This is a singles round up of mammoth proportions. I spent some time scrolling through the wealth of e-mails I received over the last few months, and other singles I’ve been particularly enjoying. 2021 has been a treasure trove of new music across so many genres. Even though this is my biggest singles round up of the year so far, it still only scratches the surface of what is going on just now…
…and then there are all the albums, just recently, over and above the ones I’ve already featured/reviewed I’ve been enjoying the new albums from The Media Whores, monsterpop, The Hurricanes, Jackal Trades, Mickey 9s, Jeshua and The Strays to name but a few. They’re all on my to do list.
In no particular order then…
(As usual, if they are available on Spotify, I’ve added them to the Ginger Quiff 2021 playlist, link at the bottom of the post – give it a like/follow)
IDLES (Ft Slowthai)
I was a bit scathing of the latest IDLES album when I reviewed it. Although I stand by what I said about it in terms of not being as strong as Joy as an Act if Resistance, for a band that isn’t known for subtlety, Ultra Mono is a subtle as a brick in the face, but hey, that sometimes isn’t a bad thing for some… I have grown to love it over the months after I reviewed it, and I have particularly enjoyed this version of Model Village with Slowthai.
Seafoam Green
Reeling back the years, Seafoam Green’s latest single, Swimming in the Paint, is an addictively eclectic blend of psych tinged folky Americana. The rough and smooth of the soulful joint vocals bouncing off each other over playful keyboards over a sprightly blithe melody.
Seafoam Green – Facebook
Callum Easter
System is the title track of Callum Easter’s forthcoming second album. Underlined by a buzzing driving electronic beat, the pounding rhythm builds along with the bubbling under seething anger, and some supremely elegant backing vocals – sweet music everywhere – before Easter’s rage boils over spitting out his diatribe “come on fuck the system”
Callum Easter – Bandcamp – Facebook
Micko & the Mellotronics
From their latest album, 1/2 Dove – 1/2 Pigeon, Sick and Tired is a perfect slice of psychedelic garage power pop, musically complex and playful, with a disarmingly fascinating video to match, the song is a serious reflection on homelessness in 21st century Britain and the attitudes towards it from different parts of society.
Mick and the Mellotronics – Bandcamp – Facebook
Trash Fiasco
A taster for their album, Stay Miserable, which is now out, Little Red Rover is a rollicking three and a half minute high octane crashing melee of garage rock noise. Check it out.
Trash Fiasco – Facebook
We Three Kings
The latest single from Manchester three piece We Three Kings. Walk is a thundering bluesy garage rock wall of sound, fuzzed out guitars and a thumping rhythm section with a gutsy ballsy hollering vocal.
We Three Kings – website – Facebook
The Cocker Spaniels
Racism Priest is superbly laid back but biting message to racist apologists looking for absolution in a world where they want forgiveness just because society dictates they must rather than feeling absolute disgust at their past. You know the ones, “I’m not a racist but…” Magnificent.
The Cocker Spaniels – Bandcamp –
Jim Bob
Can’t keep up with Mr Jim Bob from Carter. Song for the Unsung (you’re so modest you’ll never think this song is about you) is a celebration of, we’ll exactly what the title suggests, all the unsung heroes out there who just get on with life and make things a little better for others. Teachers and Nurses among others getting a shout out in the lyrics. The video is a series of “nominations” from Jim Bob fans…
And he’s got another selection of covers, including the heartbreaking Seasons in the Sun, out that you can get hold of by pre-ordering versions of his latest album.
The Earth Bleeds out is a crashing sub 2 minute anthem that comes at an opportune time with COP26 due to arrive in sunny Glasgow later in the year. The lyrics “I sign and I share because it shows that I care” displaying the lackadaisical “I guess I’m OK in the grand scheme of things” most have as we stand by and watch the world dying…
JSK & the Lockdown Lovers
Previous to the ones above, Jim Bob had his lockdown single out, the scathing Summer of No Touching. Johnny Skullknuckles (and his Lockdown Lovers) has a quality foot to the floor punk rock free download available on Bandcamp, his warning of Keep Your Distance couldn’t be clearer… “restrictions are over or so they say, but I still want you to keep 2 meters away…”
Having been in a crowded pub at the weekend, I’m more than onboard with his message! “Don’t be a cunt, and get the injection”
Kopek Millionaires/JSK and the Lockdown Lovers – Bandcamp – Facebook
David Long and Shane O’Neill
Into Paradise was one of my favourite highly under-rated bands of the late 1980s early 1990s, so I’m obviously delighted that their frontman David Long is back with this superb collaboration with Blue In Heaven’s Shane O’Neill. Far From Home is the lead track from the EP of the same name, and they have since released a further EP Dreams Come. Keep it coming.
