Doctor Gonzo is a four-piece punk ska band from the Brighton area of Sussex, UK. They’re all about having fun and not taking themselves too seriously, but are very serious when it comes to making straight-up badass rock! Formed only a year ago, Doctor Gonzo consists of Ash Miles on vocals, Andy “Gibbo” Gibson on guitars and backing vocals, Tony “Tig” Tugnutt on bass and Louis Maxwell on drums. In late April, they dropped their debut EP PhD, featuring four boisterous bangers guaranteed to kick your ass!
The EP blasts open with “Poisonous”, a blistering-hot tune with heavy, chugging riffs of gnarly guitar, crushing bass and hammering drums. Ash’s urgent vocals ooze bitterness as he snarls the lyrics addressing someone who’s toxic to his existence: “In my veins, sucking the life out of me. Filled with pain until there’s nothing left. Pulsing through me with your liquid venom. You won’t stop ’til I take my last breath! Oh!”
Before we can even come up for air, the guys are back pummelling our eardrums with “Something’s Gotta Give”. Man, can these guys rock, once again delivering frantic riffs of fuzzy guitars and throbbing bass, while Louis beats the living fuck out of his drum kit! Next up is the rousing “Mary Jane”, the fantastic lead single from the EP. It’s a delightful love song to a woman named Mary Jane, set to a hard-driving beat and the band’s signature barrage of thunderous instrumental mayhem. The lyrics are fairly simple but charming: “Mary Jane I let you take my breath away. Remember that time I took you on an aeroplane? Oh Mary Jane, I think you’re driving me insane. But when shit hits the fan I know you’ll make me feel better.” The whimsical and fun video for the song was written, directed and edited by Nick Burdett.
The final track “Royalty” serves up more hard-hitting post-punk goodness. Gibbo does some fine shredding on his six-string while Tig lays down a deep, strutting bass line and Louis pounds out the driving beat. The lyrics speak to feeling like a loser in a rut, going nowhere: “I tell myself to stop complaining. Learn to read between the lines. I wanna be somebody, instead of just a casualty. I’ll go against the grain. You’ll probably know my name. I wanna live like royalty.”
Despite it’s short run time of only 12 1/2 minutes, PhD packs a mighty punch. These guys know how to rock and set the airwaves afire with their respective instruments. I found myself loving these songs more with each listen, and am now a huge fan of Doctor Gonzo. I also love their playful sense of humor, which is strongly evident in this hilarious video of outtake bloopers from the making of the “Mary Jane” video:
I’ve been following Brooklyn, NY-based alternative/dream rock band Mars Motel for a while now and love their captivating music, but somehow neglected featuring them on this blog. After hearing their gorgeous new single “Coming Up For Air“, which dropped on May 10 and premiered on the music website Substream Magazine, I quickly had to remedy that sorry situation.
Formed in 2017 by singer/songwriter and guitarist Sarik Kumar, Mars Motel’s roots actually go back more than a decade earlier. While visiting his parents in Long Island in the summer of 2016, Kumar found some nearly-forgotten demos of songs he’d recorded in his bedroom and saved on his old computer during his senior year of high school. The rediscovery of these songs inspired Kumar to pursue his love for creating music and form a band he named Mars Motel. Kumar brought the demos to producer Tommy Eichmann at Mission Sound in Brooklyn, NY, where they reworked them into five singles that melded a dreamy 90s Britpop vibe with an immersive, guitar-driven wall of sound influenced by the likes of Pink Floyd, Radiohead and The War on Drugs. These singles, including “The Enemy”, “Green” and “Living in the Moment”, were released over a period of months in 2017 into early 2018. I strongly recommend that my readers check them out, as they’re all pretty incredible.
Along with Kumar, the band lineup now includes Wes Wynne (Guitar), Justin Lieberthal (Bass) and Craig Stauber (Drums). Following the critical and commercial success of their initial single releases, the band released a live EP The Eclipse Sessions, featuring live recordings of some of those singles and two previously unreleased B-sides. The EP was recorded on, and named for, the Great American Solar Eclipse that spanned the entire United States on August 21, 2017. The band is now working on their forthcoming album Passenger X, which was recorded at Virtue & Vice Studios in Brooklyn with engineer Rocky Gallo, and scheduled for release later this year. The first single off that album is “Coming Up For Air”.
