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Husbands and Wives: *repeat repeat, Freedom Fry, and The Weepies

05 Wednesday Jun 2019

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Poprock Themepark

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*repeat repeat, Freedom Fry, Glazed, Husbands and Wives, The Weepies

Screen Shot 2019-06-05 at 1.53.21 PMFans of Everly Brothers-style singing talk about blood harmony or, put more scientifically, the impact of genetics on musical compatibility. But husband and wife duos also often connect musically with a chemistry that is characteristically different than more platonic pairings. Today’s blog post promotes the benefits of musical matrimony with three stellar case studies.

Screen Shot 2019-06-05 at 1.54.26 PMNashville’s *repeat repeat was a recent accidental iTunes front page discovery. With a Weezer-esque sense of style and design, I just had to click on the stylish organge-drenched album cover to hear what was inside – and what a treat I found! On Glazed, *repeat repeat come on like a more dance-able, clubby Fountains of Wayne, with a guitar-oriented poprock anchored by the band’s distinctive use of synthesizer. The vocals on this album also function like a finely tuned instrument, adding an extra depth to the subtle melodies. “Hi, I’m Waiting” eases you in with its slow roll out and earwormy synth shots before punching things up in the chorus. “Pressure” has a club dance groove drive given a rock and roll combo treatment and some hooky vocal ‘oh’s’ for good measure. “Fortunate One” is the hit single for me: understated but builds its melodic architecture piece by piece until you can’t resist hitting replay. “I’ll be the One You’re Going Old With” has a sweet sentiment and clips along with a chirpy feel good sound. “City of Stars” vibes “Stacey’s Mom” but geared down to a more dreamy tempo. “TTB” has flashes of early Paul Simon vocally but punks up as it goes along. And so on. This is a great album buy. Don’t miss their catalogue highlights either: both “Everybody’s Falling in Love” and “Girlfriend” from 2017’s Floral Canyon are both winners! https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/06-fortunate-one.m4aFortunate One

Screen Shot 2019-06-05 at 1.55.26 PMWe’ve featured a lot of songs from American-Franco duo Freedom Fry. There is something so distinctive about their blend of almost whispered harmony and folksy charm. But it’s the tunes that ultimately carry them through, whether their own original material or a load of inspired covers. 2018’s Classic really was. So many great songs on an expertly executed album. Since them the duo have peppered us with series of expanded singles that take up new textures and unpredictable cover material. Like “Renegade – only Freedom Fry could strip out all the bombast of the Styx original, leaving the song’s uneasy essence remaining. “Black Mountain” gives the duo a chance to show off their formidable vocal layering techniques. “Hey Moon” has a lovely, lilting lullaby-like texture. “Yeah You” picks up the tempo and charges up the hooks. Then “The Sun is Going to Shine on You” shows how the band can work up a tougher yet still melodic sound. Freedom Fry brim with creativity and surprises!

Screen Shot 2019-06-05 at 1.56.14 PMThe Weepies ooze gentle sweetness with their carefully crafted harmonies and delicate arrangements. There is always something wistful about their performances: often quiet and filled with longing. “All That I Want” from their 2004 debut Happiness really captures the basic formula, which is further solidified with tracks like “Gotta Have You” 2005’s Say I Am You. From the same record check out the Simon and Garfunkel-worthy, shiver-inducing harmony on “World Spins Madly On” or the winsome “Nobody Knows Me All.” Then 2008’s Hideaway was a masterpiece, upping the poprock polish without relinquishing the folksy intimacy. The whole album is songwriting gold, from the engaging title track, to the entrancing “Little Bird,” to the single-worthy “Antarctica,” and so on. 2010’s Be My Thrill changed things up a bit, shifting things uptempo on tracks like “Hope Tomorrow” while 2015’s Sirens even introduced inspired covers like Tom Petty’s “Learning to Fly.” Health problems and parenting appear to have slowed The Weepies early productivity but their website reports a new tour for Autumn 2019. Perhaps a new record won’t be far behind.

Marriage brings a special kind of intimacy to musical collaborations, as our three cases illustrate. But it also needs money. Lots of money: for kids, houses, medical bills (in you’re in the States), and more. Visit *repeat repeat, Freedom Fry, and The Weepies and do your part to keep these couples in the black.

