Time to behold and judge another selection of new rock’n’roll treats, from guitar heroes to stoner dudes. But first up, let’s look at last week’s winners in reverse order:
3. Steven Wilson – Nowhere Now
2. The Cadillac Three – Dang If We Didn’t
1. Pugwash – The Perfect Summer
A hearty well done to them. Now, who’s going to sway your vote this week? Take a look at our stylish wardrobe of rock below, try it all for size, then pick your perfect fit. And vote for it at the foot of this page, of course, but not before you’ve gone to a happy, summery place with last week’s first prize winners Pugwash and Perfect Summer. Ahhh, lovely…
Joe Satriani – Energy
Satriani is back, and he comes bearing driving, riff-tastic goodness. Energy is taken from his 16th studio album (yes, really, 16th) What Happens Next. Nodding to prime Extremist-era Satch, if this is anything to go by the next chapter should be pretty damn good.
Pond – Colder Than Ice
One of the coolest cuts from Australia’s psych rock/pop mavericks latest album The Weather, Colder Than Ice is completely ‘out there’ and spacey yet catchy as hell – adding a pleasing synthesized 80s bounce to their musical kaleidoscope.
Robert Plant – Bluebirds Over The Mountain
Ol’ Plant continues to build anticipation for his new album Carry Fire (out October 13), this time in the company of guest singer Chrissie Hynde. Their voices make a good match on this heady, slightly psychedelic piece of rootsy hoodoo, laced with rootsy fiddle and primal beats. Music to play around a campfire – a really cool campfire.
Von Hertzen Brothers – The Arsonist
Finland’s foremost sibling trio are back with the follow-up to 2015’s New Day Rising, titled War Is Over, from which this hard-hitting number is taken. Gnarlier and a bit darker than a lot of the music on their last record, The Arsonist starts on a brooding but catchy hook, gradually swelling into something huge and oddly majestic. Good stuff.
Wo Fat – There’s Something Sinister In The Wind
Like it long, live, loud and heavy? Look no further than this deliciously woozy, riffy live cut from Texan psychedelic stoner trio Wo Fat. Blending classic blues-based sensibilities with a huge spliff of stoner rock goodness, it’s one to get lost in – really lost.
Supersonic Blues Machine feat Eric Gales – Elevate
Brilliant blues guitarist Eric Gales is the guest of honour on this latest tune from the Supersonic Blues Machine. Gales does his Hendrix-meets-SRV thang with cool gusto, and then about three and a half minutes in things slow down to a deliciously soulful, swaggering pace, allowing for a particularly tasty outro.
Airbourne – Heavy Weight Lover
We’ll leave you now with a previously unreleased beefcake of A-chord oomph, courtesy of one of the most fantastically gung-ho bands in rock’n’roll – taking classic Motorhead-inspired noise from Warrnambool, Australia to the rest of the world for the last decade. Crack open a beer and play it nice and loud; this set your weekend off to a happy start, no problem.
Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son (live)
Taken from the band’s forthcoming new live album Leftoverture: Live And Beyond, Carry On Wayward Son was produced by the man who produced Leftoverture four decades ago, Jeff Glixman. And it’s still a grade A, 24-carat, bona-fide pomp-prog classic.
