Category Archives: Poprock Themepark

America spins the big wheel

04 Monday Nov 2024

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Election day in the United States this year appears to offer a stark choice between Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dumber. What I mean is that both parties’ corporate-sponsored candidates really offer little by way of substantive economic relief to the country’s working people. Nevertheless, millions of Americans are going to spin that big wheel of electoral plutocracy, er, I mean democracy, anyway. Regardless of who wins I predict there will be bitterness for many, guaranteed. That’s why we need to crank a carefully curated batch of timely electoral tunes now. Don’t eat your ballot!

We open this election-themed post with The Submarines‘ simple, plaintive, jangly “Vote.” It just seemed apropos. This gem from the band’s 2006 debut Declare a New State! is so hipster-TV-show-montage good it hurts. Like a warm hug shielding you from bad news. Next up, a shameless musical appeal for support from The Stiff Joints urging you to “Vote For Me.” Do we need more Madness-like English Ska with horns aplenty? You bet we do. This gets my vote, for sure.

The Submarines – Vote

People have views on electoral processes, how they work and why they don’t add up to a very good democratic experience. London UK band Project Culture manage to name-check a number of different voting systems as well as bemoan strategic voting on their rollicking onslaught of guitar pop, “Polling Day.” I really didn’t see anyone pulling that off – but they do. John Wesley Harding blows up what typically goes on in American politics on “Hostile Two-Party System” in a protest folk-meets-rockabilly tune. David Hodgman gets a bluesy pop groove going on his talk/sing must-play-every-electoral-cycle classic “Talking Post-Millennial Electoral College Blues.” The song never loses its relevance, unfortunately. The off-Broadway musical Soft Power is not power pop or poprock. But it is just too of-our-present-moment to overlook. The show is a reverse King and I, one where America is exotified rather than some nameless Asian country and actors of Asian descent play everyone, including white characters in white-face. The cast performs “Election Night” as a key song in the show, laying out America’s electoral process – but not quite.

Really though, what are Americans fighting over in this election? If you follow the minutiae of the legislative process you can find a great many important things that should be fueling political debate. But at the headline level the contest is just a slugfest of competing insults. One side decries the ignorance and unsuitability of a former President returning to office while the other plays patriot games about who loves American more. Amy Rigby works up a Brydsian jangle with help from partner Wreckless Eric on “The President Can’t Read,” carefully detailing a litany of Trumpian faults. She’s not wrong but logic and facts won’t reach an audience that has chosen to ‘identify’ with their chosen one. Meanwhile Aaron Lee Tasjan also parses America’s many political travails on “I Love America Better Than You” in his best Tom Petty style but it is the song title that really captures what is going for so many across the U.S.A. With so little to show, money and career-wise, all they’ve really got to hold on to is that tattered, out-of-reach American dream.

Hey America, good luck with that election thing (and whatever chaos comes after). Actually, luck is probably something we’re all gonna need soon.

Photo courtesy Rob Elliott, Swizzle Gallery.

Little monsters night

28 Monday Oct 2024

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It’s nearly time for the annual march of little monsters through your neighbourhood, lusting for candy and mischief in roughly equal measure. It’s an event that begs for an appropriately festive soundtrack. To fill that void, we’ve prepared a little-monsters-night music playlist. We’ve got monsters and ghosts and aliens. And hooks, of course.

Tokyo’s Hazy Sour Cherry get things started with a wonderfully off-kilter, 1950-resonant lurch that animates “Hazy Halloween,” a selection from their freak holiday-themed EP Hazy Horror Party. The verses are a kind of stable chaos but the chorus turns on the melodic hooks. It’s a scene-setter that says ‘hang on, this could be a melodically bumpy thrill ride!’

Halloween has to be the most cinematic holiday, with fright baked in to the slasher, horror, haunted and alien film genres. Fascinations Grand Chorus pay tribute to the slasher-horror flick with their themed album Terror in the Night. “Pandemonium” perfectly captures the 1970s Quinn Martin production values for maximum cheese effect. The reliably holiday perfect punk pop outfit Vista Blue never fail to provide us with relevant releases. They Came Back combines their punk rhythm section with host of killer synth lines (accent on ‘killer’). “Everyday is Halloween” is fueled by some serious keyboard genius while “Haunted House on my Street” is a sweet should-be single. On They Came to Rock The Amplifier Heads work up a fabulous 1950s-meets-aliens movie script but the individual songs have so many wonderful nuances. “They Heard My Radio” has aliens moved by the work of those all-night DJs. And with tunes like these, who can blame them?

Halloween is also a time for instrumentalists to fill the gap in our imaginations with some spooky instrumentalizing. Listening to the Black Flamingos Asbury Park NJ is clearly a spooky place. The band’s recent double-A sided single “Tales from the Crypt” and “Are You Afraid of the Dark” work up the seasonal organ and lead guitar motifs, with holiday-rific effects. By contrast Greg Townson delivers a more Chet Atkins country gentleman vibe on his exquisite single “Hired to Haunt.” That guy is just class personified. For a different twist Poland’s I. Jeziak and The Surfers turn up the b-movie organ on “Mummy Walk” while the festively appropriate Satan’s Pilgrim’s make space on the dance floor with “Monster Surfing Time.”

