POSTS TAGGED : Rock

Guest Post: Johnny Feeney’s Albums of 2019

Aside from compiling my own lists, I really enjoy looking over other people’s albums of the year rundowns and none more so than Mr. Johnny Feeney.

An insightful musical sage, Johnny’s guest appearances are always interesting and bring added flavour to the blog and I look forward to reading his contributions – of which, surely I’m not alone?

Yes, we’re a bit late with this one but sure better late than never, right?

A huge thanks to Johnny for taking time out to compile this list, and on that note, I’ll leave you with his favourite records of 2019.

10: DIIV – ‘Deceiver’

Following up 2016’s supreme Is the Is Are, Brooklyn shoegaze quartet DIIV’s third album Deceiver draws obvious comparisons to My Bloody Valentine with its multiple layers of shimmering, squalling guitars and lead singer Zachary Cole Smith’s dreamy vocals. Expect plenty of loud / quiet / loud moments on this dazzling return.

Listen in full here.

09: Hot Chip – ‘A Bath Full of Ecstasy’

Although their newer material has perhaps lost some of the menace of their early output, ultra-consistent Hot Chip prove they are still adept at releasing dance-pop of the highest calibre. A perfect antidote to the grim global political and environmental situation we find ourselves in today, I challenge anyone to listen to the likes of ‘Positive’ or ‘Melody of Love’ and not feel a wave of joy wash over you.

Listen in full here.

08: Black Midi – ‘Schlagenheim’

The Mercury-nominated debut album from this four-piece experimental-rock band hailing from London is definitely not going to be to everyone’s taste. From the brutal opening salvo of ‘953’ to the wonderful closer ‘Ducter’, this relentless record is one that never lets go. A highly ambitious record, understandably it doesn’t always quite come together. But when it does hit the mark it’s absolutely thrilling. Improvised mayhem never sounded so good.

Listen in full here.

07: Marika Hackman – ‘Any Human Friend’

The latest LP from Marika Hackman certainly has a much more pop-leaning sound than her early fans would expect from the English singer-songwriter. Hackman’s usual vocals and guitar lines are regularly joined by jaunty synths to create upbeat tunes merged with deeply personal lyrics exploring themes such as same-sex relationships (‘All Night’) and masturbation (‘Hand Solo’). The jaw-dropping title track that closes the album is beyond staggering.

Listen in full here.

06: Drahla – ‘Useless Coordinates’

This bludgeoning debut record from Leeds post-punk outfit Drahla comes with driving guitars, a pummelling rhythm section, and Luciel Brown’s breathy vocals. Viciously, skewed saxophones add to the overall sombre atmosphere. Clocking in at a breathless half an hour, Useless Coordinates starts off dark and doesn’t veer off course once.

Listen in full here.


05: Mattiel – ‘Satis Factory’

The highly accomplished second album from the Atlanta-based singer-songwriter prominently features Mattiel Brown’s distinctive, booming vocals and some delightful, grooving and soulful blues-rock. Brown has an uncanny ability to create expertly crafted sub three-minute rock songs with an infectious hook. A very impressive piece of work.

Listen in full here.

04: The Murder Capital – ‘When I Have Fears’

The superb debut album from the Dublin post-punk five-piece is a moody, atmospheric affair. Brooding, menacing guitars and percussion are paired to pulsating effect with the haunting, angst-ridden vocals of lead singer James McGovern. A formidable live act, the group’s sound has been captured masterfully on record by UK producer Flood. Along with Fontaines DC and Girl Band, the Murder Capital are at the forefront of an exciting wave of great new Irish rock bands.

Listen in full here.

03: Aldous Harding – ‘Designer’

New Zealand folk artist Aldous Harding’s third studio album is the epitome of easy listening – nine tracks of blissful, exquisitely arranged songs. Harding’s tender vocals are accompanied by multiple layers of instrumentation and backing vocals to devastating effect throughout. A gorgeous album that gets better with every listen.

Listen in full here.

02: Vampire Weekend – ‘Father of the Bride’

After a six year hiatus and losing a key member in multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij back in 2016, Vampire Weekend fans could be forgiven for worrying if maybe this was the beginning of the end for the New York indie-poppers. Instead Ezra Koenig re-emerged with an exceptionally strong set of tracks, enlisting the help of the likes of Danielle Haim on vocals and guitarist Steve Lacy. The result is an immensely enjoyable, if overlong, album.

Listen in full here.

