Alan Haber's Pure Pop Radio is the premier website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and new-to-you releases. Pure Pop Radio plays the greatest melodic pop in the universe 24 hours a day.
Put a guitar in Fernando Perdomo’s hands–you pick the genre–and you’ll get a performance that will knock your socks off or, alternatively, blow your mind.
Perhaps both, if you catch him on an especially good day.
Perdomo talks with me about the Laurel Canyon sound of the mid-1960s and the film that celebrates it–Echo in the Canyon, now playing at a theater near you–on this week’s all-new edition of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation (listen below). (We also talk about the groovy soundtrack album.)
Echo in the Canyon is the glorious, passionate big-screen celebration of the Laurel Canyon sound of the mid-1960s that found music makers like the Mamas and the Papas, the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield making history and touching hearts around the world with their soon-to-be-classic recordings, waxed at some of the most famous studios in history. The film deftly spins a magical, melody-rich tale, told through interviews with iconic performers like David Crosby, Michelle Phillips, and Jackson Browne, and performances by the Echo in the Canyon band, headed by Jakob Dylan.
Perdomo, who plays in the Echo in the Canyon band along with such stellar musicians as Geoff Pearlman, Matt Tecu, and Jordan Summers, talks about how he got this golden gig and what it was like to play with such heavyweight guests as Beck, Stephen Stills, and Neil Young. The film, now playing in theaters nationwide, is memorialized on the powerful soundtrack, produced by Andrew Slater, who also directed.
The soundtrack releases on CD tomorrow, June 28, and on vinyl August 2. Thirteen classic songs are featured, including the Byrds’ “Goin’ Back,” the Mamas and the Papas’ “Go Where You Wanna Go,” and Buffalo Springfield’s “Expecting to Fly.” Here is a taste of the great sounds contained in the film and on the soundtrack:
Listen below to my in-depth interview with Fernando Perdomo, talking about the 1960s Laurel Canyon sound and this moment’s magical, musical experience, Echo in the Canyon, on this week’s all-new edition of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation.
Listen to my interview with Fernando Perdomo about the 1960s Laurel Canyon sound memorialized in Echo in the Canyon by clicking the play button on the following player, or by clicking on the Pure Pop Radio button to the left to download (then right click and choose “Save audio as” to save the file to your computer).
Be on the lookout for the announcement of the next all-new edition of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, coming soon.
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Listen to a wide selection of archived Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation shows by clicking here.
Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premiere website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, and a wide variety of features. We’ve been around since the first weekly Pure Pop Radio shows, which began broadcasting in 1995, and the 24-hour Pure Pop Radio station, which ended last August.
Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, hosted by Alan Haber, is the Internet’s premier talk show presenting melodic pop music artists in conversation about their work. New episodes appear here exclusively on the Pure Pop Radio website. Podcast versions of previously-aired episodes are archived here.
Welcome to your number one home for coverage of the greatest melodic pop music in the universe from the ’60s to today.
Fernando Perdomo talks about the Echo in the Canyon film and soundtrack on Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation this Thursday, June 27
By Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio
Oh, what it must have been like, wandering through Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s, among the songwriters and performers who struck gold in the Hollywood Hills and draped the burgeoning folk-into-folk-rock landscape with hit after lasting hit.
Echo in the Canyon is the glorious, passionate big-screen celebration of the Laurel Canyon sound that found music makers like the Mamas and the Papas, the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield making history and touching hearts around the world with their soon-to-be-classic recordings, waxed at some of the most famous studios in history. The film deftly spins a magical, melody-rich tale, told through interviews with iconic performers like David Crosby, Michelle Phillips, and Jackson Browne, and performances by the Echo in the Canyon band, headed by Jakob Dylan.
Pure Pop Radio favorite Fernando Perdomo, the “it” musician of the moment, whose imaginative, passionate playing elevates music being made in genres far and wide, from pop to prog and back again, talks with me during the second in the new series of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation shows about becoming a member of the Echo in the Canyon band, giving unique, widescreen insight into the project. The show debuts here on the Pure Pop Radio website this Thursday, June 27.
The Echo in the Canyon band is currently entertaining filmgoers at certain film showings with exciting live performances that help to turn audiences in cities across the country onto the gospel that is the Laurel Canyon sound. The magical band performs era-defining songs like the Mamas and the Papas’ “Go Where You Wanna Go” and the Byrds’ (by way of Gerry Goffin and Carole King) “Goin’ Back,” testifying to the ongoing vitality of the music that helped to shape a generation and beyond.
Echo in the Canyon is now playing in theaters nationwide; the soundtrack, produced by Andrew Slater, who also directed the film, is powered by the core band (Geoff Pearlman, Matt Tecu, Jordan Summers and Perdomo, among others) and guests such as Beck, Stephen Stills, and Neil Young. The soundtrack releases on CD this Friday and on vinyl August 2. Thirteen classic songs are featured; two can be heard above and another, Love’s majestic “No Matter What You Do,” can be heard below:
Don’t miss Pure Pop Radio favorite Fernando Perdomo, a member of the Echo in the Canyon band, talking with me about the film, soundtrack and live performances during the second in the new series of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation shows. The show debuts here on the Pure Pop Radio website this Thursday, June 27.
Stay tuned for announcements of more all-new Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation shows, coming soon.
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Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, hosted by Alan Haber, is the Internet’s premier talk show presenting melodic pop music artists in conversation about their work. New episodes appear here exclusively on the Pure Pop Radio website. Podcast versions of previously-aired episodes are archived here.
Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premiere website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, and a wide variety of features. We’ve been around since the first weekly Pure Pop Radio shows, which began broadcasting in 1995, and the 24-hour Pure Pop Radio station, which ended last August.
Welcome to your number one home for coverage of the greatest melodic pop music in the universe from the ’60s to today.
About said list…it was the subject of my one and only New Year’s resolution: to keep the number of entries to 15. Well, good luck with that, I told myself, and wouldn’t you know it…I couldn’t make that work. How about 20? No? Okay then, how about 22? Twenty-two it is.
My annual list of the year’s best full-length releases collects what are, to me, the absolute top of the pops–the very bestest of the bunch. I liked and loved and adored many more long players, of course, but these are the ones I thought about and returned to the most.
As in past years, my favorite records of the year are listed in random order. I’ve never been able to compile lists of any kind in order of importance, size, or weight; my number five of today might drop to number 11 or rise two spots tomorrow, depending on my mood. So, random order it is.
Here are some truly exceptional releases–Pure Pop Radio’s Favorite Records of the Year: The Stars of 2018, presented randomly, all shiny and bright, all perfect for a place in your collection of great melodic pop music. A gathering of honorable mentions appears after the main list.
Enjoy.
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David Myhr | Lucky Day (Lojinx, 2018) A beautifully rendered selection of melody-rich songs from one of melodic pop music’s greatest practitioners, Lucky Day is the sound of a master songwriter’s loving embrace.
A warmhearted musical journey, Lucky Day’s 10 lovingly crafted songs, written solo and with some of melodic pop’s top writers, feature beautiful melodies and top-notch playing and singing. All contribute to one of 2018’s best albums. “Room to Grow,” written with Pure Pop Radio favorite Bill DeMain, about giving a romance all the chances it deserves to prosper, is just one gorgeous example of the treasures on offer.
