29/07/2025
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Sax & drugs & rock’n’roll 😎 - the intoxicating sound of the new release from Seems Like Tuesday & David Pierron, “Lookin’ for a Heartbreak - Wombat Remix”. It kicks off this week’s “Indie Music From The Top Shelf” from Whiskey’n’Whiskers with those room filling drums that you can feel as much as hear. A hot guitar riff picks up with a Goldilocks ‘just right’ level of saturation and a Sax line that leans into some jazzy blues. I’m hooked already, but Erica’s voice seals the deal with some rich bluesy tones and some breathy treats too. I’m feeling all Fleetwood Mac, and it feels good. And that build into the bridge; the return of that gorgeous Sax and my internal mood-ometer slaps against the limiter. Save a swoon for the outro. Classic Indie rock music perfected!
A song about the working rat-race and escaping from it is up next. It’s a serious topic but fear not because it is delivered Phil Cook & the Fall Dogs style, with Mark Anthony G. in the new song “Bully Box”. This is the classic Phil Cook style that we have all grown to love. It’s real fun, it’s tuneful, the beat is irresistible, filled in with those off-beat guitar stabs, the vocals carry hints of post-punk and Bowie, there’s a tasty walking bass line. Rambunctious like an excited puppy and equally appealing. The outro is interesting too. It feels very much like the close of a live performance and this is very much where Phil is focussed at the moment. Clocks, cox, socks, docks, blocks….this song rocks.
A song about the working rat-race and escaping from it is up next. (No that wasn’t a copy/paste error and I only just noticed the co-incidence as I was writing this post 👻). The genre bending wide-ranging talents of AGBAT are in full force on the new song “Nothing”. It’s a mind blowing fusion of jazz style delivery with rock tones, metal that will make you break your air drums, crunchy guitars, and alt-pop; seriously… and it all flows with no joins. It’s bloody funny too with its spoken vocal interjections and unexpected lines - “I’d burn some trees and get laid”. There’s even a Caribbean lilt in the mix at one point. Masterful composition, perfect production and it’s a song about my favourite pastime too. It’s this level of creativity that keeps us hooked on Indie music. Count us in as fans.
Speaking of creativity in Indie music, one will never know quite what to expect from a new BFMC - Beasty Fan Music Club release. “The Voice Inside” is the latest and it has Cintalegospelmusic DNA for sure but this is the sound of synergy. Sweet Salsa rhythms and a drum kit with an island feel blend with rock sensibilities and gorgeous 70’s/80’s soul vocals to which exquisite vocal harmonies add sweet and spice in equal measure… and just listen to that lead vocal riffing; it’s Stevie Wonder level. The best of all though is the way the whole soundscape comes together. It is just a delight to listen to but, don’t just listen - sway to the rhythm of your heart. This is dance music; it is late night summer street party music. Dance - you know you want to.
We can’t remember when we didn’t listen to at least one Rob Bennett song every day. It must have been a year ago at least. And still, no day passes without my being astonished at his composition, musicianship and production skills. His music has so much complexity, detail and thoughtful construction but yet it always sounds so organic and natural. “The Wendigo” was the first song we heard and it is a classic with beautiful melodies, a vocal tone that still comes as a surprise after that crunchy intro, a well composed guitar solo and that slightly unsettling anticipation of the two beat at the start of the verse lines that I’ve given up trying to subdivide. It’s electrifying. And it was featured on “Indie Music From Top Shelf” exactly one year ago today and so makes for a very easy choice as this week’s ’Timeless Classic’ making a welcome return to the playlist.
We are grateful to Blue Grazer Records for introducing us to Ryan Pinnick Music and our new addiction to this utterly unique artist, and if you haven’t heard him yet then buckle up. Whatever you think “Slap Me with a Bar and Call Me Jimmy” is going to sound like from the title alone, be prepared for a delightful surprise. We’re starting with the coolest Bossa vibes and plucked guitar chords that are masterfully executed throughout. But the vocal, though delivering with a jazz sensibility, has a country texture that is deep, rich and engrossing. He’s going to hang on to that minor tonic chord for a while making you expect a shift to the iv chord ‘cause it all sounds bluesy but then he silences the music over that brilliant vocal hook leaving the strong sense of a ii-V-i hanging in the air though you don’t actually hear it. My god this is so very good. It’s actually laugh-out-loud funny too with the delivery of the best dead-pan comedians. Call it what you will; I call it jazz but it doesn’t matter really - maybe just settle for brilliant?
Another song from the ‘Exquisite Corpses’ project is up next. This time it’s “Celestial”, the pMad song built on Lunar Paths’ percussion and it is a sure fire hit. The first impression - it’s fast. That beat is somewhere in the 140’s but then it feels like Pmad has taken those fast 1/8ths and treated them as 1/16ths composing a slow laid-back, simple melody that delivers a sharp contrast of moods; it is a song full of such contrasts in a way. There’s a rock backbeat, natural sounding kick-ass drums and clean guitars but there are glorious synth layers too and that dark haunting vocal. Indie rock meets synth-pop meets dark-wave? It makes me think of Joy Division at times and then sometimes not. It really is quite beguiling and it’s the kind of art that only this Indie community can produce, collaborating and pushing boundaries; leveraging the creative freedom of independence. It’s what it’s all about right?
