Tag: Pop Rock
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The Academy Is… ‘Almost Here’ (2005)
The Academy Is… hit their stride in the mid-2000s with Almost Here, an album that perfectly captured the stylish energy of that era’s pop-punk boom. They were one of the hottest names around when I was a junior in high school and mixed polished hooks with a flair for drama that clearly drew from the…
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Waterparks ‘FANDOM’ (2019)
FANDOM by Waterparks is one of the more unique albums I’ve lsitened to in a minute. It’s basically an explosion of neon-tinged pop-punk energy, electronic gloss, and candy-coated hooks. Lead singer Awsten Knight and company turn heartbreak, internet fame, and fan culture into a hyperactive sugar rush of sound that is equal parts confession on…
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Plain White T’s ‘All That We Needed’ (2005)
Despite the fact that I binge listened to “Hey There Delilah” in high school (along with 99.6% of my graduating class), saw Plain White T’s live at an L3 when they opened for The Matches, and consider Jimmy Eat World one of my favorite bands of all-time (more on that in a second), I never…
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Lana Del Rey ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell’ (2019)
I’ve always understood how Lana Del Rey could be beloved by so many but never understood why she was so beloved if that makes sense. The cinematic qualities of her music, classic Americana nostalgic undertones, and romantic sentimentality of her music felt incredibly compelling at face value. But there was always something that felt sort…
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Kajagoogoo ‘White Feathers’ (1983)
Kajagoogoo carved out their spot in the very crowded 1980s new wave scene with a shimmering blend of synth-pop hooks and a fashion sense that perfectly mirrored their sound—colorful, sleek, and unmistakably of the MTV music video age. Their breakout hit “Too Shy” off White Feathers embodied the era’s obsession with styles and weird ass…
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Eddie Money ‘Eddie Money’ (1977)
Eddie Money’s career was defined by his working-class spirit and his relentless pursuit of rock stardom, a goal that carried him from his early days as a New York City cop-in-training to becoming one of the most recognizable voices of late ’70s commercial rock radio. What set him apart wasn’t just his knack for writing…
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The Quireboys ‘A Bit Of What You Fancy’ (1990)
Originally known as the “Queerboys” (a name the band abandoned when it led to challenges getting booked for shows), The Quireboys had a pretty fun take on 80’s inspired hair metal. As I’ve mentioned before I’ve been binging the HBO show Peacemaker a lot lately and listening to the corresponding soundtrack as a result. The…
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Three Dog Night ‘Harmony’ (1971)
Three Dog Night rose to prominence in the late 1960s and dominated the charts throughout the early ’70s with a string of polished radio-friendly hits. The band’s had a pretty unique identity in that they had a three-lead-singer format which gave their sound a versatility few groups outside of the Eagles could match. At their…
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REO Speedwagon ‘Hi Infidelity’ (1980)
REO Speedwagon has always seemed a little cheesy to me and that didn’t change much after listening to Hi Infidelity. If you like idea of bringing a doo wop band into the context of 80’s rock balladry then they’re gonna be right up your alley. It’s just a part of town I frequent that much.…
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Prince ‘Around The World In A Day’ (1985)
When Prince followed up his blockbuster Purple Rain with 1985’s Around the World in a Day he steered pretty hard hard into a sonic palette that owed as much to late-’60s psychedelia as to his own Minneapolis funk. The title track hints at that eclectic story and signaled a more technicolor sound was to come.…
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The Beaches ‘Blame My Ex’ (2023)
Every once in awhile it’s great to listen to some good old fashioned pop rock music. Enter The Beaches (great band name) who on Blame My Ex channel their cheeky heartbreak into a hook-heavy blend of pop rock polish and garage rock grit. The band leans pretty hard into crunchy distortion and throwback alt-rock textures…
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Fountains of Wayne ‘Welcome Interstate Managers’ (2003)
Fountains of Wayne was best known for their 2003 hit “Stacy’s Mom” which was basically everywhere (and I mean everywhere) when I was first starting high school. The band was fronted by Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger and basically was more of a creative side project than a career-defining pursuit for its members, which is…
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The 1975 ‘The 1975’ (2013)
I hadn’t gotten too deep into The 1975 until a few weekends ago when me and the family were driving home from a weekend in Chico. It’s a three hour drive which certainly lends enough time to get a few full album listens in. With my wife being a huge Taylor Swift fan it made…
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Marshall Crenshaw ‘Marshall Crenshaw’ (1982)
Marshall Crenshaw channels classic influences like Buddy Holly and the Beatles without sounding overly derivative. It’s a fun little jangle pop record, filled with crisp guitar work and tightly structured songs that do their damnedest not to overstay their welcome. There’s actually a good amount of complexity swirling underneath in both the vocal melodies and…
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They Might Be Giants ‘Flood’ (1990)
They Might Be Giants’s Flood is sort of this mad scientist pop rock experiment, one that’s equal parts absurdist theater, brainy satire, and manic energy. The album is most certainly a complete nerdfest, but it’s rewarding in its relative absurdity.