Vulpynes
Following on the heels of songs like Sister and Bitches are Like Waves, the consistently brilliant Dublin duo Vulpynes continue their L7-esque assault on the eardrums with their latest single Control is Not What I Need. The crunching “in your face” fuzzfest wall of sound this duo creates is of epic proportions and catching this powerhouse pair live is a definite bucket list item…
Vulpynes – Facebook
The Courettes
Another band I’m hyper-excited about seeing live in Glasgow in coming months is another powerhouse duo, The Courettes. Hop the Twig is a lesson in how to blend 60s girl group vocals with attitude filled crunching surf/garage rock. If you don’t love this, who actually are you?
The Courettes – website – Facebook
Billy Bragg
The Million Things That Never Happened is the new album from Billy Bragg due out in October. The protest singer famous for his left wing activism released the affecting piano led ballad I Will Be Your Shield as the first single from the album.
Billy Bragg – website – Facebook
Jodie Rae
Talking of affecting ballads, the latest offering from Irvine’s Jodie Rae is the remarkable Glance. Jodie has a wonderfully expressive vocal, when you pair that with her delicately plucked guitar and sympathetic piano parts you have a beautifully atmospheric ballad of longing. Wonderful.
Jodie Rae – Facebook – Soundcloud
She Drew the Gun
Two cuts from the new album from Louisa Roach aka She Drew the Gun’s new album first up its the hypnotic and powerful Cut Me Down and then the latest offering, Class War where she rails against inequalities, power, corruption and lies in what is, for want of a better word, a stream of consciousness poetic rant set to music.
She Drew the Gun – Website – Facebook
The Muslims
Not wanting to mince their words, The Muslims make it abundantly clear who their single is aimed at in Fuck These Fuckin’ Fascists. From the band name, to the song and lyrics and the band members, there are enough triggers here to ensure that any right wing racist homophobia gammons within a 10 mile radius will automatically reveal themselves in a foaming at the mouth mess. No denying their target, but the fact that the melody is instantly addictive helps too…
The Muslims – Bandcamp – Facebook
The Snakerattlers
The Snakerattlers recently announced they aren’t playing any live dates for the rest of 2021 as they focus on other things. At least we have this cracking new tune from these fine purveyors of rattlerock keep us going. The band are hard to categorise or pigeonhole (always a good thing in my eyes), if I was to try to describe the elements of Spooked it would be along the lines of garage rockabilly goth, with the chorus instantly taking me back to the days of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry. Belter.
The Snakerattlers – website – Facebook
Deer Leader
The magnificence of this band knows no bounds, the final single previewing their upcoming album, We’ve Met Before, Haven’t We is The Loaning and like it’s predecessors, Four Deuces, Crocodile & The Great Northern it is a many layered complex beast as it builds and layers it’s instruments to a crescendo. The breathy repetition of the refrain “Be Brave” is probably the most affecting part of this enthralling soundscape. And believe me when I say, the album is sounding absolutely epic…
Deer Leader – Facebook – Last Night From Glasgow
The Jesus Bolt
Like Dumb Poets before them, I have a certain Ged Babey to thank for introducing me to The Jesus Bolt (also for explaining the background of the name – basically the bolt that holds the rotors to the helicopter, if it failed the only thing left is to pray to Jesus). Anyway, if I were to tell you the main protagonists in the band have backgrounds in Blue Aeroplanes and Witness you’ve probably got an idea of some of the elements in their sound. Flaming Car is impactful in a mellow and understated way, Hazel Winters vocal style encapsulating a dramatic energy, with folky jangly guitars building and engaging the listener.
The Jesus Bolt – website – Bandcamp – Facebook
Sequence 369
Closer to home again, Glasgow based Sequence 3 6 9 have a new 12” vinyl single out now. Soul Injection is the monumentally extravagant eight and a half minute result of the bands efforts. There is a sense of foreboding in the sound created by the coming together of the constituent parts, a threatening underlying, almost goth/Cure like bass line (maybe talking about Cure bassists just now is a bit raw…) kicks things off with vocals provided from three band members. First from the formidable force that is the rapping of Gareth GBH followed by Jimbo McKellar before finally handing the baton to Kerris for a soaring refrain with a Sympathy for the Devil-esque backing vocal. Sequence 369 are due to get back to gigging soon with dates lined up already in Kirkcaldy, Glasgow and Paisley across September, October and December.
