Browsing Tag

Americana rock

Jo-Jo & The Teeth gave us the couture of glam rock n roll with their blisteringly hot pop-rock anthem, Don’t Get Too Heavy

Posted on 18 May 2022

‘Don’t Get Too Heavy’ from the London-based outfit, Jo-Jo & The Teeth is the only riff-slicked pop-hooked rock n’ roll debut you need to hear in 2022. A rebellious streak runs right through the glam rock earworm, but like every good hit, it does plenty more than just show its teeth.

If you amped up the visceral attitude in Stevie Nicks’ vocals to 11, they’d still pale in comparison to the hooky veracity of Jo-Jo O’Donoghue’s blisteringly hot pop-rock vocal lines. That’s probably blasphemy, but I’ll prepare to repent for it to do Jo-Jo & The Teeth justice. It’s the least I could do given that she has given rock n roll an Americana iteration of Peaches.

Don’t Get Too Heavy is the lead track from the forthcoming self-produced debut album, No More Good News; I already want it on my turntable.

The official music video for Don’t Get Too Heavy premiered on May 6th; watch it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alexander Craig makes blues-rock bop-worthy in Atmosphere We’re Under

Posted on 12 March 2022
Alexander Craig

The Minnesota-based producer, singer-songwriter and prodigal son of rock n roll, Alexander Craig, has teased what’s to come in his upcoming album by giving us a sneak peek of the standout single, Atmosphere We’re Under. You’d be hard-pressed to find a scuzzier bop-worthy feat of blues-rock.

Atmosphere We’re Under is wild with its cheeky, punch-drunk energy that contains the same bite as your average ego-fuelled track. Yet, after stepping out from behind his successful aural alter-ego, Crankshaft, Alexander Craig made a positive stylistic move that radiates through his up-beat lyrics and gasoline-soaked high-energy grooves. The standout track is every bit as hooky and infectious as any of Josh Homme’s many endeavours, but with Alexander Craig, there’s roots-deep respect for rock n roll.

Alexander Craig is going old-school with his debut blues-rock album; it will only be available via CD and Vinyl. After being teased by the roots-rich soul in Atmosphere We’re Under, he can definitely take my money.

Check out Alexander Craig via his official website, Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Derek Cramer shows us the future though “Power of the Metaverse”

Posted on 24 January 2022

The Metaverse may give some people the fear and bring connotations of a cold new world that won’t allow us to touch grass; with his single, Power of the Metaverse, the Ohio-based alternative artist, Derek Cramer, has shown us its potential.

The 80s-inspired alt-rock hit has psychedelic undertones along with high-octane over-driven guitars while Cramer energetically attacks the lyrics that illustrate the freedom that metaverses can grant us. Cramer chose to focus on the positives of decentralization, digital connection and augmented reality, such as the potential for increased self-expression and community.

Those lyrics with such nostalgic rock tones almost feels like a paradox is aurally unravelling before you, and therein lies the sheer ingenuity of the release. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

Power of the Metaverse is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Borrowed Souls hit the ‘Killswitch’

Posted on 7 May 2021
Borrowed Souls

Borrowed Souls started out life, in 2016, as a covers band taking in the likes of Portishead, The Black Keys, and Alabama Shakes. As sometimes happens when a musical chemistry is formed between members, they realised they’d got something between them, and started writing their own original material. Finding their own, signature sound – a lo-fi mixture of jazzy, soulful blues-rock – the trio put together their debut EP, ‘Baxter’s Kitchen’, following up now with their debut full-length album, ‘Epiphany and Revelation’, ‘from which Killswitch’ – their debut ‘proper’ single release – is taken.

‘Killswitch’, then, is exactly that – bluesy, soulful, rocky, chilled yet powerful; opening up with some delicate guitar arpeggios, ‘Killswitch’ sounds exactly like something from the Sons Of Anarchy or Strike Back soundtracks, that gruff, vaguely Americana-tinged rock in the vein of The Forest Rangers, Billy Valentine, Mark Stone, or the Shapeshifters, but with a modern twist: Laid-back, groovy, swaggering alt-blues-rock – think ‘Short Change Hero’ by The Heavy, The Black Keys, or The Revivalists, and you’re not far wrong.

You can check out ‘Killswitch’, and the rest of the ‘Epiphany And Revelation’ album, here, and follow Borrowed Souls on Facebook and Twitter.

Review by Alex Holmes

Bill E Daly gives us a soulful introduction to his music with ‘Hey Baby Hey’

Posted on 26 December 2020

Americana-tinged modern folk is the order of the day from Dublin’s Bill E Daly with this, from his new EP ‘Parachute & Oxygen’. ‘Hey Baby Hey’ is a gentle acoustic-guitar-and-vocal love song with a catchy little chord progression and Daly’s deep baritone voice. Tinged with country and modern rock overtones, this is mature, well-polished, and accomplished, little guitar flourishes on the ends of lines interplaying with Daly’s chilled vocal delivery.

