Summer singles shopping

06 Saturday Jun 2026

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Summer playlists are not going to fill themselves. But who has the time to roam record shops old school, flipping through bins of shiny new vinyl? For better or worse, those days are gone. On the flip side, now you can shop from the comfort of your very own coffee perch. So let’s get this batch of 21 new-ish songs out there and see what grabs you.

The band’s presser describes “Daisy” as a perfect ‘flower pop singalong’ for your summer soundtrack and I’d have to agree.  I admit I’m a bit late to the Beauty scene as this song and their debut LP I’d Do Almost Anything For You came out last year. But I think you’ll agree it deserves another seasonal spin. Another band I’m catching up on is Walter Mitty and his Makeshift Orchestra. “My Scratched CD of a Brain” is acoustic-guitar-light and pop-frothy with a toy piano in the mix somewhere, a winning combo in my book. My final 2025 resurrected single is from The Toxhards. The band give you fair warning with “Get Creative! Or Get Radicalized!” what with the free hand with exclamation marks. The song is big and bold and definitely going somewhere in an operatic Queen sort of way. Then there’s the allure of Rural France. This is light jangle with maximum impact. “Thirty-Seven Forever” is guitar pop goodness with a summer swing. Ace 1960s genre channeler Rad Venture pays tribute to the uber cool “Patsy Kensit” with predicable style. Slick and stylish modish pop.

Now for something a bit out there from the ever reliable Ricky Rochelle. “Beetles On High” starts a bit pop-punky only to sashay into full-on Mersey-pop mode in the chorus. If Abba had had a bit more rock and roll in their pop DNA they might have sounded like Fascinations Grand Chorus on “Chroma Eyes.” The hooks here have a got a bit more bite. Tony Molina softens up his trademark guitar pop on the smooth “Somewhere There’s a Feather.” These are folk rock harmonies with just the right dollop of electric guitar. Montreal’s Private Lives up the punk quotient on “Television Faces.” It’s there in the staccato rhythm guitar shots, the loose bass lines, and in-your-face vocals. It’s really the total package. By contrast, for a full-on trip back to mid-1975 check out the debut single “Love and Heartbreak in High School” from Plastic Family. It’s got the flavour of a Big Star-meets-Wings synthesis.

When he’s not hanging with his Stranger Things buds TV’s Finn Wolfhard knocks out some pretty hooky old school rock and roll tunes. “I’ll Let You Finish” is a teaser new tune from his soon-to-be-released second album, and it oozes a new wave Stones vibe. In the guise of Chrome Agnon DW Dunphy goes new wave for real with “Ion You,” just one of 15 fabulous tracks from the fundraiser LP Back In Time – Lost Hits of the 80’s Vol. 2. The Brazilian brothers behind Banda AL9 apply their unique talents to The Ramones signature tune “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” with predictably poppy results. What a reinvention! We have more Montreal with Taxi Girls and like Private Lives they take pop to the very edge, rocking things a bit raw on “Say It.” But the hooks are undeniably there. By contrast, Glasgow’s Fast Camels are in no hurry. “All I Want” features languid, whammy-barred electric-guitar lead-lines and a tune that advances with a shuffle-like march.

On Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island you can find the former municipality of Sydney and very pleasant band named Company House. You won’t get much more spacey pop-pleasant than “Far Away” from the band’s self-titled debut album. Now give this new single “The Girl I Know”  from Peter Freebairn and tell me if it doesn’t have a seductively slow-building set of hooks. The guitar melody is so Neil Finn in its efficient simplicity while the vocal takes you over a hooky summit with the last line of the chorus. This should be major hit-single material if radio ever meant anything. Now off the Padua, Italy for a band with a distinctive aura surrounding both their compositions and performance. On “Ghost” snüff dial in some dynamic guitar work along with vocals that keep us on the edge of our seats. It sounds indie and old school at the same time. From the cover of Toronto’s The Get Alongs upcoming LP Second to None the vibe is pretty psychedelic. Ok, early release single “Sunday Afternoon” is pretty psych rock too but never at the expense of the melody. I love the grinding lead guitar line opening Radio Days new single “Flying High.” The rocking rhythm guitars are never far in the background here though the vocals really define what is rollicking about this tune.

Wrapping up this summer singles shopping fest is Minneapolis, Minnesota’s Favourite Girl. It was so hard to pick just one song from the band’s cracking self-titled debut LP. The title track has all the anguish and subtle hooks we’d expect from this self-described ‘femme forward’ act. Hit single radio stuff for sure. But “Not Going Back” gives off just a hint of Americana before kicking into some fine poppy rock. Why choose? Enjoy them both.

Was shopping for singles ever this much of a breeze? I don’t think so. Now you can save the dropping for the dance floor. And remember, these 21 tunes are just one blast of what these artists have to offer for your summer song playlist. You can keep the shopping going, hyperlink style.

