Hey y’all, hope your bank holidays were filled with mirth, and welcome to our slightly-later-than-usual Tracks Of The Week showdown. Tonnes of you voted last week, and the scores were so close there was literally one vote separating each of the top three. So who generated such a tight contest? Here they are...
3. Pearl Handled Revolver - In My Blood
2. The Treatment - Luck Of The Draw
1. Crobot - Keep Me Down
Congratulations to Crobot, who came out on top after a hard-fought online battle of the tunes! And well-played to The Treatment and Pearl Handled Revolver, who were just behind in second and third places. Who will triumph this week? As you can see, your votes can be the difference between your favourite band winning and otherwise. So check out this delicious lot and get voting for your favourite. Right after you’ve had a listen to last week’s riff-munching victors…
Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown – Shock & Awe
We already knew Tyler as a bluesy rock guitar hotshot; born in Texas, built up in Nashville and jettisoned into the public via supports with rock’s biggest fish (GN’R, AC/DC, Jeff Beck…). Now he’s stepping us as an artiste on his own terms, as we can see in this menacing marriage of gnarly rock, chugging riffs and really fucking big snakes.
Palace Of The King - One Of These Days
Aussie rockers POTK are back and, based on this ear-grabbing indication, they’ve upped their game nicely. They’re still mixing blues, psychedelic and soulful good-time vibes, but One Of These Days has a subtler, more classic-sounding warmth to it than previous tunes. A promising start to their next wave...
Eden James – Something Called Love
It’s curious and a little unfair that someone like Eden James could slip so far under the radar, based on this gorgeously sunny, brooding slice of indie-come-americana. The New York-based (Aussie-born) singer/songwriter’s chief claim to fame is that he once stole the no.1 spot in the Greek chart from Robbie Williams, and he’s picked up fans at festivals and independent awards across the world. Other than that he’s basically the definition of a ‘hidden gem’ – one that’s worth your attention.
Hell and Hollar – Showdown
This new single from South Florida’s Hell And Hollar swaggers and smoulders, flanked by a stylish video of bust-ups and double-denim get-ups. Ok, so the bikini-ed girl washing a car bit is a laughably dated vie for attention, but they don’t really need it – Showdown is a cool, hooky mix of classic, heavy blues rootsiness and distorted contemporary noise. Like what you hear? Check out more on their new EP 442.
Black Mountain – Licensed To Drive
Be warned: this does take a minute to get going, though it is an atmosphere-building minute, with aged video game graphics and tension-building electronic flickers. The main affair makes it all worthwhile; a driving, more-ish blast of Sabbath-infused guitars, synth swoops and flashes of oddball electronica.
Piston – Rainmaker
Beefy, rugged guitar chops and brooding vocals help make this the strongest thing we’ve heard from these Midlands rockers so far. The band say: “We love it and it’s not perfect, and we don’t want it to be — rock n’ roll has never been perfect. It’s a huge step in the new sound of Piston, it will easily stand there with some of the modern greats, but it most certainly pays homage to some of our idols.”
The Underground Thieves - Whole Lotta Money
Since the dissolution of his former band Silvertide, guitarist Nick Perri has kept busy - most recently finding a sweet spot with The Underground Thieves. This new tune picks up threads from the Black Keys and Rival Sons (as well as your classic Zeppelins, Purples etc) and perks them up with a truckload of attitude and dexterous-yet-delicious bluesy lead guitar.
Morganway - Let Me Go
Fleetwood Mac might be on their way out, but these East Anglian guys are here to pick up the torch in style. Dulcet, gutsy americana is the order of the day here (audibly informed by Mac, The Eagles, Springsteen and the like), where fiddle lines sit happily alongside slide guitar and poppy sensibilities.
