Best of the best of November 2023

ALL TOGETHER

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1. ‘Lunar Eclipse‘ by THE VACCINES (UK)

(Photo by Turn Up The Volume – Belgium 2022)

The British guitar pop idols have their new, sixth full-length, baptized
Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations out on on 12 January 2024.

Lunar Eclipse is one of the 3 singles shared so far.
Sickly sticky stuff. A vaccine we all can use.

Ace.

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2. ‘The Answer’ by JOHNNY MARR (Manchester, UK)

So far Marr has released 5 solo albums with
enough standout material to compile a best of.

Earlier this month Spirit Power – The Best Of Johnny Marr
came out to entertain bangers-greedy ears.

Marr also penned two new crackers for the compilation.

The Answer is one of them. A riff-roaring ripper
that races and rushes at a razzle-dazzle speed.

Wowzers.

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3. ‘Foefetti’ by JODIE LANGFORD (UK)

After launching her super-duper 6-track EP Chaos Of Time last March, Langford
closes the year with this rock-and-rap-punk banger. Whang, whang, whang.

Foefetti has somehow a fuller resonance than her previous pieces. And it works spot on. Glittery, glammy and trash-y (like the video). Be ready to sing happy birthday to 6-year-old princess Jodie midway. Don’t worry afterward you can continue to pogo around the table. Treat yourself, buy this present here.

Party.

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4. ‘Backstreets’ by IRKED (North East England)

Helter skelter. What a riff-deranged head-over-heels speedball.
AWESOME. Think Australian barbed wire rock generator Amyl And The
Sniffers getting even louder and nastier than they already are. Irked
produce no-nonsense punk pandemonium with a dashing fanaticism
and crazed ruckus.

The vocalist screams her lungs out with intimidating force. MENTAL.
Don’t mess with her, don’t look for trouble with her. She’s a ragging
rapping reactor. Sharp-teethed stuff, shattering debut.

Helter skelter.

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5. ‘Robot’ by PENNYPACKER (Belgium)

These 4 motherrockers learned their craft by making noisy waves in different
bands before. They just released their cooking 4-track EP named ROBOT.

Robot artwork

The title track is a bass/guitar-riff steamroller going everywhere fast.
A fanatical flare-up that speeds towards a monstrous climax. Who needs
humans when robots kick ass this knife-edged way.

Check in.

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6. ‘He’s A Man’ by BOB VYLAN (London)

London’s inflammable grime-rap-punk turbine Bob Vylan have canned their third
album. It’s named Humble As The Sun and will see the day of light on 5 April 2024.

First single He’s A Man is a super-duper headbutt

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7. ‘Losing My Faith’ by ELECTRIC CIRCUS (Newcastle, UK)

These British mavericks rattle and rumble from the get-go on this crackerjack
blast. They don’t like a boring normal life. Who can blame them? The frustration
is accentuated by freakish guitar/bass frenzy, merciless drumming and flustered vocals.

Solid sucker-punch. Never lose faith in this band.

Check in.

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8. ‘Stop The Clock’ by CROWS ON WIRES (Germany)

Crows On Wires is the dark-dream-wave project of German artist Antje Davids-Weis.

This new single echoes previous pieces. Rotating synth beats, shadowy dynamics, darksome vocals work together and turn Stop The Clock into a terrifically catching
stomper.

Start.

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9. ‘Say It Like You Mean It’ by SLEATER-KINNEY (Seattle, WA)

Washington‘s longtime rollin’ indie-pop-punk stars SLEATER-KINNEY
who started their journey (with 3 members) back in 1994, went on a
break in 2006, reloaded their engines in 2014, became a duo – Carrie
Brownstein and Corin Tucker – have their new, 10th LP, baptized Little
Rope out on 19 January 2024.

2nd single Say It Like You Mean It is
edged guitar pop at its racy best.

Top-tier thrill.

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10. ‘The Sadness In You, The Sadness In Me‘ by SUEDE (UK)

Last year the glam veterans Suede released their 9th,
back to top form, album Autofiction.

An expanded edition shows up on December 8. It
includes a live LP. More info and order details here.

Along with the LP’s release came a 4-track EP that was available for
only one week. The songs will appear now on the expanded box.

The Sadness In You, The Sadness In Me will be one of them.

A vintage Suede sparkler with Anderson‘s emotional vocals going sky-high
on the chorus. Can’t understand why this stellar song wasn’t on the original
album. Anyway, it’s here now.

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11. ‘Like That’ by THE RODA LITS (Belgium)

It’s been 5 years since this Belgian garage guitar indies released
their debut album Common Specimen/Indoor Mold.

But they’re back now, and they didn’t lose their electrical mojo nor their sassy swagger. Crazed drums, afire guitars and tense vocals are what you get. Don’t miss their return.

Press play.

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12. ‘Wish It Back’ by BANDANA SONS (Toronto, CA)

Toronto rockers with Daft Punk helmets

This weird Canadian trio nails it with their new single
Wish It Back, a heartfelt tribute to times gone by.

