Spring singles hullabaloo

18 Tuesday May 2021

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Spring always comes a bit later than I reckon it should in my part of the geographical woods. But it is definitely here – at last – and that can only mean one thing: dance party. Even if I’m only dancing with myself I can still restock the singles bar with a load of exciting new singles!

The Fratellis have always been a bit off-the-beaten indie rock and roll track, utilizing uncommon, sometimes old-timey song structures. Their new album is no exception. Just one listen to title track “Half Drunk Under a Full Moon” had me hooked with its cinematic airy piano opening and striking lyrical imagery. I’m imagining my own b-side to that single would be “Lay Your Body Down,” a lovely throwback, could-be sing-a-long. Henry Chadwick is back with a new single “Tomorrow is Today,” a sleek modern slice of poprock. The song is so nicely put together, an effortless swirl of alternating sonic blasts of textured guitar and vocals, reminding me a bit of Ben Kweller and Mark Everett. A nice surprise arrived a few weeks back with a new single from Daisy House, a band on indefinite hiatus since 2018. “Last Wave Home” is what the band does best, evoking the magic of that mid-1960s California sun, sand and surf with a Beach Boys’ feel for melody and harmonies. The Go Go’s will be joining the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and rightly so, as their influence is unmistakable across a wide range of music and genders. I mean, check out Go Go’s vibe all over Hayley and Crushers rockin’ single, “Kiss Me So I Can.” The guitars are so Jane and Charlotte while the vocals really ace a Belinda delivery. And it’s a great tune as well. Major Murphy move in a new, darker direction with the title track on their new record Access. The song has an ominous undercurrent that is both hypnotic and catchy. The vocal harmonies that dominated their last album are back but put to slightly different harmonic purposes. The end result is captivating and unnerving, in a good way.

The Fratellis – Lay Your Body Down

I’ve been remiss in getting something written about Girlatones. “One Chord Too Many” came out about a year ago but my philosophy is that it’s never too late to sing a single’s praises. The song is very guitar pop, a bit of Belle and Sebastion meets the Byrds. My choice for b-side would be the fantastic 1960s-emoting “2 Young 2 Forget,” written in a style reminiscent of all those songs the Rolling Stones gave away (e.g. “Too Much in Love”). The lead guitar is so spot on 1966 jangle! Seattle’s Silver Torches sneak up on us with “Love Someone,” a song that ambles along until it suddenly blasts off in the chorus, fattening up the vocals and the sense of emotional release. Very movie montage-ish, cue hero overcoming whatever is holding them back. Travel Lanes’ Frank Brown put out a nice little EP a few months back entitled This One’s For You. Low-key, unassuming, the songs are just delightful small group sketches. I’m particularly partial to the rollicking, jaunty “Summer,” with a vocal delivery that reminds me of Dan Israel. Robyn Gibson’s amazing Bob of the Pops cover albums series has worked its way up to volume 5 with no loss of momentum or quality. Basically, Gibson takes both classic and forgotten singles of 1960s and 1970s yesteryear and reworks them into a slightly different 1960s register from their original. For instance, his cover of Marmalade’s 1971 song “Cousin Norman” moves away from the country rock feel of the original, putting it into a late 1960s beat group style. The result is a fresh take that gives the song swing and puts the melody more up front. This next group initially caught my eye for their name. The Lousy Pop Group is just so disarming, beating crabby reviewers to the punch. But the LGP are not lousy at all. “When I’m With You” is a great piece of lofi jangle, combining a Smiths-ian songwriting feel with a more low-key vocal and guitar delivery.

This party could use a bit more no-holds-barred rocking out so to that end we turn now to Italy, of course. Seriously, there’s some superior gritty but melodic rock and roll coming out of that country lately and Hearts Apart embody that. “Waste Time” is driven by its rough and ready rhythm guitar work and some nice call and response vocals. The rest of their almost released EP, Number One to No One, is more of the good same. My local punk popsters, Toronto’s Talk Show Host, never fail to please. The new record is the stylishly designed Mid-Century Modern and the two advance singles back me up. “Blood in the Sand” dials down the punk in favour of flooring the pop pedal, with plenty of catchy ‘oh ohs’ to fuel some audience sing-along-ing. Chris Catalyst has some great crashing guitars contrasting his polished vocal harmonies on “Divide and Rule” from his latest LP Kaleidoscopes. Something very Revolver going on here, filtered through a 1980s British power pop filter. I love the flexibility of Chicago’s The Embryos. One minute they’re vibing the Bryds and Teenage Fanclub, the next they’ve got a Church-meets-The La’s thing going. With their new stand-alone single, “Rattlesnakes,” they seem to be defining their own unique synthesis of all these influences. The song also has some killer organ fills and lead guitar lines. Ryan Allen and his Extra Arms reliably churn out highly-listenable full-band rock and roll. But his most recent EP Digital Hiss includes a hypnotic, largely acoustic-guitar driven ditty “Can You Take My Thoughts Away.” The song uses an economy of words and instrumentation but still manages to deliver an Elliott Smith level of performative punch. The song has a tension that seems poised to break out of its low key shell at any moment, even though it holds its powder.

