I’m thrilled to announce that my humble little blog EclecticMusicLover has been named one of the 10 Best Jangle Pop Blogs and Websites by the website FeedSpot – the internet’s largest curated database of bloggers and podcasts. It’s both a total surprise and an honor to even be included among these other great blogs. Here’s the link to the list, in which I’m ranked #10. I guess it’s due to the large number of jangle pop bands I’ve written about over the past year.
This is the second time my blog has been included in one of FeedSpot‘s best-of lists; last year, it was named one of the 100 Best Indie Music Blogs on the site. (At that time, my blog ranked #48, but now sits at #20, which I must admit is a complete shock!)
Though my blog is a labor of love for me, it’s also at times a source of frustration, disappointment and stress. Therefore, it’s gratifying that all my time and effort spent writing about often little-known independent artists and bands over the past eight-plus years has earned me some recognition!
A staggering amount of new music continues to issue forth into the airwaves, so it’s time for another Fresh New Tracks installment. Today, I’m featuring three recently released songs by, in alphabetical order, British indie rock band Chief Springs, Texas rock band The Metal Byrds, and New Jersey garage punk-pop band Won’t Say Rabbit. I’ve previously written about Chief Springs and The Metal Byrds, whereas this is the first appearance for Won’t Say Rabbit on my blog, and hopefully not the last!
CHIEF SPRINGS – “One Room Past Waiting”
Chief Springs is a fine indie rock band based in and around London and Leicester who started out in 2018 as a two-piece, but eventually grew to become a five-piece consisting of Josh Coyne, Scott Dillon, Sam Crosby-Browne, Dale Bradfield and Tommy Jordan. Together, they make a pleasing style of melodic rock fashioned with elements of alternative, post-rock, and dream pop, and featuring lush guitars, beautiful arrangements, intelligent lyrics and Coyne’s vibrant baritone vocals. They’ve released a fair amount of music since 2020, including several singles and two EPs, the latter of which, the wonderful Time to Take Time, I reviewed last June. Now they’re back with a compelling new single “One Room Past Waiting“, a song about the conversations you wish you could avoid. The song was produced and engineered by Ben Andrews and features additional vocals by English musician and vocalist Kelli Blanchett.
It’s a powerful song, both musically and lyrically. I really like the lush cinematic soundscape and reverb-drenched guitars. The percussion, highlighted by heavy crashing cymbals, is quite dramatic, though I think it overpowers the other instruments and Coyne’s warm vocals somewhat. Nevertheless, it’s a very good song overall. The lyrics tell a story about a talk between a woman and an overworked doctor, exploring difficult conversations and empathy: “Mae said, ‘these meds won’t do anything and I feel worse’. So they said, in my head, you are well beyond the point of reverse. Well, I wish that I had stayed in the waiting room./ Overworked, undermanned, running on empty, drawn like a line in the sand. Just holding out, still holding out.”
Hailing from Austin, Texas are The Metal Byrds, a female-fronted band who play hard-hitting rock, infused with healthy doses of rock’n’roll and power pop, along with enough metal in the mix to give their songs a dark, edgy quality. Formed in 2018, the band has undergone a few personnel changes, and now consists of founding members London-born singer-songwriter Suzanne Birdie and guitarist Sly Rye, along with bassist Mac Jacob and drummer Charlie “Breeze” Janto. Over the past five years, they’ve released two albums, four EPs and numerous singles, some of which I’ve written about on this blog. On February 24th, they released “Working Class“, the third single from their 2023 EP Moments Before Sunrise, accompanied by a terrific video.
The song opens with Suzanne gently crooning “In this box I live in, watch me go round and round and round“, a line she repeats with greater intensity until she’s literally screaming the words, her emotional state at the breaking point. The music, having also reached a crescendo along with her impassioned wails, then settles into a chugging rock groove fueled by Mac’s pulsating bassline, Charlie’s assertive drumbeats and Sly Rye’s blistering riffs. At around 3:30 minutes, the tempo ramps back up to a frantic pace as Suzanne’s wailing vocals return, ending the song on a powerful note. The highly relatable lyrics speak to the drudgery of having a nine to five job you despise, which can really cast a pall over every other aspect of your life: “I come home from work. Yeah my job is boring. I got no sleep, and I’m out of coffee. Ooh ooh ooh ooh, all I do is work./ My life is boring, can you relate?” I love the video, shot in black and white and featuring close ups of Suzanne, interspersed with scenes of her playing guitar and scribbling the lyrics onto a notebook.