It’s a stunner of a tune, with swirling riffs of chiming guitars backed by shimmery synths and a pleasing rhythm section of gentle bass and confident thumping drumbeats. They all meld into a breathtaking soundscape for Kumar’s beautiful, soothing vocals. He told Substream “This song is about an android-like being longing to be human and attempting an alteration. It captures the universal need for connection and the loneliness one can feel in being viewed as an outsider.” With just the right balance of smooth crooning and soaring passion, Kumar sings: “D’you see me now, floating. D’you see me now, walk on water. Nobody’s watching today. Nobody’s watching my ways. Can you feel it now? Electric heartbeat running parallel. One more spark and I’m through. I can’t wait to be with you. I’m coming up for air.”
“Coming Up For Air” is a marvelous song, and offers a promising glimpse into what we can expect to hear on Passenger X. I can’t emphasize enough how much I love every song Mars Motel has put out thus far, and I’m eager to hear more great music from this exceptionally talented band.
1. CHLORINE – twenty one pilots (2)
2. SIGUE CON EL AMOR – John Defeo (1)
3. LONGSHOT – Catfish and the Bottlemen (5)
4. DISAPPEAR – Western Jaguar (6)
5. BURY A FRIEND – Billie Eilish (7)
6. FEAR THE FUTURE – IAMWARFACE (8)
7. TRAMPOLINE – SHAED (3)
8. READY TO LET GO – Cage the Elephant (4)
9. DARK PLACES – The Frontier (10)
10. TIME – Morosity (12)
11. ESCAPE – Ships Have Sailed (13)
12. HURT – Oliver Tree (14)
13. HARMONY HALL – Vampire Weekend (9)
14. LOVE CRAZY – Karolina Rose (15)
15. STILL FEEL. – half alive (17)
16. LO/HI – The Black Keys (16)
17. GENERATION Y – Guide Dog (18)
18. BELOVED – Mumford & Sons (19)
19. SEVENTEEN – Sharon Van Etten (20)
20. PATIENCE – Tame Impala (22)
21. MISSED CONNECTION – The Head and the Heart (26)
22. VOLCANO – Feather Weight (11)
23. BAD LIAR – Imagine Dragons (24)
24. I’LL BE AROUND – Morning Fuzz (25)
25. NOT WORTH IT – The Only Route (27)
26. OLD MAN’S WAR – Roadkeeper (28)
27. CHOKE – I Don’t Know How But They Found Me (29)
28. APOLOGIZE – grandson (30)
29. ASSUME FORM – James Blake (21)
30. SAW LIGHTNING – Beck (N)
Stereohaze is a band from Manchester, England who, despite their youth, play some wicked guitar-driven rock. Formed in 2017, the lineup includes Charlie Whittaker (guitar/vocals), Ryan Webb (guitar), Harry Wilcock (bass) and Diesel Evans (drums). They released a top-notch first single “Nowhere to Go” in 2018, and this April (2019) they dropped their debut EP Fight For Your Future, which I’m reviewing today.
The EP starts off on a high note with “Infliction”, and once those chugging riffs of jangly guitars kick in, backed by Harry’s deep, humming bass line and Diesel’s explosive percussion, it’s clear this band knows how to rock out! I really like Charlie’s commanding vocals that soar in all the right spots, and what I’m guessing is his or Ryan’s scorching guitar solo in the bridge is so good.
“Contain Yourself” was released as a lead single in advance of the EP, and it’s a superb song with a terrific, infectiously catchy hook. It opens with a funky bass riff that continues throughout the song, punctuated by roiling guitars and tumultuous drums in the choruses. The lyrics seem to speak of a guy who’s life has spun out of control: “He tries and he tries to commend himself to fears of what he used to be. He falls apart as he begins to choke. If love was money, he’d be broke. So much potential. So little time. So incidental. But you’re not the kind.”
