At the end of each year, I publish a list of my Top 100 Songs, representing my picks for what I think are the best songs – my favorites actually – for the entire year. Last year, at the suggestion of a member of Missouri folk rock band Voodoo Planet, I also compiled a list of my 100 favorite indie songs of 2024. That blog post nearly went viral, and over the past year has amassed over 7,000 views to become my 10th most popular post ever. (In sharp contrast, my 100 Best Songs of 2024 post has garnered only around 1,100 views.)
Because I follow, and am followed by, many indie musicians and bands on social media, I enjoy showcasing some of the exceptional music being made by them that’s every bit as good as, or even better than, that from mainstream acts, so compiling a separate list of what I think are the best indie songs makes perfect sense.
These are not necessarily “indie” songs in terms of genre (though there are many that fall into that overall category), rather songs by independent or DIY music acts. While some are in fact signed to music labels, they’re usually small or independently owned. There are 82 acts represented in this list, the majority of which are from the U.S., Canada and the U.K., but also from Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Germany and Ukraine. A number of acts have two songs, while English psychedelic alt-rock band Future Theory have three.
Of course, I must make note of the fact that this list contains only songs I’m aware of, and that there are likely hundreds of other great songs that deserve to be here, except that I’ve never heard them. The songs on this list – all of which are outstanding if I do say so myself – were generally released between November 2024 and October 2025.
Though they’re ranked from #1 to 100, it doesn’t necessarily mean that a song at #30 is better than one at #60. That said, the ones closer to the top are my very favorites. And though I’d love to write a narrative about each song and artist, given my limited time and energy, not to mention people’s short attention spans, I’ve decided against that again this year. I will, however, include the marvelous video for my #1 pick, “The Faithful Heart” by immensely talented and creative L.A.-based artist Wons Phreely, as it’s so delightful that everyone should watch it! I’ve also created playlists on both YouTube and Spotify, which are included after the list itself. Enjoy!
THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses
IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire
WALLS – Frank Joshua
FEELS RIGHT – Talk in Waves
TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert
CONTROLLER – Moody Moody
BAD LARRY – Cloakroom
LOVE IS A FIRE – Art Block
YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves
THE TURNAROUND – DelCobras
LONDON TOWN – HEALER
POLYESTER (YES SIR) – Sorry Ghost
STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights
SNAKESKIN – NAVE
BETTER OFF EVENTUALLY – Bealby Point
LIGHT YEARS APART – Unobliterated
THE FEAR – Future Theory
POOR SAD INDIE EVERYTHING – Icarus Phoenix
WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School
MOTHER – Lyia Meta & Mark Allen Lanoue
DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton
WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico
HORNETS – Western Jaguar
SCARS – Secret Postal Society
REALITY BUZZ – Future Theory
AFTER ALL – Darksoft
TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT – overpass
FEEL – NAVE
HERE WE GO AGAIN – Set the Tone
BAD PATTERNS – HEALER
ALWAYS WITH YOU – Ewan Patrick
THE HAZE – Future Theory
ECHOES – Antipole, Ja’kob & Pedro Code
TREPHINE – Big Orange
WHAT IT TAKES – The Radio Field
SLOW DEATH – Western Jaguar
SUPERSPREADER YEAR – Roadkeeper
BLEAK COMPANION – The Brigadier
MARK & KYLE – Icarus Phoenix
LLUMINE – Josephine Pascoe
DAYS LIKE THESE – Frank Joshua
ESPIONAGE – Rusty Shipp
CONSPIRACY OF SNAKES – Blake Rascals
CALIFORNIA – Art Block
NATIONAL TREASURE – Faint Halos
ANTICIPATE THE FALL – Pilod
FALLING DOWN – Holy Coves
CALLING OUT – Black Bear Kiss
BEERS WITH THE BEEKEEPER – The Zangwills
IT’S GETTING LATE – Sorry Ghost
IT’S ALRIGHT – The Radio Field & The Baumhoff Explosives
OH NO – John Serrano
MEDICATED – Shape of the Sun
MY DOG BRUCE – Jack Droppers & the Best Intentions
INSIDE – Skar de Line
DARLING, HE DOESN’T CARE – Olivia Miceli
ALL FOR NOTHING – Set the Tone
NOTHING REALLY MATTERS – Snap Infraction
ALONE – The Sylvia Platters
LOOK WHAT YOU DID – Jeen
WHERE IS SHE NOW – Mecuzine
SHUT UP – Esse. feat. Shimmer Johnson
PACK IT UP – Diet Lite
LOVE LIES – Caleb Nichols
WHITEBOARD (YOU CALL HOME) – FRVR
LIFESPAN – Cormac O Caoimh
I, PHONE – INNERSPEAR
EVERYTHING SEDUCTIVE – Unquiet Nights
DOUBLE DISCO – Bealby Point
ALRIGHT – naive nature
BUNK BEDS – Lost in the City
SEVENTH ROCK FROM THE SUN – Only on Weekends
SOMEDAY SOON – DelCobras
DON’T GO TO BED WITH A BAD MIND – The Brigadier
BROKEN ANIMAL – Matt Jaffe
ALL I NEED TO KNOW – PluX feat. Shimmer Johnson
I WANNA FIGHT MY CLONE – Bear Ghost & Playboy Manbaby
Few acts I know of have mined a novel theme as successfully and consistently throughout their career as has Nashville rock band Rusty Shipp. I’ve previously featured them numerous times on this blog, but to summarize, the band is the brain child of singer-songwriter and guitarist Russ T. Shipp (his actual birth name is Russell Thomas Shipp), who call themselves a “Nautical Rock’n’Roll” band with a sound influenced by “the melodic chord progressions of The Beatles, the surf guitar of Dick Dale, the grunge rock of Nirvana, and the heavy metal of Led Zeppelin“. As their name suggests, their music is characterized by a dark, immersive sound, unforgettable melodies, electrifying guitar work, and Shipp’s vibrant tenor vocals. Like many bands, they’ve undergone numerous personnel changes since forming in 2014, and now consist of the aforementioned Russ Shipp on guitar and vocals, AJ Newton on drums, Dave Gajda on lead guitar, and Doug Webster on bass.