Spotlight single: The Martial Arts “Seeing Double”

31 Sunday May 2026

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A new single from Glasgow’s The Martial Arts is always a sweetly delivered melodic treat. The band’s distinctive vibe draws from so many possible influences – seventies glam, the Bay City Rollers, Abba, the Shins – but somehow never surrenders its own unique personality. And that remains true on “Seeing Double.” The song opens with a sense of anticipation, Paul Kelly’s earnest vocal pacing our expectations with some low-key lead guitar and synth work, building and building to a chorus that slips into place almost before we’ve noticed it. Only with the final line do we feel the impact of the track’s subtle melodic arc. From there we can rest in a gentle cocoon of pop swing as the song goes on, diverting only near to end to add a whack of rock oomph that resolves with some gorgeous vocal ‘oohs’. Is this a promising teaser of more to come? 45 RPM offerings often spring eternal into 33 and third wishes and hopes. We’re staying tuned.

While we’re all waiting for a new album or EP, you can tune into The Martial Arts in back catalogue mode at their fully equipped Bandcamp site. Why not see what you’ve been missing?

Oh they’re clever! Jesus Christ Taxi Driver, A View of Earth From the Moon, and This is Lorelei

26 Tuesday May 2026

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Will I seem superficial if I admit that unusual band names get my attention? I don’t think so. A band’s moniker is the first indication of just how creative the outfit is. I know a lot of artists go through possible band names like Kleenex for precisely that reason. But the work can pay off because when a name clicks, both artist and audience know it. For me, a slightly out there name suggests I might be on to something a bit different but still 1980s AM radio accessible. Personally, I think today’s trio of bands have me hitting the name jackpot.

Jesus Christ Taxi Driver, now that’s an ear-catching name. It’s simultaneously evocative and potentially offensive. What’s not to love? On their 2023 debut album Lick My Soul this band showcased a mixture of rocking and more mellow material with eyebrow-raising titles like “Stupidmotherfucker,” “Poultrygeist,” and “Diabolical Catholic.” It was an impressive launch. But look out because their sophomore effort blows that debut out of the water. Taxi the Rich is a stunning collection of songs worked up with an immaculate new wave vibe. Now the thing about new wave is that most of the bands from the original seventies era had pivoted to it from years of doing something else: country, arena rock, glam, art rock, you name it. That depth is all over this LP. Let’s talk about the album’s stupendous single, “Lana Del Rey.” The song is just so cool. Sliding in slow and building to a strut as it makes it way to a glorious hooky chorus so worthy of its namesake. Just try to not hit repeat on this one. Opening cut “Have It” is also pretty special. From the opening vocal hiccups and stringy rhythm guitar you know this groove is going to grab you. “Jesus Christ Taxi Driver” and “Alive Too Long (To Know If I Ever Was a Child)” are so impossibly genre-hybrid I’m not sure whether they should be filed under rockabilly, shockabilly or a roadhouse jam. Really, there are just so many highlights here: the jangly “Tractor Man,” the country-ish “White Roses,” and the flute-led, damningly satirical “Too Cold to Golf.” “Record Machine” is my own personal fave. And don’t miss the album closer “Easy Love,” a gorgeous exit. Is Taxi the Rich headed for the ‘best of the year’ shortlist? Definitely.

Patrick Donders from the Substack blog Chiming Back put me on to A View of Earth from the Moon and he seldom steers me wrong. This is crafted pop perfection. The band name might be a mouthful, the current album title Rolled Over Like a Wave might be a tad overlong, but the content is precision itself, musically, lyrically, performatively. Going back to the band’s debut Closer to a Ghost I was already impressed but this new record raises the creative bar by some distance. “Emerson and Henry David Thoreau” is a strong opener, a wonderfully wordy group of lyrics set against an alluringly droney guitar. “Never Coming Out of My Room” has a seventies rock strut that makes sitting still a challenge. I’d swear “Blood to Wine” is an Aaron Lee Tasjan tune and band leader Jonathan Fickes has temporarily become ALT. “Eight Miles an Hour” is pretty Tasjan too and that is just fine. “Halloween in ‘93” reminds me of fellow Seattle power pop act Ruler. “Faith” is another tune the delivers hooks full of gravity and staying power. Now stay with me as I pitch “Cash In/Flame Out” like a Taylor Swift number as if she had a great guitar pop band backing her. A real treat here is the lyrical drollery going on throughout the album. In front of a stroll-along, whistling musical dynamic “Everything For Free” Jonathan sings ‘tell me about your sweater? Is it acrylic?’ and then riffs on The Smiths with lines like ‘Hey! Get this cow off my burger, don’t you know meat is murder?’ Really, no ordinary talent could be behind this.