Poprock Record’s 20 must-have LPs for 2018

08 Tuesday Jan 2019

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Poprock Themepark

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Aaron Lee Tasjan, Bill Lloyd, Car City, Daisy House, Extra Arms, Freedom Fry, Henry Chadwick, Jeremy Messersmith, Nick Piunti, Oberon Rose, Paul Collins, Richard Turgeon, Ruler, Starbelly, Summer Magic, The Smittens, The Spindles, The Spook School, The Tearaways, Vegas with Randolph

screen shot 2019-01-08 at 9.43.06 pmI’m not really an album guy. Particularly now in our ‘download-any-song-you-want-era’. I grew up on compilation albums and AM radio. It was all singles, singles singles: a new sound every three minutes. A whole album is just a vinyl horizon for my needle dropping. But I have to say this year I got hooked on more than a few long players. What grabbed me? I could say it was the songwriting, a coherent sonic palette, the performative ingenuity, etc. But hey, who am I kidding? It was mostly the hooks. Fair warning: there is considerable overlap of artists here with my should-be hit singles list (duh) but not entirely. Bottom line: you won’t go wrong putting your cash down on these LPs in toto.

So, here are Poprock Record’s 20 must-have LPs for 2018:

  1. Aaron Lee Tasjan Karma for Cheap
  2. Daisy House Bon Voyage
  3. Ruler Winning Star Champion
  4. The Spindles Past and Present
  5. Starbelly Four
  6. Nick Piunti Temporary High
  7. Jeremy Messersmith Late Stage Capitalism
  8. Henry Chadwick Marlin Fisher
  9. Car City Car City
  10. Bill Lloyd Working the Long Game
  11. Freedom Fry Classic
  12. The Spook School Could It Be Different?
  13. Oberon Rose Tell Me About It
  14. Richard Turgeon Lost Angeles
  15. Extra Arms Headacher
  16. Vegas with Randolph Legs and Luggage
  17. The Tearaways Anthems and Lullabies
  18. Paul Collins Out of My Head
  19. The Smittens City Rock Dove
  20. Summer Magic Sharks and Other Dangers

Best ‘best of’ compilation: KC Bowman Important with a Capital I; Best covers album: Tommy and Rockets I Wanna Be Covered; Special merit award: Super 8 T-T-Technicolour Melodies, Turn Around Or …, HI LO

screen shot 2019-01-08 at 10.24.27 pmEdging out Daisy House’s fantastic Bon Voyage by a hair, my number one album for 2018 is Aaron Lee Tasjan’s Karma for Cheap. The more I listened to this record, the more I loved the songs and the performances. There is something extraordinary in just how Tasjan combines his elements. He’s got rumbly guitar, he’s got jangly guitar. His vocals run the gamut from Tom Petty-solid to Roy Orbison-aching tenderness. There’s not a weak cut here, but pay special attention to subtle hooky vocal interplay on “Heart Slows Down,” or the driving guitar hook behind “End of the Day,” or the touching “Dream Dreamer.” You won’t steer wrong with his back catalogue either, particularly 2016’s Silver Tears! There is so much I could say about all 20 albums but frankly the music speaks for itself. Click the links to go directly to the band’s bandcamp, Facebook or webpages.

screen shot 2019-01-08 at 10.25.36 pmOne final word: I had to single out Super 8’s stupendous triple album accomplishment this year for special attention. After a two-decade career in rock and roll that can only be described as cinematic in its litany of seeming breakthroughs, bad luck, record company shenanigans and some bandmate’s bad faith, these albums are a vindication of his resolve to stick with music. Each record is finely crafted portrait of late 1960s summertime sunshine poprock. Your time machine back to 1968 is ready for boarding! Just hit play.

Let’s make 2019 another great year for poprock – buy these albums, get out to some concerts, and tell your friends about these great finds.

Poprock Record’s should-be hit singles of 2018

03 Thursday Jan 2019

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Should be a Hit Single

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Aaron Lee Tasjan, Arthur Alexander, Astral Drive, Ben Talmi, Bill Lloyd, Billy & Dolly, Bird Streets, Brad Peterson, Caddy, Cape Cartel, Car City, Cupid's Carnival, Daisy House, Daniel Romano, Danny Wilkerson, David James Situation, Dot Dash, Even, Extra Arms, Freedom Fry, Gentle Hen, Glen Robinson, Greg Pope, Henry Chadwick, Hurry, J. Eastman and the Drunk Uncles, Jeremy Messersmith, Jim Shorts, Michael Simmons, Michael Slawter, Modern Space, Nick Piunti, Oberon Rose, Richard Turgeon, Rob Bonfiglio, Ruler, Sofa City Sweetheart, Starbelly, Summer Magic, Super 8, The Connection, The Essex Green, The Maureens, The Spindles, The Tearaways, The Wellgreen, Vegas with Randolph, William Duke, Wiretree, Wyatt Blair

screen shot 2019-01-03 at 12.43.02 pm2018 was a freakin’ fantastic year for poprock! How do I know? Every year-end I put together a playlist of tunes released that year. In 2016 it consisted of 58 songs clocking in at just over 3 hours. By 2017 that list expanded to 98 songs running over 5 hours. This year the list exploded to 175 songs going on for over 9 hours! My list of should-be hit singles had to expand to a top 50 just to accommodate all this talent. Hit the links below to find each artist as featured in my original blog post this past year or to go to their bandcamp or Facebook page if I didn’t write them up.