Produced by Brad Jones, Andreas Dahlbäck and Myhr, Lucky Day is a wonderful gift to lovers of melodic pop.
The Cherry Drops | Good to the Last Drop (2018) On-air and mobile deejay Vern Shank’s melange of bubblegum and sunshine pop populates the Cherry Drops’ third welcome, rousing collection of smile-inducing songs that simultaneously evoke memories of favorite old songs and create memories of new numbers written and performed in the manner of the ’60s and ’70s.
Featuring co-writes with fellow Cherry Drop Joshua Cobb and classic popsters such as the Archies’ Ron Dante, the Grass Roots’ Mark Dawson, and the late Gary DeCarlo of Steam, and choice covers of treasured hit classic numbers, Good to the Last Drop is a mighty fun ride.
“One More Try” is a Paul McCartney-esque mid-tempo slice of pure pop topped with Queen-styled electric guitar runs. “Feels Like Summer Love” is a loving nod to ’60s Beach Boys balladry, maybe the truest such tip of the hat in recent memory. The harmonies are gorgeous. The Cherry Drops pay homage to the Lovin’ Spoonful’s classic “You Didn’t Have to Be So Nice,” bringing in original Spoonful member Steve Boone on bass and opening with a lovely a cappella-over-keyboard opening.
Mothboxer | Open Sky (2018) Dave Ody’s outfit stretches into some of the most creative, expression-filled songs of its long history on an album steeped in clever songcraft. A coming together and pulling apart experience built around surprising chord changes and elastic melodies, set against primarily alternative instrumental backings, Open Sky is aptly named.
Among the many highlights: “Sunshine Sound,” a slow-to-mid tempo song set sound-wise vaguely in the Beach Boys’ Holland era, and “Million Miles Away,” perhaps the most immediate sounding song on the album, a piano-based tune with harmony vocals that shine.
Alice Bierhorst | Ready for My Close-Up (2018) The followup to 2016’s The Beacon is an even more astute collection of piano-based musical wizardry from this New York-based artist. High art meets accessible in these 10 songs that recall the works of early Carly Simon, Claire Hamill and Laura Nyro.
The title song is a pleasing, dramatic collision of Broadway and British folk. “Save It for a Rainy Day” is a slow burn of a ballad that shows off Bierhorst’s dynamic vocal range. “Beginners” is a drawing room waltz that rolls atop Peter Kiesewalter’s lively arrangement.
Call it all classical pop or singer-songwriter musings for the 2010s, but do call it yours by adding Ready for My Close-Up to your collection of smart pop. Bierhorst’s melodies reach the highest heights; Bierhorst is ready for her close-up, and then some.
Danny Wilkerson | Wilkerson (Spyderpop, 2018) Working together with Bleu, who produced this superlative pure pop platter and co-wrote the songs, Danny Wilkerson, the always-and-forever Pengwin, has whipped up a self-titled opus that is by far this year’s most affecting collection of catchy, melodic earworms.
Wilkerson is a thing of wonder. Any and all, for that matter, of these dazzling songs could, and do, serve as examples of how to do it. Like the dynamic leadoff track, “Everybody Loves to Love,” a masterful piece of writing and statement of melodic purpose that begins drawing breath as if it were arranged by Burt Bacharach and goes on to incorporate a variety of tempos and approaches during its alluring five-and-one-half minutes.
All told, Wilkerson is nothing less than a good thing. It is, in fact, a great thing, and another feather in the cap of the mighty Spyderpop record label.
McPherson Grant | McPherson Grant (2018) Paying sweet homage to the melodic pop ruling class headed by Harry Nilsson, Paul McCartney, Klaatu, Brian Wilson and the like, Scott McPherson and Jamie Grant–their last names fused together in joyous harmony–have crafted almost an hour’s worth of sturdy earworms. Endlessly endearing songs like the lovely and charming “Housekeeper,” about cleaning up a romantic life gone sour and empty and honestly assessing the less-than-attractive situation ensure repeatability.
Cut from the catchy cloth of so many ’70s classics, the perky “Come Around Again,” about learning to realize and revel in the bountiful joy in front of one’s face, is propelled by Zak Nilsson’s drums and a sunny disposition that wouldn’t feel out of place during the summer months. And speaking of summer, “Let’s Drive to Summer” recounts a slow-growing, toe-tapping Beach Boys-by-way-of-Holland road course from cold Canada to warm Florida (“We’ll just follow the coast/Our sandals and shorts in tow/Waiting till the palms wave hello”).
Produced, written, played, arranged and recorded by Scott and Jamie (and don’t ask who did what; it’s a mystery even to both halves of the duo), and featuring guest turns by Zak Nilsson and Klaatu’s Terry Draper and Dee Long, Song travels the path negotiated by so many artists who came before them, but in a way that is significantly and characteristically their own. Song is a marvel.
The Davenports | Don’t Be Mad at Me (2018) Scott Klass and crew’s fourth long player, arriving 18 years after their smashing debut, Speaking Of, is the usual collection of literate, assured, thinking person’s pop songs. Anchored by the masterful title song, a tremendously enriching melodically-charged experience about a family light whose world has slowed to a crawl, who is needing help to maneuver through her days, this album swims in waters populated with one incredibly rich song after another.
“Away From Me,” sporting a typically attractive Klass melody, is a vaguely countryish construct about saying goodbye to one side of one’s personality, supported by strings that bend somewhat ominously around the melody. And “I Don’t Know What to Do,” an insanely catchy kind of left-field number co-written by Klass and David Myhr, is built around a clever, rocky riff and does its business in just over two minutes. It’s quite ingenious.
Caper Clowns | A Salty Taste to the Lake (2018) The mighty Caper Clowns are back with their sophomore long player, another well-crafted collection of top-flight melodic pop gems. From the undeniably catchy opening confection “The Way I Dream,” which sports a clever acoustic guitar riff and an enchanting melody, to “Sacre Bleu,” a piano-based, harmony wonder that sounds like the kind of song radio should be embracing and sending up to the top of the charts, A Salty Taste to the Lake is a winner all the way. That makes two in a row. Good job, guys.
Les Bicyclettes de Belsize | The Twelve Days of Christmas (2018) A late-year surprise and not only a charming, top-flight holiday-themed album but one of the best melodic pop albums of the year, Charlie Darling’s collection of original from-the-heart Christmas songs will warm you like a heaping cup of peppermint candy cane-flavored good cheer.
Bittersweet holiday tales told in pretty swaths of lovingly rendered melody, and sung with an everyman’s sweetness, color this delightful song cycle; sincere, understated orchestration, a literary approach to lyrical conceits, and a pinch of sleigh bells catch the ear time and again in lovely slow- and mid-tempo-ballads.
Darling’s vocals, sort of a contemporary cross between the tones of the Big Dish’s Steven Lindsay and Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant, are key to making songs like gentle ballads “Every Christmas,” about missing a love gone away grab hold of your heart. And then the artist changes course: “Andy Partridge (From XTC)” is a spirited pop sprint substituting the names of pop and rock bands through the ages for the various creatures evidenced in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” (Three Dog Night, the Dave Clark Five, Gang of Four, Nine Inch Nails and Joe Strummer (strumming), among them).
One of the best albums of the year, Christmas-oriented or not? Yes, indeed.
