Review: Singles Round-Up

Another week, another fresh batch of hot new singles ticking all the boxes here at DGM Towers. Here are a few examples of what we have been listening to over the last few days; as usual, click on the artist’s name in bold and follow the link to the YouTube video/social media page.

Fronted by Prinz Richard Hodenherz III (Hodi) of German medieval/folk metallers Feuerschwanz, dArtagnan plays “musketeer rock” with tongues firmly in cheeks, and a mile-wide smile on their face. Less metal-ish than Feuerschwanz, dArtagnan still manages to successfully blend modern electric guitars with ye-olde time traditional instrumentation and in doing so make an almighty glorious racket. Hodenherz/Hodi, aka Ben Metzner, is a talented singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, adept on instruments such as a tin whistle, bagpipes, Uilleann pipes, acoustic guitar, bouzouki, so as you might expect, there is a strong folk-rock element to the dArtagnan sound. Latest album ‘Feuer & Flamme’ is as much fun as you can legally have without being led away by the men in white coats, and current single ‘Feste Feiern’ is just one of the many standout moments on the album. It should also act as a wake-up call to the scores of American Celtic-punk acts who think that they are being authentic by adding a tin whistle or an accordion here and there. With earworm moments by the barrel-load (especially the fiddle melodies, and the na-na-na parts) ‘Feste Feiern’ (roughly translated as “celebration of parties” or “revel”) is a rollicking, infectious, fun few minutes that are sure to get the feet tapping and a pit forming once Wacken returns. Does it matter that dArtagnan performs in their native German tongue? No. Not a jot. File under “impossible to resist” and “where’s the beer at?”.

‘Sheldon Churchyard’ is the first of two new songs (both covers) to be released by Swedish 70s-inspired groove-merchants Horisont (another unnamed cover is set to follow on), and when the band said that they were adding their own spin to a country song, then you just knew that it was not going to be a bog-standard country staple, and instead, something from the left field. Larry Jon Wilson might be an unfamiliar name, but through the powers of the old interweb it’s easy to see why Horisont have chosen to cover one of his songs – ‘Sheldon Churchyard’. Imagine Bobby Womack-inspired funk & soul featuring vocals full of that deep timbre so prolific in the country genre, it all makes perfect sense. Not straying too far from the cooler-than-ice-cold original, Horisont have retained the trippy bass-and-keyboard intro (the retro keyboard/synth sound is massive!), turned the guitars up to eleven by adding some gnarly riffage, and essentially said to drummer Pontus: “…do your thing, bro”. The end result is rather special indeed, and proof – if required – that some good things have come out of this worldwide lockdown. Tune in, get comfortable, and just melt into your sofa, for this is groovy, real groovy.

Explosive Liverpool-based duo Little Triggers should be more of a household name by now. Someone at BBC Radio 6 really dropped the ball with these guys, hell, even BBC Radio 2 are slow of the mark given that Little Triggers have lashings of that vintage fuzz that DJ Johnnie Walker digs so much. Until the powers that be who dictate what makes it onto a national radio playlist realise that Little Triggers have that spark which is missing in so many bands that they have on heavy rotation, the pair (Tom Hamilton, lead vocals & guitars and Jay Radcliffe drums & backing vocals) will have to continue to hone their craft, and release more new music to hopefully make the big boys sit up and pay attention. ‘Yeh Man!’ is the new single and it’s a fiery 3:42 that contains more twists and turns, and more red herrings than a black and white Danish TV detective thriller. Changes in style and tact come out of the left field in numerous places (including a pretty damn funky floor tom-heavy drum solo from Jay Radcliffe midsong) and, honestly, at times the listener has no idea what to expect next. A track that constantly surprises, but perhaps the biggest surprise is the fact that despite BBC Radio having a raging hard-on for an act like The Hives, Little Triggers seem to have passed them by, and that needs rectifying, straight away.

