Tag Archives: Lisa Mychols

Do you hear what I hear?

17 Wednesday Dec 2025

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If you’re strolling the mall or tuning into an AM radio playlist I’m just going to say it. No. You’re not hearing what I’m hearing. Of course, that’s why you’re here. To get the lowdown on the catchiest, poppiest, hookiest festive music fare available. Here are nearly two dozen holiday-infused melodic wonders to liven up your celebrations, whatever they may be.

Simon Love nails it. It seems like we’ve barely said ‘happy new year’ before the Santa ritual begins anew. “It’s Christmas All Over Again” gives us the bells and a ‘look on the bright side’ sentiment, all wrapped up in a Costello-ish taut melody. Next up it’s practically our holiday house band, Make Like Monkeys. As expected they’ve got yet another seasonal LP Make Like Christmas and just a sample of opening cut “Fa La La It’s Time for Christmas” will let you know it’s gonna be another special collection. Chris Lund strikes a more bittersweet chord on “Christmas Time” with its Lennonesque holiday atmosphere. It’s seasonally sombre with just a bit of uplift where it’s needed most. Then there’s Movie Movie’s distinctive, echoing lead guitar line strung like colourful Christmas lights throughout their call to enjoy the season on “Another Holiday.” Party like it’s 2099 indeed. For a bit of pop punk holiday spirit there’s Glenn Robinson’s “Jesus Christ (Can You Believe That It’s Christmas).” It’s rough and not quite ready for polite company but that’s what makes it so special. One of my new fave bands from 2025 give their Greenock, Scotland best to the season on “Favourite Time.” I know I’ve compared The Cords to The Primitives a lot but, come on, it’s pretty Coventry adjacent in the very best of ways.

And then there’s the people in our Christmas neighbourhood, the boys, the girls, and that dude having his birthday amidst it all. The Easy Button give us a story about a “Christmas Girl” who has got the holiday event down, with plenty of reverby guitar and a Difford/Tilbrook song style. By contrast the Spongetones give their “Christmas Boy” a touch of the old fashioned carol. Sort of folky with a twisty tune to suit. Of course, it can’t be Christmas without an appearance from a certain historical baby and we’ve got that covered with The Bret Tobias Set and their seasonal 45 “For Christ’s Sake.” The track’s got a swaying, singalong quality with some nice vocal help from Krista Umile.

On the presents front, we’ve got plenty of holiday-driven needs getting musical expression. I love the demented stoner consumerism of The Memories “Santa Bring Me Some Toys.” It’s just so hilariously dead serious and over the top. The Decibels hit more traditional ‘I want my baby on Xmas’ themes with their “Christmas Wish,” awash in plenty of jangly guitars. Parallax Project take up a related classic theme, the better man talking up the gal with the cheating boyfriend, on their equally jangling “All I Want for Christmas (is a Chance).” And to wrap up this presents focus, U.S. Highball take on the Fab Four novelty number “I Want a Beatle for Xmas” and manage to add sonic depth to what was a pretty throwaway exploitation number. Well done boys!

There’s also room here for some traditional holiday music fare, zhuzhed up poprock style naturally. Fur Trader gives “Silver Bells” a shoegazey glaze, with a children’s chorus to add some sparkle. theCatherines add some Cars-worthy guitar and a lovely duo vocal to “Let It Snow.” Then “Sleigh Ride” gets a full-on guitar workout from an aptly-named band that keeps the electric lead lines popping all over the tune. It’s just what one would expect from a group with a moniker like The Guitars. The Jeanines take Yoko Ono’s “Listen, The Snow is Falling” and turn out a masterful folky, poppy performance. Sounds pretty traditional to me.