Bill Lloyd | Working the Long Game (Spyderpop, 2018) Bill Lloyd, one of melodic pop’s most distinguished practitioners of the art, has released one of the very best albums of 2018, with which you will fall in love.
Working the Long Game’s dozen melodic pearls, whether written solo or with top song scribes like 10cc’s Graham Gouldman, Cheap Trick’s Tom Petersson, and Wanderlust’s Scot Sax, are gorgeous, instantly classic gems of the Lloydian variety. Like the co-write with Graham Gouldman, “What Time Won’t Heal,” about letting love in again after a relationship withers away (“What time won’t heal/Love will repair/And if you open up your heart/You’ll find it there”).
The closer, “Shining,” is a beautiful ballad of the one-man-band variety that features some lovely sixties-inspired guitar lines and harmonies. The narrator sings about his true love and you will feel the emotion. It’s all fantastic, so get ready to fall in love.
Fernando Perdomo | Zebra Crossing (2018) Recorded in famed Abbey Road Studios and in Perdomo’s own Reseda Ranch Studios, the wearer of many musical hats’ fourth album is a rich tapestry of styles centered around the artist’s considerable composing and instrumental prowess. It’s a clear winner.
Highlights are many. The gorgeous ballad, “I’m Here,” is as good and classy an opening track as one could imagine; a strong melody and emotive vocals make the proceedings shine. The poppy “Sometimes I Feel Like Nothing at All,” cowritten by Beach Boys lyricist Stephen Kalinich, is an inviting tune topped by sensitive strings. And popster Ken Sharp guests on guitar on the should-be-a-radio-hit “Find Love,” a spectacular upbeat, McCartneyesque pop song.
Speaking of Fab connections, an all-in, emotionally reverent cover of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” credited to the Zebra Crossing All Star Band, finds guest vocalists Diane Birch, Shawn Lee, and Jason and Daphna Rowe and lead guitarist Perdomo taking center stage for a thrilling album closer. What better Beatles track to cover for an album named in tribute to the area in front of the studio the Fabs called home?
Mick Terry | Days Go By (Kool Kat, 2018) Mick Terry’s Days Go By is 2018’s standout pure melodic pop album. It’s filled with the kind of songs that used to jump out of transistor radios way back in the when.
Every one of these 10 songs is golden. Witness: “Emily Come Back,” an upbeat, poppy tune that’s sure to please and features this album’s title in the lyric. “Everybody’s Talking” is an upbeat, sixties influenced Motown-meets-Billy Joel song (think around the time of Joel’s An Innocent Man album), a toe-tapping classic if ever I heard one. And “Friends Like That” is another upbeat gem with a great melody, handclaps, horns and a crazy, meaty guitar solo.
Working with producer Jim Boggia, Terry has produced a clear, melodic winner.
Astral Drive | Astral Drive (Lojinx, 2018) Longtime producer and songwriter Phil Thornalley has made nothing less than the Todd Rundgren album that Todd Rundgren never made in the 1970s. Astral Drive is nothing less than one of the best albums of 2018.
Astral Drive finds Phil Thornalley doing most of the heavy lifting for a joyous tour de force composed of original songs that echo the catchy sounds that the Hermit of Mink Hollow made all those many years ago. Thornalley, a legendary producer and songwriter whose lengthy list of credits includes co-writing Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn,” fell in love with Todd Rundgren’s music when he heard Todd’s song “Useless Begging.” The rest, as they say, is history.
Astral Drive’s go-to, so-much-fun-to-listen-to song “Summer of ’76” practically demands that you sing along, whether you know the words or not. You will love, with all of your heart, the warm ballad “Wishing I Could Change the World,” which honors the classic Todd-meets-Philly-Soul bond, and the glorious, melody-infused, upbeat “Love is Real.”
One of 2018’s biggest and happiest surprises, without a doubt.
Michael Simmons | First Days of Summer (2018) Musician and high school educator Michael Simmons, from Yorktown Lads and the much-missed sparkle*jets u.k., has crafted a stylistically diverse collection of songs that expertly lays out the artist’s diverse musical vision and dedication to craft.
From the opening and closing near-perfect, soft-pop bookends “Do Your Best to Care,” a keyboard driven toe-tapper featuring a determined, jazzy electric guitar solo, and the sleepy, closing ballad “Center of the Spiral,” which ends as if a turntable’s needle has become comfortably stuck in a loop within a record’s runoff wax, First Days of Summer speaks to melody-hungry melodic pop fans.
What shines brightly and decisively from within these dozen tracks is the passion that Michael Simmons has for making and playing music (he played most of the instruments on this album). He would do well to keep at this music thing and start planning his next collection with due haste.
Linus of Hollywood | Cabin Life (2018) Nearly 20 years after his debut long player landed on planet Earth, Linus of Hollywood has served up 10 scoops of tasty, melodic treats on Cabin Fever, his delightful fifth effort that really, truly is the kind of thing that puts a spring in your step.
Some heartfelt words of wisdom are imparted in the fast-paced pop song “Won’t Let It Get Me Down,” played and sung with gusto. Cabin Life’s tender closing ballad, “It Was You,” details a love story for the ages. Beautifully sung and dedicated to Linus’s wife Augusta, the emotional arrangement marries delicate orchestration to nimble acoustic guitar playing as Linus sings about his true soul mate. “I finally got out of my own way,” he sings. “Everything just felt so easy/And I left behind my yesterday/You saved me from myself, believe me.”
“Drive up to the hills/Take that winding road/I think I remember where it goes,” the title song sings. And that winding road? It goes to one of 2018’s very best albums–Linus of Hollywood’s lovely Cabin Life.
Dana Countryman | Cabaret of Love (Sterling Swan, 2018) The year is not complete without a musical missive from melodic pop music’s melody and harmony king. Dana Countryman’s Cabaret of Love is one of 2018’s top long players, a joyous song cycle that surveys the feeling that unites us all: love.
Every number is a winner in this Cabaret of Love. “Just See If I Care” is a happy-sounding, hit-the-road-Jill Merseybeat-styled rocker featuring the Spongetones’ Jamie Hoover singing along and playing lead guitar in quite a Fab way. The heartfelt Four Freshmen homage, “The Night I Fell in Love With You,” is an unforgettable, romantic number with an affecting tea room orchestra arrangement and warm lead vocal sung by Tim Smolens from I.S.S. (Ideal Social Situation).
Cabaret of Love is chock full of guest star turns from such pop favorites as Klaatu’s Terry Draper (who turns in a top-shelf, particularly romantic lead vocal on “I’ll Be Shining Above You”), Klaatu’s Dee Long (electric guitar on “Shout”), and Tiny Volcano’s Scott McPherson (vocals on “You’re Still Number One”).
Cabaret of Love is a glorious gift for music lovers everywhere.
Carpenter Smith and Jones | Petty (Big Radio, 2018) Petty is a sincere and lovely celebration of the music of one of rock’s most magnanimous songwriters and performers, now sadly departed. It is a triumphant achievement, performed with heart by Michael Carpenter and songbirds Abby Smith and Sophie Jones.
The trio’s earthy vocal blend and the perhaps more deliberate pacing of the songs combine to amplify the emotions contained within the lyrics and music for a particularly engaging listen.
