Over at Don’s place

16 Friday Feb 2024

Posted by in Poprock Themepark

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

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.

Photo courtesy Kevin Dooley Flikr collection.

Breaking news: The Maureens, Liquid Mike, The Second Summer, and The Bret Tobias Set

11 Sunday Feb 2024

Posted by in Breaking News

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

The news is out all over town. We’ve been seen running ‘round with a crew of melodic rocking wonders – some new, others old favourites. But you can get filled in on all the details right here.

The Netherlands appear to have a sizzling melodic rock scene if bands like The Maureens are anything to go by. Five years on from 2019’s stellar Something In the Air album, #4 is here and Everyone Smiles as a title pretty much captures the audience response. Equal parts 1966 Byrds and Rubber Soul Beatles, the songs here feature a mix of acoustic and jangly guitars, a load of harmony vocals, and hooks to spare. The band also name check later influences too like Big Star, The Posies, and I’d throw some mid-seventies Wings into the mix as well. So no change of course from previous efforts but no less enjoyable for their consistency. “Stand Up!” launches the record, throwing everything the band does so well at the audience seemingly all at once: hooky lead guitar, heavenly harmony vocals, and a moving sentiment. There’s even a Sgt. Pepper era backward sounding lead guitar instrumental break. I hear plenty of should-be hit single material on this release, from the brilliantly arranged “Alison” to the sublime melody carrying “Start Again” to the lead guitar hooks buffeting “Lost and Found.” Contrasts abound too, with a sombre Byrdsian quality haunting tracks like “Fell In Love” or “Do You” leaning into the vocal harmonies to pretty much carry the tune. “Morning Papers” even strips things down to just vocals and acoustic guitar with poignant effect.

Everyone is raving about Liquid Mike’s most recent LP Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot and with good reason. Its combination of grungy guitars and earwormy melodic hooks are sublime. I stumbled over the band last spring and have been playing catch up ever since. This time out the watchword is variety. “Drinking and Driving” opens things up with a whole lot of dissonant tension before settling into a driving groove and a some surprising hooks. “K2” elevates the rhythm guitar work to carry things forward with a propulsive energy. Then “Town Ease” gives off a more shambolic party feel. Looking for a banger? “Mouse Trap” leans on its dirty rhythm guitar chords with a seductive intensity while the vocals remind me a bit of The Front Bottoms. By contrast, “Drug Dealer” has a more harsh FOW buzz. I love how the light lead guitar lick on “American Caveman” gives way to a thudding pleasant droney grind. Surprise ending? Oh ya. Title track “Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot” springs into action like a should- be hit single with a more smooth poprock sheen.

What I find so striking about Chicago band The Second Summer’s debut album is how consistent it sounds. Undertow is basically a collection of singles released sporadically over the past three years but together they cohere into a clear musical statement here. This is a band that balances edgy with smooth, offsetting ripping guitar riffs with seductive harmony vocals. Opening track “The Reason” effortlessly presents the brief here, driving the hooks home with ease. “Something” tweaks a nineties guitar heavy tune with an almost Byrdsian vocal charm. Tunes like “Invisible” and “Adults” move in on a more even-tempo poprock style while I hear a more edgy Teenage Fanclub vibe on cuts like “Undefeated.” Hits? I think they’re here. “Bad Feeling” sounds AM radio ready as this album’s should-be hit, though “Wonder Why” has also got a pretty killer, hit-worthy chorus.

Former Bigger Lovers guitar player Bret Tobias strikes out on his own with The Bret Tobias Set and a debut EP Pleaser Vol. 1. Where the former conjured a good time Replacements rock and roll vibe BTS is more psychedelic and jangly in a Church doing “Under the Milky Way” register. “Good Morning, Sunshine” has got that dreamy hazy guitar thing going overlaid with nicely subdued vocals. “Avoid the Minefield” presses into a more 1980s Simple Minds sound. Then “Bit of a Dick” offers a cleaner guitar sound even as it edges more into the psych rock scene with some ace keyboard/organ flourishes. Compared to the rest of the set “It Never Hurts Any Less (But You Get Fast)” comes off with a positively jaunty pacing, akin to the new wave era of Squeeze. And the video is a pretty fun DIY effort. The EP wraps with a droney mediation on a “Better December,” broken up midway by an uber cool organ instrumental break.

