Christian Migliorese has been doing a punky poprock thing for at least a decade and half, both with his current outfit The Feels and on prior recordings as The Tattle Tales. But his efforts reach their zenith on his brand new 45, the poptastic “She’s Probably Not Thinking of Me.” From a rather straightforward punk-influenced opening riff the song suddenly opens up at the 20 second mark like a Busby Berkley dance number with marvelous background vocals and magnetic hooks. The whole thing comes off like a wonderfully ragged mid-period Fountains of Wayne number. Somebody tell me there’s a whole album of this stuff on the way because Fall 2020 desperately needs to feel this good for at least 38 minutes (divided amongst ten or so carefully crafted increments). This song is a guaranteed instant-replay single.
The Feels barely mar the pristine surface of the internet with just a Bandcamp page and Facebook site that hasn’t been updated in six years. Maybe we can change that by sending this song flying up the charts.
York UK’s Bull are back with a revitalized version of “Green,” a song featured prominently on their self-released 2014 long-player She Looks Like Kim, and it is definitely worth a second listen. The original was certainly delightful, the guitar and vocals were a bit more up front in the mix, and the whole thing had a solid indie feel. But the new version smooths some of the rougher edges, turning the Turtles-esque background vocals way up and tweaking the jangly poprock hooks. The release is part of the band’s new major label deal with EMI so I imagine an album of new material can’t be far away. What direction it will take is anyone’s guess. The 2014 album was a bit punky and loose but this “Green” remake suggests something tighter and hookier might be on the horizon.
If you need a nearly mid-summer pick me up, a song featuring a deliciously addictive hook that will have you hitting replay again and again, have I got the song for you! Kyoto, Japan’s The Mayflowers have nailed multiple generations of the Liverpool sound with equal parts La’s and Beatles on this should-be hit single, “Maybelline.” The opening riff clearly echoes The La’s “There She Goes” (which itself echoed earlier 1960s styles) while the song’s broader melody arc reminds one of The Who’s “The Kids Are Alright,” without sounding derivative The guitars here are exquisite, sibilant and shimmering, while the vocals layer up perfectly. The song originally appeared on the band’s 2012 album Plymouth Rock, recorded at Abbey Road studios, but is also included on the recent 2019 The Best of Mayflowers: From the Beginning, a good introduction to the breadth of their seven album catalogue.
Maybelline
This startling new direction from Vancouver’s The Top Boost has a bit of the Beatles For Sale era country-style Beatles, The International Submarine Band and Buck Owen’s distinctive lead guitar player Don Rich. The band has always had a special new wave jangle going but this single suggests they won’t be contained in any neat genre boxes. “Tell Me That You’re Mine” takes off with a rollicking pace that doesn’t let up, riding some easygoing country hooks and nice pedal steel guitar. B-side “Early Morning Days” is no slouch either, offering up a slower, more measured dollop of shimmering guitars and heavenly harmonies. These guys are definitely going places. Just where I’m not sure but with records like these I’m happy to be surprised.
Mondello was a break-out indie darling in 2019 with a story of musical struggle straight out of rock and roll central casting. Boy works for 20 years on an album of songs (Hello, All You Happy People) that finally sees the light of day and finds an appreciative audience amongst those who value slightly eccentric DIY-plus power pop. What a happy ending! Well, now he’s back with a new single and it’s a killer. Get ready for a slightly more polished AM radio-friendly Mondello on this outing, which features a horn section, anthemic chorus, and excerpts from a 1960s surrealist Italian sex movie for a video. Seriously, the execution of this single is nothing short of masterful, reminiscent of that very British reinvention of the sixties that occurred in the 1980s with Elvis Costello and Wreckless Eric, among others. Give this baby a few listens and see if you don’t agree it’s earworm central. “My Girl Goes By” definitely confirms Mondello is no one-indie-hit wonder.
It’s hard to believe how much Graham Gouldman has given us. Back in the 1960s he wrote such iconic hits as “For Your Love” for the Yardbirds and “Bus Stop” for The Hollies and a host of other great songs. Then in the 1970s he was one of the four talented guys that made up 10cc, contributing to hits like “I’m Not in Love” and “The Things We Do For Love.” I remember being so blown away by “For Your Love” when first heard it on Vancouver FM radio station CFMI’s annual ‘BC 500’ marathon of the top rock and roll songs in 1980 that I immediately hopped a bus to Kootenay Loop to visit a used record shop that specialized in re-issued oldies 45s. I’d barely gotten home with the single when CFMI played “Heart Full of Soul” and I was back on the bus! Over the decades Gouldman has accumulated an impressive catalogue of material, covered expertly by himself and others.
You don’t get a much more perfect poprock song than The Who’s “The Kids Are Alright.” Crunchy guitar offset by a perfect vocal melody, backed by killer background vocals and harmonies at key points. Curiously then, the song has been both covered and not that covered since its 1965 release. A quick spin through the web-o-sphere reveals countless live versions by big name acts like Pearl Jam, pub rob darlings Eddie and Hot Rods, glammers The Glitter Band, and many many others. But studio versions don’t hit the major leagues as much. In fact, they’re far surpassed by punk and indie treatments. Personally, I find the punk ones tend to lose the sweetness of the melody by leaning on the song’s ennui. I get it – they love the rave up ‘I hate the world!’ potential. But in this post we’re going to hew to the hooky side of things.
Feel free to cancel Christmas, my present came early with Gregory Pepper’s new single “I’ve Got a Bottle.” Pepper is Canada’s should-be favourite curio pop songwriter. Master of styles, piquant tunesmith, a clever with words guy, Pepper never fails to deliver the goods. But I have to say, it’s been a while – too long. Pepper took a year to write a song a week during 2017-18 while weathering the loss of his father, arrival of a baby daughter, and driving the occasional snow plow. But now the word has come down that a new album of Pepper tunes – I Know Why You Cry – will drop in the new year. I can’t wait! Seriously, waiting is not my strong point. But in the interim you have this delightful dollop of Pepper pop craftmanship. Enjoy, and get ready for a fab Pepper-stravaganza coming to this station sometime this February.
Music veterans Screen Test put out some of their best music in 2018 with their Stones album-title riffing compilation Through the Past Brightly. Featuring both new and older unreleased tracks, the majority of the record is made up of the more recent material and it is IMHO some of their finest work. And that’s really saying something for guys who’ve been gigging and recording since the late 1970s with The Flashcubes, Screen Test, as solo artists, and with a host of other projects. Of the record’s new tunes I really like “Make Something Happen,” “Tomorrow is Another Day,” and particularly the single-worthy “Best Seller” with its hooky Mersey-jangle lead guitar. But the song that sings ‘hit’ to me without a doubt is “Notes from Trevor” with its killer build up and knock out earwormy chorus. Think of something filling the space between Pugwash and XTC and you’re in the zone. Or, as reader Fabian Byrne notes, very Smithereens! The band also have a great new tune worth checking out: “End of the Line.”