A lot of holiday songs focus on matters of time. Dublin’s Music City give us a Spector-worthy mediation on that rush to get home in time on their “Only Home for Christmas” with plenty of cool vocal oohs and ahhs. The Successful Failures conjure that child-only panic that comes with trying to fall asleep on Christmas Eve so you can enjoy “Christmas Morning (Yellow Canary).” With plenty of crashing guitar chords to soothe you to sleep. Not done with this one and Mark Crozier is already on about “Next Christmas,” though it’s the snow he’s forecasting a year hence. Love the squealy keyboard solo mid-song.

If there’s something this ole world needs it’s a bit more love, joy and jollity. And maybe a bit more faith in the kind of society good people can create together if we really try. John Hopkins offers up lovely old fashioned sentiments on  “Jolly Old Nicholas” very much in a timeless but traditional form. Top pop songstress Lisa Mychols dials up the holiday good feeling on her irrepressibly hooky “Joy Is In the Giving.” Christchurch’s Imperial April ring out a big bell sound on their Christmas ode “I Love This Time of Year.” I could hear Blondie covering this. Wrapping up our holiday tour of duty through all the merry music I could scrape together this season we have Kirby Krackle and “I Believe in Christmas.” It’s poppy and moving and very much about the magic that can be this season.

Merry ho ho dear Poprock Record readers. I hope you get to enjoy peace, togetherness and some great music in whatever way you celebrate this time of year.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Back in business with Super 8 and Lisa Mychols

02 Tuesday Dec 2025

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Two great talents have gotten back together, tripping the tunes fantastic one more time. This time out on their new LP Unfinished Monkee Business Trip and Lisa seem to be lingering in the early 1970s, offering us an immediately recognizable sonic palette. “Time Out” opens the show with a carnivalesque bit of show-starting aplomb. It’s a bit of this and a bit of that, signalling the variety to come. So get ready for quite a ride. One minute we’re all motor city hip-shaking on “Love Connection,” the next we’re breezing through California to a Carpenters-like beach destination with “California Road Trip.”  The 1970s flavours keep on coming with the Jackson 5 keyboard-pumping that drives “Pop Radio CD” while a soft rock folkie vibe colours in the lines on “Falling for You.” Beyond the polyester suits and sun-dappled photo shoots, songs like “These Are the Days” and “Whenever You’re Gone” conjure comparisons to Neil Sedaka and the 5th Dimension. 1970s vocal group stylings also get a look in on “Honolulu” and “Eskimos,” though in very different ways. “House on the Hill” wraps things up in a slightly different Dylanesque register. The album is like a time trip to a warm and fuzzy early 1970s, without all the Watergate and Vietnam spoiling all the fun.

Nowhere does Unfinished Monkee Business actually promise to wrap things up on this duo’s collaboration. And that’s good, because when Super 8 and Lisa Mychols get together groovy things have a habit of happening. Get your copy of their further adventures direct from the source at bandcamp.

Shiver me singles

13 Thursday Feb 2025

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Cold winter temperatures up here in the Great White North have my feet tapping for all the wrong reasons. Time to heat things up with singles so sizzling they’ll scorch the turntable.

There’s something very 1980s space-age soundtrack to the vibe on Ricky Rochelle’s new single “Imagine Being Eric.” It’s there in the background keyboard runs and arrangement of the vocals. Very 1983. Then we have Retro Metro music man Super 8, back with jangle chanteuse Lisa Mychols on a new song. “Pop Radio” celebrates the joy of finding a great song over the airwaves. Quaint though the sentiment may be, the track hits all the modern marks for sixties timelessness. Putting power pop maestro Kurt Baker together with Wyatt Funderburk was always going to make for ear-catching experience. Baker’s new release “Warm in the Winter” is hooks at every turn, all sleek and shiny pop laced with plenty of rock edge. And on point for this theme post. Moving into more dream pop territory Shapes Like People offer up a mellow bit of jangle that practically flows like water on “Ambition is Your Friend.” Just one of a number of atmospheric cuts from their new LP Ticking Haze. Belgium’s CMON CMON excel at a kind of wall of sound aural pop assault. “Turn Off the Lights” balances a solid rocking backing with a smooth vocal and pop melody.