All things fright night eventually head for the cemetery. Oakland’s The Bye Bye Blackbirds offer up some “Graveyard Tunes” as part of the special, time-limited Timber Trout Spirit release (get your free copy now!). Surprisingly light for a cemetery song but featuring triple B’s reliably hooky vocals. We wrap up this little monsters playlist with a selection from Elefant Records Halloween release Viernes 13 from Nosoträsh entitled “Mi Pequeño Frankenstein.” Dr. Frank’s monster seldom gets such a melody-drenched treatment.

Restock those candy bowls now and, while you’re at it, have this Halloween monster kiddie playlist ready to go. Music doth soothe savage beasts you know.

Top image “Little Monsters” designed by Rob Elliott, Swizzle Studios.

Jangle Thursday: Slack Times, Stuart Pearce, EggS, and Kevin Robertson

24 Thursday Oct 2024

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The jangle-o-meter says we’re running low and that means we need a super-charged dose of trebly guitars and spooky shoe-gazey vocals to fill the tank. Luckily we can fill up right here with this instalment of Jangle Thursday!

Birmingham Alabama’s Slack Times provide another great slab of indie jangle on their new EP Gone Things. The effort is just four songs long but each one is a real treat. Kick off song “Gone Things” has the band delivering their most Byrdsian opener ever, only to have the mix transform into a more 1980s English guitar band sound when the vocals kick in. “Hatchback” is a jaunty and droney number with the pep of The Primitives giving their rehearsal space a good workout. Things dip into a more punky jangle vibe on “In the Way” while “Coattails” dials into a more 1960s atmosphere and pacing. At the end of the four tunes you’ve only clocked in roughly eleven minutes of music, it’s true. That might seem slight but trust me, with this outfit, that’s quality time.

Next up, a new single from the ever opinionated Stuart Pearce. Because he’s not a guy to bury the lead “Fuck No, I Jangle” gets right to the point with its in-your-face title and surging jangle guitars. Pearce makes smart music meant to shake his audience out of their political and musical complacency (see his previous single “The Bosses Are Stealing Your Days” for the full monty on this approach). This new song is, thankfully, no exception. Over to Paris, France for EggS who have a new album on the way, Crafted Achievement. The range of promised song titles are intriguing, from “High Waisted Jeans” to “Angry Silence.” But on the listening front we have only the pre-release single “Head In Flames.” So far, I’m loving what this album promises to be, if this song is anything to go by. The opening slide guitar is reminiscent of the faux Hawaiian style of the Spongebob opening song, a very promising start for me. But as things carry on the slide and jangle guitars meld with the Everything Everything-like vocals to create something completely different. And the trumpet solo is just an added bonus.

Vapour Trails head honcho Kevin Robertson is back with another stellar contribution to his already impressive solo career, The Call of the Sea. The record contains eleven reliably hooky tunes saturated in his own inimitable jangle style. “Ghosting” gets things started with a surge of ringing guitars, leavened with a layered vocal mix that is definitely uplifting. Next “The Guilt Trip” offers up a more mannered guitar pop song, with the guitar lead line popping in like punctuation. From there the record moves effortlessly across and between genres. “Windows on the Sun” sounds a bit CSN&Y, “Just Give Me Time” echoes an old time folk ballad, “Search for Replies” has a more country undercurrent (propelled by some pretty pedal steel playing), while “Ode to Stephen” adds a strong psychedelic feel to the proceedings. Personally I’m really digging “Rain Again.” The track is a confectionary of cool sounds, from the enigmatic solo lead guitar opener, to the organ shots, to the slightly menacing take on California pop vocals. And for maximum jangle, you can tune into “The Fortune Teller Lied.” For a less intense sonic assault, you can also partake of a stripped version of the LP, which alters the song order, adds a few surprises (like the lovely live version of Big Star’s “Thirteen”), but is no less captivating.

Nothing like jangle to give your day that added boost of musical sunshine. And let’s face it, Thursday really needs that. Don’t fail to visit these artists on every other day of the week too with the conveniently embedded hyperlinks above.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

I get mail: Mark Bacino, Brother Dynamite, Richard Restaino, and more

17 Thursday Oct 2024

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Mail comes in pretty regularly around here. Few come typed or neatly written but nevertheless I get a veritable load of missives pleading their poprock case. That’s today’s reality: artists have got to wield their creativity to sell as well produce fine music. So let’s get on with rewarding that initiative shall we?

Over the past quarter century the arc of Mark Bacino’s musical stylings have branched out from the focused power pop of 1998’s Pop Job .. The Long Player and 2003’s The Million Dollar Milkshake to the sophistico-pop sound of his latest LP Top of the World. Bacino’s got a McCartney-esque facility with song styles and the selections here range from the swinging AM pop of “Kaylee Hughes” to the breezy Linus of Hollywood-like “Not That Guy” to the music hall-ish “Why Does This Woman Love Me?” My fave though is the spot-on seventies soft rock ballad “Young Heart.” Brother Dynamite’s new single “The Girl’s In Love” is a luscious eighties FM radio throwback. It’s a great song but the vocal arrangement is positively hair-raising, in a good way. Can album number 2 be far off? Let’s hope not. Poppy Robbie returns with a cover of outsider/lofi pioneer Daniel Johnston’s “Mind Contorted.” Drawing on his folk rock predilections, Robbie delivers a touching performance of a song that reflects Johnston’s mental health struggles. Chatteris UK’s 65MPH is practically a singles machine, pumping out e-equivalents of 45s seemingly like clockwork. His latest “Gene” sounds like Billy Bragg joined a britpop band. The harmonica solo is just an extra special bonus!

