2022. Two months in already and not a dish done… that’s now confused half the readers at least.
However, good things come in small packages, and the number of singles that have kept me going throughout February has provided a wheen of good things.
I just need to get around to writing about all the big packages and all the amazing LPs the postman has kindly been delivering over the last couple of months (much to the consternation of Mrs Quiff)
The news of rescheduled gigs and UK tours was coming thick and fast too. None more welcome than from band of the year from 2021, The Courettes, who are returning to Glasgow in June as part of their 2022 tour. So, why not start with The Courettes…
The Courettes – Misfits & Freaks
What is not to love about this band? I waxed lyrical about them in 2021, and hope to do the same in 2022. The second listing in my singles round ups for 2022, following January’s joint release with The Jackets is the wall of sound call to arms for all the Misfits and Freaks for a party at the end of the world, complete with video in glorious… monochrome. World domination awaits, as does the small but perfectly formed venue of McChuills in Glasgow in June where, surely, the roof will be blown off…
The Courettes – website – Bandcamp
Brontës – First Hand Arrogance
The Courettes was one of my 22 for ‘22 blog at the start of the year. Brontës is another. Despite not releasing any songs last year, they were already making waves, this is set to continue into 2022 with the release of their debut single First Hand Arrogance via Last Night From Glasgow. At present I am destined never to see them live, every gig they’ve played having clashed with some other gig or family gathering… The single has been worth the wait, its addictive indie jangly guitars creating an alt-pop romp that demonstrates a confident swagger, with a captivatingly assured and laidback vocal. Despite its swagger and assuredness the song never comes across as smug or arrogant. And repeat…
Brontes – Links
Horace Andy – This Must Be Hell
From some new kids on the block to a legend of the Jamaican reggae scene, the one and only Horace Andy. The single This Must Be Hell, precedes his album Midnight Rocker released on On U Sound in April. There couldn’t be a more fitting lyric for our times, in the wake of events over the last few years and what is currently occurring in the Russian/Ukranian crisis.
https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/6TR3ZAgT8c7C5iqG7
Horace Andy – Facebook
The Fades – Lost My Job/Time is Right
Spiky angular guitars abound on Lost My Job, the new single from The Fades, demonstrating their post-punk leanings perfectly, the inclusion dissonant brass sprinkled throughout demonstrating the sheer frustration of the lyrics as the song reaches its climactic conclusion.
The Fades – website
Wife Guys of Reddit – Pig Fat
Hot of the presses is the new video from The Wife Guys of Reddit, Pig Fat. This is an absolute belter of a single, a mix of head mashing crunching guitars and desperate histrionics in the near screamed vocals “I’m under pressure, where is my head at”. Mindfuck. Absolutely love it.
The Wife Guys of Reddit – Bandcamp – Facebook
Savage Cut – The Debt
The mighty Savage Cut return with their latest cut, featuring Killie legend and Outstandifold & the Wettygrippers/Southern Approach vocalist and songwriter, David Munro Orr. A usual from Savage Cut this demands to be played loud, thundering drums and crashing cymbals, a hypnotic bassline and some high octane electric riffing – Munro’s rich vocal is perfectly suited to this huge behemoth of a track.
Savage Cut – Facebook – Bandcamp
Broken Chanter – Allow Yourself
If you haven’t already bought Catastrophe Hits, firstly, why the hell not? Secondly, it is now available in full glorious technicolour on vinyl via LNFG/Olive Grove and is a ”must have” album for anyone’s collection. The album launch show in Glasgow’s CCA last year was breathtaking, with Allow Yourself being one of the many highlights, and one of my favourites from the album. If you can get along to a Broken Chnater gig this year, please do, you won’t be disappointed, David’s on stage patter is worth the ticket price alone. And he has impeccable taste in football teams…
Broken Chanter – Website – LNFG
The Stolen Moans – Falling Into
Power riffs and vocal hooks aplenty in The Stolen Moans latest single Falling Into, the song swooping and soaring to epic crescendos. Mightily bombastic and a whole lotta lot of fun.
The Stolen Moans – website
crush – backwards 36
Another slice of heaven from crush offering up their blissed out astral blend of heavenly vocals and euphoric hypnotic rhythms, like a warm embrace enveloping you in their own enchanted dreamlike world. Luscious and utterly charming.
Corvus and the Morning Star – Ain’t No Way
From a shoegaze tinged enchantment with crush, we move to the equally enchanting psychedelic inflections of Corvus and the Morning Star. A real sixties West Coast jangly guitar vibe eminating from this one. Glorious.