Band photo from their Facebook account.
In keeping with their name, all Rusty Shipp albums have been concept albums built around nautical themes, starting with Mortal Ghost in 2017, followed by Liquid Exorcist in 2019, Dark Side of the Ocean in 2022, and now their fourth and latest album Capsized Empire (its official title is Cosmic Innuendo, Vol. II: Capsized Empire), released on June 27th. (I reviewed both Liquid Exorcist and Dark Side of the Ocean, which you can read here and here.) Whereas Vol. I: Dark Side of the Ocean explored the balance between dark and light, descent and ascent, and men and angels, Vol II: Capsized Empire tells the fictional story of an evil band of pirates who set sail on a sinister mission, dismissing the prophetic warnings of an old sailor on the pier who warns of a worse fate for them than the gallows if they stay on their course. The band further states that the fictional story “is ultimately a masked philosophical message warning of people living their lives in a self-inflicted apocalypse.”
To accompany their ambitious album, which features 17 tracks – ten full length songs and seven interludes that drive the story forward and provide a connection between the primary songs – the band has also written a detailed narrative for the story, some of which I’ll include here:
“The story of ‘Capsized Empire’ is actually two stories. One is clearly told through this album’s narration and imagery-laced lyrics, and picks up where ‘Cosmic Innuendo Vol. I’ left off: when the warrior sea angels with the royal title ‘Nautical Sea Lords’ ascended from The Dark Side of the Ocean up to its surface to find out why the souls of men are sinking down to their kingdom with increasing frequency. And what do the Nautical Sea Lords find when they reach the land of men? Probably the worst example of man there is, which leads to the second story…
The other story is the more covert one that’s told through the philosophical lyrics of each song, creating a parallel undercurrent to the surface-level fiction story. This story addresses the problem of evil in the world. Each song responds to this problem from a different angle – as we hear from the voices of those grappling with the painful consequences of evil, as well as from those inflicting the pain. As the album progresses, philosophical layer is built upon layer to expand the intellectual understanding and emotional empathy to all affected by this problem (which is ALL OF US) to hopefully stir up outrage that leads to activism, but also to filter that justice through the ultimate solution (which is love and grace).“
Back cover of the album
The album opens with the slowly-building and ominous 40-second-long instrumental track “What The Tide Washed In“, quickly followed by “All Aboard!“, which I featured on a Fresh New Tracks post in February. As I wrote then, the song is a wonderful hard-driving rocker, with a roiling torrent of grungy guitars joined by blistering surf guitar solos in the second half, and nicely accompanied by AJ’s aggressive drums, a terrific organ and Russ’s dynamic spine-tingling vocals. The band calls this their first theme song, as expressed by the lyrics “All aboard this hallowed, rusty ship. Won’t you join us on our voyage away from suffering, into our destiny? With love and spirit pointing us true north, we’ll make it through the storm and build a kingdom we can call our home.“
Next up is “Espionage“, another hard-hitting track fueled by gnarly guitars and thunderous drums, detailing the sea angels’ efforts to observe the ways of mankind: “Call it Espionage in ocean camouflage, spinning up and down between two kingdoms, searching for a sign of intelligent life. Find out what these men are made of.” Their search leads them to a pub where they find a group of salty sailors singing the old traditional sea shanty “Spanish Ladies“: “Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish Ladies. Farewell and adieu you ladies of Spain. For we’ve received orders for to sail for old England, and we may ne’er see thee fair ladies again. We’ll rant and we’ll roar like true British sailors. We’ll rant and we’ll roar all on the salt seas until we strike soundings in the channel of old England. From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues.“
“On The Docks” explores the dichotomy between men who inherently strive to be good people and make a living through honorable means with those who choose a darker path of thievery and exploitation of others: “The difference in a sailor and a pirate is their consciences. And if his conviction is growling louder than the howling of his stomach could it be that a pirate’s greed is the same old thing as a shark’s instinct? Who didn’t have the pedigree or luck to evolve into a sailor’s breed. ‘Cause on the docks we swim with sharks, trying to get a bite. ‘Cause who has time to tread the lines between the dark and light, But if you would pay my daily wage, then I’ll put away my net. Show me something I need more than food and I’ll fish for that instead.” I love the song’s breezy melody and the wonderful mix of twangy and surf guitars.
“Black Market Jam” is a spoken word track describing some of the sailors engaging in nefarious activities like black market trade and human trafficking beneath the pier, followed by “Neck Breaker“, a bluesy and grungy rock song of warning to those sailors by an old prophet who predicts the harrowing fate that awaits them: “You’re wanted dead or alive, up to you which one they decide. So ride, but you gotta land sometime, and when you do, oh, you fool, the gallows will be waiting for you. You’re gonna hang from the head until you’re dead, dead, dead. Make your bed with the fishes.” The prophet then issues a curse on their captain on the spoken word interlude “The Curse of Robert Williams“, in which he warns him to turn the ship around and not proceed with their evil mission.
Bound and determined to go forward with their piracy, the sailors are self-proclaimed “Tough Guys“, blinded by their bad-ass bravado as they snarl “Yeah, we’re bad dudes, rockin’ tattoos, with our black shoes. Yeah, we’re tough guys, giving black eyes, as we’re cruisin’ by. Blame it on our daddy issues, blame it on whatever you want. Glad you got us figured out ’cause now we’re gonna come burn down your town!” Over a powerful chugging rhythm, the band layers some blistering guitar work, accompanied by gruff vocals that nicely convey their menacing message. Next up is “Aquamoto“, a terrific little instrumental tour de force of killer surf guitars that would make Dick Dale proud, making it one of my favorite tracks on the album. This is then followed by the spiritual track “Don’t You Grieve Us“, ostensibly sung by the kidnapped trafficking victims huddled in the hull of the ship.