I love the driving guitar sound Rob Moss gets on his new album with The Skin Tight, simply entitled Records. Kick-off track “We Just Don’t Know” sets the tone of what you can expect, chugging rhythm guitars and somewhat ethereal, voice-of-god talk-singing from Moss. Standout track for me here is “You and Time.” Love the soaring Steely Dan lead guitar lines and the album’s hookiest melodic twists and turns. Superior song-smith Ben Patton wrote me a while back about something, something called The Something Review. Patton’s unique cleverly structured song style is everywhere here, from the show opener “The Something Revue” to “I Hope My Therapist Likes Me.” Along the way he writes songs about bugs, the darkest part of the night, and a doctor’s routine procedure. Basically, nothing is off limits for a song with this guy. Think Randy Newman, but without all the darkness. I’d particularly recommend “Before I Fall In Love” as a pretty gorgeous tune. Randy Klawon has been on a bit of a singles tear lately but his new song “Tonight” is really something else. There’s a madcap, careening feel to the song that is so endearing. Stylistically, the track balances Merseybeat and Wings influences in an impressive way. You can dip in just about anywhere with Rich Restaino ’s catalogue and find yourself a real gem. His latest EP Mixtape has got a smoking instrumental called “Earworm.” Such wicked guitar tones on both the tasty lead licks and chugging rhythm work. Then “In My Dreams” cooks along with a honky-tonk meets rockabilly vibe. Or you can dial up a dose of Restaino’s signature ‘grown up folk’ sound on “The Back Nine” and “Nothing Add.” The former is an Arlo Guthrie-esque social commentary on getting old while the latter spends two folky minutes telling us he has nothing to say. From the catalogue check out the Replacements-ish “Don’t the Stars Look Big Tonight?” from his 2022 EP Lucky and “Civil War” from the 2016 LP It’s a Golden Age for Creeps.

Have you got a poprock song that needs some blog love? Get that stationary out, drop me a line, and tell me all about it.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr page.

The final frontier: Velvet Attack, Star Trip, and Dallas Orbiter

11 Friday Oct 2024

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Today’s post gets spacey with acts reaching for the stars or at least evoking a cool science fiction vibe. We had to go pretty far out to find these acts, from Dortmund Germany to Valencia Spain to downtown Minneapolis Minnesota. But you’ll hear why it was worth it when you beam aboard.

Velvet Attack nail the psch/garage sound of the late 1960s on their recent LP Visions from Inner Space. It’s like a time travel movie where you’ve landed in some smoky psychedelic club in some rundown part of some town somewhere. There’s a moment of disorientation on opening cut “The Double Cylinder Man” but pretty quickly you’re into the groove. “House of Correction” has a go go dancing kick-off that keeps the beat going throughout. “Kill the Weekend” is another killer dance number. “You Know Everything Better” is the should-be hit single. Listening to these cuts I kept thinking ‘who does this remind me of’? Hoodoo Gurus, definitely. Though the band do strike a different pose here and there. “I Cannot See A Forest Without Trees” is straight up jangle bliss. “Drinkin’ Water, Prayin’ Wine” adds a country twist to the mix. The movie connection also remains strong over a number of cuts. Both “Sound of Tomorrow” and “(It’s the) Dawn of Summer” have that cinematic title sequence feel while the pristine electric lead guitar on “Electric Chair” reminds of all those great Morricone soundtracks.

Star Trip might hail from Spain but listening to Velocidad you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve hit the hard streets of Glasgow. “Disimular” sets the scene with a dreamy Teenage Fanclub drone. The rest of the album is pretty much lather, rinse and repeat on that winning formula. Where things do change up is in the pacing and attack. “A veces” picks up the pacing a little while “Tu peor enemigo” softens up the lead guitar work. Should-be hit-single is definitely the title track “Velocidad.” The song echoes the structure of The La’s “There She Goes” but takes the inspiration in new directions. Another strong single contender would be “Todos lo saben pero nadie dice nada.” Then “Cuando estás lejos de aquí” moves into more Brydsian territory. Though up next “Como los demás” almost out Teenage Fanclubs the original. The band do mix things up, turning on the rock filter for“Al amanecer” or adding a country flavour to “Algo especial.”

Dallas Orbiter are far out there in more ways than one. Their new record Spaceman Things vibes 1970s prog rock with the occasional jazzy freak out. So not really in our part of the galaxy, musically speaking. But one track – “Avenge Me” – comes pretty close while another – “Let’s Go Out” – hits the mark. The former song rides a cool lead guitar lick to a dissonant melodic twist in the chorus. The latter ambles along with very Teenage Fanclub-adjacent sound and some sweet organ vamping. And the art work on this LP is definitely outasite!

