The news is out all over town. We’ve been seen running ‘round with a crew of melodic rocking wonders – some new, others old favourites. But you can get filled in on all the details right here.
The Netherlands appear to have a sizzling melodic rock scene if bands like The Maureens are anything to go by. Five years on from 2019’s stellar Something In the Air album, #4 is here and Everyone Smiles as a title pretty much captures the audience response. Equal parts 1966 Byrds and Rubber Soul Beatles, the songs here feature a mix of acoustic and jangly guitars, a load of harmony vocals, and hooks to spare. The band also name check later influences too like Big Star, The Posies, and I’d throw some mid-seventies Wings into the mix as well. So no change of course from previous efforts but no less enjoyable for their consistency. “Stand Up!” launches the record, throwing everything the band does so well at the audience seemingly all at once: hooky lead guitar, heavenly harmony vocals, and a moving sentiment. There’s even a Sgt. Pepper era backward sounding lead guitar instrumental break. I hear plenty of should-be hit single material on this release, from the brilliantly arranged “Alison” to the sublime melody carrying “Start Again” to the lead guitar hooks buffeting “Lost and Found.” Contrasts abound too, with a sombre Byrdsian quality haunting tracks like “Fell In Love” or “Do You” leaning into the vocal harmonies to pretty much carry the tune. “Morning Papers” even strips things down to just vocals and acoustic guitar with poignant effect.
Everyone is raving about Liquid Mike’s most recent LP Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot and with good reason. Its combination of grungy guitars and earwormy melodic hooks are sublime. I stumbled over the band last spring and have been playing catch up ever since. This time out the watchword is variety. “Drinking and Driving” opens things up with a whole lot of dissonant tension before settling into a driving groove and a some surprising hooks. “K2” elevates the rhythm guitar work to carry things forward with a propulsive energy. Then “Town Ease” gives off a more shambolic party feel. Looking for a banger? “Mouse Trap” leans on its dirty rhythm guitar chords with a seductive intensity while the vocals remind me a bit of The Front Bottoms. By contrast, “Drug Dealer” has a more harsh FOW buzz. I love how the light lead guitar lick on “American Caveman” gives way to a thudding pleasant droney grind. Surprise ending? Oh ya. Title track “Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot” springs into action like a should- be hit single with a more smooth poprock sheen.
What I find so striking about Chicago band The Second Summer’s debut album is how consistent it sounds. Undertow is basically a collection of singles released sporadically over the past three years but together they cohere into a clear musical statement here. This is a band that balances edgy with smooth, offsetting ripping guitar riffs with seductive harmony vocals. Opening track “The Reason” effortlessly presents the brief here, driving the hooks home with ease. “Something” tweaks a nineties guitar heavy tune with an almost Byrdsian vocal charm. Tunes like “Invisible” and “Adults” move in on a more even-tempo poprock style while I hear a more edgy Teenage Fanclub vibe on cuts like “Undefeated.” Hits? I think they’re here. “Bad Feeling” sounds AM radio ready as this album’s should-be hit, though “Wonder Why” has also got a pretty killer, hit-worthy chorus.
Former Bigger Lovers guitar player Bret Tobias strikes out on his own with The Bret Tobias Set and a debut EP Pleaser Vol. 1. Where the former conjured a good time Replacements rock and roll vibe BTS is more psychedelic and jangly in a Church doing “Under the Milky Way” register. “Good Morning, Sunshine” has got that dreamy hazy guitar thing going overlaid with nicely subdued vocals. “Avoid the Minefield” presses into a more 1980s Simple Minds sound. Then “Bit of a Dick” offers a cleaner guitar sound even as it edges more into the psych rock scene with some ace keyboard/organ flourishes. Compared to the rest of the set “It Never Hurts Any Less (But You Get Fast)” comes off with a positively jaunty pacing, akin to the new wave era of Squeeze. And the video is a pretty fun DIY effort. The EP wraps with a droney mediation on a “Better December,” broken up midway by an uber cool organ instrumental break.
Now you’ve got the headlines, it’s time to do your own research. Click on the links to get more background on these breaking stories.
