June In Song

My head is reeling from how busy this month has been! So many lovely moments with lovely people but - my word! - we’re at capacity. Lots and lots and lots of new music and I’ve also listening through Fur & Loathing podcast and Serial podcast season 4 - heavy topics told brilliantly.

• Whatcha Want - Lawrence

  Lawrence have three things - talent, humour, graft. Every song on this album is a banger, right from track one. Whatchat Want has so much energy, Guy I Used To Be just gets stuck in my head, Promotion has a whistle solo, i’m confident that I’m insecure and 23 have been out a while and are tremendous. Amazing album.

• Fall/Leave - racecar

  There’s so much packed into this song - close harmony going through some discopop, a baroque interlude and then a driving rock finale. It rocks.

• Smoke and Sweets - Midnight Ambulance

  Midnight Ambulance are one of those bands that each new song that I hear I love more. Sounds a bit like The Last Dinner Party and Wolf Alice. Alice is cool. Morlich has a fab vocal layers. Stained Cotton has the best harmonies. Smoke and Sweets sounds like it could have been performed two thousand years ago on a hillside.

• S.O.B. - Nathaniel Rateliff

  So many great tracks from Nathaniel - I Need Never Get Old is brassy and fun, You Worry Me is late night driving, and S.O.B. is whole band are on a high.

• Combat - Ela Minus

  It’s hard to place the genre on this - it has Bjork-esque vocals, cinematic minimalism and lush glitchy arpegios running in the background - and it’s beautfiul. (Her set from home during lockdown is absolute mastery.

• Live at the Philharmonie de Paris - Nils Frahm

  An astounding concert.

• Tubthumping - They Might Be Giants & The AV Club Chorus

  I loved hearing that the A.V. Club 25 cover songs series is coming back so it was nice to remanisce with TMBG bringing everyone together in a tiny room to smash out a fun cover of Tubthumping.

• HYPOCRITE - Daisy Grenade

  This band really know how to write catchy tunes. And coming out on FUELED BY RAMEN is a sign that this band will be massive!

• Sex Scenes - Lecki Lecki

  Catchy Scottish pop-rock with summer vibes.

• Pata Pata AKA The Dance - Miriam Makeba

  This tune is the perfect soundtrack for happy moments. (And the remix from Matt Cherne is featured on Mark Rober videos.)

• The Quest for Tanelorn - The Blind Guardian

  I didn’t know a lot about this band but I do know that they rock!

• Number One Wee Guy - Night Caller

  Somehow sounds like Leith and the 1950’s. Fantastic sound.

• Pain In My Heart - Schrotthagen

  Love it when the beat drops.

• Midway - Bad Bad Hats

  Such a gorgeous vibe - excited to find this band! So much lovely music - Bored In Summer is cool, and It Hurts has a rad kazoo solo!

• Par hasard - Romain Muller

  It’s bliss when the synth comes in.

• Back To The Radio - Porridge Radio

  The build in tension with this song… and the grit in the vocals… are awesome. U Can Be Happy If U Want To is such a fab tune foo.

• Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl (Broken Social Scene Cover) - IAN SWEET

  Sounds like it sould be on a 90s movie soundtrack. Love the colab with Porridge Radio too.

• Punching Bag - The Front Bottoms

  This is the most Scottish-indie a band can sound without being Scotish.

• Eulogy - grandson

  Genius lyrics and a chilled beat.