The final frontier or just the first outpost? You decide. Check out where these acts are going on the hyperlinked star charts above.

Photo  of Syd Mead’s ‘… fixing the lights on The Highway of Tomorrow!’ courtesy James Vaughan Flikr collection.

Extended play party

22 Sunday Sep 2024

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The EP is back baby and ready to extend its play. Perhaps not quite as far as the more ubiquitous LP but farther than a maxi-single for sure. To that end we’ve rounded up a bevy of new EPs to stack up on the record changer and let them have their way.

Henry Chadwick keeps on pushing the frontiers of his melodic journey. His latest EP Leaving sounds like it’s been put through a Beatles pop-psychedelia filter and come out the other side all dreamy and a bit shoe-gazey. Opening cut “I’ve Hate the Sound” is a sonic seductress, lulling your cares away. Then “Reruns Alone” has an off-kilter midnight movie ambience. “Leaving” sounds more Ben Kweller meets Apples in Stereo. The whole package of songs has a tentative, explorative, gentling vibe I’m digging. Derbyshire UK trio The Happy Somethings also sound contemplative but in both a lyrical and melodic way. Their new six song release Caught in the Web delivers more of their hooky social commentary, this time ruminating on all things social media. You can feel the tension animating “Is This Broken” and the unceasing uneasiness of “Prey.” This gives way to sunnier jangle sound on “Kiss of Life” but the message remains dire – basically, web life is a pretty shallow endeavor. Should be hit single “Smitten” has the band acting as reverse sirens, warning listeners away from the seductive allure of a life lived online. Pale Lights Phil Sutton revives his Love Burns project to give us another dose of his folky pop. Blue offers up seven songs that oscillate between earnest lamentations and more upbeat sentiments. The title track is a lowkey poppy number with a strong Lloyd Cole vibe. “To Say Goodbye” balances a recurring cool lead guitar with a piano rhythm section. Then “Hard to Fall’ harkens back to REM’s take on country rock. But perhaps saving the best for last “What To Do About Us” has got a riveting lead guitar and a tight overall band sound. This one is the radio-ready repeat-player.

Moving over to more rock side of street Justin Kerecz blends an Americana esthetic with a more stripped back rock and roll feel on Nobody Man. For instance, “Barking Dogs” has an almost stark simplicity but the pre-chorus builds tension that the chorus opens up nicely. By contrast, opening cut “Been Crying” reaches back to a neo-1960s melodrama sound. Toronto’s Vicky von Vicky lean into a more guitar pop rocking style on Broken Chairs. “Jealousy” kicks things off with a rough and ready feel only to have “Freak Me Out” smooth out the vocals in a most alluring way. Both “Goodbye My Love” and “Be Still My Heart” have a classic 1980s melodic FM rock sound while “Not The Man” drop a bit of pop anguish into the mix. Five strong cuts here. I wrote about The Feeders fantastic “Congratulations By The Way” a while back but now it is included on an equally good self-titled EP. Here you have more of group leader’s Sam Vicari’s dissonant melodic musings. “Sara You’re My Saviour” and “Mrs. Duluth News Anchor” are definitely highlights here. Somehow I missed The Pozers guitar poppy outing last year Something Pop. This album is not really an EP but as only three songs are up on bandcamp I’m treating it like one. “Alison With an Edge” ambles along with buzzy guitars and a vocal melody that turns out the hooks. “Save a Kiss For Me” works the 1970s layered vocals effect into the tune so well. Meanwhile “Missing You (Missing Me)” has a buoyant power pop that will have you beaming.

Speaking of smiles, my first listen to Cliff Hillis and Dennis Schocket’s “For Everly” had me grinning unstoppably, so successfully did it conjure key musical ages for me. I can now report that their subsequently released EP Pop, Girls, Etc. is equally magical, hitting the marks of a host great poprock eras. I mean, dial into “Violet Blue” and transport yourself back to AM radio 1979 with the sleek guitar and exquisitely shaped vocal work so of that period. The duo rock things up a bit on “The Girls Are Back in Town” and offer a variety of jangle with “Carrie, the One” and “Here Comes Joanna,” the latter a masterclass in Byrdsian songcraft. Toronto’s Drywall Heels have also super enriched their sound with a bit 1960s swagger and jangle on their new outing Today’s Top Hits Playlist. This is a sunny collection of winsome tunes, aided by interesting guitar tone shadings on “Screens” and “Little Critters.” “Any Hollow” adds some luscious vocal layering to the mix. And check the maximum jangle dressing “Caterina.” This EP is a breezy good time.  Tampa’s The Easy Button add a good dose of distortion to the tunes on EP2 but that can’t obscure the hooks driving the songs. Their Weezer-meets-FOW melodic instincts are in full force on tunes like “Liberty Bell” and “Private Beach.” “Honor Roll” punks things up a bit but in a hummable way. “The Best Paths Are Never Clear” is an epic should-be hit single. And Halloween even gets a look in “Friday the 13th 2.”