01: Fontaines DC – ‘Dogrel’

The eagerly awaited debut of Dublin punk rock quintet Fontaines DC delivers emphatically on every level. An extremely diverse and lyrical record, lead singer Grian Chatten’s miniature vignettes of Dublin City are accompanied by an ever-changing soundtrack from the rest of the group. From the piledriving punk of ‘Chequeless Reckless’ and ‘Hurricane Laughter’ to the jangling stomp of ‘Sha Sha Sha’ and ‘Boys in the Better Land’ via the tender ‘Roy’s Song’ and ‘Dublin City Sky’, not a single foot has been put in the wrong place. In a new Golden Age of Irish guitar music, it’s the Fontaines DC’s star who’s shining brightest at the moment.

Listen in full here.

Glitter Party – ‘Glitter Party’

Glitter Party is a Canadian outfit doing a wonderfully addictive line in fuzzy garage pop. I say ‘outfit’ but Glitter Party is the sole creation of a 19-year-old, Toronto-based musician called Sam, who crafted a whole album in house over the course of a month.

The resulting self-titled record is a whirlwind of hyperactive yet beautifully catchy and sweetly melodic garage-pop goodness bathe in swathes of fuzz & distortion – and this prowess is never better demonstrated than by lead single, also called ‘Glitter Party’.It is a two-and-a-half-minute frenzy of fuzzy, fun-filled and sweetly melodic garagey, noise-pop. Amid the exuberant bursts of energy and scuzzy riffs there is an irresistible alchemy at work. What makes this fuzz-filled racket so ear-pleasing is catchy harmonies and sweet pop hooks that woo the heart entirely. In typical fashion, this magnificent fuzz-fest will be bouncing round your head all day long.

Listen to ‘Glitter Party’ below and if that is to your liking, the album is here too.

Mandalai Lamas – ‘I Don’t Know What To Do With My Life’

Mandalai Lamas are a bustling, buzzing and spirited psych-rock outfit from Halden, Norway.

Currently prepping the release of their debut LP – expected in early 2020 on Big Day Records – they have ramping up expectation levels with a series of singles, the latest of which is the superb, ‘I Don ́t Know What To Do With My Life’. It is a sub-three-minute blast of high energy garage-rock, laced with psych radiance and ragged, raw power. While ‘I Don ́t Know What To Do With My Life’ trashes, screeches and rumbles rumbustiously along, it is supremely catchy,melodic and mashed with hooks you could hang your hat on. It is here the brilliance of their sound lies, as they traverse the space between brash and beautifully catchy they create perfection through imperfection.

Get yourself acquainted with ‘I Don’t Know What To Do With My Life’ below and keep an eye out for their debut LP come the new year:

Springfield Elementary – ‘Machine Fiend’

Springfield Elementary are Manchester-based post-punk powerhouse comprised of Billy Goodwin (Vocals/Guitar), Brad Lewis (Lead Guitar), Liam Moffat (Bass) and Chris Tomkinson (Drums).

The foursome introduce their raw, raucous and thrilling post-punk (with an underlying garage-rock and punk element) sound with new single ‘Machine Fiend’. A frantic and exhilarating opening offering, it explodes into life with a meaty guitar, chugging bassline and furious crashing drum combo, like releasing a coiled up spring. Searing riffs, fuzz, distortion and furious fast-paced insure it becoming even more brash, jagged and caustic as it shoots off with volatility as vocals spat out with venom. It is a short, sharp and muscular intro that is exhilarating and bursting with vitality and will have you headed straight for repeated plays.

Tune into ‘Machine Fiend’ below:

HAVVK – ‘Shifting Shape’

Formidable Berlin-based Irish outfit HAVVK will release their debut album Cause & Effect later this year and the trio have been ramping up expectation levels with singles ‘Always The Same’ and ‘Birds On A Wire’; and HAVVK have added further with new single ‘Shifting Shape’.

‘Shifting Shape’ is urgent and pulsating as it whizzes by in a whirlwind two-minutes of raucous, distorted and grungy alt-rock. It is fierce, biting and epic as it hurtles off along a furious stomping groove armed with searing, buzzsaw riffs, impassioned vocals and unrelenting guitar lines. It is gritty and raw, packed with vitality and passion, it is relentless but also incredibly catchy. Yet another reason to get excited for HAVVK’s debut album which is coming later in the year – watch this space.

Listen to ‘Shifting Shape’ below now:

Crimes Against – ‘Dirty River’

Crimes Against is the solo project of Dublin musician and producer Daniel Doherty (formerly of the Ghost Estates parish).

Working from his Darklands Audio studio in the capital, Doherty has been busy producing for artists like Munky, Galants and Fontaines D.C. to name a few, but has also found time for his own work under his Crimes Against guise.

