So much for my plan of being better organised into 2023, Can’t believe we’re nearly 2 weeks into February and I’m still lagging behind…
Anyway, what follows is a list of the songs that have been soundtracking my January, some from the end of December too seeing as how I was TOO organised in December and published my December singles before Christmas…
Ren – Hi Ren
One of the most affecting singles of the end of December/beginning of January is this soul baring song from Ren. Brutally honest about his health struggles the song is a bare knuckle battle between himself and his thoughts, with a sound reminiscent of Eminem and The King Blues, once you press play on the video you will find it utterly impossible to be distracted by anything around you. Mesmerisingly powerful.
Primal Scream and Dexys – Enough is Enough
This fucked up amalgamation of countries is in a worse fucking state than ever thanks to the Tories abominable record in government. While music won’t change any of that, its about time we had a protest song that sums up the state of the nation passionately and succinctly. Its about time for an uprising isn’t it? ‘Mon the Scream and Dexys and Fuck the Tories. Support the rail workers, support the teachers, support the posties, support the teachers, support the ambulance service, support the nurses….. enough is enough.
Static – Liar
Falkirk’s Static released this single just before Christmas but it slipped through my net in December. Having first witnessed the band playing on a bill with Pizza Crunch, Vansleep and Tina Sandwich last year, where the highlight of their set for me was this single, I hope to see and hear a lot more of them in 2023
Drunk Gods – I Want to Feel Your Pain
I was both surprised and delighted when I saw a post on social media towards the end of last year from Ewan McGhee announcing the return of visceral industrial post punk band Drunk Gods. I Want to Feel Your Pain is the first fruits of the bands new labours to be released and picks up the baton from where they left off, a heady blend of driving riffs over pounding bass and thunderous drums, topped with a raw nagging vocal, all blending seamlessly with an urgent surging electronic melody. Welcome back Drunk Gods. I believe there is much more to come this year…
Weezer – Dark Enough to See the Stars
Weezer was one of the bands who shone brightly at the Hella Mega tour in Bellahouston Park last year, Rivers Cuomo may lose some of his Glasgow based fans with this one though, nothing to do with the song or the music though. I jest of course, no-one on Glasgow would be petty enough to hold his choice of top against him… Weezer do what they do best and tug at the heartstrings while delighting the eardrums with their latest slice of exquisite power pop.
Sinister Licks – C’Mon Siobhan
With a single cover that reflects my living room carpet on any given Friday, Sinister Licks blend elements of rock n roll, horror punk and driving psychobilly attitude on this foot to the floor rocker with an underlying feeling of ominous malevolence…
Ryan Hamilton – Haunted By the Holy Ghost
A joyous melodic driving rocker from Ryan Hamilton and a chorus packed with heavenly angelic harmonies. If this is what it feels like to be haunted, bring on the ghosts…
Death Valley Girls – Sunday
Heavy on the organ, with a side of sax, Sunday is a powerful psych fuelled goth rocker from Los Angeles, passionate and somewhat ethereal, the song builds with a vital energy and a hint of sixties Motown wall of sound blended into the mix to a clamouring sonorous climax.
Kirsten Adamson – My Fathers Songs
The first time I saw this song performed was when Kirsten played it at the Glad Cafe while supporting The Countess of Fife last year. The song left an indelible mark on me such was the power in its lyrics and delivery. The song obviously has a very personal sentiment for Kirsten, but I’d be surprised if any fan of the music of her father, the late great Stuart Adamson doesn’t have a lump in their throat and a tear in their eye when they first hear this song. Compellingly emotional.
X Ray Cat Trio – Cry Baby Don’t Like It
A cut from their latest long player Haunted, Cry Baby Don’t Like It is an emotion packed laid back celebration of everything 50’s dream rock n roll wrapped up for the 21st century.
Mark W Georgsson – It Could Only Happen to You
A gloriously effervescent anthem from the talented Mark W Georgsson, heavy on the organ, and with a natty line in guitar lines which positively sing as they sweep and soar through the ether.
