Jangle Thursday

18 Thursday Feb 2021

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It’s been a while since we’ve jangled Thursday so to make up for it today’s post features two heavy hitter album releases and a spate of other good things. Secure the good china because the heavy reverb here is definitely gonna make things shake.

In one of the most anticipated albums of the year, The Boys With the Perpetual Nervousness defy the sophomore slump with a drop-dead gorgeous collection of new tunes. If anything, Songs From Another Life is even better than the band’s outstanding debut Dead Calm. The sound is a bit edgier, the feel a bit more urgent. It’s all there on the album opener, “I Don’t Mind” with its muscular jangle hooks and earworm melody. When the sweet sweet instrumental break kicks in at 1:11 it’s like a shot of adrenaline. And then it’s over all too soon! The obvious musical reference points here fall somewhere between the Byrds and Teenage Fanclub, particularly on “Play (On My Mind)” and “How I Really Feel.” But there’s a bit of the duo’s previous incarnations – Dropkick and El Palacio de Linares – lurking here too on tracks like “Rose Tinted Glasses” and “In Between.” And then the band go in totally new directions on songs like “Lethargy” with its hypnotic synth adornments. Personally, I can’t stop hitting replay on “Waking Up in the Sunshine,” the should-be hit single to my ears. If you need something to lift your spirits, something to make your heart soar, then proceed directly to this long player. I may be calling it early but my gut says Songs From Another Life is the feel good album of the year.

Another jangle band that never fails to impress and delight are The Vapour Trails. Their brand new EP Underneath Tomorrow is no exception. These guys hit all the 1960s marks but always throw in a host of original twists. Sure “Tommy’s Tune” sounds so Byrds but there’s a bit of CSN&Y there too. Title track “Underneath Tomorrow” has lovely jangle and great background vocals, with some inventive instrumental interludes. And there’s “That’ll Do It” with its killer Monkees-reminiscent, lead-line opener and addictive pumping organ drawing you in. Man, what hooks! But it’s not just the great retro feel of the album, the songwriting is up to the band’s reliably strong standards. Check out their turn in a more Beatles direction with “Autumn and Spring” or a British 1960s blues vibe on while “Strange.” The only real limit to the EP is that everything ends far too soon.

There’s something so beach dreamy about Stephen’s Shore, you can practically feel the sea breeze coming off the title track from their new EP Brisbane Radio. At just 12 minutes long the release is perhaps more like a maxi-single but, hey, I’d argue it’s a short time well spent. The lovely lilting lead jangle guitar carries us through “Up To No Good” and the mostly instrumental “Midvert.” Meanwhile “Skogen” sounds more like what we might expect from a new album. It’s a song with a bit more complexity and a melody that captures the darker vibe of late 1960s folk rock. Compared to the band’s earlier work, 2016’s crisp and hooky Ocean Blue, this new material sounds more organic and less in a hurry, though no less melodic and endearing.

Last up on our jangle-heavy feature, two singles that showcase the breadth of the genre. First, Will Courtney teams up with two members of the Ugly Beats, Joe Emery and Daniel Wilcox, to take on the Byrds’ classic “Here Without You.” The original is pretty hard to improve on so the boys wisely decide to take it in a slightly new direction, distorting its traditional jangle and countrying up the vocal delivery. The result is a refreshing, exciting reset to an old fave. By contrast, like Tom Petty and Greg Kihn before them, Boston’s Modern Day Idols demonstrate how jangle can be woven into the very core of modern poprock. MDI have a great song with “Not the Only One” from their recent self-titled album but the jangle lead guitar just adds that extra dimension of bliss. I’m liking their whole LP – it’s all eminently listenable – but this particular song just won’t vacate my short term memory.

In these dark times jangle is the musical light glinting from the far reaches of our ‘isolate in place’ tunnel. Click on the hyperlinks to hear more.

Saturday Club: The Poppermost, The Unswept, Cupid’s Carnival, and The Meatles!

13 Saturday Feb 2021

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The Beatles’ first live appearance on BBC radio occurred on Brian Matthews’ Saturday Club January 26, 1963. Today we create our own version of the club, chock full of more recent Merseybeats from bands both far and near the Lime Street Station.