Wifey’s debut EP Just A Tease was certainly highly anticipated by me. When I first heard their early release single “Mary Ann Leaves the Band” I was blown away by its lyrical cleverness and drop dead melodic hookiness. The four additional songs here do not disappoint, branching off in different power pop directions from their initial release. Opening cut “DiMaggio” kicks off in a totally different acoustic guitar register, only to scale up to a solid power pop assault when it gets going. “Playing Dead” is another winning tune though a more straightforward slice of guitar pop this time out. Greedy me might say I want a whole album of Wifey but this EP is a already a pretty full tilt blast of poppy goodness. Heading for the ‘best of’ lists for sure.

The lowly EP. Once upon a time it wasn’t even considered important enough to get listed in an artist’s official discography. Now it’s a regular thing, release-wise. And that’s a good thing.

Photo “The Party Makers” courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

A song at the five and dime

07 Saturday Sep 2024

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Time for another collection of 21 tunes populated from various sources over the past month. I think there’s something from every dark corner of the poprock-o-sphere here. And given the value for money, they’re all available for five and dime prices when you think about it.

Earlier this year Portland’s Blitzen Trapper brought out a monster of a new album 100’s of 1000’s, Millions of Billions. It’s pretty impressive how quickly they rivet out attention on their opening single “Hello Hallelujah” with just a few strums of the guitar. From there they just build the hooky tension till there’s no turning away. You are gonna hit replay on this one. Shifting north to Toronto The Celestophones nail a very particular seam of the Beatles sound, namely their love of the Everly Brothers and Buck Owens. They conjure both elements expertly on their light and frothy single “You and I Know.” Every time I notice Milwaukee’s Newski he seems to be on the road somewhere so I don’t where he gets time to lay down all these tracks. “Banking on Never Breaking Down Again” definitely has that ‘live on the road’ vibe. He manages to make his acoustic guitar sound like the quintessential rock instrument, one part Springsteen, another part Tom Petty. Askim Norway duo Herr Wade produce a lot of material, much of which skates outside of the zones set for this blog. But their “Theme From Chief Inspector Wade” is a wacky, inventive piece of work, reminding me of the Penguin Café Orchestra in its creative juxtaposition of instruments. Poprock legend Graham Gouldman has a new album out entitled I Have Notes and it rises to his usual standard of intense listenability. The most immediate hit single-ish tune to my ears is “It’s Time For Me To Go” but I’m also drawn to the finely structured ditty “Play Me (The Ukulele Song)” if only because the song’s sentiment is just so apropos of the fate of former school instruments.

On “Dashboard Jesus” Glenn Erb navigates a dead man’s curve with an alt country vibe but doesn’t quite make the turn. The effect creates a scene of eerie, low key desperation, despite the apparent wreckage. You’re going to want to add this to your disaster song playlist. A very different atmosphere is conjured up on Loose Buttons’ new single “I Saw Jon Hamm at the Beach.” Terms like languid, breezy, sun-stoked, and shameless name-dropping all come to mind. I am feeling more relaxed already. Rich Chance works up a sophisticated pop extravaganza on  “Azalea Close.” The song has so many interesting melodic and lyrical twists and turns, where suburbia is pleasantly hooky but not all it seems. Rangiora, New Zealand’s Best Bets return in fine form on their new single “Spooky Signals.” Fuzzy hooky goodness is what this song provides in abundance, an advance release from their new album The Hollow Husk of Feeling. When he’s not donning a mask with his instrumental guitar super group Los Straitjackets Greg Townson flashes a Chet Atkins guitar gentleman pose for a host of great solo singles and albums. Just this week he’s got a a new double-sided single out and personally I’m loving the stylish classy-ness of the “Spinning Top” selection. You can’t fake this kind of cool ambience.

When he’s not hanging out with those cool dudes from The Half Cubes veteran poprocker Randy Klawon offers up the occasional jangly single. This time “She’s More Than I Want” comes on like the second coming of the second iteration of The Searchers. His somewhat plaintive vocal pairs nicely with the bright La’s-like lead guitar lick that defines the tune. Our next cut is a bit of a cheat because Jeff Gordon’s “Hard Promises” is a re-release from his 2021 album Local Boy. But man this song is just so good! The vocal hooks are utterly seductive, framed by striking lead and rhythm guitar work. Haunting is the word I’m looking for. This is a tune that stays with you long after the record ends. On “Kinda Lost” The Junior League have managed to mash together sonic hues from two different decades, combining a mid-1960s George Harrison guitar jangle with a lush 1970s soft rock vocal. The end product amounts to an exquisite synthesis. It’s one of three new tunes on their recent EP Nattering Nabobs. Sydney, Australia’s The Stormy Sea remind me of a host of 1980s folk rock revival acts, with a touch of Dionne Warwick style thrown in. “You Scare Me” would fit in nicely on a Lilac Time album given its light bouncy air. I’ve liked a number of Boston band The Fatal Flaw’s past releases but their new single is a co-write with Wyatt Funderburk and that gives it a bit more of a head-turning quality to my ears. The band expertly squeeze every melodic hook out of the song with chugging guitars and a sweet vocal treatment.

