Sunday, April 05, 2026

Palmyra Delran & The Doppel Gang - "Hold Tight!"


Palmyra Delran, the queen of trash pop and America's most beloved radio personality, is back with a new single with her band The Doppel Gang. Out on Wicked Cool Records, "Hold Tight!" is a cover of a 1966 single by UK swingers Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich. This track finds Delran (The Friggs, Pink Slip Daddy, The Coolies) in vintage form. She and her bandmates put their own twist on this oldie-but-goodie. Expect nothing more and nothing less than thumping and exuberant garage rock that will have you bouncing around like a maniac and singing that chorus all day long. What a fun, crackling cut! You may recall that Beebe Gallini did a killer version of this same song on its LP Begged, Borrowed and Stealed, and I am thrilled to live in a world where we can have dueling covers of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich. Isn't rock 'n' roll the best?

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Music City - Welcome To Music City


I'm a little late to catch the Music City train, but this was a review that I knew I'd have to write sooner rather than later. If I can't stop listening to a record, surely that's something I need to be talking about here. Welcome To Music City is the many-years-in-the-making full-length debut from Conor Lumsden's solo-ish project Music City. I've taken my time to let this record fully sink in, and I must say that I don't think pop music could ever get much better than this. 

Having already proven himself as a master of the three-chord, punk-influenced brand of power pop with The Number Ones, Lumsden swings to the other end of the spectrum with Music City: more genteel & sophisticated guitar pop that marries '70s AM radio sounds to early '90s left of the dial vibes. The casual listener will hear echoes of Big Star and Teenage Fanclub, but Lumsden's influences on this record go all the way from the early days of rock 'n' roll through classic pop-rock to contemporary indie/alternative stuff. He has taken all this music he has loved in his life and crafted a sound that's uniquely and distinctly his. His melodies are majestic, and his lyrics have a way of telling a story without deliberately being conceptual. He describes Welcome To Music City as an album about "the peaks and troughs of just trying to get by, in love, against the outside forces, or the ones inside your own head." That's powerful, relatable stuff. As much as I love The Number Ones, I'm delighted to hear Lumsden make a record that doesn't have to conform to the limitations of genre. He has a beautiful, soulful voice, and he has brought us a pop record that's far more about finesse than power. 

This isn't to say that Welcome To Music City is a mellow ride all the way through. "Common Sense" is a full-blown rocker with an absolutely giant hook. If you made a playlist of classic power pop songs from the '70s, "When the Day Goes By" would fit right in. "Pretty Feelings" could almost be an early '80s radio hit. But the beauty of this record is that Lumsden is serving no masters beyond his own artistic inspiration. He can hit you with magnificent pure pop songs like "It's Alright" and a "A Matter of Time," but he can also produce a gorgeous ballad like "Photograph" or a '70s soft rock throwback like "Something's On Your Mind" that you'll like every bit as much. It can take a long time for a songwriter to reach the point where the detours from their typical style are something you look forward to as opposed to something you tolerate. But Lumsden has fully arrived in that place. There are no "must-skip" tracks on Welcome To Music City. Every song is there to be experienced and savored. 

With some help from some remarkable musicians (such as Evan Walsh, Daniel Fox, Fiachra Mac Oireachtai, Ailbhe Nic Oireachtaigh, Niall Murphy, and Cian Nugent) and some special guest stars (Sheer Mag's Tina Halladay and Hart Seeley), Conor Lumsden has finally brought into the world the songs that he's been dreaming up and writing for years. At a time when people wrongly dismiss new music as nothing more than more "content" vying for our time and attention, Welcome To Music City is a reminder why music exists. This a man's soul captured on tape and preserved for an eternity so that others' souls can be enriched. These are beautiful and masterfully crafted songs that breathe new life into the world of pop music and the world in general. What could be better?

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The Sleeveens - "I Was Born On A Saturday Night"


We are getting closer and closer to the arrival of the second album from The Sleeveens, and I can't deny I'm getting super-pumped. My god, this band is everything! With National Anthem slated to release May 1st on Goner Records, we have been treated to a second advance single. And this thing is coming in hot! "If I Was a Casual" was the rousing punk anthem we expected from The Sleeveens, and now "I Was Born On A Saturday Night" is the fiery and furious rocker that perfectly follows it — both as a single and on the album tracklist as well. Here Stef and the gang lay the pedal to the medal and just rip it hard and fast. This is blistering garage rock 'n' roll with a righteous indignation that's palpable in the lyrics, vocals, and music itself.  Do you want to hear a band playing music like it means it? Well The Sleevens mean it with every fiber of their being. This is the way you start an album! As for the rest of it, our wait will soon be over. Get your pre-order in while the vinyl is still available!


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Friday, April 03, 2026

Brad Marino - Agent of Chaos


Well look what we have here: the long-awaited fifth studio album from the man himself, Mr. Brad Marino! Out today on Spaghetty Town Records, Ghost Highway Recordings, and Beluga Records, Agent of Chaos will disappoint absolutely no one. If you're looking for a Brad Marino album that sounds like a Brad Marino album, this will hit the mark and then some. There's really nobody better at doing this sort of driving rock 'n' roll with a punk influence and pop hooks. Marino, backed by Gene Champagne, Bobby Davis, Zack Sprague, Ron Mullens, Dave Strong, James Cap Nunn, and Caity Marino, has delivered an album that may very well be his best yet. As always, his choruses are catchy, his guitar licks are tasty, and his lyrics are sneaky clever. Agent of Chaos comes through with a little something for everyone. From the classic '60s pop of "Dissin' and Dismissin'" to the straight Ramones energy of "Sick of You" to the country vibes of "Devil May Care" to the timeless rock 'n' roll of "I Don't Want You Anymore" to the Jesus and Mary Chain inspired dark-pop of "Murder and Violence" to the straight-forward power pop of "Voodoo" to the butt-kicking fury of "Calling Your Bluff" to the pure pop majesty of "Lost Without You" and "Make This Last," Marino hits all the sweet spots. The man sure can write a song, and he can always be counted on to sing and perform it with gusto. 

