Friday Playlist

I thought I was on top of the new music this week, but as I sit down to begin putting this together I have no idea if there are enough tracks or where it is going. Fingers crossed we go someplace good!

“Run Kid” - Arkayla If a group of Aussies went to Manchester but tapped into the early 2000s rock revival in the US, they would probably sound like this.

“Everything Evil” - Elephant Stone And here we have a Montreal band led by an Indian-Canadian who has clearly listened to a lot of Tame Impala and Pond. So maybe he did a year in Australia while in school?

“Bad Idea” - Adult Leisure This song is three years old but since it is new to me, I figure it’s new to almost all of you. Keeping with my descriptions so far, this is like if a British band was influenced by Kings of Leon but into much more danceable music, maybe?

“Circles” - Lande Hekt The former Muncie Girls lead singer is on a nice roll in her solo career. It’s been in the 90s here all week and this song suits those final days of summer perfectly.

“Only Fractions” - Neighbour Club This is not grungy at all, but it continues the trend we’ve been in for well over a year of new groups reaching back to mid-90s alt rock when finding a sound for themselves.

“Oh No Now My” - This Is Lorelei This Is Lorelei might be THE buzz band in the indie world at the moment. They are on a monster run of critical acclaim. I’m not as all-into them as those folks, but I enjoy this track.

“It’s Almost Like You’re Here” - Yndling OK, this is a first. I believe I found this song on Instagram. Or maybe it was YouTube. Not knowing doesn’t really help my story. Regardless it just popped up after I was watching something else unrelated. I know the kids have been doing that for years, but this was an entirely new way for me to discover original music. I’m not revamping my system based on one song, even if it is a really good song.

“I’ve Got A Friend” - The Catburgers Well this is interesting! Shimmery jangle pop from Edinburgh, of all places. Not exactly in the spirit of Frightened Rabbit or The Twilight Sad. Turns out all that Eighties goodness is because this track was recorded back then. The Catburgers were part of the Edinburgh scene that exploded in the mid-80s, but their regular appearances in clubs never turned into a proper record deal before the group dissolved. Now, 40 years later, the album they recorded while shopping for a deal is finally being released. Hopefully they are all getting a nice check (or cheque) from the project.

“Go!” - Public Service Broadcasting I’m pretty sure I’ve heard this at some point since its release 11 years ago, but it sounded new and struck a chord when I heard it played on The Bridge last week.

“Sonic Reducer” - Dead Boys Cheetah Chrome, guitarist for this legendary punk band, died this week. A Mt. Rushmore of American Punk tracks. RIP.

“Sonic Reducer” - Pearl Jam This has been covered a million times by a million bands. Not sure anyone does it better than PJ. Here is a performance from 2003 featuring The Buzzcock’s Tony Barber on bass.