Category Archives: Artist Spotlight

Pacific overture: Couple and Hoff Dylan

01 Tuesday Jul 2025

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Social media strangers often give me the best tips for out-of-the-way poprock gems. Like today’s acts, hailing from across the bright blue Pacific Ocean, one from Malaysia and the other from Japan. East definitely meets west in terms of sonic influences and dissonances. Get ready to set your translation settings to stunning.

Malaysia’s Couple put out a few albums in the millennium’s first decade but then hit pause until the release of 2022’s Poptimism. Wow, what a transformation occurred in the interim. Where the early albums were solid poprock with a hint of edginess their new venture added multiple layers of sonic sophistication, effortlessly melding different styles and influences while singing in both Malay and English. Things begin with “Marlam Minggu,” a track that really sets the scene. You know this is not going to be your average pop album. To be fair, the album features more than few off-the-shelf pleasant pop tunes like “Let Me Love You” and “I Do” that vibe classic 1950s and 1960s song motifs. By contrast “Think About It” comes on like some kind of new wave fifties reinvention. Then there are songs like “Be My Baby” that mess with the form, full of buzzy guitar at times and oh-so-smooth vocals. “KTYT” even brings in a screamcore interlude to break up the poppiness. In a throwback vein “Goddamn Mighty Tune” is a light pop punk tune with a Weezer-ish flavour. “Sedia Sedia” starts with striking guitars and then lays in some pretty keyboard work. Sometimes the guitars come in spare as on “Call Me,” only to flare out with a sudden addition wall of sound of multiple guitars, voices and synths. “Slap Slap Nak Raya” sounds like a single, shaped by classic vocal contrasts and a mellow but striking hook. Call me poptimistic but I think more Couple would make a welcome import.

Japan’s Hoff Dylan are an enigma in more than a couple of ways. First, they have so many LPs, EPs, compilations and one-off singles that it’s hard to navigate the band’s career and musical development. Then the band’s song titles are sometimes translated to English, or remain in Japanese but in Roman (i.e. English) lettering, or appear in Japanese script. And there’s the album content itself, which can range from Beatlesque to winsomely childlike. After needle-dropping as much of their catalogue as I can find I’ve pulled out 22 pretty solid cuts of the poppy rock variety but I’m sure there’s more. Here I’ll just highlight a few outstanding examples, IMHO. Starting with “Koi wa Itsumo Maboroshi no Youni” from the band’s breakthrough LP Washington, C.D. Check out the George Harrison-worthy lead guitar riffs, buffeted by classic 1970s keyboard tones. “Gokuraku wa Dokoda” from 1998’s self-titled Hoff Dylan kicks off with some BTO-ish guitar chords before bringing another great keyboard vibe. This is group that are masters at dropping in a recognizable musical phrase. Listen to how they evoke the Beatles “Dr. Robert” at the start of “Madman” or repurpose the opening lick of the Knack’s “My Sharona” for “Manamana.” After over two decades of releases, Hoff Dylan continue to rework disparate influences into something new, sometimes sounding like the Beatles, McCartney in Wings mode, 10cc, or even Sloan. Their most recent record is 2022’s Island and it is no exception, offering up pretty easy-listening poppy cuts like “Kaze no Sasoide.”

Koi wa Itsumo Maboroshi no Youni
Gokuraku wa Dokoda
Kaze no Sasoide

It’s a great big beautiful world out there, full of winning tunes and solid acts singing in all sorts of languages. You don’t need to understand the words to get their message. Tune in with the hyperlinks above.

Photo ‘An old school Tokyo record shop‘ courtesy Tokyo Times, May 18, 2022.

