Congratulations to Manchester's Luna Marble, who engaged in an online jousting session with Bristol's Elles Bailey in our latest Tracks Of The Week contest, and managed to stay aboard their horse until the bitter end. In other words, they won the contest and Elles came a close second, with Swedish melodic rockers Nestor a not-so-close third.
Below you can revisit Luna Marble's winning entry Sea Of Sorrow, before we embark on this week's competition.
And don't forget to vote!
The Hot Damn! - Loud And Clear (acoustic version)
There’s nothing like a fully acoustic set-up to show what a band really is (or isn’t) capable of. In these guys’ case it works in their favour, for much the same reason they’ve continued to reappear in Tracks Of The Week. They might dress like kids TV presenters and have a cheesy band name with a fucking exclamation mark, but look – SONGS! Like, proper pop rock songs with can’t-help-but-sing-along-to-it choruses! Every bloody time! Not to mention three guitarists who can really sing, as Loud And Clear’s killer harmonies affirm. More, please.
Halestorm & I Prevail - Can U See Me In The Dark?
Halestorm joined forces with their soon-to-be US tour buddies, Michigan alt metallers I Prevail, to write this newbie. And you know what? It’s a bit of a banger, combining both bands’ heavy secret sauces into one explosive blast – modern, moody and ultra-melodic. "Can U See Me In The Dark? is written for our collective fan bases, our community, our family,” Lzzy says. “We want you to know that you are seen and you are not alone shining through life’s myriad of joy and pain. We can't wait to feast our eyes on you this summer!"
Kaleo - Rock N Roller
The Grammy-nominated, big-selling Icelandic rockers wrote this old-school rabble-rouser years ago, and have been closing a lot of their gigs with it ever since. Now manifested in fully produced, studio-ified form, Rock N Roller makes us think of the Black Keys letting their hair down to Little Richard records with Rival Sons – all whoops, tambourine shakes and red-hot guitars. There are definitely sleeker, 'cooler' moments in their catalogue, but here they just sound like they’re having fun, and we can definitely get on board with that.
Light Of Eternity - Edge Of Fate
Killing Joke drummer/co-founder Big Paul Ferguson (also formerly of Murder, Inc., Crush and The Orb) thrives on this mighty cut from his 2023-formed group Light Of Eternity. Fiery, cavernous industrial rock that hooks you in from the first thunder-rumbling notes, Edge Of Fate flies with rocket-fuelled force and the darkness of a towering dystopian landscape. If you’re partial to a bit of Killing Joke, you’ll love this.
Brave Rival - Fairytale
With sumptuous bluesy rock vocals and riffage offset by zingy drums that made team CR think (somewhat differently) of Queensryche’s Operation: Mindcrime, Brave Rival’s new single serves up retro stylings with a kick. A moody earworm with one foot in the 70s and the other bopping around between the late 80s and 90s. As co-vocalist Chloe Josephine says: "It's dark and heavy and poetically connects with the fairytale feeling of the mental health world. It's relatable but it also rocks."
L.A. Edwards - Comin’ Around
Luke Edwards and his California crew continue to journey into arm-waving, lighter-swaying heartland rock territory with Comin’ Around – the Tom Petty-channelling latest piece of their new record Pie Town. “Comin' Around is kind of a white flag/cease-fire song,” Luke says. “It's about getting back to a place where you accept yourself or others after a long detour. It's the final track on the album and one of the more hopeful narratives of Pie Town.”
Louise Patricia Crane - Midnight View
At once ethereal, rich and wreathed in smoke, Midnight View finds Northern Irish singer/songwriter Louise Patricia Crane mixing late night jazz saxophone with folky prog storytelling and sensuous Kate Bush-esque vibes. Part mystical folklore, part cinematic exploration of life’s darker places – with co-producer Jakko Jakszyk (King Crimson) lending some gorgeous backing vocals. Beautifully nocturnal stuff.
DarWin – 5 Steps On The Sun
A plethora of big names come together on 5 Steps On The Sun as legendary drummer-for-hire Simon Phillips herds Mohini Dey (Steve Vai, Jordan Rudess, etc), Greg Howe (shred icon, etc), Matt Bissonette (David Lee Roth, ELO, etc) and more into a recording studio and conjures up some user-friendly prog rock that's as easy on the ear as it is sumptuously well-performed. It's kind of It Bites territory, but with extra-worldly harmonies, as if the Beach Boys had come from 5000 light-years away in the Boomerang Nebula instead of California.