Corvus and the Morning Star – Facebook – Bandcamp
Memes – Second Thought
“Laptop” rock duo from Glasgow with their latest jagged angular post-punk influenced single Second Thoughts, with plenty of sing (or shout) along opportunities – I can’t help thinking this is the 21st Century male version of Shampoo’s Trouble.
Reef – Wolfman
Reef release a new single that is pretty much what you’d expect from Reef… Surfer dude bluesy rock n roll music with Gary Stringer’s familiar gruff vocal. Having had conversations with several people following their joint headline tour with The Wildhearts and Terrorvision a few years ago, Reef seem to be one of those marmite bands that people love or hate. I personally love them…(I hate marmite though…)
Reef – Website
Emma and the Fragments – No Hope for Love
“The heaviness of emptiness has become a hateful mess…” is one of the memorable rhyming couplets from this addictive indie rock single recalling the late 80s/early nineties feel of bands like The Darling Buds or The Forget-Me-Nots. This airy and addictive tune has a darker side with its reflection in the lyrics about being trapped in a loveless relationship, but with a sense of hope too…
Emma and the Fragments – Facebook
Panic Shack – Mannequin Man
Welsh DIY riot grrl indie-punk’s Panic Shack release Mannequin Man from their debut EP Baby Shack due out in April. The song is a riotous melee of chaotic feisty attitude, underlined by a hypnotic bouncing bassline, in its entirety, including the equally chaotic video, this is the sound of a band thoroughly enjoying themselves. While the band say the song is about the buskers who stand still like statues all day, they could suggest an accusatory tone about indie boys who are more interested in serving as a clothes horse and looking good, rather than having anything to say… or anything resembling a tune to play.
Panic Shack – Facebook
The Waterboys – All Souls Hill
The Waterboys seem to have been an ever present part of my music history. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t listen to Waterboys records. Mike Scott’s vocal is like a welcome place of comfort to go to when my soul needs soothed. All Souls Hill is the uplifting title track of the new album due out in May and includes references to a common theme across the bands output, that of Pan.
The Waterboys – website
Ditz – I am Kate Moss
Released on Alcopop!, the same label as one of my most listened albums of the year so far, Helen Love’s This is My World, the debut album from Ditz, The Great Regression is out in March. Latest single, I Am Kate Moss opens with a sinisterly moody post punk throb soundtracking the repeated lyric “I’ve got a striking figure”. That menacing throb underlines the entire song incorporating bursts of frenetic energy along the way, the sinister edge enhanced by the faceless masks worn in the video.
Ditz – website
Sarah May – Something to Fall Back On
From the frenetically sinister to the gloriously hypnotic, with sparse and crisp electronic sounds backing up Sarah May’s flawless vocal on her latest release, Something to Fall Back On.
Sarah May – website
James Domestic – Mañana
If you’ve ever had that feeling of malaise, where everything is an effort and the world can fuck off until tomorrow, then this is the song for you. Over the top of a Parklife-esque rhythm, James lists all the things he could/should be doing, before the chorus kicks in “Its not going to be today”. the genius addition of sax is just the icing on the cake. It’ll all be different tomorrow…mañana!!!!
James Domestic – website
Vardy – Hendrix
I’m not going to lie. I had a tear in my eye listening to this song, and this was probably a selfish tear as I could relate to everything I believe Daniel is trying to portray in this song. This one is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster from Vardy (who released one of my favourite EPS of 2021). The single is named after his son and as such you can palpably feel the passion in Daniel’s vocal delivery. The music is electrically charged, matching the sheer intensity and edge apparent in the delivery of the lyrics. The message is ultimately one of love and living in the moment, celebrating every moment you spend with your loved ones, but it comes initially from a place of worthlessness and desperation and thoughts of suicide. This is one powerful song.
Vardy – Facebook
Drug Couple – Linda’s Tripp
Linda’s Tripp is a slacker rock anthem good and proper. It takes its blueprint from the heady grungy rock by the likes of Dinsoaur Jr, with its fuzzy guitars and distorted vocals adding mandolin and dreamy duetted vocal to great effect giving an alt-country element to the sound. I need to check out the album.
Drug Couple – bandcamp
The Blinders – Hate to See You Tortured
From the Electric Kool Aid (Pt1) EP, this high octane beast storms into life with a thunderous drum beat and bass line, with the addition of effective organs and crashing guitars helping it to build to its clamouring crescendo. Initially lyrically similar to the sentiment at the start of the Vardy single. Musically, this is probably one of the most straightforward driving rock songs in the band’s catalogue. Looking forward to seeing them live again supporting The Cribs (interestingly (or not) the first time I saw them live was at an afternoon slot at Glasgow’s Stag and Dagger with The Cribs headlining…)
The Blinders – website
The Blue Carpet Band – The Slow Death of Camden
Greaser Rock n’ Roll at is slicked back quiff, leather jacketed, big black biker boots best. Piledriver riffing solid thunderous meaty bass riffs & hooks, Djamel’s smooth rockabilly vocal complete with yelps and squeals, and handclaps all sound-tracking lyrics lamenting the ongoing gentrification of the places previously frequented by the misfits and freaks of The Courettes single…. A subject not unique to Camden. Edinburgh’s Fistymuffs having released a single a few years ago bemoaning the “Gentrification of Leith”.