OK Go’s really Okay

03 Tuesday Jun 2025

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I’m not a die-hard OK Go fan. For years I’d read that power pop lovers should love their work, particularly their early albums. But I didn’t hear it. Creative indie rock, yes. Complex and innovative for sure but less focused on melody that my tastes usually desire. Basically, I’d put them in that modern music experimental camp I associate with Television and things that weren’t singles from the Talking Heads. Of course, they do know how to make a you-can’t-stop-watching-it music video. All this is to say that album #6 from Ok Go threw me for a loop. And the Adjacent Possible had me humming the tunes long after the last song hit the run out groove. Like me, you may have just tuned in for another fab OK Go video and there no denying “Love” is up to their usual videographic standards. But trust me, you’re gonna want to stick around for the non-video tracks this time.

Opening cut “Impulse Purchase” kicks off with a Portugal The Man kind of impact but quickly shifts to a carefully calibrated Tally Hall vibe. The precision on the performance and production here is pretty stellar. Then “A Stone Only Rolls Downhill” offers up a lilting lush feel where a melodica solo pops in with a bracing vibrancy. A slight hint of Wings circa 1976 appears here. Next up is “Love,” the aforementioned elaborate video single but don’t let the visuals obscure how this song really can stand on its auditory merits. From here the record delves into a variety of musical styles, all stamped with Ok Go’s distinctive sound. “Fantasy vs. Fantasy” initially seems like a vintage throwback but for the crisp modern production. There’s slow soul ballads (“This is How It Ends”) and solid dance struts (“Take Me With You”). “Better Than This” contrasts wonderfully melodic arcs with stop and start dance grooves. I hear a touch of Abbey Road “Going Home” and bit of that intimate Kate Bush/Peter Gabriel “Don’t Give Up” demeanor marking the aching “Don’t Give Up Now.” Listen to the orchestrated cacophony that is “Golden Devils” with its Queen-like mischievous mix of mannered pop. Singalong should-be AM pop single? Definitely “Once More With Feeling.”

It’s nice to be surprised by artists you’ve respected but not necessarily charted their every career move. With And the Adjacent Possible Ok Go move up my ‘pay attention to these guys’ list, delivering a summer 2025 constant rotation long-player.

People in your neighbourhood: Human Barbie and Smug Brothers

29 Thursday May 2025

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Are they the people that you meet when you’re walking down the street? I suspect not. But these two bands definitely deserve to be in your musical hood if you like something just a bit out of the poprock mainstream.

Human Barbie lives in Los Angeles. Like, duh. Where else would they be? I mean, Malibu was in the traditional brand somewhere. But there’s nothing plastic or assembly line about this living doll. Human Barbie the band is wonderfully warm and analog in its sonic signature. The group’s one long-player Get a Life contains such an interesting mix of instrument choices and song styles. Everything exhibits just a touch by a dreamy psychedelia, framed within spare guitar work and keyboards. Opening cut “We Disappeared” rides some solid harpsichord piano chords, punctuated by otherworldly synth lead lines. Altogether space agey. Title track “Get a Life” is contemplative, capturing a marked generational ennui with growing up. “The Truth is Coming” leans on keyboards to cast its uncertain glow, though the warm rumbly electric lead guitar break creates a nice juxtaposition. You can go back and forth in Human Barbie’s catalogue for plenty more great musical nuggets. “Nineteen 80” chugs along with a sombre poppy elan. “The Village Priest” is another winning stand-alone song, vibing mystery and a bit of folk rock. The band’s most recent single “Slow Down” has a fuller, more pastoral feel with an almost gospel shading in the sing-along chorus.

In the list of bands with a serious work ethic, Smug Brothers would surely get more than a footnote. Ok, there was that nine year break between albums one and two but since then they’ve been plying the record bins with singles, EPs and LPs with a clockwork consistency. Album number ten Stuck on Beta is almost out. From the tracks presently available the record is clearly following in the style of their previous LP In the Book of Bad Ideas with plenty of jangle. “Paper Jane” reminds me of those early Church records while “Take It Out On Me” has a rougher beat group edge but plenty of hooks too. While we wait for the full album release you won’t go wrong digging into the band’s catalogue. Check out “89 Lullabye” from their last album. Positively buoyant. Or you can enjoy the carefree poppyness of “It Seemed You To Me” from Application of a Twig. Or you could even reach back to Disco Maroon for the should have been a hit single track “My Little Crowd Pleaser.” Really you won’t go wrong needle-dropping your way through any of their LPs, there’s variety and plenty of it.

Sometimes you find the most interesting things poking round the shops in your neighourhood. Or looking further afield. Just because they don’t live next door doesn’t mean they can’t be part of your musical hood.

Photo of art by Mac Connor for the 1958 novel ‘Midtown Bomber’ courtesy zaza23 (Jessica)’s Flikr collection.

People pleasing Strange Neighbors

22 Tuesday Apr 2025

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Looking for a good time? You won’t go wrong giving a spin to Strange Neighbors second long-player People Pleasers Pleasing People. New York City’s premier sardonic popsters deliver ten new tunes full of whimsy, social critique, and killer hooks. And a bit of heartbreak. The trio of pre-release singles that came out over the past year captured this melange of moods nicely. “Influencer” is a merciless takedown of the onslaught of online narcissism being dressed up as a career choice. And you can even dance to it. “Without a Head” and “Hate Me Less” are more self-reflexively about coping with love lost. If it feels good to feed bad then these tune will have you feeling great.  Stepping back to take in the album as a whole, it’s hard to put my finger on just what kind of sound is going on here. Reviewers tend to refer to a general 1990s alt/indie vibe but what I hear is both more light and dark. Opening track “Crush” is fun and poppy, like the Go Go’s running at half-speed. Jangle is definitely a key element in a lot of songs, setting the scene for tracks like “Retrograde,” “Whenever We Fall” and more subtly on “You Got Love.” When you combine that with Aiden Strange’s distinctive vocal attack I sometimes feel it’s as if Debbie Harry had joined REM. Check out how it all comes together on the magisterial jangle fest that is “Beer at the Bar.” Other highlights here for me include “Silk and Cyanide” with its edgy guitar tone and the country hoedown stomper “Your Last.” The latter’s Bakersfield-sound country-snap guitar work is positively delicious.

I can confidently say that People Pleasers Pleasing People is heading right on to my ‘best of the year’ pile. Get your copy at the band’s Bandcamp page and let the pleasing begin.

Deliciously Dent May

16 Sunday Mar 2025

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“Welcome to my record, welcome to the show …” So begins the first song on Mississippian Dent May’s 2009 debut album, The Good Feeling Music of Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele. The tune’s called “Welcome,” naturally. The guy’s a showman and that’s obvious right out the gate. There’s a touch of the over-wrought all over this record, from the madly dorky themes (e.g. “College Town Boy”) to the tuba and ukulele instrumentation, and I love it. The vocal crooning here is simply exquisite, particularly on “At the Academic Conference.” Personally I prefer a few of these tunes in their demo form on the previously released EP A Brush With Velvet but you won’t go wrong with either.

As great as these two early releases are, art stands still for no man. Definitely not Dent May. Casting aside his uke and show crooner persona May developed a formidable array of musical personalities over the course of his next five albums. Each new Dent May album is like spending a day with a brand new friend. Everything is so new and novel and exciting. The transition began with 2012’s Do Things. The vibe is strongly Beach Boys with a touch of synth experimentation and seventies disco, particularly the bass work. “Fun” is your needle-drop essential cut here, a sure-fire repeat player. 2013’s Warm Blanket intensifies some of the Brian Wilson-isms on cuts like “Turn Up the Speakers” and “It Takes a Long Time” and takes them in new directions. It’s like Brian didn’t lose his mind after all. 2017’s Across the Multiverse steps on the Harry Nilsson pedal on songs like “Face Down in the Gutter of Your Love.” Then 2020’s Late Checkout is like a great big hug from so many 1970s sonic styles. There’s more than hint of yacht rock, some Rupert Holmes-worthy clever AM pop, and a lush feel to whatever instrument is up front in the mix whether its acoustic guitar, keyboard, or the vocal. Lead single “I Could Use a Miracle” really captures all this and more.

