Canadian character-sketch songwriter Gregory Pepper has given up a lot for Lent this year. His new album No More Skulls says goodbye to said craniums and his old band The Problems. But his unerring knack for highly tuneful, incredibly short songs remains in place.
What we have here is 10 songs running just shy of 16 minutes, helpfully stitched together in some places into a seemingly seamless wall of song that shifts and undulates with striking tempo changes and creative choices when it comes to instruments. Album opener “No More Skulls” slinks in, slow and broody with somebody’s hand clearly dragging the tape speed intermittently. But half way through things blow up in a variety of ways, all good. The instrumental “Gopnik Prelude” that follows shifts the mood like a Wes Anderson film soundtrack before the vaudeville-esque “God Made You Weak” pumps up the energy. Four songs in “Cardinal Song” gets us closer to Pepper’s signature sophistico-pop sound and the sheen practically glistens. But steady yourself for the should-be single “Baby Tooth.” This is a compositionally rich piece of work with a seductive keyboard line and a dark tint to the melodic tone that colours the song. The rest of the album shifts gears like a premium automatic drive. “Lean On” has a new wave Cars elan, the guitars and handclaps so conjure the period. “Get Well Soon” is pop-folkie, acoustic-guitar simplicity itself. “We Don’t Have to Talk” evokes Jon Brion’s distinctive sonic mood for me. Then there’s “Bloodmobile.” At just 18 seconds of cartoon-worthy tune-age, it does an impressive job of establishing its many melodic themes so quickly. The record wraps with “Happy Days Theme Song,” a song that is pleasantness itself, just ambling along until a notable shift at the two-thirds mark increases the sense of urgency. It’s a genius move that draws the listener back from the lulling going on earlier.
My advice? Grab the popcorn and settle in somewhere to really enjoy Gregory Pepper’s No More Skulls. It’s got the pacing and colourful characters of a late night flick at the all-nite movie house. But don’t look away, things move fast at Camp Pepper. Undoubtedly you’ll probably miss something hella clever.
Toronto singer-songwriter Jonathan Davies performs in parallel worlds, one recognizably song structured, the other breaking its rules in unpredictable ways. Songs like “Parallel Elton” and “Beethoven Girl” wear the cleverness gene like a They Might Be Giants deep cut. They’re based on fun concepts with music that makes us stretch beyond the ordinary but still, we can easily follow along. But others like “Runalong Sue” make us work a little harder, morphing halfway through from a Randy Newman kind of story song to something else completely. Needle-dropping across Davies’ bandcamp pages one is tempted to paste a musical theatre label across his ouvre, given its penchant for story exposition and social commentary. “When Larry Jon Played” has a very Lyle Lovett country storytelling style while “Devil’s Cleft” casts its story with a more acoustic folk guitar feel. You definitely get a Broadway sense of musical tension on “Venus, Our Neighbour.”
But the theatre angle doesn’t quite capture everything Davies is offering up. Songs like “Wilson Siding,” “Give a Penny, Take and Penny,” and “Lipstick Smears” all reach for a more commercial folk pop sheen we might associate with Paul Simon or Harry Nilsson or Suzanne Vega. They’re hooky, lingering, sonically sophisticated. By contrast “Incorrigible Germany” leans on the smarts, like Randy Newman but without the cheek. Others like “Until I’ve Heard You Sing” and “Those Eyes: A Coming-Of-Age Novelty Ballad” are touching in their confessional directness and musical simplicity. Davies also writes, sings and records in French. I don’t what he’s on about in “Ton histoire reste a raconteur” but I love the sonic groove he’s got going.
Back in 2015 Davies claimed (in song) that he’d “Already Written All My Good Songs.” But given what we’ve heard here it’s apparent that wasn’t true. Here’s hoping he’ll continue to prove himself wrong.
Check out his worlds of music at his website and bandcamp locations.
Hold the presses, there’s more breaking music news out there that’s fit to print. Apparently the world is awash in zombies, ruffians and forces deliberately designed to test you. And Randy’s. Plenty of them too.