The Blue Caret Band – bandcamp
Saloon Dion – Hey Hey
Funk influenced post-punk in the vein of Gang of Four/Pere Ubu from Saloon Dion and their latest offering, the foot-tapping inducing cowbell heavy vibes of Hey Hey.
Saloon Dion – facebook
Out of the Swim – Tilt the Mirror
Gloriously seductive leftfield rhythms with a reggae influence from Out of the Swim. The band keep getting better and better with each release they make. Sublime, once again.
Out of the Swim – website
We Are Joiners – Liquorice
With initial riffs like The Ramones never went away, Liquorice is a short and sweet garage punk blast, distorted vocals atop foot to the floor riffing. Nice.
We Are Joiners – bandcamp
Sloan Brothers – Songs Like This
This song has you smiling from the moment it starts, there is just something straightforward and innocent about it that has you hooked from the off. The harmonies are sublime, the mood upbeat. The lyric states “I never ever thought I’d write a song like this”…. please write many more…
Sloan Bothers – bandcamp
Mist Tower – Fever Touch
I heard this song, a cracking epic deep down and dirty heavy stoner rock song, before I found out where they were from. Odessa in Southern Ukraine. So, it should go without saying that regardless of how good the song is, music here takes a back seat, and humanity takes over, wishing all the best to the band and their loved ones in these horrendous circumstances we currently find ourselves in.
Mist Tower – facebook
Nicole Faux Naiv – Moon Rally
The hauntingly beautiful intro to Moon Rally (the title song from Nicole’s upcoming debut album) captivates you, drawing you into the song and capturing you as its lush 1980’s feel permeates your eardrums…
Nicole Faux Naiv – facebook
Cat SFX – Rodeo
The latest release on Alan McGee’s It’s Creation Baby label, this is an attitude fuelled rocker lambasting the state of the nation, and the seeming lack of will from the public to do anything about it “too brainwashed to be offended”. Crashing drums, huge riffs and lyrics spat out with venom, “ain’t no democracy, just mediocrity, its all hypocrisy”. As Cat says, this ain’t her first Rodeo…
Cat SFX – facebook
monsterpop – I Don’t Know
Jimmy Devlin’s latest outing as monsterpop does exactly what it says on the tin. I Don’t Know is a huge 80’s power pop tune lamenting the fact that everything we do in the 21st Century is recorded in some shape or form…
monsterpop – bandcamp
Bodega – Statuette on the Console
Heading to Glasgow for two nights soon is NYC’s effervescent garage punks, Bodega, these are set to be gigs not to be missed (he says knowing he’ll be working in Darlington – typical, of course). You can all go and smugly tell me just how good it was… In the meantime I’ll just “console” myself with their latest single, Statuette on the Console
Bodega – bandcamp
Balthvs – Turkish Coffee
Sweetly sonorous surf guitar vibes on this potently infectious instrumental from this eminently talented three piece.
Balthvs – bandcamp
Tom McGuire & the Brassholes – D.R.E.A.D.
For a song called D.R.E.A.D. this is an entirely inspirational positivity drenched 6 minute epic continuing in the series of utterly spellbinding and uplifting slabs of ecstatic soul funk to come from this bunch of Brassholes.
Tom McGuire and the Brassholes – website
The Queens Head – The Queens Head
Penultimate song in this month’s roundup is the self titled single from The Queen’s Head, this one has a bit of a soulful funk element to it too, but with more of a sinister edge to it, the similarities are their in the lyrics too “same hopeless dread”. It has a bit of a Hard Fi feel to it in places, so in the spirit of Living for the Weekend ..anyone up for a pint?
The Queens Head – facebook
Bob Vylan – Health is Wealth
Straight off the presses, ahead of the release of their new album in April, Bob Vylan’s latest single is a fresh reggae tinged statement about the health of the nation. A lyric that takes in political comment, commentary around your mental and physical health, and the health of the planet. I’m still excited to finally see the Bob’s perform live in Glasgow later in the year. Go and pre-order the album now, get your tickets and get your latest “bootleg” t shirts – this time round they have a Public Enemy theme (previously Sex Pistols and Bad Brains “bootlegs”)
Bob Vylan – bandcamp – Shopify