Rock and roll was more loins than literary at the start. Beat over beatnik. Then Bob Dylan came along and made smart cool. The Beatles took notice and let loose a barrage of working class smarts, particularly from Rubber Soul on. Since then popular music has thrown up a whole raft of smarty-pants popsters then and again. Today’s post features a trio of brainy melodians, ready to wow you with music and words.
Day Dreems is here to denaturalize your world. Musically and lyrically that is. San Francisco and Portland music veteran Day Ricardo pulls together a brilliant rumination on gender, bodies, oppressive nostalgia, intolerance, ADHD, and more on this self-titled debut album. Musically the LP falls somewhere in between the exquisite melodies of Squeeze and Crowded House. “F Natural” creeps into being like a cut from that Difford and Tilbrook solo record, wending its way toward a big reveal that ‘natural’ isn’t always right or good. As Ricardo sings, “Silly humans sometimes get things right, like music and electric light.” The vocals on this album are so eerily Glenn Tilbrook at times, as on “Easy” and “Fountain of Truth.” Then “The Bad Old Days” takes an uber cool organ line to shift into the compressed pop territory of acts like Linus of Hollywood. Things can be wistful, like “Let’s Be Lonely” which evokes those early 1960s angst ballads. The record also has some real rocking turns, like the ADHD-exploring “Brain Drain.” At other points Lennon’s Walrus haunts “Lady Beetle” in quite an inventive way. By the end “There’s a Light” teases us with a lilting, beautiful tune whose vocal sounds like a cross between Neil Finn and Glenn Tilbrook. Day Dreems is a lush sonic treat, heavy with hooks, and something inspiring to say.
I’m not saying Lord Esme offer a treatise on analytical philosophy or anything but there’s something sophisticated lurking behind their smart LP design and endearing, mellow guitar pop. Take a good look at the cover of A Nice Sit Down. It’s eye-catching, radiating bright colours and a sense of fun. Introducing the record, both “Shane Warne” and “Cold Canberra Nights” have a folky dissonance lurking in their electric guitar combo style. But then “Succulent City” drew me in with seductive saxophone. So cool-jazz in an Everything but the Girl or Sade way. “Number in my Pocket” shifts things into a more shimmery guitar pop mode, though some great organ pops up pleasantly here too. “Alison Rhodes” rides an organ swell like a merry go round ride while “Booking a Flight” sets a mystery tone with a minor key. The sax returns strongly in the cool album closer “Lots of Money.” Maybe you never hung out at those hip coffee houses but put this on the spinner and people might think you did. In a good way.
I fell hard for Phil Sutton’s early 2020s band Love, Burns. I had an inkling he had earlier vehicles but never really followed up … until now. Waverly Place allows me to catch up on the 2000 and teens timeline of releases from Sutton’s previous project Pale Lights. Get ready for tunes oozing breezy pop goodness, peppered with striking lead guitar-led melodies. “Fourteen Stories Tall” captures this perfectly, seeming like a cross between sixties pop-folk and confessional eighties indie rock. Title track “Waverly Place” gives this formula a 1980s English vibe, kinda like Lloyd Cole or Roddy Frame. The guitar tones on so many songs here are remarkable. “Twisting the Knife” has a lead guitar chirp like a siren luring all jangle guitar fans to keep hitting repeat while the vocal comes off like a well-adjusted Lou Reed. The organ work here is pretty special too. “Dearest Virginia” sounds like a single to me with its insurgent quality, adding just a hint of Morricone to the background vocals. With 13 tracks on this career-covering compilation there’s a lot to enjoy – jump in anywhere. Personally “You and I” is my hands down fave. The chord changes so remind me of The Crickets’ “Don’t Every Change” (particularly as covered by The Beatles).
You don’t need a PhD in poprock to spot some smart tunes when you hear them – like these. It’s not homework or anything but a click on the links above will be its own reward.
Is it 2024 or 2020? Seems like déjà vu all over again this politics season. And given what’s coming we might as well gear up with the equivalent of all the musical super-PACs we can muster. I mean, I’m not saying music can save us from the coming political intrigue but it can soundtrack that dumpster fire in a most enjoyable way.
Speaking of ‘been there before’ The Eisenhowers capture our present groundhog day politics with their ditty “President Again is President, Again” from their 2023 LP Nudge Unit Blues. The song works A Man Called E or 1981 Elvis Costello vibe with whipsmart lyrics. The message here is very much wake up now or sleepwalk into disaster later. Meanwhile The Mockers wonder what it might be like to just give in and embrace where things are going culturally and politically on the cutting, hilarious and oh-so on the mark “Republican Girl.” The song itself is a winner musically, sounding so 1980s poprock, while the lyrics are razor sharp and incisive.
A key ingredient of politics in the twenty-twenties is paranoia and conspiracy theories. Pierre Englebert sings about the latter on “Conspiracy” from his recent almost optimistically titled album Things Could Be Worse. I love the ELO wash on the tune, as it delicately parses the creeping impact of ideas run wild. Defoe and Pronai give voice to probably the greatest hit of slogans from the past decade with “Alternative Facts.” The song strikes a slow groove and talk/sing vocals that wouldn’t be out of place on a 1980s version of the Velvet Underground. No surprise the lyrics mock the unfalsifiable confidence of those for whom belief precedes evidence. Midwest Handshake try to provide some insights into our contemporary political animal on “Home Team” from their recent LP skittish. They blame a side-taking culture and performance of opposition that seems rooted in little more than belonging to one group over another. Musically the track uses strings to create an ominous tension that propels the song along and is so in keeping with its sentiment. Tom Wilson cranks up a Robbie Robertson-like jam about what is presently going down on “I’m In Love With the System” from his 2006 album Dog Years. He seems to ask how much can we chock up today’s political ennui to a sense of disorientation that keeps people drawing within the lines.