I’ve been meaning to write about the Zombies of the Stratosphere for quite a while. Their records sound so precise and pristine, just layer on layer of sonic goodness. The new LP is Shot An Arrow, their first to hit to record shelves in four long years. “If You’re Into It” amounts to a strong opening with a sound like a cross between XTC and the Alan Parsons Project. Love the organ riffs. Title track “Shot An Arrow” is full of They Might Be Giants whimsy. “Long Way” also leans on keyboards to create a particular pop atmosphere. But there’s surprises awaiting those who dig a bit further into the record. Country gets a look in on “California Waits,” “Whistling Wind,” and “Shut Out the Light,” the latter dialing up a bit of Memphis sort of Beatles. Then again “Bones Don’t Lie” and “Sister Sundown” rock things up a bit more. I’d single out “Mercy Rider” as a should-be hit. The song alternates punchy lead guitar and organ work in a Crowded House kind of melodic workout. Or check out how “30 Guns” vibes a bit early 1970s Moody Blues. Closing number “Vacancy Arms” is another standout XTC-ish number reminiscent of the Nonesuch era, with a touch of the Eagles here and there.
Ambience meets straight up rock and roll heart on Born Ruffians album #9 Beauty’s Pride. Whether they are going straight for the rock jugular on songs like “Do” or delicately traipsing into the open emotional field that is title track “Beauty’s Pride,” this is a band that knows how to take you on a sonic ride. Things open with other-worldly synth before gelling into the dance-able “Mean Time.” “To Be Seen” keeps the indie rock dance vibe going in a solid bit of potential single-age. Then “What a Ride” shuffles the poprock deck again and again. By contrast “Let You Down” has a wonderfully English guitar pop consistency. As the album starts to slow down the songs feature fun sonic additions. “Can We Go Now” intersperses what sounds like 1980s video game sound effects. “Supersonic Man” sounds like a slowed down David Bowie. I love the spare instrumental and emotional intensity of “Hi” and its crashing chorus. “In the Meantime” is so lulling, counter-posing a stark up-front vocal and fuzzy guitar chords.
LA’s Force Model launch their EP Barricade with psych guitars and a fattened up vocal sound on opening track “All Expectations” that is just so damn alluring. What could be next? “Barricade” is noisy in a math rock kind of way. “Nothing At All” turns up the melody quotient without necessarily turning down the guitar amps. The bristling lead guitar licks on this track repeat in a way that is captivating. But nothing will prepare you for the outstanding should-be hit single “How Can One Girl Be So Sad?” Man, this track is a hook beast, melding vocals that tip between the Bryds and Britpop with a melody that is a ferocious ear worm. I’ve already hit repeat countless times! And then things are over all too soon with the light-then-crunchy closer “Pisces Dreamboat.” What a blast of melodic rock goodness this EP is.
Here to bring on some pop sweetness and light Randy Klawon offers us six pop wonders on his new EP Sunday’s Child. Inspired by the super-charged pop hooks of bands like the Beatles, Monkees and Raspberries, Klawon’s efforts could easily slip onto radio playlists covering the 1970s and 1980s. Title track “Sunday’s Child” sets the bar high, with top rank production and musical arrangements. This one really sounds so radio ready, heavy rotation. “Sleep Tight” has a rough and ready Beatlesque pop quality with solid Harrison sound-alike lead licks. Then “Every Name in the Book” turns up the jangle and buffets the main vocal with great back-up vocal support. Both “All You Really Need” and “Let’s Do It Again” are pop gems with striking guitar work. At just 18 minutes long, Sunday’s Child is over before you’re quite ready to see it end.
I’d say that’s all from the news-desk but frankly there’s plenty more on the story board. Keep tuning in for frequent updates.
Photo ‘Found Kodachrome Slide” courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.
Covers can feel like an artistic cheat. Why write something new when there’s a wealth of material out there that’s already proven to be popular? But covers can be an equally exquisite creative outlet in the right artistic hands. So here we pull out some pretty fabulous covers from acts that certainly know their own way around a songwriter’s desk.
