If we’d thought about it, we’d have done a Halloween-themed list for this latest edition of Tracks Of The Week. But we didn’t, because we were too busy rocking to these eight magnificent examples of non Halloween-themed tunes. Although the first track and the final track are quite Halloween-ish. So think of it as some kind of Halloween sandwich, with a very tasty filling.
Devin Townsend - March Of The Poozers
When Prog Magazine reviewed Devin’s Royal Albert Hall Ziltoid show they described the spectacle as a “a preposterous space-puppet Nuremberg” (this was a compliment, honest), and March Of The Poozers isn’t a bad place to start if you’d like to get a little closer to the madness. Watch out for the arse-costumes.
Jeff Lynne’s ELO - One Step At A Time
Mr Blue Sky and all who sail in him are back, with a lovely new album of sweet tuneage – including this pretty, breezy little number. In true ELO style, it twists and shifts in the most delightful, harmonic way, just as you think it’s settled into a smooth plateau.
Weezer - Thank God For Girls
For those who are unfamiliar with cannoli, they’re delicious Sicilian pastry desserts filled with a sweet, ricotta cream filling. They’re not particularly well-known in The UK yet, although those who follow with the HBO drama series The Sopranos may have a head start (the Soprano’s recipe book features an excellent version from Carmela). But we’re sure this is about to change once news of Weezer’s new cannoli-centric new video spreads across the world wide web.
Purple - Mini Van
We’ve been tracking Purple for a while now, since we saw them tear apart a tiny Camden venue in front of an equally tiny crowd, so we’re delighted to see them return with Mini Van, which swaggers punkily into view like the early Beastie Boys and appears to celebrate the twin joys of Texan BBQ and cars with bouncy-ass suspension. We’re enormous fans of both, so we like this very much.
Steven Wilson - Routine
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house at the Royal Albert Hall in September when Israeli singer Ninet Tayeb sang her heart out two nights running to this poignant backdrop. Put together by Owlhouse, the team responsible for films for Wilson’s Drive Home, The Raven The Refused To Sing and Storm Corrosion’s Drag Ropes, Routine soundtracks another eerie and emotional vignette in the prince of prog’s canon.
Wreckless Eric - Days Of My Life
We were startled recently to discover that the great Wreckless Eric now lives and works in America, or amERICa, as he clearly delights in calling it on his new album. This doesn’t appear to have changed him at all, for Days Of My Life is precisely the kind of clattering, homespun recording that’s defined his very British-sounding career. Welcome back, Sir.
Screaming Eagles - Breakin’ All The Rules
Breakin’ All The Rules is another belter from the hard-rockin’ Northern Irish quartet, with a riff that sounds like it thundered up from the Deep South, stopping off on the way to fuel up on high-octane gasoline, before arriving at Bad Company’s house for tequila slammers and ginger nuts. In other words, it rocks fairly substantially.
Dante - Shagfoal
Wanna meet some atmospheric, spooky blues rock from Bogota at the crossroads? Here Colombian rock band Dante invoke the spirit of the Shagfoal beast, a black dog of doom subverted in this creepy vid where it’s unclear who’s the most in trouble, the witch up for trial or the townsfolk looking on…
