Category Archives: Poprock Themepark

Smoking jacket required

17 Thursday Apr 2025

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Sometimes we go classy here at Poprock Record. Sure, generally we like rambunctious guitar-centric beat group stuff. We love the thrill and the rush of great hooks. But every now and then we crank the mood lighting, fish out the Gauloises from their hiding place, and let loose the expensive cognac. And feature some classy artists who are not afraid to show off their smarts.

Few artist pressers contain quotes from Kurt Vonnegut but Rich Restaino’s no ‘strap on a guitar and go’ performer. There’s lyrical depth in the contributions to his recent EP Mostly We Lie. The title track calls out the short game many are playing, too often going for self-interest in the here and now. Then “Man Has Shit For Brains” has a tin pan alley kind of rough melody and wisdom. Restaino doesn’t paint a pretty picture of contemporary manhood here. “Every Cliché You’ve Heard is Partly True” rocks up the talking blues to good effect while “Life is for Losers” has a country shading. Personally, I’m loving the low-key jazzy pop coating “Don’t Fall Asleep on Me Just Yet.” This is a kind of well-crafted protest music from a man who clearly cares, despite his biting critique.

Just one run through his latest LP you know Lane Steinberg truly is Mr. Lane. This record is all class, bottled and displayed sonically over 12 sophisticated tunes. This time out Steinberg strikes a decidedly soul note on a number of songs, in an early 1970s Philly soul or Motown kind of way. “Number One” falls somewhere between cool jazz and early Hall and Oates. Then on “Than U” Steinberg vibes Smokey Robinson’s falsetto on a jazzy slow swing of a song. “The Words I Love You” moves the needle to a more pop position with some simple jangly lead guitar and a great pop vocal. “Pleasantville Sunshine” is more supremely pleasant pop. Steinberg is the master of the aching vocal, as exhibited on “Best Tears I’ve Ever Cried,” a track that sounds like a lost Beach Boys deep cut. Or check out what he does on “Wistful Baby Blue,” creating a kind drone with a slow, meditative ballad. Personal fave: “The Loneliest Man on Earth.” The vocal is so alluring, draping a mournful yet light pop crooner of a song, artfully framed in a spare jazzy arrangement.

Chris Church has got a philosophical bent that comes out all over his new record Obsolete Path. Titles like “What Are We Talking About,” “I’m a Machine” and “Tell Me What You Really Are” kinda give it away. The opening title track bristles with a gentle tension, preparing us for something contemplative. From there the records shift into its rock groove, a distinct new wavey 1970s California rock vibe that’s up front on tracks like ”Sit Down,” “I Don’t Want To Be There” and “The Great Divide.” In a related vein both “Tell Me What You Really Are” and “Running Right Back to You” operate in an adjacent musical space, the first registering strong hints of Walter Egan, the latter conjuring more of a sombre Fleetwood Mac. But musical departures abound here. “She Looks Good in Black” could easily be a Marshall Crenshaw single. “Life on a Trampoline” has a sonic shiver reminiscent of The Police sound on Ghost in the Machine. Then you have “I’m a Machine,” a selection that reminds me of a distinct early 1980s poprock sound I associate with Robert Palmer or Moon Martin.

There are bands that put out so much music that by the time I get round to covering them they’ve already got new stuff out. That’s pretty much Go Set Go to a T. Their most recent LP (as of today) is Pre-Shattered Glass and it brims with taut social observations, all delivered with an unmistakable DIY poppiness. Think the Smiths without the all the moaning and fewer jangly guitars. “Why Am I An Extra In The Movie Of My Life” goes where you think it might go but that takes nothing away from its relevance. A lot of songs here deal with the challenge of coping with modern life. “No Way Back Man” incorporates a bit of the Batman theme by way of recounting all the ways the singer is struggling with. “Broken Girls Loving Broken Boys” updates the class kitchen sink relationship drama. “Adios Motherfuckers” even makes suicide sound a bit chipper. “Debt, Rent, and Letting People Down” again is pretty straightforward audio verité. Personal fave: “The Seconds We Spend” with its lovely ‘whoo hoo’s and a hushed main vocal treatment.

Mae Martin’s new album I’m a TV is a lovely, slightly spacey place to be. They’ve got something to say but they’re not going to fight for your attention. The record is like an invitation to join Mae in a quiet booth somewhere for a chat. “Try Me” is practically a personal invite with its slightly hushed tone and languid lead guitar lines. “Good Dream” becomes a bit more insistent, in a ‘hey get up here a sway to the music with me’ sort of way. The vocals fall somewhere between Suzanne Vega and Elliott Smith in terms of their shivery warmth. “Big Bear” comes on with a contained cinematic sweep to start before the swirl of vocals start lapping up like the lull of the ocean tide. You get a lot of variety here, within the cocoon of Martin’s consistent sonic styling. There’s the hit single-ish “Stowaway” with its slick gentle hooks. The lush “I Love You So Much” which musically mimics the tentativeness of its lyrical content. You get folk pop on “People Get Back Up.” There’s even a light country kick to the pedal steel pop of “No Cowboy.” Hit singles? Sure. There’s the aforementioned “Stowaway” and “Garbage Strike” is another candidate with its quiet, sneak up you hooks. And then there’s “Quiet Street,” so quiet, so spare, so moving. And that horn section. As a full album experience, I’m a TV is gorgeous, full stop.

To cap off our classy interlude, you have to tune in to Lydia Loveless doing a 1950s ballroom version of Irving Berlin’s “What’ll I Do.” You don’t get a classier mix of piano and heart-wrenching vocals than this.

It’s late (or early). Grab your jacket on the way out.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Selections by Ava: Djo, Role Model, and Japanese Breakfast

11 Friday Apr 2025

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When people find out I write a music blog they routinely ask where I find all this new stuff. Early days I would scour a load indie music sites and other blogs but over time I’ve found that most of what I end up writing about just falls into my lap, via a variety of sources. Record labels send stuff, artists contact me directly, and folks just tell me about what they are listening to. Today’s post is door number three. Ava is a twenty-something music fan who likes soundtracks and poppy material that stretches from emotive folk to elevated power pop and she has put me on to three fabulous, supremely talented acts.

Djo wins the award for novelty origins, being the work of Stranger Things actor Joe Keery. Fame may get you onto a playlist but usually some talent is required to stay there. A tour through his third LP The Crux answers the talent question in the affirmative. Opening cut “Lonesome is a State of Mind” comes on like a Mark Everett’s solo project ‘E’ with its stylish, curt melodic twists and turns, adding a jaunty element in the chorus. Early release singles “Basic Being Basic” and “Delete Ya” have that cheeky Bleachers combo of 1980s-meets-contemporary sonic motifs. “Link” hits the Hall and Oates marks hard, bringing the duo’s trademark vibe up to date for now. The guitar playing on this record is sometimes light and ethereal, as on “Potion.” Here the Hall and Oates influences marry nicely with early 1970s McCartney. “Charlie’s Garden” moves into more demonstratively Beatles territory. Things do get a bit more rock edgy on tracks like “Gap Tooth Smile” and “Back On You,” harkening back to Keery’s former band Post Animal. I’m also partial to the more reflective, winsome contributions here too. Both “Golden Line”  and “Crux” lean on melancholy piano to good effect.

