Welcome to this latest selection of new music we're rather liking right now. We reckon you'll like 'em too, but which will you rate the highest? Last week you voted these guys into the top three, in reverse order:
3. The Pineapple Thief - Uncovering Your Tracks
2. Wheel - Vultures
1. Snakewater - Girl Like You
Congratulations Snakewater! And to Wheel and The Pineapple Thief, who were pretty much neck and neck in second and third places. Now, wrap your ears round this lot and vote for your favourite at the foot of this page. Right after another listen to Snakewater and their winning track from last week, Girl Like You...
Greta Van Fleet - When The Curtain Falls
Let’s start with a bang (and a screech, and some delicious riffage, and most of Zeppelin’s 70s wardrobe…) with Greta Van Fleet, shot here for a UMusic live session in Toronto. Whatever your feelings for these guys, there’s undeniably something there…
Von Hertzen Brothers - Jerusalem
This highlight from the Finns’ latest album, War Is Over, gets politically charged video treatment here (directed by guitarist brother Kie Von Hertzen). It centres on a compelling, gritty performance by Iraqi migrant Bakr Hasan, in which he “processes his emotions about getting a negative asylum decision from the Finnish Immigration Service.” Potent, highly relevant subject matter handled thoughtfully.
Steel Trees - Deaf In One Eye
Grungy garage rock now, from a South Yorkshire trio (featuring ex Black Spiders bassist Adam 'Fox' Irwin) who describe their music as “rock and/or roll played loud and fast and weird”. We’re not sure how ‘weird’ we’d call this driving, hooky dose of sweat and fuzzed up noise, but we like it.
Ataurus Minor - Elemental Child
Atari Ferrari singer/guitarist/songwriter Matthew Hughes unleashes his inner Marc Bolan with this psychedelic T.Rex cover (originally featured on 1970’s A Beard Of Stars). All dulcet haze and glam-tinged psych-folk, it’s a classy homage to one of this Washington muso’s predominant inspirations. Hughes is releasing a cover of the whole album early next year.
Lee Aaron - I’m A Woman
The ‘Metal Queen’ of the late 80s/early 90s, Lee Aaron celebrates a dizzyingly broad range of inspirational women (Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Joan of Arc, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mother Teresa…) in this nicely sleazy bluesy cover of the Koko Taylor classic. “I can make love to a crocodile”, “I can cut a stone with a pin,” she roars and purrs, and you’re inclined to believe her. Taken from latest album Diamond Baby Blues, which is out now.
Palaye Royale - You’ll Be Fine
The official live concert video for one of our favourite tracks from the Toronto-formed, Vegas-based kids’ new album Boom Boom Room (Side B), which is on sale now. Looking like the love-children of the Rolling Stones and My Chemical Romance, they delight the pogoing crowd here with a mix of youthful fizziness and cool Rn’B swagger.
Dirty Streets - Distractions
Straight out of some invitingly cool jam night in the 70s, this strutting, soul-infused shot of blues rock shows these Memphis dudes off to their best advantage. It's also the title track from their fifth and latest album, which is out now.
Corroded - Burn
Do yourselves a favour and ignore the minute of dicking around, complete with cringy jabbering voice, at the beginning of this (in which the band are ordered to go and retrieve the greatest song ever written...or something), because once it gets underway the song is actually pretty darn good (as is the rest of the video’s heist action). Hard grooving with metallic crunch and twin-lead guitar flashes, it’s a nicely fierce note on which to end here.
