Autumn midway mixtape II

10 Friday Nov 2023

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It may be getting cooler but there’s still time to catch a ride on a dilapidated wooden chute-the-chute or duck parts flying off a few demolition derby wrecks. You may need music for that. We’ve got your midway mixtape re-up ready right here.

Young Declan McKenna broke out big in 2015 with the mesmerizing single “Brazil” when he was barely breaking 16 years old. Since then he’s exceeded the one-hit wonder expectations of the British music press to ride a reliable wave of lyrically and musically challenging songs. His new album What Happened to the Beach is being readied for a 2024 release but a double-A sided single is out now and it’s pretty impressive. “Sympathy” has shades of early 1970s Bowie’s melodic intensity with some glam dance-slam going on while “Nothing Works” could be covered by Grouplove tracking back to a more new wave time. The latter song has just an echo of Maxine Nightingale’s “Right Back Where We Started From” buried in the tune like an Easter egg. Another artist moving on from a musically precocious adolescence is New Jersey’s Juniper. Her previous two albums covered retro girl group groups from the 1960s to 1980s but her most recent single is something else again. “I Was Thinking About You” defies such easy categorization, combining inventive horn work with a Talking Heads kind of folk/pop sensibility. B-side “Ride Between the Cars” is special too, a light and frothy bit of pop songcraft worthy of Marti Jones. LA’s Tony Marsico has played punk (The Plugz), indie rock (Cruzados), and in the background for a host of stars as a bass man for hire. But on his recent single “Rocket Girl” he unleashes a poppy rock and roll sound in league with Greg Kihn, Tommy Tutone and The Romantics. A full album in this style would not go overlooked around here. Lost and Found brings together a collection of 1990s tracks from Philadelphia’s Buzz Zeemer that didn’t make the record store racks. So many great tunes here (e.g. “Sometimes” and “Shelly Don’t Mind”) but I’m singling out a bit of an outlier, the country-ish “Answer My Prayers.” It’s as if Buck Owen’s main lead guitar man Don Rich had sprung back to life to anchor this tune. Sydney Australia’s Gavin Bowles and the Distractions have got their new long-player Phoning It In out in shops and we’re spoiled for choice in terms of what to feature. Here I’m drawn to “Here Comes the Heartache” with its unexpected melodic twists and turns and strong 1979 vibe.

The new Jean Caffeine single “I Don’t Want to Kill You Anymore” is hilarious and earworm infectious. Disguised as an homage to early 1960s girl group twee pop, Caffeine roughs everything up, from the guitar to the deadpan, almost punk sensibility of the vocal. This is one perfect feminist rock and roll statement, both hard-hitting and hooky. From the on-the-spot handclaps, to lyrics like ‘you put the whore in horrible,’ to the speed-up at the end of the record, Caffeine has produced a 3 and half minute masterpiece. York’s Bull uncork the party again with “Start a New,” a single full of swing and enough friendly bonhomie to make you want to sing along. There’s a definitely a Kinks-meet-The Pixies feel here. Santa Monica’s The Popravinas bring their candy-coated poprock back with new song “3 Month Situation.” There’s a more Brydsian country feel to this outing, though still plenty in common with the likes of The Connection and Tommy and the Rockets. The Jellybricks are teasing us with a single from their as yet unnamed new album. “Monday’s Never” is a ferocious slice of poppy rock, inspired by The Cure’s “Friday I’m In Love” but going its own way. It’s the kind of song that imprints on you more and more with every play as you hear more of the melodic nuance. The killer hooky chorus doesn’t hurt either. Kitchener Ontario’s Hyness go dark on “Driveway” with a song that lumbers along, drilling its hooks deep into your skull. The effect is hypnotic and meditatively pleasing but then brightens up in the chorus like clouds breaking to let through some sun. One of series of slow-drip release singles and that means a new album (yay!) cannot be far off.

The Jellybricks – Monday’s Never

Belfast’s Jet Black Tulips keep going from strength to singles strength. Their new double A-sided 45 is a blast of two distinct flavours of Britpop. “Young Love” rides a big guitar Oasis sound, sonorous and stadium fist-pumping good while “Dance to the Courteneers” is more Cast-acoustic fresh and poppy. A full album from this crew is going to be something else. Caleb Nichols is surely one of the most exciting and inventive artists to emerge over the past decade, comfortable in multiple genres and fiendishly creative. Last spring they dropped the EP She Is Not Your Shadow, a four song blast of bristling pop energy. Opening cut “Waylaid” struts along riding seductive guitar work and striking horn shots. There’s a Shins level of pop confidence happening here. Listening to Burner Herzog’s “Patient Zero” from his new record Random Person reminds me Rogue Wave. It’s the understated vocals and acoustic rhythm guitar dominating the mix. But it’s also the air of mystery shrouding everything. On “Thinking of You” Finnish power pop masters The Bablers dial into their Revolver-era time machine to nail the Beatles groove. It’s there in the guitar attack and oh-so smooth vocals. Right next door in Sweden Psychotic Youth offer us a few rougher edges on “Go.” From their new album Happy Songs, the song channels a more Ramones vein of punky poppy rock. Just one of 15 delightful party-worthy rock and roll tearaways.

