Tag Archives: Kurt Hagardorn

Poprock Record’s should-be hit singles for 2023

01 Monday Jan 2024

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2023 was another banner year for melodic rock and roll. Here at Poprock Record we could spotlight only a small portion of what was go on. Still, we kept busy, writing 58,000 words over 77 posts about literally hundreds of artists. And we liked them all – that’s why we wrote about them. But some tunes had real staying power for our team of singles inspectors. So today we single out 50 should-be hit singles from 2023, songs that deserve another listen and a shot at chart glory. Click on the hyperlinks to hear each song and read the original write ups.

Getting to the main event, here are Poprock Record’s top 50 should-be hit singles from 2023:

1. Strange Neighbors “Hotline Psychic”
2. Taking Meds “Memory Lane
3. The Decibels “Why Bother With Us”
4. Good Shade “When Will You See”
5. The Goa Express “Portrait”
6. Billy Tibbals “Onwards and Upwards”
7. Strange Neighbors “Whoa! Is Me”
8. Ransom and the Subset “Perfect Crime”
9. The Tubs “I Don’t Know How It Works”
10. Buddie “Class Warfare”
11. Dignan Porch “Electric Threads”
12. The Tearaways “Easier Done Than Said”
13. Chris Church “One More Change to Get Over You”
14. The McCharmlys “Love Me Too”
15. Eyelids “That I Can See You Better”
16. The No Ones “Phil Ochs is Dead”
17. Canadian Invasion “Catch a Falling Knife”
18. Thomas Charlie Pederson “Yesterdays and Silly Ways”
19. Kevin Bowe “Put Me Out of Your Misery”
20. The Summertimes “Inside”
21. Gosh Diggity “Blast Off”
22. The Midnight Callers “Girl On the Run”
23. Parallax Project “Mary Houdini”
24. Dan Kibler “Don’t Go for the Money”
25. The Kind Hills “Let Youth Take Over”
26. Cal Rifkin “Break My Heart”
27. Ratboys “Morning Zoo”
28. Hurry “Like I Loved You”
29. Thomas Walsh “A Good Day For Me”
30. The Newds “The Street Leads to the River”
31. Dave Kuchler “She’s Rather Be With Me”
32. Hardwicke Circus “Everyday I Find Luck”
33. Worriers “Trust My Gut”
34. Tony Marsico “Rocket Girl”
35. Jean Caffeine “I Don’t Want to Kill You Anymore”
36. The Exbats “Like It Like I Do”
37. Dazy “Forced Perspective”
38. Miss Chain and the Broken Heels “Storms”
39. Bill Lloyd “Keep the Place Clean”
40. Kurt Hagardorn “Tractor Beam”
41. Nite Sobs “Julie Ann”
42. Turn Turn Turn “Power”
43. The Rockyts “I Get High”
44. The Blusterfields “Fear of Depths”
45. Dropkick “Telephone”
46. The Scarlet Goodbye “Angel Dust”
47. The Amplifier Heads “When We Go Home Again”
48. Steve Marino “Satisfy You”
49. Justin Levinson “I Need Somebody Now”
50. Moon Mates “Not Today”

New York’s Strange Neighbors grabbed me early in 2023 with their killer 45 “Hotline Psychic” and never really let go. The lyrics are so spot on, the chorus is mesmerizing, while the instrumental break threatens to break out into Blondie’s “Rapture.” The band is so good they placed another tune in my top 10, the delightful jangler “Whoa! Is Me.” Then Taking Meds and Good Shade seemed like two sides of a very good coin with songs that featured surging insistent hooks that simply demanded replay. The Goa Express tipped toward punk but without sacrificing melodic depth. And The Decibels returned with the modern beat group sound they own. There’s variety in this list, proving genre is no barrier to delivering poprock hooks.