Sequence 369 – Facebook
Katherine Aly
Having first come across Katherine Aly as a support act for The Filthy Tongues, I’ve since followed her career during which she has now built up a substantial back catalogue of cracking series of electronic based singles, the latest, and potentially my favourite of all her songs to date, is Glow and Ignite. The song has a really addictive poppy chorus (which is leaving me with a really nagging thought about what song the high notes at the end remind me of) all backed by a hypnotic pulsating reverberating beat.
Katherine Aly – website – Facebook
Amyl & the Sniffers
After a cracking debut album, Australia’s Amyl and the Sniffers lasted long player has been preceded by these two singles, Guided By Angels and Security. the first showing the bad aren’t planning on letting up on any of the energy (“good energy… bad energy”). Amy is as intense as ever, perpetually in motion (“I’ve got lots of energy”. In the video for Security the perpetual motion continues with Amy performing expressive dance in a graveyard.
If these songs are any indication of the rest of the album, it’s set to blow the debut out of the water.
Amyl & the Sniffers – website – Facebook
Tom McGuire & the Brassholes
I recently interviewed Tom from the band after their previous singles Super Solid Soul Vehicle & Oh Savanna prior to them playing their first post lockdown gigs. Which seem to have been quite something from the footage I’ve seen on social media. They have released not one but two superb new singles since then. The first was a very sensitive and personal song, Song for Cammy, who was a friend they lost in an accident last year. All proceeds from the sale of the song on Bandcamp will go to UNICEF.
Better is the other song released just last week, and it is just the sort of high spirited energy and smile inducing funk/soul that the band do so well, complete with choreographed dance full of Tom clones in the video. I need this on prescription.
Tom a McGuire and the Brassholes – website – Bandcamp
Def Robot
I can’t not feature this based on its title alone. Def Robot I think are onto releasing their 327th album in about 2 years now. Their perfected gritty post punk stylings make Glasgow Kiss another essential Def Robot listen. How do they choose what songs to play live?
Def Robot – Bandcamp – Facebook
In the Forest
Last Night From Glasgow seems to be my gateway drug to a lot of new music. The double A Side single from In the Forest and Nicol Elliott was my first exposure to this band. Light That Shines is another refreshing slice of sparkling indie folk and glorious harmonies from this Hertfordshire four piece.
In the Forest – Bandcamp – Facebook
Nicol & Elliott
Talking of Nicol and Elliott Glasgow’s folky Americana duo released the dramatic Broken Eyes recently, it’s striking staccato stop start opening and verses developing into sweeping fiddle backed choruses, their voices playing off against each other beautifully. Another triumph.
Nicol & Elliott – LNFG – Facebook
Marianne Dissard & Raphael Mann
I also recently interviewed the remarkable French chanteuse Marianne Dissard, if you get a chance I highly recommend reading her biography, Not Me, one of these books that was hard to put down. Over lockdown Marianne has been releasing a series of incredible cover versions/reinterpretations of songs. The latest of these is a duet with Raphael Mann on their wonderfully sympathetic version of the late Townes Van Zandt, If I Needed You.
Marianne Dissard – website – Facebook – interview
Broken Chanter
Following a theme here, after Jim Bob’s single earlier, Broken Chanter’s new single Extinction Event Souvenir T Shirt is another song influenced by mans inhumaity and the destruction of the planet. This is a scathing attack on several parties, personally my favourite line is “billionaire rocket men got me rooting for the vacuum of space”. This is an absolute belter of a massive tune and bodes well for the new Broken Change album. Brilliant, and I’m not just saying that as a fellow Aberdeen fan 😎 If you want a “souvenir t-shirt”, you may be too late, I think they’re all gone, Considine Red and Leighton green 😉.
Broken Chanter – Bandcamp – Facebook
Stina Marie Claire
The Honeyblood founder and lead singer has taken a break from the band to record some solo material, the first release from this is the brilliant The Human Condition, with an accompanying video lending itself to be featured on a Ginger themed blog. A step away from the music of Honeyblood with heavy reliance on synths/electronica, more akin to Carla J Easton (on whose album she also featured). “I though we were golden” sings Stina. You are Stina.
