UKC

I get huge joy from discovering and plucking great new power pop music from the sea of tripe that is out there.  Most of these people are not well known at all, and that probably adds to my enjoyment.  First up, The Lemon Twigs.  I found them three years ago.  If you like The Beach Boys, The Beatles and any melodic pop like ELO etc.  

youtube.com/watch?v=dSCcFOlTDPI&

Next is Ward White.  A new album out last year and it's a cracker

youtube.com/watch?v=Dgy3rTbap1M&

I've been a Mike Viola fan for many years, and this album out last year is spot on

youtube.com/watch?v=-gXGynLAOVc&

Another fairly obscure musician is Anne Soldaat

youtube.com/watch?v=YFfxs1EQSF8&

Lane Steinberg is just an amazing songwriter and musician.  I liken his output to that of R Stevie Moore (who incidentally he's written and recorded with).  

youtube.com/watch?v=se_457IXoaQ&

There is amazing music being made all the time, you just have to find it as none of this gets played on anything commercial, well, not in the UK.  

Some excellent finds there. Thank you very much!

Just to add some names which you might (?) have missed over the past few years, have a listen to 'John Holk & The Sequins', and 'The Smith Bros.'

Re that first clip: KEXP put out some fantastically-well produced live sessions. They really know what they are doing.

I mainly listen to country, and your comment rings true in spades. You can forget about commercial radio - both here, and in the States.

Lemon Twigs were getting a decent amount of play on 6Music around ten years ago. I don’t know if their airtime reduced 

Yes, superb production there and four superb musicians.  

Thanks for the suggestions.  Can you link to a Smith Bros tune please?  Found John Holk and will listen again tomorrow.

Blue Straggler, yes The Lemon Twigs don't quite fit in with my 'obscure band' definition, in that they're quite well known and have a large following.

My wife and I went to a Mike Viola gig in Glasgow a couple of years ago, and there were probably twelve people there, but we were all mega fans so it was our own personal gig.  Plus we got to have beers and chat afterwards which was magic.

'The Smith Bros.' have two albums - 'Lost', and 'Restless' - which you can find on Spotify.

John Holk's stuff is on Bandcamp (but it sounds like you've already found it.)

Happy listening!

Some good stuff there, but not sure I'd describe all of it as power pop. There's two excellent unsigned bands I'm currently enjoying. Three guys from Aberdeen, based in Glasgow, Everyday Pharoahs. And another brilliant trio, The Joshua Hotel, from Inverness. Neither have physical product to buy, but both are on bandcamp.

I know, I say power pop, but it's a term that encompasses all sorts, including more psychedelic rock/pop.  Thanks for the tip.  I'll check them out!!

I liked the cartoon for the last one, Lane.

Do you listen to such music when creating, or do you have days where you have absolute silence?

Rob

Based on the above, The Beths might float your boat. 'Expert in a Dying Field' is 4 minutes of jangly pop goodness and catchy as rabies.

Thanks for the The Beths suggestion.  

Hi Rob!  I listen to music all the time and that includes when I'm painting.  Music is the biggest passion in my life.  I grew up on ELO, The Beatles, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Gerry Rafferty etc (thanks to my parents), then discovered my own obsessions with Jellyfish, Dodgy, Ben Folds Five and Supergrass and all sorts.  Also during the '90s after I'd been playing classical guitar for a while, I discovered jazz - Django Reinhardt, Pat Metheny.  I haven't given up on the idea of writing and recording an amazing pop album!  

Ben Sinclair (bass) has a tour blog called Breakfast and Travel Updates (https://www.breakfastandtravelupdates.com/).  It's a an interesting insight into life on the road.

Niiice!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MsQYzpOHpik&pp=ygUJamF6eiBjbHVi

This is just out, and worth a listen: https://richarddaviesthedissidents.bandcamp.com/album/high-times-misdemeano...

Thanks.  It's not quite doing it for me, but keep the suggestions coming!!

Here's a slightly obscure British band that have made some brilliant pop.  Jackdaw 4.  The front man is Willie Dowling, and he's also had a band called The Dowling Poole.  

youtube.com/watch?v=24CAUB54r8E&

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scqp7xL2a4o&list=OLAK5uy_kcde0A5wqotWBk...

As you'll hear from all my examples, I'm interested in rich layered vocals and instruments, coupled with interesting and pleasing chord sequences and clever solos.  I'm a huge fan of The Beach Boys, ELO, Supertramp and early Elton John.  In the 1980s, it was not a style that was at all popular with only really XTC and a couple of other bands making melodic psych pop rock.  Then in the 1990s, lots of great music was made - Jellyfish, Dodgy, Supergrass, Kula Shaker... the list goes on, and it's now stronger than ever.  Why these musicians aren't better known I don't know.