If we’re going to get political we gotta talk about now and just what is to be done. The Lovely Basements provide a whole lotta of insight, talking up the past to inform our present moment on “What I Like.” And the tune is pretty catchy too.
If only Olivia Newton John had called for flexing our political muscles way back when, who knows? But, more positively, politics a is project always waiting to get started. You can join in now. It’s really not too late.
Photo ‘It Came From Outer Space’ courtesy James Vaughn Flikr collection.
The ever amiable Don Valentine runs the shop over at I Don’t Hear a Single. I’m often over there, trying to keep up with Don’s prodigious productivity given his penchant for almost daily album reviews and a regular offering of singles on his ‘Listening To This Week’ playlist. But, inevitably, I end up having to pay close attention to his annual Top 100 Albums listing because I miss so much. Now Don and I don’t have exactly the same tastes but there is a lot of overlap. If I had to reduce things to Beatles albums I’d say we both love melodic rock but I’m a bit more Rubber Soul to Don’s Revolver. Not surprisingly then I found a whole lot to love on his list that I think warrants some attention here.
San Diego’s Swive tout their alt rock cred, layered with male/female harmony vocals. The vibe is eerie, like a clean stab at nineties grunge. “Something” starts things off with a dissonant edge while “Race Car” rides its psychedelic guitar right into 1969. But as an album Stereophonic Stylings Volume One is really a variety store of musical choice. I love how “Bad Tendencies” pivots into a very different world of sound, adding some sweet twee to the vocal mix. By contrast, “Wire” has the anguished vocal pull of any random Guster song. My take on “Dead But Free” is that it wouldn’t be out of place as a B52s deep cut while “Second Floor” radiates a bit of Neko Case in full Furnace Room Lullaby form. Swive are really doing some stylish rock and roll here. The Kynd are the kind of band you’re sure you’ve heard before. And maybe you did. Shining briefly in the 1990s the band were MIA for decades until they resurfaced with some new material a few years back. Last year they released a new long-player Timelines but the title really should have been Timeless, the sound is so simultaneously 1966, 1984, and 2010. Listen to how “Workshy” exudes such a glorious Oasis reverby drive or the way “Saturn Eyes” evokes a mid-period REM feel. I feel the organ is the subtle star of this album on tracks like “Whispers and Tones” and “Spitfire Summer.” And then there’s the Badfinger pop buoyancy on “Song For Baby.” Timelines confirms The Kynd as the great lost Britpop band, back to reclaim their place in the pantheon.
Cherry Fez may come from Abington Township, Pennsylvania but the atmosphere shrouding Honeycomb Tearoom seems more London circa 1979, with a dash of folk rock and light jangle sprinkled in places. The former is captured best in opening cut “Her Metro Card” where a new wave arrangement melds to some nice jangle with a vocal reminiscent of Ed Ryan. From there things go very 1965 on “It’s Not Me, It’s You” while “Something Died” ambles along with a Rubber Soul-like metre. Another nifty jaunt of melody and clever lyrics gets captured on “Books That No One Read.” By contrast “It Wasn’t Meant To Be” has that pastoral 1970s English folk scene feel. Another band on a return ticket from the 1980s is London’s Cult Figures. Their album of new material Between US and Heaven is a strong collection. “Mr. Producer” sounds so indie poprock smooth – the single definitely. But title track “Between and Us and Heaven” comes a close second for hookyness. Then “Devotion” spools out with a Cure-like melodic intrigue. I also really like “Sitting Target,” which reminds me a bit of Fastball.
I think I was initially drawn to The Housing Crisis for the name if only because it was refreshing to see pop culture admit it’s a thing. Lyrically the band go easy on social commentary but it’s there. “Enough to Take Me Home” has got some particularly tart asides for a hazy, easygoing pop melody:
I don’t want to be a rockstar I’m standing still when I’m singing and playing guitar And I don’t want a thrilling memoir I’m not courageous and my parents aren’t famous so I’m not making it very far
Mostly the mood on Astral Apartments is poppy indie singer-songwriter with folk-ish touches. Imagine Ben Folds pouring his mournful energy into playing acoustic guitar. Opening track “Better Weather” alternates between a more rock demeanor and reducing everything to just guitar and voice. I love how “Changes in the Shape of the Earth” balances the light with more dire tones. “Wonders of the Station Wagon” adds some tasty Super Mario sound effects to good musical effect. But for a change “Every Day (There’s a New Day Coming)” has a slowly seductive, meditative quality. LA’s The World Famous are a rock band that know their way around a clever melodic hook and their album Totally Famous offers them up aplenty. “Everyday Fear” steps on the lead guitar hook pedal and launches the record in a great rocking register. “Nobody in LA” adds a sweet, hush-like quality to the vocals that changes the vibe. Changing things up, “Delinquents” combines banging rhythm guitar chords and tasty licks in a must-dance number, with a nice acoustic guitar drop out in the middle. “Heartburst” adds an almost country-ish wash over its basic power pop structure. “Candy Clouds” sounds like a single to me with its soaring FOW melody amid chugging rhythm guitar chords, though “Hollywood Pawn” is the song that really leapt out at me from this album as maximum rotation radio friendly.
