Tag Archives: Teenage Tom Petties

What’s in the showcase?

12 Friday Dec 2025

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Seventies television offered no end of consumer dreams to the people. Appliances, summer patio sets and, of course, brand  – new  – cars! But our showcase is full of musical prizes that you’d don’t even have to play for. You just hit play.

Our showcase focus starts with the letter G. Which could stand for guitar or The Goods, who are quite the guitar pop band. Don’t Spoil the Fun runs the gamut of jangle flavours, from the lush rippling guitar riffs of “April Fools” to the lyrical lead guitar defining “Raining” to the more acoustic guitar vibe of “Sarah Says.” But for pure hit single-age you can turn to “Sunday Morning Out of the Blue” with its Monkees in Clarksville mode quality. Boston’s Glowbox are bit grittier but with strong melody baked into every tune. On Bland Ambition the band fuzz out the sound without diminishing the hooks, elevating songs like “No Place Like Nowhere” and “Go Like Hell.” “Philosophy 21A” is an outlier here with its interesting theme and execution. But the standout track for me is “What You’re Doing To Me” with it’s Beatlesque strut. Then there’s The Glad Machine. Their presser for All the Pretty Things claims the album is “packed with crunchy riffs, candy-coated hooks, and just the right amount of lyrical mischief” and they’re not blowing smoke. “Back to You” is so melodically sweet I’ve got the beginnings of a tooth-ache coming on. Then you have tracks like “Collide” and “Gravity Sunshine” that offer a more muscular brand of poprock. But the clear game-changer here is “All the Pretty Things.” The song is barely contained blast of Beatles ’66 meets Cheap Trick tune-age.

Bands in our H file right now include The Half Cubes. I don’t think these guys ever sleep. They’re 2/4th of The Flashcubes, busy with gigs and recordings with that outfit, and they’re putting out regular double LPs of covers with this side hustle. And these are no tossed-off cover versions. As a follow up to last year’s rightly celebrated Pop Treasures they now offer us a sequel with Found Pearls: Pop Treasures #2 and it is literally packed with hits from the seventies and eighties. There are big name artists covered here, like The Romantics “When I Look In Your Eyes” and XTC’s “The Disappointed.” But there are also less well known cuts, like Julian Lennon’s “I Don’t Wanna Know” and Mark Hudson’s “Be Mine Tonight,” that sounds like hits when they’re covered by these guys. But, no surprise, I’m most excited about the cover of Marshall Crenshaw’s “Whenever You’re On My Mind,” a should-have-been monster hit that sounds no less like hit material in this version. Another H band in this showcase is LA’s Humbug. I love how this band layers their songs, building from an acoustic guitar base and then adding everything else. “Open Season” has great pop swing. “Barbara Says” vibes FOW pretty hard (and I’m totally down with that). The songwriting here is strong. You can hear that tunes like “Can’t Read Velvet” and “Backlot” could easily translate on just acoustic guitar without losing any their sophistication. So hard to choose just one track to feature from Open Season but check out the Costello-ish “Quit With Suzy (75k).”

In our M grab-bag we see the welcome return Movie Movie. The new EP Coming Attractions leans into The Cars atmosphere on opening cut “After Hours.” If you’re looking for a dose of guitar-driven melodies circa 1980s, this is the band. It’s been great to see a new record from Manchester’s The Maple State. 2018’s The Things I Heard at the Party was a tour de force of punk-tinged indie poprock. Now seven years later they’re back with Don’t Take Forever. “Zero Days Since Last Incident” and “No Time to Waste” take us right back to the band’s original pop punky style. Meanwhile “Dead Beneath the Stars” get a Celtic vibe going. But in terms of development, “Winner Part II” shows a band going in new and interesting directions. On this year’s EP Transported Chicago’s Moderncults give off a rough and ready vibe when you click on “Chip” but that gives way when the ever-so-sweet title-track kicks in. “Grid” and “Inner Monologue” also have some shining break-out melodic moments.

Time to spill the T before things spill over. Leeds is home to Tulpa, a band that manages to wash every tune in a similar dissonant guitar sound without losing what makes them distinct. In other words, their LP Monster of the Week has got a coherent sound. The style is captured on “Transfixed Gaze” and “Pyro” particularly. By contrast, “Whose Side Are You On” sounds pretty Velvet Underground. But the record’s stand-out track is undoubtedly “Let’s Make a Tulpa!” This one takes off and never loses its energy. Jim Trainor falls into my guitar-pop sweet-spot all over his recent album Listening to Understand. Right out of the gate “Nothing” had its melodic hooks in me. There’s a reverby drone coating the whole song that I can’t get enough of. The LP offers up a host of airy light poppy songs like “Always Been You” and “Above” but I’m more partial to the harder edged numbers like “I Don’t Want to Be.” Self-described ‘slacker jangle band’ Teenage Tom Petties Rally the Tropes on their most recent disc. Hidden amidst their calculatedly shambolic performance are eight great new tunes. “Hotmail” and “Faculty” sound ragged but they hit their melodic marks. And then you have songs like “American Breakfast” and “Kudzu Pop” which give you just a little bit more in terms of depth.

Our last batch in this showcase gets us to the letter W. Montreal’s The Wesleys launch their EP Explosive Device true to form with the driving guitar pop tune “Magic Wand.” “Permanent Vacation” is another winner in a Together Pangea style. “Find a Way” has a more power pop sheen. The similarly named The Webstirs are more a straight-up rock and roll band, with a touch of Jeff Lynne sliding in here and there. You can hear it on “Roulette,” the opening cut from the just released LP High Up in the Trees. There’s so much ear candy on this record, from the poppy groove animating “Dancing in the Sky” to the mysterious ambience cloaking “K Morley.” “Reached an Understanding” sounds like the radio ready single to these ears.

You don’t have worry about going over bidding on this showcase. Sometimes the prices are set, sometimes they are pay-what-you-want. Click on the links and put together your own special package of quality musical products.

Around the dial: Lone Striker, Ryan Allen, and Randy Klawon

21 Friday Mar 2025

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Today’s radio spin reveals surprises from some of our usual suspects. Gotta stay tuned in to get the full picture.