So, without further ado, here is Poprock Record’s should-be hit singles for 2018:

  1. Daisy House “Open Your Eyes”
  2. Oberon Rose “No Stranger”
  3. Ruler “Unhindered Pace”
  4. William Duke “Carole and the Silver Screen”
  5. Aaron Lee Tasjan “End of the Day”
  6. Car City “(Don’t) Give Up On Love”
  7. Greg Pope “Forget About You”
  8. Modern Space “Flip for It”
  9. Summer Magic “Attraction Corridors”
  10. Bill Lloyd “Satellite”
  11. Arthur Alexander “I’ll Get Your Love Someday”
  12. The Spindles “I Want My Baby Back”
  13. Starbelly “Lay Low”
  14. The Essex Green “Sloane Ranger”
  15. Michael Simmons “No More Girls”
  16. Astral Drive “Summer of ‘76”
  17. Caddy “Miracle Turn”
  18. Danny Wilkerson “How She Lost Heart”
  19. Bird Streets “Betting on the Sun”
  20. David James Situation “I Should Know”
  21. Ben Talmi “Chances”
  22. Nick Piunti “No Return”
  23. Michael Slawter “Summer’s Kind”
  24. Henry Chadwick “I Can Stick Around”
  25. Cupid’s Carnival “She Don’t Care”
  26. Super 8 “Your Love is my Blanket”
  27. Jeremy Messersmith “Monday, You’re Not So Bad”
  28. Freedom Fry “Past Lives”
  29. Cape Cartel “More”
  30. Gentle Hen “She’s Got It”
  31. Daniel Romano “Anyone’s Arms”
  32. Hurry “Waiting for You”
  33. J. Eastman and the Drunk Uncles “No Political Agenda”
  34. The Connection “The Girl is Trouble”
  35. Even “Out of the Woods”
  36. The Tearaways “I Could Love You Forever”
  37. Richard Turgeon “Look Away”
  38. Dot Dash “Unfair Weather”
  39. Brad Peterson “Whispering”
  40. Rob Bonfiglio “Passenger Seat”
  41. The Maureens “20 years for the Company”
  42. Extra Arms “Why I Run”
  43. Wiretree “Rainy Corner”
  44. Jim Shorts “James Tailored”
  45. Vegas with Randolph “Women in Airports”
  46. Billy & Dolly “Everything is Off”
  47. The Wellgreen “Take What You Get”
  48. Glen Robinson “Get You Down”
  49. Sofa City Sweetheart “Stop the Thinking”
  50. Wyatt Blair “Gotta Get Away”

For the second year running Daisy House tops my list of should-be hit singles. I have simply run out of superlatives to describe the musical genius of this band. Great songwriting, a killer 1960s vibe, flawless production and performance – it just doesn’t get any better than this. Do yourself a favour and head over to Bandcamp to download their whole catalogue. Oberon Rose came a close second with what must be one of the coolest singles rolled out this year. Ruler ruled my playlist for a good part of 2018, with “Unhindered Place” just one of the great songs on his album. I love the way William Duke’s guitar sounds like a jangle waterfall on his hooky masterpiece “Carole and Silver Screen.” And Aaron Lee Tasjan is a real find – so many possible selections – but more on that with my upcoming ‘20 must-have LPs for 2018’ post. I could go on … (but click on the links to get the full story).

I hope you enjoy these fifty songs enough to click on over to some of the artists’ web real estate and help them along career-wise. 2019 promises to be another hungry year for many of these mostly struggling artists – so do your part: buy their music and go see them live when they come to your town.

Classic summer with Freedom Fry and Super 8

26 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Artist Spotlight

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Classic, Freedom Fry, Super 8, Turn Around Or ...

summerMusical gods of summer, you have heard our pleas! We have need of sunshine melodies and cool hooks to accompany our unrealistic seasonal aspirations and you have answered our prayers with new albums from some reliable sources. Get the bottle opener and air pump ready!