Nova Waves are an interesting band for a host of reasons. They live in three different countries, and thus must send tapes around the world so each member can add their own something to the mix. The results vary, from revivalist 1960s rock to carefully crafted indie pop. “Radio Sound” is from their new album Going the Distance and captures this range, with an Apples in Stereo pristine pop sound, punctuated with 1969 Beatles ‘la’s la’s’ and guitar embellishments. The Coral also have a new album, Coral Island. I can’t decide my initial fave song, split between the obvious single “Change Your Mind” and the should-be sleeper hit “Vacancy” with its crazy good organ. There’s something very laid back 1970s California country rock mixed with The Zombies keyboard work all over this album. Johnathan Pushkar loves the Beatles and that influence is all over his new record Compositions. Yet with this outing he also moves more decisively into Fountains of Wayne territory with at least half the songs, particularly “Gonna Be Alright” where his phrasing and song structure is very Chris Collingwood. Another guy vibing a bit of FOW is David Woodard on this recent EP Butterfly Effect. It’s there on the opening to “the last word” but Woodard quickly takes the song in his own direction. The track has a low key hook so subtlely placed that its only on repeated listenings that it really gets into your head. Now, to wrap up, we’ll skip the vocals. A good instrumentals band makes it look so easy. You just replace the vocal melody with some twangy guitar right? But the magic is all in how you do that, the choice of guitar tone and timbre, how you lean into the melody line, the phrasing, etc. Nashville’s Los Straightjackets are the current masters of this genre and they showcase their considerable chops on an infectious reworking of The Hollies “Bus Stop.” Hard to add anything new to either the song or the original version but LS manage to cast some new light on the song’s melodic nuances. Magic stuff, for sure.

Johnathan Pushkar – Gonna Be Alright

Twenty new should-be hits for your spring dancing playlist. Shake your tailfeather on over these bands’ internet locales and get better acquainted with they’ve got on offer beyond these great songs.

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

12 Wednesday May 2021

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

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

It’s 1979 again with Caddy and The Martial Arts

09 Sunday May 2021

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In 1979 I was 14 years old, barreling into a world of music my parents didn’t know anything about. New wave clicked with me in part of because it recycled the sixties sound I’d grown up with listening to my parents’ record collection. But there was something stripped down and edgy to it that appealed to me as well. Today’s artists so nail the musical aura of that time it’s like déjà vu for me. The good kind.

Norway’s fave one-man band Caddy has released an album that is like finding some great lost band’s record in the second hand shop. Put this thing on headphones and you’ll swear it’s gotta be a legit new wave era release. The guitar that opens the record is just so late 1970s.  The song is “Walking on the Roof,” a cover of a Sgt. Arms track from 1982 and the treatment is pretty close to the original, except where it flares out on occasion with a muscular intensity reminiscent of The Tubes in Completion Backwards Principle mode. The concept for the album was simple, scour obscure new wave records circa 1979-83 for fabulous but historically ignored deep cuts. And then re-interpret them, but drawing from the same era’s sonic palette. Detours and Dead Ends Vol. 1 is the result and it’s a faultless collection, faithful to the era’s dynamic range without sounding derivative. Yet at the same time, the songs here sound fresh and contemporary. It’s in the guitar amp choices and vocal styles. Exhibit A: “Heart of Stone” with its driving guitar and oh-so early 1980s vocals. “Call Your Name” is a real tour de force, unleashing guitars and hooks that remind me of Blue Oyster Cult doing AM radio hit singles. “Cost of Love” is a quintessential 1980s take on the 1960s beat group song. And it just doesn’t stop, the whole record just goes from strength to strength. Check out the unrelenting take on The Freshies “No Money” with oh-so-nice vocals and crashing guitars. Really, there’s more than a little magic in this LP. Volume 2? Yes please.

