You like new music, yeah? Then here's some new music. Don't forget to leave your vote at the foot of the page.
But first, some old music. From last week. And we congratulate Ray Wylie Hubbard, whose Naturally Wild collected the most votes, perhaps due to the involvement of Lzzy Hale and John 5. And we congratulate The Blue Carpet Band, whose The Slow Death Of Camden rocked its way into second place, followed by Ann Wilson's Greed.
Who'll reign at the end of this week's competition? Tune in in seven days to find out.
Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse - Fill Me Up
Greta Valenti, Robin Davey and their friends in BGG&TA are back with a seductive, frenetic burst of pent-up energy, bluesy mystique and New Orleans bar smoke – taken from their next album, Good Times End Times, which is out in March. “Fill Me Up is all about the live energy of Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse,” says Greta, “We are a band that thrives on stage and feeds off the energy of each other and the audience, so for the video, we wanted to just really capture all of the power that has been building up to this moment where you think you may burst.”
Limousine Beach - Movin’ On
We’re reliably informed that these New York longhairs love twin guitar solos, classic rock harmonies, Freddy Mercury and radio-friendly metal. And plaid shirts. All of which comes through in truckloads on this cheerful lovebomb of breakneck 70s rock’n’roll, proto-glam and chugga-chugga guitar chops. Imagine Thin Lizzy throwing shapes with The Sweet, and you’re on the right dancefloor. Their self-titled album is out on April 15.
Thunder - The Western Sky
Thunder’s latter day purple patch continues to get…erm, purple-er, with this meaty, hooky first taste of new album Dopamine. A tasty slice of the harder rocking end of their spectrum, with a chorus that lifts the song off its feet. And in that deep, crunchy verse riff, those of you of a certain generation might detect a whiff of (Pharrell Williams’ hip hop/rock collective) N.E.R.D’s 2004 mega-hit She Wants To Move…
The Courettes - Misfits And Freaks
Get ready to party like it’s 1963…but also kind of like 1969. Denmark’s retro two-piece The Courettes (aka Flavia and Martin Couri) sound like The Ronettes being backed by The Stooges on this psychedelic shindig, where Spector-esque whirls, curly cables and beehive barnets come thick and fast. Such is their commitment to the spirit of the Sixties that it’s hard to imagine either of them holding a smartphone, or listening to anything other than 7-inch singles on a vintage turntable.
Starbenders - Seven White Horses
On Seven White Horses, these young Atlanta freakniks make us think of Fleetwood Mac in a graveyard, with ex-Biters/current-Restless Hearts frontman Tuk Smith lurking in the background (there’s something of him in Kimi Shelter’s charismatic vocal chops here). Elegantly dark, beautifully fucked up. And there are lovely horses in the video. Somebody get them on tour in the UK – hell, bring the horses along too.
Elles Bailey - Riding Out The Storm
Bristolian singer/songwriter Elles finds a juicy spot between Beth Hart, Norah Jones and Susan Tedeschi on this gorgeous rock’n’soul ballad – all gospel flavours and pensive, rootsy richness. She’s been paying her dues on the UK’s blues and roots scene, picking up accolades and recording in Nashville along the way, but this one finds her raising her game on all fronts. “Riding Out The Storm is possibly the most special track to me on this album,” says Elles, “it's hugely personal, but I truly hope listeners can relate to it.”
Hardcore Superstar - Fighter
Long-running Scandi-glamsters Hardcore Superstar have a new album, Abrakadabra, on the way, and Fighter is, we think, the fifth song to be plucked from it's undoubtedly boisterous grooves. Mind you, our maths is appalling, so who knows? Either way, the song has that end-of-set, arms-in-the-air power ballad vibe – with an excellent vocal from Jocke Berg – so we're certain it'll be trundled out to great effect when the band hit the road again. Whenever that might be. 2037, probably.
Whiskey Myers - John Wayne
A change of direction from Whiskey Myers, who've bolstered their sound with Motown-style horns, adding a little more funk to their fire. It doesn't sound like Aerosmith, but it's got that kinda vibe: old school rock'n'roll as dance music, as it was always meant to be, stuffed with sass and swagger. Our sources tell us that upcoming album Tornillo was recorded on a 2300-acre ranch in rural Texas, which must have been exciting for the livestock.
