Perhaps our most favorite thing to do, other than write about great melodic pop music, is to add it to our playlist. We’ll soon hop, skip and jump over the 8,200 tracks mark, on our way to 9,000 and beyond. Won’t that be fun!
Meanwhile, as we work toward clearing those goalposts, we’ve added a slew of new songs and artists to our original 24-hour-a-day mix of the greatest pop in the universe. We’ve got the most variety of any radio station anywhere, incorporating both current and heritage artists from the ’60s to the right here and right now. You’ll love what you’ll hear, and that’s the Pure Pop Radio guarantee!
Here is some of what’s new on our air (check back next week for more):
Terry Draper | Searching We gave a rave review to this album just about a week ago (you can read what Alan wrote here). We called Searching the first great album of 2016, and for good reason. The level of musicianship and, yes, showmanship evident across this new body of work is something to behold. We’ve added the entire album to the playlist because, really, what else could we have done? The songs, splendid and tuneful and creative and everything else under the sun, are now playing in rotation.
Kevin Martin | Future Friends This sterling follow-up to 2012’s Throwback Pop is even better than anyone could have hoped for, which is to say that these new songs show just how melodic pop is done right. Hooks and delicious melodies abound. Replayability is assured. We’ve added eight of the 10 songs to our playlist: “Not Gonna Let It Go,” “Castles in the Sand,” “I’m Doing Fine,” “Up In a Cloud,” “The Unknown,” “Diamonds,” and our favorite one-two punch: the upbeat, hit bound “Julia” and “Goodbye,” a lovely, heartbreaking, beautifully arranged song about loss. This is the real deal, destined to be one of our favorite records of this year.
Tiny Volcano | Tiny Volcano Scott McPherson more than dabbles in a deep paintbox full of melodic pop projects including Pop 4, Sproutless, Liar’s Club and this group, whose 2003 debut has just been remastered anew by the maestro himself. Is it going too far to say that these songs, all poppy and catchy and all the rest of it all, have been reborn? We don’t think so. Tracks like the crunchy, guitar-filled “Mary Goes Around,” the Merseybeat nod “You Wanna Go,” the dreamy waltz “Building a Bridge (Out of Water),” and the country-ish bopper “Ten Nights in a Row” dazzle, but they’re only some of this album’s classic numbers. In addition to these tracks, we’re playing “Loaded Gun,” “Wonderful Sun,” and “Summer Solstice,” an affectionate Beach Boys audio sculpture. Remastered and reborn? You bet.
The Electric Stars | “Loaded With Regrets” and “The Only Lover Left Alive” Jason Edge and crew debut two explosive new songs that will be part of the Electric Stars’ forthcoming album. “Loaded With Regrets” is a Rolling Stones-styled (a la “Wild Horses”) tearjerker; “The Only Lover Left Alive” rocks and rolls with T. Rex flavor (and an instrumental section dipped in dynamic international mystery). Both are now playing in rotation.
The Last Conspirators | Hold that Thought Forever New York State pop-rockers The Last Conspirators’s fourth album takes charge with muscular songs, written by singer Tim Livingston and guitarist Nick Bisanz, that demand attention. We’re playing four tracks in rotation, all surging with crunchy guitars, great hooks and Livingston’s urgent vocals: “Perfect Lovers in a Complicated World,” “Fortune Teller,” “Russian Eyes,” and “Two Days in May,” a powerful ballad. Now playing in rotation and thrilling music lovers worldwide.
Cheap Trick | “No Direction Home” The first song released from the band’s upcoming album, enticingly titled Bang Zoom Crazy… Hello, is a typically engaging pop rocker with one of those, what do you call them…hooky chorus things? Yeah, that’ll work. Album number 17 sees release on April 1.
