Curated by Monk
As the wheel of time continues to inexorably turn, so we find ourselves in the last month of yet another rock ‘n’ roll fuelled year. Yes, its had its ups and downs, but one thing has remained constant, and that is the sheer quality of the music that continues to be produced in every corner of the Überverse. So, let’s dive straight into our latest eclectic collection and get that needle in the groove, light up the dancefloor and annoy the neighbours with some quality tuneage, shall we?
Black Opal ‘Beautiful Confusion’ (Self-Released)
We start things off in our hometown of Belfast, where this quartet are asking if “all men are brothers why can’t we just love one another?” with this blend of retro-rock, grunge and Britpop, served up with a healthy nod to their native city’s punk heritage, as a taster of their debut album, due in March:
Cloakroom Q ‘Nail In Your Head’ (Self-Released)
There’s a very Talking Heads meets Zappa feel to this latest offering from these Belfast art rockers as they deliver the sound of the band that plays at the Overlook Hotel as Jack Nicholson gets served by the best bar man from the netherworld and stake their claim to be “Mike Patton’s favourite band he’s yet to hear”…
Cloth ‘Polaroid’ (Rock Action)
Despite moving in a poppier direction than last year’s ‘Secret Measure’ album, this twin sibling duo continue to deliver intrinsic quiet drama with a feather-light touch on this standalone new release:
Dubinski ‘Downtown Operation’ (Gnu Roam/Kartel Music Group)
Another group of Scottish siblings, this time four brothers born in north Yorkshire but now based on the other side of the border, who demonstrate the social awareness of their emigre parents on this lead offering from their new album, due at the end of January.
Final Thirteen ‘Go’ (Self-Released)
Having previously asked us to #SayPleaseStay with their previous single, this Northern Ireland power trio are now begging us to let #Go of everything that restrains us with this latest fuzzed out sample of their self-described “m’indie rock”:
Flair ‘Swan’ (Self-Released)
There’s definitely something in the lemonade being served in the bars in our home Province, as it has been particularly fertile this month, with the latest exemplar being this slice of gritty indie rock from a five-piece who live up to their name by displaying plenty of musical panache, as evinced by their just-released self-titled
Foxhole ‘Elsie’ (Self-Released)
Not quite a new song, in that it is a reissue of a track from their 2021 debut EP, this nevertheless shows why this Plymouth combo have been making waves in the south-west with their intoxicating blend of indie, Midwest emo, post-punk and grunge:
Identity Crisis ‘Take Me Away’ (Self-Released)
I came across this Texan combo while trawling YouTube for something completely different and was immediately taken away (sic) by its grungy introspection which is simultaneously as expansive as it is claustrophobic in a way which reminds of Pearl Jam in their most visceral prime:
Juliet’s Not Dead ‘Battle Scarred’ (TMR Records)
The band formerly known as Twister are making appearances on our playlist a monthly occurrence, as deservedly so as they continue to build up to the released of their new album, due to land on our deathdecks at the beginning of February. This time, they deliver a powerful statement about coping and living with depression:
Midland Railway ‘Bedroom Analysis’ (Self-Released)
These self-styled “geek rockers” definitely live up to their own descriptive, drawing inspiration from Magic The Gathering tournaments, tennis, Pokemon, online football management and serial killers while sonically delivering something akin to a drunken backstage jam session between Weezer, Dropkick Murphys and Jimmy Eats World:
Revolution Rabbit Deluxe ‘Tim Gurner Says’ (Self-Released)
We can never ignore our spiritual birthplace of the Valleys, especially when it continues to produce acts as insanely brilliant as these anarchic post-punk protagonists, who somehow manage to mould the spirits of the Pixies and The Proclaimers into one hilarious yet incisive slice of angst-fuelled genius:
Romeopathy ‘Cold Long Road’ (Sodeh Records)
We’re back on our home turf yet again, this time to team up with a quartet who blend heavy alt-rock style riffs with dark blues melodies with a soupcon of Midwest emo and just a pinch of ‘90s grunge:
Silver Dollar Room ‘Walking Blues’ (Self-Released)
We’re back across the Irish Sea again, where this quintet are rounding off a hugely successful year, which saw them release their debut album to huge acclaim in their native Scotland, by releasing this standalone offering, a post-punk alternative take on the Robert Johnson classic:
Spiritworld ‘Western Stars & The Apocalypse’ (Century Media)
This Las Vegas one-man project returns with his first new music in two years, a thrashing, two-minute blitz of metallic hardcore, drenched in his signature Old West occultism and delivered with his customary “don’t give a fuck” veracity and vigour:
SweetBeast ‘Dream Eater’ (Humalien Records)
Hailing from the otherwise desolate prairies of British Colombia, this psychedelic stoner outfit are preparing to create some more low-tuned musical #Illusions with the release of their latest album in February:
The Burbs ‘Skin And Bones’ (Self-Released)
You really can’t beat a bit of Aussie surf rock to brighten up a cold December Sunday afternoon, and that is exactly what we have with this latest offering from another act who are proving that the land down under (sic) really is riding on a wave of generic revivalism:
The Deadnotes ‘Jesus Christ!’ (Grand Hotel Van Cleef)
This German quartet are determined to prove that they will be the saviours of rock ‘n’ roll, turning its previously destructive force into a positive one, when they release their third album in February, but in the meantime we’ll have to settle for this dedication to a figure whose birthday most of the (in)sane world is about to celebrate in just a few short weeks time:
The Lines ‘Just See Grey’ (Self-Released)
These Glaswegian youngsters (honestly, at least two of them look like they’re still in school), describe themselves as “unapologetically Scottish… a post-Brexit, alt-indie sensation who write music for those who don’t, nor want to improve themselves and flirt with unresolved expectations”:
The Yagas ‘The Crying Room’ (Self-Released)
Another band I discovered via the above-mentioned YouTube trawl, they entrance with their dark gothicism that evokes the spirit of the likes of All About Eve and The Cocteau Twins with its ethereal mysticism:
Winona Fighter ‘Hamms In A Glass’ (Rise Records)
This trio may hail from Nashville but they owe much more to frontwoman Coco KInnon’s gestation in the Boston punk scene, which they evoke with passion and vigour as they prepare for the release of their debut album early in 2025:
Wyatt E ‘The Diviner’s Prayer To The Gods Of The Night’ (Heavy Psych Sounds)
My final selection is something a little bit special, as it sees these antique doom/drone conjurers collaborating with Iranian-born singer Nina Saeidi of London doomsters Lowen, who appropriately sings in Akkadian on this modern interpretation of an ancient Babylonian poem, which in turn is taken from Wyatt E’s upcoming third album, ‘zamāru ultu qereb ziqquratu (music from inside the Ziggurat) Part 1’, the first chapter of a two-album set in which the band deepens its exploration of ancient Babylon with an almost mythical approach through the eyes of the exiled captives from Jerusalem:
So, that’s it for another edition. We’ll be back in two weeks’ time with an epic double header of a billing, as we open a second room to feature a special Christmas-themed edition running alongside our main playlist… And, don’t forget, we also offer up our #DailyPick of the hottest new sounds, so please keep checking back on the site that tickles the parts the trolls can only dream of reaching. Until then, as we say in this part of the Überverse: keep ‘er lit, keep ‘er between the hedges and keep on Über Rockin’ in the free world \m/
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