Listening To This Week Playlist 17 November

 

28 songs this week  Another example of how we can be eclectic and yet serve what we are known for. That is the value of independence. No one tells us what to cover and we don't march to anyone's tune. We support the new artists that we like and hope that you'll like them too. Our growth was in the time before we gave Spotify a try. We will delete the Spotify account at the end of the month.

This week is the last of our dalliance with Spotify which has lasted around 8 months. It was included solely for the artists and have come to realise that no artist that no Artist that we traditionally cover benefits from that platform.  Great music falls down a big black hole. Spotify is not about new music, nor Indie, it is solely about the dollars. It also doesn't distinguish what is AI.

The weekly playlist is largely for submissions, not just the usual stuff that we dig out ourselves. The song order is not about song preference, but how the playlist flows.  All embeds open in new windows to aid scrolling. Links to the artists will also appear on I Don't Hear A Single Social Media sites over the next 24 hours. This will help you to discover more about the artists who appear here. 

The Spotify Version  (3 songs are not on the Spotify Version)

Link To Spotify

Buddie - Antartica, 2005

Log Flume - Get The Picture

The Wind Ups - Ants On The Table

Credits - thiscityisadeathtrap

credits · thiscityisadeathtrap

The Family Club - Mushie Season

Norman Bisley And The Trousers Of Satan - Being Beastly To Terence

Endless Talking - Waste My Time

Drew Friel - High Class Fugitives (Don't Spin The Wheel)

The Lucky Shots - Jump Start

The Whips - Together In Agony

My Life As A Moth - Time Thief

Ms. Cool - Beacon

Cynthia Sadler · Beacon

Cashell - Said And Done

Me & Munich - Drainings Of Your Tree

Me & Munich · Drainings Of Your Tree

Soft On Crime - Summer Fix (Not On Spotify)

The Successful Failures - Guts

Your New Parents - Gone For The Holidays

I Love My Friends - Ginny Starpepper And The Great White Gibbon

Unburnt Green - Skies Of The Tatacoa

Mark Tovey · Skies of the Tatacoa - Unburnt Green (Debut single – 14 Nov)

Failed Auditing - I'm Not Sure If I'm A Loser Or A Modern-Day Philosopher  (Not On Spotify)

Strange Men - Under The Compass Rose (Not On Spotify)

Thief Motif - Bones

Sam Wood - Comfortably Falling (Reimagined)

WEREME - August

Idle Ray - Airport

Phil Bonanno - No Direction (Revisited)

Clamsterdam - Solitary Song

Hollow Star - Seconds

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Winterpills - This Is How We Dance.

 

Our connection with Winterpills has been throughout the two decades of their career. In fact, it goes beyond that to Price's The Maggies with their ace Power Pop.  I personally think Philip Price is a musical genius. Mick covered his career to 2019 in a lengthy interview here. 

Nine years on, it is as though they have never been away. The five piece are in outstanding condition. Superb songwriting, wonderful arrangements and a sustained laidback gentleness that id totally affecting. Proof that you don't have to blow the bloody doors off to be completely engaging. 

Hi is a song that just completely draws you in, the combined vocal of Price and Flora Reed matches perfectly in a song that is essentially Acoustic Folk, but very affecting. How We Dance reveals that the band are not the ethereal.

It is much more Pop Rock, built around a killer riff that bursts into something more Psych Pop without ever losing sight of the song. Black Fly continues that Pop Rock, a little Fleetwood Mac in places, Price and Reed become Buckingham and Nicks.

I Am The Defect is darker, almost gentle Psych Folk, mesmerising and haunting. Predelugian is almost Americana until the chorus which gets a little Fleetwood Mac again, Tusk this time adding wonderful wistful Guitar.

It really is great to have them back. I can think of no other band that can draw you in so well. This Is How We Dance is an atmospheric joy revealing a band totally connected and at ease with itself. Please please don't make it nine years to the next one. Splendid stuff!

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on Vinyl, CD and as a download.

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Citrus Citrus - In The Belly Of The Eternal Draw

 

Citrus Citrus are a five piece from Padua, Italy and the review of this wondrous album is a testament to why we value our utter independence. We can cover what we want, when we want, no genre holds us back if we like it and think you will.

It is fairly well known that I adore both Prog and Psych, but I only ever introduce it when I think that you will get why. In The Belly Of The Eternal Draw is a master of the hypnotic and the melodic. Beautifully arranged and played, it travels in many directions with inventive arrangements that can change throughout any particular song.

I understand why the mention of Prog can put people off, some bands do get wanky and many that are lauded, especially King Gizzard, appear more mellow Pop Rock or release three albums a year that gives the impression of a lack of quality control, plenty to be fair is.

This lot are the real thing. These songs are soundscapes, but don't fall into the trap of being too long. The band are not frightened of showing their influences, but largely stick to originality. The whole album is totally engaging. I've picked two selections, but this is an album to be listened to in one go. Dispatch your prejudices and have your musical mind nourished.

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on Vinyl, CD and as a download.

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The Lucky Shots - Clearly Opaque

 

Sacramento quartet The Lucky Shots have great taste and possibly, a great record collection. Clearly Opaque is great Guitar Pop and a romp through its history. This, however, is no cover collection, yet the songs bring back great memories.

The band master a sound that evokes the journey that starts at 60s UK Beat and ends at the current year taking all that goes between. They especially evoke UK New Wave, but also tread into the US New Wave that follows it. 

