With any luck, my friend from yesterday will be tentatively tiptoeing out into the world again today after avoiding black cats, ladders, and all other unlucky things yesterday. I would check on him but its about two weeks before the 29th as I write so I can’t tell you. If you read strange stories about UFO’s shooting beams of lights onto a specific house in the Rushden area this morning, then you will at least know why. Then again, if I hear nothing I’ll be even more concerned.
Anyway, lets have some more of what I am currently considering to be the best tracks of the year and we are going to start rathe appropriately with this,
Hello – Girl and Girl (2024, Sub Pop Records)
There are two reasons why Sub Pop band Girl and Girl should be your new favourite band, well three if you include the fact that they are signed to Sub Pop Records. The first reason is that the drummer in this band is the aunty of the bands singer Kai James. Aunties rock, especially ones who drum in bands signed to Sub Pop Records. The second reason, if a drumming aunty isn’t enough, and by the way, it should be, is that the single version of ‘Hello’ steals the chorus from a well known standard from the Sound of Music and turns it into an indie banger instead of the schmaltzy turnip it usually is. File under bloody amazing folks.
Talking of bloody amazing, here’s City Parking with a song about that lady who presents the program about painting on Channel 4 (probably)
Hannah – City Parking (2024, Third Eye Music)
I’m talking about Hannah Gordon for those of you under the age of 35. Anyway, I think I said most of this at Christmas, but its not changed so I’ll repeat myself in case you didn’t hear me the first time round. City Parking get compared a lot to bands like Dry Cleaning – and when you listen to them you’ll realise why, their sounds are similar. But, and this is the only bit you ever need to know, despite only having about five songs commercially available, City Parking already have more essential songs that Dry Cleaning have managed in two albums.
Next up a band with a not one but two obliques in their name and we definitely need more of that sort of thing.
Man/Women/Chainsaw – What Lucy Found There (2024, Big Richard Records)
Man/Women/Chainsaw have been causing quite a buzz for a little while now, particularly up in the big smoke, where they have been wowing music fans with some incredibly raucous live shows. ‘What Lucy Found There’ is their first single an newly expanded six piece and it is genuinely something a bit special. It sounds a bit like Foals did before they kind of disappeared up themselves, all taut guitars that build before crash landing head first into a swirling crescendo of art rock noise.
Finally today, some shouty indie pop from Seoul from Sailor Honeymoon. ‘Bad Apple’ is a punky sonic onslaught that is heavily influenced by the likes of Sonic Youth, The Ramones and Bikini Kill. I mean what’s not to like about all that.
Bad Apple – Sailor Honeymoon (2024, Good Good Records)
Tomorrow sees May roll in which brings in another new theme and here is a clue to what that is going to be all about (possibly).
For Tomorrow (Visit to Primrose Hill Extended Version) – Blur (1993, Food Records)
No Badger Required 