Won’t Say Rabbit is a garage pop-punk band with a marvelous name from northern New Jersey, and also fronted by a female vocalist. Formed in 1989, they’re comprised of Brian (guitar & Won’t Say Rabbit drawings) Tom (bass guitar & keyboards) and Beth (vocals.) Drummers through the years have included Frank, John, Billy, and Juan. Inspired by acts ranging from X, The Damned, The Buzzcocks, Cheap Trick, The Who, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles to the Ronettes, Crystals, and Shangri-Las, their music is high-energy, melodic and fun. They released several singles in 1990, followed by their eponymous album on CD in 1991, but 30 years would go by before they would release more music. Though they never disbanded, they haven’t played any live gigs since 1997, and during that time period, each of them were involved in other music projects, including writing new songs, playing and singing for fun. In 2022, they decided to become musically active again, and began dropping new singles, the latest of which is “Live And Love“.
The song is a rousing pop-punk banger that could have easily been a hit in the late 70s or early 80s, yet still sounds exciting and fresh. I love the strong, driving rhythms and roiling, shredded guitars, and Beth’s commanding vocals have a youthful vibrancy that’s quite appealing. The lyrics are a defiant refusal to go along with things you feel are wrong, choosing a life of positivity and love instead: “I won’t kill my brothers and sisters while Geppetto pulls the strings. Because I know in every war that no one really wins. I won’t do what I won’t do when I know it’s wrong. All I want is to live and love.” The delightful video features puppets representing the members of Won’t Say Rabbit performing the song on a stage. As a final note, I must give Beth a special mention for being one of the most supportive musicians I know; she not only frequently engages with my posts, but also of many other artists and bands.
Art Block is a brilliant and innovative singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in East London, England, who’s been making beautiful alternative folk music for nearly ten years. A prolific artist, he’s released an impressive catalog of music since the beginning of 2015, including numerous singles, EPs, remixes and three albums, two of which, Stones and Fire and borderline, were released in 2023 alone! I’ve featured him several times on this blog, most recently last June when I reviewed his wonderful EP Tiger. (You can read a few more of those reviews by clicking on the ‘Related’ links at the end of this post.) One of his songs, the haunting and gorgeous “White Horses”, went all the way to #1 on my Weekly Top 30 in December 2022, and ranks #26 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list.
On March 1st, Art Block released a new EP Dandelion, featuring three exquisite tracks inspired by the Northumberland coast and St Abbs, a small fishing village on the southeastern Scottish coast. The EP was produced, mixed and recorded by his longtime collaborator William Robertson at Super Symmetry Studios, and mastered by Tony Cousins at Metropolis Studios. Art Block played all instruments except for drums, which were played by Raphael Bouchara, another frequent collaborator of his. The lovely string arrangements were done by Joseph Robertson, with additional synths by Charlie Shan.
In addition to his sublime melodies, poetic lyrics and gorgeous arrangements, a defining aspect of Art Block’s music are his distinctive, deeply affecting vocals that are often so emotionally wrought, they rip at our heartstrings. The three songs on Dandelion are no exception. First up is “Journey”, a beautiful, cinematic song that I’m guessing uses the voyages of seamen, sailing from the Northumberland coast to distant lands, as a metaphor for how we take our idiosyncrasies and shortcomings with us wherever we go: “A journey from a distant light. Don’t you understand? The actions you made in the past echo now. A cold cold heart, frosty like the art burns in the arctic.” Musically, the song starts off with a delicately strummed guitar accompanied by gentle synths and faint sounds of the sea, then gradually builds into a dramatic soundscape highlighted by lush orchestral strings and AB’s lovely soaring harmonies.
The title track “Dandelion” serves up more beautifully strummed guitars, sumptuous strings and bold percussion, as AB plaintively sings “I feel I am like a Dandelion, burning in the sun, spreading pollen. Riding the wind through time, I spin, alone in my sphere. I’m separating.I’m caught in the rain, only He knows my pain. Teardrops of joy and you’re constantly away. Growing older fast. This dance is not our last. Float like a seed in the sky. Dandelion in an empty sky.”
On the moving third track “Holy Island”, AB sings his praises for Lindisfarne, a tidal island off the Northumberland coast also known as Holy Island, and how its beauty inspires and invigorates him, helping him to cope with life’s challenges, also giving a nod to Palestine: “Holy Island your clear blue sea, cleansing every part of me. Whispering winds, monks they pray to stop eternal damnation. Don’t believe they see your beauty, even appearing through the rain. I may feel but I am blind, wilted and worn out. Oh I cry and feel your soul. Aching in my dune-filled soul. Poetry so divine our future’s may so intertwine. Palestine I see you there, sweeter than you might care. Holy Island by the sea, you fill me with your beauty.” Again, a beautiful, strummed guitar and lilting strings are the dominant musical features, along with warbling synths and Raphael Bouchara’s wonderful cymbals creating the majestic sounds of waves gently crashing on the shore.