Every Rusty Shipp album includes a cover of a classic rock song by a famous band – Mortal Ghost featured the Beatles song “Helter Skelter”, Liquid Exorcist featured Audioslave’s “Show Me How to Live”, and Dark Side of the Ocean includes a shortened cover of Pink Floyd’s “Us and Them“, from their masterpiece Dark Side of the Moon. For Capsized Empire, the band chose Paul & Linda McCartney’s “1882“. I wasn’t familiar with this rather unusual McCartney song, which tells the story of an impoverished boy of the servant class who faces stern consequences for stealing a loaf of bread from the big house upstairs. Rusty Shipp has reimagined and elevated the song into a darkly beautiful and gut wrenching number that here applies to slaves freed by President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, but who were unlawfully kidnapped and taken to Cuba where slavery was still legal at the time – sadly echoed by the cruel and unlawful deportations now being perpetrated by the Trump regime (my opinion). The guitar work and Russ’s impassioned vocals are stunning.
Russ unleashes the fury of his wrath for those who would prey on the innocent on “Nefarious“: “You, you are so despicable. Herding little girls like some kind of cattle, but you’re the animal. You have all devolved into a primal impulse. No trace of a soul, you’re nefarious.” The song is sonically magnificent, though, with haunting piano keys and a grandiose arrangement that reminds me of a few songs by English rock band Muse. And in fact, Russ’s fervent falsetto seems to channel Matt Bellamy when he really lets loose. I love this track!
“Scallywags” is another gorgeous and powerful rock song, with intense reverb-soaked guitars, throbbing bass and thunderous percussion creating an explosive, yet highly melodic soundscape. The lyrics speak to the ideas that evil is inherent in all of us to some degree, who are we to judge others, and that only through grace can we overcome our sins: “Scallywag buccaneers, black market blackbirders. So easy pointing fingers at the Neros and Blackbeards. But Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was its tyrant. It took centuries to make a culture to enthrone them. Love these enemies, and turn your cheek till they nail your hands and feet. Grace alone can save the world by breaking the chain of revenge. But I’m seething, can’t hardly see a thing except this blinding rage. Don’t wanna give the Lord all the revenge. ‘Cause I hate you, but I create you when I treat them the same way you were treated.” This immediately segues into “Counsel of Sea Lords“, a brief interlude featuring spoken word vocals of multiple Shippmates detailing the findings and judgements against the pirates by the Nautical Sea Lords.
The interlude track “Upside Down Kingdom” continues with the theme laid out on “Scallywags”, that so long as humans continue their endless cycle of retribution and revenge for wrongs committed against them (sound familiar to a certain evil President?), the world and mankind will never fully recover: “Ooh, Hell and Heaven are two kingdoms waging war within us. And every choice you make builds one, either death or life to come. When you repay good for evil you pull a brick out from the wall of Hell to build up the kingdom of Heaven. A step closer to Shalom.”
The album closes with “Sinners In The Hands“, a raucus rock song that brings everything full circle, that we are all sinners in the hands of a loving God who through his son set an example for us to follow of giving love and forgiveness to the sinful people in our lives, lest the world topple over as a capsized empire: “So never judge an evil man, for the greatest of all saints were once the vilest sinners who got a taste of saving grace. The same grace is calling out, reaching out for you right now. And has been for all your life to make you fully alive!“
To sum up, Capsized Empire is another epic, brilliantly-executed concept album by Rusty Shipp. As with their previous albums, everyone involved in its recording and production did a masterful job creating a work that’s flawlessly arranged and beautifully crafted on every level. But most of all, a great deal of credit must go to Russ Shipp’s incredible vision, imagination and talents as a songwriter, musician and vocalist.
Lots of new music means it’s time for another installment of my Fresh New Tracks series, and today I’m pleased to feature excellent songs released over the past week by four talented acts – New York-based singer-songwriter Asa Daniels, Welsh singer-songwriter, poet and author Evrah Rose, Spanish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist John Serrano, and Nashville-based nautical rock’n’roll band Rusty Shipp. Each song couldn’t be more different than the others, but after all, I am EclecticMusicLover!
Asa Daniels – “Never Knew”
Asa Daniels is a charming and affable singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from New York City who’s also guitarist and lead vocalist of alt-rock/blues band Gooseberry, who I’ve previously featured several times on this blog, He’s also front man and guitarist of jazz/rock/funk band Baked Goods, which he formed when he was 15. Now on hiatus, Baked Goods released three albums and an EP between 2013-2020. Ever the charismatic showman, Asa appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in March 2022, where he competed in a Battle of the Instant Songwriters. In addition to his sparkling personality, intelligent songwriting and ace musicianship, I also love his vocal style, and have been a fan of his since learning about Gooseberry in late 2021.
Last March (2024), he released his debut single as a solo artist, “Historical Christ”, followed two months later with “Hello Barcelona”. On February 7th, he dropped his latest single “Never Knew“, and it was love at first listen. All three songs will be included on his forthcoming solo album I’ve Run Out of Boxes to Put Things In. Written and sung by Asa, “Never Knew” was recorded with the help of AJ Daye on drums, Guillermo Goldschmied on bass, and Dan Janis on the bluesy sax. I love the song’s sophisticated jazzy vibe, as well as the sweet photo of Asa as a young child sitting on the floor playing a guitar used for the single’s cover art. It’s proof of his lifelong love of music.