I like Tom Brown. I’ve reviewed his Teenage Tom Petties and Rural France records and they’re reliably good. But his new Lone Striker project is a revelation, a carefully calibrated artistic montage of ‘found sounds,’ loops and samples. And hooks galore, of course. Album opener “Blip One” is a Beck-like pop crawl of a number, shrouded with lone prairie ghostly background vocals. Then comes the early release single “Dunno,” which had me at the mournful horn section opener. There’s a beautiful melancholy hovering all over this tune. It’s a song that seems so simple at the start but builds an emotional intensity. By contrast “The Cavalry” has a New Pornographers feel where the rhythm guitar almost looms in the background, offset by what sounds like a toy keyboard lead line. It’s curious, despite an overall sonic consistency to the record the different cuts here conjure up different moods. “Funny Way of Showing It” is breezy acoustic pop fun, “Never Blown a Kiss” has a Mavericks vocal intensity, while “Cursed Like Roy” lopes along like a Magnetic Fields-meet-Buddy Holly tune. Sometimes the vibe is baked into the choice of instrumentation, like the mournful harmonica and whistling on “Pinnochio” or the pedal steel guitar on “Hurry Up, You’re Taking Forever,” making any song a perfectly sketched miniature of mood.

Ryan Allen returns to his roots on his latest record, channeling the influences that shaped his tastes growing up. To that end Livin’ On A Prayer On The Edge dials down his usual levels of crunch and distortion to favour melody. You can hear the difference on album opener “I Should (But I Don’t Really Wanna)” with guitars that sound like a more dissonant version of Teenage Fanclub. Then “Lost in a Daze” and “Anxious All the Time” have a more Fountains of Wayne intensity. Basically this record is like a tour of duty with poppy guitar bands (and I’m all for signing up). You can definitely hear a Big Star kickstart to “After I’m Dead,” or a hazy Oasis guitar shimmer on “Conspiracy Theory” or even the pull of Squeeze in “When I’m Gone.” Radio-ready should-be hit singles? I’m voting “Company Eyes” and “So What Who Cares.” These are catchy poppy gems. Then it’s a wrap with the lovely, Kevin Devine-ish “In The Next Life.”

On Love and Sacrifice Randy Klawon steps out from his sideman role with The Flashcubes and The Half-Cubes to take the spotlight, gathering together a host of singles he’s been releasing over the past few years. And it’s about time. The guy has the soul of a classic poppy rock and roller that can effortlessly traverse decades of influences. Opening cut “Love and Sacrifice” lands somewhere in the 1970s. “Marlo Maybe” is more early 1980s AM soft rock. By the time we get to “Little Miss Sunshine” Klawon is working the same timeless indie poprock seam as people like Ed Ryan. In other words, the song could have come out anytime in the last few decades. But there’s also a strong Beatles DNA stamped across the album too, prominent on tracks like “Ordinary Day” and “Tonight.” On the singles front “She’s More Than I Want” is pretty brilliant single-age, with its touch of the Searchers plus The La’s. “Even When She’s Wrong, She’s Right” and “Don’t Want To Play” are both effortless singalong pop, perfect for wafting from somebody’s transistor radio somewhere.

Keep me guessing, that what I say. And keep hitting those hotlinks to keep these guys in guitar picks.

Photo courtesy Aaron Brown Flikr collection.

Poprock Record’s should-be hit singles for 2024

04 Saturday Jan 2025

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Time to rev up our annual Poprock Record should-be hit singles list of songs we’ve featured at some point during 2024. Let’s be honest up front, we barely scratched the surface of all that was going on out there music-wise, even within the confines of our own narrowly defined genre (what I’ve been calling poppy rock). As I peek at the lists of other melodic rock taste-makers I see loads of great acts I somehow missed out on. Oh well. There’s only so much needle-dropping your scribe can do. From what we did manage to cover I just want to take this space to remind you of some stand-out tracks. So today we single out 50 should-be hit singles from 2024, songs that deserve another shot at chart glory. Click on the hyperlinks to hear each of the songs and read the original write ups.

Drumroll please, here are Poprock Record’s top 50 should-be hit singles from 2024:

1. Wons Phreely “The Faithful Heart”
2. Real Estate “Water Underground”
3. Used “Morning Sun”
4. Lo Fi Ho Hum “Never Been in Love”
5. Tamar Berk “Good Impression”
6. Frank Royster “Someday”
7. Wifey “Mary Ann Leaves the Band”
8. Peter Freebairn “I Got Lucky (I Got You)”
9. Mo Troper “A Piece of You Broken Through My Heart”
10. The Well Wishers “Good Side”
11. Blitzen Trapper “Hello Hallelujah”
12. Chime School “Wandering Song”
13. Strange Neighbors “Tell All Your Friends”
14. Steven Wright-Mark “Summer Sky”
15. Brent Seavers “Till It’s Over”
16. Ducks Ltd. “The Main Thing”
17. HOA “Push Man”
18. Dom Mariani “Jangleland”
19. Randy Klawon “She’s More Than I Want”
20. Kenny Michaels “Must Be This New Love of Mine”
21. Laughing “Bruised”
22. Cal Rifkin “Big Star”
23. Stephen Schijns “Carry On (The Way It Has To Be)”
24. 2nd Grade “Live From Missile Command”
25. Love Burns “What To Do About Us”
26. The Fatal Flaw “Stop Pushing Me Away”
27. Marc Jonson “November Paintbrush”
28. Sunken Planes “There’s a World”
29. Pale Lights “Twisting the Knife”
30. Paul Collins “In Another World”
31. The Rockyts “Without You”
32. Ward White “Our Town”
33. The Cynz “Crow Haired Boys”
34. Sad About Girls “She’s Not Here”
35. David Woodard “The Last of the Full Grown Men”
36. The Reflectors “Supernova”
37. Mark Alan Lofgren “Ne’er Do Wells”
38. The Dreambots “Tightrope”
39. Ethan Beck and the Charlie Browns “Does This Bus Stop at Douglas Street”
40. The Newds “God of Small Things”
41. Motorists “Phone Booth in the Desert of the Mind”
42. Neon Bone “Don’t Fall in Love With Her”
43. SidePlay “Hit the Road Mac”
44. Caddy “In a Heartbeat”
45. Glenn Erb “Dashboard Jesus”
46. Brother Dynamite “The Girl’s in Love”
47. Pony “Freezer”
48. Jupiter Motel “Playing with Ghosts”
49. Newski “Banking On Never Breaking Down Again”
50. Teenage Tom Petties “She Kissed Me in Seattle”

Music blogger extraordinaire Eclectic Music Lover put me on to Won Phreely’s captivating single and I was hooked. Both Real Estate and Used struck me as mining that elegant Shins brand of manicured poprock. Lo Fi Ho Hum grabbed my attention with his quirky, amusing video but his melody lingered long after. Tamar Berk just goes from strength to strength in her songwriting and you can hear it here. I could go on. This is a list bursting with jangle and heartbreak – and hooks, of course.