They can Pop you with Power, but also Jangle as well as anyone and the 60s sounding songs are really Yeah Baby! Only The Night Knows mixes something that could be on Shindig or Ready Steady Go, but adds a hint of Blues Rock. Yet Jump Start adds Farfisa Pop to something that sounds more 80s.

Yet On The Run is great early 80s US Power Pop, Got My Eyes On You is down and dirty Rhythm And Blues, Face To Face Is Prime Time UK New Wave, yet I Heard enters the territory of The Len Price 3 and masters it.

Great To Be Alive mixes the sound of Woking with the Stiff Record Singles, yet For Tonight is great Jangle Pop with added Twang and a vocal that is a little Lee Mavers. All Alone is great Mod Pop, reminiscent of the late 70s Revival.

My own personal favourite is I've Become A Spy, a song that sort of mixes all that they do into one hit, it hits all the spots. Now for the secret, The Lucky Shots are a type of family affair of our long time favourite, Brent Seavers. This is a corker of an album, so much so that I could have picked any of the 14 songs to embed, but had to settle on 3.

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on Vinyl, CD and as a download. The CD is on the Kool Kat label, as you might expect and can be purchased here.

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Clock Radio - Turfin' Out The Maniacs

Clock Radio are a quartet from Wiltshire, the same county as our beloved Andy Partridge and there are similarities here. The same unexpected lyrical subjects, the quirkiness, the surprise arrangements and the instrumental variety.

However, Clock Radio give the impression of a crack Indie Guitar Pop band with a great record collection fronted by Neil Hannon. Vocally, you can imagine reviewers coming up with Divine Comedy, But that may confuse you.

Because separating the vocal, there are hints of the Bonzos and big wedges of Psych Pop. The four are incredibly inventive, No Death is wonderfully arranged and based around a killer Psych Guitar Riff. But there are many steps in other directions.

Although not sounding anything like them, you can hear Morrissey and Nick Cave. Turfin' Out The Maniacs is at its heart Intelligent Indie with an ability to provide unexpected arrangements and yet purposely at ease with Guitar Pop.

Brought to us via a submission for Listening To This Week, exactly what that was meant to do in providing albums to review. I am just amazed that this is a debut album, the band sound more like sonic troubadours.

As with the Buddie Review, we haven't described individual songs, simply wanting you to head over and listen to the whole album. Although this has some stand out singles that could be chosen, it is an album and albums should be listened to from start to end. They are not playlists. I've picked my three faves, but yours will probably be very different.

You can listen to and buy the album here. You really should! 

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Buddie - Glass

 

Keeping Canada well on the musical map, Buddie return. 2023's Agitator was No 3 in the IDHAS Best Albums of the year and we have been anticipating the quartet's return since last year's excellent Impatient single which is on here.

Buddie boss the type of Indie Guitar Pop that we adore. Slightly left field, slightly slacker, slightly DIY Riff wise, but with great memorable choruses and great melody. Add lyrical adeptness to their accomplishments. But they are not like too many Guitar Pops.

These songs are about concerns with the state of the nation, economically and atmospherically, not the usual twaddle about lost love. They go down routes that others don't musically, but are so damn catchy and memorable listens. Beautifully arranged vignettes. You can read our review of Agitator here. 

Unlike other Indie Peers, they aren't sugar sweet, nor will they try to club you to death. The songs just grow and grow on you until the choruses are earworms. Daniel Forrest's gentle vocal is in contrast to the instrumental arrangements.

The band can even slow things down beautifully as proven by Blackout. There isn't a major shift from Agitator, but why would you want that, it is such an ace album. I've picked my 3 faves, Antartica, 2005 is a great place for newbies to start, but all songs are worthy of embedding. Glass is Top Notch!

You can listen to and buy the album here. The album is available on Vinyl, CD, Cassette and as a download.

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Dave Cope And The Sass - Walmartyr

 

Dave Cope is prolific. I get to hear a lot of songs that don't see a release, but recently these songs have made albums. Every album that he releases takes a different path completely. Folk, Psych, Classic Rock, Indie Rock, 80s New Wave are just some of the avenues that he has walked down.

An incredibly gifted multi instrumentalist, most of the albums are him and Fred Berman on Drums, but the majority of this album is him alone, bar the bookends in which Cope is part of a trio and both angles work perfectly.

As probably given away by the album title and cover, Walmartyr is a concept album, largely a stab at 90s Rock, not the lyrically woe is me part, but certainly instrumentally. It also shows that the genre could be melodic if you managed to get through the fuzz and the noise.

The two trio songs are splendid. The title track is a story telling affair with an absolute killer chorus. Don't Let My Dreams Come True is anthemic, a song that I've heard at different stages and it has that 90s sound, a little Nirvana on the chorus with a storming Guitar solo. They absolutely nailed the song here.

Psychotic Romeo is heavier and works just as well. Devil City Woman goes all Golden Earring with a side order of UK Glam. Hell Or Hollywood is more Pop Rock, more Cope archetype, his base camp if you like. Killing Game edges towards Hard Rock and again masters it.

The sheer volume of Cope songs is amazing. Generally with such artists, quality can be an issue, but there's not a bit of that here. The changes in genre, album by album, also successfully take you along. For instance, I never thought I would be listening to a Folk album in past years. The songs are so lyrically adept too.

You can listen to and buy the album here for the bargain price of 5 dollars.

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