Photo “TV War” courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.
Poor Myrtle. She’s only got Muzak® to keep her company through the long shift at work. If only she had access to this great new list of must-have LPs from 2019, helpfully assembled by Poprock Record, she might actually close that Henderson account and get off early. The lesson? You can take an oldies fixation too far. You don’t have to live in the past to love that retro sound. This year’s best-of round up of LPs from 2019 is definitive proof that everything old can be new again!
I really like the variety covered in this list. There’s everything from jangle (4, 11, 15, 25) and country (12) and Dylanesque stylings (21), to keyboard contemporary (8) and acerbic social commentary (10, 23) and straight-up Beatlesque poprock (17, 19). And there’s a lot of sweetness, like Mondello’s impressive 20 year labour of love (18). My number one album, Bombadil’s Beautiful Country, embodies this commitment to diversity. It’s got an overall indie-folk vibe but the songwriting and playing are so sophisticated that somehow the label fails to capture all of what’s going on. Believe me, it’s a 37 minute journey through a myriad of lyrical and musical delights. Close behind at #2 Matthew Milia’s Alone at St. Hugo represents an amazing synthesis of melodic rock influences, from the Beatles (obviously) to the more mellow Fountains of Wayne moments. It’s an tone setter – put it on and drift away! At #3 was #1. Confused? #1 was the name of the debut album from the power pop veterans behind The Brothers Steve and it did not disappoint. The record is like a veritable hit machine. I can only imagine that this was what it was like to get your hands on a new Beatles record in the 1960s: immediately engaging, inventive yet relatable, and with nary a bum track. And I could go on about every entry on this list … but instead just click on the links to go my original posts about the bands and you can judge them for yourself.
2019 had plenty of jangle, hooks, harmonies and melody to spare. From an initial list of over 200 songs I’ve managed to whittle my should-be hit single list to just 50 chart toppers for this year. Man, it was hard. Because I only post music I like this whole exercise is a bit like choosing your favourite child. Well, IMHO, the 50 songs featured here all have a strong earwormy quality to them. But let me know if you agree or disagree! Hit the links below to find each artist as featured in my original blog post this past year.
Thursday needs jangle like Sunday needs a weekend extender. It’s something to brighten your just-past-midweek spirits, put a little sparkle in your step, and turn up the corners of those pursed lips.
The Maureens emerged from Utrech, Netherlands in 2015 with an amazing record, Bang the Drum, a album brimming with catchy tunes slathered in delicate harmonies. Last year the band teased fans with bimonthly single releases that promised even greater things. Now what is probably my most anticipated album of 2019 has arrived and it is nothing short of stupendous! Something In The Air kicks off with the three 2018 singles, definitely a solid start, with “4AM” and “Twenty Years for the Company” both vibing a strong Teenage Fanclub jangle. But I also hear an older set of influences on tracks like “Turn the Page” and “Something in the Air,” very Crosby Stills Nash and the Byrds respectively. Other highlights for me include the bittersweet “Valentine,” “Wake Up,” and the ear wormy “Can’t Stop.” But drop your needle anywhere on this record and you won’t go wrong. This is a band in full control of their ouvre.
From the moment I heard the fat jangle anchoring “Nervous Man” from the rather mysterious The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness I knew I was on to something special. Now that we know that TBWTPN is Andrew Taylor from Dropkick and Gonzalo Marcos of El Palacio de Linares the song’s quality really is no surprise. Dead Calm is their first full length release and it delivers on the promise of that first stellar single. Jangle permeates every inch of this record, perfectly showcasing some strong songwriting. This is evident right from the start with hooky, guitar-run heavy “TBWTPN,” which cleverly re-uses the song title from The Feelies that inspired this band’s own name. From there it’s one very pleasant tune after another: “Anything At All,” “Close the Doors,” and the more country-ish “Southern Words.” This album’s a let-it-run-through soundtrack of good times.