The Poppermost hail from Glasgow, Scotland and their releases are very 1963-64 era fab four fantastic. Ok, the ‘they’ here is actually just him, one guy, Joe Kane, but what a beautiful noise this guy manages to pull off playing and singing everything. The feel is the breezy pop perhaps a bit more associated with some of the songs The Beatles gave away in their early days, to groups like The Fourmost, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, and Peter and Gordon. The band’s debut single “Can’t Take That Away” has a definite “Bad to Me” swing while its b-side is the Beatles brand of American R&B reinvention. The pop carries over on the just released EP A Piece of the Poppermost with “Laziest Fella in the Realm” and “In and Out” while “Get It Down” nails an “I’ll Follow the Sun” vibe. But the EP does rock out a bit with the opening cut “Well I Will,” in a very gear 1964 sort of way, of course.

The Unswept are originally from Sheffield but now reside in Chicago and their brand of Merseyfied poprock leans heavily on Harrisonian jangle. His distinctive Rickenbacker sound is all over the fun cover of Marshall Crenshaw’s “Cynical Girl” that appears on their brand new EP Power Pop for All the People. Well, sort of brand new – three of the four songs were previously available on their self-titled 2014 release. But hey, who doesn’t want to hear a jangly romp through The Rutles “I Must Be In Love” and Nick Lowe’s “So It Goes” again? I definitely do. And add to the mix another magical Liverpool contribution, the La’s “I Can’t Sleep,” and you’ve really got something special. The La’s don’t get covered much because, frankly, their songs are hard to do. But The Unswept ace the energy, vocal interplay, and dynamic guitar work the track demands. If this EP doesn’t send you packing to pick up a copy of their recent EP of original stuff, The Codependent, then it’s time to make a hearing appointment.

Ever since they hit the scene Cupid’s Carnival have reliably serviced the mid-period Beatlemaniacs. These guys really know how to throw out a slightly psychedelic, harmony-vocaled set of hooks. As we wait for a follow up album to 2020’s Colour Blind, the boys have got a fab new single “You’re So Cool” and it’s the injection of Mersey poprock you need right now. Our last featured act on this rogue episode of Saturday Club are The Meatles, from their Beat the Meatles release. Now, I thought it was just National Lampoon that went in for these sort of gags but apparently there’s a New Zealand Beatles cover band that has a predictably over-the-top lewd take on the idea. That’s not what we’re featuring here. What we’ve got is uber talented Gary Ritchie’s strictly classy 2000 tribute to the Fabs, twenty-two lovingly crafted note-perfect covers of the early to mid-period Beatles catalogue. Personally, I think Ritchie adds some distinctive elements to “Little Child,” “I’ll Cry Instead,” and “I’ll Get You.” But the whole record is a dance party booster. Get it on the turntable and then get it on!

Cupid’s Carnival – You’re So Cool

The Beatles are not coming back but their influence keeps returning in new releases, showing up in both predictable and innovative ways. Make sure to tune in to these acts at your local e-music retailer.

Should be a hit single: James Holt “Mystery Girl”

09 Tuesday Feb 2021

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I stumbled across Mancunian James Holt doing a fun cover of Crowded House’s “Weather With You” with himself playing every instrument simultaneously in the video. This led to a bit of research and the discovery of this gem, released in early 2020. “Mystery Girl” is a mélange of alternating musical shots: pumping piano, organ, and harpsichord (among other instruments) amid the delightful swirl of the main and background vocals. There’s something a bit 10cc here, definitely Neil Finn-worthy, even Gilbert O’Sullivan-ish. On the whole, the song is a masterful bit of production disguised as a breezy pop confection, Holt so effortlessly hits all the melodic and instrumental marks. This surely marks the beginning of something good.

Check out Holt’s website, Facebook and Bandcamp pages to see what he else he’s got going on.

Cover me! Kirsty MacColl’s “They Don’t Know”

05 Friday Feb 2021

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The guitar harmonics intro to Kirsty MacColl’s original version of “They Don’t Know” is just so perfect, conjuring both the Phil Spector and British girl singer traditions. But ultimately it’s the strength of the songwriting that makes this song a classic and eminently coverable. As one internet commentator quipped, the track is ‘bombproof.’ After listening to a couple dozen versions I’d have to agree.  Still, MacColl’s version remains definitive for me.