Our first song triplet reaches back to the sixties and seventies. Robert Crenshaw steps out of his brother’s shadow on his 2003 long-player Dog Days and takes on a real classic pop wonder with a cover of The Vogues 1966 hit “Five O’Clock World.” Artists as varied as Julian Cope, The Proclaimers and Bowling for Soup have taken a stab at it but Crenshaw’s version really lands. Mark Ward’s new album Translator offers a wide range of covers but his take on Badfinger’s “Baby Blue” hits the power pop guitar and vocal marks. Sometimes artists seem to deliberately take up material pretty far flung from their usual melodic haunts. Like Mark Aaron James’ cover of ABBA’s “The Name of the Game.” This is not an easy song to knock off at karaoke. It’s got strange pacing, plenty of tempo change-ups, and a melody that curves in unusual ways. James gets the tune across in an original way.
Robert Crenshaw – Five O’Clock WorldMark Aaron James – The Name of the Game
Moving toward the new wave turn of the decade capping off the 1970s The Pictures lead guy Davey Lane gives us a less English version of Squeeze’s kitchen-sink singalong “Up the Junction.” It’s got a rougher edge, slightly less winsome, perhaps more drink-along than sing-along – but good. The Dahlmanns know their Tom Petty and give us a taste on their 2024 Lucky EP. Their version of “A Thing About You” is less snarly, more power poppy, and utterly delightful. By contrast, Canadian Jeremy Fisher deconstructs The Cars super-hit “My Best Friend’s Girl,” adding mischief, some pipe solos, and background vocals with just enough cheese to be enjoyably ironic.
Arriving in the 1980s The Extensions reinvent the Simple Minds’ iconic movie tune “Don’t You (Forget About Me).” They seem to slow things down, lower the angst level, but dial into the song’s sincere heart. Lisa Mychols likes to collaborate and her new vehicle is The High Frequencies. Catch their magnetic cover of David Bowie’s “Modern Love.” It’s another song that sounds so easy to do but needs a certain kind of energy to really come together – this band does it justice. Another artist that is hard to cover is Aimee Mann. Her work is just so her that it’s hard to imagine other possible versions. But Marti Jones, another artist with a distinctive vocal approach, pulls it off on her cover of Mann’s “Put Me on Top” from her 1993 solo debut Whatever.
Marti Jones – Put Me On Top
Wrapping up this covers extravaganza is an elegant re-make of Elliott Smith’s “Waltz #2 (XO)” from the ever so piano-delightful Sofa City Sweetheart. The accompaniment is spare, just piano and Juan Antonio Lopez’s aching vocals.
Photo ‘Found Kodachrome Slide’ courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.
Canadian folk popster Jeremy Fisher has been getting back to his earlier material lately. Let It Shine Redux is his latest installment of re-recording his earlier material, this time an acoustic reworking of his first major label LP. A lot of artists have been drawn to the redux path in the last two decades, mostly to squeeze a bit more on the royalty side away from record companies. The first instance I recall was Squeeze’s Spot the Difference LP from 2010. The band’s reasoning was pretty straight up. With boomer nostalgia fueling the use of 1980s music in movies and TV the band wanted their re-recorded versions to be licensed for use instead of the ones owned by their former record company. And who can blame them. In Fisher’s case though, as he never really broke that big commercially, the reasoning might be different. This time out is a bit different from his 2022 reworking of Goodbye Blue Monday, retitled Hello Blue Monday. That record completely retooled the musical approach, different instruments, sometimes different tempos. But Let It Shine Redux is more of an acoustic treatment, reducing the earlier record’s pop complexity to just acoustic guitars (rhythm and lead) and vocals (background and lead). And these are not even the first acoustic takes as a number of tunes from the record have already appeared in stripped down form on Fisher’s Acoustic Songbook I and II. Still, the versions here are different from all others and definitely worth the return visit.