Nate Amos’ solo project This is Lorelei is the ultimate indie DIY affair. Between 2014 and 2021 he put out an enormous number of releases with what his presser describes as a ‘straight to Bandcamp spirit.’ To be honest STB can sometimes be, well, amateur and ramshackle. Not so this sprawling TIL back catalogue. Gems abound for the dogged listener. My favourite find is his cover of Bruce Hornsby’s hooky piano marvel “Every Little Kiss.” But if the prospect of wading through 60 different Bandcamp entries doesn’t float your boat, relax. After the unexpected mainstream success of his 2024 LP Box for Buddy, Box for Star he decided to go back and pick out a selection of songs to rerecord for this most recent release Holo Boy. The results are impressive: a record of immense variety that somehow flows seamlessly. It really is a great introduction to the artist. “I Can’t Fall” opens the album with a strong Jon Brion aura. Then “You Just Woke Me Up” moves things in more chipper direction, like walking out into the breaking morning sun. Those languid lead guitar shots are something else. “Dreams Away” is starting to sound like single material, ready for radio play. “SF & GG” is pretty poppy too. Overall if I had to boil down the vibe here I’d say there are strong echoes of Beck and Eels. Songs like “Name of the Band,” “Mouth Man” and “Holo Boy” all stretch our expectations of where the tune is going and I love the uncertainty. Or Amos just gives us a pleasant song experience on tracks like “This Is a Joke” and “Money Right Now.” And check out the impressive acoustic guitar ornamentation colouring “My Friend 2.” So there’s your choice – you can deep dive the catalogue or take up the Readers Digest condensed version with Holo Boy. Either option is a very good time.

Clever is never the main attribute that keeps you coming back to an artist. There’s got to be great songs and performances. But man ‘clever’ can sometimes be the unexpected value-added to a musical experience, that little bit extra seemingly tucked in just for a discerning listener like you. And don’t you deserve it? You know you do. Get your daily dose of clever right here by clicking the links to these artists.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Instant replay: David Brookings, The Rallies, The Legal Matters, and Nick Piunti

22 Friday May 2026

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There are bands that get an instant add to our ongoing playlist whenever they put something out. They’re that reliable. Today’s crew offer some prime examples.

Ten albums in and David Brookings continues to deliver the goods in his distinctly American Beatlesque way. It says something about his vision and consistent songwriting that, despite a changing cast of backing characters, Encore has that recognizable Brookings and his Average Lookings sound. You can take in all the elements on “Richmond at Night” where a Micheal Penn kind of melodic intensity combines with an alluring rhythm to really draw you in. Then “Coldwater Canyon” updates an early 1960s song structure with some contemporary indie rock sheen, something we hear again later on “My Last Little Shred of Youth.” “It’s Giving Cringe” operates with a nice guitar lick that runs throughout a very pleasant pop number. But the obvious should-be hit single is undoubtedly “Where Did I Go Right” with its solid hooks. This one definitely says lather, rinse, and repeat. The album contains a number of offhand reflections on being a musical artist at this particular moment but goes into detail about the arbitrary nature of fame and being discovered on “The Van Gogh Plan.” Brookings also throws in the pretty stand-alone single “Shelby” to sweeten the package.

The Rallies are a ‘feel good’ band who know how to wield jangly guitars and harmony vocals to good effect. Album #4 No Better Time confirms this with plenty of soaring, uplifting tunes. Opening cut “This Time” lays out the Rallies musical formula clearly with sparkling guitar lines and layers of gorgeous vocals. Then “I Believe” is the hooky radio-ready single, taking off with a great singalong swing. You can practically feel “Comes and Goes” has a buoyant skip to its step. This is an album oozing positivity while giving nods to a number of rock and roll’s glorious forebears. “Be With You” has got some great Beatlesque changes in the song structure. “Notice Me” is practically propelled forward by the jangle guitar work. “You Set Me Free” even adds an element of sixties Monkees-in-garage mode to the band’s sonic mix. “Not So Much Anymore” is another strong power pop entry, with a killer organ underlay. LP closer “If Only” strips things back to very essence of The Rallies, a basic accompaniment and the band’s riveting, plaintive vocals. Trust me, No Better Time is the shot in the arm you’ve been looking for.

Lost at sea, shipwrecked on some island, whatever. As long as I’ve got a copy of Lost At Sea, the new album from The Legal Matters, I’ll be fine. The band is an amazing combination of individual talents – Keith Klingensmith, Andy Reed, and Chris Richards – that gel with the sonic sophistication of acts like The Spongetones or The Flashcubes. The overall aura here is a tight 1970s power pop vibe, equal parts Badfinger and Big Star. The album’s stylistic ambitions are readily apparent from the opening cut “Everybody Knows.” These are big and bold pop hooks. On “The Message” I hear faint echoes of The Beach Boys lurking somewhere in the background. But the dominant feature throughout the record are the carefully chosen lead guitar tones. Check out the atmospheric guitar lines colouring “Shake This Feeling,” the noir-ish guitar shading on “Temporary Thing,” or the spacey otherworldly guitar work on “It Doesn’t Matter.” “Let Me Explain” wields the guitar like a paintbrush to fill all the spaces of the tune. By contrast, “Stuck With Me” puts its gorgeous harmony vocals up front. There’s also some great psychedelic pop moments here on songs like the XTC-ish “Marching On” and “The Exit Signs.” “Slow Down” gears things down in a recognizably Big Star register. Altogether, Lost At Sea offers up a pretty smooth ride.