Jeff Gordon “Hard Promises”

The Newds drop singles now and then, focusing our attention on one song at a time, each one a carefully concentrated blast of melody. “God of Small Things” is no exception, a recent offering that has so many subtle sonic elements going on. The song builds and builds without ever really blowing up. It’s almost meditative. If ever there was a band whose name jarred with their musical output it would Young Scum. The moniker surely denotes screaming punk or hardcore will result from hitting play? But this Richmond Virginia combo have a 1980s Manchester jangle sound that is relentlessly smiley on their new single “Peach Ice Cream.” Part of a whole album experience dubbed Lighter Blue due out soon. Chicago native Kenny Michaels is on to something with his new single “Must Be This Love of Mine.” Buoyant and sunny in both melodic and lyrical content, the song has a unmistakable early 1970s pop vibe, with some Turtles shading on the ‘ba ba ba’s. Another time trip single comes from Dragon Inn 3 with the recently released “Clock Machine.”  The intro guitar work is so jazzy 1970s, a period when it seemed every song had to feature some serious lead guitar motif. But then these sometime members of Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin do their indie creative thing and add vocals that push everything in a different direction, with a wonderful effect. I love the organized cacophony on Shiverlane’s new song “Little English Pleasures.” The competing vocals particularly have a shambolic quality until they come together with a dynamic precision.

Kenny Michaels “Must Be This Love of Mine”

Last up on our five and dime specials, a pop-enriched summer stinger from The Glad Machine, “So High.” There’s Beatles name-dropping, laconic acoustic guitar swing, and a concentrated blast of sing-along melodic energy in the chorus. This will have you whistling as you leave the store.

The five and dime had it all and then some. Those bargains may be gone but great value on songs is even more true today. Click the hyperlinks to fill your basket before the checkout.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Something new II: Ethan Beck and the Charlie Browns, Laughing, and Chris Milam

03 Saturday Aug 2024

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Discovering new artists is pretty much our raison d’etre here at Poprock Record. But some artists are so new I haven’t heard nada about them. That’s today’s acts, absolutely brand new to me and perhaps you too. So let’s get the plastic wrap off this e-vinyl together.

On Duck Hollow Pittsburgh’s Ethan Beck and the Charlie Browns use steel town’s working class neighbourhoods as fodder for setting the scene over a handful of songs. Things kick off with a bit of guitar blast and hummable melodies on opening tunes “Fear and Loathing in Grammercy” and “Monk Eric.” Both fall somewhere between the Sam Roberts Band and Ruler on the manic guitar pop scale. Other songs like “And And And” and “North” have a more vulnerable pop vibe, in line with acts like Sam Weber, Matthew Milia and Nicholas Altobelli. And is that an Apples in Stereo melodic turn embedded in “Does This Bus Stop at Douglas Street”? Sounds that way to me. There are a few sonic departures on the album, like the Latin dance rhythm defining “Matthew Song.” Billy Joel even gets a look in when the couple from his “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant” appear in “Brenda and Eddie.”  In the ‘my fave’ file, I love the ferocious poppy guitar grind driving “Fear and Loathing in Squirrel Hill.” All in all a visit to Duck Hollow is definitely worth the trip.

Montreal seems to be on fire in terms of cranking out great melodic rock bands of late. We’ve featured Los and The Wesleys recently just to name a few. Now you can add Laughing to that ever growing list with their self-titled debut LP. Giving this record a spin, it’d be easy to turn on opening cut “Easier Said” and declare Teenage Fanclub to be the sonic ghost haunting what is going on here. Ok, then “Pebble” comes along and it has pretty strong TF vibes too. But as we cruise along to “Bruised” the atmosphere subtlely shifts to a more muscular poprock sound.  “Narcissist Blues” even harshes up the lead guitar solo a bit. “Garden Path” continues this trend toward a rockier pop style. Then “Will She Ever Be A Friend of Mine” and “You and I” turn things back in more TF pop direction. For something different check out how “Don’t Care” and “Secret” amp up the country quotient. I also really like “Sour Note” which sounds like Sloan on a Byrds kick to me. Overall the band have a surprisingly coherent sound given that they have come together only recently, drawing members from a variety of acts like Nap Eyes, Monomyth, Human Music, and Fountain.

Thrumming is the word I’d use to describe Chris Milam’s new album Orchid South. Like a kid at the gates to an amusement park, the record positively bursts with barely contained excitement. Opening cut and title track “Orchid South” sets the album’s tone using elements of a Springsteen structured sonic landscape, with the alternating high and lows, upfront guitars, and requisite horn section. Then “Almost Gone” lays down shotgun rhythm guitar work draped with an Eagles-like harmony vocal precision. And those horns! “Always On My Mind” brings to mind recent poppy Americana-inflected work from the likes of Jim Larson and the Silver Fields. The record does ease up here and there with more atmospheric contemplative numbers, like “Bad Dream,” “Underwater,” and “Song of the Summer.” Or there are tracks like “Let Me Love You” and “Thoughts On Hold” where Milam expertly alters the pace and attack for maximum impact. “Out” is just a rollicking good time and amazing guitar solo workout. Overall Orchid South is an album rife with Americana energy that doesn’t neglect its pop hooks.