“Runnin’ Down a Dream” is recast as a slow, sometimes moody shuffle, a vocal workout bolstered by bracing electric guitars and Carpenter’s forceful drums. “Don’t Come Around Here No More” finds itself swimming atop a dreamy landscape played out with only nimble electric guitar backing beneath the trio’s emotional vocals (the final harmony stack is a joy to behold). And the Traveling Wilburys’ “End of the Line,” which closes this collection, takes on a singalong gospel tone; handclaps and joyous, freeing vocals abound. Prepare for an emotionally uplifting listening experience.
The Grand Levé | The Grand Levé (2018) Göran Hjertstedt, who made the quite grand The Grand Levé with Europe’s (the Swedish rock band, not the continent) Ian Haugland, Ulf Holmberg, Göran Holmberg, Staffan Ebbesten, and Jonas Karlberg, is a music making veteran (best known for the equally grand Longplayer).
Although The Grand Levé fairly obviously shares cell structure with the music of Jeff Lynne, 10cc, Queen, Tom Petty and other members of the usual suspects club, and traffics in motifs pioneered during such periods as the 1960s and 1700s (note the classically-inclined first track, “And Light Appeared,” which straddles influences by either consciously or subconsciously quoting Elton John), the artist Hjertstedt is his own man, and The Grand Levé is his album.
Dig the Electric Light Orchestra vibe of “All in the City.” “Free” is very melody-rich Tom Petty, and “Yesterday Man” is very pure pop and Göran Hjertstedt by way of Longplayer. The mutli-retro “Two to Tango,” a bluesy drawing room number about love and dancing that namechecks Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, is another slice of joy.
The Grand Levé makes its mark because its sound pictures, drawn with love and affection, tell an affecting, collective tale. The Grand Levé is nothing less than a triumph for fans of melodic pop music.
Louise Goffin | All These Hellos (2018) An exceptional dialog driven by melody and emotion, All These Hellos is a steamer trunk full of memories placed under a microscope to help us figure our place under the sun.
Anchored by Goffin’s lovely, fragile vocals and superb playing from star musicians such as Fernando Perdomo, these 10 songs are quite an attractive showcase for superlative songwriting. The artist is clearly invested in these slices of reflective pop; such is the strength of communication with the listener.
Goffin embraces her pop side with a number of straight ahead, upbeat charmers. “Good Times Call” is a soulful and very catchy sixties-esque pop number about being in love and feeling it. “Life Lessons,” another upbeat pop tune with piano at its core and punctuated by horns, is about being true to yourself and following your heart. And the title song is an inviting mid-tempo number about needing the memories of a childhood place to fade.
A wonderfully rich collection of songs; a terrific album.
Super 8 | Hi Lo (Futureman, 2018) Paul Ryan, d/b/a Super 8, ended 2018 with another top-flight recording–his third of the year–collecting 11 strong songs about employing hopefulness along one’s path through life.
“Angels and Neil Diamond” is a tremendous piece of writing, an easygoing, acoustic look back on childhood’s glory days, reliving one’s youth through good times and bad. It’s a lovely, affecting song that is followed by proof that the title is holly holy. Ryan presents a clever take on Diamond’s wonderful “Cherry, Cherry,” which is pretty life affirming on its own, especially in Ryan’s recasting of the tune as part garage, part coffee house, and all Super 8.
The Rolling Stones nod, “Good Times” (“Had enough of the bad times”), is a happy stroke in the running order, as is the pop-folk hybrid “Bob Dylan Said That,” about getting by in life with your own vision, and, no doubt, following on from what you’ve learned from the bard’s poetry.
The hits just keep on coming; you’ll love every one of them, delivered in Ryan’s emotive style. And for those of you wondering why the man didn’t go for four albums in a single year, just remember…there’s always this year.
The Grip Weeds | Trip Around the Sun (Jem, 2018) This dynamic collection, recorded at the Grip Weeds’ home base, House of Vibes in Highland Park, New Jersey, pushes across the finish line a dozen high energy songs. The band has upped the level of urgency normally associated with their work. In other words, business as usual, with a bit more zing.
In the well-appointed, melody-drenched opener, “Vibrations,” the stage is set with a mix of chiming guitars and rich harmony parts. Not for the first time on this album, I felt as though I were listening to Free Design vocalizing decades after that group’s 1960s and 1970s heyday. The effect that the Grip Weeds have achieved with this song alone is hall-of-fame worthy.
So it should hardly come as a surprise that the band’s deft weaving together of yesterday’s musical signposts and today’s contemporary approaches continue throughout these songs. Take the poppy “After the Sunrise,” for example, which slides from tender acoustic to more upbeat electric guitar stances so expertly, with a lovely melody and sweet harmonies in tow.
The whole pop-rocking ball of wax rolls into the exhaustive closer, the six-minute-long title track, which states its introductory case firmly opened in widescreen, Who territory and concludes with all instruments and vocals blazing and coming together in an impassioned burst of emotion. What a welcome shout of energetic joy this album brings!
Vegas With Randolph | Legs & Luggage (2018) Legs & Luggage is Vegas With Randolph’s best album yet. It is a marvel. This is a new-phase VWR album that thunders across the plains with harder-edged chutzpah than their previous releases. The guitars are louder and the sound is more aggressive. The sound is more purposeful, but just as catchy and fun as always.
For this new album, the band has recorded songs with flashy hooks just as they have done all along, but this time around, there is perhaps a little more oomph spitting out of the engine. This new-phase VWR is a well-oiled and rocking machine.
It’s not just the sound of this thing, it’s the words sung sweetly, confidently, meaningfully and powerfully all the way through, telling stories of a scholarly seductress (“She’s An Intellectual”), completely fulfilling forever love (“I Have You”), and riding the roller coaster of love even though it might tug back (“Jacob”). Then, there’s “Three Red Hooks,” presenting the power of music as a metaphor for confident performance with perhaps this album’s most creative lyrics (“Rock steady/Kick it like Eddie/Didn’t know if he meant Van Halen or Vedder/But whatever/While we’re together/We’d better turn it up loud/And kick it on out”).
This album is titled Legs & Luggage because the songs are largely about transitioning from one thing to another, about taking chances, about moving on from here to there—about transporting emotion packed neatly, or otherwise, in virtual compartments. Legs & Luggage functions as a bridge to the next chapter in Vegas With Randolph’s life; how that reality will manifest itself is unknown at present. But manifest itself it will.
Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premiere website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, and a wide variety of features. We’ve been around since the first weekly Pure Pop Radio shows, which began broadcasting in 1995, and the 24-hour Pure Pop Radio station, which ended this last August. Welcome to your number one home for coverage of the greatest melodic pop music in the universe from the ’60s to today. Happy New Year!
Day three of our Holly Jolly Christmas Party is here to help you with suggestions for holiday tunes you can give as gifts to your family and friends…and maybe even to yourself!
This is also day three of our bountiful Christmas presents giveaway. Today, we’ve got the Monkees’ new Christmas Party and the Grip Weeds’ Under the Influence of Christmas up for grabs. Enter below.
Our 2018 Festive Holiday Gift-Giving Guide has the day off tomorrow, due to a change in schedule here at Pure Pop Radio headquarters. We’ll be back on Friday to continue suggesting some of the great Christmas releases out there, all perfect for gift giving.
And now, here’s a lovely Christmas collection from the hardest working man on today’s music scene…
Fernando Perdomo | Present (2018) Multi-instrumentalist and supreme multitasker Fernando Perdomo (his new album, a smash, is Zebra Crossing) has put together a lovely, quite entertaining Christmas release called Present. It may not be wrapped in festive paper and topped with a bright red bow, but it’s a gift that will keep on giving and putting a holiday kind of smile on your face.
