Category Archives: Around the Dial

Around the dial: True Green, Brian Jones and His Elevator Music, Smug Brothers, and Pope

04 Sunday Oct 2026

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Sometimes you’re spinning the radio dial (or whatever is your modern equivalent) and something new pops out that you just can’t turn away from. Today’s crowd of artists offer up just those sorts of oh-so-pleasant surprises. Get ready to get stuck in.

True Green’s Hail Disaster is a journey through many moods. Opening cut “Italian Lightening” is all shades of autumn light, so many flickering guitar and keyboard lines dapple your senses. Sunny and bright got right, that’s this song. It also stands out as the most hit singley track on the album. From there things veer down many intriguing paths. “How To Draw Hands” talk-sings against echoey guitar chords and mellifluous keyboard runs. “Beatlemania” is a stark indie rock intervention, nothing like Beatlemania sonically (though it does ask all the right questions about that social hoopla). Then “Consider the Priesthood” brings banjo into a track that pushes the echo fader to the max. Folk figures strongly across many contributions here. “Hamlet and Juliet” has a unique folk ennui, a bit like Hayden. “Bindi Sue” and “Falconry” both give off acoustic folk vibes, the latter adding some Bruce Cockburn guitar artistry. Meanwhile “Jonathan” combines a folk feel with some comforting 1970s electric keyboard. But cuts like “Hail Disaster” and “Terry’s Parrot” lean closer to performance art. The guitar textures defining “Bodysurfing”  are mesmerizing in a low key way. Moody poprock makes an appearance with “Texas Instrument” while “Sparrows + Lillies” is all jazzy rumination. Hail Disaster may be a shifting mood buffet but it works on many levels.

On Outlandish Stances Brian Jones and His Elevator Music offer up that highly literate melodic rock and roll that made careers for bands like Squeeze and Fountains of Wayne and I can’t get enough. Record opener “Flowers” has a new wave freshness from its opening guitar chords, building to a triumphant, memorable chorus. Then “New Adventures” shifts gears into a rollicking poprock romp. “Some Men” opens with some distinctive jangle guitar, layering it up to good effect on this story song. It’s so easy to toss off possible comparisons to the styles that appear here. “The Last to Know” is so Squeeze, “Mexico” exudes an FOW ballad feel, while “Blessed and Highly Favored” reminds me of Freedy Johnston. “Sunday Best” is a personal fave – I love the liberal deployment of seventh chords. “When The Music’s Over” is something different again, closing things out with tender piano ballad.

Smug Brothers album #11 Pinhole to Vortex is a supremely great guitar record. What I mean is that the guitars are central to everything that is going on here, carrying the songs forward, adding depth where needed, and jumping out of the mix with various melodic and textural surprises. “Bolt Through the Blackout” is a great example of what I’m talking about with alternating guitar parts that keep grabbing our attention. “I’ve Seen Them Patch the Same Hole Trying to Get It Right” is another striking example where the hypnotic rhythm guitar attack lulls you just ahead of dynamic lead guitar breakouts. “Blitz Meridian” is something a bit different with its clockwork-meets-new wave rhythm guitar pacing. And I’m particularly keen on “Picasso Waltzes.” The song is a wonderful arrangements of pieces, from the lead guitar lines to the chorused vocals to the striking trumpet shots. Or listen to how “Extra All the Time” uses great lead guitar runs to lead us through the song. There is a some solid Beatles DNA threaded through countless songs here, from “Eureka Minor” to “From Crack to Shatter” to “Back at Earth.” There is stylistic variety here too, with “Speeding By the Way Things Used to Look” and “Wake Up (Be Your Own Planet)” holding a softer pop pose while “Chisel Would Say” showcases a harsher guitar attack. Personal faves include “The Other Wedge was Better” with its up-front guitar hooks and the full-on power pop of “Drive Open in the Delicate Streams.” Fair warning: with Pinhole Vortex you better get ready to notch your amp up to 11.