Evrah Rose – “Invisible Me”
I recently learned about Welsh artist Evrah Rose and her impactful spoken word song “Invisible Me” and its accompanying video from her fellow Welsh artist Secret Postal Society (the music project of singer-songwriter and musician Craig Mapstone, who I’ve also previously featured on this blog) when he shared it on his social media accounts. A street poet, rapper and author with two published books to her credit, Evrah has gained popularity and a loyal following for her hard hitting vocal delivery, compelling storytelling, and fearlessness in bringing attention to issues like social injustice and mental health.
Released on February 3rd, “Invisible Me” addresses how people struggling with depression often downplay or hide their real feelings so as not to bring attention to their problems out of fear of burdening others or inviting shame and scorn. Evrah elaborates: “[It’s] a spoken word film depicting the cruel nature of chronic illness. How we’re so often forced to ‘mask up’ to hide our pain, the continuous struggle to fit into society, and the impact that has on our emotional well-being and sense of identity.” As someone who suffers from occasional bouts of depression myself, I was deeply affected by her heart-wrenching words, as well as the images shown in the video. I know from experience that, while most family members, friends and co-workers may genuinely care that we’re suffering, they often don’t know how to respond, feel helpless to assist us in meaningful ways, or might even dismiss our feelings, instead encouraging us to simply “buck up”, “count our blessings”, and so on. The film was written, performed and directed by Evrah, and filmed and edited by Joey Edwards. The lovely piano music was played by Olexandr Ignatov.
John Serrano – “Granada”
Hailing from Málaga, Spain is John Serrano, a prolific singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer who I cannot heap enough praise upon. Not only is he a versatile and enormously talented musician with a beautiful singing voice, he’s also thoughtful, kind, handsome and incredibly supportive of other independent artists. Drawing from a dizzying array of genres and influences ranging from alternative, progressive, punk and metal rock to blues, folk, electronica, synthwave and jazz, the man can play and sing just about anything, with vocals that run the gamut from achingly beautiful and tender to fearsome and savage. Over the past decade, he’s recorded and released an astonishing catalog of music as both a solo artist and in collaboration with other musicians. Every time I turn around, John’s dropped another new single or album, and it’s a challenge keeping up with him. He released three full albums in 2024 alone!
His latest release is the lovely single “Granada“, which dropped February 7th. Written and performed entirely by John, it’s the first single from his forthcoming album Still Alive, scheduled for release in May. On this track, he skillfully blends beguiling flamenco guitar notes and hand claps with jazz and folk elements to create an enchanting soundscape for his plaintive and arresting vocals. The bittersweet lyrics speak to feelings of regret and loss over a romantic affair he let slip through his fingers: “I really was the best version of me when I walked away to never look back. And just convince myself I don’t need you at all.” It’s a bit of a different sound from John, and I can’t wait to hear what he has in store.
Rusty Shipp – “All Aboard!”
Few acts I can think of have mined a novel theme as successfully and consistently over the years as has Nashville rock band Rusty Shipp. The brain child of front man Russ T. Shipp (his actual birth name is Russell Thomas Shipp), Rusty Shipp is a self-described “Nautical Rock’n’Roll” band, with a sound influenced by “the melodic chord progressions of The Beatles, the surf guitar of Dick Dale, the grunge rock of Nirvana, and the heavy metal of Led Zeppelin“. As their name suggests, their music features a dark, immersive sound, unforgettable melodies, electrifying guitar work, and Shipp’s vibrant tenor vocals. Like many bands, they’ve undergone numerous changes in lineup since forming in 2014, and now consist of the aforementioned Russ Shipp on guitar and vocals, AJ Newton on drums, Dave Gajda on lead guitar, and Doug Webster on bass.
Rusty Shipp have released three outstanding concept albums – Mortal Ghost in 2017, Liquid Exorcist in 2019, and Dark Side of the Ocean in 2022 – all built around nautical themes. (I reviewed the latter two albums, which you can read here and here.) Last October (2024), they released “Neck Breaker”, their first new song in two years and the lead single from their forthcoming fourth album Cosmic Innuendo, Vol. II. In keeping with the band’s nautical theme model, Cosmic Innuendo, Vol. II will tell a fictional story of an evil band of pirates who set sail on a sinister mission, dismissing the prophetic warnings of an old sailor on the pier who warns of a worse fate for them than the gallows if they stay on their course. The band states that the fictional story “is ultimately a masked philosophical message warning of people living their lives in a self-inflicted apocalypse.”
“All Aboard!“, released as the second single from the album on February 7th, is also Rusty Shipp’s first theme song, as well as the first song to include voices of some of Rusty Shipp fans known as Shippmates. The song is a wonderful hard-driving rocker, with a roiling torrent of grungy guitars joined by some blistering surf guitar solos in the second half, and nicely accompanied by AJ’s aggressive drums, a terrific organ and Russ’s dynamic spine-tingling vocals. Given the quality of both “Neck Breaker” and “All Aboard!”, the new album is sure to be another winner. On a side note, I also love that their more recent music is published via “Shipp Wreckords”.
One of the more uniquely interesting acts I’ve featured on this blog is Nashville rock band Rusty Shipp. The brain child of front man Russ T. Shipp (his actual birth name is Russell Thomas Shipp), Rusty Shipp is a self-described “Nautical Rock’n’Roll” band, with a sound influenced by, in their own words, “the melodic chord progressions of The Beatles, the surf guitar of Dick Dale, the grunge rock of Nirvana, and the heavy metal of Led Zeppelin“. As their name would suggest, their music is characterized by a dark, immersive sound, unforgettable melodies, electrifying guitar work, and Shipp’s vibrant tenor vocals. Like many a band, they’ve experienced numerous changes in lineup since forming in 2014, and now consist of the aforementioned Russ Shipp on guitar and vocals, AJ Newton on drums, Dave Gajda on lead guitar, and Doug Webster on bass.
