Tag Archives: The Exbats

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.

Around the dial: Thomas Walsh, The Small Square, The Exbats, and Miss Chain and the Broken Heels

15 Friday Dec 2023

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Time again to twist the dial in our never-ending search for exciting and hooky new tuneage.  Today’s finds qualify as some quality discoveries.

Pugwash regularly conjured review comparisons to the Beatles and XTC but their sound eventually became its own point of reference. The band’s creative force Thomas Walsh now returns with a solo album The Rest is History that bears the mark of his distinctive artistic imprimatur and then some. The record launches with “A Good Day for Me,” a very ELO-inflected bit of pop genius. The arrangement of the song is so perfect, shifting from delicate moments and lush interludes to straight up earwormy hooks. Singles don’t get much better than this. “Another Lesson in Life” is a close second vote for should-be single with its psych Beatles feel and Lennonesque vocals. From there the album oscillates between spare and sunny pop sketches like “Love in a Circumstance” or “Born of Kamchatka” and the more jangle-pop contributions like “Take Your Time” and “Man Lies Down Again.” “All This Hurt” does crank things in a more power pop direction. And of course there must be some XTC vibes somewhere on any given Walsh product, this time featured heavily on “Everyone Back in the Water.” Pugwash fans are going to be very happy with Walsh in solo guise. The Rest is History is pure enjoyment.

Velvet Crush main man Paul Chastain has a new outfit and the vibe is something else. The band is The Small Square and they have a new LP entitled Ours and Others. I love the distinct mood on this album. Opening cut “Twenty-Third” sets a sombre tone before breaking out into a more Mike Viola pop ode. By contrast “The Hourglass” builds on its acoustic guitar base in a very Michael Penn kind of way. Then “Open Up (Closer)” commits to a more rocking demeanor with a Matthew Sweet balance of ripping lead guitar and strong melodic hooks. And check out the gorgeous jangle defining the enigmatic lurch of “Tilt.” It’s got Byrds, some Tom Petty, and just a hint of Mike Viola again. Come to think of it “Insta” has got some Brydsian turns too. The album has got a load of beautiful mellow pieces too like “Days In,” “Found Object,” and “Baby Face.” Should be single is definitely “Can’t Let Go (Oh, Tommy).” This one saunters in, understated, only to break out a great hook in the chorus. I’m also partial “N. Main Blues” with its otherworldly synth textures and chugging chorus.

With their new album Song Machine Bisbee Arizona father/daughter combo The Exbats move the dial up from their usual early 1960s Brill Building/Phil Spector sound to a more early 1970s Partridge Family vibe. “Riding With Paul” has got the ‘ba ba ba ba’s of the TV band down, with just a dash of Monkees guitar work near the end. Not that the sixties motifs have been entirely put away. “To All the Mothers I’d Like to Forgive” harkens back to an early 1960s girl group sound. Other sixties riffs can be found on the 1960s girl singer standards “Easy to be Sorry” and “Himbo.” Or there’s the more late 1960s Sonny and Cher feel to “Better At Love.” Sometimes the retro sound gets refracted through later periods. “Cry About Me” takes a new wave remake approach to the sixties girls group sound while the current single “Like It Like I Do” could be either The Bangles or The Go Go’s doing their hip-shaking, good time take on the past. Then there’s “You Got My Heart” and “Food Fight,” both rollicking blasts of goof pop, the latter getting garagey in a Velvets way. Last up, a real surprise – is that some Abba I hear lurking deep in “The Happy Castaway”? Get yourself a copy of Song Machine. You’ll have it running for a long time.

All this past week I just can’t stop listening to Miss Chain and the Broken Heels new album Storms. On the bus, during my run, on my way shopping for the husband, I just keep choosing this record and then hitting repeat. There’s something brash and raw and real going on here while still being oh-so polished and hooky. Sometimes the sound has a strong retro 1950s sheen. Songs like “Wild Wind,” “Caring Wolves” and “Uh Uh Uh” lean into that more rough-hewn, fifties-style melodic rock that reminds of another great find this year, The McCharmleys. But at other points lead singer Astrid Dante exudes the vocal charisma of a Neko Case, Jenny Lewis or Chrissie Hynde. Opening cut “I Don’t Know” is like a declaration of purpose, wielding its original and distinctive rhythm guitar work to anchor the song. “Storms” trundles along with a carefree abandon. “Hunters of Hope” has a more anglo-poprock gloss. Really, there are just so many great tunes here: “Since You’re Gone,” “Perfect Day” and the hypnotic “Green and Black.” Storms works on the stereo and you know it would rock live.