Next up, Poprock Record’s most inventive covers from 2023:

1. The Half-Cubes “Make You Cry”
2. Mattiel & Troy Stains “Somebody’s Knocking”
3. Super Ratones “Troubled Times”

The covers just keep on coming and I’m fine with that. Poprock veterans The Half Cubes gave us a double album of carefully curated pop hits from the past but it was their cover of The Sighs’ signature song that really floored me. Georgia’s Mattiel could sing the phone book and keep most people happy but her cover of Terri Gibbs’ 1981 hit is nothing short of transformative. Then there’s Super Ratones doing Fountains of Wayne. Lovely and timely.

It’s been a tough year. It’s been a year full of great songs. We’ll certainly need more of the latter in the days ahead and Poprock Record with be there to bring you more should-be hits. So click on the links above to remind yourself how good 2024 was and make sure to visit the artists and wave a little cash in their direction.

Photo courtesy of Sunsju Flikr collection.

Around the dial: The Half-Cubes, Tamar Berk, The Martial Arts, and Teenage Tom Petties

20 Tuesday Aug 2024

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We tune our radio dial today to throwback seventies pop, tuneful tableaus, melodic melodrama and hooky guitar noise. And with no need to change the station.

The Half-Cubes new album Pop Treasures is a monster of a collection, featuring 24 tunes that draw from 1970s and 1980s hit-makers and indie darlings in a lovingly relentless manner. At the risk of going all K-Tel on you, the hits just keep on coming here. Opening cut “Love’s Melody” sets the stage, barreling into the spotlight with an unstoppable 1970s pop punch. I can definitely hear The Searchers lurking in the arrangement of this Motors tune but the performance is classic Half-Cubes in its hooky intensity. But when the band switch to less well-known material like “Weakest Shade of Blue” from The Pernice Brothers they make that sound like a great lost hit single too. They’re just that good. Clearly I can’t touch on every tune here so let me point out some surprises and personal faves. Like their version of 10cc’s “The Dean and I.” This was the song that turned me on to that band and it’s not an easy cover, with its complex melodic turns and vocal arrangement. But the ever reliable Half-Cubes pull it off. Doing Phil Seymour’s “Precious To Me” was an obvious but no less delicious choice. Offering up a guitar-centric take on OMD’s “Souvenir” was a more bold move. You can hear a lot of thought went into the choice cuts included here, from Del Amitri’s still striking “Not Where It’s At” to the crashing guitar goodness of Cheap Trick’s “Heaven’s Falling” to 20/20’s understated guitar pop masterpiece “Jet Lag.” As an added bonus, The Half Cubes regularly share their spotlight with a number of the original artists. For instance, The Sighs entire band show up to join them on the re-make of their nineties hit “Make You Cry.” Pop Treasures really is an aptly-named assemblage of should-be hits in the best spirit of K-Tel party albums.

The title of Tamar Berk’s latest LP Good Times for a Change appears to drop a Smiths’ lyric on us with similar ironic intention. Good times don’t make for inspired art. So on solo album #4 Berk continues her journey into emotional and melodic complexity and where we end up is predictably impressive. Berk opens the record with a solid, should-be hit single. “Good Impression” flashes some Cars rhythm guitar shots so effectively I’d swear I was tuned to a 1981 car radio. This is some fabulous neo-new wave poprock. “That’s Not a Lie” is another single contender with its great vocal work. The rest of the record switches up tempo and moods, shifting through dance-able numbers like “You Trigger Me” to more contemplative efforts like “Chicago” which expertly builds its intensity throughout the performance, laying on more and more pop sheen. I’ve often compared Berk’s work to other smart and inventive female artists like Suzanne Vega and Aimee Mann and hear more that here, with the former echoing throughout “Book of Change” and “Millenium Park” or the latter on “I’ll Come to the Rescue.” There’s a playful feel so many tunes here, like the catchy ‘oh oh oh oh’s’ of “Be My Friend” or the languid shuffle on “I Don’t Mind” or the horns adorning “Artful Dodger.” Good times might be over-rated but Good Times for a Change can’t be rated high enough.

In the 1970s there was a fifties music revival that combined cartoonish hooks with a zany compressed sound that felt like it might go off the rails at any moment. You can hear it in the glam and Abba from the period and a host of deep cuts from 10cc. Add a strong dose of James Mercer’s clever pop sheen and things might add up to Glasgow’s The Martial Arts. The band’s new album In There Like Swimwear could be a time capsule from that era, except that it is much too smart and self-aware for those simple times. Opening song “Hold On Full Of Hope” gives you the flavour, riding its in-your-face melody with a bit of Elton John boogie in the background. “Empty Out There” keeps up the energy, sustained by some killer organ work. “The Attractions” strikes an Elvis Costello Armed Forces note, perhaps not surprisingly. “No Victory” was an early release single and it still sounds to me like an ice skating rink soundtrack number (and that is a very good thing). There’s so much to discover on this album, the songs are so complex and continue to reveal themselves on repeated listening. Songs like “Something in the Water” and “Exploding Crushing Inevitable” are so creatively put together, in totally different ways. Should be hit single? Definitely “Friends For Fools.” Those rhythm guitar shots are so alluring, only to break out into a beautiful melodic arc that just keeps stretching along new paths. It’s a perfect slice of melodic melodrama. There’s surprises here too. Like “Not Coming Down” which opens with a The The single synth note, only to move into a more Erasure-ish march. Then “Closing Number” offers a delightful sonic salad of varied sounds, ending with a banjo no less. Forget your bathing cap, In There Like Swimwear is actually gala entertainment.