ClassicAmerican-French duo Freedom Fry are no one thing. Their range runs the gamut of neo-cabaret to low-key dance numbers, with a whole lot in between. They’ve mostly put out original singles and EPs along with some inspired covers since 2011. But now comes their first long player, Classic, and it’s aptly named. Gone are the syncopated beats of last year’s Strange Attraction in favour of a more stripped down, acoustic sound e.g. banjos, dreadnought 6 strings, with just a touch of spaghetti western a la Ennio Morricone. You can really hear the western lilt on tracks like “For You,” “Cold Blooded Heart” and especially on the sunny “Past Lives” with it’s haunting whistling. Freedom Fry channel a kind of happy-go-lucky, feel good disposition on a lot of their tunes, even when the subject matter is dark. Kinda like riding a bike by the ocean on a sunny day. Feel that breeze on tracks like “Awake” and “Ticking.” This is a predictably solid debut album from a band that’s been single-teasing us for years!

https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/03-for-you.m4aFor Youhttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/08-past-lives.m4aPast Lives

Super 8Just six months after the release of his stunning debut, T-T-T-Technicolour Melodies, Paul Ryan aka Super 8 is back with another solid 1960s-infused musical rumination on life, love and politics with his new record, Turn Around Or …There is a late 1960s Kinks and Stones-like quality to the recordings here, both in terms of social commentary and the easygoing acoustic-but-still-rocky vibe to the whole album. “Hey Mr. Policeman” and “Be Careful What You Say” update 1960s social criticism for the new millennium while “Smile” and “Turn Around Or” exude that 1960s endless summer. I love the harmonica blasts on “You Say You’re Leaving” and the rockier “Calling Out.” Ryan changes up the pacing with “Never Had a Love,” which reminds me of McCartney’s forays into older musical forms. But the highlights here for me are the subtle, building hooks on the Jayhawks-reminiscent “Mary Jane” and the obvious single, “Your Love is my Blanket.” Nice cover of fellow Scots BMX Bandits great tune, “Serious Drugs.” Turn Around Or …is a sixties-vibing, easygoing summer party album, and it has arrived just in time.

Musical gods must be paid and prayers won’t pay the rent or put new strings on the dobro. Get on over to Freedom Fry and Super 8’s internet real estate and pay the piper.

Poprock Record’s should-be hit singles of 2017

10 Wednesday Jan 2018

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Poprock Themepark

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Aimee Mann, Chris Lund, Daisy House, Daniel Romano, David Myles, Fastball, Freedom Fry, Greg Kihn Band, Los Straightjackets, Max Bouratoglou, Propeller, Richard Turgeon, Robyn Gibson, Soccer Mommy, Terry Malts, The Front Bottoms, The Molochs, The Mylars, The Primitives, The Rallies, The Strypes, Together Pangea, Tommy and the Rockets, Wiretree

recordWhat were the biggest hits that weren’t in 2017? Who were the biggest should-be stars? In our alternate universe here at Poprock Record, these guys were all over the charts, the chat shows, the scandal sheets, as well as memed all over Facebook, Snapchatted by the kids, and Instragrammed into oblivion. Jesus, they were so popular you are well and truly sick of them by now. But sadly for our poprock heroes, the universe is not just ours to define. In the world beyond our little blog, they could all use another plug.

First, a few ground rules. The choices are drawn from the pool of songs I featured or found in 2017 and were released in that year. This is not a ‘best of’ list. This blog does not have the kind of coverage that would allow for such ‘omniscient view’ judgments. I cover things as they crawl past my attention, which means as often as not I’m featuring tunes I missed from 1994 as terribly exciting and ‘new’ to me. Nor is inclusion here a knock on the acts I’ve covered but not included. If I put them up on the site, I like’em. But there is something about this collection of tunes that lingers, sticks in my mind, and has the staying power I associate with classic 1970s AM radio hit singles. And we’re offering a ‘two-four’ of hits because, well, we are Canadian. The hyperlinks on the artist name take you to the original post and the featured songs.

