Did you have a good weekend? We hope you did. We did. Thank you for asking.
Enough of the pleasantries. We're here to rock, and rock we shall. But first, congratulations to last week's winning rockers, who include Aussie rockers Wolfmother, whose Feelin Love single received enough votes to claim third place on the great leaderboard of rock. And congratulations to London rockers Seven Days And Doesn't Die, whose Snatching Defeat single claimed second place on the great leaderboard of rock.
But mainly, congratulations to Cambridge rockers Sweet Crisis, whose substantially rockin' Loosen Up single rocked its way to first place on the great leaderboard of rock.
Below, you'll find this week's rock. Please don't forget to vote for your favourite
Foo Fighters - Love Dies Young
This latest cut from Medicine At Midnight is a warm, galloping rush of anthemic modern rock, bright-eyed and totally lovable – the stuff of Foos fans dreams, in other words. For our money it’s one of the best things on the record. We don’t want to give too much away about the video (directed by Dave Grohl, starring Jason Sudeikis, centred on a team of synchronised swimmers) except that there’s almost three minutes of build-up drama before the actual song starts, and you’ll want to watch all of it.
Deap Vally - Perfuction
The dynamic LA-based duo open their latest album, Marriage (out now) with this raw, driving caterwaul of garage, punk and rock’n’roll gumption. Buzzsaw guitars, ballsy vocals and just-contained chaos chime brilliantly with lyrics like ‘Dirty dishes, clothes on the floor/Haven’t showered in days and I sleep till four’ – the sound of a giddy night out and the woozy, hungover morning after, all rolled into one.
Deep Purple - Oh Well
Covers albums can be a bit hit and miss (read: they can be truly awful). On their twenty-second studio record, Turning To Crime, Deep Purple fall happily into the ‘hit’ category, serving up smart, thoroughly enjoyable takes on songs by artists from Ray Charles to Bob Seger. Here they add their own Purpley flair to the Fleetwood Mac classic, creating a beefier wild west vibe, laced with organ smoke and Steve Morse guitar heroics.
When Rivers Meet - Never Coming Home
The fingerprints of Free, Led Zeppelin and Jefferson Airplane are smudged lovingly across this beaming, uptempo new single from the Essex husband and wife duo – with delta-blues gasoline thrown on the proverbial fire in the form of atmospheric, infectious slide lines. Quality fun for those who like their blues rock with particular emphasis on the ‘rock’ part. Their new album Saving Grace is out now.
Hannah Aldridge x Jason Charles Miller - Sinking
A cover of the 2001 track by industrial rockers Godhead (featuring the frontman of that band, Jason Charles Miller) Sinking takes on a life that feels a little like Evanescence with an outlaw country makeover, steeped in southern gothic mystique. You can see why she’s been called ‘dark americana’ by some. “The devil and darkness were always the boogeyman under the bed for me,” says Alabama native Aldrige. “It still is, honestly. So that naturally weaves itself into a lot of songs.”
Eddie Vedder - The Haves
Time has been extremely kind to the Pearl Jam frontman’s voice, as this sweet, soul-soothing new ballad confirms. Drenched in sun-dappled piano and pretty acoustic guitars – with strings that swell towards the climax, without becoming corny or cloying – it’s a tender, beautifully executed omen for what’s to come from him in 2022. Vedder’s new album, Earthling, is out in February.
Naked Raygun - Broken Things
Chicago punk legends Naked Raygun released their first album in decades earlier this year, and very good it was too. Broken Things is the second single to be prised away from its rather feisty grooves, and it's rather excellent, kinda Wildhearts-esque, with a chorus bigger than a barn and a typically belligerent vocal from Jeff Pezzati. It's as if the nineties and the nougties and the teenies never happened. And that, for some, might be a good thing.
Puppy - The Kiss
It sounds like London rockers Puppy have been listening to Gish-era Smashing Pumpkins on this one, but don't let that put you off. For there was a time (around the time of Gish, it must be said) when Billy and his boys (and girl) were one of the most exciting bands on the planet, before they got all long-winded and weird and started arguing with each other and doing the wrong drugs. So anyone who revives those super sexy sounds is OK by us. Woof, it has to be said.