Sans his Complicated Men backing band, Nick Piunti heads out Solo…ish on his new long-player. Andy Reed from The Legal Matters produced and played on this record with help from Donny Brown from The Verve Pipe. The results are a slight departure from Piunti’s usual fare, at times more spare and gritty or conjuring up surprising new sonic elements. He still sounds like a cross between Bryan Adams and Tom Petty to me (and what’s not to like about that?) and that works well with the material he’s assembled here. Opening track “Big in Madrid” echoes the songwriting chops of artists like Mike Viola. A strong start but somewhat supplanted by the striking shift in aural sensibility that comes with the next contribution “Break Even.” Here the song’s interesting vocal melds dynamically with its distinctive guitar hooks. From there the album turns in a more heartland direction on “One Dimensional” and “Darken My Days.” I also get a strong Bryan Adams feel from “Vacant Heart” and “Peripheral.” “Handshake Deal” sounds like the radio-ready single to me, though “Bruises and Bandages” offers up a more mellow kind of should-be AM staple. For polished pop sheen, look no further than “Better Songs,” another should-be hit single.

You can cash in on these reliable acts with the hyperlinks above. They are ready for immediate playlist addition.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

A Man Called E returns

15 Friday May 2026

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LA-based Eels are an edgy indie rock outfit led by the mercurial Mark Oliver Everett. Over the course of 15 albums of original material he’s constantly pushed his creativity, boldly venturing into different genres and trying out new sonic textures. And that’s what great creative artists should do. But selfishly I can’t help longing for his early days when he was just a man called E. Before Eels became a thing Everett debuted as a solo artist in 1992 under the moniker E, releasing a confident, fully realized long-layer simply entitled A Man Called E. The record was a delightful mash of whimsical wordplay and hooky tunes, cast in a distinctive style. Lyrically, songs like “Hello Cruel World,” “Fitting in With the Misfits” and “Nowheresville” captured the early nineties youthful sense of disoriented ennui. Musically, the songs got into your head and tended to stay there. The 1993 follow up Broken Toy Shop furthered developed the formula, delivering another load of superbly melodic tunes like “The Only Thing I Care About,” “L.A. River” and “Tomorrow I’ll Be Nine.” When that didn’t take off it seemed that E closed shop in favour of Everett’s new, rockier vehicle Eels.

But what if E never really went away? Maybe a little bit of that early E vibe remained a part of the Eels project. It’s worth a look. To that end we’ve examined every Eels LP in search of suitably E-worthy material and the good news is that all 15 Eels albums have their E-moments. Some more than one. Below is a list of Eels’ releases and our E selection for each – enough for a double album – with hyperlinks to sources where they are available and some indication of our faves.

Beautiful Freak (1996) “Your Lucky Day in Hell“
Electro-Shock Blues (1998) “P.S. You Rock My World”
Daisies of the Galaxy (2000) “Mr. E’s Beautiful Blues”
Souljacker (2001) “Friendly Ghost”
Shootenanny! (2003) “Wrong About Bobby”
Blinking Lights and Other Revelations (2005) “Going Fetal”
Hombre Lobo (2009) “In My Dreams”
End Times (2010) “Mansions of Los Feliz”
Tomorrow Morning (2010) “Swimming Lesson”
Wonderful, Glorious (2013) “I’m Your Brave Little Soldier”
The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett (2014) “Where I’m From”
The Deconstruction (2018) “The Deconstruction”
Earth to Dora (2020) “The Gentle Souls”
Extreme Witchcraft (2022) “Learning While I Lose”
Eels Time! (2024) “And You Run”

I think these 15 cuts have that distinctive early E aura about them. They’re poppy, sometimes a bit twee, and tend to be concise and carefully assembled, at least when we compare them to other Eels material that can be more abrupt and earthy. Hands down “Wrong About Bobby” from Shootenanny! is the most E track not appearing on an E LP. “Going Fetal” from Blinking Lights and Other Revelations would come next for me. It’s got those alluring pop hooks that draw you in. Then a strong third would be “Mr. E’s Beautiful Blues” from Daisies of the Galaxy. The vocal is so solo E. Of course, you might make different choices. Frankly, the most recent “And You Run” from 2024’s Eels Time! is another strong contender.

Artists will go where the muse takes them. Sometimes that takes them in a direction away from what any individual fan may cherish most. For me, A Man Called E will remain one of my fave albums of the 1990s. Luckily a bit of that E keeps showing up on everything Mark Everett puts out.

You can keep up with Eels at their website and Facebook pages.

Extended play sampler tray

12 Tuesday May 2026

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With a backlog of EP releases just sitting on the pass-through we thought we’d offer up just a few tasty samples from wide variety of recent releases. So much goodness in such short bursts. What’s not to like? More filling than a single but not quite a full long-playing meal.