The album features the same tracks as the original in the same running order. Opener “Lemon Meringue Pie” sets the all-acoustic tone and I’ll confess I worried as it got going that things might be too stripped down here. But when the chorus kicked in that Fisher magic simply could not be contained. Other songs like “Suckerpunch” and “High School” gain a fresh punch with these new arrangements while should-have-been hits like “Singing on the Sidewalk” sound no less AM radio fabulous. A number of songs from the original album were already pretty folky (e.g. “Fall For Anything,” “Drunk on Your Tears”) so Redux gives Fisher a chance to strike a different folk pose. And he does, drawing out new melodic possibilities from his material. That’s the thing about Fisher, he makes it all sound so simple, obscuring his songwriting prowess. Always more Paul Simon than Bob Dylan, Fisher’s material is usually hummable, often sing-along-able, sometimes just reverently moving. What I loved about Let It Shine was Fisher’s knack for getting just the right balance of quirky instrumentation and reliable hooks. Let It Shine Redux alters that balance for sure but the results are fresh and lively and no less compelling.
On his website Fisher muses about getting material together for an album of new material. That can’t happen soon enough. Stock up on your Fisher catalogue at Bandcamp or his own retail space to help make that a reality.
Today’s turn of the dial brings back a number of legends and old faves. It definitely pays to be tuned in.
After a 22 year hiatus Power Pop Hall of Famers Splitsville have reunited to produce a dynamic blast of what they do best – i.e. give us guitar-surging melodic rock without fault – on a new LP entitled Mobtown. The record is a concept album and not since HBO’s The Wire has Baltimore been given such an artistically critical appraisal. Attention to the American working class is paramount throughout, though with particular emphasis on “Beth Steel” and “Penn Station.” Musically, the record covers a range of indie styles from the past two decades. Opening cut “Cold Open” combines synthesizer riffs and a wall of guitars in a style not unlike The Dandy Warhols. “A Glorious Life” keeps the amps humming on high with a crunchy Fountains of Wayne-like set of hooks. Both “Southern Hospitality” and “Gray” address Baltimore’s longstanding issues of race. “I Hate Going To Hutzler’s” is the radio-ready single, so boppy and unpredictable. “Fallsway” takes things in different direction with some decidedly piano-centric poprock. But my personal fave is “Perry Hall” with its subtle Costello ring to it.
Consummate indie rocker Richard Turgeon has got an immediately recognizable style. But with each album he puts out his songwriting continues to evolve. Album #6 Shungite is no exception. Right out the gate Turgeon casts his spell with title track “Shungite,” an aural assault of strident guitars held aloft by some solid melodic hooks. Meanwhile “Song of Discontent” alternates between a soft and hard seductive dissonance. “Signs” throws its hook out early with a catchy lead guitar line before settling into a Sugar Ray kind of groove. “This is the Last Song (I Write for You)” is another great blast full-on guitar hookery. “Small Fry” and “Deep Cuts” offer something different, the former rocking out, the latter working a more alluring drone. I also love the transcendent shimmer defining the vocals on “All Good Things Must Come to an End.” Another exceptional cut is “I Won’t Cry” with its otherworldly oscillation between restrained verses and an high impact chorus. Then Turgeon wraps things up with another surprise, the low-key “Hit My Ceiling” animated by some very Byrdsian guitar work. Shungite is more reliably great work from Richard Turgeon.
On Big Hits and Freak Disasters Alabama’s Lolas give a melodic boost to the class struggle and then some. “Work is the Blackmail of Survival” gives you the essence of Marx’s theory of exploitation but it has never been so hummably rendered. “Shut Me Down” repudiates America’s rising totalitarianism with a 1960s poprock punch. Then “Call Your Name” turns the amps up to 11, sounding a bit like the Kinks when they really let go. Not that life is all struggle and strife here. There’s good dose of lovelorn longing too. Both “Underneath the Waves” and “From the Start” are great shimmery guitar pop songs about love. Band leader Tim Boykin’s mastery of 1960s-derived song styles is on full display on this record on tracks like “Jacqui” and the more folkie “I Wish You a Happy Journey.” But he’s also not afraid to push things in more a more punky direction on “All Sewn Up” and “I Couldn’t Stop It,” at least early on, before those super sweet pop hooks kick in. Other highlights for me include the clashy guitar pop of “Trick Myself” and the Nick Lowe-in-Rockpile mode-ish “Down We Go.” This record is full of should-be hits, no musical disasters. It’s a winner from start to finish.