Walking on the Roof
Heart of Stone
Cost of Love

Paul Kelly’s been running with that Scottish indie music mafia connected to Teenage Fanclub and BMX Bandits for some time. But his own project – The Martial Arts – has legs too. Though they’ve only released one full album, 2006’s Your Sinclair, the band have delivered a smattering of singles and EPs over the years. They’ve even got a Christmas EP. What I can’t figure out is how I’ve only managed to hear about them now. That first record is a dynamite collection of tunes, clearly vibing a 1970s poprock sound that mixes a bubblegum hookyness with a dash of new wave’s guitar crispness. “Don’t Want to Talk” is the killer single here, a clear should-be hit. Pair that with “Summer Tweed” and “Finale” and tell me if you don’t hear something like a Scottish version of The Shins. There’s a bit of James Mercer in both the vocals and the songwriting styles. Fast forward to 2015 and the title track from I Used to Be EP is working in some very ABBA keyboards and even, dare I say, Bay City Rollers melodic turns. And the video is priceless! Now the band are back with new EP, Getting Stranger by the Month, and all these amazing musical elements remain. Seriously “Guilt by Association” sounds straight from the Benny and Bjorn songwriting workshop. Or there’s “Bethany” with its dreamy Shins feel. A new album is rumoured to be in the works and I can’t wait.

Apparently new wave never gets old. There’s something fresh and exciting in the style that keeps music makers coming back for more (inspiration). So why not relive the past in the present with these recordings from Caddy (from Kook Kat here) and The Martial Arts today.

Around the Dial: Richie Mayer, Brent Seavers, and Rob Fetters

06 Thursday May 2021

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In this era of streaming and individual song downloads, we are told the album is dead. Or is it? Somebody clearly forgot to inform today’s featured artists. Gear up for a post full of five star quality LPs.

Richie Mayer’s experience shows on The Inn of Temporary Happiness. With a career stretching back to the late 1970s new wave scene, his new album effortlessly mixes influences from more than a half century of popular music. The record opens with the obvious single, “Dangerous Rhythm,” and it’s a winner. I love how it builds out of just voice and acoustic guitar, adding more instruments and taking unexpected melodic turns. There’s something a bit Colin Moulding in the chorus, a dash of ELO or Alan Parsons Project with the background vocals, and a heavy dollop of late Beatles guitar work in the solos. But don’t get comfortable because Mayer changes things up stylistically from track to track. There’s some folk rock (“The Inn of Temporary Happiness”), country-ish (“The Hall of Blame” ) and even music hall numbers (“How Can I Leave When I’m Already Gone”). But mostly there’s just great songwriting, in the way great 1970s and 1980s singles used to sound. The Beatles and Beach Boys figure prominently amongst the influences here, particularly “Love Will Find a Way” and “Warmth of the Sun,” though there’s a bit of a 10cc vibe on the former while the latter oozes some Hall and Oates Philly soul. “This is the Day” even has hints of Supertramp’s “Goodbye Stranger” particularly from the keyboards. I could go on – there’s not a weak track anywhere on the LP. Definitely check out the should-be single “She’s Taking It Too Well” (so many Beatle-istic touches here!) and the lovely acoustic guitar instrumental “Kat’s Guitar.” Spend some time with this record: your happiness will not be temporary.

The pandemic interrupted the recording of a new Decibels album so Brent Seavers filled the time making YouTube videos of himself covering a bevy of poprock classics (check out his fantastic cover of Marshall Crenshaw’s “You’re My Favorite Waste of Time” below) and recording a solo album. BS Stands for Brent Seavers sounds like The Decibels, not surprising, but also not like them too. The solo gig has allowed Seavers to drift a bit forward in time, from mid-1960s right up into the new millennium indie poprock scene. Obviously there some very Decibels material here, like “Out in the Rain,” “Clean Reflection,” and the jangle-heavy “All the Better.” The band’s sixties-meets-the-1980s vibe is also there on the Smithereens-ish “Flatline” and the muscled-up California pop hue all over “Running Me Down.” But I’m going to go out on a limb here to suggest the band haunting this record might actually be They Might Be Giants. That Brooklyn duo’s jocular sense of musical whimsey lurks on “Unlike Superman,” “Me and My Melancholy Face,” and most obviously on the fun sing-along “I Wrote a Song.” Seavers even sounds a bit like TMBG’s John Linnell vocally on the album opener, “Play.” On the other hand, should-be hit single “More Than a Friend” is Seaver’s own distinctive brand of melodic rocking out, with strong harmonies, and killer earworm chorus. This is another total album enjoyment collection.