Chicago’s The Embryos continue their musical evolution with Full Disclosure, a new EP that extends their stylistic reach. All four members contributed a song to this endeavor and I like them all. But if I had to choose I’m really digging the guitar-riffing sparkle that defines “Dopamine Scroll.” Strong guitar work is all over the latest release from The Brett Tobias Set on the five song set that is Tuneless Blues. I’ve already written about how fabulous “It Begins With a Lean” is. Now you need to spin “Happiness Writes White” with its special guitar contributions from The Church’s Marty Wilson-Piper. The Unswept were putting out some great covers a while back but on Bittersweet on Repeat we get their original tunes. “Downtown Bridge” open with jangle and just gets better and better. The Dreambots initially wowed us with their single “Tightrope.” Now they add four more tunes to the mix for their self-titled EP, all exhibiting their signature sonic sophistication. Here I’m taken with the lush strut of “Up Where the Sky Ends.” Gorgeous in a Moody Blues in-no-hurry sort of way.

Chris Alvy breaks out the cover tunes on his recent five song Blah EP, nailing a killer version of The Smithereens “Only a Memory.” Hard to top the original here but Alvy loosens up the attack, giving the song a bit more room to breathe and it works. The set also includes a pretty groovy version of the Barrett Strong classic “Money.” Shade55’s EP Spark! is guitar fabulous from the start to the last whisper of the inner groove. This has a Fountains of Wayne vibe but without all the suburban disdain. “Face of Tomorrow” is pretty special but “Red Handed” is the sure-fire radio-ready single. There’s something very Pacific Northwest about the sound of Research Vessel on their Part of the Charm release. The EP presser calls it ‘luscious lilting jangle pop’ and it certainly is on “Wish I Knew” and “Never Tell.” Murfreesboro, Tennesee’s Piglet has DIY in his DNA, his recordings are so rough and ready and charming. On Cow Tools he covers themes as diverse as clouds, not having sex, and being nice. But the tune you have to hear is “The Great Gonzo.” The mixture of abrupt organ, plinky guitar, 1950s space sounds, and earnest vocals is majestically lofi.

Vancouver’s The Nightflower Orchestra are a cabaret throwback. The vocalist is your emcee while the band can apparently cook up a range of styles to suit any crowd’s shifting mood. Pre-Cancelled For Your Convenience is cheeky, genre-bending fun, from the over-the-top “She Looked Like Elvis” to the Madness-like intensity of “King of Bad Notes.” Dip into any track here for a bit of fun but “Punk Rock Nursing Home” hits home. Melbourne, Australia’s The Gnomes rocketed out of their homeland last year with an amazingly fresh garage-rock meets beat-group sound. Their new EP More is aptly named. This is more of that same good groove. “Thinking of Me” opens the session with a blistering guitar rocking assault. But then “Don’t Worry” and “Magic Man” hit the Beatles and Monkees notes so perfectly, with just a extra dollop of distortion. We wrap this EP sampling with a real palate cleanser. Toronto’s Jonathan Davies offers up short excerpts of miniature grandeur on Under Such a Moon. The whole EP breeze by in just eight minutes but what drollery ensues. Each song is a mini journey to somewhere delightful. For instance, the instrumental “Springtime in Moscow, Ontario” idles by with a peppy, cheery demeanor. I’m just going to put the whole thing down here and you can decide what to sample.

We’re done but the kitchen’s not really closed. You can order up what you like by hitting the artist hyperlinks above. After all, the Bandcamp deli offers you tunes a la carte 24 hours a day.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Jangle Thursday

07 Thursday May 2026

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Ah, the glorious sounds of jangle, in all its diversity. That’s what we keep showing up for. You can make jangle Thursday all your own with these five fabulous flavours of reverb-heavy tune-age.

The Young Sinclairs may not be as young anymore but their first LP in seven years Cycles Turning still exudes the wonder of youth. Title track “Cycles Turning” conjures every 1980s Byrdsian jangle revival motif. And that wobbly echo-laden lead guitar break is outasight. Then “Evergreen Ln” offsets its sparkly lead guitar lines with ghostly ethereal vocals. By this point the mood of this LP is definitely set. From there the vibe alternates between the psychedelic pop of “Own Two Feet” and “Don’t You Know” and the more spacey atmospheric feel of “You are the Reverie” and “Emerald Green.” The band do rock out on occasion. You can hear a very Stones rhythm guitar strumming on “Deceit Again” or just a garage rock growl defining “Tunnel Walls.” Should-be hit singles for me include “Never Find a Reason” and “Patience,” the latter acing a 1980s indie rock pop sheen. Standing apart, “The Great Unknown” works against the grain of much of the album with its clean, crisp contemporary sound. Seven years away has allowed this band to solidify their unique sound and the results are pretty jangle great.