Daly’s previous album, 2017’s ‘There Is A Time’, charted at number 2 in Google Play’s ‘Folk’ category, and there’s every chance that ‘Parachute & Oxygen’ will do similarly well. ‘Hey Baby Hey’ is the ideal introduction to Bill E Daly’s music.

Hear ‘Hey Baby Hey’ on Spotify; check out Daly’s website here.

Review by Alex Holmes

THIRD LUNG take us on an Alt Rock expedition of self-discovery with ‘Falling Stone’

Posted on 20 December 2020

Kicking off with a beautifully delayed, ethereal guitar line before drums, overdriven sweeping guitar chords, and Tom Farrelly’s deep, sonorous vocals join in, THIRD LUNG’s ‘Falling Stone’ is a well-written, mature piece of stadium-style rock, reminiscent of U2 or maybe Simple Minds, the Foo Fighters, or perhaps a little Coldplay. There’s everything here; delicate verses, a huge, singalong chorus, and a proper, lighters-aloft, show-ending crescendo of a middle eight. It’s a proper, grown-up rock song, well performed, well produced, and with an absolute cracker of a YouTube video to accompany it.

‘Falling Stone’ is an exploration of self-discovery, about being afraid to make changes and to look for things which, intrinsically, we need to find. On the basis of this, a lot more people will be finding THIRD LUNG in 2021.

Check out the video for ‘Falling Stone’ on Youtube. Follow Third Lung on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Get lost in the dreamy Americana Rock tones in Colm O’Mahony & The Hot Touches’ single “Preacher’s Daughter”

Posted on 10 November 2020
https://soundcloud.com/colmandthehottouches/03-colm-omahony-preachers-daughter-new-master

Sail away with the nostalgically lush tones in the standout release, “Preacher’s Daughter”, from Killarney, Ireland-based artist Colm O’Mahony & The Hot Touches.

Preacher’s Daughter is just one of the singles which features on the band’s debut album which borrows some stylistic elements from across the pond while keeping the folkish tones of Ireland still ringing in the euphoric aural pipe dream. The dreamy hazy melodicism combined with the soul-awakening vocal vibrato proves to be a powerful combination which will be a hit with any fans of Springsteen and the Heart Breakers.

You can check out Preacher’s Daughter for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Desert Shade: “All For Nothing” – Classic Americana of the very best kind

Posted on 29 August 2020

Bringing the Classic Rock all the way from Annapolis, Maryland, comes Desert Shade. Describing themselves as ‘born out of necessity in the fall of 2019 to fulfil a headlining slot’, the band came from a scrabbled first headline set to a show that landed them on the Baltimore Soundstage just a few months later. Now, following a couple of early singles, they’re bringing their brand of Americana-influenced classic rock via this, from their forthcoming self-titled debut EP.

Awash of laid-back harmonica and tweedy Fender twang, meandering bass, and graced by a beautiful heavily wah-and-distorted lead-line from Nick M, ‘All For Nothing’ is a cigarette-lighters-at-the-ready burner in the style of ‘Someday Never Comes’ of ‘Forever Young’.

Quietly forceful and evocative without being schmalzy, ‘All For Nothing’ smoulders like the best of laid-back Neil Young, the Allman Brothers, Tom Petty, or the Grateful Dead.

You can check it out here.

Review by Alex Holmes

Patchwork – “Black Hole”: College Radio Alt-Rock from Cincinatti

Posted on 28 August 2020

‘Black Hole’ is a bouncy, poppy alt-rock banger from the Cincinnati fourpiece Patchwork’s forthcoming album ‘Hive Mind’. A catchy, hooky ascending guitar riff that lodges inside your brain and doesn’t let go.

There’s an early Foos vibe to it, or maybe Queens Of The Stone Age if the Gin Blossoms’ Robin Wilson was singing lead vocals, but the overarching feel is a ‘Shame About Ray’-era Lemonheads. That’s no bad thing, it’s poppy without being throwaway, the vocal’s infectious and pushed to the fore, and the lyrics marry a certain world-weariness to the grungy guitar melody, but there’s some excellent musicianship going on too. This has got US-College Radio hit written all over it.

You can check out Black Hole here.

Review by Alex Holmes

Wild Sundays have served up a fresh slice of American Indie Pop Rock with their debut single “Exception”

Posted on 22 June 2020
https://wildsundays.bandcamp.com/releases

“Exception” is the debut single from the Boston, Massachusetts-based Indie Pop Rock newcomer Wild Sundays. Prepare for a rhythmically slick soul-soothing Indie earworm before hitting play.

The anthemic energy of Exception is nicely paired with the intimately candid lyrics and vocals which invite you to aurally swim in the depths of the vocalist’s authentic and sincere expression.

With most Indie tracks, you can immediately guess who the artist is trying to assimilate. But Wild Sundays pull from a variety of sub-genres to deliver an overwhelmingly contemporary resounding sound which will appease Rock fans of all inclinations.

Whether you love to listen to Bon Jovi, Arctic Monkeys, Foo Fighters, or Manic Street Preachers, you’re sure to appreciate Exception.

You can check out Wild Sundays’ track Exception for yourselves by heading over to Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast