With Christmas almost upon us, we can't think of a better present than to be crowned the final Tracks Of The Week champions of the year, and that's what's happened to The Virginmarys, whose new single Trippin New York City benefited from a late surge in voting to beat out stiff competition from Dan Byrne. So congratulations to them.
We're awarding the third-place prize to Tigercub, because they finished third. That's how this works, you see.
This week's selections are below, and we'll be back with another new batch of tunes on Monday, January 5. In the meantime, thanks for listening in over the last 12 months, and we hope you enjoy a rockin' Christmas and a rollin' new year.
Wille And The Bandits - Wheal Jane
Named after a historic tin mine in Cornwall, where Wille And The Bandits come from, Wheal Jane is a low, dirty blues rocker, all ragged chain-gang menace and howling slide guitar that conjures the dark, harsh conditions of its namesake. “We wanted to show what it felt like to be down there,” Wille says, “the pressure, the darkness, the sense of being cut off from the world above. The story is rooted in real lives and real danger.” Catch them on tour across the UK in March and April.
Tailgunner - Tears In The Rain
“Blade Runner has been a focal point throughout writing our new album, and none more so than here, on our new single Tears in Rain,” the band say of the nocturnal energy and punchy 80s sheen of this moody banger from their KK Downing-produced album Midnight Blitz. “Carrying a chorus for the ages, this is a track we can’t wait to take out on the road and have you sing with us, deep into the night.”
Bryan Adams & Friends - California Christmas
Bryan Adams is joined by a quality Canadian cast including The Sheepdogs and Barenaked Ladies for this sun-kissed shot of gentle rock’n’roll and festive cheer, contemplating the merits of a warm Christmas from their chillier climes. Think palm trees swaying, hanging mistletoe by the pool, Santa Claus with a suntan and Beach Boys-harmonised ‘oooooh’s aplenty.
Neon Animal - Santa’s Naughty List
Rock’n’roll, furry leopard print and leather trousers – the three pillars by which this London gang operate and create, now cheerfully accompanied by Santa hats and steel drums. After a quiet two years on the release front, Neon Animal return to our lives with this chipper, arse-shaking fistful of filth, glamour and seasonal jollity with a generous side of Wardour Street-hewn sleaze. If you find the Pogues too dour but aren’t quite ready for Wizzard, this could be what you need.
Creeping Jean - I Feel Love
Who’d have thought a Donna Summer disco floor-filler could work so well for a bunch of trendy Brighton rock’n’rollers in 2025? Lifted from Creeping Jean’s new live EP Business At The Barn, this glitterball classic gets a strutting guitar-driven makeover that honours the original’s hypnotic groove while embellishing it with vintage bell-bottomed swagger. "Having fallen madly in love, I couldn't help but suggest I Feel Love,” guitarist Rod Bourganos reasons with the cocksure romance that comes out of their interpretation. Catch them on tour across the UK 28 Jan - 5 March.
Gluecifer - I’m Ready
Oslo’s returning kings of filthy garage rock’n’roll continue their comeback in sweet, swinging style with this big-hearted cut from their new album, Same Drug New High. "One of the last songs we wrote for the record,” singer Biff Malibu says. “Captain Poon had worked out a chord structure that fell into place really fast, and that we felt had a kinda of happy and positive ring to it. I threw in some lyrics on the same note, and the song sort of wrote itself from there."
Axe Dragger - Axe Dragger
Axe Dragger feature original Pantera vocalist Terry Glaze, Fu Manchu guitarist Bob Balch, Dark Funeral bassist Fredrik Isaksson and former Pentagram drummer Pete Campbell, and with a lineup like that, it's no surprise to find that their self-titled debut single sounds like it does, with a strutting riff, an utterly epic guitar solo, and lyrics that celebrate metal, swords, demons and so on. "The riffs on this song were inspired by the early ’80s metal records I grew up on – Judas Priest, Riot, Maiden, Dio, etc., etc." says Balch. "Hope you dig it!"
Tchotchke & The Lemon Twigs - Tchotchkes
It would be remiss of us not to end this week's entries with a Christmas song, so here's our old friends The Lemon Twigs joining up with their old friends, New York 60s pop types Tchotchke. The result is a flight of festive fancy that sounds like a previously unheard track from The Beach Boys' Smile sessions but with added sleighbells, extra tinsel and oodles of joy. In case you're wondering, a tchotchke is a small piece of bric-à-brac or a trinket, presumably of the sort one might find in a Christmas stocking on the big day itself. We genuinely think Brian Wilson would have loved this.
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