Now you’ve got the headlines, it’s time to do your own research. Click on the links to get more background on these breaking stories.

Photo “TV War” courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Spotlight single: Steve Rosenbaum “Girl from Seventeen”

06 Tuesday Feb 2024

Posted by in Artist Spotlight

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

,

I seldom circle back to cover something I’ve already written about once but when I wrote about Steve Rosenbaum’s amazing lost album collection of rough recordings from the 1980s Have A Cool Summer! Summer​-​Pop Demos And 4​-​Track Gems 1979​-​1989 it was only available on 8-track for fifty bucks. Now it’s out for much less on Big Stir Records, ready for digital download, and oh so worthy of your attention. You can read my original review here but I’m returning to the collection after seeing a young Rosembaum doing a live version of “Girl From Seventeen” and it reminded me what a superior track it is. I can’t really explain its effect on me. In 1983 I was finishing Grade 12 and starting broadcasting school and really didn’t have a clue what I was doing. But anchoring me was the rock and roll that hit me in the solar plexus: melodic and jangly, drawing from the 1960s but still marching into the future. It was then that I really connected with the music of Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, the Jam, Squeeze and probably most of all, Marshall Crenshaw. To my ears “Girl From Seventeen” is just so Marshall. The guitar sound, the chord changes, the echo on the vocals, the vocal line that stretches into the instrumental break. The  Beach Boys organ trill kicking things off is just the frosting here.

A lot of the 1980s frankly sucked for me but the bright spots were definitely the music. So thank you Steve Rosenbaum for giving me a little bit more of the best of 1983 with this track.

You can hang with Steve here. And why not buy his whole album from Bandcamp? If you dig this track you won’t regret it.

The lighter side of poprock

02 Friday Feb 2024

Posted by in Poprock Themepark

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

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.

Photo courtesy James Vaughn Flikr collection.

Heavy melody: Masked Intruder, Marvelous 3, and The Young Rochelles

27 Saturday Jan 2024

Posted by in Poprock Themepark

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

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.

Covers story: Juliana Hatfield and Mo Troper

23 Tuesday Jan 2024

Posted by in Artist Spotlight

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

Looking for some unabashed carefree fun? These two albums are your tickets to a guaranteed good time. Bursting with great tunes, lovingly covered, the songs on these records are sometimes reimagined or just juiced up in new places. And the quality is what you’d expect from two accomplished masters of the poprock form. Yet these two LPs are also a study in contrasts, one drawing from a canon of recognizable radio hits, the other pulling from a trove of unreleased demos. But I hear hit songs on both.

Juliana Hatfield is no rookie on the covers scene. She’s released full album tributes to Olivia Newton John and The Police. Both defy conventions and expectations, releasing that signature Hatfield creativity to add something to songs that are so classic it’s hard to imagine them differently. But listen to her bring out a new twist in the melody on “Every Breath You Take” or rock up “Make a Move On Me” to see what she can do. And she seldom just sticks to the hits either. On Hatfield Sings ELO we get a great mix of hits and deep cuts, old and new material. Lacking an orchestra, Hatfield had to transpose the strings onto other instruments, which also allowed some breathing room for everything else. I mean, listen to the bass jump out of “Showdown.” Other tracks sound much like the originals but as if they’ve been mixed to bring out different elements. “Don’t Bring Me Down” takes out some of the bombast, leaving its essential ear-worm still irresistibly ready to strike. Hatfield really nails the later material too, bringing out the pop genius potential of tracks like “Secret Messages” and “Ordinary Dream.” Hatfield Sings ELO is a winning ride from beginning to end, absolute listening pleasure.

