Tag Archives: Caleb Nichols

Song sung spring

30 Sunday Mar 2025

Posted by in Poprock Themepark

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

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

Winter hasn’t quite got the memo. Time to move along. I’m ready for spring to be sprung, full stop. Perhaps a few singles could help signal a seasonal shift? Probably not. But hey, we’ll all feel a whole lot better.

NYC’s Strange Neighbors are building up to something with the slow drip of singles they’ve been putting out these past few months. I’m not sure a single LP is gonna be able to contain the excitement from jumping the grooves if their latest song  “Hate Me Less” is anything to go by. It’s a sometimes jarring, sometimes smooth slice of hooky pop single-age. With hardly any dust settling on their late 2024 EP release Butter Valley Malcontent The Bret Tobias Set return with a few new singles, like “It Begins With Lean.” This one is just the change of mood we need, so light and shimmery and uplifting in a 1980s English guitar band sort of way. Baby Scream’s Juan Pablo Mazzola has a new project with Muchas Hormigas called Juan La Hormiga. Wow, this is a change of pace. “After the War” has some of Mazzola’s signature Lennonisms buried in the mix but overall the song is a lovely hushed affair with a melody like a warm embrace. The lap steel guitar solo is just an added element of grace. Geoff Palmer keeps mining that stripped-back poppy rock and roll on his soon-to-be released EP Kodak Flash. Case in point – “Bye Bye Baby.” So straightforward, so simple really. Just driving guitar chords, swoon-worthy background vocals and a hook so big it won’t fit in the trunk of your car. Peter Baldrachi has a fabulous new long-player out (but more on that later – full review to come). Right now check out his killer single from that latest release entitled “Tomorrow.” It’s got overlapping hooky guitar lead lines, a seductive vocal mix, and a strongly positive vibe. Like the Jayhawks meet The Church.

Described in a presser as ‘[p]rolific, mysterious, heartbreaking, dumb’ or more simply as a ‘LA-based lo-fi stoner pop band’ I’d just add that The Memories are full-on fun. There’s nary a release from this band that doesn’t make me smile. Their latest single “Too Weak to be Strong” is no exception. It’s an ambling stroll of good-time low-key pop, equally at home near the campfire or indie coffee shop. Few bands can make ‘uhhhn’ sounds like pop heaven but that’s what you get on Wavves new single “So Long.” The song’s lineage is pop punk but with all the edges sculpted into something rocket smooth. The vocals here meld with the rest of the sonic attack in a wonderfully seamless way. Forgive me if I’m reaching back in time to feature a song from Lydia Loveless. I feel like I’m constantly catching up on this fabulous artist. Here I’m dipping into her 2023 album Nothing’s Gonna Stand In My Way Again for the electrically charged spirit of “Poor Boy.” It combines pop, country and sibilant-sounding guitars in a totally unique way. We had to get to Portland eventually and Borderlines fills our quota with their pop punk ode “Okay Socrates.” Accent on pop here with buzzy guitars. The song is about a fear of growing old but somehow doesn’t sound like a downer at all. Speaking of old, even tried and true geezers can still cut the melodic mustard, given the right project. On The Coward Brothers LP Elvis Costello and T. Bone Burnett revive their collaboration from the King of America sessions that produced the one-off single “The People’s Limousine.” Check out the interesting vocal interplay on “Always” or the more Americana “Smoke Ring Angel.”

