Listening To This Week Playlist 22 December

 

No sign of a slowdown for Christmas as we offer up 27 songs this week. None, as is our want, about the festive period. You know our musical base camp, but as always we aren't afraid of straying into other areas.  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. 

Hexham Heads - Can't Live Without You

Andrew Weiss And Friends - Knots I Can't Untie

Pretty Inside - Really Diggin' You

Esso - Kiss Of Death

Late Cambrian - Into The Lilac Tree

Sugarfuzz - Signal

Swell Maps - Johnny Seven

Chill Still - Clothes That You Still Don't Wear

Painted Vein - Left Behind

He's Dead Jim - He's Dead Jim

Alice Offley - Don't Mess With Me

Fifteen Years Later - Good Night Goodbye Farewell Good Luck

David Schapiro · Good Night Goodbye Farewell Good Luck Re-Upload

Atom Lux - Pointless Madness

Venice Treacle - Bad Aji

Linear Television - Sandy Beach

Sherbet Tone - Alright With That

Voltz - Over And Done

The Sentimental Tourists - Happy Beatle

Afton Wolfe - Rules Of War

The Let Down - On A String

Mooon - Modulation Baby

Misty Coast - Always Sun

Defiantbutterfly - It's Not just Damaged It's Broken

Defiantbutterfly / introverts Dancing · Its Not Just Damaged Its Broken

Hiram Audio Labs - Hypatia

Hiram Audio Labs · Hypatia

Bleach Dreamer - Paradise Cove

Turbocoopers - Ganar o Perder

Bevis Frond - Horrorful Highs

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Pansy - Skin Graft

Seattle quartet Pansy have offered up a cracking 5 song EP that offers variety and splits into Indie Guitar Pop and Acoustic melancholia wonderfully well. The songs written by Vivian McCall certainly show an emotional depth that is incredibly listenable. 

The opener is great 80s Indie sounding Jangle Pop. Mercy, Kill Me has an intro that is very La's There She Goes. Also a little Power Pop, It is a cracking listen. Walk Dangerous (Chaser) is much bolder sounding, more C86, inventive Indie Rock, a great joint vocal with an ace Guitar sound and a more aggressive Jangle.

 I'm Coming is my favourite here. Noisier with some almost Psych Guitar that wails wonderfully. A scuzzier fuzzy feel that works so well. All three of these songs sound more UK than US. They are an Electric delight.

By My Side is such an aching, almost heartbreaking Acoustic listen, you almost weaping. Dark Star offers up the best of both. Beginning with an almost Americana touch, again very heartfelt. But then the song morphs into something much more heavy and electric, something 90s Alt Rock.

Skin Graft is a wondrous listen. There seems a lot going on in McCall's head, all of it laid out impressively. It is intriguing, interesting and thoroughly well put together. Remember Kids that great offerings often are released well after magazine deadlines force writers to go with their Best Of Year selections.

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

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Beauty - I'd Do Almost Anything For You. (Bandcamp Name Your Price)

 

New Jersey Trio, Beauty, have been releasing excellent singles since 2018, nine in all, Seven before the album release and 2 since. Of the seven before, only Polar Bear Ice Cream makes the album, so you have a lot to go at to hear their development.

I'd Do Almost Everything For You is great Power Pop reminding you of past glories of the genre, yet adding plenty of individuality and the sound of a locked in trio. As a side issue, so many of the great Power Pop bands are Trios.

Beauty offer up the classic prerequisites of the genre, classy memorable riffs, great solos and big choruses. At times, it sounds very much like the 90s revival. at others, a little 80s AOR. It is an album that works best when songs are delivered at pace.

The harmonies are also strong and effective. Highlights include Alive Tonight which kicks in superbly, Daisy mixes Power Pop with 70s UK Glam Rock wonderfully, hand claps and all, with a superb Guitar Solo, really well put together.

Acid Baby Girl is almost Slacker Rock, a little Weezer and becomes a real Guitar-athon. whilst Let It Ring has a real Bryan Adams feel, but the whole album shouts melody through a loud hailer. A fine listen and well worth the wait.

You can listen to and buy the album here at Name Your Price.

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Andrew Weiss And Friends - The Last Of The Outdoor Kids

 

The last time that we visited New York's Andrew Weiss was for 2022's excellent Sunglasses & Ash. You can read the review here. The great news is that he has lost none of his ability to switch directions at will. One minute, he is serving up Great Guitar Pop, the next sounding more West Coast and he isn't afraid to venture into Folk and Americana, particularly acoustically.

All of these things are here and he may have a chameleon like quality, but he does everything beautifully. If the first thing that you heard was the closer, Hope All Is Well, you would think that he's a Classic Rock troubadour. But listen to the opener, I Don't Wanna Live In This World and you will hear one of the best slices of Guitar Pop that you have heard all year.