Moving on, here are Poprock Record’s most inventive covers from 2023:

1. Juliana Hatfield “Don’t Bring Me Down” (Electric Light Orchestra)
2. Mo Troper “Citgo Sign” (Jon Brion)
3. Arthur Alexander “It’s Not Love Anymore #2” (The Sorrows)
4. The Jangles “Here Without You” (The Byrds)
5. The Flashcubes “Have You Ever Been Torn Apart?” (The Spongetones)

Covers remained fertile ground for music veterans and indie new-comers alike this past year. Juliana Hatfield delivered a whole album of ELO songs, mixing things up with a nicely curated collection of chart hits and deep cuts. Mo Troper introduced a new generation to the genius of Jon Brion with his album tribute, Troper sings Brion. Arthur Alexander covers himself, sort of, with his ace reinvention of the Sorrows’ “It’s Not Love Anymore #2.” And both The Jangles and The Flashcubes covers really revive some great songs for the here and now.

Rounding out our lists, here are Poprock Record’s top 5 folk pop singles from 2023:

1. Rachel Angel “I Can’t Win”
2. Talking Kind “Trouble”
3. Hovdy “Jean”
4. Benji Tranter “Speed Camera”
5. J. Matthews “Wanderlust”

While most of our coverage is pretty poppy we do shift into the folk lane from time to time where the melodies are strong or I just have a particular interest.

Another year, another slew of great songs. Click on the links to remind yourself how good a year it really was and make sure to let the artists know what you think in cash and/or commentary.

Photo courtesy of Raymond Clarke Images on Flikr.

Record round up II

29 Friday Dec 2023

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Back with our second record round up in as many days in a bid to clear out the review pile before year’s end. Today’s ten just show how strong the independent music scene is at the moment. These are ten big ones, unequivocally.

The Jangles have been dropping singles all year long, mixing up fifties and sixties-themed musical offerings each time. Now for your listening ease they’ve gathered them all together on one fabulous long player entitled Just a Second. The fifties are well represented here with the Eddie Cochrane rockabilly stomper “Daddy’s Gone Batty” and the more Buddy Holly-ish “My Love Is Gone.” Then “Pea Island” segues into the early 1960s with a plaintive lead guitar led instrumental. From the 1960s there’s jangly folk rock (“Helping Hands”), singer-songwriter folk (“Take Two Steps”), and a dose of that distinctive mid-decade American guitar pop sound (“Do I Love You”). But the record’s standout track is undoubtedly the heartfelt cover of the Byrds classic “Here Without You.” Now for something somewhat different you could order up Toledo Ohio’s Equipment. This is a pop punk adjacent product, with a difference. The songs on Alt. Account don’t stick to any labeling, offering clever lyrics and unexpected turns. “Hot, Young Doctors” gets things started with lead guitar lines spinning out in all directions and lyrics that ooze relationship insecurity. Then “LO/FO” sounds like a more manic FOW. By contrast, “Jewelry” is low-key seductive, easing in on just a vocal and acoustic guitar before adding more and more captivating elements. “Username” is a kind of controlled guitar/keyboard chaos offset by a calibrated melodic theme. “Perfect Temperature Coffee” is a barely contained dose of rocking pop tuneage.