London’s The Tubs come on like some surging poprock outfit on “Freak Mode” but when the lead vocal kicks in such perceptions are quickly derailed, conjuring instead a more English rural folk aura. But the combination somehow still works in a beautifully creative tension. Ok this next band got to me at the name level. I’ve spent my life quipping ‘he’s dead Jim’ at all sorts of inappropriate moments. So running across Aberdeenian Scot rock combo He’s Dead Jim I knew I had to cover them. “Swim to Oblivion” is just one of 14 winning swinging rock tracks from their recent LP Head Like a Toyshop. These guys are very much alive – no red shirts here. Boston’s The Fatal Flaw deliver the goods again with their new single “Baby Tooth.” It’s got a hint of pop punk, in the vocal delivery particularly. But the chorus steps on the hooks for all they’re worth. Meanwhile in Philadelphia The Tisburys are priming their audience for an album release sometime in April. In the interim you can get the flavour of what is to comie with the propulsive, highly melodious “Forever.” Mike Browning pulls a rarity off oldies radio for full-on folk rock coverage, The Ragmuffins’ 1967 single “Four Days of Rain.” With vocal support from daughter Jillian, the duo recreate a decidedly Brydsian ambience.

The band Free Weed have produced what really should be the US public service theme song. “Government Employee” has mystery and cool New Order bass work and a freaky bit of psychedelic guitar work. Did I mention it’s cool? It really is. From the same record label, LA’s Gnar Tapes, The Memories lighten the mood with their chipper acoustic guitar strum and mellifluous single note keyboard work. The slightly sinister and otherworldly vocal offsets this lighthearted musical bed so effectively. Two decades on should-have-been power pop superstars The Mayflies USA are back with a brand new single and it is like they never left. “Calling the Bad Ones Home” expands the band’s sonic palate from Big Star to The Jayhawks and I’m liking it. If I can’t have a new album from Guster or Chris Collingwood then Gentle Hen will fit the bill. Actually let’s add them to that bill. Their new album is The Wrong Record and it’s all good but check out “It Only Takes a Couple Words” particularly. The vocal and guitar adornments sound so simple but they add incredible sonic depth to what is going on. Shifting to swinging London I like what The Open Flames are doing on their new song “Drop a Coin.” There is some very cool bass synth going on and a flurry of vocal ba ba ba ba ba’s adds charm to an already maximum charm ditty.

I’ve been wanting to write about the madly talented So Cow for ages. The band show so many stylistic faces to the world. Their latest single “Reputable Seer” seems like as good a place as to start. Check out the Beatles 64 guitar tone kicking things off before the sound moves in an Elephant 6 direction. Some very cool Apples in Stereo vibes happening here. Reliably melodic rocker Brad Marino has an album of rarities, remixed and unreleased stuff about to hit the e-shelves and from what is presently available online even attentive fans are going to find stuff they’ve never heard before. Like “Not Fooling Me” in my case. This is classic Marino hooky goodness, tied up with his oh so smooth vocals. Peter Green’s Soulbird project is like hitting the psychedelic mainline, with an extra pop punch. “Stay With Me Angel” has hooks working overtime but the vocal arrangement takes things to a new level. As if he’s not busy enough with his other bands Rural France and Teenage Tom Petties, now Tom Brown is fronting another nearly one-man band called Lone Striker. “Dunno” is a wonderfully languid bit of slow-groove pop, with what sounds like some sonorous horn work lifting the mood. Another exciting new release comes our way from guitar ambience expert Chris Church. “Sit Down” is dotted with sparkly guitars and a vocal that shifts from smoky smooth to urgently insistent.

Wrapping things on this shivery singles collection is a song so in keeping with our seasonal theme from everyone’s fave punk-pop productivity super-achievers Vista Blue. “I’m Going to be Warm This Winter” is pure adrenaline salted with plenty of pop hooks.