Perhaps it's the way music is produced and marketed these days? I don't know if my thoughts are just the inevitable prejudices of an old man living in the past but this piece by Rick Beato seems to make sense to me about why there are so few bands around today compared to decades ago (they cost too much)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h_DjmtR0Xls&pp=ygUKcmljayBiZWF0bw%3D%3D

I don't think you should confuse what's happening on 'the charts' and on commercial radio, with what's actually happening. As Jamie has said above, there is a lot of great music being made, and a lot of great bands making it. (*) But commercial interests plug what sells - and, for them, the cheaper it is to make, the better.

As mentioned above, I mainly listen to country. This is a great time for good, real country - but you wouldn't know that if you only listened to the Bro-country crap peddled by commercial interests. Here's an amusing rant on the same subject: https://savingcountrymusic.com/this-graham-barham-guy-a-rant/

(* Or, to directly quote the great Webb Wilder: "Real music is out there - and real people are makin' it.")

A particulalry appropriate Lane Steinberg song youtube.com/watch?v=Knm5tUarPFo&

Yes, that whole album of his from 2023 - Headspace - is excellent.  I'm actually obsessed with Lane Steinberg.  He has a lot of recordings and other bands and side projects.  Here's The Gershwin Brothers' Sugar Free from their album God Is A Bully.  Great song -  youtube.com/watch?v=itPyX1qNTIE&

The thing is, that's the charts.  I have had minimal interest in the charts from the word go, and was always frustrated as a child that there were so few bands that I liked that would get into the top 40.  Jellyfish got to 39 for one week in about 1993.  Luckily they made onto Jools Holland's show and totally blew me away, though I had been aware of their first album thanks to my older sister's fantastic taste in music.  The 1990s were great for me as there were quite a few proper bands that got high in the charts that I actually loved - Dodgy, Supergrass, Kula Shaker, Ben Folds Five.

Now, there is amazing music being made, but you have to search for it.  When you find someone though, it's the BEST thing in the world.  My latest love is Ward White.  Just listen to this -

 https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/thread/obscure_current_power_pop_music-77...

Guitar and organ at its best

Ignore that link above, doh!  Here it is:  youtube.com/watch?v=HyKzBcgEKnQ&

I just listened to Everyday Pharoahs and really like them. I can't find The Joshua Hotel on bandcamp though. Is my search just cranky?

Willie Dowling, formerly of Honeycrack! They were great.

I'm a big McLusky fan, looking forward to the new album this summer.

I'm certainly  going to have a listen to him

Yes, that's Willie Dowling.  

Had a listen to McLusky.  Can't quite warm to them, but will listen to a few more later.

Another great melodic pop band were Wondermints.   youtube.com/watch?v=Br6cfdhU4Gk&

On a post rock slant I came across this lot by chance and like them; Idiogram (not to be confused with Ideogram who are rather ersatz screamo types) https://youtu.be/ZJGPEYchpsc?si=ygWVKFBAZ_hPOqV7.

Also I like the sound of this lot ; Slung https://youtu.be/i-kI1NCLeSo?si=8iktEIzLUWS1g-PL

Excellent. I think they deserve more attention.

I can't find The Joshua Hotel on bandcamp though.

Not sure, I saw them live in Inverness recently and loved them. I was chatting to Joshua's dad in the crowd and I was sure he said they were on Bandcamp. I also listened to them online later, somewhere. Mind you, there was an element of inebriation in all this! I'll look again. 

A few links.

https://thejoshuahotel.bandcamp.com/

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCZw46Q16IgnpuPlYiS3vdCw

https://www.facebook.com/thejoshuahotel/

I'm adding Paul Steel to this thread - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J8wMYqm0_M&list=PLTmMZC4twxwMBFDTYPMeS...

He recorded his debut album 'April and I' when he was a teenager living in Brighton and it's done in his bedroom.  Absolutely incredible (when I think about the bs I was playing/recording at that age).  

He's gone on to make the album Carousel Kites which I will mention took me about six months to finally get into!  There's a lot going on, but it rewards many many listens.  He now seems to produce a lot of other musicians, but I'd love to hear some new solo stuff some time.  

Ward White has just released the 10th anniversary of his debut on cd.  A big album of all sorts!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UvYRopPtDk&list=PLjcpcCmJpL8aP5gvUaN90...

The Beths are awesome. All three albums are absolute gems. 

Similar and (in my opinion) just as good are Hop Along (Bark Your Head Off, Dog) and Ratboys (The Window). Lots of great music out there!