An Analog Man in a Digital World is Kurt Hagardorn’s first proper album of new material since 2009’s Leaves and he’s making a statement of sorts. The record reads like a love letter to a variety of styles from the 1970s, touched up in a completely contemporary way. Album opener “Tractor Beam” is simply marvelous. Reworked from a rougher earlier take that appeared on his 2021 EP Exile in Babylon, the song now commands attention, expertly juggling its enticing ELO keyboards and rumble guitar elements. Should-be hit single – absolutely. I almost didn’t get to the rest of the LP, I was hitting replay so often. From there it’s a tug a war between early 1970s boogie rock and roll motifs and late decade new wave/punk influences. Both “Caveat Emptor” and “Hard Back Train” sound like Hagardorn somehow got The Band back together. “Evangeline Hop,” “High in the Shadows” and “Natural Fact” channel some southern fried boogie rock, but with a stronger sense of melody. Then “767” and “Tina Tina!” vibe The Romantics and something a bit more punky respectively. Moving in a more 1960s psychedelic direction, Cupid’s Carnival appear to have hit the jackpot, gaining a major label release with Sony Records – in Japan. To be ‘big in Japan’ is a bit of rock and roll punch line but given how rabid fans are there it’s really no joke. Rainbow Child collects a number of singles and new material in a collection that showcases the band’s mastery of the late 1960s pop psychedelic sound to good effect. As always, the Beatles inflections are unmistakable on tracks like 1967-certifiable “Flower Power Revolution” or the more lush Rubber Soul acoustic guitar vibe on “Thinking About You Girl” and “Every Single Day.” Previously released singles “You’re So Cool” and “You Know” make an appearance and still sound like hit radio circa 1966. Stand out new material – definitely the hooky Hard Day’s Night-era-ish “Everything You Do.”

Cupid’s Carnival – Everything You Do

The Talking Kind LP It Did Bring Me Down kinda snuck up on me. I gave it a play on my way home from work one day, thinking ‘hey, this is OK.’ But then I was playing again. There was something about Pat Graham’s mournful vocal and fluid ‘we’ve been playing together forever’ backing band sound. You can get a sense of the whole package from the opening cut “Trouble,” with its ambling-along gait and oh-so subtle earwormy melodic turns. Then “Under Appreciated” comes on like some dreamy montage music. “Damn Shame” starts so mellow only to kick things up in the chorus. I hear a  bit Guster here, but seriously alienated (not that there’s anything wrong with that). “Never Bored” dresses up a basic folkie lament with some nice pedal steel guitar. Not everything is subdued here. Both “Brand New Face” and “My Truck” press the accelerator, the latter even veering into the punk lane. On the whole though, songs like “Trader” and “Small” confirm this LP as some kind of new cosmopolitan folk experience. And anyone who can squeeze a wolf howl out of an eclectic guitar (on “Small”) gets my ‘you’re so cool’ vote. After stepping away from music over a decade ago Paul Hughes aka The Candy Strypers has returned and then some. Just this year he’s posted 6 albums, an EP and a few singles of new and unreleased older material. So I’m just putting a pin in somewhere and calling the first 14 cuts of the 25 song album Now and Then ‘the’ new release. Others bloggers may differ. What you get here is a solid DIY, mostly acoustic collection of sixties-inspired tunes. Accent on poppy with a Beatles or Herman’s Hermits bounce. “Gonzo” opens the set with a Bo Diddley meets psych-rock shuffle. Then “We’re Gonna Win” rings with a more Brydsian acoustic jangle. “Supermarket Whiskey” hits a more sombre Ray Davies note. Folkies definitely get a look in on tracks like “Blue Is The Colour” and “Early Morning Train.” Personally I’m loving “Magic,” a track that springs along with a sprightly energy.

Glee Crime Scene grab the wheel of their debut DIY juggernaut and don’t let go. As an album Pickle Boi is a lofi blast, oozing personality and sincerity. Opener “Cigarette” drags the album into the spotlight and then takes flight. “Regrets” floats a sad sounding synth line over a bed of acoustic guitars, in a mellow MGMT sort of way. “Coming Home” is the hooky should-be hit-single for me. The influences here are many but muted. A bit of the new romantic scene’s science fixation in “Space Cowboy” with those unrelenting keyboards. Or there’s a light Weezer veneer on “Goth Girls.” For range check out the sombre, acoustic “Winona” next to “Perfume” which conjures a rock band out of nowhere late in the LP. The man behind John Sally Ride, Elvis Eno, and a previous solo release returned this fall with a new contribution in the latter category. With What a Difference Indifference Makes I can welcome you to John Dunbar’s piano years. Or maybe keyboard years would be more accurate. No guitars anyway. Instead Dunbar drapes his tunes with all sorts of interesting synth lines, some horns, and few things that sound like flutes. Take “I Wonder If She Colors Her Hair Now” as an example. Is that a Zombies 1968 era flute opening the song? Or just a clever keyboard substitute? No matter, the song is a masterful exercise in subtle pop sophistication. “You Really Got Meh” has got an early 1980s Joe Jackson piano feel, with Dunbar’s usual flair for clever wordplay. “What No One Is Saying” shows what kind of impact you can have with a keyboard-heavy approach, in a 10cc kind of pop tune. “They Leave In So Many Ways” layers the piano, keyboard and organ parts in a mesmerizing balance while “The Do Gooder” rocks the piano with a Ben Folds drive. Personal fave: “Isn’t It Great.” Love those horns.