It’s been a month of regularly imbibing Pope’s new LP BFM and I’m still not done with it. I find myself fascinated with how the band manages to inhabit so many styles but never lose a sense of their own musical personality. Reviewers don’t skimp on comparisons, linking the overall aura to the 1990s alternative scene. My own take is that the potential influences go even further back (and forward). For instance, both “Song Two” and “Point of View” conjure the Dandy Warhols for me. Some suggest “Newboi” is vibing Teenage Fanclub but all I hear is REM. Obviously there are many ways to dissect Pope’s musical DNA, the point is indicate possible stylistic affinities. Case in point, “Town” has a SWMRS feel for me while “Good Enough” embodies a spot-on Kevin Devine demeanor. Another striking aspect of this LP is the seamless fluidity of the song order, despite the deployment of different lead vocalists. Ratboys singer Julia Steiner guests on “Sick Minute” and “Nothing for Nothing” and her appearances are both highly distinctive and very much in tune with the album’s overall tone. Overall BFM is a hard-to-pin-down album. Tracks like “Back to Centre” and “Underdawg” exude a folksy charm without going full-on folk. “Make You Feel” has a harsher guitar attack that is set off somewhat by vocals that seem to float over the backing. Then you have a song like “John Thomas” where a lowkey delivery in no way subdues the impact. After nine years without a release, BFM definitely marks Pope’s triumphant return.

Tuning in to these four acts will definitely enrich your listening pleasure. You can find more dedicated programming about them on their branded internet real estate.

Photo courtesy Joe Haupt Flikr collection.

Around the dial: The Well Wishers, Onesie, Invisible Rays, and Log Flume

31 Friday Jul 2026

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I remember the feeling of first hearing some new song on the radio that I immediately wanted to hear again. It was simultaneously great and bittersweet – something new to love but with no idea when It would come on again. You don’t have that problem here. This radio locale offers you instant playback. And you are definitely going to avail yourself of it with this quartet of new LPs.

The opening cut on the new Well Wishers album Expected Outcomes pretty much lays it all out. “Pox on Everything” is what the Well Wishers do, distilled into one perfect song. There’s shimmering vocals, ringing guitars, winning hooks, and the occasional unexpected melodic subterfuge (of the very best kind). By contrast “Good Intentions” fakes us out with a brooding, lowkey start before settling into a solid jangly groove. Then “What’s the Secret” combines a slight pop dissonance with some new vocal tricks and a great break-out Lindsay Buckingham lead guitar line late in the song. On the whole jangle and harmony vocals are in abundance here, particularly on “In the Afterglow” and “Peace In Our Time.” And there are a few departures too. “The Flame” jumps out with different pacing, evoking slightly eastern melodic turns while “Back of the Line” sounds very AOR in a big guitar way, at least until the melodic hooks kick in throughout the chorus. “Soldiering” wraps things up as a striking, stripped-back acoustic guitar and piano number. Expected Outcomes really is a truth-in-advertising product from the Well Wishers vehicle and that just the way I like it.

Brooklyn’s Onesie deliver a walloping blast of muscular pop rock on their new LP Way Thousand Bump to the Sky. Don’t let the brief church-like organ kicking off “World Stepped on a Mirror” fool you. The song exemplifies the combination of playful experimentation and guitar amps turned up to 11 that defines this whole outing. Get ready for a blistering trip through various song styles and winning guitar tones. For instance, I hear a strong 1980s glossy guitar shine all over “Meetcha at Minnie’s (The Captain’s Song),” so slick and satisfyingly shimmering. By contrast, “Twilight Years” has a slightly garage-y shuffle. Or dig into “Tryptophantastic” with its fun, lurchy, slightly jazzy pop tuning. Let’s be clear, the record has serious jangle in its DNA. “Maybe Life’s Just a Monitor Gig” is jangly pop goodness with a dash of prog rock. “Heckscope” is like Matthew Sweet in a dark mood. Both “Honest Rendering” and “Doing a Band” blend a rocking base with a superior pop gloss at different points. What I love here is how inventive the songwriting is. “So Darkside” is almost musical-ish in structure while still delivering the hooky goods. “Superlative” is both sophisticated pop and muscular rock. Album closer “In Your Dream You’re Every Character” is another surprise, offering a slow and easy, almost jazzy number that blows up brilliantly near the end. Way Thousand Bump to the Sky is great ride, managing to be super smart while still being hummable, a very harder combo to pull off.