Tuning in to your penchant for power pop, today’s acts are all on your wavelength. Get a repeat broadcast via the hyperlinks above.
Jaime Orr’s “Somebody Like You” starts innocently enough, even a bit on the low key side of things. But once it gets going the song builds quickly, adding layer upon layer of sonic goodness, only to hammer things home in a killer chorus. With a Matthew Sweet kind of melodic drone defining what’s up front, you can’t help but appreciate all the little things sprinkled throughout the tune. I love the way the background vocals creep up at various melodic turns. There’s even a bit of B52’s vocal punch here and there. And all along the ringing electric guitar work keeps grinding away, a solid backdrop for everything else that is working overtime here.
Perusing the usual musical services I see a little over a dozen singles from Orr, most wielding solid, chunky electric guitar hooks while a few take up a softer poprock style. Surely there’s enough here for an album? Stylistically I think they fit together as a coherent artist statement, though to my ears he’s really coming into own as a songwriter/performer with recent cuts like “Heartache,” “Not Below You or Above,” and of course “Somebody Like You” in nailing down his powered poprock chops.
Keep your ears open for Ireland’s Jaime Orr. He’s something big about to happen.
You never know when a dancing and singing mood will strike. Best to be stocked up with a ready source of material to draw from. Our four selections here will have you breaking out in song and trying out moves you didn’t know you had.
The inspiration for today’s post title comes from Tom Henry’s fabulous new collection of songs, Songs to Sing and Dance To. Henry is one of those random ‘if you like’ suggestions I picked up listening to someone else on Bandcamp. I’m so glad I was lured in! As the record’s presser claims, the LP’s got a bit of power pop, garage rock, psych, and folk going on. But let’s be frank, there’s a lot of Big Star happening here. Opening cut “Close Your Eyes” is a big bold Big Star/Byrdsian delight with harmony vocals that are shivery good. The Alex Chilton influence continues on tracks like “Closer Than Before” and “Oh, I Missed the Sun,” the latter echoing the emotional cadence of “Thirteen.” Hit single? Surely “I’ll Miss You” with its Big Star-meets-Apples in Stereo sound. The instrumental choices here are a bit wacky but work. “Bella” takes things in a different direction with a bit more of a Latin feel. Folk rock gets a work out on the Dylanesque “Look to my Side” and “Going Steady.” “Art House” leans into the Farfisa organ in a way that reminds me of Squeeze or Nick Lowe. Or listen to how “But I Loved Her” is just so Beatle Paul. Another candidate for hit single-age would be “Do You Want To Be With Me?” which has a folk pop sweetness akin to the Cyrkle. Album closer “Be Mine, Forever” is pop so good it’ll make you swoon.
The Jeanines’How Long Can It Last is an cathartic album experience, emotionally deep without even trying. I’m hearing so many possible influences, from Peggy Seeger to Vashti Bunyan, to the Springfields to the Smiths. Opening cut “To Fall” features Alicia Jeanine’s plaintive vocals in such a striking way. Indeed, her vocal talents are what adds a degree of genius to what is going on here. Should-be hit single “What’s Done Is Done” leaks a Smiths kind of emotional tonality and intensity. Another possible single is definitely “On and On,” a tune that shifts from pretty good to great in the chorus, where the medieval vocal effect is gob-stoppingly good. “You’ll Figure It Out” mines a sixties folk pop vein while “Satisfied” is just great guitar pop. “Wrong Direction” reminds me of the pleasant pop of The Happy Somethings. I love the aching quality informing so many cuts here, like “What’s Lost” and “How Long Can It Last.” This is a moving album that is both emotionally gorgeous and lingering in its impact.