A new Nite Sobs album is nothing to cry about. Their 2020 release Do the Sob! made #3 on our annual ‘must have’ album list that year for its spot-on neo-1960s beat group sound. The new album Fade Out is literally just out and I can report that their distinctive ‘contemporary retro’ sound remains intact, though I feel the ghost of Buddy Holly is more present this time around. Really it’s a toss-up between the 1950s Buddy inflections and the early 1980s reinvention of those influences. Both are on display in the opening track “Do You Wanna Be In Love,” complete with handclaps and plenty of ‘ooh ooh’s’ in the background. Then “Scar On My Heart” digs a bit more into a rootsy rock and roll sound. For solid Holly-isms check “Never Knew” and “Easy to Love,” the latter leaning toward Buddy’s country side. The early 1980s are more present in songs like “No Romance” and “I Just Don’t See That Happening,” the former reminiscent of Joe Jackson’s early spiv rock sound, with organ fills worthy of Steve Nieve’s work on Elvis Costello LPs from the same period. Should-be hit-single: definitely “Julie Ann.” The hypnotic guitar work effectively reinvents an early 1960s American song style. “Hold On To Me” is another strong single contender. Another solid slab of 1950s inflected rock and roll comes from Santa Ana sensation The McCharmlys. Right from the outset of their self-titled debut LP they own those retro influences and wield them like precision craftsmen. “Crying” paints an aural picture with tremelo heavy guitar and a generous wash of ‘wah-wah-wah-ooh’ background vocals. This album is actually a cornucopia of sounds from 1957 to 1963 but deployed in a way that just sounds so now. The brilliance of what they’re mixing together is captured on “Die,” a song where the clipped guitar lines and ‘ooh wah ooh’s’ suddenly transform in the chorus into something that sounds like Blondie circa 1979. There’s so much to like here, from the Texas Buddy Holly flavour on “LUV” to the reverb heavy melodic allure of “Miss Me” to the gritty menace behind “Strange Honey.” “Love Me Too” is undeniably the stand-out should-be hit-single. It is a rollicking bullet of a song, propelled by pert guitar work and a dynamic interplay of gorgeous background vocals and a strong Chrissie Hynde-like lead. And if there was any doubt what a killer live band this outfit would be, the “McCharmly Stomp!” dispels it. This record is monstrously good, a ‘must have’ album for 2023.

Am I caught up? Sort of. I’m already seeing ‘best of’ lists for 2023 from like-minded blogs containing acts I’ve never heard of, let alone simply failed to get through the review pile. Such is the state of the indie music world – so much quality stuff out there – but that’s a good problem to have.

Photo courtesy Nan Palmero Flikr collection.

Beach blanket singles

23 Thursday Jun 2022

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Beach weather is finally here and nothing goes better with sand, sun, and surf than some suitably summer-proofed tunes. Today we offer 21 suggestions for your latest sun sojourning mixed tape.