Perdomo’s facility with melody-rich holiday ballads (“It’s Christmas All Over the World,” “Darling It’s Christmas,” “The Meaning of Christmas,” and especially “December .. The Month of Love”) is just one of the most prominent calling cards presented here, but that’s not all you’ll find: “The Funky Little Drummer Boy” features Eddie Zyne on hard-hitting drums; there’s a slow, dreamy surf version of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”; a sleepy take on “Silent Night,” with just electric guitars in the mix, really satisfies, and a punky, in your face version of “Deck the Halls” helps to make your season bright.
Thrift Store Halo | “I Still Love Christmas” (2018) Written by band members Frank Gradishar and Lance Tawzer, this perky, melody-rich celebration of the holiday finds Chicago’s Thrift Store Halo in a fun, spirit-of-the-season-esque mood and espousing a welcome sense of humor.
Everything is on the table at Christmas–greeting cards, holly wreaths, kid-made ornaments, snowmen, egg nog shakes, and “presents wrapped in gold and plaid (like granddad’s pants).” “It’s the one time each year the whole world is filled with joy and cheer,” Frank sings.
The Weeklings | “Christmas Time is Here Again” and “Revolution Wonderland” (2017) New Jersey’s Fab Four–Lefty, Zeke, Rocky and Smokestack–convened in the waning months of 2017 to record a pair of holiday classics chock full of the usual Weeklings Easter eggs and brimming with a whole lot of fun.
In case you missed them the first time around, the Beatles’ “Christmas Time is Here Again” got Weeklingsized by incorporating elements from the Fabs’ “Flying,” “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill,” and “Baby, You’re a Rich Man.” And of “Revolution Wonderland”? Well, in this seasonal mashup, “Revolution” meets “Winter Wonderland” meets “Jingle Bell Rock” meets the coolest shoo-be-doo-wah vibe you’ll encounter this or any other year.
Follow Santa on his sleigh, with all of his reindeer and his custom North Pole GPS to add these full-of-good-cheer tunes to your Christmas gifting lists.
Where to Get It: “Christmas Time is Here Again”: Amazon, iTunes “Revolution Wonderland”: Amazon, iTunes
Big Stir Double-A-Side Christmas Single (2018): Kai Danzberg | “If Santa” Blake Jones and the Trike Shop | “String Lights and Hold On” The eighth in the continuing series of digital singles being released by Big Stir Records strikes a decidedly festive Christmasy chord (or two or more!) with holiday tunes from Kai Danzberg and Blake Jones and the Trike Shop.
Danzberg and Jones travel different-sounding paths on their way to stirring up their pots of Christmas magic. Danzberg’s “If Santa” is an upbeat, joyous Phil Spectory exercise with Paul McCartney bass lines, horns and, of course, bells. Jones presents his Christmas tune as art-rock-meets-quirky for a wholly different holiday experience. Both are more-than-worthy, Christmasy choices for gift-giving this holiday season.
Lannie Flowers “Christmas Without You” (2018) While his fans wait patiently for his new album Home to land, Lannie Flowers has been releasing new songs each month, independent of that release. “Christmas Without You,” newly remixed and remastered from its 2011 appearance, is the 10th in the series. It’s a typically catchy, jangly, melodic slice of melodic pop about wanting and needing the people we love to be with us at Christmas. “Christmas Without You” is a free download at the Spyderpop Records website.
Enter below to win a pair of melodic presents for the holiday season from Pure Pop Radio (the Monkees’ Christmas Party and the Grip Weeds’ Under the Influence of Christmas). Be sure to fill in all fields (type “Monkees Grip” in the Comment field), and send the completed form to us by tomorrow, Thursday, December 20, at noon ET. US residents only. Good luck!
Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premiere website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, and a wide variety of features. We’ve been around since the first weekly Pure Pop Radio shows, which began broadcasting in 1995 and ended this past August. Welcome to your number one home for coverage of the greatest melodic pop music in the universe from the ’60s to today. Happy holidays!
The latest and greatest pure, melodic pop hits are streaming on Pure Pop Radio, but hurry–you have only until August 25 to bop to the catchiest beats in town!
What’s new and now playing in rotation on Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio? “California Moon,” Fernando Perdomo’s new single, featuring Pat Sansone (Wilco, Autumn Defense), is top of the pops, as are four standout, propulsive tunes from the Turnback’s soon-to-be-released album, Spinning the Earth in Reverse.
Speaking of spinning, the Jangle Band’s new single, featuring the Byrdsian “The Guy Who Used to Care,” is playing in hot rotation, as are new songs from Azwel’s latest long player, Phantasmagoria, and new releases from Scott Brookman, Yani Martinelli and Friends; Lannie Flowers (another in his growing line of free songs being released prior to Lannie’s new album coming due in the fall); and McPherson Grant, whose debut album features the Klaatu-ish tune “The Marvelous and Mysterious Adventures of Sir Ollie and His Ox,” supported percussively by Klaatu’s Terry Draper.
New songs from Optiganally Yours, Tsar’s Jeff Whalen, George Usher and Lisa Burns, Michael Slawter, Jeffrey Foskett and Jeff Larson, Sean Solo, Miami Dan and the Hayes Street Band, Farrington, Wilkerson, Tony Valentino, and many more of your favorite artists are also being featured in these last 11 days of broadcasting.
Remember that we will be active as active can be here on the Pure Pop Radio website, even though Pure Pop Radio will be going off the air on August 25. So fire up your Internet radio receptacle, groove to the pop tunes, and we’ll see you on the air.
Pure Pop Radio plays the greatest melodic pop music from across the decades, 24 hours a day (until August 25). Listen by clicking on the Live365 Listen Now button at left. Hear us once and you’ll be a listener for life. Join us, won’t you? You’ll be glad you did!
Spins and Reviews | 08.16.17 By Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio
Fernando Perdomo | The Golden Hour (2017)
The fourth album from vaunted producer (Cait Brennan, Chris Price, Linda Perhacs) and recording artist Fernando Perdomo is a widescreen collection of heartfelt songs.
Recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, and played and sung entirely by Fernando, The Golden Hour bristles with majesty; the title number, a deeply-felt love song about two souls coming together as one, sits alongside other dynamic numbers such as the Beatlesque-meets-James Bondian “Sleep” (I love the Paul McCartney-esque bass line), and the gorgeous, melodically- and harmonically-charged ballad “Sunset,” which is elevated towards the end by some welcome Beach Boys-inspired background vocal turns.
Another top entry for this year’s best-of lists? Yes, indeed.
Various Artists | This is Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio Volume 4 (Kool Kat Musik, 2017)
Celebrating Carl Cafarelli and Dana Bonn’s longstanding This is Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio Show, this fourth volume of the ongoing series presents a carefully curated selection of exclusive and previously-released tracks by artists that should prove to be welcome by both the TIRnRR audience and pop music fans in general.
