Tag Archives: Wifey

Poprock Record’s should-be hit singles for 2024

04 Saturday Jan 2025

Posted by in Should be a Hit Single

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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.

Extended play party

22 Sunday Sep 2024

Posted by in Poprock Themepark

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The EP is back baby and ready to extend its play. Perhaps not quite as far as the more ubiquitous LP but farther than a maxi-single for sure. To that end we’ve rounded up a bevy of new EPs to stack up on the record changer and let them have their way.

Henry Chadwick keeps on pushing the frontiers of his melodic journey. His latest EP Leaving sounds like it’s been put through a Beatles pop-psychedelia filter and come out the other side all dreamy and a bit shoe-gazey. Opening cut “I’ve Hate the Sound” is a sonic seductress, lulling your cares away. Then “Reruns Alone” has an off-kilter midnight movie ambience. “Leaving” sounds more Ben Kweller meets Apples in Stereo. The whole package of songs has a tentative, explorative, gentling vibe I’m digging. Derbyshire UK trio The Happy Somethings also sound contemplative but in both a lyrical and melodic way. Their new six song release Caught in the Web delivers more of their hooky social commentary, this time ruminating on all things social media. You can feel the tension animating “Is This Broken” and the unceasing uneasiness of “Prey.” This gives way to sunnier jangle sound on “Kiss of Life” but the message remains dire – basically, web life is a pretty shallow endeavor. Should be hit single “Smitten” has the band acting as reverse sirens, warning listeners away from the seductive allure of a life lived online. Pale Lights Phil Sutton revives his Love Burns project to give us another dose of his folky pop. Blue offers up seven songs that oscillate between earnest lamentations and more upbeat sentiments. The title track is a lowkey poppy number with a strong Lloyd Cole vibe. “To Say Goodbye” balances a recurring cool lead guitar with a piano rhythm section. Then “Hard to Fall’ harkens back to REM’s take on country rock. But perhaps saving the best for last “What To Do About Us” has got a riveting lead guitar and a tight overall band sound. This one is the radio-ready repeat-player.

Moving over to more rock side of street Justin Kerecz blends an Americana esthetic with a more stripped back rock and roll feel on Nobody Man. For instance, “Barking Dogs” has an almost stark simplicity but the pre-chorus builds tension that the chorus opens up nicely. By contrast, opening cut “Been Crying” reaches back to a neo-1960s melodrama sound. Toronto’s Vicky von Vicky lean into a more guitar pop rocking style on Broken Chairs. “Jealousy” kicks things off with a rough and ready feel only to have “Freak Me Out” smooth out the vocals in a most alluring way. Both “Goodbye My Love” and “Be Still My Heart” have a classic 1980s melodic FM rock sound while “Not The Man” drop a bit of pop anguish into the mix. Five strong cuts here. I wrote about The Feeders fantastic “Congratulations By The Way” a while back but now it is included on an equally good self-titled EP. Here you have more of group leader’s Sam Vicari’s dissonant melodic musings. “Sara You’re My Saviour” and “Mrs. Duluth News Anchor” are definitely highlights here. Somehow I missed The Pozers guitar poppy outing last year Something Pop. This album is not really an EP but as only three songs are up on bandcamp I’m treating it like one. “Alison With an Edge” ambles along with buzzy guitars and a vocal melody that turns out the hooks. “Save a Kiss For Me” works the 1970s layered vocals effect into the tune so well. Meanwhile “Missing You (Missing Me)” has a buoyant power pop that will have you beaming.