Though he started his musical career working the rap side of the street Role Model now offers pretty catchy guitar-based bedroom pop. With the re-release of an expanded version of 2024’s Kansas Anymore, now rechristened Kansas Anymore (The Longest Goodbye), he can squeeze his recent hit single “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” onto the collection, along with a few others gems. The track is earworm good with its warm, acoustic guitar pop country swing, definitely an ‘immediate repeat’ selection. What is striking about this album is its airiness, the roomy separation between Tucker Pillsbury’s clean vocals and his often rather spartan approach to instrumentation. I mean, a track like “Oh Gemini” could easily slip onto a record by Joshua Radin or Calexio. In fact, the album is basically divided between a load of these gorgeous low-key folk numbers and a number of more energetic pop workouts. “Writing’s on the Wall,” “Deeply Still in Love” and “Scumbag” all pick up the pace while “Look At That Woman” falls somewhere in between. Standout tracks: “Superglue” with its ear-catching ‘whoo hoo hoo’s and closing number “The Longest Goodbye,” a Lyle Lovett winking tribute to country formalism.

Sometimes a record is a feast for the ears. Japanese Breakfast’s latest LP For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women) is on that menu. The sonic impact of each of the individual tunes is deliciously distinct. Every instrument so carefully placed in the mix they emerge like landscape portrait details you notice as your eye sweeps across the picture. Feel how the timbre of the stringed instrument carrying “Orlando in Love” lets the vocal float somewhere above it. Or check out how the wavery keyboard effect on “Mega Circuit” gives the song a forward propulsion. Another aural standout is the sonic melange created on “Picture Window” with its melodic hints of light and dark. This might seem off brand but I hear a stong Jill Sobule kind of vocal intimacy from songwriter and lead vocalist Michelle Zauner. In the places the album alternates between a kind of orchestral complexity (“Honey Water”) and embroidered folk simplicity (“Little Girl”). Gorgeous doesn’t begin to really capture the beauty here.

I like think I’m eminently teachable. I’ll take direction from anyone if it leads me to great melodic tunes. So thanks Ava! And all the other Ava’s past and future who continue to give me great suggestions.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Song sung spring

30 Sunday Mar 2025

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Winter hasn’t quite got the memo. Time to move along. I’m ready for spring to be sprung, full stop. Perhaps a few singles could help signal a seasonal shift? Probably not. But hey, we’ll all feel a whole lot better.

NYC’s Strange Neighbors are building up to something with the slow drip of singles they’ve been putting out these past few months. I’m not sure a single LP is gonna be able to contain the excitement from jumping the grooves if their latest song  “Hate Me Less” is anything to go by. It’s a sometimes jarring, sometimes smooth slice of hooky pop single-age. With hardly any dust settling on their late 2024 EP release Butter Valley Malcontent The Bret Tobias Set return with a few new singles, like “It Begins With Lean.” This one is just the change of mood we need, so light and shimmery and uplifting in a 1980s English guitar band sort of way. Baby Scream’s Juan Pablo Mazzola has a new project with Muchas Hormigas called Juan La Hormiga. Wow, this is a change of pace. “After the War” has some of Mazzola’s signature Lennonisms buried in the mix but overall the song is a lovely hushed affair with a melody like a warm embrace. The lap steel guitar solo is just an added element of grace. Geoff Palmer keeps mining that stripped-back poppy rock and roll on his soon-to-be released EP Kodak Flash. Case in point – “Bye Bye Baby.” So straightforward, so simple really. Just driving guitar chords, swoon-worthy background vocals and a hook so big it won’t fit in the trunk of your car. Peter Baldrachi has a fabulous new long-player out (but more on that later – full review to come). Right now check out his killer single from that latest release entitled “Tomorrow.” It’s got overlapping hooky guitar lead lines, a seductive vocal mix, and a strongly positive vibe. Like the Jayhawks meet The Church.

