The Über Rock Singles Club – Joyous June (Part One)

Curated by DJ Monk

It’s hard to believe it’s been a fortnight since the Singles Club last opened its virtual doors and we fired up the death decks with a selection of the finest single-track releases to have come our way in recent weeks. Yet, here we are again with another bumper pick of the crop – a massive 19 tracks in total for your aural and visual delectation, whittled down from the 250+ submissions which came our way over the past 14 days or so, and once again hopefully containing something to tickle almost everyone’s musical taste buds as we traverse multiple subgenres of the glorious artform we like to refer to as rock ‘n’f’n’ roll…

First up we have the first result of an extremely interesting collaboration, between our very own folk-punk scene-leader Frank Turner and LA hardcore forerunners NOFX, who have come together to produce a split album on which they each cover five of their favourite songs by the other artist. The first fruits to be released from ‘West Coast vs Wessex’ – which is being released via NOFX frontman Fat Mike’s own brilliant Fat Wreck Chords label at the end of July, is a double A-side, featuring Turner’s take on NOFX’s classic ‘Bob’, couple with the latter’s interpretation of Turner’s ‘Thatcher Fucked The Kids’, the first of which we’ve chosen to kick off this week’s proceedings:

Next. It’s a case of ‘Here Comes Rock And Roll’ with the debut single from new traders on the block, The Norseman Company, a new project from Norwegian drummer Geir Arne Dale, whom some readers might know from the obscure classic rock act Humbucker. His forthcoming album, ‘The Coming Of The Chord’, is an overt homage to Eighties hard rock and metal, as exemplified by this Joan Jett-esque lead single:

Our next offering is the first of several this week from our friends down under at the Golden Robot group of labels, who consistently produced excellent rock ‘n’ roll artists and releases, the latest example being this reworking of the song ‘Alone’ by The Mercy Kills. The track originally featured on the band’s 2013 debut album. ‘Happy To Kill You’, but has been remastered and re-released to highlight the message that “you can’t make it alone”

We stay in Oz for our next offering, from hard rockers Wicked Smile, who find themselves in a ‘Daze Of Delirium’ with their new single, taken from their debut EP, which is due to land on 1 July and is being eagerly awaited here at ÜRHQ, as virtually everything guitarist Steve Janevski touches is guaranteed to be gold-dust. And given that our good friend Paul Laine not only produced the EP but played bass and contributed backing vocals, this defiantly (sic) adds to the jean-creaming factor:

Our next offering finds our friends at Golden Robot ‘Right On The Money’ once again, with the latest solo offering from Bon Jovi guitarist Phil X and his band The Drills. The song was recorded virtually live in the studio as part of an online ‘Mix With The Masters’ session with legendary producer Chris Lord Alge, and the enthusiasm of the session certainly comes across in the final session:

Something a bit heavier for our third and penultimate contribution from the Golden Robot team, in the shape of Canadian heavy retro-blues rockers The Jailbirds (not to be confused with the Dublin-based Aussie emigres of the same name), who are taking us to a ‘Watery Grave’ with a lusciously vibrant lead offering from their forthcoming new EP, due later in the year. It’s a very tasty appetizer indeed:

Back to the dear old Über Kingdom now, and London-based indie punks The Clockworks, who are prophetically telling us that ‘The Future Is Not What It Was’ with their just released third single for the legend that is Alan McGee’s Creation 23 label. It’s an energetic, driving little number that will be a guaranteed dancefloor filler once we are allowed to remove the hazard tape and allow some socially-distanced jukin’ and jivin’:

Another change in mood, and we up the rock ‘n’ roll factor with the new 7” from those lovely NWoCR boys by the name of Revival Black, who are telling us to ‘Step In Line’ with the title track of their debut album. They haven’t even released the official video (that is coming at the end of this week), but we’ve been dancing like loons to this infectious little ditty since in landed in our inbox earlier in the week, so we thought we’d share a little sneak-peek with all you cool cats, movers and groovers:

Some more retro-tinged blues-fuelled rock ‘n’ roll to keep the party going, this time from one of my personal favourite bands to have emerged in recent years, and that is Burnt Out Wreck, who this past week released the title track from their excellent, ÜR-approved second album, ‘This Is Hell’, to fill our ears with glorious infectiousness:

