The Pure Pop 4 Now People Singles Club 2023 #1

 By Henry Lipput

Because no one asked for it I’ve decided to bring back the Pure Pop 4 Now People Singles Club. I did a few posts in this vein back in 2021 when a lot of things were shut down including, it seemed, my brain. Although I was still listening to and enjoying music, I was having a difficult time thinking of words to express how I felt about it. Things have changed in so many ways and, as Stan Laurel once said to Oliver Hardy: “Remember how dumb I used to be? Well, I’m better now.”

To begin the new year of Pure Pop 4 Now People I’m highlighting four singles I’ve been digging that have been released since January.  This may be a monthly or semi-monthly thing going forward as I already have more singles I want you to know about.

Tugboat Captain, “Flash of Light” (Bandcamp)

Is Tugboat Captain doing it backwards? Their new single “Flash of Light” starts with the sound of a train crossing like the end of Pet Sounds or the musical freight train at the close of “Strawberry Fields Forever.” The song then morphs into the trademark blend of Alexander Sokolow's vocals, Buddy Caderni's’s keyboards, the TC team’s backing vocals. It’s an interesting change from how they've built songs like the great “If Tomorrow’s Like Today” from 2020’s Rut but just as important in the band's evolution.

Joe Peacock, “On Fire Again” (linktree)

The new single from Joe Peacock, the self-described genre-hopping storyteller, is the rocking, punk-guitar driven “On Fire Again. ”  The song was inspired by the man who, at seven, holds the record for being struck by lightning the most times (it’s clear from the lyric “I didn’t want to be a lightning rod” this guy had no wish to win any awards). At first I thought it might be the perfect driving song but having watched the video it’s not a trip I would want to be taking in a car any time soon. 

The Nature Strip, “I Cannot Deny You” (Bandcamp)

Back from their hiatus since 2018’s Past Pacific EP, Australia’s The Nature Strip has reunited and, as they announced on their Bandcamp page, “working towards a new album.” The third single since then is “I Cannot Deny You.” The song began when Pete Marley handed off his killer riff and chord sequence to co-writer John Encarnacao who wrote the lyrics and melody and sent it back to Marley the next day. The Nature Strip has lost none of its rock bona fides and, based on the three songs released so far, the new album will be a rocknroll bonanza.

Confusion Boats, “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” (Bandcamp)

Brian Dear of Confusion Boats has been coming up with Beatles and Beatles-related covers for a long time and the latest and the fourth one to be released “I Want to Hold Your Hand” is the best. With the slowed down and soulful vocal of Andrew Lubman, Dear and fellow Boater Fernando Perdomo lay down the original arrangement for Abbey Road’s “Oh! Darling” on top. It’s just such a brilliant move that I’m sure no one saw it coming (I certainly didn't and have been playing it for people since it came out) and the result is amazing.

Tugboat Captain’s album is not a Rut you’ll want to get out of any time soon

 By Henry Lipput

Although the songs on Tugboat Captain’s brilliant album Rut (vinyl: Double A-Side Records/digital: Bandcamp) were written before the pandemic, the themes of many of the songs (even the titles themselves), like “If Tomorrow’s Like Today,” “Day To Day,” and, especially, the single “No Plans (For This Year),” fit together to make up something of a concept album about what we‘re going through right now.  But, let me be clear, it’s anything but a downer; it’s a joyful listen full of great tunes and arrangements .

How strict are the rules for what makes a concept album? Like John Lennon once said about Sgt. Pepper: “It’s a concept album because we said it was.” And even though I'm no John Lennon (obviously) I’m saying Rut is a concept album. 

Rut was  recorded at the Abbey Road Institute (located in and associated with Abbey Road Studios) where producer David Dargahi was trained and, as a result, he obviously knows how to make a record come alive. Dargahi and the band, a four-piece from London along with some of their musician friends, have created a Technicolor song cycle that thrills in its inventiveness and the use of sounds and dynamics.

A perfect example is the amazing “If Tomorrow‘s Like Today.” It begins with a bouncy “Penny Lane”-like piano riff, breaks for an absolutely sublime piano interlude, and stops for a loud and crunchy guitar solo.  The result is its very own Abbey Road musical medley.

“No Plans (For This Year)” is an invitation to romance but things being what they are it’s also a sign of our times when hooking up is a bad idea and everybody else is locking down.  Although more RAM than Pepper, the song follows a similar template to “If Tomorrow’s Like Today” (especially the piano riff) but adds  a prominent horn section as well as a wonderful sting arrangement. “Everything About You” will remind you of chatting up someone at a club before, during, or after a band’s set and with any luck we’ll be doing that again some time soon.

“Day To Day” is another song that has down-at-the-heels lyrics but is just a delight to listen to. It opens with a burst of horns as it sums up the life of a musician who may be skint because of his inability to tour (or it may just be the usual musicians lot): “Now I’m in the supermarket/buying food that’s clearly passed it” and there’s also this bit of information “Each day’s a success/If I can pay for my own smokes.”

“Check Ur Health,” opens the album with a sideshow vibe and a first-person lyric. It’s something we all seem to be doing on a regular basis. Is that a headache? Are those body aches? Check ur health.  The song works in the same way as  the title songs from Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour (a more recent example is “Trip & Ellie’s Music Factory” from this year’s excellent release from Lisa Mychols and SUPER 8).  For some reason I can’t really explain, “Check Ur Health” makes me think of “All Of My Friends Were There” from The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society.

Next time: It runs in the family