Fiires – Concrete Angels
From the man who brought you Turning Black like Lizards, Andy Black, comes latest project Fiires, and a single Concrete Angels that takes its lead from 1980’s goth, with its dark underbelly and baseline, and layers it with elements of glittering and dreamy shoegaze, topped off with the snarl of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
Jacoby – Do the Right Thing
Jacoby follow up their debut single, Freedom Ain’t No Sin, from late last year and proving it wasn’t a one off, Do The Right Thing brings the party with a retro vibe, elements of ska influences interlace with a 1960s organ sound and a smoothly addictive singalong immediate earworm of a chorus that hooks you and reels you in without a fight.
Pennine Suite – Scottish Snow
You can’t ignore a song that mentions Glasgow Green, and when the song is as gloriously exquisite as this one with its driving beat, elements of of shoegaze and atmospheric joint lead vocals you can’t lose…
Tape Runs Out – Souvenir
Tape Runs Out have been around since 2012, releasing 6 EPs to date. This “new to me” band came to my attention through Trapped Animal records who released Jemma Freeman and the Cosmic Something album which was in my list of albums of 2023, and they have piqued my interest with this driving guitar based track and its stop animation video. I’ll certainly be exploring their back catalogue.
Garlands – This is Where We Are
Garlands album has been receiving a good bit of air time at Ginger Quiff central these days with a review to come when I get my arse in gear. In the meantime let me whet your appetite with this sublime cut from that album, Imagine I Was This Tall, with its elements of indie rock and 1960s Byrdsian/West Coast vibes.
The Pull of Autumn – Funhouse
Funhouse comes from The Pull of Autumn’s latest album, Beautiful Broken World released in December. The song has an air of desperate melancholy and despair, a certain delicate beauty in the gently strummed guitar and strings underlying the sorrowful vocal “Funhouse, its not so funny after all”
The Hip Priests – Shakin’ Ain’t Fakin’
A suitably anarchic romp from the now legendary The Hip Priests, Shankin’ Ain’t Fakin’ is a full throttle in yer face non stop searingly hot rawk anthem leaving you shakin’ having given your ears a right royal roughhousing,
The Zephyrs – Blue in the Face
Scottish alt pop legends The Zephyrs blow away the January blues with this sunshine inducing, psych tinged, jangly guitared, harmony laden belter from their latest album For Sapphire Needle.
Yo La Tengo – Aselestine
On the subject of legends, indie pop stalwarts Yo La Tengo are back with a new album, This Stupid World from which this gracefully delicate and bewitchingly beauteous song is lifted.
The Filthy Tongues – Tricky Nicky
From the third and final album in their trilogy exploring the darker, seedy underbelly of the countries capital city, and fresh from what most in attendance have said is their finest live performance to date in Glasgow’s Oran Mor, comes this single Tricky Nicky from the most excellent The Filthy Tongues. A sinister incessant beat underpins Metcalfe’s low growl, before the track explodes into life in a caterwaul of squally guitars and cackling laughter.
Poor Little Things – One for the Road
Power chords aplenty on this high octane thrill ride from Tina Jackson and Dave Talon, the Australian duo now based in Switzerland, this is one for the rockers who yearn for the days of 80’s metal, with its pounding backbeat and heavy riffing, and a primal scream from Tina to close out the song for good measure.
Saloon Dion – I Don’t Feel
A band whose name I love, and who I’ve featured in previous round ups, Saloon Dion, cement their place alongside the likes of Fat White Family and LICE with their slightly unhinged but highly addictive fuzzy guitar sound. I Don’t Feel has a laidback swagger to it, shambolic but precise and tight.
ON – Break You
More pedal to the metal driving rock riffing from ON with their latest single Break You, with a vdeo to match the adrenaline rush of the song.