Jeff Shelton’s The Well Wishers have a new two-sided single out that contains a killer original song and an impressive cover. Check out the ringing guitar hooks on “Feelin Fine.” Folks, this is the Matthew Sweet single we’ve all been waiting for! Jeff’s spelling might be spotty, but his ear for candy-coated hooks is spot on. Meanwhile for the B side Jeff decided to cover Fleetwood Mac’s “Second Hand News.” Ouch! That is one tall order as Buckingham’s vocals alone are nearly impossible to match or replace in any listener’s sense of what the song should sound like. But Shelton manages to pull it off, mixing just enough ragged DIY charm with his professional chops to give his version its own identity. Is this a teaser for a fab new album? We can only hope so.
Chicago’s The Embyros lean heavily on a Teenage Fanclub/Byrds sound on their new extended singles project, Singles Club Volume 1, particularly “Wasting All Your Time.” The two other tracks here will also delight jangle ears. But why stop there? The band’s 2018 album Open the Kimono is chock full of indie pop rock treats. “Circleville” has an unpolished indie charm while “Wake Up Screaming” reminds me of that smooth California sound the Popravinas have going on their recent records. I love “Bad Old Days” with it’s country-ish Beatles crossover feel. And then the band delivers a nice melodic rock and roll ending with “Eleven Forty.” These guys are a real tuneful diamond in the rough.
2018 was a freakin’ fantastic year for poprock! How do I know? Every year-end I put together a playlist of tunes released that year. In 2016 it consisted of 58 songs clocking in at just over 3 hours. By 2017 that list expanded to 98 songs running over 5 hours. This year the list exploded to 175 songs going on for over 9 hours! My list of should-be hit singles had to expand to a top 50 just to accommodate all this talent. Hit the links below to find each artist as featured in my original blog post this past year or to go to their bandcamp or Facebook page if I didn’t write them up.
Time to get your jangle on – it’s jangle Thursday! Why Thursday? I don’t know. Maybe people just need a bit of sparkle to carry them through to the weekend. This installment takes a broad view of what jangles, not limiting the pool to just the Rickenbacker electric 12 string crew (not that there’s anything wrong with them …).
A new feature of sorts, a tribute to the almighty single! In this age of catastrophic change in music consumption the single is back as a way of teasing interest in an artist and their new releases. It is now fairly conventional for artists to release a single well ahead of the album. Take this first round of singles – all precede their designated albums by many months. And, frankly, I can’t wait around to feature these talents!
Time it was that I waited on every Elvis Costello release like the second coming of rock and roll’s savior. And then post-Spike, I got a bit more choosy. I mean, I totally support artists going beyond whatever they’ve done in the past and Elvis clearly had many more roads left to explore. They just weren’t always my thing. But like every George Jones record, there’s seldom lacking at least one truly great cut on any given EC album. It looks like Costello’s to-be-released new album will be no exception. “Unwanted Number” is a pre-release cut from Look Now and it’s a winner. Think Imperial Bedroom meets Painted From Memory. The piano and songwriting are reminiscent of the songs from that great Costello keyboard period stretching from Imperial Bedroom through Punch the Clock and Goodbye Cruel World. Meanwhile the bridge captures the feel of the work he did with Burt Bacharach on songs like “Toledo.”
Next up is the criminally under-appreciated Paul Collins, veteran of so many great acts like the Nerves, the Breakaways, and, of course, the Paul Collins Beat. What is striking about Collins is the quality of his songwriting output over a four-decade period. His new single shows he’s still got it. “In and Out of My Head” is the pre-release single from his upcoming album, Out of My Head. The rumbly guitar is wonderfully retro yet freshly deployed on a tune that sounds like it belongs on a Roy Orbison album.
Described as “Califorian pop from sunny Utrech, the Netherlands” on their website, The Maureens have a keen ear for a melodic blend of country folk and poprock sounds. 2015’s Bang the Drum was a solid release, oozing hooks and harmonies. Now they’ve released “20 Years for the Company” from the to-be-released Something in the Air and it’s a blast of harmony-drenched goodness. Speaking to the economic insecurity of times, the song nonetheless gives off a positive vibe with it’s captivating mix of male and female vocals.
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