Kirsty MacColl

MacColl’s 1979 original was her recording debut and an immediate hit with British radio. But distribution problems with Stiff Records prevented the single from making the official charts. In fact, most fans would have to wait for MacColl’s 1995 album Galore to get their hands on it. In the interim comedian Tracey Ullman took the song to number 2 in the UK and number 8 in the US in 1983. Ullman cranked the sixties references in the tune to the max, turning it into an enjoyable bit of retro kitch. But as subsequent covers have made clear, “They Don’t Know” is not limited to a 1960s girl group register.

There are plenty of choices when it comes to covers of this song so my picks are obviously selective. Early covers by Gigolo Aunts and the Young Fresh Fellows are fine but not as pop rocky as I would prefer. Subterfuge’s 1988 low-key jangle-heavy version strips things back a little, letting the song’s bones show through. Leslie Carter’s 2001 take leans on the piano for the ornamentation and some strong girl group background vocals. The song’s popularity can also measured by the number of foreign language versions – of which there are many. Moneybrother’s 2006 Swedish version speeds up the tempo and gives the proceedings an aura of Springsteen at his most power pop. Belgians Nailpin sing in English but sharpen things up with a very poppy, slightly punk-infused version that bends the basic melody in interesting ways.

Leslie Carter
Moneybrother

More recently indie versions of “They Don’t Know” have been piling up as MacColl’s songwriting skills and performance have gained greater appreciation and prominence. Big indie names like Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs added the song to Volume 3 of their Under the Covers series but, as far as duo versions go, I think I prefer Geoff Palmer and Lucy Ellis‘ version from their recent Your Face is Weird collaboration. Michael Carpenter gave the track a wonderful 1960s beat group treatment while Robyn Gibson lovingly recast the song as a great lost Peter and Gordon out-take on his critically acclaimed Volume One in his Bop of the Pops series.

Many artists have messed with the tempo and feel of the song, with both arresting and exciting results. Feather and Down slow things down with their spare, mostly acoustic performance, an effort that only amplifies the song’s aching melodic beauty. Lydia Loveless takes things in rebel country direction, Karen Basset goes garage rock, while both Boys Forever and So Cow work the DIY indie rock vibe in different ways. My most recent fave cover is from Men of the North Country with their great horns, trebly guitar and video with Kirsty hovering in the background.

Feather and Down
Lydia Loveless

Kirsty MacColl’s catalogue is full of great tunes, well worth exploring. But if she’d only written this one song she’d be in the karmic black for sure. More covers in the future are a certainty.

Skating party singles

01 Monday Feb 2021

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I do remember skating to the AM radio tunes of the 1970s. Even though we were just going round and round in circles there was something about the Steve Miller Band or Cars accompaniment that made it seem cool rather than just cold. So as temperatures continue to dip this winter it’s time to playlist a modern version of the skating party with only the coolest of new singles.

For a moment I thought Jim Basnight’s “Rebel Kind” was a cover of Dino, Desi and Billy’s 1960s hit but turns out it’s much more cool than that. The song was originally by the criminally under-appreciated Vancouver band The Modernettes. Basnight honours the tune with a Replacement’s indie vibe that really connects. This is just one of 21 highlights from his recent covers album, Jokers, Idols and Misfits (check out the fabulous “This Is Where I Belong” for another surefire winner). Ok, sometimes new singles are just new to me, like Kamino’s “Where Do You Want Me?” iTunes unreliably informed me it was a 2020 release but the song actually came out in 1999 on the band’s debut EP Donut. Frankly, it sounds so fresh and contemporary it could be brand new. The song has an analog feel to the instrumentation and a clever melodic dissonance the reminds me of Fountain of Wayne’s best work. Would love to see this group take up where they left off.  Weezer have a brand new album out (OK Human) and as with all their releases I can find at least one absolutely fab single-worthy cut. This time out it’s “Here Comes the Rain” with its dramatic piano hooks and earworm after effects. From the ‘who doesn’t need some low key jangle?’ file The Umbrella Puzzles have a nice little EP built around the striking guitar work on the single, “Slips Through the Cracks.” It’s an amble along little ditty with a surprisingly rich tone on the solo lead guitar that is something special. I’d have bought Gavin Bowles’ This Year’s Modern for the cover alone, he so aces mimicking This Year’s Model right down to the shady brown hue on the backdrop. The title track is an interesting vamp with some Steve Nieve organ and 1940s background vocals. For a very Costello vibe in sound and songwriting check out “Boy From an Unknown Planet” from the same record.