I’ve been listening Rob Fetters’ new album Ship Shake on repeat for the last two weeks or so. The more I hear it, the more I like it. It’s the kind of record that grows on you, as more and more of its musical and lyrical subtleties reveal themselves. Part of the appeal is its hefty dose of positivity. “Turn This Ship Around” is an amazing slice of hooky, indie Americana but it’s also the message we need right now. Or “Not the End” highlights the little things we can do day to day to make the world just a little bit better, set to a carefree summer car-radio soundtrack. Not that all the message here is light. Fetters delves into issues of sexuality, abuse, loss and forgiveness with such a direct sincerity it’s disarming. Themes like these can get a bit preachy but he pulls it off. Ultimately Ship Shake is an album about what really matters in life: people, relationships, and what we’ve learned from our own experience. For instance, on the widely misinterpreted track “Nobody Now” Fetters sounds like he is complaining about the loss of fame and its trappings but what he’s really doing is moving beyond it. In the end, it’s the combination of this emotional depth with great tunes that will bring you back for more. Songs like “Can’t Take It Back” really capture this, showcasing Fetters’ hooky melodies and Tom Petty meets Warren Zevon vocal delivery. And let me say, the guitar playing on this record is pretty extraordinary. From the riff that kicks off the opening track, you know you are in presence of guitar god, but one that can temper technique with melody. This record is a must hear.

What did I tell you? The album is far from dead. Visit Richie Mayer, Brent Seavers, and Rob Fetters to get your living proof.

Not just another May Day

01 Saturday May 2021

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Today Poprock Record celebrates International Workers’ Day or May Day as is it more generally known. With music, of course. But this is not just another May Day for me, it is the first without my mentor, Ph.D. dissertation supervisor, and friend, Leo Panitch, who passed away last fall from the combined effects of COVID 19 and cancer. Leo was a giant on the political left, a longtime editor of the influential Socialist Register whose research, writing and impact on working class politics continues to be felt in social movements, political parties and amongst critical academics around the world. I don’t know that Leo would necessarily approve of all the musical selections included here today (frankly, he was more of a 1960s cool jazz cat) but I’m certain he’d sign off on the sentiments they express.

Darren Hayman gets things started with a song appropriately entitled “May Day 1894.” The track comes from his 2015 album Chants for Socialists, a project that sets to music a book of poetry of the same name from 19th century English socialist William Morris. The results are a gorgeously fuzzy poprock single, with striking guitar work and a lingering pastoral melody. In keeping with its socialist ethos, the album is available on a ‘pay what you can’ basis. Australia’s The Basics live up to their name, putting forward the most basic question relevant to socialists, namely “What Ever Happened to the Working Class?” The song and its album were a response to the blasé and dismissive attitude of that country’s rightwing government to working people but the song offers no easy answers. Brooklyn’s The Defibulators take a more humorous approach in “The Working Class” yet still give voice to that sense of dislocation many working class people feel about themselves and their life chances.

The Defibulators – Working Class

Not that there’s necessarily a lack of ideas out there. Music fans looking for a bit of programmatic direction can turn to Stoke-on-Trent’s Milky Wimpshake to lay it all out with admirable melodic clarity. Their most recent album is Confessions of an English Marxist, containing such should-be classics as “Capitalism is a Perversion,” “I Don’t Want to Work” and “No War (But the Class War).” The sound here sometimes reminds me Scotland’s Spook School, when it isn’t full on 1977 angry punk. For an American contribution, Austin Texas has The Capitalist Kids betraying Milton Friedman’s ethos over the course of four LPs on tracks like the highly sarcastic “Socialist Nightmare” and the more illuminating “Socialism isn’t a Dirty Word,” delivered with a nineties poppy punk sneer.

Now I know Leo would approve of Ginger Wildheart’s “Benn,” a rare cut from his Ginger’s Christmas Sack featuring clips of longtime English Labour MP Tony Benn speaking over Ginger’s driving musical accompaniment. Though, to tell the truth, I could just listen to Benn sans the music (no offence Ginger!) for hours. With songs like “Otherwise Occupied on Wall Street” and “The Servants Quarters” Jimmy Haber seems to attuned to the struggles of the oppressed. That comes out loud and clear in his melody-drenched, rocking anthem “We Should Start a Revolution.” Jimmy, I second your emotion.

Ginger Wildheart – Benn

Wrapping up our poprock tribute to May Day, we must turn to the most perfect purveyors of what might best be dubbed ‘agit-pop,’ Chumbawamba. On their 2008 album The Boy Bands Have Won they articulate the appropriate relationship between music and social struggles, noting in the opening cut “When an Old Man Dies” that ‘you should never try to freeze music, to try to maintain a song in that form, to say this is exactly how it was, is a silly way of looking at things’. In other words, music must always change to respond to the needs of the moment, to the struggles we face now. The band so perfectly capture the uncertainty and possibility with the lyrics of the album’s final song, “What We Want”:

We know what we want
We know what we’ve got
But what do we need?
What do we need?
[voice-over] ‘What’s happened to the music is that it’s changing. It’s changing to suit people’s needs now.’