We’ve written about theCatherines many times before. This new exclusive b-side “Where Do You Stand?” is a timely sentiment in our war-torn times, combining the band’s familiar fuzzy jangle with an urbane pop melody. Scranton, Pennsylvania’s The Menzingers deliver some heartfelt hooky Americana on their new album Some Of It Was True, nowhere more than on the should-be single “Come On Heartache.” There’s a touch of The Mavericks/Los Lobos sound here that I’m really liking. Geoff Palmer’s new album An Otherwise Negative Situation is an irrepressible capsule of explosively poppy rock and roll, one part Ramones, one part bubblegum. There just so many great tunes here. But I’m always one for outliers, like “Ignite” which leans heavily in a Nick Lowe/Ian Gomm direction. I’m also partial to “Backseat Driver” with its many melodic twists. The Golden Apples presser for their new album Bananasugarfire promises us fuzzed out guitars and joyful lyrics and that is what they deliver on  “Waiting for a Cloud,” a surging splash of sparkly guitar work and vocals with a smile. West Kirby’s (Merseyside) West Coast Music Club shift the mood on their recent single “There She Goes Again” offering up a melancholy melody. The atmosphere is rather sparse and cool, like a starlit sky in autumn.

Damn Dazy. You’ve delivered again. Another absolutely addictive earwormy single. “Forced Perspective” chugs along with a Sugar Ray-meets-Beck laid back swing, only to step on the hooks in the chorus. You can’t help but join in.

The carney’s are getting a last look in on the public before closing up shop for the season. Make your last visit a musically-accompanied one.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Re-Fabbing “Now and Then” (again and again)

05 Sunday Nov 2023

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As a confirmed Beatlemaniac I would remiss if I didn’t have something to say about the just released Beatles ‘final’ single “Now and Then.” I have to be honest, hearing rough bootleg versions of the track over the years the song struck me as somewhat slight, akin to a host of deep-cut confessional love songs John typically interspersed amongst his early to mid 1970s solo albums. Thus it didn’t surprise me that Paul, George and Ringo passed on fixing it up for the Anthology series in favour of “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love.” But the new, just officially-released Paul and Ringo fixed-up version definitely elevates the track from its more mundane demo takes. John’s new and improved vocal obviously dominates the proceedings but Paul and Giles Martin have done an expert job adding all the expected late period Beatle-isms e.g. Abbey Road-era background vocals, tasteful strings, some pedal steel guitar, and a psychedelic turn to the tune’s arrangement (particularly the ending). And yet the song is not merely a retread of past accomplishments stylistically as it incorporates the more forlorn melodic twists John developed as a solo artist. So altogether, while the song is certainly not Beatles hit-single material, it adds up to what could have been a strong album cut and respectable addition to the band’s canon.

Given the band’s stature it should not be surprising that cover versions of the new tune are already appearing. Here it is fascinating to see others interpret how to render the song in a suitably Beatles key. Moving through the different eras, Dreamer Jazz re-imagines the song as it might have been played on Ed Sullivan, complete with video. DJS’s David A. Rodriguez really nails a host of early era Beatle-isms, including John’s distinctive rhythm guitar work. Apple Jam move the sound closer to the Hard Day’s Night/Help period and their considerable experience recreating the Beatles’ sound really comes through here. Timmy Sean takes inspiration from the same period but his sound ends up coming off more late seventies poprock, begging the question as to whether that might have been where the Beatles sound would have developed. Lastly Super 8’s version (that we featured before) takes things in a wholly new direction, even adding an original bridge to the song. In many ways, Super 8’s version is really the most creative interpretation, bold in its choices but still successful in execution.

Apple Jam

The Beatles really don’t need any more money but these clever cover artists surely do. Give them a visit to check out where their fab influences have taken them in their own work.

Autumn midway mixtape I

01 Wednesday Nov 2023

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Autumn on the midway can conjure images of bright lights and romance or screaming kids and stale food. The same is true of midway music. To move your midway mixtape in the right direction we’ve selected 21 tunes that will survive an encounter with wildest rollercoaster ride. This is the first of two installments.

We kick things off with a reconstituted version of Gen 11’s “Month of Sundays,” a deep cut from their 2020 EP California Grown. This new version sounds fresher and more present than before, the rhythm guitar is louder and more to front of the mix. Definitely more ‘let’s party’ this time around. Next up Oklahoma City’s The Lunar Laugh and the advance single from their new album entitled “Born Weird.” The song combines so many traditions, a bit of pop punk with touches of more baroque pop influences, twin-fueled by chugging guitar work and a swirling mix of vocal styles. A new Rinehearts album is something to get excited about and Full Bloom does not disappoint. The record is full of that Perth-stamped poppy rock the town is so well known for. But for the moment, just sample “Falling Down” so you don’t get too over-excited. There are some classic FOW turns of melody and vocal phrasing here but so much more too. Now for something different, check out “Everyday I Find the Luck” from Carlisle UK’s Hardwicke Circus. It’s like Billy Bragg joined Haircut 100 and the results are fun, fun, fun. The vocal interplay is exquisite while the tune just charges along. Somerdale sounds like the name of some kind of American teen telenovella. But this band are a distilled dose of 1970s poppy guitar rock. “Come Enjoy” is from their first album in seven years, Let’s Get Started, and it vibes 1976 without even trying. It’s the guitar, it’s the tone on the lead vocal, it’s the wall of background vocals buffeting the tune. It’s the whole package.