A new record from Freedy Johnston is truly an occasion for celebration. He is a master story spinner and songwriter in the vein of John Hiatt, Robbie Fulks, and Elvis Costello. The new record will be called Back on the Road to You, Johnston’s 9th, due out in September. Right now we’ve got the pre-album release single “There Goes a Brooklyn Girl” and it’s a good as anything he’s ever released, with snappy, resonant lead guitar lines and a melodic hook that is teased out and then pulled taut at just the right moments. METZ bandleader Alex Edkins has a new solo project entitled Weird Nightmare and it’s a great big ball of wonderful guitar noise. Don’t let the guitar onslaught opening the second single from the self-titled album fool you, “Luisitania” has some genius pop instincts lurking behind its wall of sound, reminiscent of Catatonia at certain moments. It’s hard to keep up with Franco-American duo Freedom Fry. Seems like they’re putting out a new EP or single every month. I’m just going to hit pause on their many releases to appreciate “Strange for Love” from their May EP of the same name. The snazzy looping guitar licks are just so addictive in a fresh Fleetwood Mac sort of way. The vocal harmonies only reinforce the Lindsay and Stevie comparison. “Down the River” is Chicago’s Ratboys from their reinvented and re-recorded greatest hits collection Happy Birthday Ratboy. It is interesting to compare this latest version with the original. Where the former is somewhat stark and spare, the new version has a lovely pop candy-coating to it, with vocals that vibe The Weepies. Talk about timely tunes, Ireland’s No Monster Club “Waterfight” is just the right dose of that summer feeling. The song is a large bit of goofy fun, sounding very mid-1980s sonically and in its complete lack of seriousness.

Freedy Johnston – There Goes a Brooklyn Girl

Austin’s Phil Dutra writes big songs. I’m talking sweeping soundscapes that are cinematic in their intensity and presentation. His latest single “Is Anybody Home?” conjures images of all those over-the-top 1980s MTV moments full of heartbroken teens, hella-good hair products, and cars driving off into the distance. But wait for the unbreakable hook anchoring the chorus. Dutra knows how to deliver solid melodies, always with a slightly surprising twist. I’ve written about Portland’s Kurt Hagardorn before. He’s a reliably good rock and roll guy who can play in a variety of styles. But his new single is really something else. “Caveat Emptor” exudes 1970s rock and roll boogie time, a bit of CCR, a touch of The Sheepdogs, carried by solidly hooky rhythm guitar work, some tasty horn playing, and a judicious use of cowbell. Words like ‘shimmering’ spring to mind as soon as Mercvrial’s “Be That Someone” hits the turntable. The band is typically filed under the dreampop or shoegaze labels but what I hear is New Order in club dance mode. The driving keyboard riffs just propel the song along. On “Archipelago” from The Dreaded Larimie’s new EP Everything a Girl Could Ask all I can hear are echoes of Jane Siberry, if Siberry had joined The New Pornographers. The band call their sound a mix of power pop and femmecore, which combines slashing guitar chords and dreamy vocals. I call it a winner. Sweden’s Red Sleeping Beauty team up with indie songstress, sometimes economist, Amelia Fletcher on “Solid Gold.” It’s a jaunty number mixing a light Housemartins-style ambling pop sensibility with that reliable Swedish melancholia. Delightful guitar pop for anyone suffering though a bout of nostalgic self regret.

