We’ve got a lovely new set of tunes to tempt you with this moderately grey/tentatively sunny Friday, but first let’s congratulate the victorious artistes from last week. In reverse order, they are…
3. Cats In Space - The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
2. Black Star Riders - Cold War Love
1. The Darkness - All The Pretty Girls
So who’s going to triumph this week? Which tunes will prove the most popular? You can help decide by voting at the foot of this page. But before all the newness, how about a spin of last week’s winners:
Black Stone Cherry – Built For Comfort
Built for comfort, and for hard f***ing rock, Black Stone Cherry’s inimitable robust personality shines through everything they do; even a Howlin’ Wolf cover, as this lil’ number confirms. It’s the blues but not as you know it.
All Them Witches – Bulls
One of the dreamiest cuts from All Them Witches’ excellent latest LP Sleeping Through The War, Bulls starts off hazily before swelling into a mighty chorus of celestial choral backing and thunderously grungy guitars. They’re a commanding force of heavy rock psychedelia, and we like them very much.
The Struts – One Night Only
Huzzah! It’s another new one from The Struts – fizzling with fun, glam and a hooky lovelorn chorus the size of a house. This makes us at Classic Rock towers very happy, and hopefully it’ll have a similar effect on you guys.
Steven Wilson – Permanating
‘It’s crap!’ ‘It’s brilliant!’ ‘What-the-actual-fuck Wilson?’ ‘This is genius!’ Wilson’s first mega foray into pop has split opinion to say the least, and now comes with a troupe of Bollywood dancers. Easily one of the happiest videos we’ve seen all week; heck, even the master of melancholy himself cracks a proper smile. Lovely.
The New Roses - Life Ain’t Easy For A Boy With Long Hair
So American-sounding you’ll struggle to believe they’re from Germany, The New Roses are the brains behind this sparky, punk n’ blues rock ode to the struggling musician. Our protagonist in the video starts off eating ketchup (from his otherwise barren fridge, natch) and ends up playing to an empty pub. Accompanied by a sadder song it could’ve been the most depressing thing ever, but actually it’s very chirpy and infectious.
Simo – People Say
Get your sass on with this funktastic new one from bluesy Nashvillian J.D. Simo and friends. The Joe Bonamassa-rated singer/gunslinger is a master of delicious jams, and here he teams it with funk n’ soul sensibilities to hip-shaking, head-nodding effect. Mmmm…
Walter Trout (feat Kenny Wayne Shepherd) – Gonna Hurt Like Hell
Trad blues can be…well, a bit trad, but when done really well it’s just lush. This is one such example, in which Mr Trout teams up with fellow bluesman Kenny for some tasty, shuffling bluesy riff-mongering. And when he sings ‘it’s gonna hurt like hell’, you really believe him – even if you also wonder ‘what’s gonna hurt like hell?’
The Dives – Make It Like The Movies
Dives frontman Evan Stanley might be KISS offspring, but musically he’s taken a little more from the likes of Elvis Costello and Squeeze than his dad, Paul. This single from debut EP Everybody’s Talkin’ is a more-ish, sugar-filled (but not sickly) hit of power pop – so irresistibly sweet and bouncy you’ll want to be its friend.