Described in a presser as ‘[p]rolific, mysterious, heartbreaking, dumb’ or more simply as a ‘LA-based lo-fi stoner pop band’ I’d just add that The Memories are full-on fun. There’s nary a release from this band that doesn’t make me smile. Their latest single “Too Weak to be Strong” is no exception. It’s an ambling stroll of good-time low-key pop, equally at home near the campfire or indie coffee shop. Few bands can make ‘uhhhn’ sounds like pop heaven but that’s what you get on Wavves new single “So Long.” The song’s lineage is pop punk but with all the edges sculpted into something rocket smooth. The vocals here meld with the rest of the sonic attack in a wonderfully seamless way. Forgive me if I’m reaching back in time to feature a song from Lydia Loveless. I feel like I’m constantly catching up on this fabulous artist. Here I’m dipping into her 2023 album Nothing’s Gonna Stand In My Way Again for the electrically charged spirit of “Poor Boy.” It combines pop, country and sibilant-sounding guitars in a totally unique way. We had to get to Portland eventually and Borderlines fills our quota with their pop punk ode “Okay Socrates.” Accent on pop here with buzzy guitars. The song is about a fear of growing old but somehow doesn’t sound like a downer at all. Speaking of old, even tried and true geezers can still cut the melodic mustard, given the right project. On The Coward Brothers LP Elvis Costello and T. Bone Burnett revive their collaboration from the King of America sessions that produced the one-off single “The People’s Limousine.” Check out the interesting vocal interplay on “Always” or the more Americana “Smoke Ring Angel.”

Scoopski‘s Jim Lorino needed a vehicle that would allow him to rock out a bit more while maintaining his love of clever melodic hooks. Enter The DelCobras, where the amps go up to 11 but the melodies remain oh so sweet. You can really hear the fun they’re having cranking through “The Turnaround.” I have a feeling there’s gonna be more where that came from. Looking for a blast of 1963, perhaps a bit of folky pop simplicity? Thee Holy Brothers nail the era on their new single “Come Shine Love.” The harmonies are gorgeous and the lead guitar is so evocative of the period. Switch this on and drift into a 1960s musical diorama. Eclectic Music Lover put me on Secret Postal Society and their latest song “Autumn Leaves.” What an ambience going on here, reminiscent of 1970s folk pop or more recent lush vocally-focused folk bands like Fleet Foxes. Mooner main man Lee Ketch has an experimental EP out entitled Spiritual Milk for American Babes and it is wonderfully, creatively, ‘out there.’ As a single “Living Will” perhaps comes off a bit more mainstream as grungy, country workout. Caleb Nichols hit Valentine’s Day with the holiday timely “Love Lies.” It is wah-wah pedal drenched with a vocal wash so Elliott Smith good. Definitely a worthy song collection addition. But while there, check out the tasty “Little Red Peugot.” It’s like The Shins on a folk roll.

Spanish power poppers The Feedbacks jack into the zeitgeist of our times with the sadly timely “Hate Is All Around.” The song has a Elvis Costello surf vibe and that is one killer combo. The McCharmlys charmed me right out the gate with their self-titled debut long-player. So my breath was definitely baited for their new single “You’ll Be Fine.” It does not disappoint, combining old school sixties songwriting with some garage-y lead guitar work. B-side “Break My Heart” is pretty chanteuse perfect too. Oslo Norway’s Death By Unga Bunga unleash the party vibe on “I’m Really Old” from their recent LP Raw Muscular Power. The AM radio pinched vocal treatment perfectly offsets the slashing electric chords. Wonderfully seventies manic. It is so hard to pick just one song from Eric van Dijsseldonk’s recent album Half Time. There’s the laconic Freedy Johnson-ish “Best Kept Secret.” Or the more rumbly, slow-moving “Maybe Not Today” with its constant bursts of jangly guitar. But I’ve decided to settle on the poppy title-track “Half Time.” Seems full of good sentiments for this moment in time. Somehow I missed Pete Donnelly’s late 2024 release Never Gonna Worry, notably produced by Mike Viola. Dip into it with “Dancing Daydream” for a bit jaunty, uplifting popcraft.

It’s a wrap on this singles shindig with something a bit more serious from music veteran Jim Basnight. He’s got a pair of singles that put America’s current political plight cleverly on display. And they’re great songs to boot.