Photo by Chad Fenner
Rusty Shipp released an EP Hold Fast to Hope in 2014, then followed in 2017 with their highly-acclaimed debut album Mortal Ghost. They dropped several singles throughout 2019, which culminated in the release that November of their phenomenal second album Liquid Exorcist, which I reviewed. In keeping with their nautical theme, the album is a concept work built around the subject of sea mine terrorism. This past January, starting with “Bottom of the Barrel”, they began releasing what would become a series of nine singles at the rate of one per month. All of those songs and more are featured on their latest album Dark Side of the Ocean, which dropped October 28th.
An ambitious work, Dark Side of the Ocean (its official title is Cosmic Innuendo, Vol 1: Dark Side of the Ocean), is another nautically-themed concept album, this time exploring the balance between dark and light, descent and ascent, and men and angels. About the album, Shipp explains: “While it was written and recorded during the pandemic, instead of following the natural response of the world to react to the crisis with fear by retreating into our comfortable “Us and Them” sects and blaming “Them” as the problem and the bad guys, this album tried very hard (as challenging as it was at the time) to focus on the commonalities and good that still exist in all people and the hope that still exists for our world to bring us all together and get all our needs met.“
Shipp wrote the lyrics, co-wrote the music with band drummer Newton, and did the arrangements. The album was produced by Stephen Leiweke at Yackland Studio in Nashville, and mastered by Alex McCollough. The gorgeous artwork was created by Hein Zaayman.
With a few nods to Pink Floyd, including its title, the album is divided into two parts: The first half (consisting of 21 ½ minutes), called “DESCENT”, follows the descent of a drowned sailor, sinking past undiscovered creatures and mysteries to the bottom of the ocean, where his soul is intercepted by a group of sea angels and taken to their underwater kingdom. The 2nd half of the album (also 21 ½ minutes long) is called “ASCENT”, and explores this angelic kingdom, ruled by Poseidon, the king archangel of the ocean. After debating the danger involved, the angels decide to ascend and discover why men’s souls are sinking from the ocean’s surface with increased frequency, with feelings of duty to help these men in the world above the waves, which the angels ironically call “Heaven.” Read the full story here.
The album opens with the title track, a 33-second-long spoken word introductory piece accompanied by eerie underwater sounds and a building guitar riff, informing us that the ocean contains 99% of Earth’s living space, yet 80% of it has never been mapped, much less explored. We have better maps of the surface of the moon than of the ocean floor, and with scientists estimating that there are as many as 90% of ocean species still undiscovered, one has to wonder what else could be down there at the bottom of our planet…the dark side of the ocean.
Those grungy, jagged riffs are quickly joined by a torrent of aggressive drumbeats as we’re launched headlong into “Living Waters“. Shipp passionately sings of the life-giving power of water, despite the fact that it’s also taken the life of many a sailor: “Let the living waters flow and bring the world to life. Trickle down the darkest cracks that never get the light. Weaving in and out of every creature on the Earth. Pull us all into the harmony that we’re created for.”
This immediately segues into the 49-second-long interlude “What Blows Up (Must Come Down)“, a fantastic barrage of raging surf guitars. Like their previous album Liquid Exorcist, Dark Side of the Ocean contains several instrumental interludes that serve to connect the tracks and move the narrative forward. That interlude then becomes “Bottom of the Barrel“, a gnarly but melodic track sung from the perspective of the drowning sailor, whose soul is reborn into a magical undersea world: “Down at the bottom of the barrel. Still your love is bottomless. The weight of the world is crushing me to a pulp, but it brings my soul to the surface. If I make my bed in Mariana Trench, I’m welcomed to a city that’s lit. Bioluminescence.” The cool video was directed by Shipp’s wife Joy Soleil.
Though Rusty Shipp is not a Christian band per se, Shipp is up-front about his faith, as is evident in many of his lyrics. The 36-second-long track “The Bloop“, which serves as an introductory piece for “Tanninim“, a song about undiscovered sea monsters, includes spoken lines of scripture from Genesis, interspersed with Shipp’s own lyrics: “Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life. And God created great Tanninim and every living creature that moveth. Which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind. And God saw that it was good, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas’.” “Tanninim” has a wonderfully eerie vibe, highlighted by a bold reggae beat driven by Newton’s brilliant drumming, and accompanied by Shipp’s spooky vocals that sound like he’s singing while underwater.
On the hard-driving grungy rocker “What’s Kracken?“, Shipp uses the mythical sea monster Kracken as a metaphor for the truth in a divided political environment where what constitutes the truth is often elusive and up for debate: “A tentacle washed up on shore. The TV says there’s something more ‘Was it just a giant squid or evidence of Leviathan?’ Can anybody out there say ‘What’s Kraken?‘”
One of the many things I love about this album is how every track sounds uniquely different, with a wide variety of music styles and genres represented. “Fish in the Sea” is in the style of a sea shanty, a traditional work song once commonly sung aboard large merchant sailing ships, while “Angel Aquarium” fuses ska with frantic guitar-driven rock. “DESCENT” ends with “Bioluminescence“, a brief hauntingly beautiful piano ballad reprising the chorus from “Bottom of the Barrel”.
Opening the “ASCENT” half of the album is “King of the Deep“, a funereal-sounding sea shanty that’s one of the most powerful tracks on the album, and also one of my favorites. With verses alternately sung by sailors, angels and Poseidon, the song seems to be an ode to Poseidon himself. I like how the vocals and instrumentals are presented differently for each: the sailors’ are delivered with deep, baritone vocals accompanied by pounding drumbeats and fuzz-coated gnarly guitars, while the angels sound…well, angelic, with Shipp’s near-falsetto front and center, accompanied by lovely synths and delicate guitar notes. And as Poseidon, Shipp’s vocals are more commanding, of course. The song ends in a dramatic chorus of all three entities singing in glorious harmony.