Chumbawamba – When an Old Man Dies
Chumbawamba – What We Want

Exactly. Music will always be a part of the struggle for social justice but it must be music that the people who will make change happen (the working class, in all its diversity) can relate to. I’m sure Leo would approve. Today’s post is dedicated to him. Though I march without him this May Day and for all those to come, I’ll keep something about him close to me with these songs.

Back in the spotlight: Great Buildings, Up and Downs, Three Hour Tour, and The Galaxies

27 Tuesday Apr 2021

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So many bands deserve another turn in the spotlight. Beyond a certain level of talent and creativity, chart success (or not) can be a random, capricious thing. Thus shining a light on some of these amazing acts and their recordings is just the decent thing to do.

Our first spotlight candidate arguably had a pretty good run at fame. Their song “I’ll Be There For You” got played every Thursday night on American television for ten years. Yet, as The Rembrandts, the duo behind the song were largely dismissed as a one hit wonder. It was an unfair assessment for a number of reasons, not least of which because the band actually had an earlier, higher charting single. But here we’ll focus on their earlier incarnation as Great Buildings and the dynamite album they put out in 1981, Apart from the Crowd. Album opener “Hold On to Something” sounds like a hit to me with its high harmonies and sing-along chorus, coming on like a new wave Journey. From there the album rolls out with a host of radio friendly tracks, perhaps just a bit ahead of their time. For instance, “… And the Light Goes On” and “Dream That Never Dies” give off an ambience that would later work wonders for acts like The Outfield. And not surprising, songs like “Another Day in My Life” signal where the duo would go later with The Rembrandts. What this albums demonstrates is that any hit deficit afflicting this duo was not for lack of some quality trying.

Dream That Never Dies
Another Day in My Life

When Brisbane, Australian band Up and Downs released The Sky’s In Love With You in 2017 the record sounded like an eerie, contemporary update on some classic 1980s indie acts. That shouldn’t have been surprising, they were a classic 1980s indie act! They’d had a minor hit in 1986 with “The Living Kind” but broken up in 1990. The compilation Out of the Darkness (Sleepless, Singles & Other Stories) has that song a host of others from their first three albums. Coming back together in 2007 the band did a few gigs over the next decade but only got back in the studio in 2017. But it was like they never left. The Sky’s In Love With You is a very listenable album but, for me, “True Love Waste” is the standout should-be single. The song ranks alongside anything from the first few Grapes of Wrath albums with its nice juxtaposition of acoustic and electric guitars, arranged with spare but at times surging effect. More recently the band put out an engaging cover of The Hummingbirds’ “Two Weeks With a Good Man in Niagara Falls.”

Listening through the back catalogue of Three Hour Tour I’d swear the band has got a magic box that can apply a Rubber Soul veneer to everything. It’s there in the vocal harmonies and the up-front placement of the acoustic guitars in mix. And it doesn’t hurt that main songwriter Darren Cooper has a knack for turning out pretty solid Beatlesque tunes. The band launched in the early 1990s with a number of solid albums and great singles, notably “Valentines Day” and “Next Time.” Then after a break of a few years they put out four albums between 2007 and 2018. The records have a consistent sonic and substantive quality, reminding me a lot of work from The Lolas and The Smithereens. So many great songs that could be featured but if forced to select a few highlights I’d go with the sterling title track from 2007 comeback album B-Side Oblivion, the oh-so-Beatles vibe on “Dead Reckoning” from 2010’s Looking for Tomorrow, the more mellow acoustic “Shifting Sands” from 2015’s Actions and Heroes, and “Theodore’s Last Call” from 2018’s You Never Know. But there’s plenty more pleasing poprock on these various long-players.

Next Time
B-Side Oblivion
Dead Reckoning
Theodore’s Last Call

As far as I can tell The Galaxies put out just one album, 2008’s Here We Go! But what an album it was. The first four tracks on the record should come with a sticker-warning, they’re such effective ear worms. And here’s a left field observation: lead vocalist Bobby Cox really sounds REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin to me. I’ll admit to having a soft spot for that mid-west American MOR-pop outfit’s catchier tunes so putting that sound into a more power pop setting works for me. For more contemporary points of reference, fans of The Rallies or The Spindles are going to like what they find here. Check out the magical weave of the hooky guitar lead line around the chorus of “Baby I Believe” or the slice of AM radio perfection that is “You Promised.” Another should be hit single is “Love Has Found Me,” a soft rock number elevated with some tasty jangle guitar. Or for a change, there’s a nice Paul Carrack pub rock groove to “An Ocean Between Us.” This is a full-play, leave-it-on-repeat long player.