HoneyBlood – Facebook – Bandcamp
Monsterpop
Synths and electronics feature heavily on several songs on this round up. The omnipresent Jimmy Dev has just released new single If U Ever Go Away in his monsterpop guise. A heady mix of synth and guitars, oh and add some brass towards the end. With a cracking lyric and great production, it is jam packed with emotion and sounds huge. I could have seen this topping the charts for weeks in the 1980s, but with better production.
monsterpop – Bandcamp – Facebook
The Cocktail Slippers
Big brash glam punk guitars, power pop sensibilities, riot grrrl attitude. What’s not to love? New one from Norway’s The Cocktail Slippers is included for you delight and delectation.
The Cocktail Slippers – website – Facebook
Teen Canteen
An old new song from Teen Canteen. Their album This is How it Starts – The Early Recordings is out now and this was the single released to promote the album release. After the initial intro, 1960s girl group vibes abound on the opening drum beats before the full band kicks in adding some indie jangle and fuzz pop to the mix. Proper pop.
Teen Canteen – Facebook
Brian Setzer
From pop to rockabilly and the King of modern rockabilly with the second single from his upcoming solo album. Eastern vibes in the opening guitars and riffing through the hard rockin’ rockabilly of Smash Up on Highway One add a different element to this deep down and dirty greaser anthem.
Brain Setzer – website
Bite Me Bambi
First of a couple of cracking cover versions, Bite Me Bambi do a high energy ska pop-punk makeover of the Go Go’s Our Lips are Sealed to have jumping off the sofa and skanking around the living room.
Bite Me Bambi – website – Facebook
Carol Hodge
A bit of a cheat here, I had this on the last round up, but that was before the official video was released, so here it is again. I also had a lovely catch up with my namesake the other week, read the interview and album review here.
Carol Hodge – Website – Patreon
Blue Violet
Continuing the theme of climate change is Blue Violet and the soaring anthemic majesty of their single White Beaches, both light and dark, the gossamer vocals blend with yearning guitar to create an incredibly moving song of both despair but with hope rising to the crest of the next crashing wave.
Blue Violet – website – Facebook
Cuffed Up
From the sublime hope of White Beaches to the crashing Savages like punk of Cuffed Up, piercing sonic waves underlie the double headed vocals with squally bursts of Sonic Youth guitar for good measure. Your new favourite alt rock/punk band?
Cuffed Up – website – Facebook
Siobamm
Canadian Roller Derby girl Siobamm recorded, engineered and mixed her debut EP herself. Bones is the moody lo-fi goth tinged single from her EP Gloom Patrol. “I carry your ghost wherever I go” croons Siobamm gently over low key fuzzy guitar, minimalistic piano and drum beats. A goth Billie Eilish?
Siobamm – website
Trampolene
Welsh indie cult heroes fronted by poet and sometime Pete Doherty guitarist Jack Jones, have another splendid single, Shoot the Lights, released from their latest album Love No Less Than a Queen.
Trampolene – Facebook – website
CHVRCHES
As a huge Echo and the Bunnymen, it is always a con over when you hear someone has covered one of their songs, especially when it comes to a classic like Killing Moon which Ian McCulloch once modestly described as the best song ever written. Fortunately, in the hands of Scots indie/electro goth popsters CHVRCHES, the song has been treated with the respect it deserved and the band have succeeded in creating an excellent tribute to a brilliant song.
Dead Sheeran
A National Disgrace was one of my albums if the year last year. Thankfully Sheeran has lost none of his ire, mind you he has plenty to rail about after the performance of the entire Tory cabinet in the last 18 months. “They’re a world beating bunch of bastards” pretty much sums up that shower of wasters. Good to have his unique brand of social commentary back.
Dead Sheeran – Bandcamp – Facebook
Ryan Hamilton
Permanent Holiday is possibly the happiest sounding song about death/suicidal thoughts I’ve ever heard. Hamilton has openly spoken about his mental health before, having also released a single with Ginger Wildheart, Fuck You Brain. ”I think I’ve just about had enough, and there’s no time left to waste, Rolling down the intestate straight up to the pearly gates” sings Hamilton joyfully, “Welcome to your Permanent Holiday, and I just might stay” he ends on. This is single 8 in a year he is aiming to release a single a month and it is a joy to listen to, hopefully the subject matter entirely tongue in cheek and he is planning to stay around for a long time to come.
Ryan Hamilton – website