Speaking of smiles, my first listen to Cliff Hillis and Dennis Schocket’s “For Everly” had me grinning unstoppably, so successfully did it conjure key musical ages for me. I can now report that their subsequently released EP Pop, Girls, Etc. is equally magical, hitting the marks of a host great poprock eras. I mean, dial into “Violet Blue” and transport yourself back to AM radio 1979 with the sleek guitar and exquisitely shaped vocal work so of that period. The duo rock things up a bit on “The Girls Are Back in Town” and offer a variety of jangle with “Carrie, the One” and “Here Comes Joanna,” the latter a masterclass in Byrdsian songcraft. Toronto’s Drywall Heels have also super enriched their sound with a bit 1960s swagger and jangle on their new outing Today’s Top Hits Playlist. This is a sunny collection of winsome tunes, aided by interesting guitar tone shadings on “Screens” and “Little Critters.” “Any Hollow” adds some luscious vocal layering to the mix. And check the maximum jangle dressing “Caterina.” This EP is a breezy good time.  Tampa’s The Easy Button add a good dose of distortion to the tunes on EP2 but that can’t obscure the hooks driving the songs. Their Weezer-meets-FOW melodic instincts are in full force on tunes like “Liberty Bell” and “Private Beach.” “Honor Roll” punks things up a bit but in a hummable way. “The Best Paths Are Never Clear” is an epic should-be hit single. And Halloween even gets a look in “Friday the 13th 2.”

Wifey’s debut EP Just A Tease was certainly highly anticipated by me. When I first heard their early release single “Mary Ann Leaves the Band” I was blown away by its lyrical cleverness and drop dead melodic hookiness. The four additional songs here do not disappoint, branching off in different power pop directions from their initial release. Opening cut “DiMaggio” kicks off in a totally different acoustic guitar register, only to scale up to a solid power pop assault when it gets going. “Playing Dead” is another winning tune though a more straightforward slice of guitar pop this time out. Greedy me might say I want a whole album of Wifey but this EP is a already a pretty full tilt blast of poppy goodness. Heading for the ‘best of’ lists for sure.

The lowly EP. Once upon a time it wasn’t even considered important enough to get listed in an artist’s official discography. Now it’s a regular thing, release-wise. And that’s a good thing.

Photo “The Party Makers” courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Parked with the radio on

28 Sunday Apr 2024

Posted by in Poprock Themepark

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Nowhere to go, nothing to do – parking with the radio on was pretty much a regular teenage thing to do back in my day. You might even punch the pre-set radio station buttons and catch the same song playing on different stations! But there are no repeats here. Just 21 singles itching to make your car-time playlist.

We kick things off with David Brookings touching love letter to his wife on “Shelby.” A nice midtempo pop tune giving voice to those age-old sentiments of couple love and companionship. The track is featured on an EP of the same name amidst a few song sketches about cancel culture, football names and a lullaby. Next we crank the pop meter with The Cynz on “Crow Haired Boys.” The song comes on strong with blasting opening chords and drums only to lull us with solid melodic interludes. Erin Din is something else, sounding more like those 1970s English folk rockers Roy Harper or contemporaries like Ed Ryan. “On Top of the World” ambles along with a rhythmic hypnotic quality. From Hanover, Germany comes a stripped down affair under the moniker A Boy Named Song. “You Got the Beat” carefully measures out its sonic interventions – guitar part here, vocal line there – until it all comes together in the chorus. A bit Stonesy, Tom Petty, or even The Replacements. The Midnight Callers are signalling they are coming back power pop strong with their new single “The Eraser.” Fans are comparing it to the Raspberries or The Flashcubes and I’d concur. Worthy b-side award for the band’s energetic cover of The Who’s “Substitute.”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=KfOoEXh59VU%3Fsi%3DwNb_39JSt1VpevR4

Minneapolis music scene veterans Electric Beauty fill the time between albums with a choice cover of Peter and Gordon’s 1964 hit “I Go To Pieces.” It’s hard to miss the mark with such a great song and the boys do not disappoint. Another band filling time between major releases is Taking Meds. Their new 3-song EP Ext Meds includes an amazing re-interpretation of My Bloody Valentine’s “Drive It All Over Me.” Talk about re-inventing someone else’s tune – TM add more melodic depth to the song while featuring some really special tone on the guitars. You might think that half a band would lose something but The Half Cubes, literally half the membership of power pop stalwarts The Flashcubes, manage to tap into a whole different well of melodic rock goodness. Their new single is a cover of The Rubinoos “The Girls” and features help from original Rubinoos members John Rubin and Tommy Dunbar. The results are dynamically ear-worm good. The Jellybricks are also working on a new album and drip-releasing singles to keep fans on the hook. “All About You” bodes well for what is coming, with a magnetic melodic pull to the tune. Toronto band Mad Ones work a classic descending chord progression with mesmerizing intensity on “Stranger Stranger.” More of the good same can be found on their new album What It Takes.