You Promised
Baby I Believed
Love Has Found Me

Are you convinced these acts deserve more time in the hit-making spotlight? Then tell your friends about Great Buildings, Up and Downs, Three Hour Tour, and The Galaxies and get some word-of-mouth late breaking chart action going.

Should be a hit single: Throwback Suburbia “Circles”

24 Saturday Apr 2021

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A truly great poprock single usually has a catchy opener, some hook that makes you pause and want to know what comes next. Portland’s Throwback Suburbia nail this with their 2007 debut single “Circles.” The lone synth riff comes out of nowhere, a head turner that grabs the listener long enough for the band to come crashing in. What follows is a great synthesis of eighties and nineties melodic rock influences. With a vocal that is pure Glenn Tilbrook phrasing, a guitar and keyboard attack vibing ELO, and a melodic sheen reminiscent of Rooney, the result should have been super radio hit. But the AM/FM music directors apparently didn’t get the memo. The band would release a few EPs and two critically acclaimed albums but wild success wasn’t in the cards. A shame really. Everything they released was pretty solid on the rockin’ melodic song front. They even put out killer covers of tracks from their most obvious influences, Squeeze’s “Up the Junction” and Elvis Costello’s “Accidents Will Happen.”

You can keep up with band members’ post Throwback Suburbia efforts on the group’s Facebook page as well as buy up their existing catalogue of tunes.

Carefully crafted poprock: Ken Sharp, The Armoires, and Richard Turgeon

19 Monday Apr 2021

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Some artists just belt it out. Others treat a song like sculpture, carefully teasing out the song’s essential elements with a perfectionist’s sense of sonic finesse. Today’s post features the latter, some very carefully crafted poprock to delight and entertain you.

Ken Sharp is an uber talented guy. Author of 18 non-fiction books, liner-notes writer to the stars, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and the guy’s got a great sense of style. I mean, his albums and singles always look amazing, wonderfully illustrated and featuring great sixties and seventies fonts and images. His just released record, Miniatures, breaks even more new ground, delivering 32 songs in just 41 minutes. They are miniatures in the sense of being short in length but also in terms of their execution. Each track is a carefully crafted sonic landscape, evoking different musical eras, songwriting styles, and moods. Album opener “Me and My Big Fat Mouth” sets the tone, establishing a Bacharachian precision in terms of song arranging while the tune exudes a Dionne Warwick or Neil Sedaka melodic sensibility. There are so many highlights here, I can’t possibly go into them all (though for an excellent deep dive into the album’s songs and inspirations, check out Keith Womack’s amazing coverage in Salon) so I’ll just riff on a few of my faves. On the whole, the record vibes an early 1970s pop sound, that intimate, glossy, compressed effect I associate with Partridge Family records, the Carpenters, folk pop artists of era like Cat Stevens, and the theme from the TV show Love, American Style. Having said that tracks like “Susannah Silently Shining” remind me a bit of Apples in Stereo while “Stack O’ Records” has a Big Star in acoustic mode feel. From there the album has so many jaunty, ambling-away-the-summer-days pop numbers, like “This Kiss,” “Every Day is Holly Day,” and “My Lullaby.” Sharp does occasionally let loose, upping the tempo on numbers like “Down the Drain” and the Costello-ish “Something’s Happening.” Baroque is a term often thrown around for this project and it sticks to songs like “Dollhouse,” “We’re Moving On,” album closer “Miniatures,” and the delightfully inventive and mannered “Black Coffee Cigarettes and Bach’s Minuet.” You can basically jump in anywhere on Miniatures and feel the delight, the whimsy, and a load of positive vibes. It’s all so nicely captured on what is probably my favourite tune from the record, the Cat Steven-ish sing-along “Count On Me.” Sharp definitely delivers a much-needed seasonal mood improver with this tuneful trove.

It all started with deceit. A group releases a series of singles under different band names, pretending to be separate acts with different styles. But when the ruse is revealed April 1st (naturally) it quickly becomes apparent that what began as a lark has turned into a serious musical accomplishment. Incognito reveals The Armoires as a much more ambitious, dynamic outfit than we ever imagined. The record’s focus splits three ways, between covers, country and an updated new wave sound (with some overlap). You’re exposed to the ambition behind the LP right away with the opening cut, the band’s inspired cover of John Cale’s “Paris 1919.”  Their interpretation effectively delivers on a poprock promise only implied in Cale’s original.  Other hooky contributions defy a singular style, vibing a nouveau Kirsty MacColl feel on “I Just Can’t See the Attraction” or a bit of the New Pornographers on “I Say We take Off and Nuke the Site from Orbit” or a Teenage Fanclub sensibility with the 2020 cover “The Night I Heard a Scream.” The country-ish contributions are equally affecting, from the old timey feel of “Bagfoot Country” to the more bluesy country of “Homebound” to the shot-glass soaked duet that is “Shame and Bourbon.” My own vote for should-be hit single is the breezy, rollicking “Great Distances” with its light touch of jangle and homey harmonies. And these are just the highlights for me – I could on. To sum, despite its variety in song and styles Incognito is definitely the work of one band, one that is discovering there really are few limits to what it can be and do.