On album number three (and second self-titled release) Teenage Tom Petties fade back from full band form to mostly just main man Tom Brown in his bedroom. But the results are still pretty rocking. The goal this time, says Brown, was to make an ‘alt-rock 90’s powerpop record’ combining influences from Fountains Of Wayne, Superdrag and Weezer with some ‘attempted Beach Boys harmonies.’ Tall order much? Yet Brown delivers and then some. “I Got Previous” has got a rough and ready DIY nineties vibe going. “Hawaiian Air” floats oh-so smooth vocals over bed of distorted guitars. Then “Kissed Me In Seattle” really is a pretty spectacular love child of all those aforementioned bands. Some songs lean more in one direction than another, with “Dumb Enough” very Weezer while “This Autumn Body” is so FOW. “Night Nurse” has got the urgency, crashing guitars, and pop hooks to be the single here. I could go on about every single song here (“Handstands for your Love” is sooo good!) but you’re getting the point. Give in to your longing for grungy 90s power pop and buy Teenage Tom Petties right now.

We’re your all-in radio station, serving up seventies retro, neo-new wave, tuneful melodrama and nineties power pop in one post. Convenient hyperlinks take you directly to the source.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr Collection.

Record round up I

27 Wednesday Dec 2023

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2023 is nearly done but my album review pile remains stacked with must-be-heard-now LPs. Some of these records only just came out while others arrived a while back but never quite fit into whatever posts I had on the go at that given moment. Whatever the reason, to get things sorted by year’s end it’s time for another seemingly annual record round-up. Or two. Brace yourself for an onslaught of quality tune-age.

Sam Roberts sounds so much like … Sam Roberts. What I mean is the guy has got a distinctive, immediately recognizable sound. Take his participation on last year’s Still Anyways LP from Canadian super-group Anyway Gang – his contribution “Out of Nowhere” couldn’t be mistaken as coming from any other group member. Album number 8 from the Sam Roberts Band is The Adventures of Ben Blank and the title track opens this affair in familiar Roberts territory: with a tune that is easygoing yet driving, pleasant and ear-wormy. “I Dream of You” and “Picture of Love” have been released as video singles and both are grin-inducing good time songs. Roberts’ tunes work as polished rocked-up affairs but you can tell they’d sound just as good solo on a battered acoustic guitar. “Everybody Needs Some Love” is a keeper too. I totally dug the punky ferocity of the Teenage Tom Petties self-titled debut album but one year later Tom Brown’s one man band has morphed into a total band experience. One result is that the songs on the new LP Hotbox Daydreams sounds more together, more focused. Or, as the band, say ‘supercharged, super melodic and super short.’ Case in point – “I Got It From Here.” I love the melodic twists here, one minute sweet, the next a bit sad. “Stoner” motors along with a rocking energy fueled by solid rhythm guitars and an ominous keyboard wash. “Find Me” sounds like a rough-hewn hit single. And there’s still plenty of rocked out fuzz on tracks like “Greenhorn” and “Trigger’s Broom.” “Deathtrap” even vibes some pop psychedelia.

Currently hanging in North Wales doing a PhD in Creative Writing, queer working class poet and musician Caleb Nichols has still managed to pump it out in 2023, releasing 3 EPs and this recent fantastic full length LP Let’s Look Back. The 11 songs here are a like a selection of chocolates, boxed in the same factory but all different flavours. “Demon Twink” comes on like a rush of Elliot Smith with a dash of Rogue Wave in the mix whereas “The Absolute Boy” gives off a bit Bryan Ferry meets Sparks. I hear some strong Shins influences all over “J’ai Vu La Lune” while “Blue Sky Blue” has a Tim Finn flavour to its melodic arc and vocal performance. Then there’s “Albatross” which stands out for its dark pop edge and  generally ominous aura. This record is clearly a winning collection. In 2022 LA’s The Uni Boys were universally lauded in the power pop press for their major label debut Do It All Next Week which somehow managed to melt down 1979 and compress it into 12 magic tunes. Now they’re back with Buy This Now! and I can heartedly endorse that sentiment. This outing has more of that winning guitar pop sound on tracks like “Two Years” and “Intentions,” with the latter’s twin lead guitar opening marking it as radio hit friendly. The split in the vocal duties pushes the band in a Rockpile/The Connection direction on “Don’t Want To Be Like You” and “I Want It Too” while “I Don’t Believe in Love” and “Say You’ll Make It Real” is more uber-cool Colin Blunstone smoothness. Lots to love here, with able production from The Lemon Twigs.

With Again Birmingham Alabama’s The Blips once again channel that 1970s new wave re-invention of classic rock and roll motifs. “Stay Up” serves notice that this record is going to be party time central, vibing a strong 1977 Nick Lowe energy. From there the record alternates between a garage rock stomp on tracks like “Slow Lane” and a more Stonesy saunter on “Good Lookin’ Liars.” Then “She Still Shouts” unleashes a bevy of hooky lead guitar licks in a dance floor crasher while “Laika” adds some jangle and fuzz to the mix. You’re gonna want to get your tickets pronto when The Blips come to your town because they are surely a rock and roll dance event. Now for a change of pace you could turn to Chicago’s Matt Tiegler. His recent release Hands Free Down Hill is all jaunty acoustic guitar and piano-based sunny pop songs. His early release single “Dream (reason for living)” set the tone, in a light and soft rock endearing sort of way. But quickly the album opens up in multiple and very pleasing directions. Like “I Didn’t Get You,” a rollicking pop ear worm, or the jangle-coated Beatlesque “I Want to Start a Religion With You.” Teigler rocks things up a bit more on the title track and there’s even a hint of XTC on “Murphy’s Hope.” And check out those seductive jazz guitar licks on “Summer Love Song.” Very Lane Steinberg.

