These are the songs that have been inspiring us this month with some features from artists we've had the pleasure of performing with.
Los Ageless
St. Vincent
Masseduction
Released: 13th October 2017
Los Ageless is a track off of St. Vincent's 5th studio album. Its a great blend of synth-pop and rock It has a great steady groove utilising 808's and a simple yet catchy fuzz guitar hook in the verses that slowly builds throughout the whole song. The Chorus is a repetitive yet catchy affair with layers of synths that build before resolving back into the verse and outro. The bridge adds to the tension and builds to a big last chorus before the whole song crashes to a quiet outro that leaves you wanting more! Its a great track if you like synth-pop and rock combined and the album has lots of great ideas in that regard which have inspired me.
Making The Most Of The Night
Carly rae Jepsen
Emotion
Released: 24th June 2015
Yes you read that right... Carly Rae Jepsen! Wait don't click off, forget what you know from her single releases. They are easily her weakest songs, this album in particular is full of great pop music. So much so that I struggled to pick just one song from this album. This is from Jepsen's 3rd studio album and is full of 80's inspired synth-pop jams. I defy anyone who listens to this album with an open heart and doesn't come away whistling at least one of these songs!
Live in the Moment
Portugal The Man
Woodstock
Released: 16th June 2017
I must admit I was not enthused with Portugal the man when I first heard them, the song I heard first was Feel It Still and it just didn't resonate with me in any meaningful way. So much so I avoided listening to any of their other songs for the longest time. I admit now that this was foolish as this song is nothing short of excellent, it grooves hard and has a great chorus that is catchy as all hell! The production on this track is also excellent and has been a mainstay on my playlist for a couple of months now and is in no danger of being replaced!
To Defy The Laws of Tradition
Primus
Frizzle Fry
Released: 7th February 1990
To Defy The Laws of Tradition is a track off of Primus's debut album Frizzle Fry. Primus are without a doubt a Marmite band... you either love them or hate them. I am firmly in the love camp, especially with this song. It is an Eclectic song with a frantic yet groovy bass line that is complemented excellently by the drum groove and strange guitar lead. Primus were a very inspirational band for me when I was first learning to play the bass for reasons that will become very apparent when you hear the song. Les Claypool's name is very often brought up when people are discussing the most influential bass players in the world, and for very good reasons too. Claypool's style is very unique, of all the bass players out there, there is no one quite like Les!
Aces High
Iron Maiden
Powerslave
Released: 3rd September 1984
Powerslave is Iron Maidens 5th Studio album and one of absolute favourites from the band. Iron Maiden are one of the biggest bands in the world and for a very good reason too! This song is frantic, fast and perfectly encapsulates its lyrical themes of dogfighting. Featuring beautiful guitar harmonies, blistering guitar solos, frantic bass playing and the ever fantastic vocals of Bruce Dickinson. Iron Maiden were another band that were hugely influential on me as I was growing up, they were the first band I ever saw live as part of their 'Matter Of Life and Death' tour at Earls court. I even still have the T-Shirt I bought at that show, though fitting into it has become something I've all but given up on now!
When You Were Young
The Killers
Sam’s Town
Released: 18th September 2006
I was always been a fan of The Killers from their debut album Hot Fuss but I’ve chosen this song as it’s always a helpful reminder that you don’t need to use as many chords as possible to write a great song. Less is more in terms of structure with this one and then it becomes a matter of how many layers you want to add in order to get the sound you want from it.
The dynamics in this song are extremely important to it as it helps build everything else around it. It’s been a main stay in their live shows since its release and after seeing it live, I can see why!
Love Is Only A Feeling
The Darkness
Permission To Land
Released: 22nd March 2004
I loved The Darkness from the moment I heard them. They were an instant game changer for the 2000’s as they appeared to have made the world remember how rock music sounded and how it felt!
The inclusion of guitar harmonies, solid riffs and well-crafted songs gave them that hint of nostalgia that helped them take over the world for a couple of years.
This song is always a go-to for me. The whole sound of the recording always pricks up my ears and after seeing them live twice, they will forever be one of my favourite bands.
Forever Man
Eric Clapton
Behind The Sun
Released: 1985
This one kicks off with an instant feel of excitement. The verses have a slightly faster Layla feel and features some classic Clapton solo’s. The album was the first album co-produced by Phil Collins who continued to work on Clapton’s albums for years after.
I could have chosen any Clapton song but the feel, instrumentation and composition work so well together. This one always takes me back to my earliest memories of hearing him.
