1950s song style and punking it up just a little. Yet I think I like the songs where the band don’t quite sound so much like anyone else, as on “But When You’re Alone.” Back to the Bryds and a load of ringing guitars on this year’s LP from The Junior League, Our Broadcast Day. This band takes the influences and makes them their own, as evident on the soaring opening cut “Two Ways to Go.” Part of it is the strength of the songwriting. “Let’s Hear It for the Dead” sets out a country motif but then moves in different directions. “The Whiskey Talking” sounds like an mid-1980s English guitar band. Or check out that alluring low rumble guitar opening “The Me and Them.” Talk about drawing you in. There are departures too, like the soulful, name-dropping piano ballad “1973 Nervous Breakdown.” Love the jangle closer ”This Concludes Our Broadcast Day.”
Have I missed somebody? Absolutely. And for that, apologies to all the great acts I somehow overlooked this year. Just put me on your radar for the coming 365 days.
Top photo is a drawing by Kasiq Jungwoo Lee, a Seoul Korea-based artist, designer and illustrator who has worked extensively in fashion and commercial media projects. This image is taken from their KasiQ Junwoo Flikr collection.
In what is increasingly becoming a yearly ritual, I present instalment I of my end-of-year record round-up. Appearing here is no reflection on the quality of the artists. As any given year progresses I collect and file new songs and albums as they come in, juggling themes and ongoing features with some semblance of a regular posting schedule, and invariably a host of great releases fall off my priority pile. So just before the year elapses, here they are, getting their due attention.
Seattle’s power pop kings Shake Some Action returned in 2024 with not one but two fine EPs. Both Trip Into Yesterday and Chase the Light hit their mod marks effortlessly. From the first collection “Doesn’t Matter” stands out as the obvious single with its gorgeous mix of chiming guitars and reverby vocals. Sounding like they’ve time tripped right out of London circa 1966, there’s a touch of Oasis here and there too. From the second EP I could definitely hear Liam belting out “I Don’t Know Where She Goes” and “Chasing Time.” The former track is a pretty majestic romper with killer Rickenbacker lead guitar and winning organ shots. Toronto has a lively guitar rock scene, strongly in evidence on the Motorists LP Touched By the Stuff. You can hear elements of the nineties dissonant poppy rock on album opener “Decider” and “L.O.W.” But at other points you hear the glossy guitar sheen of early 1980s era Cars on tracks like “Barking at the Gates” and “Call Control.” There’s also a touch psych rock here and there, particularly “Forced Perspective” and “Back to the Q.” Single material is definitely “Phone Booth in the Desert of the Mind.” Bit of Jagger in the vocal delivery while the lead guitar just keeps on ringing (in a good way).
So low-key has been the release of the self-titled album from Caddy this year that any hopes it might become a ‘sleeper’ hit have been swapped for a ‘coma’ status. And that is a shame because this is one solid slab of buzzy guitar melodic rock. Obviously Weezer comes to mind just a few seconds into the opening cut “In a Heartbeat” but I’d expand that to include any of those bands that ride the divide between rawk and power pop, like say Redd Kross. By the way, this song is a masterclass in guitar poprock arrangement. The layering of the guitar parts alone expertly shows how to build sonic depth and dynamic tension. All the songs here are pretty consistent, though “Someone Like You” and “25 Ways” change things up in different ways that say should-be strong radio play. Nottingham’s Sharp Class hit you right between the eyes with their message of righteous class anger on Welcome to the Matinee Show (at the End of the World). The title track opens the show and definitely sets the scene for what is to come – a blistering attack on the complacency of our times. Some songs (like “Ivory Tower”) call out the usual superior subjects while others (“He Who Dares …”) underline the unequal starting line in today’s rat race. “Ordinary People” is the obvious single, ringing out with jangly guitars and a testimony of lived working class experience. There are times when the band threatens to become Jam 2.0, as on “Where I’d Rather Be” and “Fly By Night. Not that I’m complaining. On the other hand, “Lights Out” and “Catch My Breath” change things up stylistically in terms of song structure in solid poprock way.