Kamino – Where Do You Want Me?
Weezer – Here Comes the Rain

I raved about The Feels “She’s Probably Not Thinking of Me” as the prototypically perfect poprock single, from the guitar hooks to the melody-echoing background vocals to the overall sound. So it won’t surprise readers that I’m loving the band’s recent new song, “Is Everything Alright?” It’s got a bit of Bleu or Adam Daniel about it and it’s making me itch for a whole album. Jenny are a straight up pop punk outfit that blast through “Rose City” at an enjoyable clip. They know what their audience wants and they deliver with just the right amount of guitar distortion and melodic undercurrent. Lucy and the Rats offer up an updated early 1960s girl group sound, elevating the rock and roll feel on “On Fire.” The guitar sound and plinky keyboards meld so wonderfully with the group vocals. I think the best descriptor for The Outta Sites is neo-1960s. The band has got the sixties chops but aren’t afraid to mix in stuff from other eras. You can hear it on the title track of their recent album Beautiful You, a delightful bouncy mid-sixties-style song combined with a fab late seventies syth lead line. The band’s skill here really reminds me of The Smithereens, particularly on tracks like “This Time.” Now for a departure, I’ve got some neo-folk/gospel with Thee Holy Brothers. The sound is very Bombadil in escaping the bounds of conventional folk, evident on “My Name is Sparkle,” and the album cover is so Brothers Four 1962. I’m not a god guy but I like what these guys are doing all over this record.

The Feels – Is Everything Alright?
Thee Holy Brothers – My Name is Sparkle

I got message from Monogroove to check out their catalogue and I’m glad I did. “The Looking Glass” combines a Beatles Abbey Road vibe with some unerring 1970s pop hooks. A winsome bit of airy melodic goodness. You don’t have to take a ferry across the Mersey to get caught up with the Wirral’s West Coast Music Club, I’ve got their new single right here. “Thinkin’” mines the rock face these guys excel at: jangly, slightly distorted, melodically dissonant tunes, this time with a hint of Crosby, Stills, and Nash on the vocals. I love The Veras not just because they’ve taken my dear grandmother’s name but because their song is on a kind of permanent repeat right now. “Paper Cup Telephone” has a main structure so familiar to listeners who lived through the glam-drenched 1970s but the build up to it is so interesting. Those heavenly background vocals! Such out of this world guitars! And that organ. More please. Our skate ends with something a bit more subdued from Michael Penn. Anything new from this guy is to be treasured since he abandoned us for scoring movies. “A Revival” obviously speaks to the present moment in American politics, with Penn reassuring listeners that change is gonna come. It’s a stark, subtle, yet reassuring testament, with his usual knack for the aching, low-ball hook that keeps coming back to you long after the song has faded out.

The zamboni’s waiting to get on the ice, the ushers are screaming for the kids to exit the rink, and songs continue to rattle around in our heads as we twist our skates off. Funny how music can make the most mundane things seem special.

Breaking news: The Airport 77’s, Peaces, and Timmy Sean

28 Thursday Jan 2021

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Things may be looking up if these early 2021 album releases are anything to go by. The guitars are blistering, the harmonies are heavenly, and the hooks are earworm def con one. There’s something for a variety of tastes here, from jangle to 1970s CanCon to rock opera. Set these loose on the stereo, cranked.  

The power pop blogosphere is currently going bonkers over The Airport 77’s debut long player Rotation. Well, everything you’ve heard is true and then some. These guys have definitely got the movie beat with their relentless 1970s new wave vibe. Album opener “Christine’s Coming Over” blasts off into obvious The Knack and Cheap Trick territory. But not far into “(When You’re Kissing on Me Do You Think of) James McAvoy” I’m hearing some distinctly west coast Canadian late 1970s rock and roll like Chilliwack, Trooper, or Prism, particularly on the vocals. I love the bass and rhythm guitar interplay on “Shannon Speaks” – so reminiscent of early Costello. Even the remakes sparkle here, like the Springsteen-esque take on Bram Tchaikovsky’s “Girl of my Dreams.” There’s just not a bum track on this record so close your eyes and it’ll be 1979 all over again. But just the good stuff.