Look at any all-time greatest rock drummers poll from the last few decades and chances are that the top two places will constantly change between John Bonham and Neil Peart. No denying the talents of either, or just how influential they both were, however, it’s easy to forget about those as equally as talented and influential but for whatever reason might not get the same recognition as Bonham and Peart; Ian Paice immediately springs to mind, as does the much-missed Cozy Powell, and it’s the latter who is the subject of a heartfelt and respectful tribute masterminded by Garry Bowler/Magpie. With an enviable cast that also features Neil Murray on bass, David Stone on keyboards, Frankie Aiello on vocals, and the late, great Bernie Tormé (whose last recording this was and who delivers an incredible guitar solo), Bowler has created an updated, reimagined version of Powell’s ‘Dance With The Devil’ – the 1974 top three hit single that “launched a thousand drummers”. The biggest difference is that this new version – renamed ‘Dancing With The Devil’ – features vocals (rather fittingly from Frankie Aiello who played with Powell in Bedlam), which along with the ghostly backing vocals helps bring an air of mystery to the track. The playing from all involved is exceptional – what a loss Tormé was – but a special mention of course has to go to Garry Bowler, to take on one of his hero’s most famous moments and put a fresh spin on it with such quality, that takes some cojones. The ultimate percussive-heavy track just got a new coat of paint, and it’s sounding immense. ‘Dancing With The Devil’ is available on 12” vinyl for Record Store Day, 17th July 2021. “Dance to my magic sticks….” – and why not?

Christ, is it really July already? How the hell did that happen? The 12th of the month can only mean one thing: time for a new choon from Mr. Ryan Hamilton as part of his ‘1221’ project. If you are late to the party, Ryan is releasing a new song on the 12th of each month for one year, with a view to releasing the 12 tracks at the end of the year as one complete body of work. 7 songs in and the depth of music on offer show no sign of letting up, and July’s treat is Ryan’s take on an unreleased original from Californian singer-songwriter Chuck Prophet – ‘Big Man’. Like June’s offering ‘Shots Fired’, this one is also an uptempo few moments, and rather apt considering the song title; it has a big sound (especially the big-ass drums), big choruses, and is sure to leave big smiles on the faces of the Ryan Hamilton faithful. Had it been released earlier in the year, you could have found yourself pining for warmer climates and driving along the coastal routes of the west coast of America with the top down and the song blasting out. A great summer anthem sure to evoke happy memories once the listener turns the dial skyward. Come December 2021, Ryan is going to have one hell of an album on his hands.

British guitarist and singer-songwriter, Joanne Shaw Taylor, is busy working on her new album (the follow up to 2019’s blistering ‘Reckless Heart’) with Joe Bonamassa – the hardest working man in showbiz – alongside Josh Smith on co-production duties, and the first piece of music to see daylight from these sessions is the smoking-hot ‘If That Ain’t A Reason’. The reason for going with this one first, summed up best by Joanne herself: “It was a Little Milton song Joe texted to me when we were in the early stages of discussing songs. I’d never heard it before and loved it. Super funky and great, almost comical lyric at times,” The keyword here is “funky”, for this truly is as “funky” as it gets. Just listen to that opening groove which the stellar all-star band locks into, and purr with delight. Feast on Shaw Taylor’s warm, earthy vocals that seem to get better on each outing, and sit slack-jawed during her smouldering guitar solo that kicks in at 2:11 minutes and stretches out until the dial caresses the 3:00 minute mark. The rewind dial is in serious jeopardy of wearing out thanks to gorging on that solo. For any self-respecting fan of modern blues-rock, the thought of Joanne Shaw Taylor working with Joe Bonamassa is like manna from heaven. The early signs are that they are cooking up something rather special indeed down in Nashville. One piece of advice though, after blasting this one out a few times, slip on some decent cans and press play – that subtle rhythm guitar in the background, mixed with the lush keyboards of Mr. Reese Wynans? How incredible is that?

 

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