A lot of Slippers sounds pretty twee lofi. Even when the guitars strike a menacing pose as on album opener “XTC 1000” there’s still a spartan quality to the goings on. “Pretend World” has a whole band treatment but the tune is really just vocals and guitar driving its spare yet charming hooks. So begins the band’s debut LP, So You Like the Slippers? Unassuming yet endearing. Though things are just about to break loose. “On the Line” steps up to an Apples in Stereo intensity, both in performance and stylish melodic hooks. Then “Nice Weather” has a groovy pop swing while “Lock You Out” lets the electric guitar climb higher in the mix with a nice shot of melodica. From there it’s lather, rinse and repeat on that winning formula. The Genuine Fakes have moved in reverse order with their series of EPs. Their new The Genuine Fakes Extended Play Vol. 1 is actually the third one to see daylight but it may just be the best one yet. Just four songs long but what a quartet! “Unhand Me” opens with a residual Beatlesque flourish before breaking out its own distinctive brand of powerpop. “Pay It No Mind” has a 1970s poppy AM hit vibe while “Alarming” slows things down to an Odds kind of hooky pitch. “Follow Me Now” starts off with a rougher edge before coming together with an enriched power pop melody in the chorus. Really, I think I’m ready for a whole album of these guys.
Oversight central this fall? Failing to attend to Nick Piunti and the Complicated Men when their most recent album Up and Out of It first came out last October. What was I thinking? It wasn’t like I didn’t have fair warning with great pre-release singles like “Bottle It” and “Mind Reader.” Digging into the whole package now I can attest that this is one solid listening experience. The tone this time out is a bit more restrained, less Bryan Adams, more Chris Collingswood. “Sea Sick” kicks things off with a solid blast of melodic rock and roll lead guitar, all in the service a good hooky tune. But the album also has a host of toned-down melodic wonders like “Long Way Down.” For worthy departures there’s the entrancing “Eyelids”(nice lead guitar opener) and Jersey rock flavoured “On the Ropes.” I was just sorting my 45s a few months back when I ran across my copy of Seattle band The Heats’1980 single “I Don’t Like Your Face.” I kept it all these years because it’s something special. Further proof can be found in the band’s reunion LP this year, simply self-titled The Heats. Definitely party vibe to opening cuts “I Hope You’re Wrong” and “You Know.” Dancing shoes material, for sure. A lot of this record has that eighties guitar crunch I associate with the early Romantics or Tommy Tutone, e.g. “For You” and “Where’s Your Love.” Then again, I would agree with Richard over at Power Pop News that there’s a strong Beatlesque quality to so many tunes here, like “She Belongs With Me” and “As If,” the latter some Costello flavour to the mix. So many great tunes here but I’d single out the Marshall Crenshaw-ish “Heartbroken Past” and AM radio ready should be hit “Never Be the Same.”
I didn’t need to look to know that Jim Nothing comes from Australasia, New Zealand to be exact. There really is something to the musical vibe coming from down-under. The band’s presser names a lot of current acts as influences on the new album Grey Eyes, Grey Lynn but what I hear is Paul Kelly. It’s all over the should-be single “Wildflowers,” a song with an opening so big and bold you just have to know where it goes. This is how you reel them in. Album opener “Hourglass” is pretty striking too with its dissonant guitar work. Then “First Bite” lightens the mood with its rollicking pace. “Easter at RSC” has a more SMWRS aura, a bit spacey and languid. Alternatively the album has a few acoustic numbers like “Can’t Find It Now” that bring Darren Hanlon to mind. And there is jangle from “The Present.” In the ‘how did overlook this?’ file the ever debonair Ward White hit us with his latest Here Come the Dowsers last May. The cover art takes me back to those early 1980s Thomas Dolby records, something so English and Hollywood about them. Musically I hear a melange of David Bowie, Bryan Ferry and Dolby, one where White’s voice is the most distinctive instrument on display. But he has something to say with that instrument too. Rarely do pop artists wield historical and literary references as deftly as White, as in evidence on tracks like “Blimp Street.” Some songs are just great melodic compositions like “Slow Sickness.” Title track “Here Come the Dowsers” aces that sophisticated pop sound I associate with ABC. But my fave here is undoubtedly “Our Town.” It slipped into my running playlist over the summer and has remained there ever since. The song has an air of the Beatlesque channeled through Billy Joel’s piano sensibility.