The opening of Peaces “Heathens of Love” is so alluring, magnetically pulling you in with its jangly Brydsian charm and indie Traveling Wilburys elan. But from there the song goes on in its own endearing way. As the title track to the band’s debut EP, it perfectly captures the group’s easygoing feel and ear for subtle melody. “40 Days and 40 Nights” sounds bit more Replacements to me while “Sorcerers Get All the Girls” is as hooky as it is fun. And then the marvelous “I Want You Back” caps things off, a stellar bit of pop songcraft enhanced with a deft application of reverb drenched guitar work. My only complaint here that the EP is just four songs. Unhappy reviewer face! Oh well, with this much talent a proper album can’t be far off.

I’ve always thought of Timmy Sean as a man out phase with his musical time. His songwriting is so Beatles-meets-the-Eagles while his production and performance is all 1980s big commercial bang. I say that with love because I’m a fan of that decade’s smooth AM-friendly hit sound (well, some of it anyway). That creative tension remains on Sean’s ambitious new album A Tale from the Other Side, a rock opera that is perhaps a bit more Dennis DeYoung than Pete Townshend. For an instant hook rush, dial in the rollicking early release single “In California.” Or check out the Oasis-y “The College Year.” I’d swear “My Jaded Love” is right off a 1983 playlist from somewhere, Sean so nails the sound and style of that year. The rest of the album is chock full of melody pleasers, like the Beatlesque “Over and Over Again” and swinging “Back to You.” Currently I’m hitting replay on the magisterial should-be hit single, “She’s a Monster” with its wonderful jaunty feel and ELO touches on the background vocals. And I’m also partial to the album’s near closer, the somber, touching, mostly acoustic “I’ve Returned.” As the bells toll and groove runs out on this record I can definitely say A Tale from the Other Side has been worth the ten year wait between Sean solo releases.

The Airport 77’s, Peaces, and Timmy Sean are three good reasons to buy some new music. Amble over to their internet real estate or check out the usual e-music shopping stops and make it so.

Prescribing for pop pandemics

22 Friday Jan 2021

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In all the fuss about our present pandemic it’s easy to forget the still lingering effects of past afflictions. For instance, there’s a untreatable malady that ravaged the world for a number of years in the early to mid-1960s that continues to gain new victims to this day. I’m talking about Beatlemania, of course. And while there is no cure, the condition can be managed with strong, regular doses of melodic rock and roll, preferably layered with dollops of jangly guitar and effervescent harmony vocals. Now my Ph.D. doesn’t normally allow me to prescribe in this area but – what the hell – I’m going to recommend the following artists and their music to help manage your condition.

It was finding Frankie Siragusa recent concept album, Goodbye My Love – a reworking of songs Lennon-McCartney gave away but as if the Beatles had intended to include them on Rubber Soul or Revolver – that got me on this Beatlemania jag. What Siragusa accomplishes on the record is pretty impressive, with a little help from indie all-star friends (like members of The Posies, Jellyfish, and others). In the end, the results are not unlike what Apple Jam has done over the years. Stand out tracks for me include the exquisitely McCartney-esque “Goodbye” and the lovely spare “I’ll Be On My Way” but for some reason the more early period-sounding “I’m In Love” is what I gotta feature here. The band here nails the early 1965 feel. The record is the product of creative music company Reimagine Music who just happen to have two other Beatles-themed records, one recreating Rubber Soul (Looking Through You) and the other Revolver (Tomorrow Never Knows). From the former I love Bombadil’s folky deconstruction of “Drive My Car” and Olin and the Moon’s “Run For Your Life.” From the latter Jake Mann and the Upper Hand add a slow grind hypnotic element to “Taxman.”

Frankie Siragusa – I’m In Love
Bombadil – Drive My Car
Olin and the Moon – Run for Your Life
Jake Mann and the Upper Hand – Taxman

I used to think ‘why bother’ trying to cover the Beatles. It’s not like you’re going to improve on what the world’s greatest band could do. But I think that was shaped by growing up in the 1970s. Frankly, I just didn’t prefer what those cover artist were doing (MOR Beatles? Yuck!). But into the 1980s people starting taking Beatles covers in directions I could dig. Sometimes it’s just the subtle changes in harmonies that you can hear on Mike Carpenter and The Album Show’s take on “Baby’s in Black” or The Beat-less strongly Spanish-accented “From Me to You.” By contrast, Richard Snow Hattersley just pushes all the constituent elements of “Another Girl” just a little bit further, a bit more twang, a bit more rootsy feel. And then there’s the occasionally brilliant repositioning of a Beatles classic in a new register, like Caspar Babypants’ more upbeat “Mother Nature’s Son.” No more summer field acoustic guitar noodling for this happy go lucky boy. Similarly Timmy Sean adds a bit Beach Boys piano and vocal oomph to “You’re Going to Lose That Girl.” Or there’s Robyn Gibson’s Byrdsian folk rock version of “There’s a Place.” Once you hear it, it’s like ‘ya, that works!’