“Nothing Seems to Change” is a brooding rock song about a relationship in which, despite his best efforts, his partner isn’t willing to meet him halfway: “I tried so hard to figure it out. I lost myself in your shadow of doubt. For what it’s worth, there’s a smile upon your face, but nothing seems to change.” Musically, the song features a strong, thumping drumbeat and fine guitar work that includes lots of shredding and elements of psychedelia and grunge. In fact, the recurring riff seems to sample the two-note guitar line of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. On this and some other tracks, Charlie’s vocals remind me a bit of Alex Turner.
The aptly-named “Light the Fuse” is the most electrifying track from a musical standpoint. I love its rapid, hard-driving beat and intricate mix of fuzzy, chiming and distorted guitars. The vocal harmonies are marvelous, and the guitar solo in the bridge is absolute fire. “Don’t Think Twice” is yet another stellar tune, with strutting riffs of gnarly guitars, pulsating bass and pounding drums. The song seems to be about someone who’s lost and in denial about what’s wrong in their life: “I don’t want to be the one to follow you out into the sun.I know what you’re thinking, it’s alright. I know it seems so hard, but don’t think twice.”
While Stereohaze doesn’t break any new ground here, they nevertheless deliver outstanding, hard-hitting rock music that makes for an exciting and enjoyable listen. Fight for Your Future is a first-rate EP full of solid tracks that showcase the guys’ talent for writing melodic rock songs laden with hooks and thoughtful lyrics, and bringing them to life with their skillful musicianship. I highly recommend this EP for anyone who likes great, guitar-driven rock.
In an effort to try and showcase more artists and bands on this blog, today I’m launching another new feature “New Song of the Week”, where each week I’ll post a newly-released single. For my first selection, I’ve chosen the poignant new song “Tell Me” by Canadian artist Ghostly Beard, which dropped yesterday, May 6th. Ghostly Beard is the artistic moniker of French born, but now Montréal, Canada-based, singer/songwriter Patrick Talbot, who I first wrote about in March 2018 when I reviewed his beautiful album Inward.
Somewhat of an enigma, Ghostly Beard prefers the focus to be entirely on his music rather than him, therefore, has chosen to remain physically anonymous, and never shows his image on any of his albums or social media, nor does he perform live. That said, he’s a thoughtful and talented songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist with a lot to tell us, which he beautifully expresses through his compelling lyrics, sublime vocals and dreamy, mellow soundscapes that draw from soft rock, jazz, pop, progressive rock and fusion, among other influences. When listening to his music, one can hear his inspiration from such legendary artists and bands as Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, Michael Franks, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, the Beatles, Genesis, XTC, and Weather Report. All his music is entirely self-produced at his own Studio GB in Montréal.
“Tell Me” starts off with a somber piano riff and strummed electric guitar, then as Ghostly Beard’s smooth, comforting vocals enter, gentle percussion and bass are added to the mix, creating a rather melancholy yet lovely soundscape. The bluesy guitar solo in the bridge is especially nice, and I love the glittery keyboard synths in the final minute that end the song on a high note.
My interpretation of the lyrics are that they speak of a troubled relationship that’s breaking apart, and that only through their shared love can they try and salvage what remains. Ghostly Beard told me that on a broader level, they’re generally about how things in the world seem to be upside down these days.
The beast is crawling A darker looking future You can’t live without a tear The door is closed, alone it ends, tonight Hiding the light, oh no!
Now tell me what’s knocking me down And why were you screaming so loud Tell me what’s knocking me down While the world is spinning around
There’s only one thing left To stop this pain With all our loving We could try
A month ago I featured British alternative pop/punk band Third Time Luckie on this blog when I reviewed their beautiful single “Love and Violence”. They’ve now dropped a new EP Face the Beast, which I have the pleasure of reviewing today. Originally formed in 2006, the band had early success, releasing two EPs and an album, but eventually disbanded in 2014. Fortunately for us, founding members Chris Horner (guitar & vocals) and Carl Swietlik (drums) decided to give it another go, and Third Time Luckie was reborn an older and wiser trio in late 2016 with a new bassist Andy Clare. Based in the southern England resort town of Bognor Regis, Sussex, the band’s high-energy style of melodic pop/punk rock is strongly influenced by some of their favorite bands like Blink-182, Green Day, Alkaline Trio and Sum 41.
