In 2018, my last encounter with Noah Green took place just after The Pretty Flowers‘ release of ‘Why Trains Crash’. Back then, the album garnered considerable acclaim from both critics and devoted Power Pop enthusiasts. However, their latest offering, ‘A Company Sleeve’, featuring twelve incredibly robust compositions, manages to surpass even that infectious appeal.

Drawing comparisons to Tommy Keene’s finest works, I recently found myself making a similar analogy when listening to Tom Curless & the 46%’s new album. That parallel remains just as true here.

However, The Pretty Flowers are more often compared to Guided by Voices, which recently released ‘Welshpool Frillies’, a very good, powerful, melodic, catchy and accessible album. Yet, I dare say that ‘A Company Sleeve’ outshines it in every aspect, making it an exceptional and superior release.

It was a true pleasure to speak with Noah Green again after five years.

When did you decide to start asking for opinions on the new songs?

If you mean opinions from people outside the band, that usually happens when I make a rough 4-track demo and send it to a few close friends, at the same time we’ll be working the song out as a band. Or when we have a good mix of a song from a studio recording that (guitarist/engineer) Jake has provided the band with, I’ll share that with those same friends. I’m always willing to share new stuff that’s not a finished product. 

What’s the gig you will always remember? And why?

On our last tour we played at Black Water Bar in Portland and we ended with a Wipers cover. Toody from Dead Moon was at the show and she came up as soon as we finished to say how much she liked the show and excitedly spilled beer on some stuff. I love Dead Moon, so that was a memorable one. I know she goes to a lot of shows in Portland and was really there to see The Roxies, but I got the feeling she legit liked us. 

How do you balance experimentation with commercial appeal in your music?

I don’t really think about that very much. I consciously try not to pigeonhole our band’s music or try to write songs in the style of ___, and I think that allows us to feel free enough to let the songs be whatever they are and go in whatever direction they go. I don’t feel like the band’s sound is so defined that we can’t play around in different genres. We’re a tiny band and I don’t think people have any expectations of us, so there’s not a lot of pressure to sound a certain way. If commercial success found its way to us, that would be fine/unrealistic, but we’re not looking for it or doing anything with our music that’s not truthful to who we are.  

When was the last time you thought ‘I just wrote a hit!’?

I mean, in a joking way I say that after almost all the songs we write. I like to think our songs are something like other-dimensional hits. Most of the songs I love sound like hits, and should have been, but they weren’t, or weren’t as big as they should have been. It’s also hard to have perspective from the US with the size of a hit from the 80s or 90s in the UK. But Billy Bragg songs, Julian Cope songs, Kirsty MacColl songs, Robyn Hitchcock songs…so many hits.

Cassettes are back. Which five songs would make your first mixtape?

Dear Deadly – Creeper Lagoon

Philip – Life Without Buildings

Another Bubble – Robyn Hitchcock

The Fire – The Sound

Pissin’ in a River – Patti Smith

Suppose you were to introduce your music to new listeners through three songs. Which songs would those be and why?

“See How You’re Living” (from Why Trains Crash): I chose this because it’s a rock song that’s a good representation of the band sounding big. We recorded at a different studio than the rest of the songs on Why Trains Crash so it has kind of a different sound to it. It was sequenced at the end of that album, too, and I think with most people’s streaming habits it might have gotten a little lost and underheard, so I’d put in a good word for this song with new listeners.

“Hit Nothing” (from A Company Sleeve) – This is a good example of where The Pretty Flowers is at now and, perhaps, of what our sound is. I think “Hit Nothing” fits comfortably into something like a Pretty Flowers pocket. 

“Wildflowers” (from A Company Sleeve) – This is probably my favorite song on A Company Sleeve. I’m just proud of the kind of journey this song takes from beginning to end and I’d want someone to hear that one. It’s maybe another one that fits into a Pretty Flowers pocket, but it also has a different feel from “Hit Nothing”.

If you could tour the world with two other bands, who would you ask, and why?

We did a west coast US tour earlier this year with The Roxies from Berlin, Germany and I know I speak for the whole band when I say it was one of the best times of our lives. I’d definitely want to tour the world with them. They’re amazing folks. We really want to get to Germany and tour with them on their turf.