Richard Turgeon has done it again. Defying the sequels curse, his second album of covers is a summer car-driving mix-tape champion. 10 Covers Volume 2 applies his Turgeon-izer (a distinctive dissonant hooky stamp) to classic songs from the 1960s, indie faves from the eighties and nineties, as well as songs that are barely a few years old. You’ve got to admire the cheek of trying to cover such classics as The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer” or The Mamas and Papas’ “California Dream’” but Turgeon pulls it off. The trick to effectively covering well known material is to offer up the familiar hooks but colour in some new melodic shading in unexpected ways or in different parts of the tune. Turgeon’s “I’m a Believer” is a little less manic than the original, a bit more indie-casual with some entertaining lead guitar embellishments. His “California Dreamin’” sounds a bit more believably desperate and stark. The cover of the Bryds’ “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better” dials down the jangle, offering a more straight up rocking feel. Turning more recent material, I love the version of Potty Mouth’s “22” here. Turgeon turns an already great fun stomper into a power pop classic, with spot on vocals and great guitar lines. But his greatest reinvention on this album is a reworking of Hole’s “Malibu.” The guitar approach better anchors the melodic hooks of song while Turgeon’s vocals add an emotional depth that was missing from the original. Another song Turgeon improves on is Bobby Fuller’s “A New Shade of Blue” where, again, his singing adds something new. You really believe he’s got the blues! And there’s more – I haven’t even mentioned the nice Tom Petty, Oasis, and Cure covers. Suffice it to say, no drive to the beach is really gonna be complete without blasting this through the speakers this summer.

Craft like this deserves your monetary attention. You can click on Ken Sharp, The Armoires and Richard Turgeon right here and go directly to the source.

Brought to you by the letter R

13 Tuesday Apr 2021

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Like the Proclaimers, I’m not prepared to throw the R away. Today’s post showcases a bevy of R-named acts I’ve accumulated over the years but haven’t had a chance to celebrate. Until now. Get ready for a ripping read of these records.

Let’s start things light and easy, with Rabbit! This duo offer up frothy pop tunes chock full of whimsy and positivity. “Magic” is from an early EP Connecting the Dots but everything between then and now is pretty They Might Be Giants meets Grouplove. The sonic arrangement on this song is meticulous, an aural portrait of bright sounds and striking musical contrasts. But oh so sing-along good. Look for their brand EP Happiness is Simple for more of the same. Then, for a dramatic mood change, Radioactivity kick out the Texas rock and roll jams with an adrenaline-fueled double-A side single. I love the relentless guitar riff on “Erased” that just keeps driving the hook into your head. This song is pulsing, crowd-pleasing, jump-up-and-down sort of thing. By contrast “Fear” has an ominous yet melodious hard rocking feel that I associate with Blue Oyster Cult, in a punky  mood. Tennessee’s The Rectangle Shades are a time travel trip back to 1966, with amazing jangle guitar and Bryrds-worthy songwriting and singing. On “Running Out of Time” I kept expecting Jackie DeShannon to show up after every stellar hooky lead guitar line. And while this single is something special, the whole of the album Mystical Numbers is a treat. Moving over to Columbus, Ohio Red Skylark are vibing mid-1980s guitar bands from both sides of the Atlantic on their 2020 EP Run On. A bit of the Silencers, a touch of west coast Paisley a la The Three O’Clock, and whole lot that’s totally original. Check out those exquisite melodic turns and vocal harmonies in the chorus of “Soulfire Gone” or the surging jangle guitar work and ghostly vocals on “Shiver.”  There’s even some Moody Blues-like group vocals on “Damned.” This is one mighty fine 14 minutes of EP.

