Radio silence is over. We just can’t keep these maximum-rotation AM-spectacular acts under wraps.

As you hit play on The Cords self-titled debut album I bet I know just what you’re going to say. I was barely a minute into the record’s opening cut “Fabulist” when it struck me like thunder –  ‘wow, this is like The Primitives reincarnated.’ The reverb-drenched rhythm guitar, the hooky lead guitar lines, the lighter than air melodious vocals, it’s the total package. Follow up track “I Don’t Know (How To Be You)” also locks into a killer rhythm guitar groove that is relentlessly good. “October” then ups the ante adding some speed and a slightly more punky demeanor. “Vera” is something else again, with quirky chord changes and sixties-worthy ‘ba ba ba ba’s. “Bo’s New Haircut” was an early release single and it advertise the goods well with its slightly more slick C-86 style. Not that everything here is Coventry power-pop adjacent. “Weird Feeling” has a very different vibe going on, more poppy, less rocky, despite some strong beat group rhythm guitar work. By contrast “Rather Not Stay” conjures a very 1960s dolly-bird in minor-key style. Album closer “When You Said Goodbye” is a wistful farewell that carries a cinematic punch. You’re definitely going want to grab a copy of The Cords, it’s the guitar pop album we’ve all been waiting for.

Despite coming from Canada’s smallest province Prince Edward Island boys Absolute Losers have got a big big sound on their latest LP In the Crowd, brimming with jangle and Beatlesque melodies. Departing somewhat from the more experimental poprock sound of their 2023 debut album At the Mall, you only have to hear the opening chords of album opener “At the Same Time” to know this record is getting right to the rock and roll point. And it’s pretty much the same attack on “In the Crowd.” “Eagerness” pauses the rock bluster for some very April Wine high-melody moments. But the range of song stylings isn’t limited. There are clear Buddy Holly influences all over “Don’t Go” and some very George Harrison guitar flourishes colouring “For So Long.” “Better Things to Do” rides a pretty fine Beatles/Tom Petty line while “Kiss of Death” gives a punky feel to a solid BTO rhythm guitar groove. Shifting to a more modern mood, “You Never Say You Love Me” has a Sloan-like pop clarity to my ears. Then there’s “Letter,” a song that sounds like a more upbeat Weezer. Personally, I think “Your Colours” is also pretty special, almost folky with great jangly guitar and yearning vocals. Taken all in over one sitting the album is a delightful selection of tunes. Absolute Losers have produced a real winner with In the Crowd.

There’s no ambiguity for me, Maybe is definitely one the albums of the year. This debut release from Memphis outfit The Sonny Wilsons manages to sound comfortably familiar and strikingly different at the same time. It’s partly the tightness of the band’s performance. These guys sound like they’ve been playing together forever. But it’s also how the songs rework timeless rock motifs into something new. Take opening cut and title track “Maybe” as an example. It revs up like a lost new wave era classic but the distinctive vocal work somehow dislodges it from this period in a highly original way. Then “Deserea” gives us a taste of Led Zeppelin-style folkifying before launching a Blue Rodeo-like dark pop ballad. “Miss Kinetic” is more rock and roll hit single material, propelled by a twin blast of exciting electric lead and rhythm guitars. If there’s a divide in the material on this album, the cut lands between rockier and more acoustic guitar numbers. Songs like “Art of Letting Go” and “Who We Are” weave hooky lead guitar lines into rock songs that vibe The Beatles and even Blue Oyster Cult (in their poppier moments), respectively. Sometimes the rock drifts in more dissonant directions too, with both “Summer Rain” and “Ones and Zeros” reminding me of Chris Lund’s recent work. Contrasting this are the lush acoustic guitar tracks like “Favorite Spoon,” “Desert,” “What Happens,” and “Quicksand” where the band’s distinctive vocal work really come to the fore. I’d single out “Wheels” for future single-age. I love how its rocking verses veer a bit country in the chorus. And then there’s the big finish closer “The Way We Dance. ” What embarks as an off-kilter ballad, a slightly askew slow dance for a David Lynch soundtrack, picks up steam in the chorus in wonderfully unpredictable way.

On their debut EP (Four) The Record L.A. fourpiece The What Four offer us a gift from the past, both near and far. From the first bars of “Nowhere Blues” the atmosphere is set, it’s a neo-1950s J.D. McPherson vibe. This is only further reinforced by the languid bluesy groove established on “Long Long Way to Go.” But little will prepare you for the dramatic aural assault that is “Quarter to Midnight.” This track sizzles with a barely constrained rockabilly energy, enhanced by a modern set of pop melodic hooks. The effect is like a rockabilly version of the B52s. The EP’s hit single, definitely. Or is it? “Sunday Morning Ain’t So Easy” wraps up the show with a snappy danceable earworm that says play me over and over. This one would be in maximum radio rotation if I could buy the network. The only really disappointing thing about this release is its brevity, with just 4 songs running a scant 12 minutes. A long-player SOS has gone out for this act over all the usual channels.

Today’s line-up populating our radio dial are astonishingly good. Give then a crack at radio stardom or the sale of a tune or two by clicking the hyper-links above.

Photo courtesy Joe Haupt Flikr collection.