Mixtape Nov 2022

 This November 2022 Mixtape blog arrives on the seventh anniversary of my first monthly blog.  They have been fairly sporadic over the last three years as I focused on radio shows but I’m hoping to revive them in a regular format.  (Hoping but not promising).  

Here’s twenty recent tunes I recommend you listen to and the playlist to stream as you read. If you can support the independent artists with a purchase, share their music or this blog, they and I will be very grateful.  

1) I Don’t Feel Today - Common Goldfish

Tottenham based band making groovy tunes that sonically hark back to the Madchester scene.  Common Goldfish have released three excellent singles to date - Shout Louder and Feel The Fuzz are the other two.  A band that I have really been enjoying since discovering them in the submittracks@inyourearsmusic.com inbox. I Don't Feel Today | common goldfish (bandcamp.com)

2) My House - 3 Little Wolves 🐺🐺🐺

My House sounds like The Cure during their Pornography era mixed with the melodic tunes of Peter Hook’s Monaco.  It has been a pleasure to hear the development of this band over the last few years. Frontman Paul was an old friend of mine since the 1990s and I’m so pleased that his band have been going from strength to strength and have a debut album expected early 2023.  3 Little Wolves (bandcamp.com)   

3) Devil Bar Blues - Jack Gill

Jack Gill hails from Liverpool and delves into heavy blues riffs.  Fans of The Heavy North and Mexican Dogs should check out his back catalogue as I am.  A live album and about six previous singles to discover if you’re digging this recent song.

4) I Wanna Be Overrated - YNES 

Perhaps the wittiest lyricists out there on the underground scene backed with well-produced snotty punk music.  “I wanna be truly hated by someone than myself. I wanna be overrated”.  Looks like this is the eleventh single and the ones I know are all brilliant. Hopefully YNES will feel overrated by my review.  YNES (bandcamp.com)

  

5) Rush - Jaap Stamina

Kent based electro artist who has released a huge trance tune that takes me right back to the Nineties.  It’s got a menacing pounding beat, acidic squiggles, a chilled interlude and a glorious build up and it bangs like a couple of horny rabbits. This one is released on 18th November.  Pre-save Rush by Jaap Stamina

6) Rock N Roll Ain’t Dead While We’re Living - Laurie Wright 

This is a glam rock stomper with a lo-fi punk sheen. London’s Laurie Wright has been releasing loads of great modern punk rock songs lately and this one is a life-affirming sing-along song with elements of The Clash and Slade thrown together. Laurie Wright (bandcamp.com)

7) 80s Clowns - Feardrops

Synthesizers and drums provide an eerie music, similar to Tubeway Army, with lyrics about “Winter in a forest town, haunted by those 80s Clowns”.  This could easily appear on a Stranger Things soundtrack.  Feardrops are a new project based in China that have released five singles in 2022 but have relatively few listeners - so they need to be heard. 

8)  Taste The Brainbow - Blokeacola 

Taste The Brainbow was the first single taken from Blokecola's excellent Wig Game EP.  The lyrical content is darker than previous releases and Blokeacola has used cut n paste phrases from the internet as his lyrics which certainly makes this a unique project.  Despite the oppressive themes there is still dark humour here "Not even Facebook wants my data".  The music and vocals are wonderful and the whole EP is worthwhile investment of your time (and some coins). Wig Game | Blokeacola (bandcamp.com)  

9) Silent Fears - Echo Northstar 

New wave minimalist keyboards, a persistent drumbeat and a beautiful voice rising above it all.  A wonderful piece of music from a London based Irishman.  Also check out his previous single Someone Else which I played on my DAFTPOM Show a few months ago.   Echo Northstar (bandcamp.com)

10) Fly Away - Romy 

Romy is a teenage sensation (13) who is writing and recording songs well in advance of her years.  Fly Away is a song about wanting to escape when faced with memories sparked by a photo. Romy plays acoustic guitars and sings her heart out.  She has released six songs this year and is one to watch for the future. Fly Away | Romy (bandcamp.com)

