In the Mirror · The Saints

[1980]

Old punks don't die they just go sorta loose scuzzy sunburnt indie garage power-pop in an oz-rawk style or something. I mean this is like a blueprint for 80s indie oz rock with great pop sensibilities of The Hoodoo Gurus variety innit.

This recording could have only come from Australia. The Australia I grew up in. Where did it go? Chrunchas, Tarax, Healeys, Virgona's chocolate rockets, the VFL, underarms, European immigrants, smoking, Abbotts Lager... 

Quite possibly my favourite Saints tune. All sorts of hooks everywhere. Timeless.

Shoulda been number one here for three weeks at least.

Number one in our hearts baby!

White Heat - Nervous Breakdown

[1979]

The return of the power pop party that never stops

Could this song be any more 1979.

It was a perfect pop year. New-wave power-pop was the thing. And this was one of the best UK tunes in the game. 

White Heat killed it with this exhilarating burst of power-pop energy. A real jumpy around buzz*. Young, fresh and making a nervous breakdown sound like a whole lotta fun.

*Some dude in the comments said that and it was perfect so thanks Potato People!

The Skeletons - Trans Am

[1987]

Good time pop-rock'n'roll.

In the category of "I dunno I just fucking like it" In fact isn't that the best category at this point.

This should just be on the radio all the time. Hey radio play just one less You're The Voice a day and replace it with this and we'll all be much happier.

I saw a dude a coupla weeks ago driving a Trans Am in the sticks here in Sunraysia and I thought "damn he's living the dream"

Ride around while we still can

in that damn Trans Am

Gotta a love the spelling out of T-R-A-N-S-A-M in a cheerleading chant towards the end.

Play it again Sam in your goddamn Trans Am.

Tina Charles - Disco Fever

[1976]

The British MOR queen kills it on this funky disco number produced by Biddu. Check out that occasional synth bass baby. So much funky goodness.

Get your dancing shoes and/or roller skates on. 

Everybody got disco fever!

The Stud - Biddu Orchestra

[1978]

I can never go past a disco track with extravagant sumptuous strings

Classic bit of funky disco obviously inspired by Isaac Hayes' Shaft.

Can you dig it?

James Ferraro - Rerex - Untitled (Last Song)

[2009]

And now for something completely different.

Aquatic/tropical ambient gone wrong. Hazy and hypnotic. The ethereal surreal vibe insidiously gets threateningly cataclysmic.  

From the lo-fi ambient/psych-drone end of hypnagogia comes this slice of atmospheric weirdness. I still can't quite figure out why Ferraro was so compelling in his peak era 2006-2010. But he was endlessly fascinating despite the insane amount of recordings and epic track lengths. Mysterious.

[Baby] It's You · The Boys

[1979]

The power pop party that never stops! Bringing you more non hits and non memories from long lost nobodies from nowhere.

Todays region for our unknown legends of power-pop is Lincoln Nebraska. 

[Baby] It's You really doesn't have new wave-ification so it's not your typical power-pop sound for 1979. Just the classic crunchy variety of crunchy classic with stacked harmonies. Sweet 70s guitar pop with hooks galore. 

The best.

Sunset Strip · The Riptides

[1978]

The power pop party continues... this time with some mighty Aussie action from The Go-Betweens label The Able Label

 

Sometimes I think this is the greatest seven inch single to ever come out of Straya. 

An irresistible blazing romp, Sunset Strip is surf influenced new-wave power-pop performed with so much youthful enthusiasm and urgent melodiousness you can't help being delighted. 

Look out euphoric claps galore!

They were from Brisbane but singing about LA's Sunset Strip or a tv show or something yet still he's singing about a girl in there somewhere... it's catchy as hell with a gloriously sunny summer sound. 

Some bands just don't make the big time... who cares I suppose because we will always have this bit of magic where The Riptides captured the pure power-pop lightning in a bottle. 

Rewind now and forever baby.

The Know - I Like Girls

[1980]

The power-pop party carries on and we're just getting started.

Speaking of Blondie this is Gary Valentine who was once the bass player in Blondie. He wrote X Offender and I'm Always Touched By Your Presence Dear. After he was booted from the band he formed The Know with the drummer from 20/20 and the old bass player from The Motels. They were highly touted but only managed just the one seven inch single and this is it.

Our Gazza sounds like Tom Verlaine's horny younger brother here in this frazzled frenzy of punky power pop.

Power Pop is almost always about male lust and liking girls and guess what I Like Girls is about.

Liking all kinds of girls.

I think one of the line's in this song is:

 

I like girls and without exception they like me

 

Which is abso-fucking-lutely legendary.

Here's a further sample of some of the hard to catch poetry:

Some guys like to wear them skinny ties and look in the mirror

And other guys like to think otherwise they make believe 

And there's only one thing that I like and it's the best thing in the world

You know what I like? 

I like girls 

I like girls who go to movies 

I like girls who watch TV 

I like girls because they're groovy 

Don't you agree?

One of the great coulda-been bands of the era.

The Nerves - When You Find Out

[1976]

The power pop party rages on.

Catchy bit of garage-y Beatlemania... a brisk bit of power pop action, ultra melodic with dazzling close harmonies and a hell of a beat... undeniably pretty bloody good.  

Hangin On The Telephone - The Nerves [1976]

Sorry but it's just impossible to go past quite possibly the most addictive two minutes of guitar pop that fucking rocks ever put to wax. The anguish and desperation of teenage lust is captured here with immense palpability.

Frantic.

Nerves singer/Guitarist Jack Lee wrote the greatest power-pop song of all time, a coupla years later Blondie brilliantly covered it. However The Nerves devastatingly delicious version of this tale of romantic teen turmoil is at least 75% better.

Power pop perfection forever baby.