All Along The Watchtower
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Electric Ladyland
Released: 21st September 1968
I’ve chosen this song as it has been a lifelong favourite from the moment I first heard it. This cover of Bob Dylan’s version was released 6 months after the original and has become known as one of the best covers of all time. Bob Dylan even admitted he prefers the Hendrix version to his own.
The song features extremely nice phrasing on the solo’s and from the intro you know it’s only going to get better throughout.
A Little More Time
Eric Gales
Relentless
Released: 2010
I stumbled across Eric Gales whilst reading Guitarist magazine back in 2010 and I was instantly blown away by his technique, the speed of his playing and the riffs of a modern bluesman.
There’s elements of funk, blues, hard rock and a little bit of everything else on his albums which makes for an entertaining listen.
We all went to see Eric Gales back in 2017 and we were all blown away by how well he can play and keep everybody drawn in to every note he plays.
Bushes of Love.
Bad Lip Reading
Most would remember the Bad Lip Reading video of the song 'Seagulls' . If you're unaware of this then it was a work of genius. The creators famously adapted certain scenes from 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back' and wrote a song to replace the original dialogue with lyrics that look exactly like what the characters are saying. Before that though, this song was first! And it's the better one! With one of the catchiest choruses this decade. If the lyrics weren't a parody then it would hold up with one of the best RnB tracks in many years. Plus if you're a nerd like myself it's 'Star Wars' so it's a win!
Jeremy
Pearl Jam
My favourite song by probably my favourite Grunge band. Although I'd say Pearl Jam are more than Grunge, they were just part of that movement. The album 'Ten' is renowned to be one of the best records of all time and it truly is. This opening bass line is one of the main reasons I picked up the bass as a second instrument. And Eddie Vedders voice is incredible!
Naked
Reef
Written by a band originated not too far from us, Reef were a highlight of my upbringing when they released the classic 'Place Your Hands'. However, a few years prior to that, they had a song I was completely unaware of until about 4 years ago and this was it. Since then I've coined my own personal term to describe this song as, "the sexiest riff of the 90s" and just listen, it's raw and dirty! We now have the absolute pleasure of sharing the bill with Reef' this June at Home Farm Festival!
Mr Writer
Stereophonics
Funny one this...for those who know me, I HATED Stereophonics, how things change! Now I'd consider them one of my most listened to since 2017 and that's all because of this song. When I heard 'Mr Writer' I heard more than I had previously and within a couple of days I listened to their whole discography and I think they're brilliant.
Porcelain
Moby
I'm an absolute sucker for ambience and this chills me right out. Some of my solo work (which is on Soundcloud) is heavily influenced by Moby and this song is featured numerous times throughout films like 'The Beach' and many soundtracks, adverts and more. The atmosphere to this track takes me elsewhere and helps you to relax and forget the bad times.
Spirit Of Ecstasy
The Stone Angels
Spirit Love and Higher Meanings
Spirit of Ecstasy is the opening track of our debut album. This song is basically a mix between rock and trance and always gets a good reaction when we play it live! If you see us play it live look out for the Sub drop in the bridge!
Fear
The Stone Angels
Spirit Love and Higher Meanings
Fear is the third track of the EP. The piano part was originally envisioned as a guitar part but we thought that piano gave it a nicer timbre and cut through the mix a lot better! This is quite possible the shortest song we have ever written.
Renegade
Reigning Days
Eclipse
Originally known as These Reigning Days, local lads Reigning Days have done everything and more any local band has wanted to do. From supporting Bon Jovi at San Siro Stadium in Italy to touring India and USA, they have had a great and impressive start for a relatively new band. Coined as the next Muse, we are waiting with anticipation for their next release. This track ‘Renegade’ hails from the first EP and featured on the debut album ‘Eclipse’. Its heavy riff rock centre will make you air guitar all night.
Batman Coos
The Evil Litter
Keep Yourself Afraid
We played with these guys in Sheffield… on a Wednesday. Yes we had a laugh at that one too! These guys performed excellently and reminded of as a rough raw and ready version of Fleetwood Mac. If you like dirty guitars and strange lyrics these guys are for you!
Word Up
G.U.N
Swagger
Word Up is a classic song from the 70’s that was reimagined by these guys whom we were lucky enough to support at the fleece! What more can we say, you definitely know this song and I can almost guarantee that you’ve drunkenly sung along to it at some point! Whether it is this version, the original by Kameo or Korns nu metal rendition!