Face the Beast features five stellar tracks, including “Love and Violence” and some other previously released songs. Green Day’s influence can clearly be heard on the first cut “The Grind“, with a frantic riff that’s strikingly similar to the main riff in “American Idiot”. The guys follow through with more electrifying guitar solos of their own, along with a driving bass line and thunderous drums that make for an exhilarating song. The lyrics speak to escaping a soul-crushing rut in a boring town, and making a change for the better: “And so, we all stick to the grind. And so, something gets left behind. Go do what you like, cause my mind’s made up now. And so, fuck you, I’m leaving this town.”
“That Day” is a reworking of a song the band originally recorded back in 2008. The upbeat song is a rousing pop/punk ode to a woman he loves, recalling the day he met her: “I remember that day so clearly. It’s stuck down in my head. I get the warmest feeling lying next to you in bed. The grass is always greener when you are around.” The anthemic “Never Alone” is a song of encouragement to someone suffering from depression. Chris does some fine shredding on his six-string as he fervently sings: “You found your way, your way back to our lives. You found your way, your way back to our hearts. All the while you were lost in the smoke. We were there too, and you were never alone. / You can push back and fight it. Or face the beast and ignite it.” Andy and Carl keep the rhythm with a solid bass line and a cascade of tumultuous percussion.
The poignant “Love and Violence” is a plea from one partner in a fraying relationship to another, urging her to stay with him and try to work out their problems. The words “love and violence” represent the highs and lows – the good times and bad – of a relationship. “Stay with me now cause I know we’re forever. And evermore it’s you and I in love and violence.” The guitar work is fantastic, and Chris’s pleasing vocals sound great whether he’s earnestly crooning the calmer verses or passionately wailing the dramatic choruses. The guys’ backing vocal harmonies are wonderful too.
The final track “Wide Eyed Thinking” was the first single the reconstituted band released in 2017, and it’s a real banger. The guys let loose here, unleashing a furious barrage of gnarly riffs, wildly crashing cymbals, and chugging bass. The song’s only two and a half minutes long, but it’s a beast. The lyrics speak to finally coming to terms with the reality of a toxic relationship that’s beyond repair: “Nothing I did was ever good enough for her. Wide eyed thinking, how can I get away? This ship is sinking, and I’ve been led astray from you. Now I sing a different tune.”
Face the Beast is a terrific little EP that showcases the strong songwriting and musicianship of Third Time Luckie. I’m impressed by these guys’ resilience, as well as their dedication to excellence, and I hope they continue making more great music for our listening enjoyment.
Shadow of Everest is a Canadian progressive groove metal band hailing from the beautiful city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. (I recently featured another Nova Scotia artist, singer/songwriter Guy Paul Thibault.) Formed in 2014, the band’s line-up includes guitarist/vocalist John Vriend, bassist Shaun Cowell, guitarist Andew Welsman and drummer Matt Burton. Influenced by some of their favorite hard rock bands Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Machine Head, Mastodon, Tool and Karnivool, they play an arresting and innovative style of metal rock, featuring intelligent lyrics penned by Vriend and delivered with unconventional melodies, wicked riffs, driving bass lines and pummeling drums.