The opening cut to Polite Company’s LP Please Go Wild almost sounds like a remake of a Schoolhouse Rocks number. Almost. “Circulation” captures a 1970s pop sound that extended from infectious commercials to top 10 singles. I mean, no sooner do we get started than we’re hit with a solid single on “No Time Like Tomorrow.” You’ll be humming this one involuntarily before long. From there the record runs through a host of baroque pop confections that could easily fit on the 1970s Cher variety show or the Midnight Special. Personal fave: “Empty Beach.” It’s got a very Difford and Tilbrook sense of lyrical play.
This one-off tribute collaboration to mark Keith Richards’ 81st birthday is an inspired bit of cover-age. Hoffs and Costello take a lesser known deep cut from the Rolling Stones 1967 LP Between the Buttons and elevate the duet aspects of the tune, bringing out something rather special in the process. For instance, on the original it’s hard to hear that it is actually both Jagger and Richards trading off the vocals and they tend to hit the ‘connection’ line so hard it’s pretty much all that stays with you. But the remake rebalances the emphasis between the chorus and everything else and the result is more of an actual song, now cast in a folk rock vein. Vocally both artists are in fine form here, sounding very much on top of the material. Albert Lee also adds some dynamite electric lead guitar runs that really underline the rock part of the folk rock feel.
Hoffs and Costello work up some real chemistry here. I’d love to hear them do more. On the other hand, this effort could also inspire some rooting around in the Stones back catalogue for more hidden gems just awaiting an indie reinvention.
This round of singles is obviously riffing on a 1965 Rolling Stones album that was itself a collection of bits and pieces from the band’s early years. So here’s some bits and pieces that have landed in month twelve and need to be shared.
When you’ve been a member of bands like The Stems, The Someloves, and DM3 people are going to have pretty high expectations for your solo efforts. Dom Mariani meets them and then some with a fabulous genre-crossing new single “Jangleland.” It’s power pop with a dash of country and some Bowie thrown in too. Video Age pay tribute to working music retail on their new song “Record Shop.” It’s pleasant pop surfing some great jangly guitar and fun keyboard work. The lyrics are spot on too – I think we’d all be in for those employee discounts! Events take a moodier turn on Cloakroom’s recent 45 “Unbelonging.” Things sound spooky, a bit gloomy even, but the guitar tone is so reverb gorgeous it’s utterly captivating. Sticking with the spooky vibe, The ChrisVandalay Project really set a scene with their latest song “Your Favorite War.” The feel is very Roxy Music or Kate Bush. Rounding out our first five tunes Sharon is Karen almost turn into the punk lane with “I Hate It Here” but the strong melody just refuses to be pushed into the background.
“Walk on Water” started out as a possible Trip Wire song but when Covid intervened it fell off the playlist. Now power pop master Jeff Shelton takes it up with one of his other bands and the results are guitar-shimmery good. Of all his fine musical projects I love The Well Wishers best for their perfect balance of insistent guitar hooks and smooth vocals, fully in evidence here. Oh Momma, I’m loving the tension embedded in your “Ohio All the Time” track. Big and bold guitars meet a sweet vocal mix. Keen to see where this band goes next. New The False Positives single “Long Distance Romance” starts all guitars-ablazing before settling into something more ambling along in Replacements mode. From the start of “Penny” Will Stewart’s vocal puts the country vibe up front but as the reverby guitars kick in the feeling turns more to Tom Petty. With a very nice sibilant lead guitar solo too. Music reviewer Hayley Scott says Autocamper ‘make the everyday gorgeous’ and I’d have to agree. The band’s recent double-sided single is a delightful slab of C86 80s pop. “Blanche” jangles but bustles with busy keyboards too. “Budge” is a bit more doleful in a Rilo Kiley sort of way.
