This
week I decided to take a break from the popular hits circulating the web and
focus solely on the ton of submissions in my inbox (I’ve meaning to catch up
for a while!). Here are some of the best (and worst) underground tunes that I came across.
THE BEST:
‘Nearly Alive’ – Milk White Throat
The
drummer of this Brighton prog metal outfit must be an octopus or a robot (or
maybe a robot octopus). The percussion work is absolutely mental - particularly
that tumultuous breakdown at the five minute mark! Evoking a sound similar to The
Mars Volta but with a more thrashy edge, Milk White Throat deliver an eight minute
rock masterpiece that keeps you hooked from start to finish with its multiple
transitions. It must take some stamina to play this live! The band’s upcoming
EP House of Fire is out August 3rd.
‘Hazard
Lights’ – Hollowlove
Spiky
synths make way for some breathy crooning followed by some surprise touches of
jazzy piano in this seductive and pulsing new synthpop track by Canadian duo
Hollowlove. They sound a bit like an updated version of the Pet Shop Boys. There’s
a longer mix of the track for those that want more, but this concise radio cut makes for more easy
listening.
‘I Wanna
Say To You’ – The Molochs
This hazy
new track by LA band The Molochs looks and sounds like a 90s Britpop single
(with maybe a few Velvet Underground undertones thrown in). But despite the
retro feel, there’s also something fresh about the snarky lyrics and vaguely psychedelic
guitar.
‘Soylent Green’ – Niki Moss
Portuguese
multi-instrumentalist and singer Niki Moss drops this electropop/rock hybrid ‘Soylent
Green’. It’s a mixture of bright synths, chirpy vocals and groovy guitars. If
you’re looking for something feelgood to bob your head to, this is your jam. I'm also loving the cute animated video.
‘In
The Fields’ – Simon D James
The violins
in the opening of this song made me think this was going to be your average
village fete folk tune, but it turns out to be a lot more creative than that. There's some creative piano and guitar during the verse that give the track
a unique character – it’s folk as you’ve never heard it before.
THE WORST:
‘Bring
It On’ - ???
It’s
time for more terrible scientology rap. This one seems like it was conceived in
a boardroom as an attempt to market scientology to young people and the result
is a horrifically corny attempt to be hip: ‘How about we make
a rap video? Young people love their rap! Can we get a token black guy to do
some breakdancing?’.