“Man Myth Legend” is a roiling punk rock gem fueled by marvelous psychedelia-tinged surf guitars. Man, this band knows how to rock! The lyrics speak to looking beyond our pre-conceived notions about people, keeping us locked in eternal conflict, and instead try to see them as humans not all that different from ourselves: “Tradition tries to demonize what we don’t understand. We need to see them through the love that covers all our skins. Until we’re dining in their homes, these men will be as good as myths and legends. They say the issue’s black and white, but aren’t we all just different shades of gray? If it makes us black and blue, then we’re going the wrong way. But we could bring in an age of peace, joining both our worlds into one. We could be the heroes that make a new end to the legend.“
Each of Rusty Shipp’s three albums includes a cover of a classic rock song by a famous band. Their first album Mortal Ghost featured the Beatles song “Helter Skelter”, Liquid Exorcist featured Audioslave’s “Show Me How to Live”, and now Dark Side of the Ocean includes Pink Floyd’s “Us and Them“, from their 1973 masterpiece Dark Side of the Moon. While honoring the song’s compelling melody, Rusty Shipp’s version shaves a little over four minutes off the original, and gives it a harder rock treatment, with a bold mix of jangly and gnarly guitars and more emphatic vocals. The lyrics speak to the stupidity of war: “Us and them. And after all we’re all just ordinary men. Me and you. God only knows, it’s not what we would choose to do. Forward he cried from the rear. And the front rank died. The general sat and the lines on the map moved side to side. Black and blue. And who knows which is which and who is who? Up and down. And in the end we’re spinning round ‘n round.“
The darkly beautiful instrumental interlude “Waking Braves” is a playful reimagining of their song “Breaking Waves” from Liquid Exorcist. This is followed by the grungy “Untouchable“, a terrific Nirvana-esque song about a soul with eternal life, free from earthly worries: “I am untouchable ‘cause nothing in this world can touch my soul. I am unconditionally loved, more than my heart could ever hold. I am a part of a plan where I am taken care of forever. I have eternal life, so tell me what is left to fear?” The grungy rock vibes continue on the raucous minute and a half long instrumental interlude “Up the Waterspout“.
The album closes with “The Other Side“, where so many of the elements that make Dark Side of the Ocean such a great album come together into a grand finale. The songs starts off as a slow acoustic ballad, then erupts into a celebratory feast of rousing surf guitars and frenetic ska grooves. The lyrics speak to what I think of as my own definition of Heaven, which is not some magical ‘perfect’ place in the clouds, but rather a sense of happiness and contentment that exists as a state of mind: “People always look for Heaven in the wrong places as if it’s just somewhere you go on retirement vacation. But a wise man once said that the Kingdom of Heaven is within; try looking there and let me know when you find it.We’re going on a search for the real Heaven. A Heaven we don’t have to wait for till our lives are through. We’re finding out the real meaning of salvation, and finding out it’s better than anything we thought we knew.”
I’m not sure what more I can say about Dark Side of the Ocean, other than to reiterate how marvelous it is. Not only are its concept and storyline brilliantly executed, it’s sounds damn good too! The musicians and sound engineers involved in the album’s recording and production did a masterful job, and the result is a work that’s flawlessly arranged and beautifully crafted on every level. Finally, a great deal of credit must go to Russ Shipp’s incredible vision, imagination and talents, both as a songwriter and vocalist.
One of my favorites of the many artists and bands I’ve featured on this blog is Nashville four-piece Rusty Shipp. (You can read my reviews by clicking on the links under “Related” at the bottom of this page.) The brain child of front man Russ T. Shipp (his honest to God real birth name), Rusty Shipp is a self-described “Nautical Rock’n’Roll” band, with a sound influenced by ‘the melodic chord progressions of The Beatles, the surf guitar of Dick Dale, the grunge rock of Nirvana, and the heavy metal of Led Zeppelin’, among others. Their music is characterized by a dark, immersive sound, high-octane riffs and haunting vocals. Like many bands, they’ve experienced changes in lineup since forming in 2014, and now consist of the aforementioned Russ T. Shipp on guitar and vocals, Elijah Apperson on lead guitar, AJ Newton on drums and Andrew “Speedy” Speed on bass. Together, they’re an immensely talented group of musicians who truly know how to deliver the hard rock goods.
Following up on their phenomenal and highly-acclaimed 2017 album Mortal Ghost, Rusty Shipp has put out a new album Liquid Exorcist, which dropped on November 7th. In keeping with their nautical theme, it’s a concept work built around the subject of sea mine terrorism. It also plays somewhat like a rock opera, with one song seamlessly transitioning into the next without skipping a beat. Liquid Exorcist has a relatively short run time of only 26 minutes, exactly half that of Mortal Ghost, as several of the tracks are transitional or connectors between longer tracks. Nevertheless, it still makes an incredibly powerful statement and packs quite a wallop in it’s relatively short run time. Also, whereas Mortal Ghost has a heavier grunge feel, Liquid Exorcist sounds more melodic, sweeping and epic. The first time I listened to it all the way through, I was blown away.
It opens with the 42-second-long “Mine Factory“, an ominous-sounding instrumental intro that builds into a frantic barrage of gnarly riffs and smashing drumbeats as it immediately segues into “Liquid Pendulum“, a fantastic song with blistering guitars and intense, hard-driving rhythms that ebb and flow like waves on a stormy sea. Apperson and Shipp’s intricate guitar work is terrific, and Newton’s power drums provide just the right amount of propulsive thrust. Shipp has a beautiful singing voice that registers in the mid-range, occasionally rising to a just shy of a falsetto. The biting lyrics are a denunciation of the terrible legacy of countries filling the oceans with explosive mines: “Aren’t your wars waged on land enough? Why don’t you just keep your mankind to yourself? Leave behind your mess for someone else. Sharks will gladly come to your help.”
