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 RockThe 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.
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.
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.
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.
America 2024 is a land roiled by division and an air of impending doom. The Armoires’ new record Octoberland simultaneously reflects and pushes against that state of being with wit, wisdom and a playful mix of musical hues. Only a deep dive into its contents can tell you why.
Album opener “We Absolutely Mean It” embodies America’s contradictory trends, holding its tension like a clenched fist. But four-fifths of the way through they declare ‘this is where we go big’ and the song suddenly takes on a brighter, more positive tone. The message here seems to be – dark and light, rage and love: it’s all America – so things could go either way, depending on who does what. Not surprisingly then social commentary abounds on this album. Tracks like “Green Hellfire At The 7-11,” “Ridley & Me After the Apocalypse,” and “You Oughta Be Cut in Half” are pointed in their critique. But never at the expense of great tune. “Ridley & Me After the Apocalypse” has the clever lyrical polish and sunny disposition of The Lilac Time. Lines like ‘end times are so boring’ and ‘fighting for the future of the artistocracy’ are gold. Or check out the sing-along goodness and jangle accompanying the stinging lyrics on “You Oughta Be Cut in Half.” The ‘oh my my my’ chorus is simply irresistible, reminiscent of the sophisticated curio pop of Overlord. Despite these serious themes, a chipper sense of fun dominates this LP. I love “This One’s For the Swedes” with its marriage of spacey synth runs and percussive group vocal interjections. Early 1980s sci-fi movie montage sequence for sure. Stylistically there’s plenty of variety too, with nods toward country (“Ouroboros Blues (Crow Whisperer),” folk rock (“Snake Island Thirteen”) and even Irish drinking songs (“It’s A Good Time To Come Back Down From The Cold”). “Sickening Thud” gets my vote for should-be hit-single with its delightful jangle guitar, though “Music and Animals” is pretty close second with its Everything But The Girl pop smoothness.
Octoberland is a record with something to say, reflecting the dread of our times but also kicking at it to let a little light get in. Get yours from the source – Big Stir Records – or your favourite e-retailer.
My go-to source for breaking poprock should-be hits Sweet Sweet Music Blog featured Montana native Jacob Godbey’s pretty much one-man band Lo Fi Ho Hum back in July and since then “Never Been in Love” has been occupying a special set-aside corner of my new music mind space. I’ll admit, my initial engagement was with the hilarious video Godbey put together. His improv skills clearly come to fore as he visually portrays his song’s hapless protagonist on this quest for love. But make no mistake, this single is a killer song, combining Steve Miller-esque everyman sleek vocals with a slow burn melodic hook that just keep looping you back in. And the recurring bicycle bell shots are just a smile-inducing bonus.
The song is part of a short sharp shock of an extended play release Garage Pop, which really is apt description of the 19 minutes of music contained here. “Boundaries” is another strong cut, slightly dissonant and hooky, cut with the occasional buzzy guitar breakout and yelly punk vocals. “Open Mic Night” brings observation comedy to everyone’s mixed bag entertainment choice. But really the whole package is an enjoyable blast.
Lo Fi Ho Hum are high octane fun. Get over to their Mp3 distribution centre on bandcamp for more and then visit Godbey Creative to discover you’ve only just scratched the surface of Jacob Godbey’s considerable, multiple talents.
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.
What kind of album is Nick Lowe’s new Indoor Safari? His recent LPs have ranged from rock and roll allsorts mixtures (At My Age) to more sonically consistent kinds of musical statements (That Old Magic) but his new release harkens back to his 1980s rockabilly-tinged variety shows like Nick Lowe and his Cowboy Outfit and Pinker and Prouder Than Previous. Contra the post title, not much on the new album is genuinely new, with most tracks seeing release sometime over the past decade on a variety of extended singles and EPs, though the versions here are freshly re-recorded for this release. The new takes are not that strikingly different – the changes are subtle, perhaps a slight shift in the vocal fit or the band’s swagger. But put together in one place like this the songs do cohere into an album rather than just a collection of tunes.
Lowe opens with a blast of rockabillied sixties garage rock on “Went to a Party,” from which he derives his album’s title when he suggests a party is akin to an indoor safari. This track and “Jet Pack Boomerang” are the only wholly new tunes here and, along with “Tokyo Bay,” set the pace for the album’s more rocking moments. Lowe’s backing band for the record are Los Straitjackets and their playing adds a welcome degree of surly abandon to the proceedings. Other songs like “Love Starvation” and “Lay It On Me Baby” draw on a post-1950s but pre-Beatles rock and roll vibe. Then there’s “Crying Inside,” the kind sixties rewrite Nick has has tossed off throughout his career with reliably good results. Nick does also draw on his Brentford Trilogy sound for “A Quiet Place” and “Different Kind of Blue,” the latter conjuring a distinctly jazzy crooner feel. “Blue On Blue” remains my fave song from Nick over this last decade. A band like Los Straitjackets could have stomped all over this tune with their wall-of-guitar sound but instead deftly pick their way through, delicately shaping its impact. And while album 14 for Nick might see a bit more gravel in his vocal there’s no discounting his talent for phrasing, as evident when he makes a cover of Ricky Nelson’s “Raincoat in the River” sound more like a great lost Sam Cooke 45. “Don’t Be Nice To Me” wraps things up in a classic Lowe style, going low key only to reveal surprising hooks.
Aging artists risk turning into a broken record, releasing faded versions of their former glory again and again. But with Indoor Safari Nick Lowe – with help from his able backing band Los Straitjackets – proves an old dog can even make old tricks sound fresh and exciting. Long may he growl.
Get Indoor Safari from Nick’s Bandcamp locale and visit his website for his seemingly never-ending tour news.
Today’s spotlight single is actually a b-side. Hailing from Salt Lake City, The Mellons combine psychedelic and baroque pop influences in a most delightful way, as showcased on their debut album Introducing … The Mellons. They return now with a new single but are holding off on revealing both sides of the 45. That’s ok because the b-side “Please Baby Please” is a dynamite tune in its own right. It kicks off with a mesmerizing drone attack of insistent guitar hooks and 1970s Chicago style vocals, before they went all soft rock. Overall the sound sounds very Sloan in the way it gels together into a cohesive aural attack. Then in the instrumental break the atmosphere suddenly becomes British beat group circa 1965, all rough and ready guitar and band party vibe. I can’t wait to see where this goes on a whole-album treatment of such themes. Alas we have to wait until November just to glimpse the a-side here, let alone a whole batch of new tunes. But I’ve got a feeling it will be worth the wait.
Get your latest Mellons b-side at the Earth Libraries bandcamp shop and catch up on all things Mellon at their own unique internet locale.
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.
Poprock Record 