If I’m dreaming, I’ll ask if our bands can open and tour with Alvvays. They are such a great sounding live band. I’ve seen them live maybe 5 times and they’re just total stunners. All three of their albums are incredible and they just get better and more interesting with every new one. So an Alvvays / The Pretty Flowers / The Roxies world tour is the dream for 2024.  

What’s up for the next couple of months?

We only had the energy and foresight to book the west coast tour we did with The Roxies in March of this year, which we began booking in August or September of 2022, so we weren’t able to schedule the same kind of tour around the record release. The pressing plant told us our record was going to take 7 months to get pressed, and then it wound up only taking 4 months and we had to move up the release date, which was a good thing, but it made it harder to try and book a run of shows. We played a really amazing record release show in LA at Permanent Records Roadhouse with our friends Sweet Nobody and Easy Dreams. It was a total blast. We’re booking shows here and there now, but no touring is planned right now. We are planning to record some new songs at a house in Laguna Beach in September. That should be fun and a different way of recording for us.

Rob Good and Paul Wiseman had penned a sufficient number of songs to create a complete album. However, just as they were preparing to embark on the recording process, Good surprised everyone by introducing “Hear Me,” an exceptionally energetic Power Pop anthem that raised the creative bar. Encouraged by this newfound inspiration, they proceeded to write three more songs in a similar catchy and hook-laden style. Eventually, they decided to release (an) E.P., which turned out to be a resounding success, showcasing an irresistibly infectious and impressive collection of tracks.

Rob Good happily recounts this tale.

How did this record come together?

The band started out as a quarantine project after I reconnected with Paul. We were both starved for both social and musical interaction and hit it off immediately. When it came time to record, we decided to use our recording budget to outfit our own studio and record ourselves, which allowed us to take our time and really dial in the performances and arrangements.

What was the moment you knew you were on to something?

We wrote a full length record’s worth of songs over the course of about a year, but by the time it came to record them we were sick of them and felt we could do better. I brought the song “Hear Me” to Paul one night at the studio and a lightbulb went on. After that, the rest of the songs came together really quickly.

The meaning of success has changed over the years. What would success look like for the new record?

When we started the band we never intended for it to be anything but a fun, creative outlet. We thought we might record some songs and show them to our friends and that would be about it. The fact that the record even exists at all and that people we don’t know seem to like it is more success than we ever anticipated. Everything that happens from here on out is success!

As an artist, you choose to show your emotions to the world. Is it always comfortable to do so?

Not always – to show someone else something you wrote requires that you go to a vulnerable place, but the less you worry about that and the more you trust yourself, the more creative you’ll allow yourself to be. Hopefully people will like it and connect with it, but whether or not you like it is the most important thing. I’ve gone through periods of intense writer’s block when I let myself worry too much about what a theoretical audience might think. I think I’m mostly over that now.

Lyrics are too often taken for granted. What is the line of text or are the lines of text that you hope listeners will remember? And why?

I love lyrics and they’re a big part of what makes me fall in love with a song, but I never know what lyrics of mine people will connect with or if they will mean anything to anyone but me. I like the line about “lonely karaoke nights” from “David Jones Is Dead” – I just think it paints a nice picture.

Those magical moments when you’re working in the studio. Which moment was the most magical?

This is our first record, so we were really figuring things out as we went along and there were lots of magical, spontaneous moments. Bobby from Dandy Boy Records co-produced the record with us and has a great ear for performance and vibe. In particular, he helped out a lot with the lead vocals, which I needed because it’s been a while since I fronted a band. I remember having trouble finding the right approach for “I’m Not the Only One,” and Bobby sat me down and broke down lyrics for me, like “here’s what you’re singing about!” I had hardly realized what I was singing about even though I wrote the words. After that pep talk we got the performance that’s on the record in a single take.

The record is done, the music is out. Is the best fun done now or is it just beginning?

It’s all fun! We’ll be playing a lot of shows and working on the next record. We have enough songs written for a full length, just gotta get back in the studio and start recording!

Tom Curless has been on a remarkable musical journey, captivating listeners with his recent releases as a solo artist, with The 46%, and alongside Crossword Smiles. As an avid follower of the Sweet Sweet Music blog, it’s no secret that I am a devoted fan of his work. Each new composition brings forth an exhilarating blend of strength, power, and raw emotion, delivered with unwavering confidence and conviction.