Daisy House main man Doug Hammond returns in the guise of his solo project Vaughn Trapp with a slew of recent songs. “Go Back to Sleep” mines his command of late 1960s baroque pop, a bit of Shocking Blue meets Fifth Dimension. The Bye Bye Blackbirds have a solid recent release with the meandering, soulful “Mending Time.” But somehow I missed their amazing 2022 b-side “Fold Up Your Maps.” The vocal arrangement alone gives this track a hooky rush. The jangly guitars are just a bonus. On “Cherry” the dt’s take a host of classic rock and roll motifs and mash them up with good tune. And there’s some standout organ work in the background. Pierre Englebert returned this fall with another collection of urbane pop songs that manage to traverse multiple genres with ease. “Well, Your Daddy Was Wrong” showcases this talent, combining a “Friends of Mr. Cairo” staginess with some killer melodic turns in the chorus. Vancouver’s Buddie are “Impatient” with a broken world, pointless work, and being stuck for options about what do about it. The tune is short on answers but its dissonant emo/grungy elan certainly makes waiting more worthwhile.
Put members of El Goodo, Los Blancos and Trecco Beis into a new outfit and the results are poppy psych fun. They are the Eggmen Whoooooo! and their debut album Fuzzy Eggs, Please is a party platter from start to finish. Just sample “It’s Just Your Mind” to see what you’re in for. Killer lead guitar lick, check. Groovy organ backing, check. Psychedelic vocals/lyrics, check. Get your dancing shoes off the shelf. Chicano Beatlemaniacs The Krayolas pay tribute to Canadian folk legend Gordon Lightfoot on “Gordon Lightfoot (O Canada Version).” The dynamite Brydsian 12-string electric guitar opener doesn’t really conjure Canada’s dour folk troubadour directly but who am I to cast shade on this winning tribute. Dazy continues to drop great singles at regular intervals. Earlier this fall “Big End” set off Beck alarms for me, and that is a very good thing. Now “I Get Lost” is out, bundled with other great songs, and it’s Beck-ishly good too. Bret Tobias sent me “Butter Valley Malcontent” and shortly thereafter an EP of the same name from his combo The Bret Tobias Set. The package is full of subtle poppy gems but the title track is a slightly higher blast of slow burn power pop. Kurt Baker knows how to turn the amps up to eleven on his crunchy guitar-centric poprock but only so he can better frame his solid hooky chops. His new song “Inner Demons” has an ear-wormy quality that will settle into your frontal lobe and take up residence for a while.
A new album from Dropkick is always something special despite the familiar sonic themes – jangly guitar, lush vocal harmonies, and a Byrds-meeet-Teenage Fanclub songwriting talent. The new album set for release in the new year is Primary Colours and so far the title track flies the brand flag with a tart impact.
December’s a bit of a rush but not so busy that we can’t sling a load of cool singles your way. Click the links to add to your ‘end of the year’ new discoveries list.
Photo ‘Table Hockey’ courtesy Kevin Dooley Flikr collection.
Does anybody really know what Christmas is anymore? It’s a mixed-up, muddled-up kind of world out there with uncertainty lurking around every corner. We might as well embrace the ambiguity. To aid that effort we offer up our annual assortment of festive tunes, with an accent on hooks of course. Just hit play to jangle all the way.
To put us into an appropriately other-worldly frame of mind, check out the aliens’ perspective on The Old 97’s contribution to the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special “I Don’t Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime is Here).” Maybe they’ve got it all wrong but clearly they are having some serious fun. And it just can’t be Christmas here at Poprock Record without a return to the best holiday song shop on the interweb, Make Like Monkeys. Their latest seasonal album This Way to Christmas would perfectly accompany any wrapping-ripping frenzy on Christmas morning. Opening cut “Christmastime Is Everywhere Tonight” has a Michael Penn/Aimee Mann sheen to its melodic arc.
