Curated by Monk
It’s hard to believe that we’re not only almost three-quarters of the way through another rockin’ year but also approaching the quarter way mark of the first century of what it seems like only yesterday we were branding the “new millennium”. But, feck it, here we are, with all the transitions and certainties each and every day of this inevitable passage through time brings with its progression. But, one thing remains certain, and that is that rock ‘n’ rollers continue to defy the advancement of everything else around them, and concentrate on producing great music, as our latest playlist proves… so, pull up a pew as we crank the club stacks up to maximum and share some of our favourite tunes doing to rounds at the moment…
Acrobvt ‘Last Goodbye’ (Self-Released)
A somewhat ironically titled song kicks off our latest playlist, but it’s certainly not going to live up to its title, as it may be the #FirstHello we’ve said to this alt-rock/pop combo who have collaborated with Skindred guitarist Mikey Demus for this atmospheric classic indie-tinged radio-friendly, floor-filling ‘banger:
Blue Slate ‘Beaker’ (Self-Released)
Apparently starting life as slow Irish folk song, this is an over-driven slice of indie-bedroom pop that epitomizes the extremely healthy state of the shoegaze revival on both sides of the Irish border at the moment, with a whole plethora of new bands bringing the dying spirits of their ancestors back to life;
Eclipse ‘All I Want’ (Frontiers Music)
All we really want from Scandi-rock bands are big riffs, big choruses that embed themselves into your deepest aural cortexes -and a sense of good old-fashioned, don’t give a shit fun… and that’s exactly one of our favourite Swedish glunk crües do with this wonderful, twisted tongue-in-cheek homage to the glory daze:
Empty Spaces ‘Do You Wanna Be The One’ (Self-Released)
We definitely wanna be the ones to get on the ground floor of the elevator that undoubtedly gonna take these Norn Irish newcomers to higher levels of the rock ‘n’ roll tower of power, as they deliver a heavy, visceral take on the heavy blues vibe with this hugely impressive debut offering which draws deep down into the innermost depths of your darkened soul while simultaneously lifting you up to the upper reaches of non-chemical induced ecstasy:
Guerilla Teens ‘I Cyclops’/’Pride Of The Savanna’ (Heavy Medication Records)
Any band featuring ex-Humpers/Lovesores’ Scott “Deluxe” Drake at the helm is worth our attention, especially when he has fellow bandmates and gunslingers Jeff Fieldhouse and Saul Koll in tow. They may not be in their teens any more but these rock ‘n’ roll guerillas the dirty rock & roll tradition of the aforementioned bands, albeit treading darker waters, both musically and lyrically:
Healthy Junkies ‘Dead Souls’ (Banana Castle Records)
These apparently unstoppable alt-rockets continue to gear up for the release of their absolutely brilliantly OTT new album with another slice of psychotic new-wave grunge punk which ticks all the right boxes in every department:
HollowKin ‘The Devil In Your Garden’ (VizKill Records)
These metalcore newcomers – they only formed at the end of last year) are hitting the ground running with this latest taster of their debut EP, which will see them admitting to their ‘Confessions & Failures’ on its release next month:
Imperial Age ‘Gnosis’ (Atlantean Records)
These Russian emigres of Aor and Jane Odintsov may have taken up permanent residence in the ÜK but they continue to prove that their musical and mythological hearts lies deep in Atlantis, the depths of which they once again explore with the first new music featuring their new line-up of British and Italian cohorts:
Jesus On Extasy ‘Days Gone By’ (Metropolis Records)
Having taken his time to return from an extended hiatus, which has also seen him split from his brother and musical foil, we can forgive Dorian Devereux for looking over his shoulder while at the same time driving his project to an exciting new chapter:
Juliet’s Not Dead ‘Open Fire’ (Self-Released)
The band formerly known as Twister return with their second single under their new monicker and strafe us into submission with a fiery slice of classic glunk-inspired melodic rock that is both an immediate earworm and another tasty album for their forthcoming album:
Meryl Streek ‘Dogs’ (Venn Records)
The one-man bedroom punk ‘n’roll machine unleashed the hounds of noise with latest sample from his upcoming ‘Songs For The Deceased’ album. But he’s not quite going it alone on this occasion, as the track features Cal Graham of The Chisel as well as guest guitarists Phil Wyer (Owl Sounds) and Pete Holidai (Radiators From Space and Trouble Pilgrims):
RØRY ‘Sorry I’m Late’ (Sadcøre Records)
This ÜK-based alternative artist has nothing for which to apologize as she pours a lifetime of angst and experience into her upcoming debut album, which will see her undergoing something of a ‘Restoration’ when it is released on her 40th birthday at the end of January.
Sergeant Thunderhoof ‘Blood Moon’ (Pale Wizard Records)
The Somerset surrealists continue their musical exploration of their home county’s history and mythology by transporting us back into the realms of Arthurian mysticism with their upcoming concept album based around the story of ‘The Ghost Of Badon Hill’, of which this is a suitably intriguing sample:
Skegss ‘High Beaming’ (Self-Released)
We may be heading into the depths of a wintery Autumn, but the surf’s up somewhere in the world, and no matter where it is this Aussie duo no doubt will be proving at least part of the soundtrack:
Slope ‘Fury Funk’ (Century Media)
It’s far from a slippery slope for these guys as, eight months after they shared their ‘Freak Dreams’ on their debut album they present us with a high-octane energy ‘banger that no doubt demand that fans let loose and go wild to it on their latest tour, which kicked off in London this past week:
Stinky ‘Alignment’ (Self-Released)
Efficiency and energy are watchwords freely employed by this French melocore combo to describe their style, and those are exactly what they employ on this anthem to gender transition, the first taste of their fourth album, which is due for release in February:
The Black Pacific ‘I Think I’m Paranoid’ (Dine Alone Records)
This side project from Pennywise frontman Jim Lindberg recently released their first new album in 14 years, and the only sense of paranoia I think the singer has to feel is about how many people are out to get a copy of the release…
The Dead Can Wait ‘Paranoia’ (Self-Released)
There’s something of a classic rock vibe to our final triptych of selections, led by this latest offering from a band who lend a whole new definition to the term “pub rockers” (they formed over a conversation down their Reading local) and truly evoke the NWoBHM spirit with their affectionate and effective blend of soaring vocals, punchy riffs, solid guitars and more hooks than a frustrated fisherman!
Trucker Diablo ‘Dig’ (Self-Released)
This fast ‘n’ furious punk track from the Norn Irish veterans has been kicking around as part of their live set for a couple of years now, but is now served up as the latest taster from their upcoming sixth album, which is set to see their ‘Social Hand Grenade’ explode all over the Überverse at the end of the month:
Voodoo Circle ‘On The Edge’ (AFM Records)
We sign off with a suitably rousing slice of classic German metal, courtesy of these Teutonic behemoths who proudly wear their love of bands such as Rainbow and Whitesnake on their sleeves as much as they deliver it in their sound, as epitomized on their appropriately titled new album, ‘Hail To The King’:
So, there you have it – another eclectic mix of the hottest tunes which have been bothering our death decks over the past week or so. Of course, this is only the tip of the musical iceberg, and we only have so much space we can fill and so many tunes we can spin, but tune in each and every day for our latest daily picks to get a sample of more of the incredible sounds that are being produced by so many incredible artists… Until next time, remember: keep ‘er lit, keep ‘er between the hedges and keep on Über Rockin’ in the free world \m/
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