Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Ridel High - B-Sides + Demos

When it comes to favorite eras of mine for music, the '90s were hard to beat. Sure, the majority of my all-time favorite music was probably released in the late '70s and early '80s. But the '90s were truly formidable. You had the glory days of pop-punk, the '70s punk revival, early '90s college radio, the new wave of new wave, and the prime years of lo-fi garage punk all thriving. One particularly underrated musical movement was one I still can't quite put a name to. You had a bunch of alternative rock bands with loud guitars and massive hooks. They didn't necessarily identify as power pop, but that's fundamentally what they were. Major labels were quick to snatch them up and even quicker to drop them when they didn't become overnight sensations. Their CDs were fixtures of cut-out bins for a few years and then more or less disappeared from the face of the Earth. And a lot of those releases that fell into the dustbin of history were really damn good. Emotional Rollercoaster by Los Angeles-based trio Ridel High was one of them. If you happen to come across it at a yard sale, in a thrift store, or in the attic of your childhood home, it's worth snagging. Even better, you can head on over to Bandcamp and purchase a brand-new Ridel High release comprised of B-sides and demos. Conveniently, it's called B-Sides + Demos! 

The thing that struck me about B-Sides + Demos is that it's all killer, no filler. This is not one of those cases where an old band is dusting off a bunch of tracks "just because." These songs are hits. Listening to this EP, I can say with complete confidence that out of all those almost famous later '90s alt-rock power pop bands, Ridel High was one of the very best. The band consisted of Kevin Ridel (vocals/bass), Steve LeRoy (guitar/backing vocals) and Steve Coulter (drums/backing vocals). Ridel High signed to Joey Cape's My Records and released its debut long player Hi Scores in 1997. A&M Records later signed the band and re-issued Hi Scores under the title Emotional Rollercoaster (that should have been the first sign that A&M didn't know what the hell it was doing — why change a perfect title?). Once A&M dropped the band, that was pretty much all she wrote. Ridel and LeRoy went on to form Peel, and later Ridel formed AM Radio. Coulter joined Tsar and now runs one of the best music sites on the internet. 

B-Sides + Demos consists of tracks recorded in 1995, 1997, and 1998. Opening tracks "Facelift" and "Mindblower" sound so much like the '90s with their cranked-up distorted guitars and melody-forward approach. It becomes obvious that bands like this (that had mostly contemporary influences) were an important link between "classic" power pop and modern-day power pop. If we didn't necessarily call this power pop in 1997, we certainly do now. "Motorboat" was one of the first songs the band wrote but one of the last it recorded. It's quintessential '90s SoCal geek rock, and it holds up fantastically well. There was a time when I would have wanted to fight anyone who put "Weezer" and "power pop" in the same sentence. Clearly things have changed. "Winona Ryder," which the band demoed in 1995, was later used as the B-side to its first 7", "A Mouthful Of You." In contrast to the more power poppy material on the EP, this is vintage buzzing slacker rock and a forgotten classic of its time. Although with its re-release, maybe we won't be able to call it "forgotten" anymore! If you forgot what it felt like to be twentysomething in the early-to-mid '90s, this song will take you back! The lyrics are hilariously on-point in reflecting on a very specific cultural moment. Given what culture is today, I find myself missing those days. 

Whether you fondly recall, barely remember, or never heard of Ridel High, B-Sides + Demos is sure to be up your alley if you dig quality power pop that will give you all those '90s feels without sounding like it should have been left in the past. The band was wise to focus on quality over quantity, and this is a blast from the past that ought to be fully welcomed.

-L.R.   
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Sunday, February 15, 2026

The High Frequencies - "Winter Themes (Fox's Song)"


Well here's a very pleasant surprise! Hot on the heels of their superb debut album, The High Frequencies have released "Winter Themes (Fox's Song)" — a season-appropriate love song that arrives at just the right time. The holidays and football season are behind us. Meteorological spring is still two weeks away. A little pick-me-up was in order, and here it is! This standalone single from JEM Records is the perfect antidote for the winter blahs. Any time Lisa Mychols starts working her vocal magic, it's a beautiful thing to behold. Those harmonies are to die for, and that melody is majestic! "Winter Themes (Fox's Song)" is a gorgeous, radiant pop song capable of thawing out even the iciest heart. It's absolutely stunning. If The High Frequencies' LP left you wanting more with, consider your wishes fulfilled.

