Happy Friday folks, and welcome to this pre-festivities edition of Tracks Of The Week; where we’ll set you up with some top tunes to offset all the Christmas music you’re likely being barraged with on a regular-to-constant basis. But first to last week’s top three entries:
3. Pugwash (feat Matt Berry) – What Are You Like
2. Myles Kennedy – Year Of The Tiger
1. Galactic Cowboys – Zombies
Well done to those guys. Now, who will sway your vote this week? There’s a mouthwatering range here – from no-nonsense hard rock to kooky psych, A-list favourites to new faces – so give ‘em a spin, pick your favourite then vote at the foot of this page. First of all, however, let’s listen to last week’s first prize winners Galactic Cowboys. Yeah Zombies! “Zombie attack!” Happy Christmas one and all!
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Alice Cooper – The Sound Of A
The Coop has gone all Pink Floyd on us, and it sounds bloomin’ great – twisting his own macabre sense of theatre into huge-scale swathes of pensive guitar, late 60s psychedelia and even a Roger Waters-nodding lead vocal into the bargain. Fuckin’ ‘A’, one might say (and we mean awesome here, not awful or arsehole etc).
Lovehoney – Feelin’ No Way
Expect only the fuzziest, coolest blues rock – with jibes of funked up swagger and soul – from these Brooklyn noisemakers, propelled by the commanding pipes of singer Alysia Quinones. If the Jimi Hendrix Experience was fronted by a woman, and tuned into the Black Keys era, it might have sounded like this. Ones we’ll be watching out for in 2018…
Ty Tabor – Johnny Guitar
The King’s X lead guitarist rocks HARD on this metallic, grooved-up-to-the-nines riff monster, taken from new solo record Alien Beans. Lip-smacking guitar crunch, tasty-as-hell soloing and a tale of Johnny the guitar player that pulls you in from the get-go…these are all good things in our book.
Frank Hannon – Blue Sky
A luscious Allmans cover to warm you to the core now, courtesy of Tesla man Frank Hannon. Outside it may be grey and drizzly, but it’s all Californian blue skies and sunny days – and sweeeeet twin-lead guitar lines – over here. Ahhhh…
The Babe Rainbow – Monky Disco
The biggest hippies in Byron Bay come bearing a funky, 70s disco-evoking freak-out with the most pleasingly eccentric title we’ve seen this week (I mean, a disco of monkeys, what’s not to like about that?? Exactly, nothing) and a touch of hazy psychedelia. Perfect fodder for shaking your thang or bobbing your head in manner of animated pigeon/chicken/similar.
Outlaws & Moonshine – Devil In The Moonshine
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Loyalty
Now for some hooky, first-class weird shit, from King Gizzard and his lizard wizard. The first minute may seem a bit early-Dr Who-meets-Stranger Things, but from there you’ll find a tantalising hotpot of electronic beats, tasty bass grooves and seductive vocals. And mysterious hooded figures, candles and the like. Nice.
Voyages – New Year’s Day
Need a song to ring in the new year on a good note? You could do a lot worse than siding with Voyager, a five-piece from Bath who’ve stirred the spirits of 60s psych-pop and the seaside (plus Lennon n’ McCartney-evoking vocals) into this loveable, slightly bittersweet but ultimately hopeful ode to a year of regrets and a better one to come. Merry Christmas and a happy new year folks, it’s been a pleasure, and we’ll see you on the flipside.