Is it wrong to pick up a book because of its cover? Only if you never open it up. Turnstyle’s graphic design on their 2023 album Citizens’ Handbook made me pause. These guys know how to package their wares in an eye-catching way. And why not, given how stylish these 10 quirky tunes are? At base, this record is edgy guitar poprock. But each song offering adds some extra sly element that expands its impact. Opening song and current single “Robots Working” rumbles its rhythm guitar low in the gut before developing its tune in a way that rides the line between art rock and a catchy chart contribution. “Plain and Simple” is anything but, layering in hooks and dissonant asides in a very pleasant tension. Then you have a track like “East 21st Street” kicking off in experimental mode only to settle into a hypnotic groove. The rest of the record is replete with delightful pop song workouts. Personal fave: I love the dirty guitar pop simplicity of “Band Shirt.”
Don works hard so the rest of us don’t have to. Thanks Don for immeasurably broadening my circle of possible poprock gems. Get on over to I Don’t Hear a Single to see for yourself.
Sometimes we turn down the stereo, crank up the indirect lighting, and get mellow. As a genre, poprock has got that kind of flexibility. So today we shine our light on the lighter side of melody-rich tune-age. You can light up a Gauloises now.
Last year Bart Davenport re-released his 2003 LP Game Preserve. The whole enterprise was a deep dive into the sonic textures of the 1970s: singer-songwriter, light rock, a bit of yacht, veering into early Eagles territory here and there. But the track that really grabbed me was the flamenco-styled opening cut, “Sweetest Game.” Talk about light touch! The acoustic guitar backing is so elegant and spare, the vocal intimate and understated. On his 14th album Burlington Vermont’s Ben Patton demonstrates his mastery of decades of songwriting styles. Hyde’s Hill Henhouse covers so many bases, from straight up soft rock to mannered 1940s word play. For the former, there’s “Making The Most of Space” or “Does It Have to Hurt So Much,” both exhibiting that effortless easy-listening flow anchored with subtle hooks. By contrast “Don’t Mention Jane to Jim” has the clever pacing and arch commentary of a Noel Coward lyric. Musically the record puts its songs in various settings: samba (“Romantic to a Fault”), novelty (“My Own Monster”), jazz (“Put on a Tie”) and country (“Hyde’s Hill Henhouse”). Songs like “I Hear Good Things About Naples” strip things back to their most essential elements as Patton drapes his vocal over the tune with an exacting delivery. Or you can just bask in the simple sweetness of the tender “Cancel All My Plans.”
When I reviewed Grand Drifter’s “As the Days Change” last year I was struck by the dynamic tension established between the lush acoustic guitars and single note piano work. Andrea Calvo makes this sound central to his Grand Drifter project on the rest of his most recent EP Paradise Window. Opening cut “Drawing Happiness” is most similar to the previously featured tune, with a slightly more Latin flavour. “Beautiful Praise” adds drums and jangly guitars in a way that strikes a more 1980s indie British guitar band sound. On “Unrecorded Feelings” a more Bacharach feel surfaces while “Peaceful Season” turns back to the Latin themes. Then piano comes to fore on the title track “Paradise Window” floating over an atmospheric cloud-like backing. Final track “Memory and Dust” trades guitar and piano lead lines under an ethereal vocal. Another artist that can effectively paint a sonic picture is Jacob Slater. On Pinky, I Love You the sound is striking, echoing like a big, empty, dimly-lit room late at night. There’s not much more here than acoustic guitar and vocals but Slater shapes these two into a distinct ambience. “One For the Pigeons” falls into a solo John Lennon meets Elliott Smith register while “I Do” feels very Ben Watt in that early spartan EBTG period. But the album highlight for me is “Kissin’ Booth,” so reminiscent of the first Suzanne Vega album, with perhaps just a dash of Big Star. This is a mood album, whether making or reflecting it.
Generally Athens Georgia native Erin Lovett hangs with just a ukulele and her voice in the guise of her musical personality Four Eyes. She has a particular penchant for holiday tunes, accent on Halloween. Occasionally she breaks out a more full band performance, as on “Walk Me To My Door” from 2014’s Our Insides. Sometimes she offers up an inventive ‘live radio play and music event’ that runs to 20 minutes – Dead Girl. But her most recent EP The Freaky probably best captures her oeuvre. The songs sound like they emerge from a melody museum, fitted with bits of past musical glory, driven by plucky strings here, driving organ chords there. Opening cut “Vampires” reminds me of Vashti Bunyan. “The Dead Can’t Rest” lurches along fueled by bleating organ shots. “Never Change” is just straight up acoustic guitar folk. But through it all Lovett’s songwriting is lyrically evocative with tunes that get in your head. Well as we amble toward the exits on this post we can excerpt something from Sam Wilbur’s new record The Age. Here the stand out track for me is “South Carolina,” a bittersweet example of Americana that leverages piano, fiddle and competing vocals lines to fill out its aural landscape.
Light and easy can be good, as long as the hooks are strong. So make sure to set these suggestions aside somewhere for when the mood strikes.
Time to get heavy and coat some sweet melodies in relentlessly crunchy chords and searing lead guitar licks. And it comes with a full serving of hooks.
Can I just say it? Wisconsin’s Masked Intruder are efff-ing hilarious. Talk about deep commitment to the bit, these guys have got the ski masks and song titles that continue to dive deep into the joke concept. But beneath the pop punk veneer is some solid songwriting and a command of multiple musical styles. Albums I and II are chock full of poppy rock and a snarl that easily transforms into a grin. Here we focus on the band’s most recent release Masked Intruder III, the 2020 Turbo edition (which contains three extra songs). Start with “Mine All Mine.” The opening guitar grind sounds like something pretty heavy but things quickly shift into a 1950s song style given a guitar-strong ELO treatment. “I’m Free (at Last)” is another track that starts in-your-face guitar strong only to relent under the force of the melodic hooks. “Please Come Back To Me” also perfectly balances the tension between slashing chords and seductive ‘wha-oo’ background vocals. You can test the melody resilience here by asking yourself how any of the songs might sound stripped down to acoustic guitar. Songs like “Not Fair” and “I’ll Be Back Again Someday” would easily pass. Turbo edition also includes a nice cover of the Joan Jett classic “Bad Reputation.”