The track transitions into “Mindsweeper” a dark instrumental with chugging, distorted riffs, throbbing bass and harsh industrial synths. Then, watery plucked guitar strings and Speedy’s pulsating bass riff announce the arrival of “Detonator“. Suddenly, the music explodes into an electrifying maelstrom of swirling, fuzzy and wailing guitars, driving bass and thunderous percussion. It’s a spectacular song.
Rusty Shipp is not a Christian band per se, though Shipp is up-front about his Christian faith, as is evident in lyrics like “Raptured from the shrapnel in the twinkling of an eye. Jesus wasn’t kidding when he said the end was near.” Overall, the lyrics address the dangerous work of those attempting to dismantle sea mines: “Disconnect the wires, before we all expire, but the water is turning into fire now. Everybody down, the bombs have stopped their ticking sound, five seconds till Heaven’s all around.”
“SS Naronic (Reprise)” is a ghostly revisit of the original track featured on Mortal Ghost, chronicling the White Star Line ship lost at sea in the north Atlantic in February 11, 1893, along with all its 74 passengers on board. To echoed, underwater sounds, Shipp’s electronically altered vocals lament “O God, please tell me there is more than this. That this cold abyss is not the end. Tell me it’s more than an accident, a warning to teach a lesson. Show me how it’s all part of the plan.”
Rusty Shipp then pays homage to Audioslave with a well-executed cover of “Show Me How to Live“, doing great justice to the powerful classic. Once again, there’s a religious reference with the lyric “Nail in my hand from my Creator. You gave me life now show me how to live.” Though different from Chris Cornell’s, Shipp’s vocals are just as effective in conveying the raw passion expressed in the lyrics. That segues into the face-melting and aptly-titled instrumental interlude “Blow Your Mine“. This intense, minute-long track perfectly showcases the band’s impressive skills.
“Hundred Crosses” is, I think, the most beautiful song on the album, with a dramatic, sweeping melody that switches from calm to exuberant and back again, making for a very exciting listen. The multi-textured guitars are sublime, accompanied by Newton’s snappy drums and wildly crashing cymbals, all working in tandem to create a glorious soundscape for Shipp’s soaring vocals. Next up is “Breaking Waves“, the first single released in advance of the album last July, which I featured on this blog. It has a dark but catchy melody, with layered riffs of gnarly and distorted guitars, throbbing bass and pounding drums. Shipp explained that the song “describes the battle between technology and nature in a tortoise-and-the-hare-like metaphor, where mankind’s mightiest technology won’t stand a chance in the long run against the simple, steady erosion of the ocean’s immortal waves (i.e, nature) breaking it down.”
Liquid Exorcist closes with another religious nod on the nautical poem “Navy Hymn“. “Eternal Father, strong to save. Whose arm doth bind the restless wave. Who bidd’st the mighty ocean deep. Its own appointed limits keep. O, hear us when we cry to Thee. For those in peril on the sea.” The brief track features stirring a capella choir vocals, accompanied only by sounds of the sea, and it’s a fitting end to the album.
Folks, this is a stunning and masterfully-crafted record on every level. Given it’s relatively brief run time and riveting listening experience, it seems to end far too quickly. That’s a good thing, and certainly preferable to some albums that overstay their welcome with too many filler tracks. Rusty Shipp continue to impress me with their incredible songwriting and musicianship, and deserve to be huge.
I’ve been following Nashville rock band Rusty Shipp for two years, since the release of their highly-acclaimed monumental album Mortal Ghost in June 2017. Over the year following the album’s debut, the band produced a series of superb and fascinating videos for several tracks off the album, two of which (“Treading Water” and “SS Naronic”) I featured on this blog. (You can read those reviews by clicking on the links under “Related” at the bottom of this page.) They now return with a fantastic new single “Breaking Waves“, the first release from their forthcoming album Liquid Exorcist, a concept work about sea mine terrorism due out later this year.
Rusty Shipp calls itself a “Nautical Rock’n’Roll” band, with a sound influenced by the melodic chord progressions of The Beatles, the surf guitar of Dick Dale, the grunge rock of Nirvana, and the heavy metal of Led Zeppelin, among others. Their music is highlighted by a dark, immersive sound, heavy riffs and haunting vocals. Like many bands, they’ve undergone some changes in lineup since forming in 2014, and now consist of singer/songwriter and front man Russ T. Shipp (literally his birth name) on guitar and vocals, Elijah Apperson on lead guitar, AJ Newton on drums and Andrew “Speedy” Speed on bass.
“Breaking Waves” is a grunge-surf-rock song in keeping with the band’s nautical theme and, as explained by front man Russ T. Shipp, “was meticulously crafted to get stuck in a human being’s brain. The song sounds like Nirvana trying to play a Beach Boys song right after hearing ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’. Shipp adds “‘Breaking Waves’ is the catchiest song we’ve ever made. Lyrically, it’s more philosophical and describes the battle between technology and nature in a tortoise-and-the-hare-like metaphor where mankind’s mightiest technology won’t stand a chance in the long run against the simple, steady erosion of the ocean’s immortal waves (i.e, nature) breaking it down. I think that’s for the best, and humanity is better off not waiting for centuries of erosion before it’s returned to what’s immaterial and most important – its soul.”
The powerful track features the band’s signature heavily-textured guitar work, with layered riffs of gnarly and distorted guitars, all combining to produce an intense, dynamic soundscape for Shipp’s resonant vocals. Newton and Speedy keep a solid rhythm with pounding drumbeats and a humming bassline, while Apperson and Shipp deliver scorching-hot riffage. He was right about crafting a catchy melody, as this one remained stuck in my head long after hearing the song. It’s a great song, and is accompanied by a wonderful music video shot on an actual submarine. The video was produced by Ashley Henry, directed by Aaron Scott, filmed by Jason Hassell, and edited by Jonathan Terry. It features scenes of the band performing the song, interspersed with scenes of them trying to stem water leaks that imperil their safety.