Scoopski‘s Jim Lorino needed a vehicle that would allow him to rock out a bit more while maintaining his love of clever melodic hooks. Enter The DelCobras, where the amps go up to 11 but the melodies remain oh so sweet. You can really hear the fun they’re having cranking through “The Turnaround.” I have a feeling there’s gonna be more where that came from. Looking for a blast of 1963, perhaps a bit of folky pop simplicity? Thee Holy Brothers nail the era on their new single “Come Shine Love.” The harmonies are gorgeous and the lead guitar is so evocative of the period. Switch this on and drift into a 1960s musical diorama. Eclectic Music Lover put me on Secret Postal Society and their latest song “Autumn Leaves.” What an ambience going on here, reminiscent of 1970s folk pop or more recent lush vocally-focused folk bands like Fleet Foxes. Mooner main man Lee Ketch has an experimental EP out entitled Spiritual Milk for American Babes and it is wonderfully, creatively, ‘out there.’ As a single “Living Will” perhaps comes off a bit more mainstream as grungy, country workout. Caleb Nichols hit Valentine’s Day with the holiday timely “Love Lies.” It is wah-wah pedal drenched with a vocal wash so Elliott Smith good. Definitely a worthy song collection addition. But while there, check out the tasty “Little Red Peugot.” It’s like The Shins on a folk roll.

Spanish power poppers The Feedbacks jack into the zeitgeist of our times with the sadly timely “Hate Is All Around.” The song has a Elvis Costello surf vibe and that is one killer combo. The McCharmlys charmed me right out the gate with their self-titled debut long-player. So my breath was definitely baited for their new single “You’ll Be Fine.” It does not disappoint, combining old school sixties songwriting with some garage-y lead guitar work. B-side “Break My Heart” is pretty chanteuse perfect too. Oslo Norway’s Death By Unga Bunga unleash the party vibe on “I’m Really Old” from their recent LP Raw Muscular Power. The AM radio pinched vocal treatment perfectly offsets the slashing electric chords. Wonderfully seventies manic. It is so hard to pick just one song from Eric van Dijsseldonk’s recent album Half Time. There’s the laconic Freedy Johnson-ish “Best Kept Secret.” Or the more rumbly, slow-moving “Maybe Not Today” with its constant bursts of jangly guitar. But I’ve decided to settle on the poppy title-track “Half Time.” Seems full of good sentiments for this moment in time. Somehow I missed Pete Donnelly’s late 2024 release Never Gonna Worry, notably produced by Mike Viola. Dip into it with “Dancing Daydream” for a bit jaunty, uplifting popcraft.

It’s a wrap on this singles shindig with something a bit more serious from music veteran Jim Basnight. He’s got a pair of singles that put America’s current political plight cleverly on display. And they’re great songs to boot.

Nazis Over There
So F*cked Up

It’s been a long lonely winter of discontent this year. I suspect the discontent is going to continue for a while but hey, maybe a song in our heart will warm things up.

Photo ‘Charles Sheeler Bucks Country Barn’ courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Poprock Record’s 25 must-have LPs for 2023

05 Friday Jan 2024

Posted by in Poprock Themepark

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

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

The traditional rock and roll album ain’t dead, not by a long shot. Usurped for sure by new commercial formats and changing consumer listening patterns but the album – as a distinct collection of songs (sometimes forming a coherent whole) – remains the default mode of delivery for a wide swathe of guitar-based popular music. Proof? There was simply no shortage of fabulous, super-charged, pop-rocking long-players and extended plays to spend time with throughout 2023. From this embarrassment of musical riches we’ve whittled down a few different lists of LPs and EPs we feel rank as having ‘must have’ status. There’s something for every taste that falls somewhere across the broad, rather idiosyncratic category of ‘poprock’ we employ here. So dive in, see what you think, and do let us know about whatever egregious oversight you think we’ve undoubtedly committed. The hotlinks take you to the original reviews.

Cue drumroll – here we have it, Poprock Record’s 25 must-have LPs from 2023:

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

This year’s list tipped more toward some classic genre distinctions. The Decibels are beat group heaven for me and When the Red Lights Flash just proves their mastery of this form and seemingly bottomless creativity with it. By contrast, The McCharmlys conjure the ghost of 1950s west Texas rock and roll (even though they’re from California), effectively reinventing it for today. For a different slice, we’ve got the highly sophistico-pop of The Parlophonics. Such great songs, delivered so smoothly. And so on. Our list has got jangle (Buddie, Bory), new wave revival (The Blips, The Blusterfields), country tinges (The Tubs, Rachel Angel), and straight up melodic rock (Richard Turgeon, Dave Kuchler). Long may the LP reign in what’s left of the rock and roll universe.