It’s a spry rocker that swings forth and back. From harmonious tenderness to zippy discharge, from shiny guitar sparks to electrifying commotion, while poignant vocals add extra emotive energy to this splendid nugget. It’s about looking back nostalgia we all are familiar with, wrapped here in a forceful piece of music.

Bingo.

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13. ‘I Feel Nothing’ by LIONS OF DISSENT (Wolverhampton, UK)

I Feel Nothing is the first new piece of music in over 2 years from this British indie trio.

One spin and I knew we had a winner here. I Feel Nothing is a funky pop
groove, richly orchestrated with footstompin’ drums, glistening synths, wah-wah
guitar here and there, pumping bass and spacey vocals. It swings back and forth,
with a hip-shaking impact when the delirious chorus comes up. Think Tears For
Fears, Depeche Mode and Tame Impala all rolled into one.

Feel it all here.

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14. ‘Capricorn’ by WOLF VAN WYMEERSCH (Belgium)

Photo by Lukian Hills

Following The Art Of Letting Go and Eazy Like Me this emotive
singer-songwriter scored his third single of the year with Capricorn.

Wolf: “This song delves into the complex theme of loyalty conflicts, the inner divide
between descendants and parents (us and them) and the broader social division into
‘us’ and ‘them’, (fueled by social media and war).”

Capricorn is a spellbinding slow-mo musing with an ominous sonority produced
by electric bass, sober drums and eerie acoustic guitar play. It creates a trance-like atmosphere with its subtle and low-key orchestration and Van Wymeersch gloomy
vocals. Fascinating score.

One of his best songs (so far).

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15. ‘Chutpaz’ by OMBUDSMEN (Manchester, UK)

So much is happening on this crazy cut. First in, hungry guitars and footstompin’ drumming immediately joined by frolicsome synth touches that easily could be experienced as the theme of a creepy movie, depending on your (in)stable
state of mind.

Next, eerie vocals, backed by some spooky howling, check in adding a what’s going on
vibe, and zigzagging through all the sonic razzmatazz. Head-spinning stuff, folks.

Make your move.

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16. ‘Can You See Me?’ by CATHOLIC GUILT (Melbourne, Australia)

The song is a tale of lost identity and feeling at odds with yourself.

It’s feverishly rushing ripper propelled by an army of guitars, hefty drumming and
psyched vocals. This manic missile reflects frontman/songwriter’s Brenton Harris
identity issues spot-on.

Sonically as well as lyrically, Can You See Me resonates like a much-needed escape from
a troubled and confused state of mind. I guess this sounds familiar to so many of us out there. If you’re a Fall Out Boy fan you’ll definitely add this fiery emo piece to your favourite playlist.

Press play.

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17. ‘When You’re Gone’ by THE ALTER KAKERS (Toronto, CA)

The band’s name is a testament to their stature and nature – alter kaker is a Yiddish term for an old person, or as the band likes to call it, “an old fart.” That level of self-awareness helps when creating a song like “When You’re Gone.”

The band’s Steve Bronstein wrote this track one year ago near the close of a relationship. But unlike the more common musical theme in breakup songs, the singer isn’t sad about the conclusion – he relishes it.

Looking for an infectious jump-for-joy post-breakup tune? Here it is.

Enjoy.

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18. ‘My Girls My Girls’ by THE KILLS (US/UK)

Finally after 7 years Alison Mosshart (vocals) and Jamie Hince returned
a couple of weeks ago with their 6th full-length, titled God Games.

Undoubtedly, one of their best achievements.
Sultry blues-pop-rock for the midnight hours.

My Girls My Girls is one of the highlights.

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19. ‘Hiding’ by HAZE (Ghent, Belgium)

📷 Gunther Liket

After playing with some bands, Belgian musician Mirabelle van de Put decided
in 2021 to go solo under the moniker of HAZE. Her excellent self-titled debut LP appeared the same year.

She’ll have her sophomore one, titled Out of Sight, out in January.

Hiding is the first single. A glinstering dream pop musing featuring sparkling guitar
and smooth bass play, and van de Put‘s enticing voice takes you on a relaxing trip that flares up now and then.

The eye-catching video is created by Naomi Kerkhove.

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20. ‘Love Again’ by LAUREN ANDERSON (Nashville, TN)

Lauren Anderson is a Chicago born and Nashville-based singer-songwriter.
She has, so far, 3 albums on her résumé. And has now new single Love Again
out.

Expect a towering voice. Zestful, vivacious and highly gripping. Classic country-blues splendor. The kind of song that send shivers down your spine with its full-hearted
passion and its overwhelming sonority.

Wurlitzer jukeboxes were invented back then to play affecting tunes like this one
in smoky bars to comfort lonely souls and melancholic hearts. This sort of music
will never lose its healing impact.

Magic.