A whiskey break leads us into the second half of the journey that begins with a majestic composition from Storm-Kingdom & Sirius Blueray “The Warrior Queen”. The orchestration is extraordinary here. If Queen Medb had been real, she would have been around a couple of thousand years ago, and the available instruments would have been lyre, flute & drums. This is exactly the vibe that kicks off the song too, although more modern instruments are introduced as the song builds and takes on almost a 13th-century medieval-round feel. Those drums are magnificent, feeling so much like they are drawn from the battlefield and driving up the adrenaline levels. It’s a thrill ride, but with that massive soundscape going on, Sirius’ voice remains pure and crystalline with a beautiful melody and sweet harmonies - and yet it is the most powerful sound, just like when a warrior cuts through the noise of battle to command the army. What an ambitious collaboration; it is spectacular.
Fresh from the heat of the battle, let’s retire to a “Small Town Bar” with ‘Brad Thomas Project’ and ‘Eric Lemons Music’ for some pure perfect country goodness. This is the real stuff served up neat with perfect finger picking, and slick lead lines over the top, a rich vocal with a drawl that can transport you to another place and the essence of great country music, story telling. Just soak in every line and detail and then realise that the story is all true. It’s all based on a gig that was a series of disasters from start to finish. So what better to do than make a great song from it? Like they say, if life hands you lemons (no pun intended) make lemonade, and this is one sweet batch. And the finish of the story is such a brilliant punchline but I won’t spoil it in case you haven’t heard the song yet. This song has hot hit written all over it.
Time to whack the volume to the max now with some East Texas Adrenaline who combine metal, rock’n’roll and punk into their explosive sound. “Domestrike” leans more into punk to my ears and it is some of the very best. The verse hits a simple minor progression over an Em tonic with some crunchy guitar and a tight AF rhythm section with some crazy good drums. That vocal is what’s hitting me though; in the verses the pitch class of each note is only hinted at but when the chorus hits he’s hitting pitch perfect C5 & B4 with a wonderful primal scream. Thats one talented singer. Whether you consider roots punk to be Ramones, Stooges, NY Dolls, Velvets or Pistols or whoever, this will give the same powerful blast of energy. It’s kinda like old-school punk, yet it feels so fresh and relevant today. Just, keep the fire extinguisher to hand 🧯.
Slowing the pace now with Devons. Wait what? Well if, when you think of Devons, your mind turns to the brilliant “BALLERINA” or “Hate me Love me” then you might be surprised by their latest release, the utterly beautiful “Me acuerdo de ti” because it’s sad tale of unrequited but unforgettable love has a cool, slow Latin jazz vibe. The orchestration is very unusual with bright guitars at the top with that heavenly reverb, bass at the bottom and that stunning voice easily filling up all the space in between with masterful authority. A simple ii,V,ii,V,I in A major is made intensely interesting by the melodic choices. Just listen to that melismatic run first heard at the end of “Ellas tenían, tenían razón” as it slides through the flat seven on the way to the six of the chord in anticipation of hitting the ii chord again. The colour, the tension, the tangible beauty of all this - we dig their more intense rock material, of course, but this too is a special song.
If you think you’ve heard it all but you haven’t heard “Building Brains” by American Blackheart, then be prepared to pick up that jaw you just dropped and notice that it is wearing a huge toothy smile. 😁. Mostly, this is a really accomplished rocker: The rhythm section can rip the roof off, the vocals soar and the shouted vox harmonies will have you joining in and giving it your all. The verses have that anthem-like quality that so fits the message to go think for yourself. But wait… the pre-chorus just slips by like a magic trick, all sweet and dreamy and even in the heavier sections there are these gorgeous clean guitar tones. There are so many shades of light and dark here. And then there’s that special twist, the structure of the song and that change. I won’t spoil it in case you haven’t heard the song yet because you only get to hear it for the first time once; but you will want to hear it again and again because it is hugely entertaining.
I’m guessing that you are more likely to have heard “Lost” by Forgotten than “Lost (Acoustic Version)” because the acoustic version is separate to the “Urban Castaway” album. It’s a different beast the acoustic version; gone are the crushing drums and heavy guitar riffs, and yet a powerful song remains. This isn’t one of those, strip back the master jobs. It’s a whole new recording with acoustic guitar, acoustic bass, and just some subtle toms and cymbals from the drums. There’s a sparingly used phasey chorus effect from the guitars that is just delicious and I don’t know how it’s done but it sure works. Then, the best thing about the acoustic set… the way that vocal shines. There’s so much passion and intensity in that voice, but it feels so effortless, and the tone is so rich, kinda like Patti Smith in full flow, ah it’s a gem of a song.
We are closing the journey this week with an astonishing song from a band we only just discovered, Rage Unfold, and their latest song “Division”. It’s a complex and intriguing song with a sound like classic metal but with dizzying shifts in rhythmic pattern musical choices. I quickly gave up trying to count and just immersed myself because all of this technical wizardry is in support of a banger of a song that’s thrilling from start to finish. The lyrics are intruiging too; I can’t decide if the division is at the societal or individual level because it’s “my division”. The drum track is epic and the vocals fly, but the star of the show is that virtuoso lead guitar work; fast, but ultimately melodic and musical, and that tone is amazing. He is alternate picking and he is shredding and he is tapping, but it is hard to know when because the tone and phrasing remain so consistent and smooth throughout. Seriously impressive and a blast to listen to.
Thank you to these artists for keeping the spirit of independent artistry vital with their music. Please do listen to the playlist, support all of the artists, maybe find some new favourites and, most of all, enjoy the music ❤️
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