The Beat-less – From Me to You
Caspar Babypants – Mother Nature’s Son

The best dose for a spot of Beatlemania is, of course, something from the Fab Four themselves. Let’s assail your symptoms with the Beatles covering themselves, sort of, with this great Live at the BBC recording of “I’ll Be On My Way.” I was a sucker for this version when I first heard it on Beatles bootleg I picked up somewhere in the 1980s.

The Beatles – I’ll Be On My Way

In these troubled times it’s great to rely on some tried and true melodic remedies. Now initial reactions to this treatment might be fevered excitement but you can relax as that usually gives way to a measured contentment in short order.

Poprock Records’ 25 must-have LPs for 2020

18 Monday Jan 2021

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I know, you’re too busy to scour the racks for great singles. If only you could find some great albums to kick back with? Something to slip on the old record player and enjoy with a cool drink. Well here at Poprock Record we feel your pain. So we’ve assembled the crack team you see above to vet the very best LPs from throughout the year that was 2020. The kids may be a tad young for martinis but do not doubt their vinyl erudition and exquisite taste. From more than a hundred possibilities they’ve whittled things down to an essential 25 albums that you must possess to say you’ve really experienced the past twelve months of melodic music. Fill your K-Tel Record Selector with these super fantastic long players!

So, let’s get to it – Poprock Record’s 25 must-have LPs for 2020:

1. Gregory Pepper and His Problems I Know Why You Cry
2. The Happy Fits What Could Be Better
3. Nite Sobs Do the Sob!
4. Mo Troper Natural Beauty
5. Mom Pleasure Island
6. The Rockyts Come On and Dance
7. Peggy Sue Vices
8. Chris Church Backwards Compatible
9. Richard Turgeon Sea Change
10. Juniper Juniper
11. Dave Kuchler It’s Pronounced …
12. The Vapour Trails Golden Sunshine
13. El Goodo Zombie
14. Geoff Palmer and Lucy Ellis Your Face is Weird
15. Vanilla Limerance
16. Bad Moves Untenable
17. Blitzen Trapper Holy Smokes Future Jokes
18. The August Teens I’m Selfish and So Is My Cat
19. Jim Shorts Late to the Feast
20. John Dunbar Oh Wellness
21. Gary Ritchie Head on a Swivel
22. Ed Ryan Even Time
23. The Yum Yums For Those About to Pop!
24. Nick Pipitone Thiensville
25. The Speedways Radio Days

Gregory Pepper dominated my listening for 2020 with his outrageously good I Know Why You Cry. The album was his own specially curated re-recordings of tracks originally composed during his year long Song-of-the-Week extravaganza. There’s whimsy, there’s pathos, there’s references to Enya. It’s the kind of poprock that makes my heart burst, a never-fail mood improver. Coming up second this year was the kick-ass second album from The Happy Fits, What Could Be Better. Other than Pepper, I’m hard pressed to suggest anything. This whole album is a killer production that puts the cello at the centre of melodic rock and roll (where it belongs). Here are songs and performances that inspire descriptions like ‘thrilling’ and ‘exciting’. And then there’s the extreme hooky pleasantness of Nite Sobs throughout Do The Sob! An impressive head-bopping good time. And so on. All the records here really pay dividends via repeated listens so carve out some time to enjoy them. The great lost art of an album-long musical vision lives on with these 25 selections.

Next up, Poprock Record’s top five EPs for 2020:

1. Gregory Pepper Under a Heather Moon
2. David Woodard Grand Scheme of Things
3. Danny McDonald Modern Architecture
4. Brad Marino False Alarm
5. Aaron Lee Tasjan Found Songs Vol. 1

What?! Another Pepper selection topping the chart. Fear not dear reader, our completely unscientific selection process has not erred here. Hey, I just really like Pepper’s stuff. And he is crazy talented, as is obvious from this stylistically varied and pumped up collection of song snippets, 10 in all amounting to just 15 minutes of music. But what a ride. I mean, just check out the brilliant 17 second track, “Do Sports.” I want more! These other EPs are pretty special too and fabulous for those times when you can barely sit down and squeeze in a quick sherry.