‘Dirty River’ is the first track lifted from a so far unnamed forthcoming debut album, written, performed, mixed and mastered by Doherty and featuring ELM cellist Gary Molly, it is inspired heavily by Phil Spector’s productions for girl pop groups the Ronettes & The Crystals, with a nod to the Beatles, The Jam, The Ramones & Joy Division to name a few. Brimming with an air hopeful optimism, ‘Dirty River’ swoons and sweeps as it is fuelled by crashing cymbals and chugging guitar as rich melodies and sumptuous strings coalesce to form an exquisite and chic blend of beautiful textures permeated with richness. ‘Dirty River’ purrs gorgeously as it waltzes on its way, as Doherty strains against the rising tide of lavish sound which swells to a rapturous conclusion. An utterly loveable and lavish tune – beautiful stuff.

You can check out ‘Dirty River’ below now:

False Heads – ‘Slease’

London trio False Heads – singer and guitarist Luke Griffiths, bassist Jake Elliott and drummer Barney Nash – have marked themselves as noisemakers supreme over the past two and a bit years.

During that period, the London trio have made it their business to blow us away with a blistering blend of grunge/punk through a slew of ferocious singles. And now, their latest ‘Slease’, is the first lifted from their forthcoming debut LP, and is no less thrilling than anything that’s gone before. In fact, it is a monstrous anthem of searing riffs, mighty bass lines, seething vocals and pounding, punk-infused beats, coming together to create one unified torrent of devastating noise – a perfect storm for Griffiths’ snarly and venomous vocals. An exhilarating, breathtaking whirlwind of rock ‘n roll fury.

Listen to ‘Yellow’ below – word of warning, turn it up LOUD.

HAVVK – ‘Birds On A Wire’

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Formidable Berlin-based Irish outfit HAVVK will release their debut album Cause & Effect later this year and following from ‘Always The Same’, released late last year, ‘Birds On A Wire’ is the latest track lifted from the forthcoming record.

Dark, chilling and compelling, a sense of of impending doom is never far away on ‘Birds On A Wire’. Pulverising drum beats combine with razor sharp guitar licks as Hawk’s stunning, searing vocals soar above to create a thunderous backdrop of pent up rage and and fury unleashed. A powerful, a fierce, uncompromising and compelling slice of searing grunge-filled indie-rock, ‘Birds On A Wire’ is a formidable follow-up to ‘Always The Same’, and it ratchets up the anticipation levels for the album.

You can listen to ‘Birds On A Wire’ below and keep an eye out for the debut album later this year – is a hell of a way to kick off 2019.

The Spiral Electric – ‘The Final Moment’

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San Francisco psychedelic rockers The Spiral Electric are set to release a double LP – produced by Steve Kille (Dead Meadow) and mastered by Howie Weinberg (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Ian Brown, The Mars Volta) – in March.

In anticipation of the new record, the San Francisco foursome have already released ‘No Bridge Left Unburned’ and ‘A Descent Into the Maelstrom’, and had added a third in the shape of ‘The Final Moment’. The Spiral Electric’s sound is built upon a number of key ingredients; one part soaring melody, one part face-melting guitar, one part orbiting synth, one part incessant danceable groove and a heavy dose of west coast psychedelia – and new single ‘The Final Moment’ is little different. It is fast, organ driven psych onslaught of wild synths, soaring guitar work, meaty riffs and pummeling drums that deliver a rampaging wall of psychedelic sound.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Black Angels and Dead Meadow influences loom large here, which isn’t a bad thing and it all certainly suggests positive things for the new album.

You can listen to ‘The Final Moment’ below.

Les Big Byrd – ‘A Little More Numb’ (Tapetown Session)

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Among other things, 2018 saw Scandinavian Psych/Spacerock outfit Les Big Byrd release their superbly named second album Iran Iraq IKEA – coincidentally it is one of the finest record titles of any year.

With their LP still fresh in the memory, the Swedish foursome have shared a brand new video of a vital session performance of album standout ‘A Little More Numb’. Recorded shortly before a Danish show, the band took time out to visit Aarhus based Tapetown Studio, and rattled through a furious live session. The outcome of which is a sweet and simply astounding blend of parts Kraut, Psych and Spacerock, with proto-punk, garage rock, and punctuated with moments of pure pop brilliance. It is like an unholy but beautiful coming together of Spiritualized meets Jonathan Richman; and that is mighty company to be in no matter who you are!

Listen to Les Big Byrd’s ‘A Little More Numb’ Tapetown Session below and you can check out the album Iran Iraq IKEA here.