Brrr. It’s definitely a good day to stay inside, somewhere between the fire and the turntable.

Photo courtesy Rob Elliott/Swizzle Gallery.

Breaking news: Super 8, R.E. Seraphin, Mick Trouble, Dave Scarbrough, and The Happy Somethings

09 Saturday Jul 2022

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As the teletype drones in the background a stentorian voice announces more breaking news, none of it good. But relax, this breaking news post is just good stuff, headlines full of groovy, jangly, modish, melodic guitar fun. Hold your questions till the end.

Paul Ryan’s reconnaissance of late 1960s and early 1970s aural soundscapes continues with his latest Super 8 release Universal Journey. This time the pitch is cast somewhere between the psych pop of 1967 and the mellow sunshine pop of 1971, aided by vocal help from power pop songstress Lisa Mychols. “Universe” kicks things off in a laid back psychedelic style, letting you know that, baby, everything is just gonna be groovy. “Galatic 9” puts a bit of spring into that step, Mychols vibing a mix of breathy 1960s dolly bird singing with some lighter-than-clouds background vocals. But then the mood shifts on “California Road Trip” with a bright piano and crisp vocal that is oh so Carpenters (minus the wall-of-strings). “All Because of You” and “Ghost in my Heart” also have this vibe. From there the album offers up a variety of styles: a decided blues feel to “Cracks in the Pavement,” driving, pumping piano on “On the Radio,” a boogie psych lurch animating “The Door Beneath the Eyes,” and Sgt. Pepper-esque psychedelia defining “Feel.” “Rocky Roads” is a bit more timeless, just a could-be-anytime great poprock single. And then there’s the obvious summer anthem “Where’s the Sunshine,” a track that really captures the obvious musical chemistry between Paul and Lisa. Altogether Universal Journey is fun in the sun and then some.

On his new Swingshift EP San Francisco’s R.E. Seraphin leans into a bigger, bolder guitar sound. Opener “Playing House” lands with a sense of presence, the prominent early guitar chords saying ‘hey there, check this out!’ By the chorus I’m convinced I’m hearing some great lost Might Lemon Drops out-take (and that’s a good thing), the keyboards and guitar meld so effortlessly. Then “Big Break” pulls back, the guitar attack is lighter giving way to a more boppy pop feel. “Stuck in Reno” takes us in a more spacey jangle direction, at least until the lead guitar pyrotechnics kick in. Seraphin’s press kit mentions The Replacements and Cheap Trick influencing the record but if there’s a band haunting these proceedings it’s the Church circa the “Under the Milky Way” period. I hear it on “The Virtue of Being Wrong” and definitely all over “Miss Grief.” Seraphin rounds things out with two delightfully delivered covers, The Wipers’ “I’ll be Around” and Television Personalities’ “This Time There’s No Happy Ending.” My only complaint is that everything’s over in just 18 minutes.

To the uninitiated the whole Mick Trouble thing can come off like some sort of elaborate inside joke. Alleged to be a long lost early 1980s mod banger, Mick is supposed to have been only recently rediscovered. Turns out though that the whole enterprise, British accent and all, is the invention of New York-based Teenage Strides and Jeanines member Jed Smith. But man does Smith commit to it! On his second outing in this guise, It’s Mick Trouble’s Second LP has a sound that is so 1960s pop effervescent meets the austere mod revival of late 1970s acts like The Jam and Merton Parks. The record kicks off in jangle guitar overdrive on “A Well Known Drag” with a vocal menace matching Paul Weller, except when it slips into a softer, more seductive Weller croon. Smith knows his England-isms and they litter his lyrical landscape on tracks like “Jim’ll Fix It,” “Living in a Kingdom” and “Hastings to Normandy.” But the strength of the record is in the song-writing and killer period-perfect performances. “Do Nothing ‘Till You Hear From You Me” is so 1960s pop whimsy, “The Bleeding Downs” is strummy sing-a-long good, and “Julia” applies Searchers guitar to that early 1980s austere rewrite of the sixties beat group sound. In a different retro vein, “Me and the Riddle Tree” ambles along with a very 1980s guitar vibe while “No Deal” is my vote for should-be hit single, it’s such a perfect bit of guitar pop. With Mick Trouble, you might come for the novelty but you’ll stay for the show.