23 years between albums didn’t seem to put any apparent dent in Marvelous 3’s appeal. Their recent LP, simply entitled IV, carries on where ReadySexGo left off, offering up a 1980s-certified melodic slice of AOR (album-oriented rock). “My Old School Metal Heart” kicks things off with an adrenaline-fueled rush only to slow the pace and press on again. I hear bits of Ike and John Faye’s solo work here and on “Kill the Motherfucker That Breaks Your Heart” and “If We’re On Fire (Let It Burn).” The melody winner on this record for me is “PTSD (Post Touring Singer’s Depression” with its languid feel and subtle hooks. “Jackie and Tina” is just a good old fashioned rock and roll stomper. When we come to “The Devil Made the World While God Was Sleeping” things turn a bit more British nineties indie with guitars that strike an otherworldly tone. I love the ‘oh oh’s that introduce “Time To Let It Go” which quickly pivots to a more Dave Kuchler easygoing Jersey poprock vibe. The album closer “Curtains” sounds like an instant FM radio classic, a real acoustic heartbreaker.
I was totally captivated by the distinct sonic aura that Ricky Rochelle created on his one-off solo single “In a Dream With You.” But this boy is no one-style wonder. On his recent record Kicked to the Curb with The Young Rochelles he dials back the Ramones speed pop punk that defined the band’s first LP to better accent the melodic twists and turns of his songs. This is so evident on the album opener “Chameleon,” a carefully calibrated poprock still life. “The End of Us” sounds like a return to a more punky form but again the melodic undercurrent is strong. There’s an almost Fountains of Wayne vibe to some of the tunes here, like “Breezy” and “Fractured Fairy Tales,” slightly speeded up. Cuts like “I Don’t Want to Grow Apart,” “Used to Sleep” and “Capture the Feeling” have a punky resonance but a closer listen reveals so much going on melodically. Could be hit single? “Vacation” has got the lead guitar hooks to lure you in. “I Just Saw a Little Love in Your Eyes” end things on a different note, a bit of straight up poprock radio fare.
Things are not always what they seem. Our three featured acts all put guitars to front and cranked their amps but eventually their heavy melodies leaked through. Now that’s the kind of mess I like.
Snow is so pretty … until it isn’t. That’s why we need music to soundtrack our travails here in the Great White North. Whether you are shoveling or just trudging through it you can make your snowy place experiences a montage of sorts with these fab selections.
Stepping on the dreamy pedal, Real Estate tease their upcoming album #6 entitled Daniel with the release of an ever-so-carefully crafted pop single. “Water Underground” has the cadence and pacing of work from bands like The Shins or Sitcom Neighbor. It will get in your head and stay there, but you won’t mind. Super 8 is busy putting together the pieces for his special project Super 8 Presents The Plus 4 but in the meantime he’s released another single. “Keep Doing It” sounds like this tribute-to-the-beat-group-sound has moved from 1965 into 1966. There’s a bit of flower power in the mix, adding to the distinctive jangle and a heavy dose of some groovy organ work. Irish psych rockers Spearsidereturn with another winning single, the moody, bass-heavy, yet still hooky “Passion Merchant.” There’s even a touch of Caribbean flavour to the instrumental bridges on my listening. On their latest LP The Flip SideMonogroove get into the 1960s right and proper with a few well-chosen covers and a vibe on the originals that is so in that decade’s pop sweet-spot. Right now “Let Me Know” is grabbing me with its jangly guitars and spot-on Beatles background vocals. Another teaser single comes our way from Flying Underground with the dissonantly wonderful “Mixtape.” This song rides a striking contrast between clean verses that shift down into darker yet still hooky choruses. More please.
Time to go all 1980s on you with a current artist that somehow conjures the atmosphere of that gel-drenched decade so effortlessly. Just listen to all the musical adornments on Jonny Couch’s “Sweet Charlene.” The guitar is almost southern fried rock-approved, the keyboards are so Hall and Oates, while the tune is 1980s melodic groovy. You can dip into his 2019 LP Mystery Man for more of the good same. Into these difficult times The Armoires offer us the refuge of “Musical and Animals,” sounding like a cross between the frosty folk stylings of Everything But the Girl and the sweet sentiments of The Happy Somethings. Just one of 20 fabulous cuts featured on their label Big Stir Records sampler The Cream Of 2023: Foam Your Consideration. Appearing to usher in a new era of folk rock The Sylvia Platters crank the jangle distortion on their new 45 “Kool Aid Blue” and the effect is most endearing. Somehow loud and dreamy at the same time. Another band preparing us for more are The Embryos. “Desiree” is the advance single from their new album Selling What You Want To Buy and once again they keep us guessing, striking a decidedly country Americana note on this release. Imagine the Eagles as an indie band and you’re in the ballpark. I stumbled across Desert Mambas as one of the bottom-of-the-page Bandcamp suggestions and immediately fell in love with the early 1960s camp tone on their “Notes from Chicago.” It’s a more stylized version of their usual low-key indie sound but no less fabulous for it.
