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Poprock Record’s should-be hit singles of 2020

09 Saturday Jan 2021

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Should be a Hit Single

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Blitzen Trapper, Brandi Ediss, Brett Newski, Brian Jay Cline, Bye Bye Blackbirds, Chris Church, Danny McDonald, Dave Kuchler, Dave Rave and the Governors, David Myles, David Woodard, Ed Woltil, El Goodo, Emperor Penguin, Esther Rose, Geoff Palmer and Lucy Ellis, Greg Pope, Gregory Pepper and his Problems, Hanemoon, Honeywagen, Honeywagon, Irene Pena, Lisa Mychols & Super 8, Lolas, Mo Troper, Mom, Mothboxer, Nicholas Altobelli, Nick Pipitone, Nick Piunti and the Complicated Men, Nite Sobs, Nuevos Hobbies, Papills, Peggy Sue, Peralta, Richard Turgeon, Searching for Sylvia, Steven Bradley, Steven Wright-Mark, Talk Show, The Amplifier Heads, The August Teens, The Click Beetles, The Feels, The Happy Fits, The Memories, The Rockyts, The Top Boost, The Vapour Trails, The Well Wishers, Tom Curless and the 46%

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

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

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

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

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

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

The single file: The Stroppies, Brad Peterson, Green Buzzard, Foxhall Stacks, and more

06 Monday Apr 2020

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Poprock Themepark

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Brad Peterson, Business of Dreams, Foxhall Stacks, Green Buzzard, Hanemoon, Paulusma, Shadow Show, Son Little, The Coolies, The Stroppies

Screen Shot 2020-01-09 at 10.13.58 AMToday’s single file is bulging with digital 45s just itching for an e-spin. There’s a bit blues and rock and roll and, of course, strummy poprock in the rotation.

Melbourne Australia’s The Stroppies give drive to their single “First Time Favourites” on a killer combo of addictive organ runs and jangly guitars. A breezy rush of fun from their 2019 LP Whoosh. Chicago’s one man wunderkind Brad Peterson is back with his trademark easygoing Steve Miller-esque panache on “Keepsakes in the Garbage,” a poppy remake of a track from his time in a full on rock and roll band. Back to Oz with Green Buzzard and I love the variety of guitar sounds on “I Just Don’t Want to Be Alone.” There’s a lovely swinging Primitives kind of joy here, mixing jangle and crunchy lead guitar work with some solid strummy rhythm backing. In the USA’s capitol city Foxhall Stacks crank up the punky elements of power pop on “The Old Me” from last year’s Coming Collapse long player. This baby says ‘dance now’! When I first heard Business of Dreams’ opening cut on Ripe for Anarchy, “Chasing That Feeling,” I could have sworn I was listening to a great lost track from The Silencers’ fantastic 1987 release, A Letter From St. Paul. Band leader Corey Cunningham has nailed the ambience with a song that really does justice to the era yet still sounds timeless.

Dutch melodian Jelle Paulusma defies categorization with “Crying Shame,” at times vibing a strong late 1960s California pop but then effortlessly shifting to 1980s indie poprock flavour. With a killer horn section at the three-quarter mark! On “Yeah I Don’t Know” LA’s The Coolies sounds like Lucinda Williams got herself a rock and roll band and that sound is amazingly good! Super melody-tinged rock and roll, with just a bit of grit in the mix. Berlin delivers some light and frothy acoustic-y Dropkick-like tracks from Hanemoon’s latest record Mammals, particularly the obvious single, “Sunday Afternoon.” The blend of acoustic guitars here are exquisite, with an nice punch in the chorus from the vocals (get the vinyl from Kool Kat Records here). Love how the song fades into an engine idling near the end! Son Little packs subtle but strong melody into his soul sound, kinda like a Sam Cooke-meets-Howlin’ Wolf mash-up. I remember being blown away by the cross-over brilliance of “Cross My Heart” from 2014’s EP Things I Forgot. Now he’s back with another striking single, “Mahalia” from his new album Aloha and it’s a winner! Why am I not surprised the electric Shadow Show hail from Detroit? This kick ass band kick out a jam like the B52’s garaged up to the nines and ready for a dance party. The guitar and vocals on “Things I Do” are so strobe light, mini skirt and somebody go go-ing into the wee hours. Skip the club and just turn this up loud.

What’s a single? 99 cents? A buck and bit? Click on the highlighted band names to check out what these acts have to offer a bit more closely and do your part to keep the new music wheel spinning.

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