So here we go – our annual list of Poprock Record’s Should-Be Hit Singles of 2017:

  1. Daisy House “Languages” / “Leaving the Star Girl”
  2. The Rallies “Don’t Give Up”
  3. Aimee Mann “Patient Zero”
  4. Fastball “Just Another Dream”
  5. Los Straightjackets “Rollers Show”
  6. Terry Malts “It’s Not Me”
  7. Wiretree “J.F. Sebastian”
  8. The Front Bottoms “Peace Sign”
  9. The Molochs “No More Cryin’”
  10. The Primitives “I’ll Trust the Wind”
  11. Tommy and the Rockets “Hey Daisy”
  12. Soccer Mommy “Out Worn”
  13. Robyn Gibson “He Doesn’t Love You Like I Do”
  14. Greg Kihn Band “The Life I Got”
  15. Max Bouratoglou “Drum”
  16. Richard Turgeon “Bad Seed”
  17. Freedom Fry “Strange Attraction”
  18. Daniel Romano “When I Learned Your Name”
  19. David Myles “I Wouldn’t Dance”
  20. Chris Lund “Tell Me”
  21. The Strypes “Grin and Bear It”
  22. Together Pangea “Money On It” / “Better Find Out”
  23. Propeller “Summer Arrives”
  24. The Mylars “Forever Done”

DH CRDaisy House dominated my playlist this year, both their current record and their back catalogue. They channel the 1960s but never let it wholly define them. They have two amazing singers and one fabulously talented songwriter. They deserve all the accolades the internet can hand out. If this were 1970 they’d probably be headlining The Flip Wilson Show tonight. The Rallies were an accidental discovery that turned into an obsession. Their whole album is great but “Don’t Give Up” makes my heart twinge every time. Aimee Mann and Fastball ably demonstrated this year that veterans can still turn out fantastic, career-defining albums. And I got to see both of them live! Los Straightjackets did Nick Lowe proud, producing a phenomenal tribute to his body of work. “Rollers Show” was my go-to summertime happy tune.

Greg_Kihn_Rekihndled_coverI won’t review every selection from the two-four, but I will say that I think the mix of poprock I feature on the blog is evident here. There’s fast and slow, country and rock, guitars and keyboards, etc. And then there’s always the hooks. Case in point: check out the 42 second mark on Greg Kihn’s “The Life I Got.” If you don’t feel the excitement he creates with some classic poprock guitar arpeggiation and the subtle vocal hook you’re kinda missing what we’re doing here. Here’s hoping 2018 is as hit single worthy as this past year has been!

songs_bond_songsI am going to sneak in an honourable mention for what I consider the compilation of year: Songs. Bond Songs: The Music of 007. This Curry Cuts collection has so many gems, working with material that is frankly hard to redefine. Standout tracks for me include Lannie Flower’s amazing reworking of “The James Bond Theme,” Freedy Johnston’s beautifully spare rendition of “For Your Eyes Only,” Jay Gonzalez’s nicely understated take on “A View to Kill,” and Big Box Store’s wonderfully retooled version of “Die Another Day.”

As always, let me make a plea to support the artists so we can continue to enjoy all this great music. In a way, we are living through a melodic guitar-based music renaissance, in part due to the breakdown of the old commercial music industrial complex. But what is replacing that old system is not clear, particularly the ‘making a living from music’ side of things. Visit the artist sites, go to the shows, buy the records – and repeat.

Merry melodies!

21 Thursday Dec 2017

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Poprock Themepark

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Bears, Candy Butchers, Christmas music, Freedom Fry, Holiday songs, Mojochronic, Over the Rhine, Pop Etc., Spirit Kid, The Futureheads, The Primitives

treeI grew up in a totally secular home where Christmas was largely understood as a kind of socialist event. A little something for everyone, and something thoughtful (rather than expensive) was the gift-giving philosophy. Holiday tunes rather than Christmas hymns were de rigueur. My mother had a stack of 45s that would come out every year– Bobby Helms, Brenda Lee, Rolf Harris – you get the picture. So, for me, it can’t be Christmas without some merry melodies!

FH XmasThis year’s mix runs the gamut from power pop to new wave to mash ups to folky acoustic. Coventry’s own The Primitives kick things off with their trademark mix of hooky power pop on “You Trashed My Christmas” from the Elefant Records special holiday album. Love the use of the bells! Then to Sunderland, UK where The Futureheads keep the energy up on their “Christmas was Better in the 80s.” There is something about the vocal delivery of this band I love. This song sometimes exudes the sonic feel of their first album but also develops in different directions with kooky abandon, pushing the boundaries of traditional holiday fare. Then we tamp things down a bit with the pleasant melodies of Cleveland’s own Bears on their “I’m a Snowman.” While technically just a winter themed number, who can resist the fun organ sounds and sweet harmonies? Not I. Rounding out this first batch of tunes is the eclectic West Coast poprocker Spirit Kid with his new wavishy “Santa Claus is His Name.” This song is an interesting mix of old and new influences – in many ways, a very late 1970s take on 1950s motifs worthy of David Edmunds.