Top tracks are plentiful and favorites are overflowing. To wit: Circe Link and Christian Nesmith’s delectably addictive pop confection “I’m On Your Side”; Pop Co-Op’s catchy pop-rocker “You Don’t Love Me Anymore”; Ray Paul’s “I Need Your Love Tonight,” one of his best tracks ever; The Rubinoos’ sweet-sounding “Nowheresville,” featuring the much-loved vocal harmonies the group is known for; Maura (Kennedy) and the Bright Lights’ “Maybe Someday,” a straight-ahead pop song with Maura’s signature vocal in the spotlight; Michael Oliver and the Sacred Band’s passionate “You Won’t Do”; and Vegas With Randolph featuring Lannie Flowers’ jubilant pop-rocker, “The Weekend’s Coming.”
Compilations with this much oomph should be shoo-ins for your collection.
Sitcom Neighbor | Shag (2017)
John Murphy and Steve Refling, the latter of whom plays nearly all of the instruments on and produced Lisa Mychols’ recently-released, soulful cover of “Let’s Stay Together,” achieve melodic pop hero status with this skillful 11-song-strong collection that is sure to please all comers.
Say hello, if you will, to the very Beatles-ish “Goodbye,” in which clever chord construction meets a classic-sounding melody. Murphy’s smooth lead and harmony vocals power the muscular pop of “Your Turn Next” and the pretty, mid-tempo ballad “Insomnia.” And the album opener, “Tourist Attraction,” sounds like a Shoes outtake that got away.
Shag, along with two previous releases, 2012’s Charm and 2007’s self-titled debut, form a triumvirate of pure pop goodness. So onward with you, who knows what to do.
Pure Pop Radio’s signature shows, Alan Haber’s Pop Tunes Deejay Show, playing the latest and greatest melodic pop songs from today and across the decades, and Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, the premiere Internet melodic pop talk show, air weekly on Pop that Goes Crunch Radio.
Listen to the Pop Tunes Deejay Show on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8 pm ET (two different shows every week); In Conversation airs every Wednesday night at 9 pm ET. Don’t miss a minute!
Tune in to Pop that Goes Crunch Radio by clicking on the following snazzy-looking button:
Brain Circus | Brain Circus Smashing collection of impossible-to-resist songs performed in grand style by ace songwriter and keyboard wizard Brian Curtis, late of the much-loved band the Oohs. Thirteen numbers in all, Brain Circus, performed entirely by Curtis, provides ample proof, as if any was needed, that this transplanted Virginian’s ability to craft striking, kenspeckle melodies working in concert with clever chord structures and vocal invention puts him at the top of his game. The gorgeous harmony vocals at the heart of the jangly “If You Only Knew” and the creatively-arranged mid-tempo ballad “Smile is a Thin Disguise” are but two examples of how good this album is, but the majestic, heartfelt love song “Finally Found the One” is the pearl here, a musical sculpture formed with smiles and tears and a whole lot of heart. You’ll detect essence of Beach Boys, Jellyfish and Queen, among other classic touchstones, but this is all Curtis and don’t you forget it. Now playing in rotation on Pure Pop Radio: “Forget All About It,” “I Don’t Want to Know,” “If You Only Knew,” “Keep My Hands to Yourself,” “Letter Bomb,” “No Secret,” “Smile is a Thing Disguise,” “The Man Who Saw Tomorrow,” and “Try to Ignore Me.”
Fernando Perdomo | Voyeurs Los Angeles-based producer to the stars Perdomo stitches together a mix of songs sung and instrumentals played for a singularly immersive listening experience. Seventies-styled, catchy nugget “Stay With the Friends” invites clapping to the beat; the beautiful ballad “The One You Run To” wraps its loving arms around you. Instros “Sunday Afternoon” and “Waltz for Doug” are gorgeous and impeccably performed highlights. Much to admire and hug. Now playing in rotation on Pure Pop Radio: “Feels,” “Holding Back I Love Yous,” “Stay With the Friends,” “Home,” “Cruiser,” “Sunday Afternoon,” and “Waltz for Doug,” “The One You Run To.”
Chris Bolger | No Promises Recorded in New Jersey and seasoned with top flight performances from an array of special guest stars such as the Smithereens’ super drummer Dennis Diken, Graham Maby (Joe Jackson) and James Mastro (The Bongos), No Promises is a pop fan’s delight–13 catchy, melodic works like the upbeat “Easier,” kicking off with just a hint of the Kinks’ “Picture Book,” and the pop-rock workout “Geraldine.” The saxified rocker “Barbara Feldon,” a tribute to the actress who played Agent 99 on the classic television show Get Smart, is a joyous foot-stomping treat. Produced by Bolger, engineer/mixer Kostadin Kamcev and Diken. Terrific. Now playing in rotation on Pure Pop Radio: The entire album: “Atlantic City Expressway,” “Barbara Feldon,” “Easier,” “Everything,” “Geraldine,” “Learning to Paint,” “Maybe,” “No Promises,” “She might Look My Way,” “Ships,” “Souls Turn Blue,” “Tear that Cabin Down,” and “What’s it Got to Do With Me.”
Alice Bierhorst |Now Entering Liberty Heights, The Vigil, All Shall Be Revealed, Oxygen New York City native and Pure Pop Radio favorite Bierhorst’s catalog is rich with releases highlighting her vibrant songs that paint lovely soundscapes. Now added to the playlist are songs from four more of the immensely-talented singer-songwriter’s 15 albums (her latest release, The Beacon, has been part of our playlist since this past March). Now playing in rotation on Pure Pop Radio: From 2000’s Now Entering Liberty Heights: the soulful, bluesy “Legendary Pillow” and the pretty ballad “Lovable.” From 2007’s The Vigil: “I Will Always Love You (When I’m Alone),” the driving “Thank You,” “Come Little Baby,” “Do You Dream” and the title track. From All Shall Be Revealed: the sumptuous, catchy “Airborne,” “Better Angels,” the lovely “Bright at the End of the Day,” “Farther to Go,” “Golden Hours,” the title track and “I Have Always Been Free.” And from Oxygen, “Not the One” and the title track.
Look Park | “Aeroplane” Chris Collingwood’s new group project, which takes its name from the Frank Newhall Look Memorial Park, an actual municipal park in Northampton, Massachusetts, kicked off with this pre-album-release song, a breezy, Fountains of Wayne type of breezy construct. As catchy as any of Collingwood’s Fountains of Wayne songs, it bodes well for the full release, available tomorrow, July 22. Now playing in rotation on Pure Pop Radio.
Only 11 days to go until the release of Emitt Rhodes’ first album in 43 years: Rainbow Ends joins the pop craftsman’s peerless catalog on February 26, courtesy of Omnivore Records, in both CD and vinyl formats.
To get you ready for the February 26 release of Rainbow Ends, producer Chris Price joins Alan Haber tomorrow night, February 16, at 8 pm ET (5 pm PT) on Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation for an extensive, in-depth look at the album. (Alan was among the first critics to review Rainbow Ends. If you missed the review, click here to read it.) During the interview, Chris takes listeners on a tour of his magical time with Emitt, from the friends’ initial meeting in 2006 to Chris’s production of what may well rank as fans’ favorite Rhodes recording.
Emitt Rhodes, Hawthorne, California. 16 October 2015.