To get our holiday bearings, we might stop in for some traditional-ish seasonal song fare. Freedom Fry’s “Who’s That Walking On My Rooftop?” sounds so familiar, its theme and choice of instrumentation hitting all the right holiday notes. Stylistically it really reminds me of The Rosebuds and, well, Freedom Fry. For something even more traditional let’s stroll down the carols aisle with super janglers The Grip Weeds. Their take on “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” starts all church choir but hang in there because 30 seconds along the guitars kick in and its definitely ‘jangle all the way’ after that. 3 and Half Minutes or Lessput me on to Dreams So Real and their jangleful holiday song “Red Lights (Merry Christmas).” It’s a killer tune and the inspiration for our theme this year. BTW you can’t get more trad at Xmas-time than a country tune so to meet that need Deerheartsuitably country things up with their delightful “Sweetest Season.”
Dreams So Real “Red Lights (Merry Christmas)”
Despite the relentless promotional cheer of the season, not everyone can afford to be festive. The James Clarke Institute tell a tale of madcap holiday shopping desperation on “Orange Christmas” with a Fountains of Wayne-like combo of lyrical cleverness and poprock punch. By contrast, Justin Kline infuses “Merry Christmas Katie” with a spare melody very much in the spirit of Elliott Smith. Ken Simpson’s “The Night We Saw Santa Claus” is something else again, more of a stark portrait of Christmas poverty, played with a suitably shambolic, underwhelming charm. Bringing up the mood we have The Smith Brothers’ power-poppy “Every Day is Like Christmas” declaring they only want their true love’s arrival as a present. The previous three tunes are all nicked from a variety of seasonally-themed collections put together by the Japan-based Powerpop Academy.
Rivaling a lack of money in the lousy Xmas sweepstakes is a lack of love. Yes, some people are getting heartbreak this yuletide season, again. Indie rock veteran Jean Caffeine makes feeling bad sound good on “Another Crying Christmas.” There’s a Chrissie Hynde-like no-nonsense kick to this tune, with a few well placed ‘bah bah bah’s and 12 string lead guitar. On “Here’s to the Lonely” Jared Lekites launches in with an enticing rumbly electric guitar, then adds some pace-setting piano shots amid a swirl of captivating vocals. Who can be down listening to this? Norway’s Sunturns are on Christmas III, yes that’s holiday album number 3. Song topics here range from turtleneck sweaters, new snow, and holiday social drama. “Back in Town” is warning someone that somebody named Klara is back in town and wants them to come around. Sounds holiday ominous. No Wayne are coming off the road and say as much on “This Christmas, I’m Coming Home” but whether that’s a good or bad thing is less unclear.
On the other hand, holidays are seldom all bad. The perennial family band The Cowsills resurfaced in 1990 with a nostalgic seasonal message on “Some Good Years” and a Fairlight synth-enhanced chipper demeanor. I almost included Helen Love and Ricardo Autobahn just for latter name alone but “And the Salvation Army Band Plays” tries to find a light amidst their struggles. Another poignant moment or two of yuletide sentiment can be found all over Ben Folds fabulous new Christmas album Sleigher. You want hope? “We Could Have This” is a duet (featuring Lindsey Craft) where two people wonder if they’re edging toward something special. My gut says yes. All we need now is something classy. I mean, it can’t be holiday glass-clinking time without a ballad cast in the 1950s American songbook style, preferably a duet in the “Baby It’s Cold Outside” mode. Luckily Graham Gouldman tucked one into his recent long-player I Have Notes entitled “A Christmas Affair” with Beth Nielson Chapman. Delightfully sing-along-able and just this side of naughty.
We draw this jangle-fest to a close with a piano rumination (surprisingly) from Gregory Pepper and his Problems. “A Nice Thought” cuts through the myths and materialism to put it out there – there’s no god and we’re all gonna die. So you might as well have a merry happy whatever. That’s our seasonal wish for you.
Photo ‘A Christmas delivery from Santa on the Death Star’ courtesy Kristina Alexanderson Flikr collection.
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