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Saturday, February 14, 2026

Michael Des Barres - "Kiss or Kill Me"


How about an absolute scorcher of a new single from the legendary Michael Des Barres? Out on Rum Bar Records, "Kiss or Kill Me" finds the 26th Marquis Des Barres obliterating the notion that we ever become too old to rock. Co-written with guitarist Loren Molinare (The Dogs, Slamdinistas) and co-produced by Richard Duguay (Personality Crisis), this song is a shot of pure glam/punk/rock 'n' roll energy delivering a truly provocative proposition. Its release on the eve of Valentine's Day was no coincidence. "Really the song is an anthem of love," Des Barres notes. "Love me or leave me. You either bring love to life, or you're not living." And man oh man, this song sure does bring love to life. Joined by Paul Ill on bass and Rob Klonel on drums, Des Barres and Molinare kick up a swaggering, hard-rocking racket with a hook that cannot be denied. It's one thing to hear bands pay homage to the heyday of glam rock and proto-punk. But to hear guys who were there when it was originally happening still sound this enthused and inspired in 2026 is quite the thrill. If you aren't already aware of how massive Silverhead ought to have been, go track down its two LPs. But buy this first! While most people may now think of Des Barres as an actor and radio personality, he has never stopped writing and releasing music. And with "Kiss or Kill Me," he has a massive indie radio hit on his hands. The B-side of this single, "I Was Saved In '64," is something quite extraordinary. It's a spoken word number in which Des Barres tells his rock 'n' roll origin story while Molinare and Duguay accompany him on guitar. It's an exhilarating piece of poetry, and of course no one is better suited than Des Barres to turn a spoken word track into a captivating performance.  

"Kiss or Kill Me" is available on vinyl (in three color options) and compact disc from Rum Bar Records. With only 100 copies pressed in each color, you know the vinyl (shipping next month) is going to go fast. Mozy on up to the bar and order yourself a proper jolt of rock 'n' roll!

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Friends of Cesar Romero - Soul Scouts


It's not very often that I listen to a record by a band I've reviewed 14 times before and find myself so completely blown away that I have to retrieve my jaw from the floor and process what I've just experienced. By now, you all know I love Friends of Cesar Romero. It's never a surprise when J. Waylon turns out another A+ release. There's a certain level of expectation that this one-man band never fails to meet, and I have no hesitation in urging any reader of this blog to shell out $103.75 for FOCR's full digital discography. But new album Soul Scouts finds this band soaring to heights that not even I could have foreseen. The sound J. Waylon captured on this release is absolutely ferocious, and that suits these songs to a T. And the passion he pours into the vocals will give you chills. I've never heard FOCR rock with this much intensity — yet the songs have never been catchier or more instantly memorable. J. Waylon is such a fine songwriter that he can move seamlessly from garage rock to power pop to punk rock to jangly guitar pop and always sound uniquely like himself. But the sound of this release is more cohesive, and it's pure fire. This is either the hardest power pop or hookiest garage punk you'll hear all year. Perhaps it manages to be both at once. We know one thing for sure: Johnny isn't messing around! 

Over the course of many installments in the Doomed Babe Series, J. Waylon has made an art form out of writing about heartbreak and the wreckage of love gone terribly bad. No one writes more eloquently or cleverly about loss, longing, and relationship trainwrecks than he does. But Soul Scouts, the 48th release in this series, hits different. J. Waylon is not just spinning tales of woe — he's purging things that have been weighing him down for years. He somehow crams a novel's worth of drama and despair into 18 minutes of music. I've always wondered: Are there many doomed babes in the FOCR universe — or just one? Soul Scouts comes off like a singular tale of doomed romance and one man's long and exasperating quest to find closure. And it's brilliant. It takes a remarkable mind to conjure up a verse like this:

I'd rather starve than share a crumb of your affection
My conscience is as clear as my complexion
Remember the good times when you think of me
That won't be hard with your goldfish memory