All of which brings us to the present, Dent May’s most recent album, 2024’s What’s for Breakfast? This one really is a level up from everything else, and everything else was pretty amazing. But here I think there’s more range across the songwriting and an effective deployment of May’s penchant for sonic washes from yesteryear. “One Call, That’s All” is should-be hit single material for sure. I’m already hitting replay. But “Coasting on Fumes” is actually my present fave from the record. Jordana’s vocal help really adds a something special while the taut lead guitar melody line makes for a striking backdrop. “Heaven on Wheels” is another rival for radio play, with a chorus hook built for car speakers everywhere. And I can totally hear Harry Nilsson doing a cover of “Singing for my Supper.” Album closer “Let’s Take It From the Top” nails an early 1980s soft rock feel.

You can dip in anywhere on Dent May’s deliciously creative oeuvre and you won’t be disappointed. He’s like an aural auteur, crystalizing a distinct sonic vision with each album he releases. Hit the bandcamp and website links to get access to the whole package and judge for yourself.

Spinning The Spindles

11 Tuesday Mar 2025

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Topping The Spindles sixties hook-filled homage of a debut album was never going to be easy, so perfectly did Past and Present meld Merseybeat with new wave. But the band’s new LP Wavelength is an equally stunning dose of rejuvenated nostalgia. Though this time the references extend beyond British beat groups to a load of familiar 1970s sounds too. “Getaway” kicks things off with a carefully modulated and shifting poprock energy that is nothing short of thrilling. Then the cover of The Hollies “Bus Stop” is light and breezy and oh-so enjoyable. But from there Wavelength regularly alters its frequency. Some cuts like “Anna James” are 1960s familiar, basically updated beat group good. Or you can find the band’s trademark jangle all over “Ruthy Ann,” with just a bit of a “Drive My Car” groove here and there. Others advance into the 1970s with what could be nods to Badfinger on “Rock For It” or Big Star on “I Found a Girl.” Stylistically I hear a bit of glam on “Rock Boy” or that classic 1970s rock strut propelling “Ride My Bike.” “Henry and Leslie” even rocks up the traditional story ballad. Are there should-be hit singles here? I think so. Both “How To Love” and “Hanging On” turn the band’s signature vocals and guitar blend into highly hummable radio tune-age circa 1983. And listen for the delightful vocal interplay in the chorus of “Two Sides to Every Story.”

You can spin your own copy of The Spindles Wavelength via their bandcamp or band webpage.

The world of Kenny Michaels

17 Monday Feb 2025

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Time for another unsolicited made-up album in the tradition of Decca Records’ late 1960s/early 1970s The World of [fill in band/artist name here] series. Acts given a The World of … treatment include Mantovani, Cat Stevens, and The Zombies, to name just a few. Now get ready to add another name to the ledger with The World of Kenny Michaels.

I first heard of Michaels last summer when he posted his single “Must Be This New Love of Mine” on Bandcamp. As I wrote about it at the time, the song is a sunny soft rock delight with shades of the Turtles on the ‘ba ba ba ba’ background vocals. Since then he’s added nine more songs to his roster, enough to be collected into an album proper, for sure.  What is striking in this collection of tunes is the range, both in terms of songwriting and performance. Michaels can work up a beat group combo, Beatlesque orchestrations, blue-eyed soul, and heavier rock and roll numbers, with vocals that seamlessly adapt to the genre. Taking the tracks in order of release, “She’s a Charm” has a Bacharachian atmosphere with a vocal reminiscent of Freedy Johnson. “Don’t Look Down” launches with a “Hard Day’s Night” guitar glimmer before shifting to a bracing Jam-like pop punk intensity. It’s hard not to hear The Who-like keyboard work opening “Your House” but don’t neglect to spot those killer Who-like background vocals peppered throughout the tune. “Nowhere to Run” is 10cc-worthy in my view given its layered atmospheric effects, from the keyboard hook kicking things off to the rich harmony vocals. “Love of My Life” rocks along on the keyboard with a toe-tapping intensity and a blue-eyed soul vocal delivery. Then “Brand New Day” shifts the mood somewhat, with an orchestration giving off a “She’s Leaving Home” undercurrent of seriousness and class. “Be Here Soon” has a looser, late 1960s Cream vibe. I’d describe “All For You” as neo-Merseybeat, updated from the 1960s with an extra punch in the chorus. Lastly “Man Upstairs” has a “Lady Madonna” in your-face-piano style, while the vocal reminds me of Glenn Tilbrook in its elasticity.

