A new week is upon us, the Oscars have come and gone, leaving post-mortems aplenty in their wake (having honoured Bohemian Rhapsody's Rami Malek with a best actor gong, as well as the film's sound mixing, sound editing and editing teams)... What we all need right now is some quality, fist-pumping new rock'n'roll to blow away the excess glitter and controversy. And what better way to kick off than with a look at last week's hip-shaking, head-banging, swoon-inducing top three:
3. Clutch - Ghoul Wrangler
2. KOYO - Before
1. Buck & Evans - Slow Train
Congratulations Buck & Evans! And also to worthy second and third place winners KOYO and Clutch. Quality stuff all round. Now, let’s see who you all fall for this week; check out the tunes below and vote for your favourite at the foot of this page. But first, a little victory spin for last week’s champions, this is Slow Train...
Mötley Crüe - The Dirt
Long (like, really long) awaited Mötley Crüe movie The Dirt hits Netflix next month, but before that you can wrap your ears round this – the film’s brand new title track, and easily one of the best things Sixx and co have written in years. Featuring an appearance by Machine Gun Kelly (who plays Tommy Lee in the film) it’s a punchy, loveable blast of tightly executed debauchery.
Temple Of One - The Cards
The debut single now from former alumni of Inglorious (vocalist/bassist Colin Parkinson and guitarist Drew Lowe) and Detroit Social Club (drummer ‘Greenie’). A catchy marriage of turn-of-the-century alt rock and grungy rock’n’roll – think Foo Fighters meets Stone Temple Pilots – it’s got them off to a promising start...
The Picturebooks - The Hands Of Time
German-born, often LA-based duo The Picturebooks make music with bluesy garage oomph and a DIY punk spirit to stamp your feet too, and this, the title track from their new album, is no exception. With a video co-starring various longtime friends and supporters, it’s an untamed, unruly but infectious summation of their formative influences, from the musical to the filmic, skateboarding, motorbiking and general school-of-life ones.
Novatines - Hate Love
British rockers Novatines have covered decent ground for a band only conceived in 2017, swiftly landing support slots with the likes of Von Hertzen Brothers, Sweet and Alabama 3. This newbie stirs warm, classic 70s rock tones into a commanding alt rock framework.
Asomvel - The Law Is The Law
Asomvel seemed poised for cool things after the release of their debut in 2009. Then, the following year, their singer Jay-Jay Winter was tragically killed in a car accident. The band regrouped in 2013, and now are back with the first single from their third album World Shaker. Heavy metal rock’n’roll from the underground, with one foot cheerfully in Motorhead’s back catalogue.
Duff McKagan - Tenderness
The first track from the Guns N’ Roses bassist’s upcoming solo album, backed by Shooter Jennings and his band. “The real point of Tenderness is not for me to be some damn politician or some other voice to add to what is already way too much noise,” Duff says of the song. “This is a song of unity and peace…”
Tim Bowness - It’s The World
The gnarlier, rockier side of Tim Bowness comes to the fore on this latest cut from his new album, Flowers At The Scene, and it sounds really good. The kind of swaggering, sinister mesh of dark atmosphere, chunky guitar distortion and haunting vocals that fans of Steven Wilson (Bowness's old partner in crime in No-Man, who also co-produced and mixed the record with him) will lap up.
Brass Against - Know Your Enemy
We’ll leave you with a cover of the beloved Rage Against The Machine track, with brass instruments… No wait, come back! It may sound like some trite gimmick, but these guys can really play and the whole thing works surprisingly well. And singer Sophia Urista brings charismatic star quality to the mix.