Next up, we head across the pond to Tennessee, from where heavy psych-doom trio All Them Witches are preparing to launch their new album, ‘Nothing As The Ideal’, which is due for release via New West Records at the beginning of September. They have prefaced the full-lengther with the first taster, the beautiful ‘Saturnine And Iron Jaw’, which both entrancing and enervating and more than whets the appetite for what is to come later in the year:

Across to the west coast of the USofA, where we find another of our favourite power trios, Night Demon, who are asking ‘Are You Out There’ with their most recent, stand-alone single. The song has a very Thin Lizzy feel, which is not surprising given their love of the Dublin rock gods, and the single actually comes with a cover of ‘The Sun Goes Down’ on the B-side:

Back across to the Über Kingdom, and Mancunian riff gods Ten Foot Wizard have come storming back with their breath-taking new single, ‘Broken Man’, the first taster from their forthcoming new album, ‘Get Out Of Your Mind’, which is going to infect aural cortexes from 10 July:

Another change in mood now, and we’re indulging in some electro-meets-pop punk, courtesy of south coast trio CLT DRP, who have just released the fourth single to be taken from their delayed debut album, ‘Without The Eyes’, which now will be released at the end of August:

Some more classic hard rock now, this time courtesy of Black Rose Maze, the new vehicle put together by Canadian songstress Rosa Laricchiuta, who created quite a stir in her homeland half a decade ago when she won Quebec’s version of ‘The Voice’. Having switched from singing in French to English, she’s now seeking to build on the international recognition she has achieved during her time with the all-star Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and particularly the support she has gained from the likes of labelmate Jeff Scott Soto, which no doubt means that she won’t be ‘In The Dark’ for long:

We’re into the final quarter of our selected playlist for this edition of the ‘Singles Club’, and we’re revisiting the Golden Robot Records stable, where Shotgun Mistress are looking saved from themselves with what is just their second single, taken from their debut album, which is due to impact later in the year. Their LA-retro sleaze groove somewhat belies the fact that the band is the brainchild of death metal guitarist Matt Wilcock, best known for his sojourns in The Berzerker, Akercocke and more recently the ÜR-approved Werewolves:

Another complete change of pace and mood, this time courtesy of London-based ambient-jazz/prog quartet Asian Death Crustacean and their epic – well, it is more than ten minutes long – ‘Baikal V’, the second preview to be offered forth for their debut albumm ‘Baikal’, which is due for release over the summer:

We’re about to call last orders here at the ‘virtual’ bar (heck, I better grab me another can of that there Rockshore Cider that’s been cooling me down), and we do with a slice of doom boogie/dystopian punk/occult glam rock goodness, courtesy of the brilliant Death Valley Girls, who are seeking to make a ‘Breakthrough’ with the oh-so-sweet title track of their new EP, just released via the wonderful Suicide Squeeze Records:

Our penultimate offering sees us move to Scandinavia, and a band who have been on the ÜR radar for some time now, in the form of Swedish black ‘n’ rollers The Vice, who have just this past week released the title track of their second album, ‘White Teeth Rebellion’, as a mean ‘n’ dirty taster of what promises to be another selection of lean, mean, uncompromising rock ‘n’ brawl ferocity:

It’s only appropriate that we sign off with yet another tribute to alcohol from those lunatics in Korpiklaani, who seem to be on a mission to record their song ‘Beer Beer’ is as many different languages as possible. This time they have recruited Natalya Pahlenko of shamanic folk-rock duo Nytt Land to do so in her native Siberian, which leaves one thing to say, and that is ‘Shai Shai’ barman:

Well, that’s your lot for this iteration of the Singles Club. Yet again, we’ve drunk the pumps dry and the optics are running low, so it’s time to neck the dregs and feck off to enjoy what’s left of this Sunday afternoon sunshine. We hope you agree that it’s been another eclectic collection, and that you found something to tickle your earbuds and drive you to explore some new musical horizons. Until next time, when the big lad by the name of Astrocreep will be back behind the death decks, keep ‘er lit, keep ‘er between the hedges and #StaySafe!