Category Archives: Spotlight Single

Spotlight single: Phil Dutra “It’s Not Enough (Falling For Your Love)”

17 Wednesday Nov 2021

Posted by in Spotlight Single

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

Phil Dutra’s got an ear for the poprock everyman, appealing to all ages and various style partisans. His songs could easily slip into heavy rotation on any 1980s Top 40 radio station. Truly catchy retro pop indeed. Of course, I imagine Dutra’s work taking off in a different time because there have been eras when the charts have managed to find a place for all tastes, usually on the basis of the triumph of melody and solid songwriting over technique and fads. Dutra belongs to this venerable tradition. His latest “It’s Not Enough (Falling For Your Love)” oozes ‘classic song’ from every pore. From the early 1980s jangly guitar work to the juxtaposition of subdued verses and soaring choruses, Dutra gives new life to a recognizable formula. All that’s missing is the top-down convertible, a highway, and a car stereo blasting this tune. Trust me on this one, everyone could use a bit more of Phil Dutra in their lives. Cuz classic never really gets old.

Phil’s got a website and a Bandcamp page. Drop by, he’s a friendly guy.

Spotlight single: Miniature Tigers “Anything Else”

02 Tuesday Nov 2021

Posted by in Spotlight Single

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , ,

I fell hard for Miniature Tigers’ 2016 single “Crying in the Sunshine.” It had such an original mix of dreamy vocals, percussive keyboard impact, and deliciously sly melodic hooks. For a long time I just kept hitting repeat again and again. So I don’t know how I missed the band’s 2019 release Vampires in the Daylight. It’s another delightful collection of synthy, indie dream pop, one part of Family of Year, another part Sitcom Neighbor. Highlights for me include title track “Vampires in the Daylight,” “Better Than Ezra” and “Manic Upswings.” But my fave is undoubtedly the slow-burn jangly ear-worm “Anything Else.’ Kicking off with a catchy fingerpicking allure not unlike Magnetic Fields’ “Acoustic Guitar,” the song slowly builds intensity in an almost meditative fashion. And it’s not just the obvious, superior hooks that make this song work, it’s the varied choices for subtle instrumental ornamentation dotted here and there. Halfway through I was convinced the track was perfect montage music for that part in the movie where the protagonist is broken and not sure if they make any heroic recovery. Either way, whether the hero lives or thrives, the listener gets to be a winner. I say, hit play on this dreamy wonder and get carried away.

As we drift, Miniature Tigers are drip releasing new singles and working on a brand new album. Get ready to dream big time. Updates can be found on the band’s Facebook page.

Spotlight single: Overlord “I Don’t Want to Sing This Song Again”

01 Friday Oct 2021

Posted by in Spotlight Single

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

A new single from Overlord is cause for much excitement over here a PRR headquarters. We’ve loved their past work with a monastic intensity. But let’s face it, it’s been a tough few centuries for overlords. Notwithstanding John Lennon’s claim that we’re all still effing peasants, demand for a ‘lord of all lords’ who can rule the shire, extract a bit of surplus from the serfs, and go all bro with his nobles on regular trips to the holy land to kick some infidel ass has declined precipitously since that whole ‘free labour’ thing came in with capitalism. That must be a contributing factor to Overlord’s declining musical productivity of late. Since the release of the band’s last long-player The Well Tempered Overlord in 2016 there’s been just one single, 2017’s “Up For Anything.” Oh for the good old days of feudal leisure!

Well chin up loyal subjects, your continuing fealty is about to be rewarded. Overlord is back with a song as good as any of their past curio poprock classics. I mean, who opens with fabulous accordion? Ok, They Might Be Giants. But who else? Overlord gateway-drug your way into “I Don’t Want to Sing This Song Again” with some alluring accordion work before breaking out a masterful melodic performance, perhaps vibing a bit of Teenage Fanclub but mostly just giving us that good old hooky, verbally-clever stuff we love them for. My only concern is the possible subtext here. Does not wanting to sing this particular song mean Overlord is really saying ‘so long’? Banish the thought. Even in the darkest ages I’m a bit of a musical optimist so I’m going with ‘early single from a fab new soon-to-be released album’ as my judgement of this one-off release.

For a medieval holdover, Overlord are working the social media with a modernist élan. Check them out on their internet manor, Facebook and Bandcamp pages to get all latest ‘hear ye, hear ye’s.

Spotlight single: Jonny Polonski “People Are Lonely, Horny, Angry and Depressed”

12 Wednesday May 2021

Posted by in Spotlight Single

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Gather round people and hear today’s topical troubadour Jonny Polonski give voice to what we’re all feeling right now. On his new single “People Are Lonely, Horny, Angry and Depressed” the man sings it like it is, namely that everybody is tired, randy, cranky and feeling blue. Of course, it rhymes when he says it. And the music is like a shot of Elvis Costello meets the Eels. So just listen to him and you can skip my blathering. You’ll be glad you did because Polonksi is a legendary talent. Though somewhat reclusive and mercurial in his recording and record releasing habits, just about everything he’s put out has been critically acclaimed. And deservedly so. You can dip in just about anywhere in his catalogue and find a real gem. To me, this one-off, clearly pandemic inspired single is no exception.