Is The World of Kenny Michaels ready for the shops? Absolutely. Michaels has got more than enough quality material here for a long-player. But for now you can just collect all these individual songs and make them into an album all your own.

Visit Kenny Michaels on Bandcamp or catch up on some of his past releases at his spiffy website.

Do do do do do with The Primitives

07 Friday Feb 2025

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Coventry’s fave jangle band is back. Sort of. Spanish power pop label Elefant has spread the news that they are readying a new collection of The Primitives’ singles and rarities entitled Let’s Go Round Again: Second Wave Singles & Rarities 2011-2025. The package promises to be a double album, available on vinyl and other formats. A preview of what will be included is available for pre-ordering online but precisely what is new or culled from one-off specialty albums or b-sides will require a Primitives-ologist to decipher. Suffice to say it will be full to brimming with jangle goodness. On the unreleased material front so far all we know is that it will include two versions of a mysterious track entitled “Sweet Sister Sorrow.”

As soon as this 45 got going I knew it was there, that Primitives magic. The instrumentation is retro sparkling, Thorn’s vocal is dolly bird pristine, and tune is jangle catchy. The alternate take “Sweet Sister Sorrow (Symphonic Dream Pop Version)” is lighter, more acoustic, with a vocal that is simultaneously more expansive and airy. It so reminds me of Sandie Shaw in her late 1960s Pye Records heyday. But I’m still left with questions. Is this a new song from the band? Or something shelved from way back in the day? Looks like we’ll have to wait for the full package to arrive March 7 and perhaps comb the liner notes for details. Another whole month you say? No matter. When I’ve got a new Primitives song to play (again and again) the world is just a little bit brighter.

You can find this new song (both versions), preview the soon-to-be released collection, and revisit a whole lot of the band’s great new millennium revival stuff at the their bandcamp lair and website.

Under the influence of Strange Neighbors

28 Tuesday Jan 2025

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Ever since they popped up on my radar with their wickedly cutting “Hotline Psychic” I’ve been loving just about everything coming from New York City’s Strange Neighbors. Their songwriting manages to work up a double whammy of sardonic lyrical wordplay combined with perfectly executed melodic hooks. Every. Damn. Time. Their latest single is no exception. “Influencer” relentlessly mocks the empty commercial influencer culture that offers ‘help’ at every turn for just a tiny bite of your attention economy. It might sound preachy if it weren’t so damn hummable. Really Strange Neighbors are masters at the hit-you-in-the-face hooky chorus. You thought you were enjoying the set up and the verses but the chorus takes things to a whole new level. There’s something about Aiden’s lead vocal (alternating with Zach in parts here) here that adds a ‘unreliable narrator jolt to the proceedings. The zing isn’t obvious and, for some listeners, may take time to sting. But it’s there.

If you like what you hear here (and heard on past releases) there’s good news in the shape of a whole new Strange Neighbors album due out soon. I can’t wait to fall under its influence.

7 across Minnesota troubadour

18 Saturday Jan 2025

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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.

Photo ‘Weird Al New York Times Crossword’ courtesy Steam Pipe Trunk Distribution Venue Flikr collection.