For a good ole boys version of Weezer you can’t go wrong with Boston’s Invisible Rays, especially on their most recent vinyl missive Blame It On The Rays. That’s not to take away from this band’s homegrown originality. No Sir. The songs here are striking and strong. But you can hardly make your way into the LP’s opener “Disco Denial” without feeling those Weezer vibes. “Home” is pretty Weezer-ish too. Things take on a more sunny stylistic shift on the upbeat “Violet Says.” “Sir David Mineham” sounds like a nicely harsh version of The Cure. Then “I Don’t Dream of You” offers a jangly departure with just a dash of dissonance. “Owe Me” is another jangle banger. I love the juxtaposition of 1970s rhythm rock guitar and the surging chorus melody on “Interstellar Sweetheart.” If you’re looking for the should-be hit single, it’s “Landline” for me. The track strikes just balance between disaffection and engaging hooks. “Kill the King of Rock and Roll” is also a strong contender, really hitting home in the chorus. The record wraps nicely with the cool-down, slow-tempo outlier “In Store.” Warm up the amp because you’re gonna want to play this one loud. Trust me, no one will blame you.

I have been singing the praises of Log Flume song-by-song for over a year. Now they have an album and Go Where The Money Goes includes those earlier releases, “Necessary Evil” and “Get the Picture.” They still stand out as pretty marvelous 45s (you can read my original takes on both here and here). But now they are joined by nine other equally winning tunes that expand what we might think this group is about. “Dynamic” launches the record with an almost pop punk energy. “Far From You” also has a dissonant veneer masking a hooky underlay. “Get This Feeling” veers sharply from this pattern with a contribution that is dreamy and literally dripping jangle. “Up By 9 O’Clock” follows, a more demure slice of jangle – less sparkle, more meaty. At this point we’re halfway through this long-player and suddenly the band shake things up on the title track “Go Where The Money Goes,” taking the tempo down with a sweet but sombre Roddy Frame ballad. Both “Anything” and “Misery” strike me as very modish English poprock circa 1982. I’m also partial to “Every Single Day” and the slow and deliberate manner it advances its melodic charms. But I love the almost frantic pacing of “Follow You Around” and its killer melodic twists and turns. My money is going where this album is, it’s a winner.

Radio lives on my heart, even if its lost some of its lustre over the years. It’s not where I go for new music but we can pretend we’re carrying on that tradition here. Hit the hyperlinks and you can repeat the broadcast as much as you like.

Photo courtesy Joe Haupt Flikr collection.

Around the Dial: Jeremy Messersmith, Boys Go To Jupiter, Robert Ellis Orrall, and The Krayolas

12 Sunday Apr 2026

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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.

Photo courtesy Joe Haupt Flikr collection.

Around the dial: The Toms, Boy Wonders, Tony Molina, and Chasing September

20 Tuesday Jan 2026

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Something for a range of tastes, that’s what we’re looking for in this first twist of the dial for 2026. From power pop to indie rock to sixties retro to something else again. Buckle up for the tour.

You don’t have to dig very far into Tommy Marolda’s bio to know he’s no spring chicken. But you’d never know he wasn’t some fresh young thing after spinning The Toms new LP Sound Bytes. It’s got that unmistakeable note of youthful energy. Opening cut “Summer Without You” treats us to a fabulous blast of rock melody and jangling guitars. “Multiple Personalities” then moves things into a plush, sophisticated direction. “One Day” sounds kinda timeless, its sonic attack could be comfortably dropped into a variety of musical eras. As should be obvious by this point, you can’t tie Marolda down to just one genre. “I Love a Girl” almost shades into a disco kind of booty shaker. Almost. “Me and You” has got a great sixties pop swing. “She Can’t Let It Go” is pure seventies AM-ready poprock. But for contrast, check out how “Time and Time Again” insinuates a degree of sonic menace throughout the tune. Personal faves – I love how “Check Out Time” chugs along, pushing its subtle melody forward, while “houseflies hum in the key of F” is fun ditty that adds up to highly listenable song.