FF HSOk, let’s shift gears here in round two. Ohio-based Over the Rhine seem to be channeling Jennifer Warnes in full Leonard Cohen mode on their winter themed “Snow Angels.” Lovely piano and an understated vocal give this a haunting and lasting quality. In the ‘something completely different’ file, check out Mojochronic’s unusual and very effective mash-up of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” with the Police’s “Roxanne,” interspersed with dialogue from the original stop-motion animated movie. Mike Viola’s Candy Butchers bring us back to familiar territory with their poprock ode to seasonal forgiveness on “Give Me a Second Chance for Christmas.” Just listen to these holiday-coated hooks! Viola is a master of the poprock form. The Franco-American duo Freedom Fry return to the holiday music scene with their great Holiday Soundtrack EP. Their reinvention of the traditional classic “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” as a hooky keyboard-based instrumental is pure ear worm brilliance, while their time shifting “Next Christmas” vibes a very Simon and Garfunkel melodic warmth, particularly in the chorus. Wrapping up this season’s musical presents is a brand new acoustic Christmas contribution from Pop Etc. “All I Want for Xmas (Just My Baby)” is a swinging pop gem, sure to become a regular addition to your seasonal playlist.

https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/11-snow-angel.m4aSnow Angelhttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/01-give-me-a-second-chance-for-christmas.mp3Give Me a Second Chance for Christmas

To have readers who make the bands I write about just a little more popular by checking them out, buying their songs, telling their friends, etc. is really the best present I could ask for this holiday season. So don’t disappoint me – I’ve been good. Visit The Primitives, The Futureheads, Bears, Spirit Kid, Over the Rhine, Mojochronic, the Candy Butchers, Freedom Fry and Pop Etc. today!

Breaking news: Freedom Fry, Thrift Store Halo, Soccer Mommy, Andrew Taylor, and Dan Luke and the Raid

12 Saturday Aug 2017

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Breaking News

≈ 1 Comment

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Andrew Taylor, Dan Luke and the Raid, Freedom Fry, Soccer Mommy, Thrift Store Halo

Breaking carNew finds and fresh music from old favourites in this edition of breakings news, with an accent on unusual band names.

FF SAFreedom Fry keep turning out great singles. The combination of Parisian-born Marie Seyrat and American Bruce Driscoll produce a sophisticated brand of dreamy poprock, full of hooks. We previously highlighted “Stop, Stop, Stop” and their remake of Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot’s “Bonnie and Clyde,” as well as their holiday single “Oh Santa (Bad World).” Now they’re back with a fresh, swinging slice of easy-going, car-driving, breeze-in-your-hair poprock called “Strange Attraction,” also the title track from their to-be-released EP. This song bodes well for what is to come.

TSH PRThrift Store Halo have a great name, great artwork and a great story. And their music is pretty good too. Dial back the time machine to 1998 and TSH appear on the verge of breaking with an album in the can, major label interest, and a possible national tour with an up and coming band called Train. A few bad decisions later and the band split, members heading for law school, a lucrative art career, and home renos. And that was a shame because their only full length album, World Gone Mad, is a lost treasure.  Personal fave tracks include “Crashing In” and “With You Here.” But the lure of rock and roll proved too strong and now the band is back after a near 20 year absence with a snappy new EP, Pop-Rocket. The new album sound is a bit leaner, reminding me a bit of Ike in their prime. Stand out tracks: “Get Over You” and “I’m Not Through.”https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/01-get-over-you.mp3Get Over Youhttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/02-im-not-through.mp3I’m Not Through

SM OWSophie Allison is Soccer Mommy, a one-woman, bedroom-recording, Bandcamp phenomenon. Up to now her songs have been defined by their spare, stripped down intimacy, but on her new EP Collection Allison strikes up the band to give some old material more life and new material a decidedly more polished debut. “Out Worn” is new song that nonetheless adds to Allison’s litany of despairing lonely relationship songs but check out the languid guitar lines and sibilant hooky vocals, sometimes drifting to the dreamy side only to be righted with some great background vocals. Repeated plays definitely brings extra benefits.

AT FTOLIThis blog loves Dropkick so there is no surprise we think the new Andrew Taylor solo release, From the Outside Looking In, is pretty special. All the Dropkick strengths are here: driving rhythmic guitars, layered lead and background vocals, and hooks a-plenty. “Someone” takes off and never quits, propelled by a strong rhythm section and some pretty sweet vocal harmonies. “Who We Really Are” channels just a hint of Teenage Fanclub with its loping pace and earnest, sweet sounding vocal delivery. “Standing Still” is a swinging dollop of country poprock. Another should-be hit album from a key member of Scotland’s most under-appreciated melody makers.