Let me clear, Sad About Girls new 3 song EP Songs For My People is three songs strong, particularly the jangle-driven opener “You Are Here.” But I’m featuring their cover of the Beatles track “Baby’s In Black.” I mean, if you don’t want to pull focus from such great originals why do such a killer job on the cover? The jangly lead guitar work is Harrison-authentic but the twist is in the Tom Lucas’ superb vocal delivery, effectively adding a contemporary gloss to an otherwise classic-sounding rendition. Memphis quintet Your Academy follow up their debut LP riffing Big Star by cheekily titling their new release #2 Record. The two tracks currently playable sound like hits to me, especially the languid, somewhat loping “Just a Little Out of Tune.” Definitely a 1970s feel – a little bit Big Star, perhaps a whole lot more Wings. Shake Some dub themselves ‘Power Pop from Bordeaux, France’ but you could easily mistake them for a late 1970s CBGB’s act. “Not Even You” has a wonderfully muddy, almost live indie rock and roll sound that delivers a nice melodic hook. All the rock critics love The Lemon Twigs and what’s not to love? Their records are like lovingly syncretic syntheses of an amazing range of rock and roll motifs. The D’Addario brothers know the canons and how to selectively draw from them. Case in point, their most recent single “My Golden Years” combines the yearning vulnerability of 1970s singer-songwriters, with maybe a touch of Queen and 10cc thrown in here and there, buffeted by army of Beach Boys background vocals that seem to multiply as the song goes on. Breathtaking stuff indeed. From a more low-key direction, Sorry Monks focus our attention on guitars and compressed vocals on “Girlfriend.” It’s like they’ve taken the ambience from “I’m Only Sleeping” and channeled that into a whole new thing. And it works.
Indie super-group Orbis Max return with a new single “Here and Now” that sounds like it’s drawing from equal parts Dylan and 1970s Manfred Mann. It sounds vaguely familiar and somehow timeless at the same time with an attractive, sing-along-worthy chorus. Seems like The Deep Drags main man was hiding his rock and roll light under a bushel for most of his life but thankfully he’s recently put his recordings on display. There’s a 1960s garage fun element to his songs but also a considerable 1980s indie polish. “If You Want Me To” sounds pretty ready-for-rock-radio circa 1984 to me but I’m also partial to hooky jangle of “You Don’t Know Love.” Now grab onto something because the jangle intensity of The Jette Planes on their single “Tunnel” will have you involuntarily moving and grooving. The vibe in 1965 London nightclub, skinny ties not optional. Friends of Cesar Romero surprised us last year by releasing a full album instead of the usual litany of EPs. Queen Of All The Parliaments is solid collection of jangly garage-rock-stamped tunes but here we single out the relentlessly sibilant hooks of “Tomorrow’s Weather Girl.” This is movie-opener montage-worthy for sure. Now for something a bit different Austin Texas gives us The Infinites. There’s definitely something cinematic about their groove. “The Expats” is the advance single from their new album Archetypes and it strikes an ethereal, slightly ominous pose. You know something’s gonna happen to the protagonist here and it won’t be good. Stay tuned for the full album treatment to find out what.
We wrap things up on this first foray celebrating singles in 2024 with some heavy melody from one of my fave finds from this year past, Liquid Mike. “Mouse Trap” hits you hard with nineties grungy chords but never lets go of its melodic hook. That’s just one of 13 tunes to come on the soon-to-be-here Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot.
Who will triumph as the ‘theme from a snowy place’? As usual, you’ll decide. Hurry over to the artist websites and bandcamp pages to vote with your wallet.
Canada is a big, big country. So big that a highway covering the whole country wasn’t completed until 1971. That year also marked the beginning of Canadian content rules requiring 30% of the music played on Canadian radio stations be from Canadian artists. The effect was like opening up a musical highway, helping to create a viable path to success for Canadian acts. And succeed they did. Today Canadian artists are worldwide stars but without Canadian content rules it would have been much harder for them to get a hearing over the vast multitude of American and British performers swamping the Canadian airwaves. Today’s featured acts carry on that tradition, celebrating and extending it.
With album #15 Vancouver-based 54-40 still sound like they’re having fun. There’s a playful vibe all over A Westcoast Band, offering up the group’s usual high standard of melodic rock but adding some whistling, over-the-top exaggerated background vocals, even a disco groove here and there. The opening and title track “A Westcoast Band” is an insistent, driving slug of poppy rock, a fist-pumping declaration of purpose and identity. Notice served – this is a band still excited to be here. Lyrically the album tells the story of the band itself. As the liner notes state, “If 54-40 was a Broadway musical, this record would be the original score.” From that striking opener the mood shifts with the slower groove of “Meet You At The End.” But don’t settle in because “Vodka Surprise” signals party time has arrived with its disco-ish guitar work, cheezy synth shots, and cushion of stylized back-up singers. I like the feel and flow of this LP, the songs all highly listenable even while covering a range of styles. “Chicago” is a lovely bluesy vamp. Others are story songs that highlight the challenges of playing on the road, like “Same Guy Different Body” and “Living Room Allen.” Another strong contender for drive-time radio rotation is “Table For One.” If you get the chance, don’t miss these westcoast Canadian legends playing this album in your town.
Moving east on our musical Trans-Canada highway we hit Winnipeg, home of psychedelic power poppers The Telepathic Butterflies. For a band that goes back decades all I can say is wow because on Plan B this combo sounds as fresh as any twenty-something young things. A lot reviewers name check XTC in their Dukes gear but what I hear here is a refined Revolver influence. Opening track “Twenty” melds buzzy guitar and sitar-ish sounds in an oh-so familiar Beatles synthesis circa 1966. That ambience carries on in “Above It All” and “Static.” Then “Right Through It All” and “The Girl Who Would Not Be Named” come on with a more carefree poppy rush reminiscent of seventies sensibilities. Ok “Grand Malaise” is pretty Andy Partridge. But there are more contemporary comparisons one could make, like the New Pornographers shading on “What’s In It For Me” or The Uni Boys 1970s retro feel all over the driving guitar pop of “Flora.” Personally I’m partial to the jangly guitar carrying “A Ball Thrown.” “History Will Prove Us Right” is a lovely surprise ending, a midtempo, soft-rocker, all-too-relevant statement song. Plan B definitely gets my approval.