There is plenty of Pop Rock here. Put That In Your Pipe (And Smoke It) is pure 80s AOR and Knots I Can't Untie Rocks things up and may be the standout song here. How Far Would You Go is more Classic Rock, but vocally. a little Don Henley. All three are lyrically adept and beautifully performed.

But the West Coast sounding songs are just as engaging. Betsy Ross Blues is great storytelling, It's Not Funny creeps up on you, hypnotic at times with some superb Steel Guitar. Cash For Gold could be The Band.

The Acoustic journey is moody and magnificent. The Hour In Between Worlds mixes Folk with Americana, it is a fine duet with Sara Barsky. Arnold Palmer sounds like a self confessional and This Is Your Captain Speaking becomes a 70s Pop Rock easy listening joy.

A Special Mention for Virginia Slim which adds Sax and Honky Tonk Piano to a Let's Do The Song Right Here vibe. The Sax solo is ace. The Last Of The Outdoor Kids is another tour de force from Weiss (and friends). As accomplished as ever.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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Pretty Inside - Ever Gonna Heal

 

I've mentioned before that France is on fire at the moment, Indie wise and this album may be the best of the lot. I adore Intelligent Indie and Ever Gonna Heal is that and much more. There's an inventive variety to all that is in show.

The Bordeaux band can be anything you want them to be. Noisy, Restrained, Laidback or In Your Face, this really is an album to admire. At times it is Noise Rock but also C86, Indie Rock or 90s Rock, it takes in all sorts of directions. All of them interesting and surprising.

Useless Thrill is Garage Rock with a Brit Pop chorus. The Person That I Hate is late 80s UK Indie with big hints of Madchester. Skin is incredible Noise Rock. Jealousy is very close to Brit Pop. Are You Away is a great Pop song, but prone to burst out Guitar noise.

Fiction Addiction mixes C86 with Synth Pop. Really Diggin' You is the band at their most accessible, almost Guitar Pop, unusually restrained, a crackerjack of a song. Bojack Sparklehorseman is even more of a departure, superb Psych Pop.

Then in the midst of all the three minutes-ish songs is an absolute 7 minute plus joy in Clairvoyance. The song incorporates all the styles that they venture into. Noisy Alt Rock that incorporates Noise Rock and Psych. It is an incredible listen.

Ever Gonna Heal is one of the most inventive albums that you will hear this year.I haven't even mentioned the gorgeous glorious (Please Don't Hide From) The Sunbeams. An Indie masterpiece in every possible way awaits you.

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

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The Let Down - Awake EP

 

Straight ahead Power Pop from Austin Texas quartet, The Let Down. I have to admit that with all the noisier variations of late, it is nice to hear something that is more classic. All pre-requisites are present, Riffs, great middle 8 and a chorus to sing along to.

The EP does sound very UK New Wave. On A String has a riff that reminds you of Another Girl, Another Planet. Awake has a great stomp that edges towards Glam Rock, splendidly slow and the laidback vocals on both is a reminder of 70s Pop Rock.

Part Of Me is again close to UK Glam Rock, with a Power Pop drum track and made me think of The Rollers, the post Bay City sound. Don't Make Me The One gets closer to the Power Pop Revival of the 90s and is built around a killer riff/

The EP is a reminder of the joy of Power Pop, Guitar Pop that reminds you of the summer with a feel good factor. You don't hear so much of this these days and I denigrated it a little when everyone was doing the same thing. But it is lovely to hear it back and this is a cracking little offering.

You can listen to and buy the EP here.

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Atom Lux - Voidgaze Dopamine Salad

 

Atom Lux is Italian multi instrumentalist Lucio Filzola and Atom Lux seem to have been lobbed into the Psych brigade. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of that here, but there is a lot that isn't. Voidgaze Dopamine Salad is  beautifully arranged and performed with journeys into all sorts of direct.

For instance, Spaghettification Apocalypse is essentially wonderful Psych Pop, but morphs into both Classic Rock and UK Glam Rock. Stoned Monkey Heritage could easily be passed off as Brit Pop and as you may guess, the variety here is spectacular.

I know that you know that I am a Psych Pop and Prog fan, but there is miles more here. It is incredibly that this is the work of one man.  Pointless Madness is Pop Rock gold, catchy as catchy can be. There is heavier Psych here on the likes of Bad Snake Good Snake, but that again is wonderfully done.

There is also great riff action present throughout, special mention to Black Mirror. Dance Plague Delirium is another song that takes you along beautifully. Psych driven, nut completely engaging catchy, even bordering Classic Rock. Pointless Madness is a great Pop Rock song.

Toxic Easter Bunny closes the album with a big Classic Rock sound. The whole album is a fine listen. The song titles may be a little pompous, but what is inside is not. Some splendid melodic guitar parts as do plenty of the grooves. A great listen!

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

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