Here we have brand new artists that I’m sure will become old faves in the years to come. But you have start somewhere. Visit these artists online to get to know them better.

Photo ‘What Time Is It In Miami Beach’ courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Something new: Sergio Ceccanti, Terry Anderson and the Olympic Ass-Kicking Team, and Mark Alan Lofgren

23 Tuesday Jul 2024

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Today’s post is all new. I mean, most of the stuff I write about is new but this is a crew of talent I’ve heard nary a whisper about.

Everything about Sergio Ceccanti’s new album Mysterious Journey is freighted with retro cool. The guitar tones are like selections from a guitar pedals buffet. The song styles run the gamut of 1960s melodic forms. And yet, somehow, the album’s sonic aura is timeless. Opening track “Mystery Girl” captures the broader elan of the album with its distinctive lead guitar lines and hushed vocals. Jangle comes to the fore on tracks like “On My Way” with a Searchers buoyant energy. Then “You Dropped Me Alone” lightens the mood with a boppy bubblegum feel. Despite a consistent overall sound, the album does branch out in terms of sixties genres. “From My Mysterious Journey” suggests an early 1960s Roy Orbison intrigue while “Without You” tips things in a more Stones direction (in their more melodic moments). There are real departures here too, like the Teenage Fanclubby “Waiting Outside.” Or listen to how the guitar work on “Forget Me” pretty much guarantees that won’t happen. Really, this album is a summer sleeper chart climber.

It’s hard to know just how seriously to take Terry Anderson and the Olympic Ass-Kicking Team on their new record Got To Be Strong. I mean, the name invites guffaws aplenty. And then there’s the choice of song themes: chainsaws, bandanas, box wine, etc. Not topics that say serious song-smithing. But here’s the thing – the more I listen to this album the more I’m convinced these are fine specimens of sophisticated song craft. Stylistically, there’s more than hint of the Allman Brothers in their poppier moments. Things even stretch into Bachman Turner Overdrive territory on the opening cut “Chainsaw Repair Shop” with its chugging rhythm guitars. “My Bandana” sounds more pub rock/Rockpile era Nick Lowe. Then comes “Best Day Ever,” just the kind of feel-good rock and roll we really need right now, sustained by some serious organ backing. The album changes tempos effortlessly – things slow down on “Dilapidated Heart,” a song that really gets its Americana blight on (both material and spiritual), while “Magnificent” takes a more Byrds-meets-The Band approach. Then comes the album’s secret weapon “Regret Avenue,” a song whose jangle and hooks scream should-be hit single. I could go on loving up every song here but you get the picture. Got To Be Strong is just a great album experience from some very serious talent.

It happens. Turns out sometime over the past few years I bought Mark Alan Lofgren’s first volume of his Black Moon Book project but I never wrote about it. And that’s a shame because the record and follow up Black Moon Book 2 have got some lovely performances. Like “We Don’t Leave the Yard” from the latter – that synth work is utterly captivating. Well, making up for lost time I’m turning to the latest installment in the series Black Moon Book 3 and I can report it’s fabulous too. Just lay your ears on “Ne’er Do Well” and tell me if this doesn’t sound like a misplaced deep cut from the recent Real Estate offering Daniel. Damn but that lead guitar sound is to die for! “Get Out or We’ll Stay” works up a positively meditative drone that is so different but also very pleasing. “Perennials” has a English folkish feel compositionally, reminding me of Vashti Bunyan despite its delightful jangle coating. “The End of the Novel in Your Head” balances dreamy lead guitar and vocals in a perfect balance. Then “Ocean Drive” kicks things into a new lane, sounding more latter day XTC. “Glass Half Full” even threatens to break out into come classic Chuck Berry riffs, before art rocking the hell out of the arrangement. With this Black Moon Book triple play it’s clear Lofgren is just getting better and better.

There’s too many new somethings for one post – look for something new II, coming your way soon.

Photo courtesy James Vaughn Flikr collection.

Songs for a summer soiree

14 Sunday Jul 2024

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Clinking glasses beneath a dusky summer sky. You need music for that. Definitely. Here’s a curated list of party-approved poppy rock numbers suitable for friends, fading sunshine and a night full of stars.

LA’s The Dreambots thread some 1980s jangly guitar throughout their debut single “Tightrope” but that’s almost a distraction compared to the subtle earworm this melody turns out to be. The song’s main guitar tone reminds me of Steve Addabbo’s distinctive sound on Suzanne Vega’s self-titled debut LP back in 1985 but here it serves a totally different kind of tune. Repeated listening will just lead to further repeated listenings. Strange Neighbors were one of my fave finds of 2023. Their single (“Hotline Psychic”) and EP (Party of None) were number one on both my year-end singles and EP charts. They were that good. Some might say there’s nowhere to go from there but one listen to the band’s new single “Tell All Your Friends” and you’d know that’s wrong. The striking guitar lines, the harmony vocals, the build-up to a great killer chorus: this is the stuff of greatness. The internet is allowing a lot of old bands that didn’t quite make it to relaunch, if not for the big time then at least a smidgeon of the attention economy. The Hollywood Stars got a few record deals in the 1970s but never took off. Now fifty years later they’ve got a new album Starstruck. I’m really digging the Stonesy/Springsteen swagger of “Walking With an Angel.” Montreal’s The Wesleys also present as a contradiction. So much of their self-titled debut album almost leaps out of the speakers with high degree of rock and roll ferocity and menace. And then there’s “A Lot To Lose,” a gentle, almost languid jangle affair that floats a dreamy vocal over everything. Ever reliable guitar pop-meister 65MPH is back again with “Again.” This time the crashing guitars have a Bond-esque intrigue and Jam-worthy Paul Weller vocal attack.