They released an impressive debut album Idle Hands in 2017, and this past March, dropped their sophomore album The Hunting Ground, which I’m reviewing today. As the album’s title suggests, the songs generally speak to the darker, feral nature inherent in each of us to some degree. Similar to their first album, The Hunting Ground opens with an intriguing instrumental track “Umm al-Maa”. Wondering what it might mean, I did a Google search and found it translates to “mother of water” in Berber Arabic, and is also the name of one of several lake oases in the Idehan Ubari Sand Sea located in the Sahara Desert of southwestern Libya. The music on this brief track consists of strummed guitar, delicate piano keys and what I’m guessing to be a cello, accompanied by sounds of wind and water that beautifully convey the sense of mystery and wonder of a remote oasis. The dark irony is that the water in these oases is too salty to drink. John commented “Imagine being lost in the desert and finding that oasis, and then drinking the salty water would be your demise.”
They next launch into “Fifty Four”, serving up chugging riffs of gnarly guitars over a foundation of buzzing bass and hammering drumbeats, and punctuated by flourishes of distortion. Vriend’s commanding vocals express a raw urgency as he sings about feelings of hopelessness and ennui: “Substituting for a lack of stimulation. Seeking out the offspring of my mind. Beneath consciousness there’s desperation that fits nicely into my design.” The title track “The Hunting Ground” at first sounds almost like a continuation of “Fifty Four”, with a similar melody and chord progression, but the killer guitar solos in the bridge and outro turn it into an especially satisfying track. Vriend passionately sings the lyrics that seem to speak to the age-old notion of survival of the fittest – ‘kill or be killed”: “Hear that wild call. Smoke them out. Rise or fall. Become what you fear.”
Here’s a great video of the guys performing the song live.
One of the highlights of the album for me is the gorgeous “We Are Wrong”. I usually like when metal and hard rock bands show their softer side with a slow ballad, and Shadow of Everest are no exception here. I love the haunting melody, outstanding guitar work, and especially the sublime vocal harmonies of Vriend and guest singer Erin Crosby. Guest musician Lex Coulstring played keyboards on this lovely track. The message expressed in the lyrics seem to be that “ignorance is bliss”: “And the moments became too many. Time keeps passing on. One day we understand. The next day we are wrong.”
“Castle in the Sky” is hard-driving metal rock at its finest, with rock’n’roll overtones and more of the raging guitars this band so nicely delivers. This song seems to be about needing to be rescued from a life of degradation and despair: “Couldn’t see the splendor from the underground. There was no will to satisfy. Pull me out of the loss and the ruin. Those broken pieces will build our castle in the sky.” The aptly-named “Dark Spiral” dives deeper into progressive metal, with interesting melodic transitions and greater use of dissonance in the song structure, not to mention fearsome riffs and Cowell’s crushing bass. Vriend’s impassioned vocals are almost chilling as he wails “How does it feel to be spinning on a tangible wave of magnificence? As an ignorant drone, completely unaware and obsessed with your own insignificance.”
The guys unleash their sonic fury on “Ravenman”, the most metal-esque (is that a word?) track on the album and another one of its highlights. It’s a monumental six minute, 49-second-long tour de force of rampaging riffs, buzzsaw bass and Burton’s speaker-blowing drums. The hardcore backing vocals are sung by Lex Coulstring. Thought I’m not certain, my take is that ‘Ravenman’ represents the devil, or at least the inherent evil that each of us is capable of: “I know the nightmares, what they mean. What you should fear, the shadows in your head, the violence in your hand. Be not a patron to the failures of the damned.” It’s a fantastic song.
They close things out with “The River”, another epic track that seems to be about the end of the world: “The earth is parting and the vultures fly. Statues crumble while the pharaohs die. What glory lies beyond the river’s flow? We’re unaware how far this shadow goes.” As always, Vriend and Welsman deliver scorching riffs while Cowell and Burton confidently maintain the aggressive rhythm section. It’s a strong finish to a solid album of heavy hitters. The guys are all highly accomplished musicians who now have two outstanding albums on their impressive resume. I trust we’ll be hearing more great music from them in the future.