Nazis Over There
So F*cked Up

It’s been a long lonely winter of discontent this year. I suspect the discontent is going to continue for a while but hey, maybe a song in our heart will warm things up.

Photo ‘Charles Sheeler Bucks Country Barn’ courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Extra Texture: Wilderado, Jake Bugg and Will Stewart

06 Thursday Mar 2025

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Rock and roll represents a dynamic synthesis of rhythm and melody but an oft overlooked dimension is texture. Think the Beatles shifting from Rubber Soul to Revolver. A big part of that great leap forward happened in the overall sonic attack. Today’s artists all attend to matters of texture but in delightfully different ways.

Sometimes a record has a consistent sonic texture shaping the whole LP. Wilderado’s recent long-player Talker is exhibit A of that sort of thing. Words like ‘intimate’ and ‘hushed’ come to mind in trying to describe the vibe. The songs are like a theme park with different rides, they’re different and kinda the same too. Title track album opener “Talker” slow waltzes you into the centre of this other-worldly, slightly fuzzy dance floor. It’s the kind of song you can slow sway to all night. “Bad Luck” has a slightly more urgent, insistent feel but really it’s in no hurry.  By contrast “Simple” swaps out its measured slow verses for a positively upbeat chorus. Three songs in, you should be starting to get the feel for this record. It’s a mood. It varies but never really shifts where it’s at. You can hear things here that might remind of other acts. “Higher Than Most” sounds a bit Springsteen or Tom Petty. “Coming to Town” and “Longstanding Misunderstanding” remind me of Rogue Wave. There’s even a hint of SWMRS on “What Was I Waiting For” to my ears. And then there’s “Sometimes,” the low-key should-be hit single.

In so many ways Jake Bugg’s recording career has amounted to one long attempt to outrun the long shadow of his much-celebrated self-titled debut album. Each record since seems to have struggled to stand on its own in the face of fan and critic expectations. But with album number six Bugg seems more comfortable than ever with his own preferred melange of musical styles, mixing neo-folk, country, sixties rock and roll, and more modern pop motifs. A Modern Day Distraction opens with the electrifying pulse of indie rock number “Zombieland.” The guitar work is ferocious while the tune is hooky, particularly in the chorus. Then “All Kinds of People” breaks out an updated Bo Diddly beat. Both songs feature lyrics that speak to the struggles of working class people and here Bugg remains connected to the social critique that has long animated his work. “Breakout” is more frantic fun, evidence of Bugg’s talent for poppy tunes. The latin guitar solo here is just a special treat. An obvious should-be AM radio hit would be “Keep On Moving,” though the poppy rock of “Waiting for the World” comes a close second. Fans of Bugg’s more folky demeanor have come great cuts here with “I Wrote the Book,” “All I Needed Was You,” and his touching testament to loss “Never Said Goodbye.” He also offers up some decidedly Beatles-meets-Oasis chops on “Got to Let You Go” and a La’s/Cast echo on “Instant Satisfaction.”

Alabama’s Will Stewart has always been hard to keep a sticky label on. Previous album Country Seat and a raft of EPs seemed country steering towards roots with splash rock guitars here and there. But his new LP Moon Winx comes on like a blockbuster, suddenly jamming together all those past loose threads of musical influence into a one beautiful coherent synthesis.  I mean listen to how he opens “Regulars” with a few Beatlesque psychedelic pop notes before resolving into a Wilco-ish bit of Americana. The record kicks off with “Penny,” a solid gold should-be hit single if ever there was one. Everything is working on this song, from the punchy vocal delivery to the constant accompaniment of droning jangly guitars. Another strong radio ready number is “Bird in the Hand.” At other points, Stewart’s ear for classic retro musical tones is equal to J.D. McPherson, particularly on “Firebird Fever.” But in a way these could be seen as outliers on an album remarkable for its sonic restraint, with Stewart deploying different instruments like a miserly conductor. Tracks like “Mighty Fine” and “Til We Hear the Radio” hold back but don’t lack for intensity. Others just have a stately ballad delivery. Here I’m thinking of “The Arkestra at Dreamland” and the lovely “Late for the Banquet.” Then there’s the heartstrings-pulling story song “Roxy Blue,” lathered in mellow organ and pathos.