There’s nothing like twisting the dial and stumbling across a new find. Today’s acts will give you plenty to return to.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Life at 45rpm II

22 Tuesday Aug 2023

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In round II of our Life at 45rpm postings some old and more recent favourites make a re-appearance, along with some totally brand new acts. Let the spinning commence.

Any day there’s new material from Pugwash main man Thomas Walsh is a very good day indeed. Rumours abound that “A Good Day For Me” is the advance single from a Walsh ‘solo’ outing to be entitled The Rest Is History (thanks PowerPopSquare!) due later this year. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Hit play on this single and drink up all those Pugwash-isms you’ve been missing. This is first-rank wistful, spring-breeze-in-your-hair poprock. Walsh conjures elements of Brian Wilson and Jeff Lynne here but mostly you’re just going to hear that classic Pugwash sound. Walsh is finally back and in fine form. Another welcome returnee is Seattle’s Ruler. His 2018 LP Winning Star Champion ruled my playlist for months. His new album is Extra Blue and High and the tunes are still winning. I’d pitch a double a-sided single just to capture his many moods. “Price Tag” shifts between high and low melodic attack with plenty of buzzy guitar in the chorus and instrumental break while “I Thought You Were There” has a more low-key Aimee Mann tempo and subtle hooks. Another new album packed with strong material is the latest from Steve Marino, Too Late to Start Again. There’ll be more coverage of Marino to come but for now sink your teeth into the album’s opening cut “Satisfy You.” It all starts so innocent, just some simple psychedelic guitar. But before you know it Marino has cast a hypnotic spell as the whole band comes in and a bit of vocal call and response gets going. Simple yet so striking. A band I’m glad to see promoting new material is the energetic Indonesian pop trio Grrrl Gang. When I discovered “Pop Princess” a few years back it was serious replay time. Their new album Spunky is just about out so to tempt you, I’m focusing on “Blue Stained Lips.” I’m hearing a strong early Go Go’s sonic palette at work here. Also in the ‘missing you’ file for me is Sofa City Sweetheart – loved their 2019 long-player Super(b) Exitos. Now we have a new single “It Wasn’t You.” At first listen it seems breezy but there’s a complicated melodic undercurrent that gives the tune a unique and engaging character.

Victoria BC outfit The Origin were out and about in the first decade of the new millennium then broke up. But nothing like a pandemic to spark reunions. Since 2020 new material has been coming out and their latest single suggests there is no end in sight. “I Pour Myself Out” rocks the keyboard in a way that reminds me of Scouting for Girls, with a similar ear for good hooks. Long Island pop punkers Black Suit Youth sweeten their sound and soften their attack somewhat on “Outsiders,” their new stand-alone single. There’s an ever so slight hint of Green Day in the melodic mix and that is no bad thing. Sea Glass and Sky Adler’s song “Weekend” starts off so slacker pop but then builds into a bit of a party jam. I love the stripped down acoustic guitar opening and the contrast with the energy in the chorus makes everything take off. The vibe is very Front Bottoms meets Sugar Ray. The Feeders are a band I’ve meant to write about, usually after I’ve purchased some new release. But somehow I’ve overlooked them, which is no negative comment on their high quality tune-age. Really, you won’t go wrong with anything from their catalogue or Sam Vicari’s solo work. Now let’s end the coverage drought on this band by focusing on their new song “Congratulations, By The Way.” It’s a grinder, a rocked up re-invention of a classic mid-1960s song style not far different from the fine work of The Friends of Cesar Romero or The Blendours. Another sonic blast from the past can be found on Richard Snow and the Inlaws new single “Analogue Calls.” It’s not just the concept that conjures the technology of yester-year, the tune’s whole vibe is so late 1970s poppy rock, the kind the radio used to play. Radios? Like phones mounted to the wall, they’re just about gone too. Both the artwork and song here would make a killer physical 45.