Get ready for a sonic departure from Boy Wonders on their recent album Character Study. Gone is the almost slacker punk ennui colouring their last outing Happy Days Are Here Again. In its place is a band driving a harder melodic bargain. Opening cut “We Could Be Yours” bristles with a kind of poprock determination, riffing into a bit of discord near the end. “Little Black Shadow” rolls out with some classic rock riffs before turning on the vocal hooks. Clearly the band summon a greater variety of styles on this outing. “Loss Adjustment” rides some wild electric guitar arpeggios worthy of early REM. “Polygraph” and “Enfant Terrible” are something else again, vibing a distinctly 1980s English-sounding mood. “Sister Suzie” is just straight up power pop while “Dreaming in B/W” gives off a sad pop feel. Accent on wonder with this new Boy Wonders LP. This is a band that has really upped their creative and performative game.

Is the most remarkable thing about Tony Molina’s 21 song epic LP On This Day that it runs only 23 minutes long? No. Obviously it’s the consistent quality and breadth that gets packed into these pop miniatures. That 18 of the tracks are 90 seconds or less doesn’t mean they pass by unnoticed. The record is divided amongst contributions in four registers: jangle, Lennonesque Beatles, folk rock, and Brian Wilson, with a number of short solo guitar pieces in a classical mode. The Brian Wilson set includes “Faded Holiday,” “Been Wronged,” and “Out of the Dark,” all leaning into the keyboard strong side of the Beach Boys, though the last really vibes the vocal dynamics. Then “Lie to Kick It,” “Broken Down,” and “Don’t Belong” offer different shades of lush jangle. The lion’s share of tracks here touch on folk or folk rock. “Despite the Sun” is a gentle McCartney-somewhere-in-India acoustic number. “Take Some Time” speeds up the folk pop pace. “Just As the Time Was Flowing” starts sounding very really sixties folk group. Then we get the cross-over folk rock that mixes in a good measure of jangle. The cover of Eric Anderson’s “Violets of Dawn” is just such a great treatment. Carrying on, “Livin’ Wrong” and “Ghosts of Punishments Past” inhabit a Byrdsian universe. The Beatles influences lurk everywhere. “FC’ 23” has classic beat group harmonies and hooky single-note lead-guitar lines whereas “Transplant Blues” and “Inside Your Mind Pt 2” evoke a late Lennon Beatles, the latter with a bit of Elliott Smith. For something out of step (but not unwelcome), check out the bashing rock style on “Have Your Way.” It borders on a TMBG sound.

Chasing September are like a bunch of bands combined into one on their long-player Talking Circles. There’s a pop punk band banging out tracks like “Hurts More” and “Unhinged.” There’s a more strummy guitar pop band delivering “Literally” and “Close to Me.” You even get a lull-your-kids-to-sleep band with the aptly named “Lullaby” and “Purple Moon.” The cover of the Korgis’ soft rock hit “Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime” is revelatory, casting the song into a totally new register – tougher and meaner than before. “Before You Know” is another original departure with its ominous melodic development. I also really like “Anniversary” a McCartney-esque ballad in style and form.

Our fictitious radio dial nonetheless beams out should-be hits for the here and now. Add these acts to your playlists via whatever medium works for you.

Photo courtesy Joe Haupt 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.

Around the dial: Splitsville, Richard Turgeon, and Lolas

29 Tuesday Jul 2025

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Today’s turn of the dial brings back a number of legends and old faves. It definitely pays to be tuned in.

After a 22 year hiatus Power Pop Hall of Famers Splitsville have reunited to produce a dynamic blast of what they do best – i.e. give us guitar-surging melodic rock without fault – on a new LP entitled Mobtown. The record is a concept album and not since HBO’s The Wire has Baltimore been given such an artistically critical appraisal. Attention to the American working class is paramount throughout, though with particular emphasis on “Beth Steel” and “Penn Station.” Musically, the record covers a range of indie styles from the past two decades. Opening cut “Cold Open” combines synthesizer riffs and a wall of guitars in a style not unlike The Dandy Warhols. “A Glorious Life” keeps the amps humming on high with a crunchy Fountains of Wayne-like set of hooks. Both “Southern Hospitality” and “Gray” address Baltimore’s longstanding issues of race. “I Hate Going To Hutzler’s” is the radio-ready single, so boppy and unpredictable. “Fallsway” takes things in different direction with some decidedly piano-centric poprock. But my personal fave is “Perry Hall” with its subtle Costello ring to it.

