Penultimate round up for 2022…
Klubber Lang – The Sad Professor
Another thunderous behemoth of a tune from Dublin’s Klubber Lang, this time the huge riffs, pounding rhythm and caustic vocals sounding like the bastard child of an unholy coupling between Therapy? and The Fall.
Less Killjoy – Sad Girl Suburbia
Sad Girl Suburbia manages to be somehow melancholic and full of rage in equal measures as Less Killjoy releases the last song from her upcoming EP Punk Grenade. The lyrics of this beats led grunge guitar driven song reflects her attempts are trying to fit in while growing up before discovering her own path and sticking a middle finger up to the world.
Clouds and Errors – See You See Me
Exuberant, anthemic and invigorating are words that come to mind when listening to Clouds and Errors for the first time. See You See Me soars and swells, an epic first belies their years and heralds a bright future for the band.
The Science of Words – Day Crash
Day Crash evokes memories of happy nights in indie discos of the 1980’s dancing in my well-worn cardie and kicked in DMs to the likes of The Flatmates, The Pastels and The Shop Assistants. The song is a heavenly slice of addictive jangle pop for the 21st century, sounding as fresh and entrancing as the songs if my youth, bringing on a feeling of joyous nostalgia. The song is paired with equally evocative Weekend Away on a limited edition 7″ on the Old Bad Habits label.
Holly Henderson – The Planes
A hauntingly alluring and bewitching change of direction for Holly Henderson to follow up her debut album Monday Green. Holly’s spirited vocals taking centre stage over her gently strummed acoustic guitar on this arresting taster for upcoming album The Walls.
Michael Monroe – Derelict Palace
You can’t keep a good man down. With the latest cut from his album I Live Too Fast to Die Young, Michael Monroe continues to show the young rockers what it means to be cool and continue to be relevant and creative as you hit your 60’s. After all bands like Guns n Roses wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for Hanoi Rocks. Young frontmen half his age would die to have as much stage presence as this captivating showman.
Lux Lyall – Draw Blood
Draw Blood quietly seethes drips with a sense of regret, as Lyall’s soulful vocal paired with a smouldering dark noir soundtrack, telling a tale of abusive relationships – “Is it still love ’til her draws blood”. Brooding and affecting.
The Claudettes – A Lovely View
Chicago’s roots/blues band The Claudettes continue to leave a mark, this time with this stirringly soulful cut from their latest album The Claudettes Go Out! (Deserving of a much timelier review than I have managed to get round to so far…) Berit’s vocal is stunning in its gracefully swirling elegance, while Johnny understated playing on this song matches the mood perfectly as all band members come together to create a rousingly moving climax.
Everclear – Year of the Tiger
US alt-rockers return after a seven-year absence, seemingly roused by the political shitstorm that the USA became over the Trump years “The truth is not a slogan on a stupid red hat” rages Art Alexakis with a heartfelt determination that is hard to disagree with.
Emperor of Ice Cream – Winter Pages
Emperor of Ice Cream return, doing what they do best on this lush and impactful multi-layered, harmony laden track, packed full of dreamily overwrought melodies and soaring soulful vocals.
Quarry – New City Comes Along
New City Comes along is a hard-hitting anti-war anthem wearing its Strummer/Clash influences proudly on its sleeves, both despairing at the futility of war and its devastating effect of the citizens of cities under seige, and the resilience of people “we see a new scene, a new city comes along”.
Jemma Freeman & the Cosmic Something – Nobody Ever
Miffed, like its predecessor is set to become a late contender for my albums of the year list. The latest single to be drawn from the album follows the rapid-fire aural assault that was Easy Peeler. While Nobody Ever has less of a frenetic vocal delivery, this song is just as impactful and mesmerising as the albums debut single, the song packed with the energy and passion of what is certainly one of the most hypnotically captivating bands I’ve seen live this year.
Jemma Freeman & the Cosmic Something
deus – Must Have Been New
deus have been away even longer than Everclear with a new album on its way after a 10-year hiatus. The influential Belgian band return on top form with this rousing anthem.
Guernica Mancini – Inception
Solo outing for Thundermother lead singer Guernica Mancini. The appropriately titled Inception is the Swedish rockers first solo single providing a thundering hard rock platform for her impressively powerful vocal range.
Soft on Crime – Telex Eyes
Coming straight out of Dublin, you could be forgiven for thinking the vital power pop sensibilities of this highly energised rousing anthem were formulated in the same Boston factory that brought you The Cars in the late 70’s/early 80’s.
Fragile Gang – Beach
From their new album Summertime in the City, this LA based band have been releasing music since 2007, but first came to my attention in 2019 with their wonderful album A Plausible and Desirable Future. Single Beach follows previous Ginger Quiff loved single “I Love the Rain”, it is simultaneously delicately elegant and sumptuously indulgent, vocalist Aisling channelling Jarboe while providing the vocal equivalent of a warm hug, while the addition of strings towards the end add an element of Galaxie 500 to the mix.