Rainbow Ends, tracks from which we are now proudly playing in rotation on Pure Pop Radio, brings the pop classicist back into the spotlight with terrific songs so good they could only have come from this master of the pop form. Supporting Emitt on this album is a band stocked deep with top-flight musicians, many, if not most, familiar names to pop fans: Jellyfish’s Roger Joseph Manning, Jr., Jason Falkner, Fernando Perdomo, the Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs, Bleu and many more. During the interview, you’ll hear three songs from Rainbow Ends, and Emitt’s cover of a favorite Bee Gees song, “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,” which was first released as a limited edition vinyl 45 for Record Store Day 2014 and subsequently included on a Bee Gees tribute album.
Pure Pop Radio is your home for this exciting salute to Emitt Rhodes, leading up to the long-awaited release of Rainbow Ends on February 26. To celebrate, in addition to airing Alan’s extended interview with producer Chris Price tomorrow night, February 16, we’ve added to our playlist the lion’s share of tracks from all ofEmitt’s albums, including Rainbow Ends. We’ve also added the bulk of tracks appearing on the Merry-Go-Round’s Listen, Listen: The Definitive Collection. All of these tracks, andmore, are now playing in rotation on our air.
In the meantime, why not click on one of the listen links below so you can enjoy our continuous, original 24-hour stream of the greatest melodic pop in the universe? Enjoy!
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.
Hello and welcome, friends, to the show that never ends, and for good reason! It’s week number two, cumulative day five of Pure Pop Radio’s New Music Explosion. We’ve added many hundreds of new songs by your favorite artists and artists new to you. We’re still packing quite a punch. Can you say “Pow!”?
We’ve added rockin’, poppin’ fast-, slow- and medium-paced numbers that will make you smile, laugh, cry and even, perhaps, think. But most of all, we’ve enriched all of our lives with the sound of singable, danceable melodic pop music.
Here are some more tunes and artists we’ve added to the Pure Pop Radio playlist and, remember, there’s more coming every day this week:
Cliff Hillis | Song Machine We suspect that Cliff Hillis is, deep down, an old, musical soul. His songs come straight from the heart and, in a particularly stylish, old-fashioned way, they come to you as old friends. They feel right. They glisten with craft and feeling. The seven songs on Cliff’s particularly grand new EP are among his best yet, and we’re spinning all of them in rotation, from the lovely, opening, mid-tempo, atmospheric examination of fractured identity, “Dashboard,” to “Goodnight Sunlight,” in which the night washes away the gangly day. This is an astounding collection of songs we all will wish we could have written. Also spinning: “Could You Be the Enemy,” “Hang On to the Moment,” “Just One More,” “Tonight,” and “Turn On a Dime.”
The Foreign Films | The Record Collector The musical magician, Bill Majoros, has quietly been recording a four-sided opus up in Canada he calls The Record Collector. He’s releasing one side at a time, at which point he’ll join the four corners of his world into one seamless long player. Side Two is currently out there–five songs that bode well for the next side that will soon be a tangible reality. From side two, we’ve added four tracks to the Pure Pop Radio playlist: the upbeat, rock number “Broken Dreamers”; “Land of 1000 Goodbyes,” a sixties pastiche mixing James Bond melodies, classical flourishes, catchy, pure pop choruses and hints of the Beach Boys; “State of the Art,” a modern power pop tune with sixties overtones; and “Teardrop Town,” sporting spooky echoes of the Eagles’ “One of These Nights” and more James Bondian touches. Very cool, very fun, and all playing now, in rotation.
Yorktown Lads | Songs About Girls and Other Disasters This promising trio, led by sparkle*jets u.k. and Popdudes veteran Michael Simmons, makes melodic pop music magic on their debut album, which boasts endearingly catchy songs like the Lovin’ Spoonful-esque “Sick of Me” and the pure poppy, ELO vibe of “When You’re Famous.” Yorktown Lads are all about the hook, and there’s enough hooks here to fill a very large tackle box. We’ve added seven songs to our playlist: “Something to Write About,” “La La,” “Rewind,” “Home,” “Stairway to Heather,” and the above mentioned pair of classics.
Martin Gordon | Include Me Out Martin Gordon has a long history in the music biz, with stops along the way that include membership in Sparks and Radio Stars and production work galore. Still an artist in his own right, his latest album is a marvel. He lands somewhere between Ray Davies and another Martin with the surname Newell. Both pop and rock with captivating melodies run through Gordon’s veins, and ears around the world are all the better for it. We’ve added a half-dozen songs to our playlist: “Gotta Go Green,” “Stanley Green,” “Nobody Went to the Moon,” “Still Not Lovin’,” “Include Me Out,” and “Girls from the Country.”
Steve Dawson | An Introduction to Steve Dawson of Dolly Varden We’ve been playing songs from Dolly Varden on Pure Pop Radio for a while. A wonderful collection of songs from songwriter Steve Dawson, crafted for his solo career and for the band, have been brought together by Noisetrade as a sampler of sorts–one that shows this masterful songwriter and performer’s range. From the standards-worthy, emotional, soulful mid-tempo ballad, “Love is a Blessing,” to the melody-infused, Squeeze-like charmer, “Preaching to the Choir,” Dawson proves himself to be as good as it gets. We’re spinning, in rotation, the two aforementioned songs and five others: “Del Mar, 1976,” “I’m the One I Despise,” “Long Overdue,” “Obsidian,” and “Today She Found the Way to Break My Heart.”
The Campbell Apartment | Sundogs This veteran band’s upcoming EP is a great showcase for some fine melodic pop music. From this collection, we especially enjoyed the delicious and quite catchy “Love of My Life” and the straight-ahead pop of the upbeat “Something in the Way.” We’re spinning both of these songs in rotation on Pure Pop Radio. We think you’ll enjoy them immensely.
Fernando Perdomo | Warm Originally from Miami Beach, Fernando Perdomo is a talented melody man whose first album, Warm, was released in May. At home with both ballady and upbeat pop numbers, Ferando channels Prefab Sprout on the lovely “Girl With a Record Collection,” and tells the story of a couple whose life together is in the moment and perhaps etched in the darkness of a darkroom in “Photographers in Love.” We’re playing these two songs, and four more, in rotation: “Home is Wherever You Are,” “California Moon,” “This Too Shall Pass,” and “On Sunday Morning.”
Dan Markell | “Carried Away” It’s been a long time since we first played music from Dan Markell’s album Big Ideas on the old, weekly Pure Pop Radio show on WEBR–nearly 15 years ago, in fact. We’re quite happy to have a new track from Dan to spin–an upbeat tune with horns and cool acoustic guitar figures with the usual hook that grabs you and doesn’t let go. Welcome back, Dan.
Kenny Herbert | “Caroline” One of our favorite songwriters and performers since the old Herbert and Howat days, Kenny is back with a new, heartfelt ballad that tugs at the heart strings, and in itself is a virtual master class in writing songs for the ages. It’s now playing in rotation on Pure Pop Radio.
Livingstone Daisies | Waiting On the Last Minute One of the sweetest gifts to come from Australia in many a moon, the Livingstone Daisies are back with an eight-song long player packed tight with straight-ahead pop and roll, great melodies and the promise of a long career ahead of them. The epic “Pistol Pete,” which begins with an a cappella choir that will send shivers up your spine, is the centerpiece here, and we’re playing it, along with two other songs, in rotation: “Around Here” and “Risking It All.”
Well, there you have it: Another day, another 10 examples of some of the best melodic pop music out there and now spinning in rotation on Pure Pop Radio, along with more than 5,200 other songs you will cherish and love. Be back here tomorrow for another list of some of the latest adds to our playlist, and keep listening to Pure Pop Radio by clicking on one of the handy listen links below. Thanks!