All the bloggers are saying very nice things about Dave Scarbrough and his ‘debut’ album Happy Every After. And so they should – the record is freakin’ fantastic. But as recent interviews highlight, Dave’s been at the music thing for a long time and that might explain the polish, the confidence, and the high quality of what he’s produced. Opening cut “Catherine” captures it all: the slashy guitar chords, the glorious keyboard runs, and the hook that won’t let up. Sure all the usual comparisons are there – Costello, Squeeze mainly – but there’s something more at work here too. “Wachet Auf” has a different poppy rock feel, reminding me of Seattle’s Ruler. Ballad “The Coming Good” is another departure, this time into Boo Hewerdine territory. Then “Wanna Believe” has a menacing Americana rock feel, switching up the tempo and the vocals. Ok, “As Far As I Know” and “Hilary” take us back into Costello territory but I hear a bit of Edward O’Connell’s take on the master as well. My point (and I do have one) is that Scarbrough may have strong influences but he’s carving out his own path too. I mean, check out the distinctive guitar stamp on “Runaround” or song structure of “Oblivious.” Either one would make pretty good singles IMHO. “Sorry” is another winner too. All I can say is, thank you Sioux Falls, South Dakota for sharing this major talent with the rest of us.

Can I say I think I’m in love with The Happy Somethings? This band of seemingly socialist songsters give their music away for free and self-describe themselves as an ‘independently unpolished band who like to be happy … making music for pleasure.’ But don’t be fooled. This is some pretty top notch stuff, sometimes sounding like a lofi Chumbawumba, at other times a fuzzy jangle band. Their new EP is Ego Test and it gives you a pretty good sense of what they’re about. “New Life” is definitely happy and positive, with a Elephant 6 sensibility. “Ego Testicle” drapes its critique of our money-centric world with another sunny melody and some sharp guitar work. I love the timbre of the guitar tone opening “Takes a Long Time,” a dreamy, droney paean to being yourself amid a world of deception. “I Hope” wraps things with oceans lapping and metaphysics unresolved but hey, that’s life. And then they’re done. But don’t worry, there’s more on their Bandcamp back pages. And did I mention it’s free? But you can still contribute to helping their make band-ends meet, if you like.

Well, as they used to say on the radio broadcasts, you’re all caught up, with these headlines anyway. Make sure to do your own follow up on these stories and click on the band links to get all the details.

Top photo courtesy Black Zack.

Holiday hit parade

17 Thursday Dec 2020

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Under normal circumstances we’d be reeling from the nearly toxic levels of holiday music saturation going on. Every shop, office or mall would be wall-to-wall Santa tunes, with a few mentions of that Jesus guy for good measure. And here I’d come along making the case for even more eggnog-splattered tune-age but with a significantly higher quotient of hooks. But not this year. Lockdown has put the holiday music hostage-taking on hold, at least somewhat. So I expect even greater tidings of joy to accompany my annual holiday hit parade offerings! Forget tinsel, let’s get a little reverb on that tree.

Kicking off our seasonal singles is fab contribution from Lisa Mychols. Last year Williamsport Grade 8 math teacher and aspiring songwriter Brian Fagnano wrote me late in the season to alert me to this great tune he’d written and convinced Mychols to record (sometimes cold-calling actually works!) and the result, “Ringing Bells on Christmas Day,” is fantastic, an instant classic! His note came too late to include the song in last year’s holiday post but I’ve kept it aside to feature this year. The track has a great Spector-ish quality to it, particularly in the song structure, with an updated, chiming indie-charm production-wise. This one’s going into an eggnog-with-rum level of rotation.