Holy Moly & the Crackers – Hot Red
Hailing from Newcastle, Holy Moly and the Crackers are the North East’s equivalent of another band featured in this month’s round up, The Claudettes. Holy Moly create a sound more akin to that of a soulful US jazz/blues band than you might expect from a UK based band. This song is satisfyingly lush and supremely laidback. Give me more.
Lichen Slow – Hobbies
After the welcome return of Arab Strap, Malcolm Middleton strikes out again on his own, or to be more accurate in a new partnership, this time partnering with Joel Harries of Team Leader. Totally and utterly immersive as you get drawn into the hypnotically melancholic melodies and tale of a one-sided deal made with the devil.
Driven Snow – Flickers of You
Lichen Slow to Driven Snow…. and another gorgeously sublime piece of heaven-sent golden lined silken harmonies from the Dublin duo.
Bunkhouse – Saramago
The new single from Glasgow trio Bunkhouse is a joyous clamour of lo-fi techno beats and fuzzy crunching guitars coming together with exquisitely layered harmonies to create an uproariously raucous soundclash.
The Magic Sponge – The Light
Accompanied by a video reminding me of a treachorous journey across the A66 many winters ago, The Light , from their addictively quirky album from earlier this year, Modus Poperandi, delights the listener with its lush rhythms, laidback grooves and an astutelt emotional lyric.
Leila Moss with Jehnny Beth – Ache in the Middle
The frontwoman of The Duke Spirit joins forces with ex-Savages vocalist for Ache in the Middle, – “I was working with Johnny Hostile (Jehnny Beth’s partner)on extra instrumentation for this track, when he sent it back with a middle 8 vocal section written and sung by his partner Jehnny Beth. He emailed saying she loved the track and hoped I didn’t mind her spontaneous contribution? This was a real gift, some unexpected beauty. The track crystallises my thoughts about some of my own childhood, ideas about attachment and my recent work with Children’s Social Care. Jehnny Beth must have somehow understood where I was with this personal process, because she jumped straight in with a complimentary lyrical flow.“
Cruush – Sombre By the Weekend
Another cracking song from cruush, this time channelling shades of My Bloody Valentine, straddling that line between dreamy shoegaze and dark gritty industrial level distorted instrumentation.
Syvdoh – As I Lay Dying
The punchily unpredictable Syvdoh return with this atmospheric song from their latest masterpiece, album number 4, Gentlemen out now on Iffy Folk records.
Hadda Be – Mercurial
A fitting title to this vivaciously effervescent new single from the magnificent Hadda Be, a song that sweeps and soars through the ether, shimmering guitars and strident vocals creating a stirring atmospheric anthem.
Brat Coven – Ready to Kill
The first of two songs in a row that prove Girl Power is far from dead. But this isn’t the Girl Power of The Spice Girls. No this is rage fuelled grunge punk more influenced by the likes of Bikini Kill, Bratmobile and Babes in Toyland. Ready to Kill is packed with searing guitar riffs and wildly incensed vocals, a song simmering with ebullient anger before exploding with an unfettered rage,
Dream Wife – Leech
Probably Dream Wife’s most blunt and condemnatory song, strike that probably, this IS Dream Wife’s most compellingly critical song to date, the lyrics “just have some fucking empathy” spat out with contempt before the frustration at the power of the patriarchy in the music industry boils over into venomous rage in the chorus “the leech is out for blood”. Sensational.
Domestic Curse – Marching On
James Domestic (The Domestics) teams up with John Hewson for this hard hitting observation of life from The Five Curses vinyl available from Kibou Records
His Lordship – I Live in the City
Both His Lordships EPs have just been brought together on one handy CD, Rock n Roll is Not for Everyone, just in time for Christmas. I Live in the City is one of the raucous tracks from their EP of original songs, All Cranked Up, and is a blistering rocket-fuelled high adrenaline rock n roll romp. If Rock n Roll is for you, make sure you get tickets for their 2023 tour. They were phenomenal in McChuills earlier this year.
Scottish Fault Lines – Lies More Potent Than Any Truth
Hugh evokes elements of King Creosote on this seemingly gentle acoustic ballad, but listen closely to the bitterly scathing lyrics before the song ends in a burst of passionate fury.
monsterpop – Ring Ring
Having recently spent an evening being entertained by Jimmy, Billy and Andrew aka Three Minute Heroes at a Halloween Party in The Scottish Honky Tonk on Bute, where they did their take on some ABBA classics, it is good to hear Jimmy in his guise as monsterpop release one of these classics as a single. Play loud at your upcoming Christmas parties.