It was a tough call between featuring SLD’s “A Perfect Day” or “Hiding.” The former has got a backbone of non-stop chilling background vocals anchoring the tune while the latter works a Lennon-esque combo of acoustic guitar and lonely vocal adding a surprising McCartney-ish twist one minute in. You can consult both for yourself from the band’s new LP Like Sunshine. I might be accused of choosing the off-brand tune from Dolph Chaney’s new record Mug with “Love Around You.” But the interplay between the tender vocal and heart-rending steel guitar lines is like a big hug and who doesn’t need that about now? Count me in. Chicago’s Bur have got an interesting mix of sounds going on their most recent LP We Are Bur, a combo of indie, punk, and Beatlesque elements all pulling in different directions. But it works. Like on the ear wormy “Kush Burns.” Smooth with wonderfully rough edges. With “All Your Heart Can Hold” Brooklyn’s Gerry Devine serves up poprock perfection. This is 80s hit radio good, so eminently listenable. And Devine is offering the whole LP In My Own Good Time for free. A slightly better known group from Liverpool are releasing their version of our next song “Now and Then” but give the indefatigable Super 8 his due, his version is pretty special. He fills out the tune and adds a few surprises along the way. Just one of 12 fab familiar reinventions from his free covers album Raindrops on Roses.

San Francisco’s The From have got a loose and friendly vibe. There’s a slacker indie rock and roll sheen to everything on their debut LP Tomorrow Was Better. With influences ranging from Cheap Trick to Any Trouble it’s all guitars and gas guzzling cars and rocking tunes. “Friend Collector” falls somewhere between 12 bar bluesing and a poppy boogie rock that Steve Miller Band invented. Late Bloomers mine a more early REM shoegaze jangle seam on “Bitter Pill.” The rest of their recent LP S/T is more of the good same. Another kind of rock throwback can be found the Mighty Dan Gerous record Everybody Needs a Hero. “Don’t Go” has got an early Cars new wave finesse combined with a more straightforward American heartland AOR FM radio sound. “Bitch I Love You” is pretty special too. Looking for a Merseybeat fix? The Newds have definitely got what you need on their one-off single “The Street Leads to the River.” It’s got jangly guitar and a lovely Billy J. Kramer breeziness. The mysterious Josh DC (from ‘England’ UK) puts a slight drone on the vocal of “Rip of the Rulebook” just like Beck might do. The song has got some interesting change ups and ear wormy quality.

I often refer to The Front Bottoms in talking about other bands, their sound is that distinctive to me. It’s a curious meld of dissonant indie rock with occasional folk flourishes. New album You Are Who You Hang Out With is no different.  “Outlook” kicks off all earnest vocals and acoustic guitar only to break out in the second third with a heavy guitar attack and a swell of harmony vocals. Vancouver band Autogramm entitle their soon-to-be-released new album Music That Humans Can Play and that fits the ambience of the first single “WannaBe.” It’s got a Thomas Dolby meets The Fixx feel, with slightly more ominous rhythm guitar work. The Half-Cubes continue to dazzle listeners with their ongoing reinvention of nearly forgotten power pop classics of yesteryear. This time the boys take on the Ducks Deluxe/Searchers seventies tune “Love’s Melody” and lay bare the track’s melodic genius. Swedish electro-pop merchant The School Book Depository continues to drop interesting singles, this time vibing Owl City on “I’m Done.” As with previous releases, the song is a glorious wash of keyboards and an arresting vocal interplay. Charleston, South Carolina group Band of Jays offer up a smooth pop sound, punctuated by clean organ/lead guitar lines and a vocal mix that is stunning. “He Never Does the Right Thing” could be mistaken for soft rock but there’s some grit mixed in too.

The School Book Depository – I’m Done

We call a wrap on this installment of midway mixtape suggestions with Detroit’s The High Strung from their recent long-player Address Unknown. “In The Lines” will leave you wondering, is it folk? Or Merseybeat? Mannered baroque pop? Does it even matter? No. You can enjoy this tune and 11 others on the album without playing name that genre.

The High Strung – In The Lines

With all these tunes you can hit the midway with an extra spring in your step this fall. And there’s even more to come shortly.

Photo ‘Learning How To Smile’ courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr Collection.

Scary monsters and super treats

26 Thursday Oct 2023

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The annual march of mini monsters is nearly upon us. It’s a wonderfully spooky time where their voracious appetite for candy and mischief are on full display. Here at Poprock Record we dispense ear candy, of course. No tricks, just sweet sweet melodic treats.

Let’s get things started with that classic declaration from imaginative kid games: “You’re Dead.” The tune from Filipino-Panamanian-American folk singer Norma Tanega was initially recorded in the mid-1960s but recently experienced a resurrection as the theme song for Taika Waititi’s hilarious vampire movie and TV comedy What We Do In The Shadows. While originally written as an indictment of NYC’s competitive music scene the track seems perfectly suited for the show. I find its unusual folky tuning and metre absolutely captivating. Well, now that you’re dead, where do you hang? Sonny Falls’ exquisitely drone-y “Cemeteries” gives us clue. Falls provides a nice acoustic guitar-plus-synth kind of musical crypt to climb within. And who knows, you might meet some interesting people there. After all, Jersey City native Jonny Couch turns on a Simon Le Bon-worthy croon to announce he “Found Out You’re a Zombie.” That’s a bit of a date shocker.

Norma Tanega – You’re Dead

Well the monsters have been let loose so we might as well meet a few. Hi Tide Recordings specialise in the very coolest retro sounds, like Asbury Park’s Black Flamingos. Check out the wild instrumental guitar action all over the seasonally appropriate “Tales from the Crypt.” These surf guitar masters definitely stay true to their ghoul here. The Jack Rubies are a 1980s east London outfit back from the grave with their recent single “Poltergeist,” their latest in a series of recent releases after a break of three decades. The results are spooky and atmospheric and monstrously good.  Cheeky poprock outfit Scoopski opted for a whole EP of scary tunes on Halloween with Scoopski. I was torn between featuring  the poppy “Pumpkin Smile” or the more goof-rock “Monster in the Mirror.” What the hell, I’ll let you decide. NYC’s Dr. Ex and the Break-Ups have got the central-casting organ sound for Halloween tracks locked up on “Bye Bye Bizarro.” So groovy. I thought it was going an instrumental until the vocals burst in at the one minute mark. Ok, the song is not really festively ‘all hallows eve’ or anything being about Superman and all but the Bizarro villain focus seemed ‘Halloween-adjacent’ to me.

This year’s ‘ghoul-of-the-month’ are ghosts. Meddling ghosts, loitering ghosts, ghosts in the crosshairs. Big Stir Records have a great big Halloween holiday LP that has just arrived entitled Stir The Cauldron featuring 20 seasonally approved songs. I’m singling out Plasticsoul’s guitar pop delight “The Ghost In Between Us” for your special attention. There’s something so fresh sounding about this track. The guitars sparkle while the song structure falls somewhere between Squeeze and the Cure. Victoria, BC’s The Origin sound like they practically tip toe into the theatre before breaking out the electric guitars and letting loose on “The Ghosts,” featuring some great organ back up. Last year Atlanta-based Four Eyes came out with the freak folk festive The Freaky EP. So seasonally in tune with songs about vampires and the unresting dead. But we’re not going to talk about that now. Instead let’s feature the lofi fab “I’d Rather Be Ghost Hunting” from her 2019 album of the same name. Plucky, seemingly self-propulsive, with a ghostly vocal sheen.

It’s a holiday and oh, what’s that? A new Vista Blue release? Well that wasn’t unexpected. Everybody’s favourite pop culture-riffing pop punk band are back with another seasonal set of songs, this time dubbed Even Dracula Will Be There. Our featured tune is “I Gotta Rock,” a double entendre of culture quips, quoting Charlie Brown and the ever present punk need to just rock. Vista Blue, they’re holiday reliable.

You might be tempted to empty that candy bowl but you know better. Dip into all this ear candy instead – it’ll fill you up without rotting your teeth.

Photo from 1960 movie Village of the Damned courtesy James Vaughn Flikr collection.

Love + Glory and Dave Kuchler

21 Saturday Oct 2023

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If there’s a guy who deserves a bit more love and glory, it’s Dave Kuchler. As a member of the Soul Engines he played a major part in crafting the power pop perfect sound of their 2001 release Closer Still, taking lead vocal on the should-have-been hit “Just Another Day.” Then in 2020 he returned with a dynamite solo album entitled It’s Pronounced … that splashed jangle guitar and heavy doses of Hammond B3 organ over a solid collection to tunes. The record ranked #11 on our Poprock Record’s 25 must-have LPs for 2020 list while the single “Slave to Katy” clocked in at #3 out of the 50 Poprock Record should-be hit singles of 2020. In our review we declared It’s Pronounced … “… has the sound of a timeless classic, a paean to poprock songcraft and performance. It deserves a wide hearing.” But the likes of Rolling Stone and Billboard fail to heed our good advice.

Now Kuchler is back with Love + Glory and it’s another dynamite package of New Jersey’s special brand of janglicious, Americana-infused rock and roll. From the killer lick introducing opening cut “In It With You” you know you’re in for some no nonsense melodic rock along the lines of Fastball, Don Dixon, John Hiatt and Marshall Crenshaw. Developed from an unreleased Soul Engines song, the track has a distinctive lead guitar hook that keeps coming back in between Kuchler’s strong vocals. Then “Labor of Love” shows how Kuchler’s talent for seeding a melodic hook right from the start of a tune is no fluke. Stylistically Love + Glory has a more consistent sound than It’s Pronounced …, meeting at the crossroads of Americana and Merseybeat. Basically less Springsteen, more Rockpile this time around. “She’d Rather Be With You” is very Mersey, updated with a bit of Nick Lowe cheekiness. “All I Need” takes its jaunty electric guitar into Beatles-country-meets-early-Eagles territory. But with “Fine Wine” and “Slow Day” you can practically hear a John Hiatt growl coming in somewhere, the latter also reminiscent of Lowe’s Rose of England material. As with Hiatt, the organ work on these tunes adds a transcendent quality. Other songs showcase different variations of the Americana theme. There’s a sweet organ and mandolin charm to “This Old Car,” a Chuck Berry-fueled romp through “Lover’s Talk,” and storytelling about Maggie May before she met Rod on “Prequel (Maggie).” The record ends with a bit of blistering heartland jangle on “Chasing Glory,” a return to a more Jersey Springsteen aura.

They just don’t make records like Love + Glory anymore. Unless you’re Dave Kuchler. You can show him a bit of love at his bandcamp site, Kool Kat Musik record distribution page, or FB locale.

Gregory Pepper’s Estate Sale

18 Wednesday Oct 2023

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It must be hard times at Camp Pepper these days. The band’s last album No Thanks was described on bandcamp as ‘[t]he seventh and final album by Gregory Pepper & His Problems.’ Now Pepper offers up an Estate Sale, described as a grab bag of ‘B-sides, compilation tracks, covers, and alternate versions from the Camp Pepper Archives (2008-2023).’ So, like, what gives? Is this the end of Gregory Pepper and his Problems as a creative vehicle? Will they be replaced by something else? Or is Pepper forgoing music to finally commit to that snowplow job in his northern Ontario small town? You could tune in next week but I’m not confident we’d have any news.

What we do have is devilishly good serving of Pepper wit and whimsy over the 26 tracks of Estate Sale. Now let’s be clear, some of his estate items already went out in previous sales. A gander over at Camp Pepper reveals a host of b-sides, alternative versions, and demos appeared on expanded versions of previous releases of S/T, With Trumpets Flaring, Escape from Skull Mountain, and Demos! Demos! Demos! But there’s definitely still value for money here. There are covers of The Postal Service (“Natural Anthem”) and Ween (“Gabrielle”). There’s a rare teaser track from the Dad Year Recordings that didn’t make the final 52 song cut (“Back to the USA”). Other contributions will stand as repeats if you kept up with the flow of Pepper EPs over the years. For instance, the whole of the Ghost Town EP is included here as is “Secret Satan” from the ツ​ン​デ​レ (Tsundere) EP, and I don’t hear anything different about them. Personally I don’t begrudge Pepper a bit of double dipping. I mean, he’s not young anymore and probably needs the money. And, repetition or no, you’re still getting a nice retrospective of Pepper’s curio pop career.

There’s too much on Estate Sale to give a track by track breakdown. And that’s tough because, given that I love just about everything by Pepper, it’s hard for me to choose favourites. But if I were to draw attention to just a few things from this release I might highlight his manic 1950s reinventions like “LUV U 2 DETH” and “BFF,” or the driving macabre pop of “This Town” and “Home Alone,” or his hilarious self-deprecation on “Time For Plugs.” But Pepper can be serious and touching too, as can be heard on the holiday-themed “A Nice Thought” and “No Funeral.” Or I’d recommend hitting repeat on the 1970s hooky pop goodness of “It Gets Worse.” There’s a Mungo Jerry meets 1974 Wings thing going on here that I can really get behind. But hey, results may vary. Consult your doctor.

Like the rest of the world we live in, the fate of Gregory Pepper and his Problems remains uncertain. But you can quell your nervous mind with a few spins of this Estate Sale. Get thee over to Camp Pepper to check it out and all his other fabulous releases.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Drive time regulars: Steve Marino, Taylor Young Band, Classic Traffic, and Rolling Numbers

13 Friday Oct 2023

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Whether you’re driving or just enjoying the ride there are tunes that help while away the time getting from here to there. The term ‘drive time’ used to refer to that special captive-in-cars radio audience that could nonetheless shift stations. So DJs needed to serve up some pretty solid stuff, kinda like the four acts we feature here.