On Troper Sings Brion erratic pop genius meets exotic melody master. On a variety of recordings Mo Troper has offered up either beautifully crafted poprock gems or rough indie explorations full of hooks. Jon Brion is the man behind so many distinctive movie soundtracks he almost single-handedly elevated the genre. On this LP Troper mostly covers songs from an unofficially released 2-CD set of Brion demos. The results are mixture of highly polished AM radio ready singles and some with a more relaxed indie feel. Let’s get right to the obvious should-be hit single, “Citgo Sign.” I love the hooky lead guitar line that threads its way throughout the tune, a masterpiece of song arrangement. By contrast “Into the Atlantic” practically bleeds Brion’s more laconic style, run through a Troper amplifier. Then there’s the absolutely captivating rush of pop polish driving “Love of My Life (So Far).” Tapping up the tape speed gives Troper a somewhat adolescent vocal vibe but it works for this song. Yet on so many other tracks (like “I’ll Take You Anyday”) it’s hard to know where Brion ends and Troper begins, so sympatico are their melodic gut instincts. Troper Sings Brion is a creeper of a killer record, sneaking into your consciousness to demand regular replays.

Sometimes you just need the confidence of money in the bank. These recordings are like interest bearing bonds. You’re definitely getting a pay off.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Themes from a snowy place

19 Friday Jan 2024

Posted by in Poprock Themepark

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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 Spearside return 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 Side Monogroove 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.

Should be a hit single: Used “Morning Sun”

14 Sunday Jan 2024

Posted by in Should be a Hit Single

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

Patrick Donders over at the Sweet Sweet Music interview blog put me on to Germany’s Used and their recent sprawling double album-equivalent Sensationalize record. From the LP’s 18 tracks the band are currently promoting “Eleven Days” and “Take the Pain Away” as videos, both great songs worthy of singling out. But my own reading of the stand-out, should-be hit single from this collection is without question “Morning Sun.” The song crackles with energy from the outset, constantly shifting musical ground with clean and striking Beatlesque lead guitar work, hair-raising vocal harmonies, and an arrangement that is pop genius. While not sounding exactly like anybody else the sonic atmosphere brings to mind acts like Sunday Sun, Golden Seals, and Telekinesis for me.

Morning Sun

Now, if I may be so bold, every great 45 A side should have a complementary B side, something recognizably in the same register but with a different attack or leaning on different instrumental choices. Here I think “Seagull Island” strikes the right chord (literally), replacing the A side’s manic pacing with a more languid, Fountains of Wayne kind of melodic ennui.

Seagull Island

Used’s new LP Sensationalize is a lot to take in and enjoy. So start here and then travel on the band’s website to find out more. And for some unique acoustic, live-in-the-record store versions of these songs, check out the band’s YouTube page.

Photo: Used Sensationalize album cover fragment.

Trans-Canada Content: 54-40, Telepathic Butterflies, and The Trans-Canada Highwaymen

10 Wednesday Jan 2024

Posted by in Poprock Themepark

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , ,

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.

Poprock Record’s 25 must-have LPs for 2023

05 Friday Jan 2024

Posted by in Poprock Themepark

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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:

1. The Decibels When the Red Lights Flash
2. The McCharmlys The McCharmlys
3. The Parlophonics Dying of the Light
4. Miss Chain and the Broken Heels Storms
5. Buddie Agitator
6. Taking Meds Dial M for Meds
7. Good Shade Think Spring
8. Talking Kind It Did Bring Me Down
9. Caleb Nichols Let’s Look Back
10. Thomas Walsh The Rest is History
11. Steve Marino Too Late to Start Again
12. The Summertimes The Summertimes
13. Nite Sobs Fade Out
14. Bory Who’s a Good Boy
15. Richard Turgeon Life of the Party
16. The Small Square Ours and Others
17. Dave Kuchler Love and Glory
18. Classic Traffic You Want It? We Got It!
19. The Blusterfields The Blusterfields II
20. The Tubs Meat Factory
21. The Roves Needle Factory
22. Best Bets On an Unhistoric Night
23. The Blips Again
24. Erik Voeks and The Ghosters It Means Nothing Now
25. Rachel Angel Midnite Heart Attack

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:

1. Strange Neighbors Party of None
2. Joe Dillilo Superhero Star
3. Super 8 The Plus 4 EP #1
4. Dolour Sun on my Brain
5. Hearts Apart Bang! Wrong Again
6. Jose’s Bad Day Hi! Let’s Eat
7. Cal Rifkin Better Luck Next Year

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 merit for 2023:

The Flashcubes Pop Masters

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.

Photo courtesy Chris Friese Flikr collection.