Another last-year Christmas song contribution came from the uber talented Brothers Steve. In addition to releasing a highly celebrated debut album (#1, reviewed here) the boys managed to get out a double-A-sided seasonal single. Last year’s post had one of the songs and this year I’m featuring the other, “I Love the Christmastime.” It’s got an early period Squeeze-like appeal, so 1980, in the best sort of way. The song also appears on the Big Stir Singles: The Yultide Wave with a load of other great tunes and artists (check out the whole package here). Another reliable band of hooky holiday music providers is Vista Blue with a whole album of festive tunes and one-off singles. But this year they blew the doors off on the doing-the-holiday-music thing with their Ralphie’s Red Ryders project and its accompanying album You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out. What a wonderful tribute to everyone’s fave anxiety-fueled holiday movie classic, A Christmas Story. And the songs are great too! I included “I’m Gonna Get an A+ on My Theme” because it’s my fave at this particular moment – that could (will) change. Growing up Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Paper” was a holiday 45 must play. Roy’s gone but a bit of him lives on in a raft of current releases from the Ruen Brothers, like their brand new holiday song, “This Wholesome Christmas Eve.” The boys nail the guitar ambience and songwriting style of 1962 while the vocals really are heavenly.

Ruen Brothers – This Wholesome Christmas Eve

The holidays offer performers an immense catalogue of now-classic material to cover in their bid to get a piece of that seasonal download/streaming action. But not all remakes are made equally. Nick Lowe is ‘old reliable’ in his ability to cover a tune and practically reinvent it. His collection of seasonal songs, Quality Street, as aptly named, and not in the cheap chocolates sort of way. This year he dropped two more holiday songs on us, one a cover of “Let It Snow.” With the able backing of his regulars Los Straightjackets, Nick largely lets the song’s hooky melody do all the work and the result are candy cane good. Indie darlings Peggy Sue strike a similar guitar pose with their cover of the venerable “White Christmas,” with just a shiver of their distinctive other-worldly Blue Velvet-style on the vocals. Power pop master Greg Pope gets right to work cranking the guitar all over “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” shifting from reverby lead to power chords with solid melodic effect. A less obvious pairing sees melodic noise-ster Velco Mary add some swing to the otherwise rather more typically morose “Silent Night.” But, hey, it works, giving the song some as-yet undiscovered pep.

Velcro Mary – Silent Night

Ok, back to new holiday songs. Dolour has definitely been good this year, releasing copious amounts of great material, both albums and singles. No coal for these guys. But they have more to give! Like “All Winter Long,” a contribution to the season with a nice McCartney “Wonderful Christmastime” ambience. Nick Piunti and the Complicated Men’s “Christmas Morning” is a more upbeat take on festive music, with both their signature jangle and Bryan Adams-meets-Elvis Costello vocals in attendance. Now here’s a timely seasonal tune, in more ways than one: The Jac (featuring the Christmas crew)’s “I Won’t Be Leaving Home for Christmas.” I mean, no metaphor here. We’re locked down or should be, for everyone’s sakes. Still, Jangle band and The Jac main man Joe Algeri manages to make it sound light and uplifting, with a sing-along feel and great harmonies. Now slipping back a few years, here’s a winning Christmas selection from Trolley’s Star of Wonder album, “Christmas in the Marketplace.” The guitar riffing alone here makes this song sparkle.

We wrap up this installment of our holiday hit parade by coming full circle, back to Lisa Mychols, this time working with Super 8. The duo wowed listeners with the obvious musical chemistry all over their self-titled debut effort this past summer, one that managed to effectively vibe sun, sand and a bit of surf. Now they take aim at winter with “Red Bird,” and the track is more proof that what they’ve got going is no fluke. The song is easy-going and breezy like an afternoon skate on an outdoor rink.

Merry happy to you this season dear readers, wherever you are and whatever you believe. I hope your holidays are filled with hooks that get cranked to 11.

Photo credit: Larry Gordon.