Consummate indie rocker Richard Turgeon has got an immediately recognizable style. But with each album he puts out his songwriting continues to evolve. Album #6 Shungite is no exception. Right out the gate Turgeon casts his spell with title track “Shungite,” an aural assault of strident guitars held aloft by some solid melodic hooks. Meanwhile “Song of Discontent” alternates between a soft and hard seductive dissonance. “Signs” throws its hook out early with a catchy lead guitar line before settling into a Sugar Ray kind of groove. “This is the Last Song (I Write for You)” is another great blast full-on guitar hookery. “Small Fry” and “Deep Cuts” offer something different, the former rocking out, the latter working a more alluring drone. I also love the transcendent shimmer defining the vocals on “All Good Things Must Come to an End.” Another exceptional cut is “I Won’t Cry” with its otherworldly oscillation between restrained verses and an high impact chorus. Then Turgeon wraps things up with another surprise, the low-key “Hit My Ceiling” animated by some very Byrdsian guitar work. Shungite is more reliably great work from Richard Turgeon.

On Big Hits and Freak Disasters Alabama’s Lolas give a melodic boost to the class struggle and then some. “Work is the Blackmail of Survival” gives you the essence of Marx’s theory of exploitation but it has never been so hummably rendered. “Shut Me Down” repudiates America’s rising totalitarianism with a 1960s poprock punch. Then “Call Your Name” turns the amps up to 11, sounding a bit like the Kinks when they really let go. Not that life is all struggle and strife here. There’s good dose of lovelorn longing too. Both “Underneath the Waves” and “From the Start” are great shimmery guitar pop songs about love. Band leader Tim Boykin’s mastery of 1960s-derived song styles is on full display on this record on tracks like “Jacqui” and the more folkie “I Wish You a Happy Journey.” But he’s also not afraid to push things in more a more punky direction on “All Sewn Up” and “I Couldn’t Stop It,” at least early on, before those super sweet pop hooks kick in. Other highlights for me include the clashy guitar pop of “Trick Myself” and the Nick Lowe-in-Rockpile mode-ish “Down We Go.” This record is full of should-be hits, no musical disasters. It’s a winner from start to finish.

Tuning in to your penchant for power pop, today’s acts are all on your wavelength. Get a repeat broadcast via the hyperlinks above.

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Around the dial: Keyside, Peter Baldrachi, and The Jellybricks

13 Tuesday May 2025

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New tunes show up in the damnedest places. This week’s discoveries come via social media, indie music platforms, and even my email in-box. Our ‘dial’ may be somewhat expanded from radio’s postwar heyday but the important thing is that the should-be hits keep on coming.

I stumbled across Liverpool’s Keyside when I caught their snippet of Squeeze’s “Up the Junction” as a TikTok reel. I immediately wanted more. Turns out the band have a few singles and two EPs, 2024’s Nikita and this year’s Michael (What’s Your Call?). The early stand-alone early singles “Paris to Marseille” and “Light Out” are delivered in such a strong Scouse brogue the lyrics are mostly indecipherable to outsiders, though no less delightful. The band are regularly compared to The La’s, Cast, Oasis etc. but songs like “Angeline” and “Down My Way” from the first EP channel a broader palate of influences: moodier, with jazzy inflections. “Nikita” is definitely a striking single. The formula is successfully reproduced on EP #2 with “Runaway” a strong opening single while “High to High” vibes strong Britpop. This is a quartet worth watching for what they might whip up for a long player.

It’s been five long years since Peter Baldrachi released his magisterial comeback LP Slow Recovery. There’s been a few singles since then, that’s true. But nothing stands in for a Baldrachi full album effect. So pull up and check out his new album Nothing Promised to get that feeling again. “Hard to Believe” kicks things off with a Peter Case vocal edge that successfully revives that driving Plimsouls sound. From there things get pretty country though not like you might expect. “Busted, Sad, Lonely and Blue” says country from the title alone but tune in for the Bakersfield sound. “You Brought the Love” balances tasty lead guitar riffs with sweet country pedal steel. Then “Go It Alone” sees the guitar work pulling the country feel in a jazz direction. “Wearing My Heart Around” dials up the honky tonk country vibe. But the coup de grace is undoubtedly the “In the Shadow” duet with Sonya Rae Taylor where a rumbly rockabilly lead guitar competes some spare country pedal steel to create real tension. Baldrachi does take a rocking turn or two as well. “Sometimes I Just Gotta Get Away” has a rollicking Replacements energy while “The Pieces of You” rides a great organ bed as you might hear on any number of Nick Lowe albums. Bookending the album is another hot should-be hit single, “Tomorrow,” a Matthew Sweet-worthy hooky guitar tune, with a hint of the Jayhawks in the vocal delivery. With Nothing Promised Baldrachi is back and as promising as ever.