Some music rubs you the right way. That’s texture for you, the unsung spice that makes poprock tunes even more special. Get your extra texture by following the hyperlinks above.

Photo courtesy Indabelle Flikr collection.

Psyched out: Sharp Pins, The Higher State, and Prism Shores

22 Saturday Feb 2025

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Psychedelia is an influence that keeps on giving, in multiple ways. It would appear you can combine those recognizable late sixties bits of distortion and sparkle to just about any tune and hyphen your way into the psych genre. Today’s acts offer three different ways to psych out while still doing your own thing.

Chicago’s Sharp Pins return with a revamped versions of their 2024 LP Radio DDR, now supersized from 11 to 14 songs, making a great album even greater. The original record is testament to the rich variety of the modern jangle movement. Album opener “Every Time I Hear” is a jangle stunner, combining delicate sparkly guitar with a dreamy vocal drone. In the same vein, “If I Was Ever Lonely” lays a bit psych pop vibe over a melody that is a killer collection of hooks. Hit single material for sure. “Circle All the Dots” roughs up the jangle a bit but is another unstoppable melody-drenched tune. Stylistically “Lorelei” goes in another direction with a second act that both surprising and striking in terms of song structure. The record also has a number of tunes that have a lovely Kevin Devine acoustic delicacy like “You Don’t Live Here Anymore,” “Sychophant,” and “Chasing Stars.” Alternatively, the amps get cranked a bit on “When You Know” and “Is It Better” which feature smooth pop vocals floating over punk distortion guitars. “You Have a Way” just sounds like a great lost 1960s guitar pop hit. From the newly added material “Storma Lee” is a very Brydsian encounter, with shimmering jangle guitars and otherworldly vocals.

The Higher State are some kind of retro music time machine, relentlessly plucking sounds you know from 1957, 1963, 1968, and so on. Their latest album Internecine Free is a loving tribute to the sonic styles of days gone by, but repurposed for now. Just check out the killer organ work driving opening cut “By The View.” Or the surf-meets-garage rock intensity of “Not Anything.” “Pussywillow” even turns down a Byrds/Dylanesque jangle street. Overall though the vibe here combines a garage rock looseness with razor-sharp organ and guitar interventions. “10 Minutes Ahead” and “In Slow Motion” are great examples. “Shadows Cast” ups the pop quotient with a more of sixties beat group feel. “A Lonely Place” is something else again, more a circa 1968 heavy pop single. So many possible comparisons abound. “I’d Rather Die” could easily slip on to a Young Rascals album while “Meet Me at the Bellanova” has a more contemporary Smithereens aura. Personal fave – I love uber cool guitar lead line snaking throughout “Inside Information Man.” This is a party album, for sure. Just turn on the lava lamp and hit play.

If we’re being honest, Montreal’s Prism Shores are more jangly melodic pop than psych, though their new album Out From Underneath definitely has its psyched-out moments. You can hear it on “Tourniquet,” “Weightless” and “Unravel,” though overlaid with a dissonant but still poppy vocal. By contrast, album opener “Overplayed My Hand” is more power pop. But on the whole the sound here is more melancholy melodic rock and roll in the style of Rogue Wave or The Shins. Tracks like “Holding Pattern,” Fault Line” and “Southpaw” counterpose jaunty musical beds with a more dour yet endearing vocal attack. “Sudden Sting” oscillates between a rush-like drive in the chorus and a kind of calm in between. Meanwhile “Drawing Conclusions” even offers up a Smiths-like lush guitar bed while the vocal adds a dynamic tension to what is going on. If you’re looking for melodic rock with a dissonant twist, Prism Shores are your new go-to band.