On “Revenge Body” Athens native Drew Beskin conjures up an intimate atmosphere that sounds one part Peter Gabriel, another part Sam Weber. The keyboard and percussion mix are in a perfect tension here. Can’t wait to hear what else is lurking on his upcoming EP Garrett. Brighton UK’s The Evening Sons ride a wave of hooky distorted rhythm guitars on their power pop blast of a single “Superspreader.” Terms like driving, relentless, and onslaught come to mind in trying to describe this song, but all in a good way. This is the first single from a soon-to-be released LP entitled Tracks. The critics were all over the last Uni Boys last album Do It All Next Week and rightly so, it was an ace 1970s power pop reinvention. Well another LP is on the way (Buy This Now!) and if the promo single is any indication, get ready for a drive to accolade city. “I Want It Too” mines the same 1970s poppy rock and roll feel of previous releases, though this time I hear some 1977 Nick Lowe or those young Irish upstarts The Strypes. The Whiffs only just released their last album Scratch N’ Sniff last March but here they are with a new double a-sided single. I mean, bands usually milk an LP for a few singles before reaching for new material. Not that I’m complaining. “Satellite” b/w “As I Am” is a great 45 with the former cut reminding me of  the loose rock and roll fun of The Connection while flip lets the lead guitar really ring. Chicago native Matt Tiegler returns with a new song, anticipating his long awaited third album Hands Free Down Hill. The painted cover art really captures the album title sentiment. The album pre-release single is the jangly “Dream (Reason for Living),” a light poppy rumination on connection, sung with an Al Stewart folk rock intensity.

West Kirby’s West Coast Music Club crank up their jangle machine on a new single entitled “Sick and Tired.” But with a difference this time. The song so reminds me of the melancholy strains of Pugwash, with perhaps a strong dose of The Byrds coming in on the instrumental break. Strange Neighbors return after releasing one of the strongest EPs this year (Party of None) with a stand-alone single, a cover of the late Gin Blossoms co-founder Doug Hopkins track “Quiet Beat.” It’s a gorgeous tune, perfectly suited to the band’s unique guitar/vocals combo. Italian composer/guitar player Andrea Calvo is Grand Drifter and the songs on his new EP Paradise Window sound deceptively simple. But the magic is in the arrangements. As Subjangle records honcho Darrin Lee dubs it, this is Burt Bacharach-ian ‘sophistico-pop.’ Take “As the Days Change.” I love how the acoustic guitar anchors things, only to have a delicate single note piano riff float over everything. Captivating with a Josh Rouse kind of pop maturity. Speckled Bird offer EP #2 this year with Captain Maximus and it’s four songs are a quality quartet. But “Paint It” stands out with its saucy psych pop insouciance. It dabs in a variety of musical elements with an artist’s eye for detail. How much do I love Big Country? A lot. But not to the point where I won’t consider other versions of their songs. Like I love what Ted Leo and the Pharmacists do to BC’s “Inwards.” Early on it hews pretty close to the original but then innovates in the instrumental breaks.

West Coast Music Club – Sick and Tired

Wrapping up this second instalment of Life at 45rpm the irrepressible Exbats with their new single “Like It Like I Do.” I love the garagey feel of this band, though this song sounds a bit fuller than past releases. It’s got a hip-shaking sixties vibe that the Bangles would have owned. More to come with a whole new album called Song Machine.

Life at 45rpm is hard to maintain for long. With all these new tunes you can take a break, catch your breath, and then hit the links for more.

Photo courtesy Simon Collison Flikr collection.

Around the dial: The Forresters, Allan Kaplon, The Exbats, and The High Heaven

20 Sunday Feb 2022

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Today’s dial turning is finding guitars aplenty with a decidedly country, sometimes western flavour. But there’s a celebration of sixties garage and girl group sounds too. Get your ear close to the speaker for these made-for-transistor-radio selections.

The back catalogue of Sydney, Australia’s The Forresters has inspired comparisons to The Jayhawks, Teenage Fanclub and Big Star. But frankly, in my view, they’ve got a distinct sound all their own – apparent all over their recent long-player Something To Give. The intro guitar work defining opening cut “On My Way” puts the challenge up front, a bit sombre but uplifting at the same time, later enhanced by some great organ, ‘ooh’ing background vocals and a Harrisonian bit of lead guitar work. Familiar ground but a different synthesis than its source material. Meanwhile “Are You Ready” is a delightful rush of country Byrds meets Big Star. “Tightrope” moves in a different direction again, this time channeling some serious Matthew Sweet-like hooks. Pedal steel plus jangle? Yes please! That’s what you get with “Back In My Arms.” I love how the band throw ‘woo hoo’ background vocals over a whole load of material, framing the chord slashing “Pretty Little Thing” or the more languid rocking “Falling Star” or amid the horns and searing guitar solos of “Get To You.”  No surprise, the band ace their cover of Big Star’s lovely “Thirteen.” But the slow burn fave for me here is “Fall Back In” with its harder edge guitar sound and touch of melodic ennui. Having said that, you won’t go wrong giving Something To Give a full-album spin. It’s a no-regrets kind of commitment.