New Jersey’s Sad About Girls is having a very productive 2024, releasing their third EP of the year Sad To Go in May. There’s some slow meditative material here and then there are songs that really cook. Like “Expect To Lose” with its ripping lead guitar lines and magnetically hooky chorus. “We Didn’t Do Anything Last Year” is another winner with its Everything But The Girl flavour. Another band with two really hot tracks on their most recent album is Melbourne’s Lava Fangs. From Sub Auroram “Photograph” really lands in the Jayhawks ballpark while “Lost For Words” motors along shifting its melodic attack in the most delightful ways. Nick Piunti delivers his signature refreshingly old-fashioned poppy rock and roll on his new one-off single with The Complicated Men, “Bottle It.” Attractively packaged and performed with a Bryan Adams easygoing feel. Most of The Twins of Franklin album This Life is a folky Americana excursion, delivered with a First Aid Kit freshness. But “Life By Design” is something else. The propulsive acoustic rhythm guitar keeps things thrumming on this song, only to be elevated by the electric shock vocal harmonies in the chorus. The title track from George Marinelli’s recent hybrid greatest hits/new material mega-album Except Always has to vie for attention with 25 other songs. But it’s got some notable features, like a Stones rhythm guitar sound and chorus hook that really delivers.

Papa Schmapa main man Joe DelVecchio put me on to a new project he’s got going and the vibe is so NRBQ it could be mistaken for those Louisville sloggers. The new band is SidePlay and the song I can’t get enough of is “Hit the Road Mac.” It’s got boogie and an old man kind of cool. Little Roger has got a ticklish question to put in his recent single “Does Susie Like Boys?” It’s the kind of query that could easily go wrong fast but Roger’s whole delivery seems supportive. The guitars here are so 1970s AM radio while the vocal reminds me of Billy Bremner in his more tender moments. Out of the blue former Irish band The Fireflys frontman Barry J. Walsh pops up with his first solo effort in decades “Rescue Me.” The song is a distillation of essential 1960s sounds: swinging London, Merseybeat, some pop psychedelia, and more. Let there be more is all I can say. Everything about Gary Kaluza’s single “On the Waterfront” says ‘classic’ – from the Silencers/Simple Minds guitar tone, to the stentorian singing from what sounds like the back of an empty echoey church, to the video with its Bogey and Bergman imagery. It’s not a new song but a very worthy re-release for sure. Perennial 1990s throwback Richard Turgeon swore he would take some time off from the last half decade’s punishing schedule of constantly writing and releasing new singles, albums and covers. But just seven months after this last album he’s back with a new single “This is the Last Song (I Write For You).”  What can I say? It’s reliably Turgeon great! And I highly doubt it won’t be followed by more good tunes to come in the days ahead.

SidePlay – Hit the Road Mac

Jon Hyde’s new album The Sad Lights is solidly in Americana territory, neither poppy nor rocky for the most part. But title track “The Sad Lights” swerves a bit into our lane with a very hum-able melody that ambles along with a peculiar but captivating charm. I love the mood that The Chris Vandalay Project strike on their new single “Better Than Before.” The synth suggests late night, a bit of indirect lighting, and some serious introspecting going on. The overall sound really reminds me of Liverpool’s Black from the 1980s. Cal Rifkin return with a single named for every power pop fan’s fave commercially unsuccessful supergroup, “Big Star.” The song’s connection to that Memphis combo is both lyrical and sonic, popping up in the tune’s narrative and overall jangly sound. And the song’s arrangement is outasight. Kurt Hagardorn has an exciting new project that concentrates his poppy rocky tendencies even more than his exemplary solo efforts. His new band is The High Elves and their debut single “Thirsty and Blue” is full of 1970s Steve Miller guitar tone and a killer rhythm guitar swing. It’s impossible not to hip sway within listening distance of this song. More please! The latest outing from The Bret Tobias Set is positively mercurial in its instrumental choices. “Fait Accompli” has got shoe-gazey vocals, slashes of reverby guitar, and an organ timbre straight out of a Vincent Price horror movie. And that is a very good combo.

When they’re not busy turning out great tunes for Starbelly Dennis Schocket and Cliff Hillis also like to put out duo numbers. Their newest is a sweet walk down melody lane boasting a title that gives away its inspiration. “For Everly” could be a certain brothers act circa 1965 or something more modern, say a nice deep cut from one of those Don Dixon and Marti Jones albums.

Your summer soiree is practically ready for guests with a song list like this on standby. You just have to strike up the bands.

Photo courtesy Tom Magliery Flikr collection.