I’ve covered a lot of The Junior League releases over these past ten years and they never fail to grab me. The new album The Moon Neither Noticed Nor Ignored is no exception. The secret is main man Joe Adragna’s superior song-writing. I’m pretty confident you could strip down nearly any Adragna song and bash it out on an acoustic guitar without losing any of its melodic depth. Of course, Adragna also knows how to dress a song, and his stylistic choices reflect a command of many decades of familiar rock motifs. Opening cut “Sunset Park” showcases this nicely, combining a dirty jangle with a 1980s indie rock sensibility. Or listen to how he adds a country-ish tang to the otherwise rocking “A Matter of Time.” The jangle on this album is often subtle and carefully chosen to suit each song. “Just as Long as I Have You” is delicate, in a Peter Case solo sort of way. “The Naked Lunchbox” offers languid lead guitar lines to decorate a ballad with an aching heart. On “Never Quite the Same” the spacey jangle guitar work sits somewhere in the background, allowing the focus to shift to the vocal and a more upfront Harrisonian lead guitar. And not everything is jangle-centric. “Waiting For You” is a tight rollicking tune where the distinct rhythm guitar anchors the sound. Or listen to how “I Am Going To Fight” is practically a masterclass in how to use bass to tie different elements of a song together, with great Beatlesque jangle too. Departures abound here as well. “The Sun Will Rise” sounds like a classic of indeterminate genre while “Forget Forget Me Nots” offers up a more sombre, acoustic guitar workout. I’d nominate the poppy Well Wishers-ish “Until You Get It Right” as the single.

Seattle’s TV Star have got their own buzzy guitar, wall-of-sound thing going on their new long-player Music For Heads and it’s a trip. It’s kinda shoe-gazey and jangle and spooky, all at the same time. Opening cut “The Package” is a slow waltz into all these elements. Check out the guitar reverb drenching “Reality Cheque,” you can practically body surf the rising tide of guitars. “Two Revolutions” is defined by a pristine, almost English folk kind of vocal that rises up out of the swell of electric guitars. Then “Texas Relation” pairs a striking electric guitar lead line with a cello and viola. The guitar/vocal interplay really defines this record in a distinctive way. “Greener Pastures” floats an ethereal vocal over jangle guitar. Melodically “Lodestar” evokes a Gordon Lightfoot thematic quality, channeled through an indie rock filter.  “Koresh Me Down” is like a jangle torch ballad while “Out Of My Bag” has a sixties psych pull to it. The record closes with slow, drone-y “Strawberry Hero,” a seductive mediation on taking it easy. Now that’s the way to end things.

In their Vapour Trails guise Kevin and Scott Robertson know how to load up on jangle guitar. But on this side project, dubbed simply Robertson, they expand the stylistic focus without quite letting go the jangle thread. The record has got fifties pop, country, folk and hybrid versions of all of the above.  “Everything I Wanna See” launches the set, evoking a laid back 1950s ‘cruisin’ the streets’ feel. Then “Don’t Know What It Means” immediately pivots into a sunshine pop jangle. By track #3 we’re in familiar Robertson territory as “Get In The Parlour, Jean” falls somewhere between British folk and Crosby, Stills and Nash. Not surprisingly, folk rock figures prominently in this collection with “Birdie in Window” and “Is It Wrong,” the latter adding drama to its folk feel with strings. “Noon and Night” crosses over from folk to country just like the Byrds once did, with the aid of some striking pedal steel guitar. “Sticking Around” also leans on pedal steel but with a more country pop demeanor. Some tracks defy easy genre type-casting, like “But Today” and “Wasting The Day Away.” Others like “Illusion To Me” are straight up jangle. My personal fave here is “To You.” It’s just beat-group delicious. Remarkable how this record manages to cover so much style but still retain a distinctive Robertson family stamp. And that’s a very good thing indeed.

A lot of people throw Beatle-isms around like candy. But the problem is that any overly familiar quotes quickly sound stale and hackneyed. That makes what Oliver Flanagan does very special. With his Sorry Monks project he cranks out tracks that exude a mid-period fab four essence. The effect is to conjure something reminiscent of any number of great Beatles songs without aping the original. Now with that claim in mind, it might seem cheeky to open his recent LP Nowhere Man with a song also named “Nowhere Man.” It’s not a cover but, as the album presser describes it, a ‘postmodern deconstruction of a famous Beatles tune.’ It’s like he’s reduced the song to a collection of puzzle pieces thrown in the air and somehow fit together in a new way. Most other Beatle riffing here is more brief and subtle. “Tiny Bird” opens with the distinctive “Please Please Me” chord changes before moving on to do its own thing in a more Rubber Soul vein. “Wine and Crying” also aligns with Rubber Soul given its dalliances with folk rock. Sometimes the effect is more about the song’s atmosphere. “King of Misery” has a Lennon-esque quality while “Goodbye Everybody” is very McCartney. “Eight Arms To Hold You” uses possibly the greatest Beatles title reject for a song with a “Drive My Car” vibe. “R Stevie Moore” is something different again, as might be expected given its title (though the track would not be amiss in the White Album orbit). I also hear a strong Kinks influence on cuts like “Freak of Nature” and “Pretty Little Head,” the latter evoking shades of “Tired Of Waiting For You.” Ultimately Nowhere Man’s Beatles aura is just a pleasant bonus. The album succeeds because Oliver Flanagan knows how to write great tunes.