11)  Death Masks - Lossline

Manchester's Lossline bring the drums on this upbeat gloomy anthem. The lyrics are universal and depressing but there is beauty in the bleakness - perhaps the majesty of the music carries it.  "And we sleep with white noise because our thoughts are too loud.  And we sleep next to our phones, cos we just can't switch off, anything, anytime for anyone".  Taken from the album When I Look Out I See No Stars. Lossline are a band to wallow in.  When I Look Out I See No Stars | Lossline (bandcamp.com)

12) Radioactive Hybrid Terror Pigs - Joe Peacock 

A blistering tornado of guitars and pounding drums sees Joe with his most aggressive sound yet. Surprising from Joe who is an old hippy friend from my student days. You never know what to expect from Mr Peacock, from one release to the next but there is always an intriguing personal or historical story behind each song.  This one deals with animals taking over the land deserted by humans in the wake of a nuclear disaster.  Some great grunting noises at the end too.  Joe Peacock (bandcamp.com)

13) We Need Light In The Dark - Tobisonics 

The title track of Tonbisonic's debut album is beat track, a bell chiming, a repetitive chant, strange noises that appear in your headphones, samples and 80's keyboards to build up a great electro track.  The album was written about his battles with his mental health issues and contains seven top tunes. 

We Need Light in the Dark | Tobisonics (bandcamp.com)

14) When Our Lungs Are Empty - Joe Adhemar

The final track of Joe Adhemar's fifth album is a stunner - the album About The Soul has been released on Bandcamp, CD, and a very tasty Vinyl.  It is finally coming to the streaming sites in December.  World weariness is a style that Joe has nailed here and the closing chants of "fade away" are a perfect ending for this album which mixes up the genres and incorporates more electronic synthesizer elements than his previous work (outside of the Invisible Squirrel alter-ego).  About The Soul | Joe Adhemar (bandcamp.com)   

15) Save My Soul - Solar Eyes

Save Our Souls is a great psychedelic space rock song from Birmingham’s Solar Eyes. It is taken from their second EP Alcatraz released at the end of October. There is plenty to love about this band so give them a follow and we can all go for a trip together. 

16) Chemical Burn - Lyon Tide 

A dance banger from Birmingham's Lyon Tide.  They have embraced their inner Chemical Brothers and written a biological love song that really kicks. It is the opening song from their amazing second album Life Pop Bang which deserves a much wider audience.  I recommend you check out the album.  Trust me!  Life Pop Bang | Lyon Tide (bandcamp.com)

17) Shelly Gold - GreenCircles and Ollie Winder

Ollie wrote the lyrics and teamed up with Newcastle band GreenCircles who provided the music and backing vocals.  It sounds like an early Roses song, complete with reversed guitar parts, a Jackon Pollock/John Squire paint splatter artwork.  It's got quality lyrics and music and I hope you love it as much as I do.  Shelly Gold | GreenCircles and Ollie Winder (bandcamp.com)

     

18) Wrote For Luck - Kinfauns

The combined vocals of the wonderful Amelia Coburn duetting with Andrew Johnson, singing the lyrics of Shaun William Ryder and playing the music of Happy Mondays on ukulele and acoustic guitar.  The result is gorgeous as you can hear.  Wrote For Luck | Kinfauns (bandcamp.com)  

19) Forget My Name - Lewca

The next single from Lewca's forthcoming Friday Night Rockstar album.  I think this is one of the most powerful tracks from Lewca so far.  It features vocals from Victory Flow and has stunned the listeners to my recent DAFTPOM show.  It pulls at the heartstrings as a tale of struggling and fighting against the odds.  The album is out Mid December and can be ordered here...  Friday Night Rockstar | Lewca (bandcamp.com)

20) Change Is On The Horizon - Voldo

Groovy laidback beats, weird noises and samples "Gotta make a change" this has a contempory feel but is steeped in deep cuts from their record collections.  Taken from the new Voldo album Melting Pot which, as its name implies, takes all their influences and forges something new and compelling.  Melting Pot | Voldo (bandcamp.com)  

Please also check out my blog reviewing The Shop Window's second album which is released at the end of November.  I'll be back next month with my blog on my albums of the year.