But there’s more. The ongoing revival of the extended play record format has led to this list, Poprock Record’s must-have EPs from 2023:

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

The Strange Neighbors EP was hands down my favourite thing about 2023. It brought back a familiar teenage rush of excitement that used to accompany the discovery of something so cool and earworm addictive it just had to be played over and over. Also cool was Joe Dillilo’s oh-so smooth collection of songs, which saw him transitioning from behind the mixing board to the spotlight with ease. And what about Super 8’s alter ego project The Plus 4? An absolute jangle blast. EPs can be such a concentrated blast of melodic goodness, leaving you wanting more.

Before you go there’s one more album we’ve got to highlight. It’s a record so good we had to give it the special award of awesome poprock merit for 2023:

The Flashcubes Pop Masters

As I wrote in the original review, Pop Masters gives you “12 new wave era should-have-been hits, stylishly re-energized” and “celebrates what might-have-been with selections from bands that should have broken big but didn’t.” But the band don’t just celebrate the great songs of bands like The Pezband, The Spongetones, The Paley Brothers and The Shoes, they share the spotlight with them in what amounts to a series of power pop band duets. Let’s face it, this project could have gone very wrong. But again, from the original review, the “results are a pumped up, adrenaline-fueled romp through a host of power pop classics … where every cut is a highlight …” Believe the hype. The Flashcubes are, indeed, pop[rock] masters.

Spend some time with these LPs and EPs and I think you’ll agree, melodic rock and roll is in good health if not wealth. But you can help change that for the price of triple shot latte from your favourite beverage store. Go on, skip the coffee queue and click the links to these artists.

Photo courtesy Chris Friese Flikr collection.

Record round up I

27 Wednesday Dec 2023

Posted by in Poprock Themepark

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

2023 is nearly done but my album review pile remains stacked with must-be-heard-now LPs. Some of these records only just came out while others arrived a while back but never quite fit into whatever posts I had on the go at that given moment. Whatever the reason, to get things sorted by year’s end it’s time for another seemingly annual record round-up. Or two. Brace yourself for an onslaught of quality tune-age.

Sam Roberts sounds so much like … Sam Roberts. What I mean is the guy has got a distinctive, immediately recognizable sound. Take his participation on last year’s Still Anyways LP from Canadian super-group Anyway Gang – his contribution “Out of Nowhere” couldn’t be mistaken as coming from any other group member. Album number 8 from the Sam Roberts Band is The Adventures of Ben Blank and the title track opens this affair in familiar Roberts territory: with a tune that is easygoing yet driving, pleasant and ear-wormy. “I Dream of You” and “Picture of Love” have been released as video singles and both are grin-inducing good time songs. Roberts’ tunes work as polished rocked-up affairs but you can tell they’d sound just as good solo on a battered acoustic guitar. “Everybody Needs Some Love” is a keeper too. I totally dug the punky ferocity of the Teenage Tom Petties self-titled debut album but one year later Tom Brown’s one man band has morphed into a total band experience. One result is that the songs on the new LP Hotbox Daydreams sounds more together, more focused. Or, as the band, say ‘supercharged, super melodic and super short.’ Case in point – “I Got It From Here.” I love the melodic twists here, one minute sweet, the next a bit sad. “Stoner” motors along with a rocking energy fueled by solid rhythm guitars and an ominous keyboard wash. “Find Me” sounds like a rough-hewn hit single. And there’s still plenty of rocked out fuzz on tracks like “Greenhorn” and “Trigger’s Broom.” “Deathtrap” even vibes some pop psychedelia.