DLRRounding out this entry is a band I just saw open for Declan Mckenna at his great recent debut on Canadian soil: Dan Luke and the Raid. Who? Exactly. I’d never heard of them and I don’t think most of the audience had either. But from the moment they got started, they had the audience in the palm of their hand. Bowling Green, Kentucky’s latest find played a strong set of catchy tunes, most of which are still not available anywhere. So for the time being, check out “Black Cat Heavy Metal,” an ever so slightly psych-poprock number. I do look forward to the EP release, if only to hear the wonderful “Tragic Symphony” again.

What do Freedom Fry, Thrift Store Halo, Soccer Mommy, Andrew Taylor, and Dan Luke and the Raid all have in common? They need to see you make a visit to their internet portal and check them out today.

Hooks for the holidays!

23 Friday Dec 2016

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Uncategorized

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Allie Moss, Angels We Have Heard On High, Chiron Beta Prime, David Myles, Farrah, Freedom Fry, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, I Was Born In Bethlehem, Jonathan Coulton, More Than I Wished For, Nick Lowe, Oh Santa (Bad World), Quality Street, Quiet Company, Rise Up Shepherd, Santa Don't Go, Santa Never Brings Me a Banjo, Schuyler Fisk, Winter is Coming

christmas-tree-1856343_1280It’s almost like somewhere a gargantuan holiday music factory is just pumping them out, songs that are largely indistinguishable from the regular commercial fare but for their obligatory invocation of Santa, mistletoe, and snow.  But buried amongst the dreck are always some well crafted seasonal tunes, if you’re paying attention.  Over the past year I’ve set aside any good holiday material I’ve run across for this very special Hooks for the Holidays blog entry.

nick-loweLet’s begin with that classy poprock elder statesman, Nick Lowe.  Considering he once eschewed the idea of recording a Christmas album as ‘vulgar, tawdry commercialism,’ his finished product is pretty impressive.  Quality Street squeezes subtle hooks out of clever covers and new material.  Though Lowe was once the quintessentially mercurial poprock artist, he has honed a more laid back, almost jazzy crooner sound over his last few albums.  Quality Street continues in this vein.  Check out the instrumental backdrop to Boudleaux Bryant’s classic, “Christmas Can’t Be Far Away” – arranged to perfection like expert miniature painting. Other highlights include Ron Sexmsith’s “Hooves on the Roof” and Lowe’s co-written composition with Ry Cooder, “Dollar Short of Happy” (the lyrics on the latter are hilarious).  A lot of critics like Lowe’s sardonic “Christmas at the Airport” but my faves would have to be the raucous reworking of the traditional “Rise Up Shepherd” and Lowe’s own quietly moving “I was Born in Bethlehem.”https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/09-rise-up-shepherd.m4aRise Up Shepherdhttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/07-i-was-born-in-bethlehem.m4aI Was Born in Bethlehem

Cheeky is a not uncommon approach to holiday music, meant to deflate a bit of the earnestness surrounding the whole ‘birth of a saviour’ thing.  And no one flouts overweening sincerity like Jonathan Coulton.  His “Chiron Beta Prime” is the perfect antidote to treacly sentiment, documenting the poor Anderson family’s travails on a robot mining asteroid.  Robot overlords, soylent green pies, and redacted holiday messages: what could be more perfect this year?  On the other hand, we’ve got earnest covered too.  Canadian David Myles is just sooo nice, every mother’s dream date for their respective boy or girl.  “Santa Never Brings Me a Banjo” is lovely tale of disappointed expectations.  Actually, Myles has a whole album of Christmas tunes that is pretty solid.  Check out the wonderful bouncy lead guitar line and jazz vocals on “Sleigh Ride” or the exuberant fun of “It Snowed Last Night.”https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/08-chiron-beta-prime.m4aChiron Beta Prime

For something a bit different, Franco-American indie hipsters Freedom Fry have a fun rollicking tale with “Oh Santa (Bad World).”  Seems the naughty list has gotten a bit too long and Santa is calling it all off this year.  Forget that empty parental threat to cancel Christmas, this is much bigger – and the live version here sounds just like the recording!  English band Farrah do a nice Paul McCartney re-invention on their 2008 release “Santa Don’t Go.”  Now I’m having a wonderful holiday time.  On the poppier side of poprock, two great singles: Allie Moss’ wistful “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and Schuyler Fisk’s upbeat and cheery “More Than I Wished For,” which bears the distinctive stamp of Tim Myers’ collaboration.https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/01-santa-dont-go.m4aSanta Don’t Gohttps://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/06-more-than-i-wished-for-fm-radio-bonus-track.m4aMore Than I Wished For

winterWe began the year with Quiet Company, an amazing band from Texas, so it seems only fitting to fit a few selections from their terrific 2012 seasonal EP, Winter is Coming in here.  This band loves the holiday, as evident from the series of house concerts they are doing throughout their home state this month.  Here you can see they excel at both commercial and traditional Christmas fare, delivering fantastic versions of both “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Angels We Have Heard on High.”