A supergroup comprised of current and former members of Sloan, The Barenaked Ladies, Odds and The Pursuit of Happiness singing all those Canadian chart hits of the 1970s that Canadian content rules helped get heard – what could go wrong? Really, a lot could have gone sideways here, a karaoke-meets-the-oldies-circuit kind of debacle, but instead Explosive Hits Vol. 1 has The Trans-Canada Highwaymen hitting it out of the musical park. Tarted up like an over-the-top 1970s K-Tel package the record covers the gamut of Canadiana from the period, including hits from The Poppy Family, Andy Kim, Trooper, April Wine, The Guess Who, The Stampeders, Joni Mitchell and so many more. But my stand-out selection from this collection would be the slightly roughed up take on April Wine’s jangly hit single “Tonight is a Wonderful Time to Fall in Love.” The rougher edges really add to the charm of this winning tune. Or you can get a taste of what they’re up to in their awkward but fun ‘infomercial’ below.
Tonight is a Wonderful Night to Fall in Love
With these tunes you can hit the road in musical style with the requisite amount of Canadian content. Who says you have to be in Canada to keep up your quota of Canadiana? Just another good thing about the Great White North.
The traditional rock and roll album ain’t dead, not by a long shot. Usurped for sure by new commercial formats and changing consumer listening patterns but the album – as a distinct collection of songs (sometimes forming a coherent whole) – remains the default mode of delivery for a wide swathe of guitar-based popular music. Proof? There was simply no shortage of fabulous, super-charged, pop-rocking long-players and extended plays to spend time with throughout 2023. From this embarrassment of musical riches we’ve whittled down a few different lists of LPs and EPs we feel rank as having ‘must have’ status. There’s something for every taste that falls somewhere across the broad, rather idiosyncratic category of ‘poprock’ we employ here. So dive in, see what you think, and do let us know about whatever egregious oversight you think we’ve undoubtedly committed. The hotlinks take you to the original reviews.
Cue drumroll – here we have it, Poprock Record’s 25 must-have LPs from 2023:
This year’s list tipped more toward some classic genre distinctions. The Decibels are beat group heaven for me and When the Red Lights Flash just proves their mastery of this form and seemingly bottomless creativity with it. By contrast, The McCharmlys conjure the ghost of 1950s west Texas rock and roll (even though they’re from California), effectively reinventing it for today. For a different slice, we’ve got the highly sophistico-pop of The Parlophonics. Such great songs, delivered so smoothly. And so on. Our list has got jangle (Buddie, Bory), new wave revival (The Blips, The Blusterfields), country tinges (The Tubs, Rachel Angel), and straight up melodic rock (Richard Turgeon, Dave Kuchler). Long may the LP reign in what’s left of the rock and roll universe.
But there’s more. The ongoing revival of the extended play record format has led to this list, Poprock Record’s must-have EPs from 2023:
The Strange Neighbors EP was hands down my favourite thing about 2023. It brought back a familiar teenage rush of excitement that used to accompany the discovery of something so cool and earworm addictive it just had to be played over and over. Also cool was Joe Dillilo’s oh-so smooth collection of songs, which saw him transitioning from behind the mixing board to the spotlight with ease. And what about Super 8’s alter ego project The Plus 4? An absolute jangle blast. EPs can be such a concentrated blast of melodic goodness, leaving you wanting more.
Before you go there’s one more album we’ve got to highlight. It’s a record so good we had to give it the special award of awesome poprock meritfor 2023:
As I wrote in the original review, Pop Masters gives you “12 new wave era should-have-been hits, stylishly re-energized” and “celebrates what might-have-been with selections from bands that should have broken big but didn’t.” But the band don’t just celebrate the great songs of bands like The Pezband, The Spongetones, The Paley Brothers and The Shoes, they share the spotlight with them in what amounts to a series of power pop band duets. Let’s face it, this project could have gone very wrong. But again, from the original review, the “results are a pumped up, adrenaline-fueled romp through a host of power pop classics … where every cut is a highlight …” Believe the hype. The Flashcubes are, indeed, pop[rock] masters.
Spend some time with these LPs and EPs and I think you’ll agree, melodic rock and roll is in good health if not wealth. But you can help change that for the price of triple shot latte from your favourite beverage store. Go on, skip the coffee queue and click the links to these artists.
2023 was another banner year for melodic rock and roll. Here at Poprock Record we could spotlight only a small portion of what was go on. Still, we kept busy, writing 58,000 words over 77 posts about literally hundreds of artists. And we liked them all – that’s why we wrote about them. But some tunes had real staying power for our team of singles inspectors. So today we single out 50 should-be hit singles from 2023, songs that deserve another listen and a shot at chart glory. Click on the hyperlinks to hear each song and read the original write ups.
Getting to the main event, here are Poprock Record’s top 50 should-be hit singles from 2023:
New York’s Strange Neighbors grabbed me early in 2023 with their killer 45 “Hotline Psychic” and never really let go. The lyrics are so spot on, the chorus is mesmerizing, while the instrumental break threatens to break out into Blondie’s “Rapture.” The band is so good they placed another tune in my top 10, the delightful jangler “Whoa! Is Me.” Then Taking Meds and Good Shade seemed like two sides of a very good coin with songs that featured surging insistent hooks that simply demanded replay. The Goa Express tipped toward punk but without sacrificing melodic depth. And The Decibels returned with the modern beat group sound they own. There’s variety in this list, proving genre is no barrier to delivering poprock hooks.