1. SIGUE CON EL AMOR – John Defeo (1)
2. CHLORINE – twenty one pilots (2)
3. TRAMPOLINE – SHAED (3)
4. READY TO LET GO – Cage the Elephant (4)
5. LONGSHOT – Catfish and the Bottlemen (6)
6. DISAPPEAR – Western Jaguar (7)
7. BURY A FRIEND – Billie Eilish (8)
8. FEAR THE FUTURE – IAMWARFACE (10)
9. HARMONY HALL – Vampire Weekend (9)
10. DARK PLACES – The Frontier (11)
11. VOLCANO – Feather Weight (5)
12. TIME – Morosity (14)
13. ESCAPE – Ships Have Sailed (15)
14. HURT – Oliver Tree (16)
15. LOVE CRAZY – Karolina Rose (17)
16. LO/HI – The Black Keys (18)
17. STILL FEEL. – half alive (19)
18. GENERATION Y – Guide Dog (20)
19. BELOVED – Mumford and Sons (22)
20. SEVENTEEN – Sharon Van Etten (23)
21. ASSUME FORM – James Blake (12)
22. PATIENCE – Tame Impala (25)
23. POWER OVER ME – Dermot Kennedy (13)
24. BAD LIAR – Imagine Dragons (26)
25. I’LL BE AROUND – Morning Fuzz (27)
26. MISSED CONNECTION – The Head and the Heart (28)
27. NOT WORTH IT – The Only Route (29)
28. OLD MAN’S WAR – Roadkeeper (30)
29. CHOKE – I Don’t Know How But They Found Me (N)
30. APOLOGIZE – grandson (N)
One of my favorite songs from the 1960s is “Running Scared” by the legendary Roy Orbison, who was one of the biggest recording artists from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. Written by Orbison and Joe Melson, the powerfully moving ballad was released by Monument Records in March 1961 and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that June. The song was written in the bolero style, starting off calmly then gradually building to a dramatic finish. And, unlike most other songs written both then and now, it contains no chorus.
It opens with just a simple strummed guitar as Orbison plaintively sings to a woman he loves, but fearing she’s still in love with an old flame. With each new verse, layers of lush instrumentation in the form of drums, piano, strings and horns, as well as backing vocals, are added to the mix as both the music and Orbison’s beautiful resonant vocals build to a heart-wrenching climax. By the song’s end, with Orbison jubilant over the woman’s decision to go with him, I’m completely covered in goosebumps. I defy anyone to listen to “Running Scared” and not feel moved. The song lasts barely more than two minutes, but it’s monumental nevertheless. Everything about it is absolute perfection.
Just running scared each place we go So afraid that he might show Yeah running scared what would I do If he came back and wanted you Just running scared feeling low Running scared you loved him so Just running scared afraid to lose If he came back which one would you choose
Then all at once he was standing there So sure of himself his head in the air My heart was breaking which one would it be You turned around and walked away with me
Spiral Rocks is a terrific rock band based in Widnes, England, situated on the River Mersey between the vibrant music cities of Liverpool and Manchester. Their fun, high-energy music is retro, yet fresh, drawing from classic rock, punk, rock’n’roll, blues and even folk influences. Formed in 2000, the band consists of Antony Shone (vocals/guitar), Dave Baker (guitar), Stephen “Rowy” Rowe (bass) & Danny Hall (drums). They’ve known each other for years and even played together for a while as teenagers, but took a hiatus for several years to tend to the demands of life (jobs, marriages and children).
Wanting to get back to doing what they love, they resurrected Spiral Rocks in summer 2018 and have been recording and releasing lots of new songs like madmen, as if trying to make up for lost time. Many of these tunes are certified bangers, and I strongly urge my readers to check them out on Spotify or YouTube. One of the best of the bunch is “Know Your Weapon“, which the band requested that I review.
It’s a great, hard-driving track, with a barrage of fuzzy reverb-soaked guitars, deep, throbbing bass and pummeling drumbeats, augmented by an abundance of crashing cymbals. Antony and Dave are skilled guitarists, delivering some really sensational blistering riffs in the choruses that give the track a gnarly psychedelic vibe. Antony has an intense and spirited vocal style that reminds me at times of Mick Jagger’s, though I can’t quite make out very many of the lyrics that he practically shouts on this song. But who cares, really, when the music sounds this good.
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 