Rhonny Balkmond
A personal journey through power pop, freakbeat and other sounds just waiting for you to listen
Hello curious reader. Have you ever browsed endless playlists and felt like something was always missing? I do it often. I look for new sounds, but sometimes I find that the real treasures are hidden right where we no longer look. I’m referring to those rock genres that time has put aside, like dusty old vinyl records in the cellar. What if I told you that some of these absolutely deserve a second chance? Today I take you with me to discover four forgotten pearls. Get your headphones ready.
Power Pop
In the seventies, progressive rock filled arenas with endless solos, but a small group of musicians decided to do the exact opposite. They took Beatles melodies, mixed them with the energy of The Who, and served it all up in three-minute songs. This genre is called power pop.
The Raspberries released “Go All the Way” in 1972. A song that gets into your head on the first listen and never goes away. The same year, Big Star recorded “#1 Record“. An album that we now consider a classic, but which sold only ten thousand copies at the time. A real shame.
Power pop didn’t ask for complicated ratings. He would take you by the hand and take you straight to the chorus. Cheap Trick brought this spirit to stadiums with “I Want You to Want Me“. The Knack dominated radio in 1979 with “My Sharona“. Then the genre disappeared from the spotlight. But he never died. Bands like Material Issue in the 1990s and Sloan in the 2000s have continued to write perfect songs for those who love instant melodies.
Do you listen to artists like Velvet Crush today? They keep this flame alive. If you love afternoon suns and songs you hum after just one listen, power pop awaits you with open arms.
Freakbeat
Between 1966 and 1968, Britain experienced a crazy and creative musical season. Freakbeat began as a more energetic and reckless version of classic beat. Imagine the early Who playing with even rawer energy. The guitars gave feedback, the drums thumped, and the songs lasted the space of a sprint.
Creation released “Making Time” in 1966. That sharp guitar riff anticipated punk by ten years. Another group was The Attack. Their single “Anymore Than I Do” contains a dark, enveloping melody. The Move mixed freakbeat and psychedelic pop with “I Can Hear the Grass Grow“.
Why does freakbeat deserve a second life? Because he anticipated almost everything. The garage rock of the nineties, punk, even certain contemporary indie rock. When you listen to Ty Segall or King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, you hear the echo of those few English years. Too bad the freakbeat didn’t last long. Major record labels preferred cleaner sounds. Many bands released a single and disappeared.
Pub Rock
Before punk, before new wave, there was pub rock. We are in the first half of the seventies. The musicians grew tired of the big stages and pompous sounds. They returned to the small venues, in front of a few dozen people, with beer and guitars. They played rhythm and blues, country rock and simple rock and roll. No fireworks. Just the music.
The Brinsley Schwarzs paved the way. Their 1972 album “Silver Pistol“. The Ducks Deluxe brought a driving energy. Dr. Feelgood, transformed pub rock into something electric and energetic. Their 1976 live “Stupidity” reached number one in England.
The rock pub wasn’t looking for fame. He was looking for honesty. Many musicians of this movement later helped punk to emerge. Joe Strummer of The Clash played in The 101ers, a pub rock band. Pub rockers taught punks that there was no need to be virtuous. All it took was something to say. Today this spirit lives in the bands that play in the small clubs of your city. If you love raw, sincere rock, without car tunes and without poses, pub rock will feel familiar. Because he speaks the same language as the street.
Jangle Pop
We get to the eighties. New wave dominated radio with synthesizers and drum machines. But someone was looking back. He looked at the blaring guitars of The Byrds and The Beatles. Thus jangle pop was born. A strange name for a bright sound. The guitar sounds clean, with an effect that makes it shine like bells. Melodies stick in your head for days.
R.E.M. brought this sound to American universities. Their first single “Radio Free Europe” in 1981 contains all the characteristics of the genre: sharp guitar, indistinct vocals and a melancholic beauty. But other groups deserved the same attention. The dB’s released “Stands for deciBels” in 1981. Listen to “Black and White“. Three minutes of pop perfection. Let’s Active wrote “Every Word Means No“. It feels like a spring day turned into a song.
The pop jangle didn’t die. It transformed. In the 1990s, bands like Teenage Fanclub (Scots) and The Posies (Americans) took up that banner again. Today artists like Real Estate, carry on the tradition. If you love jangly guitars and vocal harmonies that envelop you, this genre is for you. Put “Here Comes My Baby” by The Tremeloes and then move on to the present day. You will feel the thread that unites them.
Why you should give these sounds a chance
You might be wondering: why waste time with dead genres? I’ll answer with a question: when was the last time you discovered an artist who changed your day? Music has no expiration date. A riff from 1966 sounds as fresh as a song from yesterday if you listen to it with the right ears. These forgotten genres offer something that much contemporary music loses: the joy of discovery. They don’t follow algorithms. They don’t seek easy likes. They were made by musicians who played for passion, often without a record deal.
Take power pop. When you listen to “September Gurls” by Big Star, you feel the love for pure melody. That song inspired generations of indie musicians. Without pub rock, we wouldn’t have had punk. Without freakbeat, the garage rock of the 2000s would sound different. Every forgotten genre has left its mark. Rediscovering it means better understanding the music you love today.
A tip to get started
You don’t need to be a rock historian. Grab your phone, open your streaming platform, and search. Listen to one song per genre. Then decide for yourself. You might not like everything. But I bet at least one song will stick in your head. And that will be your gateway.
I discovered freakbeat by accident. From there, I spent a whole month digging through collections. I don’t regret it. Those bands gave me emotions that prepackaged music doesn’t.
An invitation to learn
Music doesn’t age. Only our ears change. Today you have the opportunity to listen to decades of human creativity with a simple touch. Don’t limit yourself to algorithmically curated playlists. Get off the beaten path. What do you have to lose? Maybe half an hour of your time. What can you gain? A new sound that will stay with you for years.
Then tell me what you think. Do these genres really deserve to be forgotten? I don’t think so. And you’re the only one who can give them a second life. Press play.
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