Given that it has been nearly two-and-half years since Grin and Bear It came out, fans have certainly been waiting a while for a new Brad Marino LP. And Agent of Chaos has turned out to be every bit worth the wait. It's hard to find a sub-par or even less-than-stellar track in the bunch. A Brad Marino LP is always a lock to be way up there on my end-of-the-year top albums list. Even in a year that's as insanely stacked as this one promises to be, Agent of Chaos will certainly end up near the top of the heap when I publish my final rankings. As consistent as Marino has been as a recording artist, it would be easy to overlook what a great run he's been on over the last several years. But that kind of dependability ought to be appreciated and enjoyed. Flavors of the month come and go, but tried-and-true, high-quality rock 'n' roll never goes out of style. Agent of Chaos is a monster of a record, and I can name three premier record labels that are literally vouching for that!

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Ricky Rochelle - "Beetles on High"


A lot of Ricky Rochelle's songs have been pretty intense lately, and I can totally roll with that. But I can also appreciate him lightening things up a little with his new single "Beetles on High." This track finds Ricky going back to a more straight-forward pop-punk style. On a surface level, the song pokes fun at The Beatles for taking an obscene amount of drugs in the later 1960s. But at a deeper level, the song expresses tremendous admiration for the remarkable music that The Fab Four created under the influence. "At a higher consciousness than they even understood," sings Ricky, "their worst songs were symphonic; even 'Blue Jay Way' was good." This song reminds me of this old bit Bill Hicks bit:

And if you don't believe drugs have done good things for us, do me a favor. Go home tonight. Take all your albums, all your tapes, and all your CDs and burn them. 'Cause you know what, the musicians that made all that great music that's enhanced your lives throughout the years were real fucking high on drugs. The Beatles were so fucking high they let Ringo sing a few tunes!

The fact that we're still talking and writing songs about the stoned Beatles 60 years later seems to reinforce the whole point of "Beetles on High." Yeah, those guys were really high, but their music was world-altering and next-level brilliant. There's always that one person with the hot take that The Beatles sucked after Help!, but that's just crazy talk. "Beetles on High" manages to be both hilarious and affectionate, and it's obvious it was written by someone who's a true music lover. It's streaming now at all the usual places!

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The Sideshows - "We're Such A Shame"/"This Could Be Everything"


And they're back! Rich Ragany, Simon Maxwell, and Sammi Yaffa are The Sideshows, who debuted last year with their extraordinary single "Brand New." Luckily for all of us, the instant magic these three captured in one session in Yaffa's home studio in the Spanish countryside has blossomed into a full-blown band, and now a full album awaits us. In advance of that, we get a little taste of what's to come. The band's new single "We're Such A Shame" will get you properly fired up for what promises to be one of 2026's finest albums. The title track is a powerful glam-punk influenced rocker and a total anthem. From the first notes, you know you're getting hit with something special. Guitars jangle while drums hit with authority, and Rags is in top form on lead vocals. There are so many times when Rags reminds me of a young John Easdale with his tone and phrasing, and that can never be a bad thing. I love how this song builds to a rousing chorus. This, my friends, is a hit! On the virtual flip side, "This Could Be Everything" is more in ballad territory — a perfect counterpart to the A-side. The tempo is more laid back, but the heart and soul of the song are undeniable. And once that chorus works its way into your head, it will be stuck there for weeks. These are two amazing songs that sound absolutely incredible. Rags' own review of this single is "you're gonna wanna blast these," and that's far more eloquent than I could ever be. The album releases in just one week, so be prepared to be fully rocked!

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Wednesday, April 01, 2026

The Peppermint Kicks - "Shaking Underground"


When I first heard that The Peppermint Kicks were releasing a new single on April Fool's Day, I got a little suspicious. Anything having to do with April 1st always has me on high alert. Who in the heck releases new music on a Wednesday? Was this going to be an elaborate prank? Would April 1st come and there'd be no single but maybe a triple album with all lyrics in Russian? Would it be branded as Peppermint Kicks but actually be some sort of Metal Machine Music type project? Would the new single just be a video recording announcing that the band is retiring from music to prepare for a mission to Mars? Well here we are, and it all seems legit. 

Out on the one-and-only Rum Bar Records, "Shaking Underground" not only sounds like The Peppermint Kicks, but it might also be the biggest smash hit that Dan Kopko and Sal Baglio have ever crafted together in their secret headquarters. Of course it's a power poppin' garage rock 'n' roll stomper, but this is no ordinary radio hit for an alternate universe. This, my friends, is a full-blown ANTHEM and a rousing call to action. It's an unflinching commentary on technology addiction and content oversaturation — and the hapless masses who find themselves manipulated, enslaved, and zombie-fied by all those sinister little devices. The irony that this song is largely being transmitted through devices is probably not lost on the band, but sometimes you've got to wage war with the weapons you've got. "Shaking Underground" is not all gloom and doom. It's a wake-up call, and it proposes a way out of this nightmare. No more fooling around! Joined by dynamo drummer Chuck Ferreira, Kopko and Baglio are in top form on this track. Sometimes it takes an irresistible tune to ensure that the message hits hard, and no doubt "Shaking Underground" will have you shaking and grooving with all you've got. What a freaking tune! Sometimes when all else fails, rock 'n' roll is the answer. There is another way. Let's give 'em hell to pay! 

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