How does power pop legend Tommy Marolda keep sounding so cool? The guy’s been on overdrive since his famous 1979 long-weekend recordings as The Toms became every indie power pop fan’s must-have item. His band is back with a new LP called Stereo comprising 12 melodic pleasers. Currently I can’t get enough of “Atmosphere.” It’s so quirky and fresh-sounding and loaded with hooks. Portland’s Super Hit takes DIY chutzpah to new highs with his exciting deep cut “Run Away With Me.” Ok, this one’s not new. I’ve dug it up from his 2015 EP Pocket Rock. But man it deserves a second look. It kicks off in a pretty low key, sounding like something recorded in a someone’s bedroom register, but 53 seconds in a seriously wicked electric guitar kicks in and it’s deliciously hooky. Think trebly 1960s garage rock, just turned down a little. Sticking with Portland, I’m totally digging Shaylee’s single from last fall, “Ophelia.” The opening guitar work is so cool, sneaky yet delicate, weaving a bluesy-folk lick into your consciousness. By the time full band sound kicked in I was bewitched. The song is about the rush of new, sometimes brief, love and the music manages to mirror the rapturous roller coaster that relationships can be. When you take the Bryds into the 1980s you either get Tom Petty or the Grapes of Wrath, depending on how hard you hit the drums. John Larson and the Silver Fields are in the sweet spot, a little bit country, a whole lot rock and roll, with an accent on jangle on their most recent long-player The Great Pause. What is interesting to me is how different reviewers are raving over totally different tunes on the record. Personally I’m loving “Reversible Heart.” The jangle guitar sparkles and the tune is so Marshall Crenshaw meets Blue Rodeo. On Wide Awake Seattle’s Shake Some Action give the people what they want: jangle-infused psych poprock that shimmers and sparkles with electric energy. And the songs! There’s all the usual 1960s flavours here but I hear quite a good dose of Britpop too. Then there’s “Night Train to Munich,” a seductive gem of tune, its spare use of Rickenbacker nicely framing the haunting melody.

Artist Lucas Nathan is the band Jerry Paper and they are looking to just be themselves. In the case of Nathan that means identifying as non-binary, something the single “Kno Me” touches on. If that messes with your head the message here and on other cuts from the album Free Time is you’re just going to have to live with it. “Kno Me” cops an uber cool stance, challenging what we think we know about the singer and their gender. Meanwhile the chorus is pure pop bliss. When you’ve played with indie royalty like the New Pornographers and Woodpidgeon getting something new off the ground can fight to draw focus. But Frontperson deserves the spotlight. The title track from their new album Parade is so light and frothy, like unpredictable performance art (but not the boring self-indulgent kind). It kicks off so Laurie Anderson before the vocals turn more Joni Mitchell meets, well, the New Pornographers. The song’s got a thoroughly poppy positive vibe, despite the somewhat dire lyrics. You can’t help but feel a bit uplifted after hearing it. Japan’s The Kafers have so nailed the early Beatles sound it’s eerie. And I’ve heard a lot of Beatlesque numbers over the years. “Crying for the Moon Instead” sounds like it’s right off Please Please Me or With the Beatles, it’s got that Crickets-post-Holly vibe with guitars that are so 1963. If you listen to more than a few tunes by Mike Brunacini you’ll hear he’s got a distinctive piano pop thing going on, very Ben Folds. But I like his recent “Summer of 2009” in part because it’s such a departure. Sure it’s got piano but the guitar is pretty much in front for a lot of the tune. I love the variety he puts into performance, adding endearing bits of melodic ornamentation here and there to what is already a pretty strong number. fine.’s last album I’m Glad It’s Over Now is so listenable, the blending of the duo’s vocals a so smooth yet sibilant harmony. But the standout track for me is a bit of different, the so-this-post-topical “South by the Beach” with its accordion-sounding keyboard parts. The overall sound really reminds me of the synth-intimate atmosphere created by the likes of Long Island’s Red Barn.

The Kafers – Crying for the Moon Instead

Song 21 on our beach mix-tape odyssey is from Chris Castino’s new album Brazil. “Chinese Whispers” is a mellifluous pop number in a Paul Simon or Joshua Radin style. It’s a perfect accompaniment to your drive to beach, with the wind in your hair and some good feeling in your heart.

As Jonathan Richman once said, the beach be one of the best things we got. What makes that better? Tunes, of course. Stock up your playlist here!

