FINDINGS IN THE DESPERATE HUNT FOR POP

Folks, I took the last month off from blogging in this spot & filled that time talking trash on my other two blogs (links on the right), while also engaging in a deep dive into modern pop music in search of treasure. Let me tell you, you've got to wade through a lot of thick kelp to find the glittering prizes, but I think I've got a few ringers for you here that'll set your toes to tappin'. First up is a solo act from Glasglow, Scotland called BUBBLEGUM LEMONADE. Lest you think they're/he's totally telegraphing the sound with that moniker - um - aww, who am I kidding, that's exactly what it sounds like. Big beat, fuzzed-out, hook-heavy pop at the intersection of the Mary Chain, the Velvet Underground and the Shop Assistants. I think this particular track was worth taking the month off for, what do you think? They have a new EP out now, their second, and we'll let you know what we think once we get around to buying one.

So this guy Laz from Bubblegum Lemonade, turns out he's something of a renaissance man. He went and started up another band with himself, and this time added a young lady to help out with vocals, and poof: STRAWBERRY WHIPLASH. Turns out they've got an excellent EP called "Who's In Your Dreams", and that happens to the track I'm posting for you today. A little less aggro than the other "band", a bit more sweetness and light, and with whomping hooks and 60s tambourines/percussion that rattle in the head for hours. Finally, there's this track from Omaha, Nebraska's TILLY AND THE WALL. Now, I know that what little you know about these folks probably centers on the tap dancer and the attractive young twentyomethings in the band and stops there. Well, if you ask us here at Detailed Twang, their new CD "O" is the goldmine pop record of 2008. It's about the most commercial thing I've allowed myself to like since The Breeders, I'm thinking, and I'm also thinking that I'm done with thinking in those terms. You know what I mean? Good is good. I think you'll see what I mean when ya click on the link below.

Play or Download BUBBLEGUM LEMONADE - "Unsafe at Any Speed" (from "Ten Years Younger" EP)
Play or Download STRAWBERRY LEMONADE - "Who's In Your Dreams?" (from "Who's In Your Dreams?" EP)
Play or Download TILLY AND THE WALL - "Jumbler" (from "O" CD)