Classic Rock's Tracks Of The Week

Plato once said, “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” We think he’d enjoy this week’s selection of new tunes.

Diemonds - Ain’t That Kinda Girl
With a verse that borrows Queen’s We Will Rock You drumbeat, a bridge approaching the sound of L7’s Pretend You’re Dead, and a chorus that comes on like Halestorm, Ain’t That Kinda Girl is a sassy, singalong success. Bonus: the video features a brief cameo from two young men in posing pouches, studded belts and Kiss faceprint.

Hudson - Goodbye Blue Sky
A precisely copied live-in-the-studio cover of Floyd’s Goodbye Blue Sky might not look like an appetising snack at first glance, but when it’s done as flawlessly and with such obvious affection as it is here by LA quartet Hudson, we’re going to wolf it down and ask for more. Luckily, more can be found on the band’s new Cast Out EP, which is located at Soundcloud.

The Casualties - Running Through The Night
Fighting the good fight since 1990, New York street punks The Casualties return with a spit-fueled, scissor-kicking anthem that would make their heroes GBH, Cock Sparrer and The Exploited proud. Not only that, but they’ve bought all the leather jacket studs in Christendom and will have your eye out with a Crazy-Coloured Liberty Spike if you pogo too close.

Paves - Dancing ‘til The End of Time
Bands, much like policemen and footballers, are looking younger and younger these days, and London-based rockers Paves might just be the youngest-looking yet. Their sound, however, is channeled straight from the 60’s Los Angeles of Jim Morrison and The Doors, and they describe themselves as being “engraved in booze soaked rock”, so we’ll assume they know exactly what they’re doing and stop grumbling.

The Mute Gods - Do Nothing Till You Her From Me
Bass and Chapman Stick virtuoso Nick Beggs has been writing material while on the road with Steve Hackett and Steven Wilson, and he’s teamed up with Hackett’s keyboard player Roger King and Wilson’s drummer Marco Minnemann to release it all as an album, due in January. Now that’s sensible housekeeping.

Ulysses - How Long?
If you ever wondered what the video for Bohemian Rhapsody might have looked like were Queen a hard-rockin’ bunch of long-hairs from Bath and Bristol, head straight to 1’45” in this video. Describing themselves very sensibly as “future classic rock,” the band’s new album is slated for early 2016, and we’ll be watching.

Tax The Heat - Some Sympathy
Another band from the West Country (what are they putting in the scrumpy down there?), Tax The Heat’s new single might just have the biggest chorus of the week, with drums that thunder in a faintly Bonham-esque way and a riff pitched somewhere between Keith Richards and Mick Ronson. File under “good”.

Deja Vega - Skeletons In The Florist
Starting with the kind of hypnotic drum pattern music writers are contractually obliged to refer to as ‘motorik’, Skeletons In The Florist builds steadily until it explodes in a most satisfying manner at around the one minute mark, and again a minute later. Extra points for the video, which superimposes dancing skeletons on top of dancing humans dressed as penguins.

Classic Rock is the online home of the world's best rock'n'roll magazine. We bring you breaking news, exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes features, as well as unrivalled access to the biggest names in rock music; from Led Zeppelin to Deep Purple, Guns N’ Roses to the Rolling Stones, AC/DC to the Sex Pistols, and everything in between. Our expert writers bring you the very best on established and emerging bands plus everything you need to know about the mightiest new music releases.