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Sam Fender ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ (2019)
I’ve been a massive fan of Sam Fender ever since I heard his sophomore album Seventeen Going Under, an auto-biographical collection of short stories masquerading as songs from his childhood. Fender has earned comparisons to my all-time GOAT Bruce Springsteen over the years due to the profound level of personalization in his music as well…
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Foreigner ‘4’ (1981)
Foreigner’s magnum opus 4 is the kind of album that doesn’t pick a lane. Instead it swerves across the whole damn highway like someone who’s maybe had a few too many bourbons. It’s packed with arena-sized rockers like “Juke Box Hero” (a personal favorite of mine as a kid) and “Urgent”, all big massive riffs…
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Wheatus ‘Wheatus’ (2000)
Wheatus’ self-titled debut was an album I never listened to in full until about two weeks ago. And while it’s a solid offering front to back, the album was really a delivery system for their single “Teenage Dirtbag” which still to this day remains an iconic late 90’s/early aughts alternative rock song. This the kind…
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Paul McCartney and Wings ‘Band on the Run’ (1973)
Band on the Run was Paul McCartney and Wings’ third album and followed a pretty underwhelming beginning of his solo career that began when The Beatles broke up in the spring of 1970. It marked his final album for Apple Records and followed the two commercial duds that were 1971’s Wild Life and 1973’s Red…
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Ramones ‘Animal Boy’ (1986)
I remember the first time I heard “Bonzo Goes to Bitburg”. I was about 14 years old, at home watching Jack Black’s classic movie School of Rock (an absolute favorite of mine). The song is playing during a montage scene that features Black showing the kids a history of rock genres and footage of some…
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Finneas ‘For Crying Out Loud’ (2024)
I spent last night at the Ryman Auditorium watching Finneas play an incredible live show. For those of you not in the know, the Ryman Auditorium is in Nashville and is one of the most iconic live music venues in the United States, standing basically alongside Madison Square Garden as one of the most desired…
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Inhaler ‘It Won’t Always Be Like This’ (2021)
Inhaler’s It Won’t Always Be Like This was a fresh and energetic debut that blends the shimmering synth-pop of the 1980s with the raw edge of modern indie rock, creating a sound that draws on nostalgia while keeping things fresh and new. Drawing clear inspiration from bands like The Killers, The Strokes, Kings of Leon,…
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Elton John ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ (1973)
By the early 1970s Elton John was already a cultural phenomenon. His self-titled debut and Honky Chateau had already accelerated his rise from London’s pub scene to international superstardom. All of the elements that made him one of the defining artists of the past 50 years were beginning to truly bloom– his flamboyant stage presence,…
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The Goo Goo Dolls ‘Dizzy up the Girl’ (1998)
Buffalo, New York in the mid-80s was the unassuming cradle of The Goo Goo Dolls, a scrappy trio carving their niche in the hardcore punk scene. With John Rzeznik’s gritty guitar riffs and Robby Takac’s punk ethos their sound was raw and in your face aggressive (yes, really). They were far from the polished, radio-friendly…
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Bon Jovi ‘Slippery When Wet’ (1986)
Fueled by massive anthems like “You Give Love a Bad Name”, “Wanted Dead or Alive”, and the timeless drunk karaoke favorite “Livin’ on a Prayer”, Slippery When Wet rocketed the New Jersey group to global superstardom. Produced by Bruce Fairbairn and polished to a shimmering, radio-ready perfection, Slippery When Wet bridged the gap between glam…
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Yes ‘Close to the Edge’ (1972)
Close to the Edge is a cornerstone of progressive rock, a sprawling masterpiece that pushed the boundaries of what rock music (and more broadly music in general) could achieve. Released in 1972, the album’s sprawling three epic tracks showcased virtuosic musicianship, complex compositions, and a sense of ambition that was unprecedented at the time and…
