Listening To This Week Playlist

Shorter than usual this week at 22 songs, but the quality is as high as ever. An eclectic mix of the poptastic and much more. A sort of soundtrack for your week that can be listened to in one go or bit by bit. There is no song preference in track order, just what we think flows.  

I do hope that you can listen to all the songs across this week. The last listed is as great as the first and you have all week to listen. This weekly playlist is solely for submissions, not the usual stuff that we dig out ourselves. 

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. Thank you for supporting the new music from Indie artists.

The Jack Knives - Ghost Radio

Pretty Good Sofa - Dr. Mordite

Curling - Shamble (Single Edit)

Bonnie Lola - The Worker

Willie Dowling - The Simpleton

Chemtrails - Business Class War Paint

Lightspeed - For All We Know

the bv's - I can't stand the rain

Mansfield - Someone Else

Agent blå - Discount

E. James Smith - Pushed On The Rails

Sea Dramas - No Poetry

Vogue Villains - A Slow Ride (At The Speed Of Light)

Janus 4-14 - June Meets Tulip

Little Miss Echo - Optigan

Outer World - The Drum The Beat

KEYSIDE - Turn Back The Time

You Filthy Dog - We Should Form A Band

No Lonesome - Cool Waters

The Lovinas - Silhouette

The Threepios - Run, Luke, Run!

The Fourth Wall - Darkness Of Heart

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Lions Of The Interstate - Strange Empires

I am a big admirer of what Andy at Braxeling Records releases. It is one of the few labels that get a banner on here which is a testament to how interesting the label is and the Portland Oregon five piece, Lions Of The Interstate have released the quality album that they've threatened to make.

Strange Empires is a wonderful listen. The band specialise in a gentle Indie Rock that at times edges towards Psych, Indie Pop and even a little Shoegaze. Songs are more like soundscapes, built on hypnotic riffs with an understated vocal. Not a million miles away from Nada Surf.

The front half of the album is very much in this area, very much as I expected and works incredibly well and I'd be happy if it just stayed this way to ease my way through the day. Then from White Trucks onwards, the album heads in a different direction, very varied and suddenly you are even more in admiration.

White Trucks itself is very upbeat second half of the 80s UK Indie. A real lively cracker of a song that leads on to Road Death which is all vocal harmony Jangle Pop. I'd obviously heard Lost In Spokane before and this West Coast Pop with its Fleetwood Mac chorus and additional Brass remains as great as ever. 

Loose Cannon is New York Indie, almost Garage Rock with its top notch Fuzz that sounds deliberately under produced and yet still has vibes of Glasgow. Bolt Of Blue has a fantastic bassline and a great Indie Pop Guitar minimalism and a surprise addition of Cello.

Happy Birthday is even more out of kilter. Kyla Henry's vocal adds a boy girl jaunty Dream Pop affair, more akin to Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott song. That is the delight of this album, you get what you want and then you see a completely different side to the band that just makes you want to applaud. Absolutely splendid!

You can listen to and buy the album as a download, CD or Vinyl album here. 

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Chemtrails - The Joy Of Sects

 

Manchester quartet Chemtrails reach their third album and what an interesting journey it has been. That journey has been a lo-fi one, a delightful voyage offering up a sort of Punky Psych Power Pop that is enchanting and more than interesting.

The Joy Of Sects sounds like an album where it has all come together. The Psych Pop has been toned down, but it is still present and when it arrives, it is particularly wonderful, particularly the magnificent Superhuman Superhighway and Endless Stream Of The Bizarre. The big difference is the production and that studio production has fully realised.

This is a credit to Margo Broom whose work at Heritage Works Studios has been a revelation. She has the ability to bring out the best in creative bands, allowing them to perform fully realised songs that sound great without the artists losing their mojo. Her production here is awesome.

Chemtrails here sound very 80s New Wave, a little B52s, especially on (Post Apocalypstick) where they also get a little Devo and Spacey. Mia Lust and Laura Orlova's vocals are as quirky as ever, part Cyndi Lauper, part Cindy Wilson, part Noosha Fox. Squeaky, but incredibly addictive.

This quirkiness might not completely work were it not for the brilliance of the arrangements and both the crack rhythm section who enhance the adeptness of the lyrics and the inventive Guitar parts. These allow the Pop to thrive.

Catch all choruses just hook you completely and underline what a fine band they are. It is an album full of surprises and one to be listened to from start to finish. All hail to the album format, no playlist could ever enchant you in this way.

The band do seem a little out of kilter with the mediocrity of the UK scene, this is an album that should do great in the States who strangely seem more open to Indie inventiveness. Chemtrails allow you to marvel at the complexity of the lyrics and arrangements, yet you also need to find the space to dance. What an incredible album!

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is a great investment of your time.

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The Second Summer – Undertow

 

Now here's an album that is right up our street. Chicago's The Second Summer are a quartet that go back to the glory days when singles led to albums and Undertow is the resulting album and in more ways than one, this is truly an album of killer singles. 

Everything built on crackerjack riffs, melodic Guitar Pop and massive choruses that lead to memorable songs. They can be anything you want them to be, largely the best of Pop Rock from the past three or more decades.

Take for instant, the magnificent Something. A song that its heart sounds like a Jon Auer Posies song, but also glimpses of Teenage Fanclub and a rocked up Undertones. It is a wondrous listen. Yet Invisible is more 80s Jangle Pop.

Undertow opens with the Power Pop monster that is The Reason, a very 90s Not Lame affair that fully demonstrates the joy of the genre. Melodic verse, massive chorus, great harmonies and a riff that hooks you completely.