In light of these qualities, I often find myself drawing comparisons between Curless’ music and that of the legendary Bob Mould. However, his latest offering, “Speaking in Code,” exudes a heightened level of refinement that aligns perfectly with his artistic evolution. If you were to ask me about the sound of this latest record, my response would be akin to “a superb creation reminiscent of the remarkable Tommy Keene.”

Such an endorsement holds great weight within the realm of music I inhabit. If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of experiencing “Speaking in Code,” I urge you to do so without delay.

In this interview, Curless elaborates on the genesis of his new music, shedding light on its creative origins and inspirations.

“Sorry For You” has a very nice chorus. I can imagine that it has been tinkered with endlessly or did you know exactly what you wanted when you wrote the song?

“Sorry for You” definitely evolved from the demo to the final product. I had the basic structure and rehearsed it with the band. We tried a different rhythm, but it didn’t work. I definitely had that relentless train chugging beat in my head for that song.

When it came to the outro I was thinking it could just gradually ride into the sunset…with lots of overlapping guitars and reverbed vocals, it turned out really nice! I also borrowed a Rickenbaker from Greg from the Hangabouts to give it that chiming guitar thing, which worked so well on that song!!

You have released so much good music in recent years, is songwriting easy for you?

Thank you, I appreciate that. I wouldn’t say that songwriting for me is easy, maybe it has gotten a little easier because I have been working at it for so long. I am always striving to write a GREAT song, and I love that challenge. I do tend to fall into certain patterns and I worry I am repeating myself a bit. This happens after years of writing. It is important to stretch yourself and not fall into one bag.

David Bowie once said “as an artist you should always feel slightly out of your depth, like your feet can’t quite touch the bottom and then you know you are on the right path”. I feel like my next musical thing might venture a little further out from my usual thing.

What is the nicest compliment you have received about ‘Speaking in Code’?

The nicest compliment I got on “Speaking in Code” was that it had some classic “Curless” vibes but it also took a few interesting left turns like the weird “Marquee Moon” guitars on the outro of “Silver Shine”. I was also told that “Sorry for You” had chordal sophistication, which I really appreciated. “Man those aren’t the usual chords!!” Ha ..I am thrilled that several people have picked different songs as their favorite!! It’s not just one song that sticks out, they are all unique, that makes me proud. Mission accomplished.

I think ‘Don’t Shoot the Messenger’ is very special. The tempo, the guitar (solo), the sound, the lyrics, the summer breeze production, the great mix… . I can imagine it was a special moment when you first heard it when it was finished?

“Don’t Shoot the Messenger” is the only piano based song on the record. That had been sitting around for a while and developed slowly. Roger Manning Jr. from Jellyfish/Imperial Drag is playing keyboards, synths and backing vocals on that track and he really pushed it to another level. He is such a great guy and so talented, it was a blast working with him. I added that George Harrison inspired guitar solo and then I felt excited about the track. As you say, once I got that final mix together I felt very proud of it!

During the making of a new record there are always those moments that have been decisive for the end result. What is the moment associated with this record, the moment you would like to remember?

There were a couple moments in the studio that felt special. I am lucky because my band is awesome. Chip Saam and Ron Vensko are a tremendous rhythm section and they have just gotten tighter and more accomplished since we have been playing together over the last 5 years or so. We added Lenny Grassa (who also plays with Popular Creeps) on guitar about midway through the record who jumped in with both feet and contributed a ton in a short time. When he ripped into his solo on “Move Aside” we all looked at each other and smiled as we were laying down the live track as a band…that was a great moment!

Most of the songs on the record are a full band laying down the basic tracks and you can feel that on this one, I really love that vibe! I know a lot of artists now map the drum track to make it perfect and use Melodyne to get the vocals absolutely perfect but I am not into that. If it hurts my sales these days so be it.

To me, there is nothing like a live band playing in a room, with slight mistakes and all… that’s what it’s all about. That is four humans playing real music, not computer generated perfection.

Cameronoise, the band led by Tim Cameron, delivers a captivating blend of instrumental Power Pop. Their music is not only incredibly infectious but also infused with a delightful sense of humor. It might make you ponder whether instrumental music can be funny, but trust me, it definitely can be. Just give a listen to ‘A Henry Shade of Winkler‘ – the very name of which brings a smile to my face and is a testament to their cleverness. It’s impossible to resist getting swept up in the joy of their sound, and before you know it, you’ll find yourself dancing with an ear-to-ear grin.