Anton Barbeau | Magic Act We go way back with this always surprising, innovative and wholly original musician–almost to Pure Pop Radio’s beginnings in the mid-1990s. Anton’s latest is perhaps his strongest long player yet–a vital collection of pop numbers designed to get your attention and make you sing along. We’re playing four songs in rotation from this forthcoming release: “High Noon,” the very Anton titled “Sit Your Leggy Down,” “Swindon” (about as close to a folk song as Anton gets), and the very Bowie-esque “Milk Churn in the Morning.” It’s always great to have new Ant music to play on the air.
The Surfin Burritos | “King of the Party” and “Devil’s Newsletter” From Spain comes a pair of early rock ‘n’ roll rave-ups that will get you up on the dance floor pronto. Breathless and breathing fire, both “King of the Party” and “Devil’s Newsletter” spew sharp beats and toothy melodies. And then there’s that band name. If our burrito went surfin’ off our plate, we’d probably worry. But there’s no need to worry here. Dance the night away.
One Like Son | Ugly And now for another top-flight collection from pop rockers One Like Son. There’s something for everyone here, such as a decidedly Tom Petty-esque vibe in the pretty “Midwest Summer Nights.” A strumming ukelele and beautifully arranged strings lie at the heart of the lovely “The Song You’ll Never Hear.” We’re playing these numbers in rotation, plus “Stella,” a country-flavored song with familiar-sounding guitar strumming that wouldn’t have been out of place on a Big Star album; “Lie to Me (One More Time),” an assured blast of Americana; “Tonight,” an acoustic charmer; and “Goodnight Sunshine,” a slow burner of a rock tune. Stephen Poff, take a bow, will you?
Vegas With Randolph | “The Comeback Kid” The latest great tune from the songwriting team of John Ratts and Eric Kern is a typically catchy slice of melodic pop that starts off pretty and gentle and quickly ponies up with a power pop urgency that drives the rest of the song. Vegas With Randolph keeps getting better; Washington, DC’s pop kings are riding high.
The Del Zorros | “Step Away from My Heart” Our love for the music of the Del Zorros knows no bounds. Monte and Stede can sing to us any old time. This new song, not part of the duo’s latest, greatest album, Wilmington, is a determined, tuneful, horn-adorned Stax-ian shuffle that really pleases. Now playing in rotation, of course.
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That’s it for today. We’ve got more new music adds to report–lots more, in fact, and we’ll be bringing you another list of them next week. Until then, why not click on one of the listen links below and hear what we’ve got in store for you!
Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the original 24-hour Internet radio station playing the greatest melodic pop music from the ’60s to today. From the Beatles to the Spongetones, the Nines, Kurt Baker, the Connection and the New Trocaderos, we play the hits and a whole lot more. Tune in by clicking on one of the listen links below.
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Well, technically, my time away from these pages wasn’t a vacation. In fact, it was anything but a bout of fun in the sun. As those of you who follow me on Facebook already know, I’ve had some medical issues to deal with these past few months. On New Year’s Eve, I had an operation to correct a digestion problem, and just a few days later, I found myself in the hospital again with arterial flutter.
New and now playing in rotation are Cheap Trick’s “No Direction Home,” which apparently will be part of the venerable popsters’ next album. Also spinning are great new tracks from Anton Barbeau, from his latest album, Magic Act; Chris Murphy; Torbjorn Petersson (his new EP); Rocket Bureau; Paul Melancon and the New Insecurities; the Surfin’ Burritos; Javier Escovedo; One Like Son, who are in a country-esque mood on their superb new album, Ugly; New Sincerity Works; the Del Zorros (a spectacular new song, “Step Away from My Heart”); Mimi Boswell and Friends; and Vegas With Randolph, with another rousing number, “The Comeback Kid.”
If I may, I’d like to pat these pages on their melodic backs: More than 50,000 pop fans have read the words we’ve stitched together since we opened for business back in late December 2013 (thanks one and all). Our number one post, by a hook-filled mile, is our review of Jeff Lynne’s instantly legendary September 14, 2014 show in London’s Hyde Park. Posted on September 16, 2014, it’s still got that ELO magic;