Jangle Thursday doesn’t slide by every week. Jump on these jangle suggested hyperlinks right away to make sure these producers keep up the supply.

Photo ‘Guitarman’ courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Mayday!

01 Friday May 2026

Posted by in Poprock Themepark

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Mayday is the international radio distress signal indicating that some kind of ship is going down. You say it three times just so there’s no mistake. Lately it’s been feeling like a succession of mayday moments the world over. The musical offerings here are all sounding some kind of alarm: social, political, individual. Take your pick.

Janne Borgh Fanclub kick things off with a song that heads right for the intersection of politics and popular culture we’re stuck into right now. “Poetry, Protest, and Pop Songs” is the title track of an album that wields some pretty mean jangle guitar riffs. If there’s any hope out there then a Rickenbacker will definitely be in the mix. Then The Blusterfields get to the point with “Here Come the Idiots.” Cutting lyrics are the order of the day here. And the tune is pretty sweet, kinda like XTC meets the Monkees. On “They’re Coming For Us” Ryan Allen makes it clear that sitting this one out is not an option. There’s a nice poppy bit of bridge work in this tune. From the EP of the same name you can also enjoy the incredibly hooky “This Ugly.” Style-wise the cover evokes all those old Billy Bragg album designs.

So what is to be done at this particular chaotic historical juncture? Responses vary. Andrew Weiss and Friends tells us “I Don’t Want to Live in This World Anymore.” It sounds like he’s turning away but the song is more about drawing a line in the sand about what you’re prepared to accept. With some great harmonica work. Sorry Monks cautions us to turn away from the bitter side of life on “Chip On Your Shoulder” with his usual Beatlesque aplomb. Just keep humming that chorus and who could be bitter? The pleasant surprise album from Juliana Hatfield and song co-writer Eric Payne Bets contains “Your Social Security.” And given clown car ride that is America’s current administration what might happen to it has got to be front of mind for a lot of people right now. Of course, if you’re looking for a dramatic exit, The Just Joans are suggesting that “Everybody’s Moving to Australia.” I’m not sure it’s really do-able for most people, particularly Australians. But it’s got a singalong swing to it that is certainly attractive. Of course, for a lot of people winging it is the most likely response to what is going on. Bory give breathy voice to such sentiments on “We’ll Burn That Bridge When We Get To It.” It makes this option sound so carefree, at least until things careen a bit more caustically in the instrumental break.

Now I’m not one for leaving things without direction. Joshua Jesty’s recent EP Orgone Box Sampler 10.23.25 riffs on a host of current governance problems, often with hilarious results. One song manages to madly repeat how someone has ‘put a tariff on you’ for just about everything. But the most pop oriented tune here is “Drop the Deadbeat.” The advice seems sound. Mark Ward has made a whole album decrying the problems of this moment. Godless Country has so many great cuts that call out who is responsible. “I Don’t Care” names names about this decades great cover-up and insinuates the rest. You know who he’s talking about here. Never has denunciation sounded so melodically sweet. Brother Dynamite also sharpen their lyrical knives on “Your Time Will Come” leaving little doubt who or what they are referring to. The message here is that what goes around will eventually come back around, delivered with a glorious chorus that feels more than a little uplifting.

Ending on a slightly different note, let’s face it, a lot of people are carrying on as if the world is not on fire. Jake Bugg really captures this reality on “Oblivious,” one of four cuts added to the expanded version of his 2024 album A Modern Day Distraction. The track sounds so guitar-ringing positive, despite its message. Sometimes you just have to smile through gritted teeth.

There’s a lot of ways to signal distress. We went the melody route. Help is just a hyperlink away with all the featured artists above.

Photo ‘The Andromeda Strain’ courtesy James Vaughn Flikr collection.

Breaking news: Softjaw, The Pretty Flowers, Quinn Hawkins, and Music City

29 Wednesday Apr 2026

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The news rolls in like the tide. Nothing can stop it, thank goodness. Here are the details on a few new breaking stories to come across our desk recently. To be filed under ‘melody central.’

Man it has been a long wait for the Softjaw long-player but the self-titled debut is finally out on Dandy Boy Records. The LP basically gathers together all the recently released singles and the material from the 2024 S/T EP, sequencing them in the order the songs were released. To have them all in one place only reinforces the retro new-wave pop genius of this combo. Things kick off strong with the 1979 perfect “Pleased With Me.” “Don’t Go Walking Out” just adds to the retro allure with its killer pop hooks. “Waiting at the End” is right in the mid-1970s pop groove. “Dragging My Feet” has obvious Beatlesque charms. However “I Need You” is the obvious should-be hit single with its strong Big Star flash. The newer tracks lean in a Todd Rundgren direction, particularly on “Working Too Hard.” “Playing Bogart” is something else again, with a slight Americana feel. This is a debut album that is a guitar-hook rush from start to finish. There’ll be no pausing when Softjaw hits the turntable.