Catch up on Jonny Polonksi at his Bandcamp and Facebook pages.

Spotlight single: Brett Dennen “Here’s Looking at You, Kid”

27 Saturday Feb 2021

Posted by in Spotlight Single

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

Falling somewhere between James Taylor, John Denver and Paul Simon on the singer-songwriter spectrum, central California mountain dweller Brett Dennen aces the acousticy clean, folksy pop song style. But his most recent extended play release sees him stretching into the more retro poprock field with “Here’s Looking at You, Kid.” The track has the feel of a great big song, a classic potential group sing-along with a beat so open even most clap-incapable can get it right. The roll out and beat is very Sonny and Cher circa 1965, with a bright guitar lead line that threads through the song, coming back at regular intervals. I can’t make up my mind whether the track is more Ben Kweller or Dusty Springfield. Vocally and song structure-wise it’s very Ben while the guitar timbre is so Dusty. The acoustic rendering of the tune really brings out the melodic lead guitar line too. I could imagine a faster version that would push the song more into the power pop genre but Dennen’s pace is A-OK too, a nice and easy, in no hurry delight of a single.

Here’s Looking at You, Kid
Here’s Looking at You, Kid (acoustic)

Besides easy rocking the guitar troubadour thing, Dennen is also a talented water colour painter. Check out his art, music, and seemingly constant series of online shows from his website and Facebook and Bandcamp pages.

Song of the day: The Feels “She’s Probably Not Thinking of Me”

24 Saturday Oct 2020

Posted by in Spotlight Single

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

,

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.

Spotlight single: Morrissey “Spent the Day in Bed”

30 Wednesday Sep 2020

Posted by in Spotlight Single

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

Morrissey takes a lot of stick and for the most part deservedly so. His off-the-cuff comments about British identity, immigration and multiculturalism have gotten him in hot water with fans and critics alike. At root, his views are one part working class contrariness, one part auto-didact sloppiness. He comes out looking good defending animal rights, lambasting heartless Conservatives, and criticizing foreign wars, but can’t seem to get his default working class politics sorted, sometimes directing it to odious English nationalist outfits like UKIP and For Britain. It’s why pop stars make poor politicians – people consume music apolitically most of the time and the stars are seldom able to be accountable for their occasional outbursts. Expecting different is shopping for disappointment.

What Morrissey does well is channel alienation, that inarticulate and lumpy feeling of exclusion, at times with palpable dread but sometimes with a peppy spring in his step. His now long solo career is arguably so built on misery that its become mundane, truly the essential Morrissey cliché. But occasional flashes of brilliance still emerge. Like “Spent the Day in Bed” from his 2017 album Low in High School. Here Morrissey combines sympathy for the ‘enslaved workers’ with a critique of media sensationalism, less in a ‘fake news’ sort of claim than an old school left media criticism of the social control functions of modern media. As Morrissey opines:

“Stop watching the news
Because the news contrives to frighten you
To make you feel small and alone
To make you feel that your mind isn’t your own.”

But ultimately “Spent the Day in Bed” works as a tune or not at all. And here some reliable Morrissey hooks emerge to give it staying power. From the skipping electric piano riff that opens the song to the earworm shift that occurs in the chorus the song is a winner, with a nice spacey bridge thrown in for good measure.

I loved The Smiths but can offer up only a lukewarm ‘like’ for the solo Morrissey canon and persona. Musically Morrissey has often exceeded my expectations as a solo artist, lyrically he stalled. But that doesn’t mean he can’t craft a great single from time to time.

Going “Green” (again) with Bull

30 Thursday Jul 2020

Posted by in Spotlight Single

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

Screen Shot 2020-07-30 at 5.38.51 PMYork 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.

You can keep tabs on Bull’s Facebook page for the latest album and single news.

Spotlight single: The Mayflowers “Maybelline”

16 Thursday Jul 2020

Posted by in Spotlight Single

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

Screen Shot 2020-07-16 at 11.14.06 AMIf 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

And while you’re here, you might as well check out the band’s loving tribute to the late Fountains of Wayne co-founder Adam Schlesinger, a just-released cover of his fab movie song “That Thing You Do!” Man, these guys are good! Here’s the fun video and click here to download the single for free. To download the song, scroll down to the song player, click on the boxed-in Japanese lettering in red, and then in the new window choose Mp3 or FLAC.

Check out the wonderful world of The Mayflowers. You’re gonna want to live there.

Spotlight single: The Top Boost “Tell Me That You’re Mine”

25 Thursday Jun 2020

Posted by in Spotlight Single

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

Screen Shot 2020-06-25 at 4.37.34 PMThis 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.

You can get caught up on all The Top Boost you need at bandcamp, Facebook and their band website.