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Amyl and The Sniffers ‘Comfort To Me’ (2021)
Amyl and the Sniffers are a fiery throwback to the raw energy of 1970s punk rock. Frontwoman Amy Taylor commands attention with her ferocious vocals and unapologetic swagger, leading the charge on their sophomore album Comfort to Me, and delivering a no-frills blitz of snarling guitars, thundering rhythms, and fist-pumping anthems that channel the reckless…
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Savage Garden ‘Savage Garden’ (1997)
Savage Garden’s “Truly Madly Deeply” is up there for me as one of the better pop love songs of all-time for the sole reason that it came at a pretty formative point in my life. Whether you want to call it my band boy phase or something else a little less accusatory (although boy band…
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Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer ‘Self-Titled’ (2002)
As I wrote in my writeup for Circa Survive’s magnum opus On Letting Go, I’m a huge stan for Anthony Green. From my perspective everything he touches is gold: The obvious element which makes it work Anthony Green. Green’s prolific artistic output as both a member of multiple bands (he currently fronts four of them)…
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Dan Hartman ‘I Can Dream About You’ (1984)
I Can Dream About You is a quintessential 80’s album that perfectly captures the era’s vibrant energy and cheesy earnestness. Blending pop, rock, and synth elements, Hartman’s powerful voice cascades over arrangements whose bias for danceability hides some pretty excellent melodic choices. If you close your eyes and listen closely you can hear the influence…
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Prefab Sprout ‘From Langley Park To Memphis’ (1988)
Shiny and glittery, Prefab Sprout’s third album From Langley Park To Memphis is a trip down memory lane into the world of late 80’s sophisti-pop. This entire album is a colorful collection of immaculately produced New Wave pop songs that sparkle at every turn, a catchy and fun ride that makes you want to tuck…
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Looking Glass ‘Looking Glass’ (1972)
When my wife and I were first seriously dating she played me Looking Glass’ hit single “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)”. I don’t remember if I had ever heard the song before, either on a yacht rock radio station or otherwise, but what I do remember is that I’ll never forget that moment. The way…
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Forever The Sickest Kids ‘Forever The Sickest Kids’ (2010)
There was a brief moment in the late aughts where neon pop punk reigned supreme. That genre adopted all the elements from the early 2000’s pop punk wave of bands like Blink-182, The Starting Line, and Fall Out Boy and took it a step further, introducing even more formal power pop song structural elements and…
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Spiral Starecase ‘More Today Than Yesterday’ (1969)
The career of Spiral Starecase was a brief one– the band broke up a mere 18 months after their debut album was released, marred by infighting and legal disputes amongst the band members. But before they burned out they released one of the greatest oldies hits of all-time in “More Today Than Yesterday”, a soulful…
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No Doubt ‘Tragic Kingdom’ (1995)
The backdrop of No Doubt’s third album Tragic Kingdom reads somewhat like a soap opera– keyboardist and principal songwriter Eric Stefani left the band in the middle of the sessions after struggling with the fact he was being asked to include other band members in the songwriting process, and shortly after that bassist Tony Kanal…
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HAIM ‘Days Are Gone’ (2013)
HAIM’s brand of pop rock that harkens back to the days of Fleetwood Mac and the Doobie Brothers was somewhat of a revelation in 2013. The trio of sisters, who grew up together in a music-loving family and formed a family band that played at local county fairs alongside their parents, made R&B infused soft…
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