I’ve been digging Autocamper releases all this past year, none of which appear on the band’s first long-player What Do You Do All Day? That speaks of a certain kind of confidence, for sure. The ten tunes here continue to develop the band’s unique sound, combining a twee pop sensibility with a keen appreciation for unique instrumental choices. Listen to how opening cut “Again” kicks off with clashy guitars only to cut the effect with a running-brook kind of electric keyboard riff. Both “Dogsitting” and “Foxes” work a similar magic crossing-cutting guitars and keyboards in a dynamic tension. “Proper” leans on the organ to carry things along into the chorus where an army of guitars come in for support. “Street View” slows things down without losing sight to the band’s distinctive melodic charms.
Sure The Airport 77s are all about a kind of late 1970s new wave rock and roll sound. Their new album Don’t Let Go doesn’t mess with the formula but that doesn’t mean they’re just idling on the tarmac. They continue to develop their considerable songwriting talents on this release. If you were there in the 1980s these songs are like a new lease on that life. If you weren’t there then these tracks can let you pretend you were. “1999 (Take Me Back)” gives you a pretty clear indication of what is to come, with a strong a blast of retro guitar and prominent bass work. “Like Falling in Love” then dials up the melodic hooks. “Anyone But You” is the first of the monster should-be hit singles included here, in the style of poprock masters like Cheap Trick. “Make ’Em Pay (Don’t Make It Easy)” even vibes a bit of country energy. “Summer Can’t Wait” is another radio ready bit of single-age. But if I had to choose just one song to launch this album I’d choose “Don’t Let Go.” So smooth and hooky! There’s variety here for sure, with a Knack kind of energy on “She’s Everything” or a more Beatlesque turn to “The Hands of Time.” This is one return trip to the 1980s that definitely deserves a five star rating.
Plenty here to sing about or work out a bit of soft shoe. The secret is practice, of course. Click on the hyperlinks to get the lyrics and the dance moves down.
K-Tel had it coming and going in the 1970s. Single albums, double albums, double albums released as two single albums, and every combination in between. The point was, if they had concept that was selling they would keep selling it, any which way they could. In our second installment of Piping Hot Hits we take heed from the K-Tel gods and lay it on heavy.
Listen to how Fara San make their main guitar sing on “Long Lost Lover.” Lovingly exuding a 1960s folk rock vibe but deployed in a wholly different song register, more post-millennium indie rock with sweetly sung vocals. You never know quite what you’re going to get with any new release from The Krayolas. Could be a great lost unreleased track or a brand new retro charmer. “Surf’s Down” comes from a batch of songs recorded back in 1979 that never saw light of day. The Beach Boys notes are obvious but there’s hints of Harry Nilsson and Burt Bacharach too. Nashville’s The Tummies are also working the sixties side of the street on their self-proclaimed ‘summer ’25 road trip single.’ “Send Me a Picture” is an effortless bit of Beatlesque pop. A new Sloan album is certainly something to celebrate. Based on a Best Seller is due out in September but right now we’ve got “Live Together” and it’s everything that makes the band today’s most reliable should-be hit makers. It’s all hooks and harmonies, both familiar and surprising. And yet as they sing in this song, “The ‘90s nostalgia that you feel Is nothing compared to what’s to come.” So September can’t come soon enough. Danny Patrick is a guy who records great songs and put them up on the internet for free or whatever you want to pay. And it is great stuff. Like “A Girl Like You.” You’d swear this is time capsule 1980s radio find. The guitar sound could be any rough melodic FM rock radio band from the era while the harmony vocals conjure groups with a slight country edge.