Everybody is talking about Portland Oregon powerpop wunderkind Bory and his new album Who’s a Good Boy. With a talent like Mo Troper in the producer’s chair there was little doubt that this would be a quality pop product. Opening cut “The Flake” delivers with a bit of jangle and overall droney pop haze that is both distinctive and pleasantly familiar. Then “Feel the Burn” boosts the melodic hooks while “North Douglas” adds more fuzzy guitar to the overall pop goodness. Possible influences abound. “End of the World” showcases some delicate guitar work draping a Jon Brion bit of musical ennui, “We Both Won” has just a hint of Wings-era McCartney lurking in the song structure somewhere, and “Wreck” sounds so Elliott Smith to me. Then again, the stripped-down acoustic guitar ballad “Take It From Me” really shows the strength of Bory’s songwriting. Heading down the I-5 in Oregon we end up in Eugene, home of poprock oddballs Poppy Robbie. Their new LP Neighborhood Beautification Commission is almost a concept album, its disparate elements all contributing to a critique of modern living. “Heartbreak Scenario” gets things going with pop sneer vocal-phrasing reminiscent of a 1978 Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello or Graham Parker. From there “Homesteader” offers has a more Britpop jangle, “Robert Pollard Trading Card Collection” conjures a bit of Guided By Voices not surprisingly, and “(Still Bored) On the Weekend” nails that early Velvet Underground guitar sound. I also love the punky reinvention of Byrds influences in “Quite Alright” and the way that the vocal really carries the tune on “Distracted.” Poppy Robbie definitely has something to say and he’s going to say it now.

His day job playing guitar and keyboards for the Drive By Truckers clearly prepared Gonzalez Smith to hit the recording studio to Roll Up A Song for this solo effort. But the results are not what you might expect. The range of styles here are broader, rather exquisite and carefully curated. Take “Lexington Line,” a finely calibrated bit of baroque pop. Or “She’s My Girl,” a perfect example of undistilled power pop in the Greg Kihn tradition. “Margaret” is a lovely acoustic guitar led slice of early 1970s folk pop. And a song named for “Lindsay Buckingham” is naturally going to contain nice guitar lines for sure. I can’t decide if “I Stole Your Girlfriend” is more funny or sad. “Silhouette” is just gorgeous.  With 17 songs the LP is value for money too. Erik Voeks is one of those artists I keep trying to get to. His reputation for legendary melodic poprock crops up regularly on obscure music lists. So I’m digging in with his new Erik Voeks and The Ghosters release It Means Nothing Now. Wow, what was I waiting for? This record is maximum delight from the word go. Opening cut “It Means Nothing Now” vibes some Beach Boys and Beach Boys-influenced acts like Richard X. Heyman. “Hazy Mazes” has some addictive jangle pop hooks while “Everything Dissolves” add some XTC fuzz guitar. Some songs like “The Most Confusing Part” remind me of contemporary acts like Odds and others reinvent the past like “The One Before It” where I hear a new wave shimmering version of the Bryds. So many great songs here, though I’d single out the Marshall Crenshaw-ish “It Breaks You” and “Love You Anyway” which chugs along with good old fashioned rock and roll swing. No hesitation – this album goes directly to the ‘must have’ pile.

Round up one down, one round up to go.

Photo courtesy Megan Westerby Flikr collection.

Springing for singles I

23 Sunday Apr 2023

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Sunshine and blooming buds can no longer be contained. Time to spring a new load poppy rock and roll singles on you. Whether you’re clearing the garden or chasing new love right now, you’ll need some tunes. Here’s your first instalment of 21 seasonally-approved spring singles.

Let’s get started with what one wag called the ‘savage pop’ of North Carolina’s Paint Fumes on “Starting Over.” It’s got a rough and ready veneer hiding more than a glimmer of pop goodness. These are rock and roll hooks par excellence. And there’s more of the good same all over the band’s just released fourth album Real Romancer. From the delightful surprise file, a new single from Vancouver’s Odds. The band broke out big in the 1990s, then went on hiatus for a while, returning post-2007 with a series of unjustly over-looked new releases. The latest single “Crash the Time Machine” sounds like vintage Odds, all striking lead guitar lines and deadpan Northey vocals. Time to let your Odds flag fly, the band website promises a whole new album soon. It’s funny how labels stick. Scranton’s The Menzingers are regularly described as a punk band but you’d be hard pressed to single out the punk element of their new single “Bad Actors.” Ok, maybe it’s there in the vocal delivery but, on the whole, this new single is just solid poprock, the melody guiding the rocking backdrop into solid potential audience sing-along territory. How does one capture what Eytan Mirsky is? Is he just a magisterial vocalist? Seriously, I could listen to this guy sing the New York Times crossword. Lately he’s proven to be a crack song-writing collaborator too, taking lyrics from friends and acquaintances and cooking up up dynamite material like “Lost in the Jet Stream.” In some ways it’s signature Mirksy – those organ trills! But the guitar work is pretty special too. Vienna’s Good Wilson offer us some very jazzy guitar vibes on “Undecided Changes.” Think Steely Dan in space mode. Or a bit like The School Book Depository and The Golden Seals.

My blogging friend Eclectic Music Lover introduced me to Copenhagen’s Thomas Charlie Pederson, specifically “Yesterdays and Silly Ways” from his latest LP Employees Must Wash Hands. He describes the sound as chamber pop (read EML’s detailed breakdown of the album here) and that nails it, the song is very like The Zombies on tracks like “Care of Cell 44” from Odyssey and Oracle. Philadelphia’s Canadian Invasion are hiding in plain sight, releasing music with seeming impunity. Perhaps they hope to seduce the American empire from within with song? Their latest Your Favorite Lies EP might just do that with killer tracks like “Catch a Falling Knife.” Who marries an addictive violin solo and echoes of FOW’s song-writing? Geniuses, that’s who. Speaking of genius marriages, everybody’s fave Beatlemaniac TexMex combo The Krayolas have a bit of old and new out on their new EP King of Pop. There’s a great cover of The Monkees (“Pleasant Valley Sunday”), some totally new material, and a remix of “Catherine,” originally featured on 2008’s La Conquistadora. The latter is pretty stunning, a perfect distillation of all that this great band can do and has done over its decades-long history. Just catching “In Flames” from Roller Disco Combo on my phone shuffle I had to stop short, thinking it was a new single from Farrah. No joy on the Farrah reunion but plenty of smiles for RDC’s new EP The Sun After the Rain. Cleveland music legend Randy Klawon has cooked up a magic bit of 45rpm popcraft on “Marlo Maybe,” with help from former Raspberries drummer Jim Bonfanti. The style reminds me of tracks like Paul Davis’ early 1980s hit “65 Love Affair” in that it reinvents nostalgic pop motifs for a new era.

