In the bustling, thrill-a-minute world of rock music, there's not much that's as exciting as our Tracks Of The Week roundup, and here we are again: eight songs to take you on a sonic journey through the often wild, shamelessly hyperbolic heart of rock'n'roll.
But first, congratulations to Zach Person & Kathy Valentine, whose song We Don’t Play triumphed in last week's rock skirmish. And also to the Black Crowes and Lucifer, who finished second and third. Lovely.
This week's eight contenders follow. Please vote down there ⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇.
Big Big Train - Miramare
For all the players and clever ingredients involved (not to mention its decidedly chunky runtime), Big Big Train’s new single is an easy listen. A historical epic inspired by a 19th century castle in Trieste, Italy (new singer Alberto Bravin’s hometown) – in an album largely driven by the band’s own personal experiences – Miramare is a gorgeously layered piece of musical storytelling. Musically rich and inventive, with a jagged middle section that breaks out above dreamy ELO-meets-Marillion cloudscapes, but above all a brilliant song.
Blackberry Smoke - Azalea
A moody, acoustic-based highlight from the ‘Smoke’s upcoming album, Be Right Here, the gorgeous Azalea channels Led Zeppelin III – if Led Zeppelin III had been dreamt up in a swamp by a group of bluegrass and country artists. “It’s a heavy song,” Charlie Starr explains. “It’s not a happy song, per se. There’s some hope in there, too. It comes with both Travis and I being fathers. Hold on to your kids as tight as you can without smothering them.”
Idles - Gift Horse
The latest slice of their new album Tangk, Gift Horse finds Bristol’s prodigious post-punkers perfecting their blend of socio-political fire and sinewy, shark-eyed menace, and wrapping it up in a compellingly surreal video – involving (among other things) two policemen, a priest, a kid pulling faces in a freezer and a massive cow. Lean and mean, all tough-edged grooves merged with Joe Talbot’s lyrical bullets, but sensitive at heart; “a testament to redemption, to finding something or someone that makes the worries of the world feel not just tolerable but motivating.”
Taylor McCall - Tide Of Love
We’re taking it down a notch with rising South Carolina star Taylor McCall – and this low, slow, swampy swirl of old blues and outlaw soul. In what’s shaping up to be a busy year for the young singer/guitarist, next month his new album Mellow War comes out, and in March he’ll come to the UK to open for Robert Plant (Tide Of Love is a mellow number, but we’re reliably informed he rips a mean electric solo live). One to watch.
Marisa & The Moths - Who Are You Waiting For?
Brit hard rockers M&TM evoke the heavy fire and melody of Halestorm and In This Moment, on this brooding, metallic cocktail of heartache and empowerment. "This song is about taking back your own power," Marisa says, "and realising that the love you once believed you had with someone is no longer there, and truthfully, maybe it never was. It's about rediscovering your own worth off the back of an abusive relationship, embracing your strengths, and realising you are good enough, even when that seems hard to believe in the situation you're in."
Automatic Shoes - This Car
If you thought a title like 'This Car' would come with engine revs, leather jackets and missives about gasoline and girls and breaking free and shit like that, think again. Matthew Joseph Hughes might operate under a kooky band (as well as Automatic Shoes he’s the brains behind Spokane glamsters Atari Ferrari) but he never hides behind it – his songs do all the talking. Marrying layers of delicately soaring guitars, harmonies and rousing left-turns, This Car conjures images of sweet introspection and light coming through trees. Simple, in a way, but super-smart with it. One of those artists who deserves to be much better known than he is.
Sierra Ferrell - Dollar Bill Bar
West Virginia troubadour Sierra Ferrell has a worldly sweetness to her voice that lands near the 60s timbre of Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris, but with a modern Americana slant. Which means that Dollar Bill Bar does that lovely thing of feeling old-timey while also speaking to present day listeners. Sierra cut her teeth on the road, train-hopping and busking her way through cities across America, and you get the feeling of that journey just by listening to this.
Joanne Shaw Taylor - A Good Goodbye
Written with Bones UK guitarist and former Jeff Beck collaborator Carmen Vandenberg, A Good Goodbye is as smooth a blues as you'll find, with soulful backing vocals and some deftly played, nicely understated guitar. Joanne says the song, which will appear on an album later this year, "encapsulates the power you feel when you make the decision to move on from a relationship that is no longer serving you". A Good Goodbye was produced by Kevin Shirley, who was behind the controls for 2016's Wild.