Jean Caffeine’s new single “I Know You Know I Know” is a genius bit of pop restraint. It sounds so simple but the melodic arc shifts between an Everly Brothers and Marti Jones feel. The selection of subtle musical adornments are inspired. What is Joe Dilillo doing on his new single? Would we say it’s mining Billy Joel or perhaps Gilbert O’Sullivan? “When It Comes To Us” is such a beautiful tune, it definitely stands on its own but the melodic shading offers up hints of the masters in the details. Movie Movie’s muscular guitar pop rock returns on “After Hours” with a splash of 1980s synth, like The Fixx stopped by to jam. The Len Price 3 keep on rocking like it’s 1979 with their new song “Emily’s Shop.” It’s got a feel like The Jam or The Primitives and what’s not to like about that? Bret Tobias from The Bret Tobias Set is now apparently hanging out with Marty Wilson-Piper from the legendary Australian band The Church so not surprisingly his new song sounds pretty 1981 in the very best way. Just listen to the guitar shimmer dripping all over “Happiness Writes White.” Melodic magic!
The Len Price 3 – Emily’s Shop
Say hello to Liverpool’s Novelty Island and their upcoming LP release Jigsaw Causeway with their light sunny drop of McCartneyesque single-age “Foam Animals.” It’s dreamy with some mesmerizing keyboard work. In a very similar keyboard original register, Freedom Fry lull us with their usual signature lowkey whispery hooks on “Little Things.” Tchochtke ride some propulsive Beach Boys organ riffs with “Poor Girl” but the rest of the sonic pull on this song is seventies pop. By contrast Boston’s Invisible Rays is guitars to the front with a delightful bit of jangle launching “Lightning” that reaches new heights of hook-age in the chorus. When we last heard from Trevour Blendour he was Falling in Love but now it appears someone is Breaking Up With him. We don’t have all the details, other than the predictably super pre-release single “She’s Still My Baby.” It’s classic Blendour, full of updated fifties motifs and old school rock and roll guitars.
The Penrose Web is a new musical project that could be a great lost EP from the 1980s indie guitar scene. “Geraldine” captures the gentle pop vibe that could be Aztec Camera. From the not-so-gentle file, the recent Friends of Cesar Romero single “Can’t Get You” gets busy with clashy guitars and slightly screamy vocals but never loses the hooky plot. As we have come to expect. The Flashcubes returned recently with accolade-winning covers album but what fans always really wanted was some new material from the legendary 1970s power pop band. Now we’re getting it and disappointment is not in the cards. The new single “Reminisce” takes us back to the band’s classic sound with a tune that sounds perfect for the here and now. With help from The Figgs Mike Gent! Trim, Ireland’s Spearside embark with a slightly heavier guitar sound on their new EP Hatchet Man, cranking their amps well past 11. But on “Are Friends Electric” they bring back a more ringing bit of jangle guitar to contrast these heavier sounds and the results are explosively good. From a very different direction The Ralliesfocus their considerable pop talents on “Love.” It’s a jaunty, feel-good effort, full of their requisite harmonies and guitar hooks.
Hitting the inner groove of this second volume we have a double shot of The Brigadier. “Blessings” is breathy and dreamy with great guitar blasts coming in at regular intervals while “Perfect Surprise” embodies even more of those characteristics but perhaps Beach Boys enriched.
Well, there you have it, a second could-be K-Tel collection volume. Feel free to recombine these volumes in any form you like, re-arranging or cutting tracks as you see fit. After all, K-Tel certainly would have.
K-Tel had some great album covers going in the 1970s, one for every musical fad or fashion. Let’s channel some of that over-the-top energy for a serious slab of summer single-age in not one, but two volumes. That’s 42 summer should be hits for your BBQ-ing playlist. Sizzling!
Kicking things off with something that really vibes a lot old school motifs, Police Touch Museum hit all the marks with “Lover.” The song structure could easily be early 1960s Brill Building or 1970s James Taylor soft rock. Tony Marsico and the Ugly Things also conjure up days gone by with a 1980s heartland rock and roll sound. “Goodbye to Lonely Town” has that Jersey organ and rumbly guitar that recalls everyone from Dion to the Boss. I’ve long been a fan of Tristen’s exquisitely compressed sound, so intimate yet with space for a range of great instrumental tones. “New Punching Bag” sounds a bit country, in a Neko Case outsider vein. It’s one of three killer cuts on a new EP entitled Zenith. I love the ambience of the recent Good Neighbours single “Starry Eyed.” Light and uplifting, it reminds me of the textured pop sound of bands like Foster the People. Toronto’s Pup have a recognizable pop punk sound on “Hallways,” a bit edgy and ragged in the verses but out-of-this-world pop brilliant in the chorus. Hooks for days.