Thomas Charlie Pederson – Yesterdays and Silly Ways

Every since J.D. McPherson relaunched the neo-1950s sound for a new millennium a host of acts have been trying to tread the same boards. But few nail the atmosphere quite like The McCharmlys. “Love Me Too” breaks out of the speaker like the soundtrack to a classic 1950s movie montage sequence. The fine balance between rapier-quick lead guitar lines and the band’s commanding lead vocalist gives this tune its particular charge of excitement. This is doo wop on steroids, with a dab of Debbie Harry and Amy Macdonald thrown in. We’ve featured Floridian guitar virtuoso Kurt Lanham and his inventive covers of classic pop hits a few times (“I Want To Hold Your Hand,” “Jenny 867-5309”) but he also writes and sings on his own original material. Like “Pallas” from last year’s LP Lanham. The song has got a languid bit of swing in the playing, buffeting the melodic vocal lines and varied guitar tones. Mellow but definitely ear-wormy. Back to Denmark for a moment, it was such a hard choice to decide on a cut from Mansfield’s repertoire. Both “Tell It Like It Is” and “Please, Shine a Light” from their 2020 debut album Star Crossed Lovers are a special blend of Merseybeat and Oasis influences but “Chasing After You” from their new EP Come Rain or Shine brings a decidedly Jake Bugg swagger into the mix. How about a dose of both? Today’s artists like to spread themselves over multiple projects, undoubtedly to satisfy their creativity and increase the chances that something will land with the public. See Benji Tranter’s resume for exhibit A. He’s a member of psych-folk group The All Night Chemist and power pop trio Ski Lift while also a collaborator with Show Boy. His recent solo effort Songs to Make You Happy is a definite departure from his group work, going for a more full-on folk effect. I really get a sense of Elliott Smith déjà vu from “Speed Camera.” Husband and wife duo Skoopski add to their continuing inventory of inventive stand-alone singles with “Double.” The song shifts from a stark, stripped-down, almost off-Broadway feel to a more full blown indie workout. I love the lead guitar tone that threads its way through the tune.

The McCharmlys – Love Me Too
Kurt Lanham – Pallas

Live fast, die young might sound romantic to aspiring artists but the reality is just loss, for a whole lot of people. What might have been won’t be. Zev was an up-and-coming indie artist still finding his own unique sound when he died in a car accident earlier this year at just 16. But just listen to his promise. On “Parachute” he owns a Velvet Underground groove like he’s camped out at Lexington Avenue and 125th Street. It’s got a touch of psychedelia in the chorus and some prophetic lyrics:

‘that young boy with no parachute looks a lot like me’
‘that young boy’s gonna die’
‘someone save him’

Still, my fave from his handful of songs is “4th of July.” What a neat slice of cool guitar pop. It’s hard not hear a Ben Kweller influence here. Vicenza, Italy’s Hearts Apart shift between spare verses and a combustable poprock sound in the choruses of “You’re All Around.” They’re clearly building up to something, an album perchance? There is something going on in Rochester, New York these days. The range of bands putting out amazing sixties inspired new material is incredible. The Low Spirits have got the garage angle covered. It’s like the Leaves or the Troggs time-travelled and got into a modern studio to cut a few tunes. “Outta Sight” is so the 1966 garage rock brief. What a party band these guys must be. Speaking of partying, the Teenage Tom Petties are back with a great double-sided single. A-side is “Posters” and I like it. But I like the B-side more, “My First Beer.” It’s strummy and, as the band say “95 seconds of pure first-beer-buzz, all climaxing in a messy-as-hell solo before passing out in the garden.” Really, couldn’t have summed it better. Heading now to the American Pacific northwest we pull a few tracks from Patty and Oh’s debut album Out of Everything. The record’s first single “Useless Love” is pretty cool. Like Jonathan Richman if he’d focused on getting a hit single. But I’m skipping over that for “Heard Some Kind of Light.” I love the computer-ish keyboard work. It’s got a sprightly pop feel, yet with some eclectic David Byrne notes. B-side? I’d choose “New Flavor of Gum.” It’s great guitar pop elevated with endearing keyboard tones and layered background vocals.

https://safesuburbanhomerecords.bandcamp.com/track/my-first-beer

I was going to call a wrap on this instalment of spring singles sampling with K. Campbell’s recent song “Smoke.” And it is a great track. But then I stumbled across Campbell’s even more recent release “Neil and Joni” and I had to shift gears. Two iconic Canadian songsters celebrated in one song? What’s not to love? And the additional accent vocals here from Mandy Kim Clinton really add something consequential.

Spring singles are a thing and this is just phase one. Return here for more seasonally-attuned songs soon.

Top image courtesy Mark Amsterdam Flikr collection: ‘Citroen car dealer brochure 1963’

Poprock Record’s should-be hit singles for 2022

05 Thursday Jan 2023

Posted by in Poprock Themepark

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It was another busy year for melody-drenched rock and roll. Releases were coming fast and furious and frankly I could barely keep up. Still, I managed to get 82 posts up on the blog in 2022 and write over 64,000 words on the loosely-defined rock and roll sub-genre I call ‘poprock.’ I couldn’t write about everything that crossed my desk or what others may have necessarily thought was review-worthy, I just covered what caught my ear or worked itself into some kooky theme I cooked up. So let me be clear, what appears here is a completely arbitrary exercise in personal taste and discretion. I’m sure others may have a somewhat different set of worthy tunes that deserve more attention. And that is totally cool. The point is to celebrate the artists and perhaps give people another shot at checking them out.