Poprock Record’s should-be hit singles of 2021

03 Monday Jan 2022

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Welcome to our sixth annual collection of should-be hit singles gathered from the artists, albums and tunes featured on Poprock Record in the previous year. You’d think after five tries I would have come up with some kind of rock solid science to make these choices. But, no. Still winging it, going with whatever takes my fancy. I mean, I think you’ll see a pattern: catchy guitar hooks, soaring melodies, earwormy compositions, all accomplished in three minutes or less usually. Putting this list together was particularly challenging this year – positively spoilt for choices! My initial list of possible songs had over 200 selections. 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 top 50 should-be hit singles for 2021:

1. The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness “I Don’t Mind”
2. White Fang “Never Give Up”
3. The Vapour Trails “That’ll Do It”
4. James Holt “Mystery Girl”
5. Brent Seavers “More Than A Friend”
6. Timmy Sean “The College Year”
7. Aaron Lee Tasjan “Another Lonely Day”
8. Ruen Brothers “Cookies and Cream”
9. The Martial Arts “Bethany”
10. Daisy House “Last Wave Home”
11. The Coral “Vacancy”
12. Robert Ellis Orrall “Sunshine”
13. Deadlights “Breaking Down”
14. Love, Burns “Wired Eyes”
15. The Blendours “Tell Me The Truth”
16. Daryl Bean “Keeping Me Alive”
17. Stoeckel & Pena “Why”
18. Richard X. Heyman “Ransom”
19. Automatics “Black Velvet Elvis”
20. John Myrtle “How Can You Tell If You Love Her”
21. The Red Locusts “Another Bad Day For Cupid”
22. James Henry “So Many Times Before”
23. Lane Steinberg “The Invisible Monster”
24. Geoff Palmer “The Apartment Song”
25. Mike Browning “The Little Black Egg”
26. The Eisenhowers “Suffer”
27. The Jack Cades “What Am I Going To Do?”
28. Friends of Cesar Romero “Thinkin’ About Leavin’”
29. The Kickstand Band “Hey Julianne”
30. Pseudonym “Before the Monsters Came”
31. David Brookings “Mania At The Talent Show”
32. Lolas “Pain In My Heart”
33. Tommy Scifres “Thought You Knew”
34. Vanilla “I Shall Be Re-Released”
35. Hyness “Cruelty”
36. Tim Jackson “How Do You Mend A Broken Heart”
37. Caddy “Cost of Love”
38. Chris Church “Know”
39. Tim Izzard “Breaking Me Down”
40. BPM Collective “Catastrophe Girl”
41. Benny Hayes “Don’t Make Me Go”
42. Steve Robinson “Mr Empty Head”
43. The Poppermost “Laziest Fella In The Realm”
44. Liz Phair “Hey Lou”
45. Juliana Hatfield “Gorgon”
46. Robert Sherwood “Blue All Over”
47. Kurt Hagardorn “You Are My Girl”
48. Richard Turgeon “Goodbye to Summer”
49. Ed Woltil “Paper Boat”
50. The Amplifier Heads “The House of Young Dolls”

This year’s list privileges strong, strong hooks. I’m talking the jangleliscious guitar work from the ever reliable Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness on “I Don’t Mind,” the relentless driving guitar riffs animating White Fang’s “Never Give Up,” or the delicious 1960s roll out kicking off The Vapour Trails’ “That’ll Do It.” Or the pumping, plinky piano and organ cocktail that undergirds James Holt’s killer single “Mystery Girl.” Then there’s the more traditional poprock Brent Seavers, springing the earworm in the chorus of “More Than a Friend.” Still, there’s room for variety on this list, from the tender acoustic Aaron Lee Tasjan ballad “Another Lonely Day,” to the Beach Boys homage in Daisy House’s “Last Wave Home,” to a folk rock duet from Steve Stoeckel and Irene Pena on “Why,” to the striking sonic heartbreak embodied in Richard X. Heyman’s touching “Ransom.”

Truly, this list is just a bit a fun, one more chance for me to shine a light on the artists whose work had me hitting replay in 2021. But I’m sure you might make different choices. Feel free to tell me all about them! Either way, don’t forget to find some way – buying music, attending live shows (when it’s safe!), or taking up those opportunities to interact with them online – to support their bottom line. They may not only be in it for the money, but money does allow them to stay in it.