Moving on, here are Poprock Record’s most inventive covers from 2023:
1. Juliana Hatfield “Don’t Bring Me Down” (Electric Light Orchestra) 2. Mo Troper “Citgo Sign” (Jon Brion) 3. Arthur Alexander “It’s Not Love Anymore #2” (The Sorrows) 4. The Jangles “Here Without You” (The Byrds) 5. The Flashcubes “Have You Ever Been Torn Apart?” (The Spongetones)
Covers remained fertile ground for music veterans and indie new-comers alike this past year. Juliana Hatfield delivered a whole album of ELO songs, mixing things up with a nicely curated collection of chart hits and deep cuts. Mo Troper introduced a new generation to the genius of Jon Brion with his album tribute, Troper sings Brion. Arthur Alexander covers himself, sort of, with his ace reinvention of the Sorrows’ “It’s Not Love Anymore #2.” And both The Jangles and The Flashcubes covers really revive some great songs for the here and now.
Rounding out our lists, here are Poprock Record’s top 5 folk pop singles from 2023:
While most of our coverage is pretty poppy we do shift into the folk lane from time to time where the melodies are strong or I just have a particular interest.
Another year, another slew of great songs. Click on the links to remind yourself how good a year it really was and make sure to let the artists know what you think in cash and/or commentary.
Back with our second record round up in as many days in a bid to clear out the review pile before year’s end. Today’s ten just show how strong the independent music scene is at the moment. These are ten big ones, unequivocally.
The Jangles have been dropping singles all year long, mixing up fifties and sixties-themed musical offerings each time. Now for your listening ease they’ve gathered them all together on one fabulous long player entitled Just a Second. The fifties are well represented here with the Eddie Cochrane rockabilly stomper “Daddy’s Gone Batty” and the more Buddy Holly-ish “My Love Is Gone.” Then “Pea Island” segues into the early 1960s with a plaintive lead guitar led instrumental. From the 1960s there’s jangly folk rock (“Helping Hands”), singer-songwriter folk (“Take Two Steps”), and a dose of that distinctive mid-decade American guitar pop sound (“Do I Love You”). But the record’s standout track is undoubtedly the heartfelt cover of the Byrds classic “Here Without You.” Now for something somewhat different you could order up Toledo Ohio’s Equipment. This is a pop punk adjacent product, with a difference. The songs on Alt. Account don’t stick to any labeling, offering clever lyrics and unexpected turns. “Hot, Young Doctors” gets things started with lead guitar lines spinning out in all directions and lyrics that ooze relationship insecurity. Then “LO/FO” sounds like a more manic FOW. By contrast, “Jewelry” is low-key seductive, easing in on just a vocal and acoustic guitar before adding more and more captivating elements. “Username” is a kind of controlled guitar/keyboard chaos offset by a calibrated melodic theme. “Perfect Temperature Coffee” is a barely contained dose of rocking pop tuneage.
An Analog Man in a Digital World is Kurt Hagardorn’s first proper album of new material since 2009’s Leaves and he’s making a statement of sorts. The record reads like a love letter to a variety of styles from the 1970s, touched up in a completely contemporary way. Album opener “Tractor Beam” is simply marvelous. Reworked from a rougher earlier take that appeared on his 2021 EP Exile in Babylon, the song now commands attention, expertly juggling its enticing ELO keyboards and rumble guitar elements. Should-be hit single – absolutely. I almost didn’t get to the rest of the LP, I was hitting replay so often. From there it’s a tug a war between early 1970s boogie rock and roll motifs and late decade new wave/punk influences. Both “Caveat Emptor” and “Hard Back Train” sound like Hagardorn somehow got The Band back together. “Evangeline Hop,” “High in the Shadows” and “Natural Fact” channel some southern fried boogie rock, but with a stronger sense of melody. Then “767” and “Tina Tina!” vibe The Romantics and something a bit more punky respectively. Moving in a more 1960s psychedelic direction, Cupid’s Carnival appear to have hit the jackpot, gaining a major label release with Sony Records – in Japan. To be ‘big in Japan’ is a bit of rock and roll punch line but given how rabid fans are there it’s really no joke. Rainbow Child collects a number of singles and new material in a collection that showcases the band’s mastery of the late 1960s pop psychedelic sound to good effect. As always, the Beatles inflections are unmistakable on tracks like 1967-certifiable “Flower Power Revolution” or the more lush Rubber Soul acoustic guitar vibe on “Thinking About You Girl” and “Every Single Day.” Previously released singles “You’re So Cool” and “You Know” make an appearance and still sound like hit radio circa 1966. Stand out new material – definitely the hooky Hard Day’s Night-era-ish “Everything You Do.”