Soul Scouts is the kind of album people will hear and become totally obsessed with because they'll feel as if its author is telling their story. It's oddly comforting when another person's tale of despair mirrors your own. It makes us feel less alone in the world. This is a tale as old as time itself: a relationship unravels in the most agonizing ways, and even when it's over, it's never really over. Regret and bitterness linger, and moving on is far easier said than done. I love how the energy infused into these songs reflects the urgency of their lyrics. "The Rapid City Is Boring," which is essentially a prelude to the songs that follow, rips so hard that it makes The Hives sound like The Smiths. "Trauma Blonding" and "Air Raid Freshman" are probably too furious and intense to be called power pop but too contagiously hooky to not be called power pop. Likewise, "A Sonnet for Lee Lazy Horse" and "Gate Around the Classy Apple" are punchy pop songs that will rock you into next week. "Brat Summer Heartache," "Tassels," and "Nurse Midwife Crisis" are vintage FOCR garage pop bangers. Future generations will study these songs and question a society that did not appreciate their greatness. "Bitter But Better" is the powerful statement conclusion this album deserves — not quite delivering closure, but surely getting there. What is perhaps the album's most powerful line is also its simplest: "I don’t miss missing you." 

In the excellent review he wrote for Add To Wantlist, Niek likens the Friends of Cesar Romero Doomed Babe Series to a great television series that somehow manages to peak in its final season. I wholeheartedly concur. I've only been hip to the Doomed Babe project since installment #27, but I would absolutely rank Soul Scouts as the finest achievement in the series. This is the kind of album most songwriters would deliver as the grand finale, but the numbers tell me that there are two more releases still forthcoming. Part of me listens to this record and thinks, "There's no way he can possibly top this!". But the bigger part of me knows to not bet against him.

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Tuesday, February 10, 2026

The Cheap Cassettes: Ten Golden Greats




I usually don't write "in memoriam" posts for bands, so I won't quite do that for the The Cheap Cassettes in the wake of their recently announced disbandment. I believe what I've written about this band over the years more than suffices for a proper tribute. I'm not in the mood for any sad shit. But given that I was with this band from the beginning, I ought to be there at the end as well. As a public service to anyone who might still be unfamiliar with this band's catalog, I now present to you my top ten all-time favorite Cheap Cassettes songs. This was very difficult to pick just ten tracks from a catalog that included three full-length albums and three 7" records. Damn it, Charles — why do you have to be so brilliant? But I think if you look at what this band put out over the course of the years 2011–24, you could argue, without hyperbole, that this was one of the five or ten best power pop groups of the past two decades. What a body of work! Someday, books will be written about this band (probably by me — ha ha!). And people will eventually pound the table for an overpriced reunion tour. I'm not saying that what lies below is the band's definitive "greatest hits." These are just my personal favorite tracks. But a lot of bands would wish to have a best-of collection as good as this. If you believe, as I do, in power pop as one of the purest forms of rock 'n' roll, The Cheap Cassettes are a band you need to know about, even in retrospect. Alright, let's go! 

10. "Disappear with You" (2016) 

If my memory serves me correct, this was a song that Charles just had sitting around when Malibu Lou wanted a new track for a Rum Bar Records reissue of The Cheap Cassettes' debut album All Anxious, All The Time. Imagine having something this good in your secret stash of songs!

9. "Wreckless" (2013) 

This was a very early Cheap Cassettes song. All of us who had been waiting for Charles to write his own "Bastards of Young" were finally rewarded.

8. "Red Line Blue" (2022) 

I consider this one of The Cheap Cassettes' finest "deep cuts." When I talk about Charles Matthews being not just a great punk or power pop songwriter but rather a great songwriter, period, I can point to this song as a prime example. This is music with soul.

7. "Hung the Moon" (2024)

What was I just saying?

6. "See Her In Action!" (2021) 

Will they someday make physical compilations of the best of 2020s power pop when CDs come back into mass popularity? If so, this will be on a lot of them.

5. "Fade to Nothin'" (2024)

Side two, track 1 from the best album anyone put out in 2024.

4. "My Little Twin" (2011) 

Now we're going way back. I love that this song was never "properly" recorded. The original rough version that was shared with the world via Bandcamp back before anyone else was using Bandcamp remains the definitive version of this stone cold banger.

3. "How I Got What I Wanted" (2022) 

I'm not saying I have pandemic nostalgia, but this song sure takes me back.