So here it is, Poprock Record’s top 50 should-be hit singles from 2022:

1. Grrrl Gang “Pop Princess”
2. The Bleeding Idahos “The Beat Said”
3. Dazy “Rollercoaster Ride”
4. Bloody Norah “Shooting Star”
5. Allan Kaplon “Restless One”
6. Televisionaries “Over and Out”
7. John Larson and the Silver Fields “Reversible Heart”
8. Push Puppets “There’s No-one Else Like Lynette”
9. Tamar Berk “Your Permission”/“Tragic Endings”
10. Freddie Steady Krc “Bohemian Dandy”
11. The Toms “Atmosphere”
12. The Proctors “You and Me and the Sea”
13. The Minders “Home”
14. Richard Turgeon “Better With You”
15. Flipp “You Can Make It Happen”
16. Bill DeMain “Lone Ranger”
17. Limblifter “Haystack Rock”
18. Stephen Schijns “I Met Her Yesterday”
19. The Rubs “When I Dream About You”
20. Edward O’ Connell “Golden Light”
21. Superchunk “Endless Summer”
22. The Kryng “Get”
23. Freedy Johnston “There Goes a Brooklyn Girl”
24. Phil Thornalley “Fast Car”
25. Lawn “Down”
26. The Stroppies “The Perfect Crime”
27. Beachheads “Jupiter”
28. Martin Luther Lennon “jfkha”
29. David Woodard “Stupid Kid”
30. Linda XO “California Girl”
31. Richard X. Heyman “When the New Dawn Comes”
32. Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard “Break Right In”
33. Sloan “Magical Thinking”
34. Teenage Tom Petties “Boxroom Blues”
35. The Demos “Streetlight Glow”
36. Suburban HiFi “In Her Reverie”
37. Moonlight Parade “Amsterdam”
38. Ricky Rochelle “In a Dream With You”
39. The Telmos “What She Knows”
40. Marc Jonson and Ramirez Exposure “Tape Recording”
41. Sky Diving Penguins “Run Boy”
42. Novelty Island “Jangleheart”
43. Goodman “Au Pair”
44. Pictish Trail “Melody Something”
45. Kevin Robertson “Tough Times (Feel Like That)
46. U.S. Highball “(You’ve Got To) Activate a Carrot”
47. The Wends “What A Heart Is For”
48. The Rallies “Must Be Love”
49. Jane’s Party “It’s Been Years”
50. Frank Royster “Open Door”

There were so many great songs put out this past year, I was spoiled for choice. And choosing wasn’t easy. Sometimes I cheated a little. Grrrl Gang’s “Pop Princess” technically came out before 2022 but I only got around to writing about it this last year. What a tune! It’s a perfect example of the kind of excitement a great single can generate and, really, why I write this blog. People need to hear it! Or there’s the fresh indie hooks driving The Bleeding Idahos’ “The Beat Said” and Bloody Norah’s “Shooting Star.” Dazy had a knock out AM radio earworm with “Rollercoaster Ride.” And then there was veteran songster Allan Kaplon coming on like The Highwaymen at first only to let loose the Rockpile hooks in the chorus of “Restless Ones.” There were new faces and old favourites and surprises aplenty. Click on the links to go to the original posts featuring each song.

I had to create a few new categories this year, just to capture all that was good and groovy about 2022. The post-Covid covers album phenomenon continued and most were great fun. But some were particularly inspired. And then there were a lot of acoustic guitar-dominant tunes out this past year that I felt really needed to be singled out in a category I’ve dubbed folk pop.

So, without further ado, here are Poprock Record’s most inventive covers from 2022:

1. Kurt Lanham “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (The Beatles)
2. Lisa Mychols and Super 8 “I Can’t Explain” (The Who)
3. Bill Lloyd “The World Turns Around Her” (The Byrds)
4. Andy Bell “Light Flight” (Pentangle)
5. Murray Atkinson “Bus Stop” (The Hollies)

And here are Poprock Record’s top folk pop singles from 2022:

1. Fjord Mustang “Health Class Field Trip”
2. Rogers and Butler “Oh Romeo”
3. Bats “Golden Spoon”
4. *repeat repeat “Hm Feels Like”
5. Steve Robinson and Ed Woltil “Make Amends”
6. Chris Castino “Chinese Whispers”

I do love making lists but the choices do not amount to any big heavy pronouncement on anything – just my bit of fun and chance to celebrate these artists a little bit more. Check them out and see if you don’t agree, they’re seriously good!

Photo courtesy Fred Rockwood.

Heat seeking singles

20 Saturday Aug 2022

Posted by in Poprock Themepark

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The surging summer heat of late August really could do with a soundtrack all its own. What better way to fill that void than this 21 single salute? Strap in, here’s another slew of could-be hits for your perusing pleasure.

How did I miss Ducks Ltd.’s fall 2021 release Modern Fiction? Could be the name switch up from Ducks Unlimited. I guess you can have too much of a fowl thing. Critics have been all over “18 Cigarettes” from the new album and hey it’s great but I’m all in for the strummy magic that is “Grand Final Day.” It’s got jangle, New Order-worthy bass work, and some killer percussion.  The overall effect is very Cure-like. “Fit to Burst” is another favourite with its discordant lead guitar lines. Netherlands sixties-style rockers The Kryng have a new album out, Twelve Hyms to Syng Along, and a full review will be coming. Right now I return to their previous single and the driving-fun stomper b-side specifically, “Twenty Two.” This one is dancing shoes approved! It’s a full-on 1966 Top of the Pops go go-ing classic. A band experiencing a reanimation after some time away is Minneapolis rockers Flipp. Time has smoothed the pop hooks in their material, i.e. less Kiss more Romantics. Their new album Too Dumb to Quit kicks off with “You Can Make It Happen” – check out the riveting cowbell and slashing guitar chords opener! This is a song that pulses with urgency but these veterans know how to pace our interest, giving the tune plenty of sonic space and changes in tempo. Fans of The Tearaways and The Empty Hearts will love this. Rural France member Tom Brown has got a thing for Tom Petty, obviously. The most recent RF record had a song called “Teenage Tom Petty” and now he’s got a side band dubbed Teenage Tom Petties. Well if loving Tom were a crime a lot of us would be doing time. TTP gives this Tom a chance to go for a bit more rough sound than Rural France but without sacrificing any hooks. “Boxroom Blues” has a muddy feel to its mix but the lead guitar grinds out a relentlessly melodic line throughout. Things get turned up to 11 on Robby Miller’s new single “Staying for the Weekend.” It rides pretty close to going all rawk with its distortion and waka waka guitar effects at times but Millar has a knack for melody that ultimately reins in any guitar excess. An album of rocking Millar tunes surely can’t be far off.