Cloth – Pigeon
Having rleased one of my favourite EPs of 2020, Cloth seem likely to follow that up with one of my favourite albums of 2023 in the form of their second long player Secret Measure if this luxuriantly understated single Pigeon is anything to go by.
Quarry – Kick the Void Outside
Quarry came to my attention last year with single New City Comes Along. Kick the Void Outside also comes from their 2022 album Positioning the Sun. adding to the numerous reasons why you should check out the music of Quarry.
Lichen Slow – Pick Over the Bones
The latest single from Malcolm Middleton’s new project with Joel Harries of Team leader is glorious in its subtle charm that initially draws you in before the duo layer instrument over instrument creating a alluringly resounding cacophony.
Trampolene – Money
Another emotively charged single from the poetic pen of Jack Jones and co. bemoaning the state of the UK and the ever widening gap between the haves and have nots.
Silver Moth – Mother Tongue
Silver Moth counts Evi Vine, Elisabeth Elektra and the genius behind Mogwai, Stuart Braithwaite, within their number. Mother Tongue is a hugely rich and sweeping tune that takes in elements of folk through to voluminous post rock in a reminder of the importance of equality.
Douglas Bales – Saint Joe
A tribute to the mighty Joe Strummer from drummer Douglas Bales, who is taking to the mic. for the first time. The song lyrics itself are not the only tribute to the late great Clash man, Douglas has a voice that resembles and reflects Mr Strummers gruff vocal, and the instrumentation on the track is sympathetic to the Clash and the Mescaleros style.
The Jackets – Pie in the Sky
The Jackets do what they do best with yet another gargantuan slice of surf guitar tinged garage rock n roll, available from their Bandcamp page on 7″ backed with Misery of Man.
The Stolen Moans – Our Song
Crunching guitar riffs are the driving force behind this high octane high adrenaline rocker, coming at you like a whirlwind of frantic energy leaving you feeling ragged and bewildered (in an absolutely good way!).
Fragile Gang – Gray Day
With a sound reminiscent of 80’s indie pop/Sarah records bands mixed with US alt pop sensibilities from the like of Galaxie 500, The Fragile Gang shower you with soothing jangly guitar strumming and delicate harmonies leaving you with a relaxed and welcoming feeling of ease.
Mouse – Dead to Me
Kick drums signal the start of the song with delicate almost ethereal goth/shoegazey guitars & bass. Mouse then kicks the song kicks into gear with lyrics about crashing his car into a bridge, and the emo/pop punk guitars merge with the kick drums as Mouse sings his earnest tale with a feeling of an underlying grudge.
Big Girls Blouse – Everybody Nearly Dies All the Time
Despite having tickets for several gigs in January life happens and I have missed several already, including the launch gig for this kick arse single from the fantastic Big Girls Blouse. A night that it appears was one of those “not to be missed” gigs. On the strength of this thunderously awesome loudquietloud* (*trademarked by Pixies) song, and the anecdotes I’ve heard from the launch night, there should be plenty of further opportunities to catch them live in 2023. I just want to listen to this song back to back for hours on end. Each listen reveals another little joyful element that you somehow missed on the previous listen. I can just imagine the roof being ripped off as the pit heaves to the closing minute or so of this beast, including its monstrously emphatic drum roll. Epic.
This Questionable Life – The Softest Heart
From their debut EP of the same name comes this melancholically uplifting song from This Questionable Life, lyrically this is a song that reflects the bands name, however, musically the distorted guitar lines, underlined by elegantly strummed acoustic guitar and effective drum rolls and fills, while perfectly matching the mood of the lyrics, have a soaring uplifting quality to them. Check out the rest of the EP too… all four tracks deserving of your full attention.
Sour Speech – Take Your Time
Cut from a similar cloth as the wonderful Jo Jo and the Teeth, Sour Speech offer us up a slice of joy in the form of Take Your Time consisting of a combination of upfront crunching guitar riffs, sonorous bass rhythms and with a strong and soulful vocal to top it all off.