You can pick 3 co-writers to write new songs with. Who? … and Why?

Andy Partridge, Burt Bacharach and George Gershwin. Had you asked me the same question before the pandemic, I probably would have picked Elvis Costello, Joe Strummer, and Billy Bragg, because I was doing the one-man-punk-band, singer-songwriter thing, and lyrics were a big part of that. But since going with a full instrumental project, I’ve started to pay more attention to melody and chord progressions. Even though I always knew those were a vital part of the songwriting process, I’m really embracing them and focusing on them much more now. The chord progressions and overall song structures used by Partridge, Bacharach, and Gershwin are (or were) incredible, and so much more interesting than the usual three or four “same old same old” chords that are overused in so many pop songs.

What’s the gig you will always remember? And why?

In the 1990s, I was in a “British Invasion” tribute band in Toronto. We played exclusively 1960s songs by The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Animals, Kinks, The Who, Manfred Mann, etc… One of our regular venues was a pub where the clientele were almost entirely ex-pats from the UK, and were the right age to have been part of the whole Mod-60s-Swinging London thing back home, so they loved us. 

One night in late August 1997 we started the first set of the night and everything seemed normal, although near the end of the set I noticed that the televisions at the far end of the bar had switched from the usual football (or soccer as it’s called in North America) to CNN. The volume was turned down on all the televisions since it was a live music night, so we couldn’t hear what was being said, but the words “Princess Diana Injured” kept popping up on the screen. At that time, Diana would make headlines if she caught the flu, so none of us thought anything of it, and after a few minutes our break was over and we returned to the stage for the second set. 

By the time we finished the second set about forty minutes later, the words on the screen had changed to “Princess Diana Critically Injured”, and the mood in the bar got very sombre. The volume was turned up on the televisions, and as the details of Diana’s car accident slowly trickled in, the audience began slowly trickling out, probably to get home and call family back in the UK. 

Just as we were preparing to start our last set of the night, the words “Princess Diana Dead” filled the screen, and we were left wondering what to do. After a brief discussion with the bar manager it was decided that we should play and try to cheer everybody up. The first song of that set was supposed to be ‘Drive My Car’, but we decided that was a bad choice under the circumstances, so we quickly substituted the next Beatles song from later in the set, which was ‘One After 909’. As I counted the song in for the band I looked out and saw several people sitting at their tables crying. Or at least they were crying until we sang the first few lines of the song which included lyrics like “My baby says she’s driving on the one after 909… Come on baby, don’t be cold as ice…”, at which point we started to get some angry stares. We made it through another couple of songs and then decided that cheering everyone up was a losing battle, so we ended the show there.

The volume was turned back up on the televisions then, and by that point the blame for Diana’s crash was being placed on the paparazzi who’d been chasing her. A few minutes later I was at the bar waiting to get paid for the gig and happened to be standing next to one of the regulars, a fellow named Al. Al had been in the Scots Guards, so his loyalty to the Royal Family was unwavering, and even though he was well into his 60s he was still a physically imposing figure. He immediately started cursing “It was those goddamn pavarottis!”, and suddenly I had a vision of a bunch of opera singers running after Diana’s car. The weirdness of the night finally got to me, and I had to do everything in my power not to start giggling at the absurdity of it all.

A couple of months later I contacted the bar to see about playing there again, but the bar owner said that the drink sales were really poor the last time we played there (the night of Diana’s death), so he’d maybe call us if he had an opening. Which he never did.

How do you balance experimentation with commercial appeal in your music?

I think maybe there are two types of experimentation: one that’s strictly experimentation for the sake of showing off how much one can experiment, and the other that breathes new life into a song by breaking a few cliches and inventing a new idea that becomes a hook or an earworm. I try to throw in experiments that will compliment the song, and catch the listener’s attention and hopefully make them say, “oh that was cool!”.

When was the last time you thought ‘I just wrote a hit!’?

When I was 16. Apparently I was mistaken.

What compliment you once received will you never forget?

“I like your sideburns!”, which doesn’t sound like anything special, but you should have seen the girl who said it.

What’s up for the next couple of months?

I’ll keep plugging ‘A Henry Shade of Winkler’ here and there, and I’ve already started recording the next album, which will probably arrive sometime in January.