Fresh should get an award for best fake-out opener to a song. The alluring distorted guitar hook that launches “Deer in the Headlights” says punky combobulations coming right up. But then things veer into a sophisticated pop vibe reminiscent of The Sunday’s debut album. The riff then keeps coming back in, jostling the listener – but it totally works. Just one of many creative contributions to the band’s new LP Raise Hell. Chicago’s The Embryos clearly spent some time taking in the mammoth Beatles’ Get Back documentary during lockdown because their new single “The Tone” is a subtle love letter to the sound of those sessions. The vibe kicks off casual, like a rehearsal session, but as the song advances things tighten up, adding more and more polish and nuance. The Demos “Streetlight Glow” is calling up so many different possible comparisons: the spooky background vocals sounds Zolas, the acoustic guitar-anchored verses has a Farrah feel, the electric guitar shots is so Vaccines. Despite this variety it all hangs together, descending into sing-along goodness near the end. The track is from their stylishly designed new long player 24 Hour Hotline featuring a stunning candy apple red Western Electric model 500 telephone. Monica LaPlante is a solid rock and roll gal. I mean, listen to her version of Echo and Bunnymen’s “Do It Clean” – it’s like she put it through some kind of B-52’s dance machine. “Selfish Bitch” is another good time rocker. But then other tracks exude a Chrissie Hynde cool. The 2019 single with “Tinted Lights” and “Opposite Sides” doesn’t just feature an classic looking cover, both tracks have a sublime sophistication. “Opposite Sides” is particularly striking, like Peggy Lee with a Nancy Sinatra swagger floating over wonderfully ominous musical textures. It would be great to pull all Laplante’s various singles and EPs into one great big album for easy appreciation. The Veras‘ new single “Sevens and Nines” has a wow-guitar chunkiness to it. There’s something very 1970s to the monster electric guitar chord attack, a bit glam with a touch of BTO swing. This one’s a party-time crowd-pleaser! You can preview a few more tunes from their upcoming new LP V is for Vera on their website.

Time to turn down the lights for a mellow moment with Franco-American duo Freedom Fry on “True to Ourselves.” This starts off spare but just wait until Marie Seyrat gets to the line “Well it’s you and me, my friend till the bitter end …” Bliss! Very early 1970s folk pop in a Poppy Family way. Former (and current, I guess) Ride guy Andy Bell keeps releasing singles from his super solo record Flicker but the latest “Lifeline” contains a special treat, a cover of Pentangle’s “Light Flight” from their 1969 album Basket of Light. I love the English twist on sixties folk rock with its unique guitar tunings and medieval aura. Hard to live up to guitar masters like Bert Jansch and John Renbourn but here Bell proves he’s no slouch. Speaking of the Middle Ages, The Happy Somethings give a solid folk footing to their paean to Everything But the Girl’s female vocalist on “I Wish You Could Sing Like Tracey Thorn.” Who doesn’t? They offer two versions on this double b-side, both delightful in their own way. Austin’s Wiretree deliver their reliable strummy goodness on a recent one-off single “Inside.” No breaking headlines here, just the usual quality merch, a dreamy mix of acoustic guitars and swirling vocal harmonies. Or for something completely different, check out Lysa Mychols and Super 8’s expert deconstruction of The Who’s “I Can’t Explain.” Powerpopaholic called it a ‘beatnik version’ and I’d have to agree, right down to the finger snapping and period wardrobe in the video.

Time now for the Jeff Lynne portion of our programming. Starting with Phil Thornalley. Phil’s usually that man behind the curtain, writing, producing and playing on hits for all sorts of people without taking the spotlight himself. He recently launched a strong solo effort with his Astral Drive project, particularly the should-be hit single “Summer of ‘76” (reviewed here). And his soon-to-be released solo effort Now That I Have Your Attention promises to be a winner if this pre-release single is anything to go by. “Fast Car” is a loving homage to everything ELO. It’s got the strings, the pumping piano, the army of background vocals, and an earwormy set of melodic hooks. Another artist working some Lynne-isms into their new song is Bill DeMain, co-songwriting partner to a load of should-be stars and one half of Swan Dive. “Lone Ranger” is a brilliant riff on fame and heroes well past their sell-by date. But musically it’s like a easter egg hunt for ELO motifs. Pretty genius stuff here. The Rooftop Screamers offer a more distant echo of Lynne influences on “The Great Unknown.” It’s there more in the melange of sounds, the organ, Tim Smith’s great vocals, and the song’s relentless hookiness. Another drip released single on the way to a new album undoubtedly. Belfast’s Neil Brogan combines a wonderfully weird set of styles on his recent album Things Keep Getting in the Way. Not so much ELO as the melodically-folky, sometimes-rocking sound of acts like Darren Hanlon, Hayden, and Ron Sexsmith. Title track “Things Keep Getting in the Way” is a case in point: the sonorous guitar lines jump out but the vocals are so folky understated. Now get ready for a bit of joy wrapped up in a new single from Drew Beskin and the Sunshine, “Spoilers.” The opening instrumental roll out is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face, the chorus is so uplifting, and the musical breaks just bolster the good feeling. A single from the much anticipated upcoming album Somewhere Sideways Same as You.

We wrap up this batch of singles with a brand new cut from Frank Royster. Those familiar with Royster’s two phenomenally good but overlooked solo albums understand what good news this is. “Open Door” has a hint of The Smithereens songwriting stamp all over it while it’s message of faith is in your face but curiously not jarring. This is the second new single from Royster this year in anticipation of an album coming in 2023.

Frank Royster – Open Door

Whew, 21 options for your end-of-summer playlist. Surely something here to tickle every fancy.

Photo courtesy merobson.