And let’s not forget, Poprock Record’s best compilations for 2020:

1. Garden of Earthly Delights: An XTC Celebration
2. Wild Honey Records: The Benefit of Things to Come
3. John Wicks: For the Record

2020 tried our patience but, glass half full, it did provide a bit of downtime. That allowed for a lot more album listening than normal and what a treat that turned out to be. And given the impact of 2020 on live music, artists need albums sales more than ever. So let the rewards flow freely from your e-wallet to theirs.

Time capsule take 5: Tim Burgess, Dirty Girls, Valley Lodge, The Squirrels, and the Rosquettes

13 Wednesday Jan 2021

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I mostly write about new music but all the time I’m discovering great tunes I somehow missed when they first came out. Some were successful on release but many missed connecting with an audience. So let’s take five and crack open the time capsule to give these tunes another shot at stardom.

Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess has had his share of success and even put out a fab new solo album just this past year. But today we’re reaching back to 2003 for his first solo album I Believe to spin “Oh My Corazon,” a delightful bit of jaunty poprock. Reminds me a little of Brendon Benson in its overall pop texture and textbook hooks.

Tim Burgess – Oh My Corazon

Described as ‘garage rock hedonists’ by some, I hear a smoother sound from Columbus, Ohio band Dirty Girls, at least listening to their ‘free to download’ 2011 EP Yoko No No. This is perhaps a more rudimentary version of Guster-style melodic rock and roll with a bit of Sugar Ray thrown in. The whole EP is great but right now I’m digging “Overblown” with its low-key jangle and dynamic vocal punch.

New York City’s Valley Lodge have been particularly successful getting their tunes on TV shows and it’s easy to hear why. Their songs have an immediately embraceable quality, a sonic sharpness in the mix of vocals and guitar hooks. But check out the classic sound on “Hey” from their 2005 self-titled debut. This one screams maximum rotation hit single to me, so ear-worm right out of the gate.

Tracking down info on The Squirrels single “Hey You” is not easy. This band is not the legendary Seattle group but they might be connected to screenwriter/filmmaker/actor Victor Colicchio’s 1970s punk group The Dead Squirrels. In any event, I love the song’s strong retro vibe, DIY feel and Merseybeat structure. iTunes clocks the song as 2013 but I suspect that is just a re-release date for a much older song, like 1977-78-ish.

The Squirrels – Hey You

The Rosquettes hail from Seville, Spain and they’ve got a great 1960s rock and roll sound that vibes all the great acts – the Kinks, the Beatles, a bit of the Monkees, Love – you get the picture. So far I’ve found thee EPs and an album on Bandcamp, with three available for nada dinero. All the albums have great artwork, equal parts pop art and spaghetti western. And the guitar hooks – they are just outta sight on tracks like “Branches” and “Shaker Pack” (both from We Could Have Been Bigger Than …) and Mr. Farmer (from First Covers). I was tempted to feature “Hard to be Sam Bell” from the most recent release Edible Incredible! but in the end I was hypnotized by the more gritty “A House is Not a Motel.” For melodic rocking out in a most 1960s way, check these guys out.

Time is an illusion, all our yesterdays are today, and yesteryear’s singles could be hits today. Why not take a moment to appreciate these time capsule treats in the here and now. You’ll be glad you did.

Poprock Record’s should-be hit singles of 2020

09 Saturday Jan 2021

Posted by in Should be a Hit Single

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2020 was weird like no weirdness we’d experienced before. Thank goodness the music didn’t let us down. Paraphrasing some 1970s disk jockey, the should-be hits just kept on coming! My top 50 singles for 2020 covers the usual range of styles I jam into the poprock category, from Buddy Holly 1950s to Buck Owens country to various shades of jangle and new wave. I’m not saying these are the 50 best songs of the year, I’m saying these 50 had the hooks to keep me hitting repeat again and again. If Poprock Record were a radio station these tunes would have been in heavy rotation all this past year. The hyperlinks below will take you to the original post about each artist as they first appeared on the blog.