The Pretty Flowers know their way around a hook but still somehow sound like a distant cousin of something more punk. There’s some residual edginess embedded in these otherwise melody-strong tunes that populate their new record Never Felt Bitter. “Thief of Time” is an amazing song to launch the record with. It’s got an easygoing charm, from the folksy vocals to the streamlined lead guitar lines. It grabs you and won’t let go. “Convent Walls” hit some of these notes too. Then “To Be So Cool” puts its edge up front, like the progeny of some punky forefather. Big choruses feature on number of tracks here, like “Oceans Swimming” and “Tough Love.” “Come Back Kicking” sounds like the single. It opens dynamically and keeps the surprises coming, like the killer harmony vocals in the chorus. “Big Dummy” is another radio ready track with its rough singalong quality. Some material has a darker feel, like title track “Never Felt Bitter (We Burn)” and “Ring True.” “Feel a Little Vague” is another departure, filling a broad sonic landscape with a big and sonorous sound. Things end with another twist as “Not Dissolve” delivers something more tender.

Seems everybody’s talking about Quinn Hawkins. The power pop blogs have decreed his new album Eccentric a must listen and I have to agree. You only need to needle-drop your way through his first album track “Can’t Wait To Go To Bed Every Night” to hear the Beatles and XTC bona fides. It also reminds me of Utopia in their heyday. Really, you can pick out so many distinct possible influences here. I hear a bit of Pugwash coming through on “Last Person in Town” or even some Mark Everett in his solo ‘E’ guise on “Nothing Seems To Kill Me Now.” “(Back Off) I’m On Vacation” is perfect Andy Partridge dissonant pop while “Souvenir in the Dirt” and “Cleaning Out My Mind” hit the XTC marks pretty effortlessly. McCartney is another strong contender for ka ey influence with “Don’t Want to Fight You Again” sounding very Macca pretty. Or there’s “Hawaiian Stress” which sounds like a mash-up of McCartney II-meets-Beck. Power pop records are guitar-centric as a rule but a number of tunes here are piano dominant, like “Don’t Call Me Your Future” and “Different Level of Hell.” Singled out for the hit single I’d choose “Love the Thought of You” with its strong defining electric lead guitar line that carries on throughout the song.

Music City’s Welcome to Music City is definitely located in the 1970s. From the opening chords of album opener “It’s Alright” it’s pure 1970s power pop time. Then both “When the Day Comes By” and “Do I?” lighten the mood in a California pop style. “A Matter of Time” even adds an AM radio pop single vibe in a Phil Seymour or April Wine vein. There are rockier moments here too. “Common Sense” has a looser rock and roll swing akin to the early 1970s-era Kinks.  “You Remember” has a combo of organ and guitar faintly reminiscent of 1981 Springsteen and Tom Petty but takes it to a different place. New wave gets a look in on “Pretty Feelings” and  “The Conversation.” It’s that distinctive rhythm guitar work. Lighter singer-songwriter pop touches colour “Photograph and the Big Star-ish “Little Favour.” And then things end with a bit orchestral pop on “Something’s On Your Mind.” Book your trip now to Music City – it’s just a hyperlink away.

Who needs sports and weather when you’ve got headlines like these? Finally, some good news for a change.

Photo courtesy Alex Eylar Flikr collection.

Back to Britpop

24 Friday Apr 2026

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Jangly guitars don’t really go out of style. Especially if they’re wrapped up in a gauzy, shoegazey atmosphere and feature strong melodic hooks. The 1990s Britpop scene brought jangle back into the mainstream of the music charts and since then it has maintained a niche popularity. Now three new bands grab the torch and look poised to set the charts ablaze all over again. All hail from the north of England, though some are more northern than others. Manchester’s The Guest List have a restrained demeanor on their recent single “Something Real,” the vocal a laid back contrast to the bright lead guitar lines. At least until they get to the chorus where the vocals flare out with a bit more melodic vitality. Keyside are an exciting outfit from Liverpool that have rallied a glut of fans over the past two years with a series of killer 45s. The latest “Lemon and Lime” is a sunny, chime-driven bit of tune-age. Bit by bit there are filling out enough of a catalogue for a superb debut LP. Derby’s Marseille are the most southern of the groups and also the most hard hitting guitar-wise. The amps occasionally inch up to eleven here. You can hear the strong psych rock notes mixing with sheer Britpop jangle on the band’s last single “Out of the Blue.” If this is the beginning of a Britpop renaissance, count me in.

Click on the hyperlinks above to learn more about these fabulous Britpoppy bands.

Photo “American Poison” courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.