Tomas Nilsson stocks “I Thought It Was Love (But It Was Not)” full of jangle and lighter-than-air background vocals. The song exudes 1960s style but in the 1980s revival sort of way. It’s not hard to hear where The Grip Weeds are coming from with “Gene Clark (Broken Wing).” The songs is a tribute to that member of The Byrds who wrote so many great songs but whose own solo career stalled for reasons that are hard to fathom. A worthy and highly listenable tribute. Hidden Pictures tell a story as old as time with “Wedding Singer (Going Through a Divorce).” The people who surround these life epochal events are expected be exemplars of what the event represents but things don’t always work out that way. This is a smooth bit of 1980s AM radio polished pop. Team power pop veteran Chris Stamey up with The Lemon Twigs and you knew something special would result. And it has. A new album is on the way but for now dig what “Anything is Possible” sonically conjures up. I love the tension, the sense of unease what permeates the tune until the chorus delivers us from evil. Austin Texas band Gentlemen Rogues have a rock solid band vibe going all over their recent LP Surface Noise. This is a band that could keep you dancing all night long. But from this record I’m drawn to the more subtle hooks defining “All Out of Crush.”
Somewhere out in the wilds of Wyoming teen twins Liam and Layne have cooked up a unique blend of ‘grungy mountain folk’ that slides between neat genre divides. “Cheyenne” is their most polished offering to date, IMHO, with killer harmonica and fiddle breaks. The Sonny Wilsons keep teasing us with solid singles. “Miss Kinetic” combines their distinctive guitar and vocal work into another strong effort. Can an album be far behind? The Trews fall into a more Americana zone that I usually get caught up in but their new single “Don’t Get Lost in the Dark” is so guitar-fabulous. The rippling lead lines keep you glued to speaker to see where things are going. A great deal of The Lightheaded album Thinking, Dreaming, Scheming! sounds very 1963 folk fair but “Me and Amelia Fletcher” is a cool departure, very 1980s pop chic. Richard Snow has something to say on his latest stand-alone single “Governments Always Lie” and he’s not being coy about the message. The tune is a very cool, an expertly calibrated slice of poppy indie rock.
With song titles like “Dream Not Found” and “Us Ugly Guys” you quickly get the sense that The King Teen is some serious kind of lovable loser on his EP Us Ugly Guys Got Style. But he sharpens the critique on “Mediocre Man,” a bouncy acoustic guitar-led mediation about over-estimating your competence. Bonus points for including an rousing, updated version of Bertolt Brecht’s “United Front Song” appearing here as “Left Two Three.” Is it just me or does Rhode Island’s Andy Lampert sound particularly English? There’s a certain kind of sixties poprock from the UK that straddles folk and pop and psychedelia and that’s what hear coming from “The Bottommost of the Poppermost.” Speaking of folk, those folks in The Happy Somethings have resurrected a band member’s old track “A Kind of Loving” and it’s a delight, a gentle paean to unrequited love. Your Academy name the elephant in the political room right now in the US on “National News,” calling out the clown holding the country hostage. Stylistically the vibe is late 1970s Fleetwood Mac in AM radio hit mode. Liquid Mike often leans into a heavier sound somewhere in just about every cut but “Selling Swords” has to be his poppiest offering yet. Very Wavves or SMRS.
The cover and title of the new Fortitude Valley LP says somebody’s is gonna get a serious talking to. Don’t be fooled by the fresh guitar pop vibe guiding early release single “Sunshine State.” Lead singer and songwriter Laura Kovic is only just getting started. Stay tuned for the rest when Part of the Problem, Baby comes out next month.
21 should-be hits and that’s just Vol. 1! Check your fave internet fanzines soon for deets about Piping Hot Hits Vol. 2.
Poprock Record 