Breakers on the sea, advancing steadily Little by little taking territory The armies will erode till Pangaea’s covered over And the Earth is once again formless and void
Breaking waves crashing on your accolades Break you down, water torture down the drain One by one till your soul is what remains Break you out, breaking from the breaking waves Break it down and wash it away Breaking from the breaking waves
Simple H2O crushing your machines Ships and submarines breaking down to smithereens The breakers won’t desist clinging to your wrist like exorcists Feeling for the pulse of a human being
Nashville rock band Rusty Shipp released their monumental album Mortal Ghost in 2017 to wide acclaim. Over the past several months they’ve been producing videos for different tracks off the album, and last November they released a terrific animated video for “Treading Water,” which I reviewed. They’ve now released an amazing new video for another track “SS Naronic,” a dramatic song about a ship that sank on February 19, 1893. The band chose today for the release to commemorate that fateful event.
Rusty Shipp calls itself a “Nautical Rock’n’Roll” band, with a sound influenced by the melodic chord progressions of The Beatles, the surf guitar of Dick Dale, the grunge rock of Nirvana, and the heavy metal of Led Zeppelin, among others. Their music is characterized by a dark, underwater sound, haunting vocals, and heavy riffs. The band consists of singer/songwriter and front man Russ T. Shipp (literally his birth name) on guitar and vocals, Elijah Apperson on lead guitar, AJ Newton on drums and Michael Craft on bass.
The SS Naronic was a steamship built in Belfast for the White Star Line. Eight days after leaving Liverpool for New York on February 11, 1893, the ship was lost at sea, along with all 74 people on board. According to Wikipedia, the exact cause of the ship’s sinking was never determined. However, messages found later that had been written by passengers and placed in bottles once they realized their ship was sinking seemed to indicate that it hit an iceberg. Rusty Shipp based their lyrics for the song on some of those actual messages. A particularly poignant line is “Oh god please tell me there is more than this, that this cold abyss is not the end.” Another is “Cattle and charcoal jettisoned to save the boat. But we won’t stay afloat.”
The hard-hitting song features intense, gritty guitars, heavy bass and lots of crashing cymbals, perfectly conveying the horror of the awful tragedy. The superb illustrated animation video was created by Hein Zaayman of Vohnic Music LLC, the same artist who illustrated the Mortal Ghost album cover. The brilliant use of sepia tones gives the video an historical feel.
One of the great things about being a music blogger is getting to know other music bloggers, who frequently turn you on to new artists and bands that they write about. So, it was my lucky day this past June when I happened to read a post on my friend Zezrie’s blog Jealous Sounds about a Nashville rock band called Rusty Shipp and their monumental tour de force of an album Mortal Ghost. I was so impressed with them I became an instant fan and reblogged her review. The band has just released a new single “Treading Water” from Mortal Ghost, along with a brilliant animated video.
Rusty Shipp calls itself a “Nautical Rock’n’Roll” band, with a sound influenced by the melodic chord progressions of The Beatles, the surf guitar of Dick Dale, the grunge rock of Nirvana, and the heavy metal of Led Zeppelin, among others. Their music is characterized by a dark, underwater sound, haunting vocals, and unconventional heavy riffs. The band has undergone several personnel changes since forming in 2014, and now consists of singer/songwriter and front man Russ T. Shipp (literally his birth name) on guitar and vocals, Elijah Apperson on lead guitar, Michael Craft on bass, and AJ Newton on drums. (Jake Adams was bassist on the recording of Mortal Ghost.)
Like many of the songs on Mortal Ghost, “Treading Water” is an exhilarating and powerful hard rock track. Rusty Shipp employs frantic riffs of gritty shredded guitars, fortified with heavy buzzing bass and hammering drums, to create a song that’s hard-hitting yet beautiful. The wonderful guitar change-ups that occur throughout the track demand, and hold, our attention, making for an impressive, melodically complex song. Shipp’s impassioned vocals are enthralling as he sings the nautically-themed lyrics that address feelings of hopelessness about life and one’s place in this world:
I’m alone in this world, drifting like a lost ship at sea The more I live the less I feel at home Treading water just to keep from drowning All creation ’round me groans, till the sea and all that’s in it is undone Something’s nipping at my toes. Treading water till the angels come Give me that ancient feeling, the kind of love that David felt, shining through the jaws of holy war I want to go behind the curtain, to where the golden cherubs dwell, find something worth us fighting for Something in these endless waves feels dead, cold and lonely as the stars It’s sad that some believe this liquid pendulum could put together someone’s heart If I find in myself a desire nothing in this world can fill, The only explanation left is I was made for another world
The imagery depicted in the fascinating and visually captivating video symbolizes the feelings of alienation and hopelessness caused by a cold and increasingly technological world.
I discovered the band Rusty Shipp through fellow blogger Zezrie of Jealous Sounds and I love their music! Check out her review and Rusty Shipp’s awesome, hard-driving music.
On Oct. 24, I wrote up a piece about them crowd funding their latest album “Mortal Ghost”. Rusty Shipp did it! They succeeded, and now, “Mortal Ghost” is here for us to enjoy. It was worth the wait.
The first time Rusty Shipp graced Jealous Sounds was July of last year, when I reviewed their last EP “Hold Fast To Hope” . For the sake of brevity, I’m quoting myself here: “First the facts: The guys came from all parts of the country to Nashville, found each other (Russ found Andrew on Craig’s list), and formed Rusty Shipp in 2014. The band consists of Russ T. Shipp (honestly his real name!) on lead guitar/ vocals, Andrew Royer on drums, and Dustin Herres on bass. The band has an eclectic range of influences, from 60’s-90’s rock, Hardcore Metal to surf rock. Their first EP, Hold Fast To Hope, was released in 2014…
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 