Cupid’s Carnival – Everything You Do
The Talking Kind LP It Did Bring Me Down kinda snuck up on me. I gave it a play on my way home from work one day, thinking ‘hey, this is OK.’ But then I was playing again. There was something about Pat Graham’s mournful vocal and fluid ‘we’ve been playing together forever’ backing band sound. You can get a sense of the whole package from the opening cut “Trouble,” with its ambling-along gait and oh-so subtle earwormy melodic turns. Then “Under Appreciated” comes on like some dreamy montage music. “Damn Shame” starts so mellow only to kick things up in the chorus. I hear a bit Guster here, but seriously alienated (not that there’s anything wrong with that). “Never Bored” dresses up a basic folkie lament with some nice pedal steel guitar. Not everything is subdued here. Both “Brand New Face” and “My Truck” press the accelerator, the latter even veering into the punk lane. On the whole though, songs like “Trader” and “Small” confirm this LP as some kind of new cosmopolitan folk experience. And anyone who can squeeze a wolf howl out of an eclectic guitar (on “Small”) gets my ‘you’re so cool’ vote. After stepping away from music over a decade ago Paul Hughes aka The Candy Strypers has returned and then some. Just this year he’s posted 6 albums, an EP and a few singles of new and unreleased older material. So I’m just putting a pin in somewhere and calling the first 14 cuts of the 25 song album Now and Then ‘the’ new release. Others bloggers may differ. What you get here is a solid DIY, mostly acoustic collection of sixties-inspired tunes. Accent on poppy with a Beatles or Herman’s Hermits bounce. “Gonzo” opens the set with a Bo Diddley meets psych-rock shuffle. Then “We’re Gonna Win” rings with a more Brydsian acoustic jangle. “Supermarket Whiskey” hits a more sombre Ray Davies note. Folkies definitely get a look in on tracks like “Blue Is The Colour” and “Early Morning Train.” Personally I’m loving “Magic,” a track that springs along with a sprightly energy.
Glee Crime Scene grab the wheel of their debut DIY juggernaut and don’t let go. As an album Pickle Boi is a lofi blast, oozing personality and sincerity. Opener “Cigarette” drags the album into the spotlight and then takes flight. “Regrets” floats a sad sounding synth line over a bed of acoustic guitars, in a mellow MGMT sort of way. “Coming Home” is the hooky should-be hit-single for me. The influences here are many but muted. A bit of the new romantic scene’s science fixation in “Space Cowboy” with those unrelenting keyboards. Or there’s a light Weezer veneer on “Goth Girls.” For range check out the sombre, acoustic “Winona” next to “Perfume” which conjures a rock band out of nowhere late in the LP. The man behind John Sally Ride, Elvis Eno, and a previous solo release returned this fall with a new contribution in the latter category. With What a Difference Indifference Makes I can welcome you to John Dunbar’s piano years. Or maybe keyboard years would be more accurate. No guitars anyway. Instead Dunbar drapes his tunes with all sorts of interesting synth lines, some horns, and few things that sound like flutes. Take “I Wonder If She Colors Her Hair Now” as an example. Is that a Zombies 1968 era flute opening the song? Or just a clever keyboard substitute? No matter, the song is a masterful exercise in subtle pop sophistication. “You Really Got Meh” has got an early 1980s Joe Jackson piano feel, with Dunbar’s usual flair for clever wordplay. “What No One Is Saying” shows what kind of impact you can have with a keyboard-heavy approach, in a 10cc kind of pop tune. “They Leave In So Many Ways” layers the piano, keyboard and organ parts in a mesmerizing balance while “The Do Gooder” rocks the piano with a Ben Folds drive. Personal fave: “Isn’t It Great.” Love those horns.
A new Nite Sobs album is nothing to cry about. Their 2020 release Do the Sob! made #3 on our annual ‘must have’ album list that year for its spot-on neo-1960s beat group sound. The new album Fade Out is literally just out and I can report that their distinctive ‘contemporary retro’ sound remains intact, though I feel the ghost of Buddy Holly is more present this time around. Really it’s a toss-up between the 1950s Buddy inflections and the early 1980s reinvention of those influences. Both are on display in the opening track “Do You Wanna Be In Love,” complete with handclaps and plenty of ‘ooh ooh’s’ in the background. Then “Scar On My Heart” digs a bit more into a rootsy rock and roll sound. For solid Holly-isms check “Never Knew” and “Easy to Love,” the latter leaning toward Buddy’s country side. The early 1980s are more present in songs like “No Romance” and “I Just Don’t See That Happening,” the former reminiscent of Joe Jackson’s early spiv rock sound, with organ fills worthy of Steve Nieve’s work on Elvis Costello LPs from the same period. Should-be hit-single: definitely “Julie Ann.” The hypnotic guitar work effectively reinvents an early 1960s American song style. “Hold On To Me” is another strong single contender. Another solid slab of 1950s inflected rock and roll comes from Santa Ana sensation The McCharmlys. Right from the outset of their self-titled debut LP they own those retro influences and wield them like precision craftsmen. “Crying” paints an aural picture with tremelo heavy guitar and a generous wash of ‘wah-wah-wah-ooh’ background vocals. This album is actually a cornucopia of sounds from 1957 to 1963 but deployed in a way that just sounds so now. The brilliance of what they’re mixing together is captured on “Die,” a song where the clipped guitar lines and ‘ooh wah ooh’s’ suddenly transform in the chorus into something that sounds like Blondie circa 1979. There’s so much to like here, from the Texas Buddy Holly flavour on “LUV” to the reverb heavy melodic allure of “Miss Me” to the gritty menace behind “Strange Honey.” “Love Me Too” is undeniably the stand-out should-be hit-single. It is a rollicking bullet of a song, propelled by pert guitar work and a dynamic interplay of gorgeous background vocals and a strong Chrissie Hynde-like lead. And if there was any doubt what a killer live band this outfit would be, the “McCharmly Stomp!” dispels it. This record is monstrously good, a ‘must have’ album for 2023.
Am I caught up? Sort of. I’m already seeing ‘best of’ lists for 2023 from like-minded blogs containing acts I’ve never heard of, let alone simply failed to get through the review pile. Such is the state of the indie music world – so much quality stuff out there – but that’s a good problem to have.
Poprock Record 