Steve Marino’s Too Late to Start Again has been my go-to ‘heading home from work’ album this fall. From the dreamy pop confection “Satisfy You” opener to the sweet DIY acoustic cover of Teenage Fanclub’s “I Don’t Want to Control You” that wraps things up, you won’t find a much more perfectly put together guitar pop album than this. The tunes vary but the track order makes the whole group gel as an album. Take the transition from the sunny pop feel on “Satisfy You” to the slightly more Beck-like dirge pop groove animating “Comedown.” You hardly notice the shift, so effortless is the change. Then the mood lightens appreciably with the “Got You (In My World Now)” Sugar Ray vibe and the basking-in-the-sunshine, smile-inducing “Kingdom.” The subtle background vocals on the latter really lift the song. Not that the record shies away from a bit of rocking out. “Tune You Out” sounds like bouncy, tuned-down version of a classic punk pop song. “Love You More Than Before” borrows distinctive psych pop elements, married with some languid Marshall Crenshaw lead guitar lines. “Blue” builds a buzz of sound around a great lead guitar hook, slipping into Swervedriver territory here and there. Other influences include Elliott Smith on “Leaning Off the Sun” and Teenage Fanclub on “Pins and Needles.” Trust me on this one, you’ll be starting Too Late to Start Again again and again and again …

I’m a bit late to the Taylor Young Band scene but 2020’s Mercury Transit just fell across my radar and I’m loving it’s relentless positivity and evocation of 1980s indie sounds. The album presser describes band leader Taylor Young as ‘Ted Lasso with a Telecaster’ and there is indeed something irrepressibly smile-inducing about this collection of songs. There’s jangly lead guitar, hushed candy-coated vocals, and hooks to spare. Dip into album opener “Get Around” and all the basic pieces that make this album great are there. And there’s something else, a faint echo of The Smithereens here and there, particularly Pat DiNizio’s distinctive vocal phrasing. I hear it on “Make You Want to Stay” and “Five Cents,” the latter pulling in some Nick Lowe-isms with the rumbly lead guitar intro. Bands like The Popravinas and Grapes of Wrath also come to mind. Or there’s a Blue Rodeo freewheeling rootsy pop feel to “Blue Eyed,” especially that great guitar lick that ties everything together, and a Sam Roberts finish all over “Out of My Mind.” Stylistically there’s loads of variety here: some soul pop vamp on “Shine on Me,” a 1980s FM melodic sheen to “Rattled,” and plenty of kick up your heels poppy country rock with “Daze of the Week” and “Drinkin.” And yet TYB marks everything with its own distinctive band sound. Should be hit single here, “Wrong Place, Wrong Time” for sure. Some seriously jaunty jangle that gets into your head – in a good way.

Another late-find band for me is New Jersey’s Classic Traffic. I was just about to start raving over their 2022 self-titled debut when I discovered they’ve got a newer release available and it is just as good. There’s a tension at the heart of this project that creates a groovy kind of alchemy, combining blistering guitars and hushed, soothing vocals. The ‘tude is very Twin Peaks or Parquet Courts though the sound is more Bob Mould. From the debut make sure to check out the opening cut “Solo Show.” Now that’s how you anchor a song in a killer hook. “Ten Minute Window” is pretty special too, like Teenage Fanclub with Marshall stacks. The new album is You Want It? We Got It! and boy do they ever. “Morbid Obit” launches this record on it’s rocking yet subdued trajectory. You know this would be live treat. Then “Crash Test Buddy” ups the melodic current in an addictive head boppin’ manner. “Paranoid Perfectionist” slows things down a bit with a solid rhythm guitar lurch. Then “High Wire Guy” again sounds like a cranked up Teenage Fanclub. The band do slow things down on occasion, like on the brooding “Return to Sender.” Singles? Definitely the breezy yet punchy “Lonely Palm Reader” and the almost pop punky “Out To Me.” You’ve got two solid slabs of noisy power pop album-age to enjoy here. But my hunch is that these tunes would really come alive in person. A Toronto tour stop can’t come soon enough for yours truly.

Chicago’s Rolling Numbers are a bit of an enigma. There’s stark 1980s lead guitar work tempered by a variety of subtle synth keyboard interventions, all in support of tunes full of mellow yet engaging melodies. “Figure It Out” kicks things off and here the solid rhythm guitar is very Moody Blues 2.0 or even The Shins. The contrasts really come out next with “Shimmering Eyes,” a song defined by intriguing yet restrained keyboard and guitar work as well as a subtle, sneak-up-on-you, Macca-worthy melodic hook. I hear a bit of McCartney circa 1970s Wings on “Underwater” too. Other tracks have faintly reminiscent vibes, like the Men at Work reggae feel to “The Lonely Night,” the Big Country-ish lead guitar flourishes on “I Don’t Mind,” or the Fleetwood Mac-like vocal hit of “Home Again.” Then there’s “It Takes Me Back,” your basic full-on country workout. And yet I’m struck by how the band nails a 1980s melodic melancholia that marked the soft rock of that decade on tracks like “Best of Luck” and “Be With You Tonight.” The former has an aching quality that ebbs and flows, vocally mournful then uplifted by the sometimes searing lead guitar work. The latter is a brilliant mix of 1980s synth keyboards, stark lead guitar lines, and oh-so melancholy vocals. This kind of stuff used to own AM radio once upon a time. I used to miss its exquisite polish – now I don’t have to.

Here are four new regulars for your drive time playlist. Click on the hotlinks above to pick your favourites.

