Dexy: “The song is based around John’s title but approached from a more spiritual
perspective. We are all sky gazers, so it includes imagery about the sky, sea, moon
and stars.
It’s a love song for outsiders about reflections and dreaming of endless possibilities.
We needed to be brought back to a more uplifting side of making music, and the DNA
of John’s songwriting has helped us to do just that.”
Ashton:“I fell in love with Magic Wands via a friend who sent me some of their music.
The songs immediately drew me in via the visions and emotions they imparted on my
psyche. To say I was inspired to write new music would be an understatement.”
TUTV: This is new-wavish splendour that has an immediate impact on your inner self. Sacred Mirrors moves in a hallucinatory universe, far away from our traumatic reality, where you can nestle yourself in your dream of choice. Illusory Valentine vocals and Ashton‘s electricity fit each other like a glove.
Another year, another Jukebox to fill with new
tracks, 5 twice a week, for your aural pleasure.
This is the 3rd batch of 5 new rad ones of 2026
ALL TOGETHER
.
TRACK-BY-TRACK
Band: HIQPY Who: Ebullient indies from Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
“What if Kurt Cobain and Ariana Grande (frontwoman) had a Pokémon together?
Well, you’d get something like a Hiqpy. This 4-headed creature is playful and a bit
headstrong. Superpower: Spews flames of echoing ad-libs and fuzzy guitars, hailing
from Amsterdam.”
TUTV: A brisk, sprightly, and tremendously catchy guitar pop gem
peaking on its splendiferous chorus. An irresistible piece of music.
The repeat button was invented for tintillazing tunes like this.
Piece from their 6th LP, first in 7 years, baptized It’s The Long Goodbye.
Out March 20th. Written in the wake of frontman James Graham losing
his mother to dementia.
TUTV: Intense guitar pop magnificence fueled by Graham‘s
vivid vocals and the orchestral richness of the song. Top.
Track: NEW RELIGION
New single from his upcoming 3rd album,
named Get Sweaty, out next September.
Press info: “New Religion marks the start of a new chapter in Simon’s musical bible.
With his new single, he transforms from conceptual songwriter into the hyperactive
leader of a funky church service.”
TUTV: Expect brassy Motown vibes. Glamorous, soulful, and uplifting. New Religion energizes all of your limbs. You can sing, whistle or hum
along. Early spring fun, folks. Score!
Band: PRESSGANG MUTINY Who: Canadian Celtic folk combo reviving the raw spirit of sea shanties and
working-class maritime traditions. This Toronto-based vocal quartet is more
than a band. They are keepers of a centuries-old storytelling tradition, brought
roaring into the 21st century.
Across their twelve years together, PM have moved from Toronto pub sessions to
major maritime and folk festivals across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom,
The Caribbean, France, Germany, and Poland.
Track: OLD MICK
New cut from their forthcoming 3rd LP, titled Departure. It’ll land on March 13th.
TUTV: Think Dropkick Murphys stripped to the bone. Celtic folk spirit
in mellifluous motion. Glorious harmoniousness. Old Mick sticks all
the way. Oil your pipes.
“‘Efficiency’ portrays a kind of love that isn’t always immediate or all-consuming, but one that endures nonetheless — a relationship where time, patience, and a willingness to see the beauty in each other’s imperfections are essential. It touches on a phase many people recognize: when the distance between two people can feel greater than before, yet the bond remains strong.”
TUTV: Jenny Marie Sabel‘s voice is warm-hearted, sensual and
magically attractive. Efficiency is a gentle lullaby that triggers
daydreaming.
John Lennon: “‘Woman’ came about because, one sunny afternoon in Bermuda,
it suddenly hit me what women do for us. Not just what my Yoko does for me, although
I was thinking in those personal terms, but any truth is universal. What dawned on me
was everything I was taking for granted. Women really are the other half of the sky, as
I whisper at the beginning of the song. It’s a ‘we’ or it ain’t anything.”
Music? Think of Evan Dando and The Lemonheads
and their early raw rockin’ days. Quite good.
“This album is the culmination somewhat, since the beginning of writing
these words down. i would like to thank everybody in my life, past, present,
and future, for simply being in my life.”
Artist: IRON & WINE Who: Seasoned singer-songwriter Samuel Beam from North Carolina.
Track: IN YOUR OCEAN
New piece from his forthcoming 9th LP, titled Hen’s Teeth, which will arrive on February 27th.
Hen’s Teeth and his previous album, Light Verse, are siblings of a sort.
They were recorded during the same sessions after a year-long dry spell.
New album artwork
I&W about the album: “I’ve always wanted to use that title. I just love it. To me it
suggests the impossible. Hen’s teeth do not exist. And that’s what this record felt like
a gift that shouldn’t be there but it is. An impossible thing but it’s real.”
“When I’ve been on a writing kick, and the band can meet me where I’m at, they push me into something I hadn’t imagined. I’m at a point in my life where spontaneity is a lot more important to me. I don’t have as much to prove as I used to. I’m a lot freer and I love making music more than ever. There are no right or wrong answers. You just pray for your luck and try your best.”
The late great voice and charismatic performer JANIS JOPLIN
(January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) had her second and final
solo LP, named PEARL, out on 11 January 1971, today 55 years ago,
3 months after she passed away following a drug overdose.
The LP went to No. 1 in the US and #20 in the UK.
Pearl features the number one hit ‘Me and Bobby McGee’, written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster (Joplin played acoustic guitar on this track); ‘Trust Me’ by Bobby Womack, Howard Tate wrote ‘Get It While You Can’. ‘Move Over‘ and ‘Mercedes Benz‘, the latter co-written by Joplin, Bobby Neuwirth, and Michael McClure.
Rolling Stone: “Pearl is a good record and Janis is often magnificent. The voice cut off was clearly in its prime. I suspect that some of the tracks are not in their final shape, but these are not scraps, and there is every indication that Janis was working toward a new maturity and confidence.”
Janis Joplin: “I’m one of those regular weird people.”
TUTV: That voice! A pearl of a record! Janis 4ever!
Garcia died in 1995. It meant the end of the band, after 30 years and 13 LPs.
Bob Weir, who kept on making and playing music, passed away yesterday due
to cancer. He was 78. An extensive message from the family and entourage was
posted on Weir‘s Instagram account.
SMALL FACES are one of the legendary 60s Brit-pop-rock bands. Their most praised
album Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake, from 1968, will get an expanded reissue treatment.
An opportunity for MOJO to revisit the psychedelic masterpiece with help from its survivors, telling a tale of dosed neighbours, defenestrated record players, revolution
and regret.
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Also in the issue: Paul Weller on The Style Council’s salad days; Yes’s oceanic odyssey;
B.B. King reconsidered; Alice Coltrane; Suicide; Skids; Steve Cropper; Judas Priest; Jimmy
Cliff; The Unthanks; Dick Gaughan; Guy Stevens; Bill Callahan; Bob Lind; Neil Young;
Status Quo; and more.
This month’s free CD is, of course, a Small Faces
one that features rarities and live recordings.
You can purchase a copy and have it
sent to your home address. Info HERE.