2. "Bad Xerox" (2024) 

If your ex ends up with an inferior version of you, that's a win, right?

1. "Kiss The Ass Of My Heart" (2018)

Quite possibly the greatest song ever written by anyone.

There you have it. I know some of you will be outraged about me overlooking "New Gun In Town," perplexed about me snubbing "She Ain't Nothing Like You," and apoplectic about me sleeping on "Worse N' Better." But tough choices had to be made. RIP The Cheap Cassettes. If you like what you've heard, smash the links below for a whole lot more power pop rock 'n' roll goodness! 

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The Falling Out - Don't


It's probably a little late to be talking about New Year's resolutions. But if I had some, one of them would be to write about more bands from "my area" — which I would loosely define as anything in between the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers (even though I'm technically a few miles west of that). On that note, The Falling Out are an awesome band from Philadelphia, and their new album Don't is one of the most original and interesting things I've heard in a while. It comes to us from the ever-reliable Dummest Records, who also proudly rep the City of Brotherly Love. 

Don't is a not-quite sophomore album from The Falling Out. It's more like album 1.5, as it's comprised of a few tracks the band wrote for its debut LP (but were not properly mixed in time to be on the album) as well as newly remixed versions of some songs that were on the album. The first time I listened to this record, I didn't know quite what to make of it. It doesn't quite fit into any of my usual go-to genres. But that's not a bad thing at all. As I continued to listen, I was really blown away by the quality of the songs and the undeniable appeal of the band. Broadly, The Falling Out sound like garage rock meets reverb-heavy indie/alternative with co-ed harmony vocals and the feel of '60s pop and rock 'n' roll. Sometimes they remind me of X if they'd been into the Jesus and Mary Chain. Other times, I'm hearing a less-campy Cramps. Other times, they aren't too far off from the loud crunching garage/punk/pop I'm always so fond of. The band enlisted EJ Hagen to mix and master these tracks. So the unreleased songs are now ready for the world to hear, and the previously released tracks have been given a slightly noisier edge. It all comes together nicely, which is no surprise given that all these songs were written around the same time. There's a great variety of tunes on this album. Songs like "I Draw the Line" and "We're Alright" work a more controlled pace and really let those harmonies and melodies breathe. "I Don't Believe in Love" and "Dead Dumb and Blind" are full-bore rockers that absolutely pound. "I Don't Wanna Cry" is straight-forward garage/punk/powerpop that totally rules. "Falling," one of the remixed tracks from the self-titled album, is one of the catchiest and most exhilarating rock 'n' roll tunes you'll hear all year.  

If you enjoyed The Falling Out's debut album, you'll certainly enjoy Don't. And if Don't is your first exposure to The Falling Out, it will surely make you want to hear the debut album. This Philly trio has a cool vibe and legit killer songs, and it's certain that I will be following this band closely in the future. Hand-stamped red cassettes are available now from Dummest Records' Bandcamp!


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Saturday, February 07, 2026

The Melmacs - "Keep On"


I often think about what it is that draws me to certain bands. Of course The Melmacs are my cup of tea (or better yet, my pint of beer) musically. But beyond that, there's something special with this band. And I just realized it: I've never known another band that puts more love into its music. And I'm not just talking about a love for playing music. I'm talking about using that music to put more love into the universe. New single "Keep On" is a perfect case in point. This song is essentially a pep talk to anyone who might be listening. Its message is simple and powerful: no matter how bad things get, you should never give up on hoping for better things. As long as you believe in yourself, it's never too late to turn things around. And what I appreciate about this song is that it's not really aimed at one person in particular. It's aimed at all of us. How can you possibly listen to this song and NOT feel inspired to be kind to yourself — and to others as well? Musically, this is one of the band's most "pop" songs yet, but it still has that punk energy and urgency to it. Bimmi's sprightly keyboard riff is totally infectious, and the whole song is as well. This is not phony feelgood nonsense — this is a genuine anthem of hope and resolution. The Melmacs are not going to tolerate you quitting on life because they know you deserve better! There are not sufficient words in the English vocabulary for me to convey how much I love this band! The full album EUPHANCHOLIA will be out April, and it's going to be an early contender for album of the year. For now, check out this new single and keep on keeping on!

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