You can’t escape Chris Stamey

07 Saturday Oct 2023

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Let’s pretend you don’t know who Chris Stamey is and you’ve stumbled across his new album The Great Escape. Title track and opening cut “The Great Escape” sounds pretty laid back 1970s California country rock. But then “Realize” vibes a more poppy rock style with guitars carrying more of the song. Then Stamey lets loose the jangle with a Big Star take on Alex Chilton’s song “She Might Look My Way” before going full-on country with “Here’s How We Start Again.” If you can set aside how much the latter track reminds you of Eddie Arnold’s “You Don’t Know Me” you might be asking yourself, just who is this guy stylistically? Well, he’s Chris Stamey. Really you have to know a bit about his musical DNA to get what he’s doing here. What makes The Great Escape such a fabulous record is how it draws creatively on Stamey’s considerable musical legacy. “I Will Try” effortlessly reinvents Brydsian motifs, “Greensboro Days” does folky country like REM used to do, while “Back in New York” has a great American songbook feel. There’s not-so-serious, fun hero worship on “The One and Only (Van Dyke Parks)” and tender love for a friend on “Dear Friend.” “The Sweetheart of the Video” plays with a cinematic country ennui, you can practically see the montage. Stamey even provides his “Album Credits” over a music bed of the title track. You can love this record without knowing a thing about Stamey but digging a bit into his past helps you appreciate it even more.

Of course, Chris Stamey is best known as a key founding member of the legendary power pop band the dBs. Now I’m not going to assign any homework but if you did want to get caught up on his dBs origins, you can check out his recent album with the other key dBs member Peter Holsapple. The duo have played acoustic concerts over the years and honed very different takes on their original more rocking tunes. In 2021 they decided to commit these remakes to tape for an album entitled Our Back Pages. Not all early 1980s indie rock can survive turning down the amplifiers but the craft and sophistication of the Holsapple/Stamey songwriting thrives in this new, more acoustic milieu. From the fiddle-infused romp that is “Today Could Be the Day” to the folk-rock menace colouring “Happenstance” the ambience is very Peter Case from his first solo album. Other versions of the songs sound more poprock contemporary. “From a Window to a Screen” reminds me of Porter Block while “Dynamite” is a timeless juxtaposition of ear-catching lead guitar and swoon-worthy harmony vocals. I could go on as the whole record is solid but I’d have to single out “Picture Sleeve.” The duo cook up such amazing harmonies here that the results are poprock bliss.

Another recent Stamey effort worthy of attention is his collaboration with The Salt Collective. He and Peter Holsapple appear on a number of tracks from The Salt Collective LP Life but the standout choice for me is “Nursery Rhyme.” There something very 1960s baroque pop here, but updated with an indie rock intensity.

If you know Chris Stamey, you know escape is neither likely nor desirable. If you’re just discovering him, get ready for a truly great poprock escape. You can get caught up in his world on at his website and music pages.

Breaking news: Tamar Berk, Hurry, Arthur Alexander, and Movie Movie

01 Sunday Oct 2023

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The news desk here at Poprock Record won’t win any awards for being on the scene when stories break. But we live in hope our headlines are the hooks you’ve been looking for.

A new album from Tamar Berk isn’t just a release, it’s an event. Tiny Injuries is the third installment of a trilogy of albums exploring love, loss and surviving. It’s also a love letter to all the musical influences she holds dear. Berk’s finely tuned ear reliably turns classic poprock sounds into something new. From the opening bars of album opener “if u know, u know” the feel is new wave 1979, until some insistent synth hooks blur the focus, leaching into the 1980s. Berk knows how to build a song and by continually adding subtle elements the track becomes timeless, unmoored from its initial influences. Some cuts here really draw out a gut level retro response. “drop in the bucket” is a genius 1980s reinvention, balancing a melodic menace with the rhythm guitar’s magnetic pull carrying the listener forward. The organ run kicking off “walking hurricane” knocked me off my chair but that was nothing compared to the song’s irrepressible Go Go’s rhythmic intensity. Dance party approved, indeed. “gonna call it” uses over-the-top 1980s synth drama to frame a rocking classic. By contrast, other songs bring to life a tender, almost Suzanne Vega-like combination of lyrical-musical introspection. It’s there on “what’s become of me, my friend,” “cash out,” and “i was saved by the beauty in the world.” Berk is also mindful of sonic texture. Just listen to how she develops “permanent vacation” starting with rugged acoustic guitar, slowly adding idiosyncratic synth and horns, and topping everything with ethereal background vocals. Should-be hit-single here, definitely “Sunday Driving.” Things get rocking with a load of tasty lead guitar hooks. At then the album ends with “if i could fix one thing,” a stark, striking, emotional closer. Tiny Injuries is Berk firing on all creative cylinders and the ride is more than fine.