Allan Kaplon’s got a deep gravelly voice you might associate with those mid-1960s trucker songs from the likes of Red Sovine. But he manages to apply it to a variety of unpredictable styles on his thoroughly enjoyable recent record, Notes on a Napkin. Case in point: album opener “One Big Parade” is a brilliant Harry Nilsson-ish kind of late 1960s message song, one where Kaplon’s baritone adds gravity to an otherwise upbeat tune. Indeed, Kaplon’s voice should be seen as a crucial and unique instrumental contribution here, adding a depth of feeling to pop folkie material like “Keep You You” and “Every Single Day,” sort of like Jim Croce or Leonard Cohen once did. The record’s got country going on too, from the Hoyt Axton/Glen Campbell 1970s cross-over country feel of “Painted in a Bad Light” to the more late 1960s country-rock mix on “Wonder Where the Angels Are” and “Slow Down Cowboy,” the latter vibing The Band and Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay” respectively. But Kaplon gets his rock on too. “Flesh and Blood” has the cheeky swing I associate with Dire Straits’ first three albums, with a similarly understated yet precise vocal approach. Title track “Notes on a Napkin” even has a bit of a Yardbirds meets Bond aura with its tuneful menace. But the star track here is undoubtedly “Restless Ones” with its killer, slow-build earwormy hooks. The verses advance with a Highwaymen’s sense of balladeering anticipation, only to blast off in the chorus. Notes on a Napkin will surprise you, it’s a wonderfully eclectic marriage of strong song-writing peppered with inspired vocal performances.

What kind of cool time travel has brought us Bisbee, Arizona’s The Exbats? As their Bandcamp presser suggests, the group are like some kind of “dystopian garage rock … Shangri-Las” or a “pre-Velvet Underground doo-wop wannabe Lou Reed.” Their most recent LP is Now Where Were We and it is one serious love letter to Phil Spector, the Wrecking Crew and the 1960s California pop sound, though shot through with a punk DIY sensibility. “Coolsville” is oh so Mamas and Papas. “Best Most Least Worst” really does sound like a garage rock take on the Shangri Las. “Practice On Me” moves things in a more dirty-country cowpunk direction. “Best Kiss” is like an R-rated Top of Pops hit single circa 1965. The band can also do mellow. Songs like “One Foot in the Light” and “Like a Song” have a slower, more manicured pop feel akin to Sonny and Cher or Nancy Sinatra. There’s also a pop psych thing going on here on tunes like “Ghost in the Record Store.” I like how they meld different styles – check out the way “Hey New Zealand” combines a bit of The Zombies with the Mamas and Papas. I could go on. Each track vibes on a different flavour of the sixties like some sonic Pot of Gold chocolate box. Very tasty indeed.
The debut album from Melbourne, Australia’s The High Heaven Fairytales of the Heartland casts a Cormac McCarthy-like western spell refracted through a Sergio Leone cinematic filter. And that would be deliberate. These guys clearly love all those Clint movies and their distinctive Ennio Morricone soundtracks – and it shows. But they don’t just throw some spaghetti over any old songs, these tunes are right out of Americana central casting. Opening cut “Wanted Man” is on point, both in musical style and lyrical content. Immediately we’re thrust into the action, our protagonist drawing us into his dilemmas against a solid western-country sonic setting. “Dead Dollar Bill” ups the rock quotient in the country rock balance, with nice Morricone embellishments. “The Evening Redness in the West” adds some rollicking, saloon-worth piano and western-appropriate whistling. But the twin price of admission here can be found in “The Desert” and “Nowhere Bound,” the former a kick-up-yer-heels should-be hit single, the latter a lovely folk/country ballad. The record’s denouement is captured in the ominous sounding title track “Fairytales of the Heartland,” providing an unsettling end to an album that has alternated between glorious send-up and utter sincerity. Despite this, both here and on the band’s subsequent EP Outlaws, Vol. 1: A Few Tales More, the main feeling is a joyous sense of fun in the proceedings. These guys are having a blast so guess what? We are too.

When it comes to melody-packed music, it’s no desert out there. Come in out of the sun and crowd up to the bar with any of these fine artists. You’ll definitely slake your thirst for some quality tune-age.