Alan Haber's Pure Pop Radio

We’re so close to the de facto fireworks displays that July 4th brings each and every year that we’ve had to turn up the volume on our two-week-long event. Look! There goes another bunch of adds to the vaunted Pure Pop Radio playlist! Let’s see what’s in store for your ears today!

The Junipers – Paint the Ground. A vinyl release of the Junipers’ 2012 album was just the jump-start the world needed to greet for the first time or renew interest in one of the finest melodic pop albums released in many years. Lovely melodies abound; so do dreamy harmonies recalling the best of Teenage Fanclub. The mix of folk and harmony pop (sometimes recalling the Association) works wonderfully and in a powerful way. Once heard, these folk-pop songs will leave their aural imprint on you. We’ve added the entire album, plus the bonus track that appears on Sugarbush Records’ vinyl re-release, “Everywhere Was You.” The original album songs: “Look into My River,” “They Lived Up in the Valley,” “Pearly Home,” “Dandelion Man,” “In My Reverie,” “Phoebus Filled the Town,” “Antler Season,” “Golden Fields in Golden Sun,” “Song to Selkie,” and “Willow and the Water Mill.” Simply joyous.

Phil Ajjarapu – Sing Along Until You Feel Better. Right from the start, from the Benny Goodman-esque reveille that feeds directly into a tasty piano bounce and three-dimensional harmonies, you know you’re in good company. It’s all there in the title song that’s two parts straight-ahead pop and a part and half of Beach Boys arrangement polish, a table setter for what’s to come. And, oh, what’s to come: a straight-ahead pop song, “Angie,” complete with cruise ship orchestration; the acoustic finger picking and tasty, understated percussion of the pretty “The Wedding Song”; “Talk,” a slightly herky-jerky number reminiscent of Elvis Costello’s sound and wrapped in a pure pop overcoat; an upbeat folk-pop workout that begs for lots of hand claps, “Nothing is Connected,” and much more that will please your need for melody and harmony. All of the aforementioned songs are now playing in rotation on Pure Pop Radio, plus “Don’t Worry” and “Every Day.” All of this comes after Ajjarapu survived a horrific accident (read all about it on his Kickstarter page). And, oh yeah, Ken Stringfellow produced all of this. This is quite something, really.

Walter Martin – We’re All Young Together. Wow. We mean, wow. When we discovered this incredible album, we didn’t know what to think. Is it for kids? Is it an album for grown-ups who are young at heart? Finally, we realized it’s both. And we knew, after only listening to a song or two, that this was going to be a favorite spin at Pure Pop Radio headquarters. The title song seems an effortless exercise, but of course it isn’t; a lilting beat, acoustic guitar, nimble electric guitar playing, fanciful lyrics, and that strong message to heed: “We’re all young together.” And we’re all listening as Martin hints that anything is possible in the fanciful, Paul Simon-esque “I-M-A-G-I-N-A-T-I-O-N.” We’re smiling as Martin sings about the love that thrives for the Fab Four in the wonderfully-titled and ultra-catchy “The Beatles (When Ringo Shook his Mop).” These songs are now playing on Pure Pop Radio, as are “We Like the Zoo (‘Cause We’re Animals Too),” “Sing to Me,” and “Costa Rica.” Lots of gold here, folks.

Also gracing the airwaves as aural residents of the Pure Pop Radio playlist:

* Dukes of Kent – Welcome to the Oast House. We’ve added two songs to the Pure Pop Radio playlist: “Blue Turns to Red” and “Angels and Ghosts.” Sugarbush Records’ Markus Holler and company make these songs come alive.

* Christopher Reyne – A Stranger at the Wheel…Naked. This is our second go-round with the spare, heartfelt music of Christopher Reyne. This just-released album is represented on Pure Pop Radio with three wonderful, tuneful tracks: “Ashes,” “A Stranger at the Wheel,” and “(We Will Weather) The Storm.”

* Skeleton Staff- “Born to be Fat.” This clever, melodic new song from Australia’s Skeleton Staff spins an oft told tale that rings true in many ways. The moral of the story? More is often less…

Well, it’s time to get ready for the 4th. Have a great day and we’ll see you with another round of adds to the Pure Pop Radio playlist next Monday. Listen for these and hundreds more songs new to our air by clicking on one of the handy listening links pictured below. Have a great weekend!