The Jellybricks’ eighth release Dreaming in Stereo turns it out from the start. Opening cut “Age of Stupid” practically launches out of the speakers, the sonic assault evenly matching its pointed lyrical lash. Then the title track dials down the attack but cranks the melody meter with sweet guitar hooks and harmony vocals. “Sound of a Broken Heart” is almost a ballad, one that skips along over well-placed subtle hooks. “All About You” has a manic energy reminiscent of 1990s pop strut singles. There are times on this record you’d swear the band is doing some kind of new wave bait and switch. Both “Monday’s Never” and “Enchanted I Am” sound like different (equally good) bands, the former 1980s British, the latter 1990s AM poprock polished. There are so many great songs here I’ll just single out two more. After a rather jazzy experimental introduction “Follow That Girl” takes a jangle romp in new directions while “Shine On” closes things out with rocking bravado.

The search for great new tunes keep turning up trumps at this makeshift station. Click on the artist hyperlinks above to get a replay.

Photo courtesy Joe Haupt Flikr collection.

Around the dial: Lone Striker, Ryan Allen, and Randy Klawon

21 Friday Mar 2025

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Today’s radio spin reveals surprises from some of our usual suspects. Gotta stay tuned in to get the full picture.

I like Tom Brown. I’ve reviewed his Teenage Tom Petties and Rural France records and they’re reliably good. But his new Lone Striker project is a revelation, a carefully calibrated artistic montage of ‘found sounds,’ loops and samples. And hooks galore, of course. Album opener “Blip One” is a Beck-like pop crawl of a number, shrouded with lone prairie ghostly background vocals. Then comes the early release single “Dunno,” which had me at the mournful horn section opener. There’s a beautiful melancholy hovering all over this tune. It’s a song that seems so simple at the start but builds an emotional intensity. By contrast “The Cavalry” has a New Pornographers feel where the rhythm guitar almost looms in the background, offset by what sounds like a toy keyboard lead line. It’s curious, despite an overall sonic consistency to the record the different cuts here conjure up different moods. “Funny Way of Showing It” is breezy acoustic pop fun, “Never Blown a Kiss” has a Mavericks vocal intensity, while “Cursed Like Roy” lopes along like a Magnetic Fields-meet-Buddy Holly tune. Sometimes the vibe is baked into the choice of instrumentation, like the mournful harmonica and whistling on “Pinnochio” or the pedal steel guitar on “Hurry Up, You’re Taking Forever,” making any song a perfectly sketched miniature of mood.

Ryan Allen returns to his roots on his latest record, channeling the influences that shaped his tastes growing up. To that end Livin’ On A Prayer On The Edge dials down his usual levels of crunch and distortion to favour melody. You can hear the difference on album opener “I Should (But I Don’t Really Wanna)” with guitars that sound like a more dissonant version of Teenage Fanclub. Then “Lost in a Daze” and “Anxious All the Time” have a more Fountains of Wayne intensity. Basically this record is like a tour of duty with poppy guitar bands (and I’m all for signing up). You can definitely hear a Big Star kickstart to “After I’m Dead,” or a hazy Oasis guitar shimmer on “Conspiracy Theory” or even the pull of Squeeze in “When I’m Gone.” Radio-ready should-be hit singles? I’m voting “Company Eyes” and “So What Who Cares.” These are catchy poppy gems. Then it’s a wrap with the lovely, Kevin Devine-ish “In The Next Life.”