Holiday music focuses us on the better part of our natures at year’s end, an entirely laudable goal.  And while you’re feeling warm and fuzzy, extend that good feeling to Nick Lowe, Jonathan Coulton, David Myles, Freedom Fry, Farrah, Allie Moss, Schuyler Fisk, and Quiet Company electronically via this interweb thingy.

Suzanne Vega’s Universe

22 Tuesday Nov 2016

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Poprock Themepark

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

99.9 F, Bonnie and Clyde, Did I Ever Love You, Fountains of Wayne, Freedom Fry, If I Were a Weapon, Leonard Cohen, Look Park, Minor is the Lonely Key, Popular Problems, Suzanne Vega, When the Heroes Go Down, You Want it Darker

universeSome people are feeling pretty low.  Now seems like a good time to visit the parallel but contemporary universe of Suzanne Vega.  I discovered her debut album in the discard pile of the first (and only) commercial radio station I ever worked at in Smithers, British Columbia.  It helped me survive that town.  There was something poetic and ominous, alienated and soothing about that record.  I spent a lot of late nights living within its sonic confines.  A poet’s job is to help us cope with a world gone wrong.  I think the Vega song for this moment is “When Heroes Go Down” from 1992’s 99.9F.  Right now, the hero is not really any person but that sense of hope that people like to have around.  It’s a catchy number, despite its message.

There are other people in the Suzanne Vega universe – really anyone with a poetic sense.  Leonard Cohen died the other day and some people on Facebook were like ‘what did he ever really do?’ or ‘tea and oranges are just escapism’.  I felt sorry for them.  Poetry is just politics that is out of phase, deliberately.  It directs our attention to things we might not otherwise see, even though they are often right before us.  Look Park’s front man Chris Collingwood understands that and excels at character sketches where the protagonist is unaware of just how much they are telling us, i.e. just how unhappy or unfulfilled they are.  As one half of the Fountains of Wayne songwriting team, Collingwood honed his craft over a number of records and it shows on his new vehicle’s self titled debut album, particularly on the exquisitely melancholy “Minor is the Lonely Key.”

Another wonderfully unpredictable act are the Franco-American band Freedom Fry, a duo that clearly take themselves only so seriously.  Their 2011 debut EP, Let the Games Begin, runs the gamut of influences from electronica to folk pop.  Since then they have continued to take a host of musical detours.  2012’s Outlaws maxi-single has them channeling an outlaw vibe, but in two languages.  “Bonnie and Clyde” has a lovely strolling quality, a poetically arranged, style-busting ballad that ends all too typically but gets there in an unconventional manner.  How wonderful to just go where the muse takes you.  Their new single, “Shaky Ground,” is also great, available in three different styles.

Coming back to Leonard Cohen, there is a lot of buzz about his deathbed release, You Want It Darker.  Sure, it seems Leonard Cohen great, in that dark poetic sombre singer-songwriter on the edge of death sort of way.  But 2014’s Popular Problems ranks as one Cohen’s best for me, both in terms of performance and material.  The sardonic “Almost Like the Blues” should put the rest any ‘this guy ain’t political’ rhetoric while “You Got Me Singing” speaks to the power of connection between two people at any age.  Musically, “Did I Ever Love You” is my favourite track, mournful and melodic at the same time –  it sounds like the end but really it speaks to impact of time spent together.

Let’s end on where we are going.  The only way from down is up.  Suzanne Vega suggests we may all be the agents of change, though not through obvious means.  In “If I Were a Weapon” she eschews the blunt hammer or gun for a needle ‘always pulling on the thread’ that is ‘always making the same point again’.  The point is, the stars will align again, and not just in the Suzanne Vega universe.https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/09-if-i-were-a-weapon.m4aIf I Were a Weapon

In this musical universe, digital lucre is one way to show these poets some love. Visit Suzanne Vega, Look Park, Freedom Fry, and Leonard Cohen online to check out their latest (or in Leonard’s case, last) releases and public appearances.

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