Philadelphia’s Hurry seem aptly named on their most recent album Don’t Look Back. The pace of this record is relentless, a seemingly impenetrable wall of jangly guitars and sonorous reverbed-out vocals that just keeps coming at you. Not that I’m complaining. This is the bounciest, brightest break-up album I’ve ever heard. The song titles give the lyrical game away: “Didn’t Have to Try,” “Like I Loved You,” “Beggin’ For You,” etc. This guy is clearly hurting and more than a bit desperate. But you’d never know it from the sunny disposition of the music, drawing on equal parts Big Star, Teenage Fanclub and Matthew Sweet (though perhaps a bit more tightly wound than those acts). “Begging For You” does strike a somewhat unique note, vibing more Fountains of Wayne-reminiscent melodic turns and vocal phrasing. Another departure of sorts can be found on “For Us To Find Love” which slows the pace, sounding a bit more 1970s guitar pop. Don’t Look Back is a totally listenable full-album experience but on the stand-out tracks front both “Didn’t Have to Try” and “Like I Loved You” exude a hit single confidence, deftly balancing alluring, carrying-the-melody vocals with mirroring lead guitar work. Break up albums seldom leave their listeners feeling this buoyant.

On … Stepping Out! Arthur Alexander works his formidable array of influences into 12 new songs (and one cover) and the results are predictably spectacular. The ease with which he can work a 1960s motif into any tune and make it better is impressive. Case in point, the fab remake of The Sorrows song “It’s Not Love Anymore #2.” The rumbly guitar is so 1964 but it’s the melodic turns that nail such a subtlely, Mersey-inflected tune. The harmonica solo is just the icing on top. Or listen to how Alexander effortlessly weaves a James Bond-like theme into fabric of “She’s a Red Hot Lover.” The LP does have a bit of split personality, one part leaning heavily on sixties influences while another group of songs strongly vibe the pop elan of the 1980s. There’s “I’ll Miss You” for a solid 1965 poppy rock sound. The lead guitar sparkle and vocal harmonies so nail the period. But tracks like “A Little Too Much” put that distinctive 1980s synth to forefront just like Golden Earring did in the same decade. Along the same lines “Ashes” and “Silver Cloud” remind me of that sophisticated Alan Parsons Project pop sound while “Fly Away” could be a 1980s take on the Bryds. “Why Can’t You Come” is, again, pretty 1980s Golden Earing to my ears. Then there are the outliers, the 1920s swinging “Oh Lulu, Won’t Be My Girl” and hum-fabulous “Humming Blues in Four.” … Stepping Out! is a very good time: familiar and fun with more than a few delightful surprises.

With Storyboards Movie Movie offer a broader take on the band’s sonic palate, resting the 12-string electric guitar occasionally to dig a bit deeper into their Americana rock and roll roots. The previous Now Playing EP was a solid slab of jangle but on this LP it’s like they’ve been given permission to dabble a bit. The anthemic opener “Born to Win” signals a more muscular rocking posture, like an American Jam. From there the musical touchstones are mostly heartland America, with a shade of indie. “Only Time Will Tell” sounds like a very tight version of The Replacements, “Working From Home” reminds me of Wall of Voodoo, while “Time to Say Goodnight” feels very BoDeans. In “The Light That Shines in Her Eyes” I hear hints of Tom Petty, X, and The Violent Femmes. I love the kick-up-your-heels Tex-Mex party swing on “The Two Loneliest People in the World.” There are a few significant departures here too. “The Girl With the Wandering Eye” could have been recorded in airport hangar with The The’s Matt Johnston in the producer chair. “Lone Warrior” has almost a jazzy pop feel. “A Real Good High” is defined by the severe rhythm guitar sound of the late seventies Kinks. Then, in a direct contrast, the album ends with the jaunty “Better Off Friends” sounding like Lou Reed in pop mode. Storyboards reveals a complex, ambitious band destined for a long run at the box office.

You’ve got the headlines, now dig into those back stories via the hyperlinks above. There’s still more to find out about these newsworthy acts.

Photo ‘Radio on the Television’ courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Celebrating Jose’s Bad Day

27 Wednesday Sep 2023

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There is something so wonderfully 1983 about Jose’s Bad Day. The clean guitar sound, the understated vocals, the everyman lyrical sentiment, occasionally punched up with a layer of winning vocal harmonies – it all comes rushing back to me. The great jangly guitar and snaky organ work just help to bring it all home. Hi! Let’s Eat is an EP with five fabulous cuts that re-animate the sound of that great year in poprock, for me anyway. Opening track “Just Good Friends” has the studied nonchalance of Don Dixon’s recordings, obscuring the complexity of the song’s arrangement to bring the hooks to the surface. “How Will You Know?” is a lovely bit of light poprock, with subtle Merseyside turnarounds. Then “So Pretty I Lie” dials back the 1980s to maybe the late seventies to hit some new wave marks – those rhythm guitar shots are really working overtime here.  By contrast “Where Were You?” gives us a John Hiatt-style neo-1950s update, connecting with band leader Tim Reece’s other music project 40 Proof and its more Americana vibe. Yet when we hit the EP closer “Rushing In On Fool’s Day” the sound has shifted again, this time more reminiscent of Mark Everett’s A Man Called E project.

You can celebrate Jose’s Bad Day at their bandcamp page. Bad times never sounded so good.

Photo entitled ‘Knife’ courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.