On first listen The Rentals sound like any other good post-millennial indie band. But there’s always a twist somewhere. Like the other-worldly chorus that emerges from an otherwise swinging pop number in “Little Bit of You in Everything,” aided by a very Mary Lou Lord vocal feel, or the lyrically more esoteric but still poppy “Elon Musk is Making Me Sad.” Dip into any of the dozen or so releases from Matt Rendon as The Resonars or some other 1960s psychedelic creation and you won’t go away disappointed. Self-dubbed ‘psychedelic garage pop’ the sound is like an American mix of Rubber Soul and Revolver influences, with a bit more fuzz guitar. Check out the trippy jangle pushing “Why Does It Have to be So Hard” forward, from 2002’s Lunar Kit, for an emblematic experience. And there’s plenty more to enjoy with four LP releases of new material coming out in 2020 alone! A band of Ride’s stature hardly need any plug from me but my interest might be a bit of outlier as I really like the band’s 2017 comeback album Weather Diaries and the single “Charm Assault” in particular. The dynamic vocals arrangement combined with a guitar that sounds very The The Soul Mining is instantly addictive. Nick Pipitone wowed listeners with his 2020 concept album, Thiensville, and it was not a one-off achievement. Back in 2014 his band The Rip Off Artists released The Intercontinental, a strong collection of story tunes in the key of E, Costello and FOW. The whole album is highly listenable but I’ve got “Inside the Actor’s Studio Apartment” and “Mr. Right and Mrs. Right” on repeat.

The Rentals – Little Bit of You in Everything

Dublin, Ireland’s The Riptide Movement offer up a bit of four on the floor melody with their 2013 hit “All Works Out.” The sing-along chorus is just the capper to a song carried by a strong hooky lead guitar line weaved throughout the tune. There’s not much I can add to the tragic story of The Rosenbergs. Three albums of power pop gold, loved by critics but largely unknown to potential fans because the band dared speak out about how the music industry continued to screw over the talent. For an eye opening account of how corruption and payola still dominates American music read band founder David Fagin’s account of their career over on Power Popaholic. As for songs, so many great possible choices but let’s go with “Nighttime Lover.” It’s got a video. Ruby Free have two albums of self-described ‘Wings-inspired 70’s radio pop’ but I hear more of a Chris Collingwood style on “Slow Parade.” This baby is definitely the should-be hit single here – give it a few listens and you won’t be able to get it out of your head. Brothers Jonathan and Wes Parker are Ruth Good, a band named for their grandmother. The boys have got some fine blood harmony going on their recent EP Haunt, particularly the single “All My Life.” While they characterize their work as ‘slacker pop’ I hear a distinct country rock undercurrent with some Fleet Foxes ambience vocally. Past releases are also good, with “YLIE” from 2017’s Spliff EP and standout track for me.

Ruby Free – Slow Parade

Gotta love what R brings to the poprock table. Get caught up on these artists by clicking their hyperlinked names and checking out their internet presentations of self.

Ring, ring goes the bell …

07 Wednesday Apr 2021

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School is a perennial theme of rock and roll that, on the whole, doesn’t fare too well. Sure, the Beach Boys have that cheery “Be True to Your School” vibe going but they’re an outlier. More typically school appears as a burden, as something to escape from, preferably as soon as possible. The traditional sentiments were ably established in Chuck Berry’s classic “School Days” back in 1957. More recently Australian indie poprockers Starky summed things up with “Theme from High School” from their 2004 debut LP Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre.

Starky – Theme from High School

Ok, so high school sucks. What about higher education? Is there musical love for technical college or university? Our mix of tunes offers a range of views, as is only appropriate for academe. Rogue Wave conjure up the uncertainty that is the uni experience for many on “College” from 2013’s Nightingale Floors. Things are less cerebral for 2 Wheeled Tricycle’s “College.” Here the issue is more about whether to go or not to, egged on by some nice edgy synth riffs. Gentle Hen vibe some Hayden on “College Town,” a song with a sunny, good times feel and just a hint of darkness.  Timmy Sean spares a moment during his concept album A Tale From the Other Side for his protagonist to reflect on “The College Year” and how decisions taken then impact what comes later, delivered with Sean’s larger than life theatrical pop hooks.  The Incredible Casuals are all about the party experience. On “College Girls” the band execute their unerring rock and roll chops with shimmery guitars and some seriously melodic humming.

Rogue Wave – College

Advancing up the academic ladder, Toronto’s hHead bash out a great melodic rock and roll tribute to higher education on “University.” A more indie Grapes of Wrath or Northern Pikes is what I hear here. Former The Trend songwriter John McMullan has put out a few great solo tunes, like his tell-all expose of legal education on “Law School.” I love the Springsteen organ and the hooky guitar lines all over this song. And McMullan actually did become a lawyer. Winnipeg music veteran John K. Samson knows academe as well as the music biz and captures every grad student’s dilemma on “When I Write My Masters’ Thesis.” Then he updated his musical academic CV in 2016 with “Postdoc Blues.” I guess he got that MA thesis written after all.

hHead – University
John McMullan – Law School

Forget enrolling in some school of rock, you can learn about great music just about anywhere. Like here. Right on this blog. Just scroll back through the posts for your own do-it-yourself degree in poprock.