Wonder Why is again great Jangle Pop, sped up this time with a more Fountains Of Wayne feel and a corking Guitar solo. Yet Adults has a more melancholic 90s woe affair, a little REM or IRS and a haunting riff that is very College Rock.

Bad Feeling splits Weezer with West Coast Guitar Pop and offers more melodic joy. Undefeated rocks things up, more than a little Feeder and Never Not Forever is the nearest that you will get to a Ballad, but is still anthem with its crashing chords and the Guitar parts edge towards UK Glam Rock. 

I love albums that are built on choruses, but Undertow is much more than that. At times, I think we are moving away from Pop Rock a little and then an album like this makes you realise that you are not in any way, you were just waiting to be rewaken and this album woke me up clearly.

You can listen to and buy the album here. I will update this review when I have the album release date. My good friend Patrick has a great interview with Steve Gatland on his Sweet Sweet Music Blog here.

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Listening To This Week Playlist

This week we have another 28 songs to activate your eardrums. An eclectic mix of the poptastic and much more.  This selection offers the usual great songs and is an essential listen. A sort of soundtrack for your week.

There is no song preference in track order, just what we think flows.  I do hope that you can listen to all the songs across this week. The last listed is as great as the first and you have all week to listen. This weekly playlist is solely for submissions, not the usual stuff that we dig out ourselves. 

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. Thank you for supporting the new music from Indie artists.

Emperor Penguin - I Wouldn't Put It Like That (Feat. Lisa Mychols)

Taking Meds - The Other End

Familiar Faces - Ashamed

Statues - Draconian Laws

The Second Summer - Something

Cackle - Want It, Eat It, Taste It

Bull - Red Hooves

Sorry Monks - Close But No Cigar

Hot Mud - Lost In The Wild

GROTTONAUT - Hogs And Heifers

The Eargoggle - It's Easy

Little Hand Feet - Hugh Hunt

Fool Of Stars - Sol 127

Purple Negative - Megabee

Wolftrap 62 - Degradation

How We Leave This Place - Wherever I Go

KOALA - Ceramic

Slow Drag - Upside Down

 

SMACKBEAT - Andora

The Delta Shake - I'll Be Your Man (Alternative Version)

KamaShow - Mr Cloudy

 

You Fool! - Stay The Same 

Sea Dramas - Night Passengers

Common Tongue - Isolation

 

IN Kelly - Sleepwalker 

TillaTone - Lost

 

Joyer - Star

The Stifftones - These Times

TO FOLLOW

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Mothboxer - Timelines

 

There may be a time that I run out of things to say about Dave Ody's Mothboxer. In the review of Breathe, the last album, I jokingly referred to Mothboxer being one of our Teacher's Pet. But it is down to the quality and progression. Every album builds on the last and any appearances here are more than worthy.

We started the Best 100 Albums, two years in with 2018 and every Mothboxer album released since then has appeared in the 100. There isn't a loyalty card, every offering since then has been consistently Top Notch and even bands that I continue to love forever can't match that.

Ody has always had an ability to write and perform such melodic catchy songs whilst crossing genres at will. Essentially Pop Rock, Mothboxer tread Power Pop, Psych Pop, even a little Prog and Alt Rock, but everything is so damn toe tapping.

Timelines feels like his poppiest so far, if anything more than a little 80s Pop Rock. Having said that, probably the best song is all 60s Mellotron riddled. That being the Beatles 68 Psych Pop of All Over The World.

No Warning, No Sign is the trademark 70s Pop Rock that Mothboxer specialise in. However what starts off as a sort of Gerry Rafferty backed by Liverpool Express breaks out into a cross between Neo Prog and Space Rock, total melody across all parts..

Sound Of Nothing even goes full on Melodic Modern Prog with its hypnotic riff. This Song is almost happy clappy, a stripped down let's do the show right here sort of thing. Space in-between is almost Lounge Pop. 

Mothboxer are best when it gets Epic and I don't think Ody has ever been more epic than on the approaching 7 minutes closer The Wrong Sky. It even adds a big Sci Fi Soundscape ending. Ody is a wonderful guitarist and part way through, I thought "ooh there's not a lot of Guitar here" and it is like I was overheard as the album from then on is Guitar Heaven.

There is a loose concept theme to Timelines and it's funny that I was thinking of ELO's Time as I listened. It doesn't have that level Pop or the treated vocal nonsense, but it has a slightly similar 80s style big production. Absolutely Splendid! Mothboxer may finally get the recognition that is deserved.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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Taking Meds - Dial M for Meds

New York quartet Taking Meds open Dial M For Meds with a Not Lame-esque Fountains Of Wayne like corker in Memory Lane. There is more of that here, particularly on Life Support, but there are other directions to explore too.

The Punkier roots may have been smoothed out, but what rings out here are the riffs that are absolutely awesome and counter balanced by a strong lyrical content and a Rhythm section to die for. Chorus dominated matched by solos of quality. 

My description above would place them into prime Power Pop and there is a similarity at times to the more aggressive Power Pop that has built momentum over the past year or so. But these four also sound very 90s College Rock.

They can be a happier Pearl Jam or tread into the territory of The Replacements. But they can also Rock out, take for instance the noisy Wading Out and when they do raise the volume, it is just as effective as the poppier songs. The Other End even gets more than a little Green Day.

See The Clowns is epic and closes the album, maybe even be the best thing here. Very 90s, but very effective, it hardly comes up for air. I may have confused you with all the references, but this truly is right up you followers street.  Particularly those who like their Riff Rock, a little meatier. It is a crackerjack of an album.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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