The world of Kurt Hagardorn

04 Wednesday Aug 2021

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If ever there was a man who deserves a Decca records World of … collection it’s Kurt Hagardorn. As a veteran of two bands, two solo albums, a load of session work as a guitarist-for-hire, and, more recently, a slew of one-off, independently released singles, his musical resume may be a bit hard to follow. But it is definitely worth poring over for the fine print. Hagardorn clearly loves all sorts of music, from country rock to singer/songwriter folk to jangly poprock. His choice of cover tunes alone runs an impressive gamut of styles, with songs from Richard Thompson, Kirsty MacColl, Randy Newman, Tom Petty, Ray Davies and Colin Hay. All that is something deserving of some serious curation. So, in that spirit, let me present the completely unofficial, rogue Decca records release, The World of Kurt Hagardorn.

In preparing this special release, I’ve mined Hagardorn’s bandcamp page, which features three albums and many, many stand-alone singles. His two official solo albums consist of Ten Singles and Leaves, released in 2007 and 2009 respectively. But a third album of sorts appears under the title Back in the 90’s, featuring a few songs from his band Gumption and other tracks I assume he put together in that decade. There’s also the relatively new EP Exile in Babylon released earlier this year. And then if we take in the amazing volume of stand-alone single releases from 2018 to 2020 (more than three dozen by my count) they could easily amount to another solo album. In other words, more than enough musical fodder for a comprehensive overview compilation!

Side one of our record kicks off with tunes from Hagardorn’s first solo album, Ten Singles. “Last Time Rewind” has a great long intro, creating a dynamic tension that is one part Rolling Stones, multiple parts all sorts of 1980s indie bands. It reminds us that beneath all the style hopping Hagardorn is basically a 1960s rocker. “You Are My Girl” has a lovely Byrdsian country jangle while “Rock Scissors Paper” comes at the country influence more from a Rockpile/Brinsley Schwarz pub rock angle. Next we draw from solo album #2. On Leaves you can feel a qualitative change to a country-inflected indie sound recently make popular by acts like Lord Huron, among others. “9 Broadway” has a somber intimacy, intensified by Hagardorn’s striking vocal and pedal steel/organ work. Elsewhere the record features a latent late-period Beatles vibe on tracks like “Tail Lights” and “Heartbeat,” though the sound is also very contemporary – think recent releases from Matthew Milia and Nicholas Altobelli. Side one concludes with “Leaves,” a song that sounds like a Elliott Smith contribution to the Amélie soundtrack.

On side two we reach back to Hagardorn’s earlier 1990s work, starting with Gumption’s “The Way,” a rollicking guitar chord slasher in a Guadalcanal Diary or Green on Red vein. But here I also like the up-front chord basher “Lemonhead” with its sweet vocal harmonies and surprising melodic twists. From there we select a few choice releases from the cavalcade of singles that have come out between 2018 and 2021. “Seven Six Seven” has a nice, almost new wave acoustic swing. “Everything and Nothing” has a bigger sound, with a slight uneasiness lurking around the edges of the melody. “Waited So Long” kicks off with a strong jangle base, offset by Hagardorn’s wavering, vulnerable vocal. The recent Exile in Babylon EP represents another stylistic departure for Hagardorn, with songs embodying an almost Sparks-like playfulness. But here I’m drawn to the big chords, subtle synth lead line and ELO-style hooks of “Tractor Beam.” And to end our album, something from Hagardorn’s collection of more spare, delicate slow songs. So many good choices here but the Randy Newman-esque simple beauty of “Metronomic Heart” really captures this artist’s emotional range and depth.

While The World of Kurt Hagardorn is an imaginary album, the accomplishments are real and readily available. Get thee to the Kurt Hagardorn bandcamp page now to make your own individual selections.