So let’s get to it, Poprock Record’s should-be hit singles for 2020:

1. Mo Troper “Your Boy”
2. Gregory Pepper and his Problems “Unsolved Mystery”
3. Dave Kuchler “Slave to Katy”
4. Emperor Penguin “You’ll Be the Death of Me”
5. Brian Jay Cline “Two Left Feet”
6. Hanemoon “Sunday Afternoon”
7. Danny McDonald “Cordyline”
8. Chris Church “Something’s Coming Fast”
9. Peralta “In Your Mind”
10. Steven Wright-Mark “Underground”
11. Brett Newski “Grow Your Garden”
12. Lolas “Wrecking Yard”
13. Peggy Sue “Motorcade”
14. Searching for Sylvia “SEMA (Sunday Evening Misery Attack)”
15. The Vapor Trails “Behind You”
16. The Well Wishers “We Grow Up”
17. The Top Boost “Tell Me That You’re Mine”
18. The Click Beetles “Don’t You Call My Name”
19. The Memories “Second Try”
20. The Bye Bye Blackbirds “Watch Them Chime”
21. Lisa Mycols and Super 8 “Honey Bee”
22. Nite Sobs “I Could Tell You”
23. Nick Pipitone “Hear Me Out Thienville”
24. David Myles “Loving You is Easy”
25. El Goodo “Home”
26. Steven Bradley “Pre-Emptive Strike”
27. The Happy Fits “No Instructions”
28. Greg Pope “Jump Back from the Light”
29. Mom “I Want You to Feel What I Feel”
30. The Amplifier Heads “Man on the Edge of a Ledge Contemplating a Jump”
31. Blitzen Trapper “Masonic Temple Microdose #1”
32. Dave Rave and the Governors “I Don’t Think So”
33. The Rockyts “Break My Heart Again”
34. The Feels “She’s Probably Not Thinking of Me”
35. Nuevos Hobbies “No Puedo Esperar”
36. David Woodard “Grand Scheme of Things”
37. Esther Rose “Keeps Me Running”
38. Talk Show “This Monologue”
39. Geoff Palmer and Lucy Ellis “Swim”
40. Irene Pena “Own Sweet Time”
41. Ed Woltil “When We Fall in Love”
42. Papills “What to Call It”
43. The August Teens “Crestfallen”
44. Richard Turgeon “Higher”
45. Nick Piunti and the Complicated Men “Bright Light”
46. Tom Curless and the 46% “Just Wanna Talk”
47. Brandi Ediss “Bees and Bees and Bees”
48. Mothboxer “Accelerator”
49. Honeywagen “For Love”
50. Nicholas Altobelli “Ghost”

So many great songs! So hard to make distinctions amongst them … But this year’s chart topper Mo Troper has got something really special going on with “Your Boy.” The track is a case study in should-be hit single construction and execution, from the opening guitar hooks to the silky smooth pop vocal to the exquisite synthesis of musical elements, like the plinky piano, the dash of distorted guitar here and there. The song is the earworm equivalent of a Dutch masters miniature painting. A very close second this year came from the boundlessly talented Canuck Gregory Pepper and his Problems with “Unsolved Mystery.” I can’t get enough of Pepper’s creative songwriting and unique approach to instrumentation. The song is a hook cocktail, a nonstop aural assault of vocal and instrumental melody. Former Soul Engines member Dave Kuchler slots into number 3 with an amazing comeback single, “Slave to Katy,” a song that ripples with Springsteen organ and hooky guitar leads. This is melodic heartland rock and roll at its best. Releasing an album and three EPs in 2020, Emperor Penguin definitely win the productivity award. But I’d have been happy if they’d just released one song, the Byrdsian “You’ll Be the Death of Me.” Rounding out the top 5 Brian Jay Cline “Two Left Feet” gives the harmonica a work out on a great driving poprock number. And I could go on about the remaining 45 should-be hits but for more on the rest of the list hit the hyperlinks for my original write-ups on each.

This year’s special mention award goes to Mondello for his wonderfully quirky one-off single “My Girl Goes By.” After taking 20 years putting together his debut album one year later there’s no sign of a sophomore slump with this follow up single. From the Tijuana horns to the unique guitar work to the way the hooky swinging chorus emerges out the discordant and offbeat body of the song, it’s magic. More? Yes please!

2020 has been devastating for artists that rely on live performances to make ends meet. Now more than ever it’s crucial that we all pull together to support music and the music-makers financially. Give what you can, buy directly from artists whenever you can, and share links for the music you discover with your friends and acquaintances.