Psych was so 1968 but now it’s whenever and wherever you want it to be. You can just add a little psych to whatever you’re doing. Or you can dig a little deeper into the psyche of these acts via the hyperlinks above.

Photo courtesy Aaron Brown Flikr collection.

Shiver me singles

13 Thursday Feb 2025

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Cold winter temperatures up here in the Great White North have my feet tapping for all the wrong reasons. Time to heat things up with singles so sizzling they’ll scorch the turntable.

There’s something very 1980s space-age soundtrack to the vibe on Ricky Rochelle’s new single “Imagine Being Eric.” It’s there in the background keyboard runs and arrangement of the vocals. Very 1983. Then we have Retro Metro music man Super 8, back with jangle chanteuse Lisa Mychols on a new song. “Pop Radio” celebrates the joy of finding a great song over the airwaves. Quaint though the sentiment may be, the track hits all the modern marks for sixties timelessness. Putting power pop maestro Kurt Baker together with Wyatt Funderburk was always going to make for ear-catching experience. Baker’s new release “Warm in the Winter” is hooks at every turn, all sleek and shiny pop laced with plenty of rock edge. And on point for this theme post. Moving into more dream pop territory Shapes Like People offer up a mellow bit of jangle that practically flows like water on “Ambition is Your Friend.” Just one of a number of atmospheric cuts from their new LP Ticking Haze. Belgium’s CMON CMON excel at a kind of wall of sound aural pop assault. “Turn Off the Lights” balances a solid rocking backing with a smooth vocal and pop melody.

London’s The Tubs come on like some surging poprock outfit on “Freak Mode” but when the lead vocal kicks in such perceptions are quickly derailed, conjuring instead a more English rural folk aura. But the combination somehow still works in a beautifully creative tension. Ok this next band got to me at the name level. I’ve spent my life quipping ‘he’s dead Jim’ at all sorts of inappropriate moments. So running across Aberdeenian Scot rock combo He’s Dead Jim I knew I had to cover them. “Swim to Oblivion” is just one of 14 winning swinging rock tracks from their recent LP Head Like a Toyshop. These guys are very much alive – no red shirts here. Boston’s The Fatal Flaw deliver the goods again with their new single “Baby Tooth.” It’s got a hint of pop punk, in the vocal delivery particularly. But the chorus steps on the hooks for all they’re worth. Meanwhile in Philadelphia The Tisburys are priming their audience for an album release sometime in April. In the interim you can get the flavour of what is to comie with the propulsive, highly melodious “Forever.” Mike Browning pulls a rarity off oldies radio for full-on folk rock coverage, The Ragmuffins’ 1967 single “Four Days of Rain.” With vocal support from daughter Jillian, the duo recreate a decidedly Brydsian ambience.

The band Free Weed have produced what really should be the US public service theme song. “Government Employee” has mystery and cool New Order bass work and a freaky bit of psychedelic guitar work. Did I mention it’s cool? It really is. From the same record label, LA’s Gnar Tapes, The Memories lighten the mood with their chipper acoustic guitar strum and mellifluous single note keyboard work. The slightly sinister and otherworldly vocal offsets this lighthearted musical bed so effectively. Two decades on should-have-been power pop superstars The Mayflies USA are back with a brand new single and it is like they never left. “Calling the Bad Ones Home” expands the band’s sonic palate from Big Star to The Jayhawks and I’m liking it. If I can’t have a new album from Guster or Chris Collingwood then Gentle Hen will fit the bill. Actually let’s add them to that bill. Their new album is The Wrong Record and it’s all good but check out “It Only Takes a Couple Words” particularly. The vocal and guitar adornments sound so simple but they add incredible sonic depth to what is going on. Shifting to swinging London I like what The Open Flames are doing on their new song “Drop a Coin.” There is some very cool bass synth going on and a flurry of vocal ba ba ba ba ba’s adds charm to an already maximum charm ditty.