Listen to my interview with Fernando Perdomo about the 1960s Laurel Canyon sound memorialized in Echo in the Canyon by clicking the play button on the following player, or by clicking on the Pure Pop Radio button to the left to download (then right click and choose “Save audio as” to save the file to your computer).
Where to Get It: 
The Cherry Drops | Good to the Last Drop (2018)
Mothboxer | Open Sky (2018)
Alice Bierhorst | Ready for My Close-Up (2018)
McPherson Grant | McPherson Grant (2018)
The Davenports | Don’t Be Mad at Me (2018)
Caper Clowns | A Salty Taste to the Lake (2018)
Les Bicyclettes de Belsize | The Twelve Days of Christmas (2018)
Fernando Perdomo | Zebra Crossing (2018)
Mick Terry | Days Go By (Kool Kat, 2018)
Astral Drive | Astral Drive (Lojinx, 2018)
Michael Simmons | First Days of Summer (2018)
Linus of Hollywood | Cabin Life (2018)
Dana Countryman | Cabaret of Love (Sterling Swan, 2018)
Carpenter Smith and Jones | Petty (Big Radio, 2018)
The Grand Levé | The Grand Levé (2018)
Louise Goffin | All These Hellos (2018)
The Grip Weeds | Trip Around the Sun (Jem, 2018)
Vegas With Randolph | Legs & Luggage (2018)
By Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio
The latest and greatest pure, melodic pop hits are streaming on Pure Pop Radio, but hurry–you have only until August 25 to bop to the catchiest beats in town!
What’s new and now playing in rotation on Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio? “California Moon,” Fernando Perdomo’s new single, featuring Pat Sansone (Wilco, Autumn Defense), is top of the pops, as are four standout, propulsive tunes from the Turnback’s soon-to-be-released album, Spinning the Earth in Reverse. 
Speaking of spinning, the Jangle Band’s new single, featuring the Byrdsian “The Guy Who Used to Care,” is playing in hot rotation, as are new songs from Azwel’s latest long player, Phantasmagoria, and new releases from Scott Brookman, Yani Martinelli and Friends; Lannie Flowers (another in his growing line of free songs being released prior to Lannie’s new album coming due in the fall); and McPherson Grant, whose debut album features the Klaatu-ish tune “The Marvelous and Mysterious Adventures of Sir Ollie and His Ox,” supported percussively by Klaatu’s Terry Draper.
New songs from Optiganally Yours, Tsar’s Jeff Whalen, George Usher and Lisa Burns, Michael Slawter, Jeffrey Foskett and Jeff Larson, Sean Solo, Miami Dan and the Hayes Street Band, Farrington, Wilkerson, Tony Valentino, and many more of your favorite artists are also being featured in these last 11 days of broadcasting.
Pure Pop Radio plays the greatest melodic pop music from across the decades, 24 hours a day (until August 25). Listen by clicking on the Live365 Listen Now button at left. Hear us once and you’ll be a listener for life. Join us, won’t you? You’ll be glad you did!
Fernando Perdomo | The Golden Hour (2017)
Various Artists | This is Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio Volume 4 (Kool Kat Musik, 2017)
Sitcom Neighbor | Shag (2017)
Listen to the Pop Tunes Deejay Show on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8 pm ET (two different shows every week); In Conversation airs every Wednesday night at 9 pm ET. Don’t miss a minute!
Spins and Reviews | 7.21.16 | by Alan Haber
Brain Circus | Brain Circus Smashing collection of impossible-to-resist songs performed in grand style by ace songwriter and keyboard wizard Brian Curtis, late of the much-loved band the Oohs. Thirteen numbers in all, Brain Circus, performed entirely by Curtis, provides ample proof, as if any was needed, that this transplanted Virginian’s ability to craft striking, kenspeckle melodies working in concert with clever chord structures and vocal invention puts him at the top of his game. The gorgeous harmony vocals at the heart of the jangly “If You Only Knew” and the creatively-arranged mid-tempo ballad “Smile is a Thin Disguise” are but two examples of how good this album is, but the majestic, heartfelt love song “Finally Found the One” is the pearl here, a musical sculpture formed with smiles and tears and a whole lot of heart. You’ll detect essence of Beach Boys, Jellyfish and Queen, among other classic touchstones, but this is all Curtis and don’t you forget it.
Now playing in rotation on Pure Pop Radio: “Forget All About It,” “I Don’t Want to Know,” “If You Only Knew,” “Keep My Hands to Yourself,” “Letter Bomb,” “No Secret,” “Smile is a Thing Disguise,” “The Man Who Saw Tomorrow,” and “Try to Ignore Me.”
Fernando Perdomo | Voyeurs Los Angeles-based producer to the stars Perdomo stitches together a mix of songs sung and instrumentals played for a singularly immersive listening experience. Seventies-styled, catchy nugget “Stay With the Friends” invites clapping to the beat; the beautiful ballad “The One You Run To” wraps its loving arms around you. Instros “Sunday Afternoon” and “Waltz for Doug” are gorgeous and impeccably performed highlights. Much to admire and hug.
Chris Bolger | No Promises Recorded in New Jersey and seasoned with top flight performances from an array of special guest stars such as the Smithereens’ super drummer Dennis Diken, Graham Maby (Joe Jackson) and James Mastro (The Bongos), No Promises is a pop fan’s delight–13 catchy, melodic works like the upbeat “Easier,” kicking off with just a hint of the Kinks’ “Picture Book,” and the pop-rock workout “Geraldine.” The saxified rocker “Barbara Feldon,” a tribute to the actress who played Agent 99 on the classic television show Get Smart, is a joyous foot-stomping treat. Produced by Bolger, engineer/mixer Kostadin Kamcev and Diken. Terrific.
Alice Bierhorst | Now Entering Liberty Heights, The Vigil, All Shall Be Revealed, Oxygen New York City native and Pure Pop Radio favorite Bierhorst’s catalog is rich with releases highlighting her vibrant songs that paint lovely soundscapes. Now added to the playlist are songs from four more of the immensely-talented singer-songwriter’s 15 albums (her latest release, The Beacon, has been part of our playlist since this past March).
Look Park | “Aeroplane” Chris Collingwood’s new group project, which takes its name from the Frank Newhall Look Memorial Park, an actual municipal park in Northampton, Massachusetts, kicked off with this pre-album-release song, a breezy, Fountains of Wayne type of breezy construct. As catchy as any of Collingwood’s Fountains of Wayne songs, it bodes well for the full release, available tomorrow, July 22.
Only 11 days to go until the release of Emitt Rhodes’ first album in 43 years: Rainbow Ends joins the pop craftsman’s peerless catalog on February 26, courtesy of Omnivore Records, in both CD and vinyl formats.
Pure Pop Radio is your home for this exciting salute to Emitt Rhodes, leading up to the long-awaited release of Rainbow Ends on February 26. To celebrate, in addition to airing Alan’s extended interview with producer Chris Price tomorrow night, February 16, we’ve added to our playlist the lion’s share of tracks from all of Emitt’s albums, including Rainbow Ends. We’ve also added the bulk of tracks appearing on the Merry-Go-Round’s Listen, Listen: The Definitive Collection. All of these tracks, and more, are now playing in rotation on our air.