Electric Beauty – I Go To Pieces

Henry Chadwick works up his most pop psychedelic Beatles vibe on “I Hate the Sound,” a single from his new EP Leaving. It has a spare, spacey other-worldly quality like a kind of melodic meditation. For something a bit more driving and droney Quadruple A offer “Easy Rolling,” though get ready for a melody break-out in the chorus. This is Pennsylvania poppy rock at its finest. Now that southern California quintet The Armoires have finally produced a theme song you can just tuck this in front of the rest of their back catalogue. “We Absolutely Mean It” is a manifesto of musical intent, where making music is about having fun and bringing people together. The sunshine meets psychedelic pop backing is the perfect staging for this sentiment. Steve Conte has got a musical resume that goes on and on, working with artists as disparate as Prince, Peter Wolf and the New York Dolls. On this new LP Concrete Jangle his puts his own unique stamp on things, conjuring 1980s-style popping rock tunes like “Girl With No Name.” By contrast Dave Cope and the Sass reach further back, to a more fertile jangle scene we associate with the mid-1960s. “Precious Heart” lashes out from the start and grips you in its inescapable jangly melodic embrace. And there’s more of the same all through his fabulous new long-player Hidden From the World.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=4inREzybe9E%3Fsi%3DZTGQkKPZy2QrprDV
https://youtube.com/watch?v=SMJ9zs9Y-8c%3Fsi%3DA1Dp2SW2n-3CpS3s

There’s something special about the distinctive sonic atmosphere Sad About Girls manage to create on all their releases. “She’s Not Here” from their new EP of the same name is no exception. Their vibe is slightly dissonant but always with a solid melodic punch in the chorus. And the EP contains a fabulous cover of Split Enz’s “History Never Repeats.” What’s a mere 18 years between records? Glasgow band Martial Arts just pick up where they left off, offering up more of their carefully crafted chamber poprock. New single “No Victory” has the pop drama chops of all those early 1960s and 1970s disaster songs. It’s enjoyable stress free crisis in a 4 minute song. Don’t know much about Brooklyn trio Wifey except that their debut single “Mary Ann Leaves the Band” is an unstoppable hook-filled aural assault, in the very best kind of way. Word is that an EP is coming entitled Just a Tease. Everything about LA band The Reflectors says its 1979 again. It’s the album covers, the outfits, and – of course – the songs themselves. Their new record Going Out of Fashion is one long love letter the late 1970s guitar band revival. But the standout track for me is “Supernova,” with its sly hooky twist in an otherwise understated chorus. Before you know it, it’s got you in its earwormy grip. I’d add “Time Is All I Have” as a worthy b-side. Words like ‘haunting’ accompany the work of Alabama’s Secret Sisters. Riding a fine line between Americana and country, their new release is Mind, Man, Medicine. There’s a lot to like here but right now I’m hooked on “Paperweight” with its Patsy Cline meets Neko Case rockabilly flair.

The work of Michael Goodman as Goodman is an enigma, unclassifiable in terms of genre. But whatever it is, I find myself drawn to whatever he puts out. His new single “Only Testimony” is grand and sweeping, except when its subtle and alluring. The guitars, piano and synth are crisply arranged to overlap and meld while the mix of vocals and harmonies are captivating. From a promised new album in the works.

There’s no danger of being hit with a parking violation for stopping here. You can idle away the time with these radio-friendly songs in park or drive.

Photo ‘Found Kodachrome Slide’ courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.