Why waste time searching the radio dial for hooks when we’ve got you covered right here? Today’s post promises both something new and a return of familiar faves, all packaged up to be stylishly long-playing.

Just one spin of The Embryos new album Selling What You Want To Buy confirms they know their market research. There’s so much to love on these 11 finely crafted songs, performed in multiple styles. I continue to be impressed by the band’s easygoing facility with just about any rock subgenre, though if I were forced to slot this new album in somewhere I’d say it has a decidedly Americana accent in places. This was on display strongly on the pre-release single “Desiree,” a breezy mid-1970s Eagles country-ish romp. And it’s there again on the Band-like “Sweater in the Heather.” Then you have tracks like “He’s a Hypocrite” which exude a Marshall Crenshaw vibe that easily shades into Americana. But the band’s penchant for Brit influences remains too, mostly audibly on “Somehow She Knew” and the record’s hidden title track “The Embryos Live” which lyrically features the album title and some alluring psychedelic lead guitar. “Frozen City” sounds like the should-be single to me, with the light and bouncy “Fortunes” a close second.

For another aptly named release, you can turn to David Woodard’s latest LP Get It Good. Now given that his 2022 album Stupid Kid was not merely good but great can we expect Get It Good to be even better? The opening track “The Last of the Full Grown Men” is certainly promising, kicking off with a strong Beatles ’66 vibe before morphing into a kind of Fountains of Wayne suburban anxiety song. It also hints at a lyrical depth that defines this album as Woodard grapples with issues of aging (“I Used To Be Cool”), nostalgia (“Flower Power in the 80s”) and social alienation (“I Can’t Make The World A Better Place”) on various songs. Musically the record steers between sixties and eighties influences. For instance, like “The Last of the Full Grown Men” “Coming To Life” also launches with recognizable Beatles motifs before moving in a more Odds direction. There’s even some recognizably U2-ish lead guitar setting the atmosphere on “Crazy One.” But I think where he excels is with the more low-key, midtempo FOW numbers like “Grace Under Pressure,” “Get It Good” and “Awkward Conversations” because there’s no place to hide – the melody has got to be good (and they are).  “Riptide” is striking outlier here with its wistful electric piano layered over an ominous set of synth strings.

Apparently you can’t hurry a band like Aerial. It’s been ten years since this Scottish duo put out Why Don’t They Teach Heartbreak In School and that record had come 13 years after their debut LP Back Within Reach. But now they’ve returned with Activities of Daily Living and it’s like no time has passed at all. The title track opener signals strongly that the band’s power pop chops remain undiminished. Then “Pixelated Youth” adds a pinch of dissonance to the mix, offset by some sweetly melodic vocal work in the chorus. The band’s signature, self-described ‘smash and grab’ style of power pop can be found on both “An Encore and Cover Song” and “Bad Tattoo.” But there are departures too. “Hollywood Ghosts” has an AM radio hit-single sheen all over it while “Run These Lights” is more of a mellow, ambient mood-setter. The album also features a number of gorgeous, moving piano ballads like “Debutante” and “Silversand Beach.” But my personal faves lean into the Teenage Fanclub/FOW kind of melodic guitar pop, specifically “I Bet You Know Karate” and “Cadence.”

Harvey Gerard looks the part of a loveable loser and lyrically his work is etched full of trouble, chaos and social ennui. But musically he consistently manages to turn that frown upside-down on his latest album Cul De Sac. That’s kinda impressive. He may be singing about drunken nights on the bar stool (“Bar Stool”) or seasonal mental health episodes (“Quarterly Paranoid Cycle”) but somehow it comes out sounding like there’s an upside. The trick is to bring in some sweet harmony vocals and an extra hook somewhere, usually in the chorus. I mean, look at the structure of opening cut “Last Days of the Hated Family” where the deft application of back-up vocals in the chorus totally elevates the tune. The sound here is miles away from the trainwreck country vibe (not that there’s anything wrong with that) of his 2017 release Pickled Wisdom. Echoes of previous work can be found on the country-ish “Thin Lipped and Nordic” and “Left To My Own Devices” but overall that album leans poppy rock, particularly on tracks like “Phase Pedal” and “Nervous Energy.” Should-be hit-single is undoubtedly title-track “Cul De Sac.” Compositionally it’s got a McCartney-esque complexity, developing different sonic layers and delightful melodic twists throughout.

These LPs are not going to race up the charts all on their own. Click on the hotlinks to register your approval.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.