Currently hanging in North Wales doing a PhD in Creative Writing, queer working class poet and musician Caleb Nichols has still managed to pump it out in 2023, releasing 3 EPs and this recent fantastic full length LP Let’s Look Back. The 11 songs here are a like a selection of chocolates, boxed in the same factory but all different flavours. “Demon Twink” comes on like a rush of Elliot Smith with a dash of Rogue Wave in the mix whereas “The Absolute Boy” gives off a bit Bryan Ferry meets Sparks. I hear some strong Shins influences all over “J’ai Vu La Lune” while “Blue Sky Blue” has a Tim Finn flavour to its melodic arc and vocal performance. Then there’s “Albatross” which stands out for its dark pop edge and  generally ominous aura. This record is clearly a winning collection. In 2022 LA’s The Uni Boys were universally lauded in the power pop press for their major label debut Do It All Next Week which somehow managed to melt down 1979 and compress it into 12 magic tunes. Now they’re back with Buy This Now! and I can heartedly endorse that sentiment. This outing has more of that winning guitar pop sound on tracks like “Two Years” and “Intentions,” with the latter’s twin lead guitar opening marking it as radio hit friendly. The split in the vocal duties pushes the band in a Rockpile/The Connection direction on “Don’t Want To Be Like You” and “I Want It Too” while “I Don’t Believe in Love” and “Say You’ll Make It Real” is more uber-cool Colin Blunstone smoothness. Lots to love here, with able production from The Lemon Twigs.

With Again Birmingham Alabama’s The Blips once again channel that 1970s new wave re-invention of classic rock and roll motifs. “Stay Up” serves notice that this record is going to be party time central, vibing a strong 1977 Nick Lowe energy. From there the record alternates between a garage rock stomp on tracks like “Slow Lane” and a more Stonesy saunter on “Good Lookin’ Liars.” Then “She Still Shouts” unleashes a bevy of hooky lead guitar licks in a dance floor crasher while “Laika” adds some jangle and fuzz to the mix. You’re gonna want to get your tickets pronto when The Blips come to your town because they are surely a rock and roll dance event. Now for a change of pace you could turn to Chicago’s Matt Tiegler. His recent release Hands Free Down Hill is all jaunty acoustic guitar and piano-based sunny pop songs. His early release single “Dream (reason for living)” set the tone, in a light and soft rock endearing sort of way. But quickly the album opens up in multiple and very pleasing directions. Like “I Didn’t Get You,” a rollicking pop ear worm, or the jangle-coated Beatlesque “I Want to Start a Religion With You.” Teigler rocks things up a bit more on the title track and there’s even a hint of XTC on “Murphy’s Hope.” And check out those seductive jazz guitar licks on “Summer Love Song.” Very Lane Steinberg.

Everybody is talking about Portland Oregon powerpop wunderkind Bory and his new album Who’s a Good Boy. With a talent like Mo Troper in the producer’s chair there was little doubt that this would be a quality pop product. Opening cut “The Flake” delivers with a bit of jangle and overall droney pop haze that is both distinctive and pleasantly familiar. Then “Feel the Burn” boosts the melodic hooks while “North Douglas” adds more fuzzy guitar to the overall pop goodness. Possible influences abound. “End of the World” showcases some delicate guitar work draping a Jon Brion bit of musical ennui, “We Both Won” has just a hint of Wings-era McCartney lurking in the song structure somewhere, and “Wreck” sounds so Elliott Smith to me. Then again, the stripped-down acoustic guitar ballad “Take It From Me” really shows the strength of Bory’s songwriting. Heading down the I-5 in Oregon we end up in Eugene, home of poprock oddballs Poppy Robbie. Their new LP Neighborhood Beautification Commission is almost a concept album, its disparate elements all contributing to a critique of modern living. “Heartbreak Scenario” gets things going with pop sneer vocal-phrasing reminiscent of a 1978 Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello or Graham Parker. From there “Homesteader” offers has a more Britpop jangle, “Robert Pollard Trading Card Collection” conjures a bit of Guided By Voices not surprisingly, and “(Still Bored) On the Weekend” nails that early Velvet Underground guitar sound. I also love the punky reinvention of Byrds influences in “Quite Alright” and the way that the vocal really carries the tune on “Distracted.” Poppy Robbie definitely has something to say and he’s going to say it now.