Once again, Art Block has delivered a sonically beautiful, flawlessly crafted, and intensely thought-provoking work. Though it contains only three tracks, Dandelion is deeply impactful nonetheless, leaving a lasting impression for all who take the time to give it a careful listen. I remain a dedicated follower and fan.
The header photo is of Art Block standing on a lonely road in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile.
The Black Keys remain on top for a second week with their exuberant foot-stomper “Beautiful People (Stay High), while Cage the Elephant slide into second place with “Neon Pill”. The Lemon Twigs‘ delightful jangle pop gem “My Golden Years” climbs another five spots this week to #5, and Jack Harlow‘s “Lovin On Me” moves up a notch to enter the top 10. British singer-songwriter Bakar, who’s song “Alive!” sits at #8 this week, will be touring with Cage the Elephant and Young the Giant this summer. The biggest upward mover is “Dilemma” by Green Day, leaping 10 spots to #19.
Debuting this week are three songs that have been out for a while. The first, entering at #28, is the enchanting “Water Underground” by Brooklyn, New York-based indie rock band Real Estate, an act who’s been around since 2008 but I only recently learned about. The song is from their wonderful sixth studio album Daniel, released on February 23rd. Entering at #29 is “Landmines” by Canadian rock veterans Sum 41, a band I’ve not followed very closely. The lead single from their forthcoming eighth and final studio album Heaven :x: Hell, set for release on March 29, “Landmines” is the new #1 song on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, finally toppling Blink-182’s “ONE MORE TIME” after its 20-week run. The third new entry, at #30, is “Ice Cream (Pay Phone)”, the infectious latest single by Austin, Texas psychedelic soul band Black Pumas. The duo scored a #1 hit on my chart in December with “More Than a Love Song”. Both songs are from their second studio album Chronicles of a Diamond.
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (STAY HIGH) – The Black Keys (1)
NEON PILL – Cage the Elephant (4)
NORTHERN ATTITUDE – Noah Kahan feat. Hozier (2)
WINTER COWBOY – Frank Joshua (6)
MY GOLDEN YEARS – The Lemon Twigs (10)
THE TOWER – Future Islands (7)
MOTHER NATURE – MGMT (8)
ALIVE! – Bakar (9)
BLAME BRETT – The Beaches (5)
LOVIN ON ME – Jack Harlow (11)
LOSE CONTROL – Teddy Swims (4)
NICE TO KNOW YOU – lovelytheband (14)
YOUR WORLD NOW – Marc Schuster (15)
NORMAL PEOPLE THINGS – Lovejoy (16)
BLUSH – Vazum (18)
LUNAR ECLIPSE – The Vaccines (19)
DIAMOND AND THE MISSING SON – Unquiet Nights (20)
MEANT TO BE – Wilco (17)
DILEMMA – Green Day (29)
BICYCLE AWAY – Sam Rappaport (24)
KOOL AID BLUE – The Sylvia Platters (25)
I’M IN LOVE – Jelani Aryeh (26)
FIND MY WAY – Ships Have Sailed (27)
EVERYTHING WE NEED – Mojave Grey (28)
ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (12)
NOTHING MATTERS – The Last Dinner Party (13)
GOOD PEOPLE – Mumford & Sons, Pharrell Williams (30)
eLxAr is a fascinating electronic/synthwave act from Italy I recently learned of when they reached out to me about their latest single “Nessuno Vede“. They consist of Luca, a pianist, composer, producer and game designer, and Alex (short for Alexandra), a singer-songwriter, digital designer, illustrator and multi-faceted artist. Not only are both of them multi-talented, they’re also passionate about social justice and environmental issues.
With a focus on retro-flavored electronic music (synthwave/retrowave/synthpop) of the 1980s and 90s, their aim is to create art with a social impact and inspire positive change by addressing social issues through specific stories and emotional exploration. As they stated in a recent Facebook post: “If modern mainstream music is mostly used as a mass distraction, we try to use it to refocus people on what is the reality of this poor world, while maintaining a certain balance between positives and negatives, like in a sort of Yin and Yang.”
Initially formed in 2021 as a mostly instrumental act with guest vocalists on selected tracks, eLxAr have released an impressive amount of music, including three albums, Looking For The Sound in 2021, Beyond The Emotions in 2022, and Samsara in 2023, and numerous singles. Possessing a captivating voice in her own right, Alex began singing vocals for eLxAr in 2023, adding a richer and fuller dimension to their already marvelous sound.
Keeping with their goal of creating music that’s both entertaining and provocative, the duo began 2024 with a series of singles that will culminate in their fourth album Demons, due for release toward the end of the year. Each song will address “different ways that humans exploit and make other humans suffer.” The lead single “Dust”, released on January 17, touches on manipulation, whereas “Nessuno Vede” (Italian for “No One Sees”) is a scathing denunciation of cyberbullying that’s become far too prevalent today, sadly even in Italy.