On Love and Sacrifice Randy Klawon steps out from his sideman role with The Flashcubes and The Half-Cubes to take the spotlight, gathering together a host of singles he’s been releasing over the past few years. And it’s about time. The guy has the soul of a classic poppy rock and roller that can effortlessly traverse decades of influences. Opening cut “Love and Sacrifice” lands somewhere in the 1970s. “Marlo Maybe” is more early 1980s AM soft rock. By the time we get to “Little Miss Sunshine” Klawon is working the same timeless indie poprock seam as people like Ed Ryan. In other words, the song could have come out anytime in the last few decades. But there’s also a strong Beatles DNA stamped across the album too, prominent on tracks like “Ordinary Day” and “Tonight.” On the singles front “She’s More Than I Want” is pretty brilliant single-age, with its touch of the Searchers plus The La’s. “Even When She’s Wrong, She’s Right” and “Don’t Want To Play” are both effortless singalong pop, perfect for wafting from somebody’s transistor radio somewhere.

Keep me guessing, that what I say. And keep hitting those hotlinks to keep these guys in guitar picks.

Photo courtesy Aaron Brown Flikr collection.

Around the dial: Burgess Meredith, Log Flume, and The Rockyts

23 Thursday Jan 2025

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What’s playing across our spectrum? More hooks, more jangle, more mellifluous melodies – the usual, in other words. Today’s should-be radio sample has got sly riffs, coy lyrics and even a certain cinematic allure.

The early, more rough-house pop sound of Burgess Meredith sounds like it has been put through a Beatles filter and what has come out on their latest LP Person Hat is very Abbey Road with a dash of seventies solo Paul McCartney. I mean, LP opener “Nowhere” is so Macca it hurts. In a good way. Actually, the whole sonic vibe of this record oozes various Beatle-isms. It’s there in the ominous orchestration backing “Somewhere to Start,” the distinctive Mellotron keyboard underpinning “Becca Song,” or the oh-so-Beatles background vocals balancing the sparse acoustic guitar on “Heart Strings.” I’m not saying it’s all Paul here. “Life Love” strikes a more White Album Lennon note. You may also hear a lot of Beatles interpreters like ELO on cuts like “Blue Reign.” Then again “Hit the Road” seems very Apples in Stereo to these ears. I think the sleeper hit on this record is “Love Knows.” It is one of those subtle ear worms that gets stuck in your head the more you hear it. I also really like the ambition driving “The Children Can Tell” with its pop, folksy and sing-along elements blending seamlessly.

Philadelphia’s Log Flume sound like a power pop band that aged out of the punk scene but couldn’t quite quit that baby. The effect is sometimes like a pop singer playing in front a sound system turned up way loud. It’s wonderfully dissonant and fun on tracks like “Elevator Up,” “OMIT” and the poppy “DB Cooper.” Other tracks like “Rom Pom Pom” have that SMWRS slick, alluring indie poprock sound. By contrast “On the Spaceship” has a rough and ready sheen, a touch of slacker vibe that says ‘we can nail this’ but sometimes we like things a bit looser. But where I think this band is going can be found on songs like “Angel’s Flight,” “December’s Ending” and “Simple Friend.” The latter transitions out of the dissonant sound to more of an accent on melody. Then “Angel’s Flight” bends your ear with solid melodic hooks throughout. But the standout should-be hit single is undoubtedly “December’s Friend.” This one is just so poppy good. Another delight is “Twist” which builds the tune out of a complex lead guitar hook that just keeps looping in the background until a chorus breaks out of nowhere. The album title is Splash Hit and that captures a lot about this group: fun, unpretentious and willing to throw out hooks like kids cannon-balling from the diving board.

When The Rockyts launched in 2020 they were barely post adolescent but that didn’t limit them acing a driving beat group revival sound worthy of a dark sweaty night at The Cavern. On their debut album Come On And Dance they showed they had 1965 down. The question was, where would they go next? 1966? Or somewhere more unpredictable? Last year’s release of Parkwood Manor has provided some answers. The record now sees the band reduced to a solo act built around the group’s creative force Jeremy Abboud who writes, plays and produces everything here. I must say the results are surprising though not startling. Abboud shifts to that slick pop new wave feel that took signature elements of the Beatles sound in exciting new directions. Tracks like “I Get High” and “Without You” utilize Cars-like muted guitar and vocals to good effect. There is a sonic consistency to the performances of tracks like “Another One Like You,” “You and I” and “Falling.” Abboud adds some grit to his vocals here while maintaining solid melodic hooks. There are contributions that offer a softer pop take, echoing a lighter 1960s feel, and here I’m thinking of tracks like “I Don’t Know Why It’s Killing Me,” “Everywhere” and “You Were My Love.” Altogether Parkwood Manor is an impressive second effort from a young talent who is really just getting started.