His day job playing guitar and keyboards for the Drive By Truckers clearly prepared Gonzalez Smith to hit the recording studio to Roll Up A Song for this solo effort. But the results are not what you might expect. The range of styles here are broader, rather exquisite and carefully curated. Take “Lexington Line,” a finely calibrated bit of baroque pop. Or “She’s My Girl,” a perfect example of undistilled power pop in the Greg Kihn tradition. “Margaret” is a lovely acoustic guitar led slice of early 1970s folk pop. And a song named for “Lindsay Buckingham” is naturally going to contain nice guitar lines for sure. I can’t decide if “I Stole Your Girlfriend” is more funny or sad. “Silhouette” is just gorgeous.  With 17 songs the LP is value for money too. Erik Voeks is one of those artists I keep trying to get to. His reputation for legendary melodic poprock crops up regularly on obscure music lists. So I’m digging in with his new Erik Voeks and The Ghosters release It Means Nothing Now. Wow, what was I waiting for? This record is maximum delight from the word go. Opening cut “It Means Nothing Now” vibes some Beach Boys and Beach Boys-influenced acts like Richard X. Heyman. “Hazy Mazes” has some addictive jangle pop hooks while “Everything Dissolves” add some XTC fuzz guitar. Some songs like “The Most Confusing Part” remind me of contemporary acts like Odds and others reinvent the past like “The One Before It” where I hear a new wave shimmering version of the Bryds. So many great songs here, though I’d single out the Marshall Crenshaw-ish “It Breaks You” and “Love You Anyway” which chugs along with good old fashioned rock and roll swing. No hesitation – this album goes directly to the ‘must have’ pile.

Round up one down, one round up to go.

Photo courtesy Megan Westerby Flikr collection.

So this is Crimble …

25 Monday Dec 2023

Posted by in Poprock Themepark

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , ,

Hello world on this always weird, often worrisome, yet sometimes wonderful day. John Lennon’s nonsense greeting ‘Happy Crimble’ really captures my mood. I mean, regardless of what you do or don’t believe can we all pause for some secular or nondenominational joy? Because let’s face it, we’ve not been rocking the ‘peace on earth’ thing lately. All this conflict definitely puts a crimp in the holiday suspension of disbelief that all those Hallmark movies require. Call me a cock-eyed optometrist but I’m still looking for a bit of peace, love and understanding to break out in this wicked world. Or you may call me a dreamer …

You know what might do the trick? A last minute holiday EP release combining themes like California, falling in love, and a medley of Beatles and Beatles solo material that touch on the season. Luckily here we can turn to Caleb Nichols’ December 21 holiday gate-crasher EP So This Is Crimble. Just three songs but oh what a timely trio. “Christmas, California” kicks things off with an insistent hooky urgency, the tune evoking a pleasant John/Paul melodic tug of war. Then Nichols assembles an inspired five-part medley taking bits from all four fabs, both together and apart. His “Crimble Medley” nicks parts of the Beatles fan club release “Christmas Time Is Here Again,” Paul’s “Wonderful Christmastime,” George’s “Ding Dong Ding Dong,” John’s “Happy Christmas (War Is Over),” and Ringo’s “Photograph,” effortlessly weaving them together into a medley/mash-up combo. Finally to wrap things up, we come to the delicate and touching “I Fell In Love Christmas Day,” a closer that puts the tempo into slo-mo in a Josh Rouse contemplative way. And then it’s over.

Crimble comes but once a year but you can enjoy Caleb Nichols anytime. Check out their bandcamp catalogue here. And hey, let’s give peace a chance this new year.

Photo of ‘Scar of Bethlehem’ by Banksy, displayed in the Walled Off Hotel in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

Autumn midway mixtape II

10 Friday Nov 2023

Posted by in Poprock Themepark

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

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

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

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

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

The Jellybricks – Monday’s Never

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

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

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

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

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.