I’ve been wanting to write about the madly talented So Cow for ages. The band show so many stylistic faces to the world. Their latest single “Reputable Seer” seems like as good a place as to start. Check out the Beatles 64 guitar tone kicking things off before the sound moves in an Elephant 6 direction. Some very cool Apples in Stereo vibes happening here. Reliably melodic rocker Brad Marino has an album of rarities, remixed and unreleased stuff about to hit the e-shelves and from what is presently available online even attentive fans are going to find stuff they’ve never heard before. Like “Not Fooling Me” in my case. This is classic Marino hooky goodness, tied up with his oh so smooth vocals. Peter Green’s Soulbird project is like hitting the psychedelic mainline, with an extra pop punch. “Stay With Me Angel” has hooks working overtime but the vocal arrangement takes things to a new level. As if he’s not busy enough with his other bands Rural France and Teenage Tom Petties, now Tom Brown is fronting another nearly one-man band called Lone Striker. “Dunno” is a wonderfully languid bit of slow-groove pop, with what sounds like some sonorous horn work lifting the mood. Another exciting new release comes our way from guitar ambience expert Chris Church. “Sit Down” is dotted with sparkly guitars and a vocal that shifts from smoky smooth to urgently insistent.

Wrapping things on this shivery singles collection is a song so in keeping with our seasonal theme from everyone’s fave punk-pop productivity super-achievers Vista Blue. “I’m Going to be Warm This Winter” is pure adrenaline salted with plenty of pop hooks.

Brrr. It’s definitely a good day to stay inside, somewhere between the fire and the turntable.

Photo courtesy Rob Elliott/Swizzle Gallery.

Poprock Record’s 25 must-have LPs for 2024

09 Thursday Jan 2025

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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:

1. Day Dreems Day Dreems
2. Tamar Berk Good Times For a Change
3. Brent Seavers Exhibit B
4. Wesley Fuller All Fuller, No Filler
5. Ducks Ltd. Harm’s Way
6. Aaron Pinto Aaron Pinto
7. Chris Milam Orchid South
8. The Martial Arts In There Like Swimwear
9. The Armoires Octoberland
10. Terry Anderson and the Olympic Ass-Kicking Team Got To Be Strong
11. Star Trip Velocidad
12. Bull Engines of Honey
13. Real Estate Daniel
14. Phil Thornalley Holly Would
15. The Trafalgars About Time
16. Super 8 Retro Metro
17. Be Like Pablo A World Apart
18. Nick Piunti and the Complicated Men Up and Out of It
19. Rich Arithmetic Pushbutton Romance
20. Owen Adamcik Owen Adamcik’s Power Pop Paradise
21. Steve Robinson Window Seat
22. Sergio Ceccanti Mysterious Journey
23. John Larson and the Silver Fields Constellation Prize
24. Scoopski Time is a Thief
25. David Woodard Get It Good

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:

1. Lo Fi Ho Hum Garage Pop
2. Cliff Hillis and Dennis Schocket Pop, Girls, Etc.
3. Sunken Planes Intersections
4. Shake Some Action! Trip to Yesterday / Chase the Light
5. The Genuine Fakes Extended Play Vol. 1
6. The High Elves Early Works

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:

1. JD McPherson Nite Owls
2. The Decemberists As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again
3. Fastball Sonic Ranch
4. Cast Love is the Call
5. Crowded House Gravity Stairs
6. Nick Lowe and Los  Straitjackets Indoor Safari

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:

Nick Frater Nick Frater presents The Rebutles 1967-70

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 merit goes to:

The Half-Cubes Pop Treasures

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.

Photo of John Baldessari’s art piece ‘Record Collector’ courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Record round-up II

30 Monday Dec 2024

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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.

Record round-up I

27 Friday Dec 2024

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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.

One round-up down, one more to go.

Photo courtesy KasiQ Junwoo Flikr collection.

December’s singles (for everybody)

20 Friday Dec 2024

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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.