Given what you see here it’s clear that poprock productivity remains strong. Really there’s no reason you can’t get the hooks you need going forward. Just tune in here to re-up your supply.

Photo courtesy Joe Haupt Flikr collection.

Around the dial: The Rills, Wishy, 2nd Grade, and The High Elves

05 Thursday Dec 2024

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As 2024 inches towards a close there are still so many great releases that warrant the spotlight. Today we’ll be spinning the dial for these four radio-worthy acts.

The Rills debut LP Don’t Be A Stranger rips out from the starting gate and never lets up. “Seaside” starts the show, falling somewhere between a brash American SWMRS vibe and a more restrained English Fronteers sound. But next up the early release single “I Don’t Wanna Be” is more getting-up-and-going-somewhere rocking out. Get ready to get some airtime. The album cover sets up a car theme that gets expression on two tracks that couldn’t be more different, tempo-wise. “Drive” has got its lead foot on the gas while “Dad’s Car” is using cruise control. A lot of this album has got the youthful exuberance of acts like of Cage the Elephant or Catfish and the Bottlemen on tracks like “Mistake” and “Bones.” But others throttle things back. Both “Sirens” and “Dream of You” contain more structured evocative melodies, the latter very much should-be hit single material. Then there’s songs like “Stranger” with its spooky slow groove ambience and sliver of The Zombies’ Colin Blunstone in the vocals, or “Angel in the Snow” echoing a New Order guitar/bass line combo.

Some bands really know what they are about. Like when Wishy self-describe their sound as bringing “traces of shoegaze, grunge and power-pop swirling together” they nailed it. On their recent album Triple Seven it’s like all three elements are always there in mix but with each song one genre steps up to take the spotlight. Opening cut “Sick Sweet” marries a grungy drive with a bit of shoegazey dissonance. The same formula is working for “Spit” while “Game” and “Honey” lean into the grunge side. Then “Triple Seven” has a Sugar Ray skip-along rhythm going married to ever so dreamy vocals. “Persuasion” is bit more like Ivy, if they’d tipped in a more FOW direction. Powerpop definitely takes over on cuts like “Love On the Outside” and “Busted.” “Just Like Sunday” is a departure, slowing things down under a wash of layered vocals and a most subtle hook almost buried in the chorus.

Only 2nd Grade could deliver 23 songs in just 39 minutes and still leave the listener feeling like some kind of triple-album epic just went down. That’s what you can expect on their new long-ish player Scheduled Explosions. Now this is not the band’s first short-song rodeo so when they claim they’ll be “Uncontrollably Cool” in just a minute a half you better believe they’ll deliver. And do they ever – across at least four broad genre strokes. First there’s the garage punky stance holding up bashers like “Out of Hive,” and “68 Comeback.” At others times songs vibe a more indie slacker lurch, apparent on cuts like “Bureau of Autumn Sorrows” and “King of Marvin Gardens.”  All these efforts leak melody but the hooks sharpen on material that evokes a Mo Troper DIY sensibility e.g. “Airlift” and “Crybaby Semiconductor.” But it is the power pop tracks here that really deliver for me. “Live From Mission Command” and “Fashion Disease” tweak the guitars for maximum hook-age. Should-be radio hits? Definitely “Instant Nostalgia,” and “American Rhythm.” You may balk at sitting through a 23 song album at first but trust me, if you really like a few you’re going to want the whole crew.

I said ‘more please’ when Kurt Hagardorn’s The High Elves flipped us a pair of singles from his new combo last July. Now he returns with two more tunes to fill out an EP with those singles entitled Early Works. Of the new tunes, “Your Hat” has the austere tone of Hayden, Canada’s dour man of melody, while “Talk” couldn’t be more different, all peppy and musical theatrey.

Today’s tuneage definitely deserves radio play in an old school sort of way. Our dial may be imaginary but the talent is not.

Banner art courtesy kasiQ Jungwoo Flikr collection.