About the song, the duo elaborate: “Nessuno Vede” is THE song against the plague that is cyberbullying. A plague that gains in destructive power the more our world revolves around the usage of cold and soulless technology, putting humanity aside. No one can truly know the pain and disappointment that victims endure because they no longer trust, and belittle the abuse they’ve suffered to appear strong or to avoid repercussions. It seems to be trendy on social media. In schools and workplaces they inform on what to do and what not to do without providing real support. News reports about it only when it’s already too late, and people wonder “why?”… and in all cases, no one speaks up, no one is punished, or the punishments are mild.”
“Nessuno Vede” is a darkly beautiful synthwave track, with an arresting, almost haunting soundscape highlighted by gauzy atmospheric synths layered over a languid hypnotic beat. Although sung in Italian, Alex’s emotive vocals still convey a strong sense of bitter frustration and resentment expressed in the biting lyrics, which they’ve kindly translated to English:
In the dark Of your silences You look at the screens They are barriers
You have fake friends Lots of virtual ones Only messages as blades cutting edges
You look for a way out but hatred, contempt, haunts you It becomes useless to ask for help No one will ever stop them
Lots of scars Made invisible And secrets kept tight
No one sees No one listens In the network your voice is lost
You look for a way out but hatred, contempt, haunts you It becomes useless to ask for help No one will ever stop them
And you often think you're going to end it Pain suffocates you Poison in their words, slowly, sinks into your soul
Days go by Like faded pages You hide And avoid stares Fake Smiles You say you're fine But then...
Calls Messages You suck I hate you No one loves you Go away You're ugly But how fat are you You're pitiful, loser Why don't you disappear?
This life is unbearable Their hatred consumes you It was useless to ask for help The light inside you has gone out
You often think you're going to end it Pain suffocates you Poison in their words, softly, sink into your soul
Hailing from Philadelphia is Snap Infraction, a three-piece musical powerhouse comprised of Steve Karsch on vocals, guitar & percussion, Dave Kerr on bass and Tony Iannuzzi on drums. According to their bio, they “distill decades of rock n roll history into a modern sonic journey, crafting songs overflowing with hooks and dynamic instrumentation, echoing The Cars, Joe Jackson, early Fleetwood Mac and The Beatles, crafting a familiar, yet uniquely distinctive sound.” After listening to their considerable music catalog, I say that sounds about right!
From what I can tell, they’ve been around as a band for more than 15 years, and in 2009 released their first single “Try To See It My Way”, a pretty good rocker strongly influenced by the early Beatles sound. After a long hiatus, they released a five-track EP Chin Music in May 2017, then another three years would pass until their follow-up EP Stiff Arm, in May 2020. They were quite active in 2021, releasing several double singles throughout that year, followed by a very nice cover of the Beach Boys Christmas classic “Little Saint Nick” in December 2022, and their own original Christmas song “Christmas In The Islands” in December 2023. Now they return with “Keeping Score“, the lead single from their forthcoming full-length album Eephus, scheduled for release on May 3rd.
Written by Karsch, “Keeping Score” was recorded and engineered by Matt Weber at Gradwell House Studios, mixed by Mike Ian at Eyeball Studios (gotta love the names people come up with for their studios), and mastered by Tom Volpicelli at The Mastering House. The song was inspired by a conversation between Karsch and band drummer Ianuzzi, who yearned for a song channeling The Cars’ iconic sound. Karsch quickly got to work writing the song, placing special emphasis on drums to showcase Ianuzzi’s considerable prowess on his drumkit.
The result is a lively garage rock banger, opening with Ianuzzi’s impressive drumming front and center as he bangs out an aggressive thumping beat that gets our toes tapping and head bopping. He’s soon joined by Kerr’s wonderful buzzing bassline and Karsch’s earnest vocals that sound slightly reminiscent of Ric Ocasek here. As the song progresses, Ianuzzi injects flourishes of crashing cymbals with every chorus and sub-chorus, accompanied by Karsch’s spirited guitars that surprise at every turn while Kerr’s muscular bassline keeps the rhythm on solid footing.
The lyrics describe a man who recognizes his self-destructive ways and knows he needs to change, but just can’t seem to muster the fortitude to do what he must in order to become a better person: “I need to stop myself from becoming who I am./ I can’t help myself, you know I can’t believe my eyes./ What do they say about me? He lies, he cheats to get everything he needs, and maybe more. What will they say about me? I don’t need to know ’cause I’m not keeping score anymore.“
“Keeping Score” is terrific, and I think it’s one of Snap Infraction’s best songs yet. It’s a testament to their strong songwriting and musicianship, and a promising sign of what we can expect with their upcoming album.
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 