I took some time browsing the end of the year content online. It was a blast, and as always, I found several releases I either missed, forgot or too quickly dismissed. Below are some 2022 releases we didn’t write about, but probably should have.
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Not all new music is really new, as many artists cover songs. Sometimes these are songs by their favorite artists, eg as a tribute to such a musical hero for a special reason, or they simply feel that a song deserves to be dusted and polished to reacquaint fans with great songs from the past. Other times, bands cover songs as a parody. Regardless of intent, some of those cover versions are so good or so much fun, we’d like to put a spotlight on them. Chosen from a wide range, here are – in random order – ten of our favorite covers from last month – links to the pages where you can add them to your wantlist included.
One last look back at 2022 before we move on to all the new stuff 2023 has to offer. December saw the release of Wicked Opossum Records’ Starstruck compilation (a tribute to The Kinks), Lee Baggett made his Lagniappe Sessions from last September officially available (Def Leppard, English Beat, Van Halen), and Dave Grohl & Greg Kurstin held their third annual Hanukkah Sessions (Randy Newman, Rush, Janis Ian and more) but apart from countless Christmas songs it was fairly quiet in the cover area. Still, we effortlessly found a dozen great ones.
Season of the Witch || Cover: The William Loveday Intention || Original: Donovan
Wild Billy Childish is unstoppable, and here’s the next single, out today on Spinout Nuggets. Side B In Full Eclipse is a father/son co-write where the former had some crazy words to which the latter linked a crazy tune. The A-side is an intense new version of a song from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan’s 3rd studio album Sunshine Superman (1966), with Dave Tattersall on lead guitar.
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Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of December 2022Read More »
Ah…the short format release! Fewer songs than the full length and at a higher hit percentage. What’s not to like? 2022 proved to be a particularly great year for singles and EPs, and below you’ll find my 50 favorites of the year ranked in alphabetical order. Enjoy reading and listening. And, if you haven’t already, make sure to also check out our other end-of-the-year lists, here, here and here. See you all in 2023!
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Music Year-End List || Niek’s Favorite Singles and EPs of 2022Read More »
Happy Body (Philadelphia) make their debut with a two song single. I have trouble finding any intel on the band, but it appears to be a solo project by Ava Rose. As such, I am going to keep this short by simply stating that these two lo-fi trashy rock’n’roll songs show a lot of potential. RIYL: Hunx & His Punx, Nobunny.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp
There have been multiple pop punk bands called The Cretins around the globe. So when I stumbled upon Pop Rocks and liking it right away, I had to do some research on which of The Cretins recorded this above average collection of tunes. If my information is correct, these Cretins are from Boston. The band released records on Mutant Pop, Melted and Insubordination Records in the late ’90s and early ’00s. You may also know them from their contributions to the classic Joe King curated More Bounce To The Ounce compilation on Lookout! Records.
The album cover may be a nod (or knock) to Aerosmith’s classic Rocks album, but make no mistake: The Cretins play old school pop punk on the record. If you long for ’90s pop punk (and still frequently play those Lookout! Records and Go Kart Records comps), here is a band that will scratch that itch. The Cretins have been around (and/or missing) for over 25 years, but Pop Rocks sounds like it was recorded in the heyday of ’90s pop punk. This record is full of strong melodies, crisp instrumentation and at no point sounds polished or dull. It is a record will make some waves in the pop punk scene and at the very least put a smile on fans of the genre, old and new.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp
Here is another new release by a single of the year list contender. Stay Put is a band that’s been on my radar for a year or so. The band sound like a punk version of The Lemonheads in the sense that they can’t really decide whether they are a punkrock band, a (post)hardcore band, an altpop band or a college rock band. Or even better: they don’t at all seem interested in placing themselves in any of these categories.
For their latest EP (their third), Stay Put tag up with Fresh Specimen, an indie punk band that I was previously unaware of. Both bands deliver three songs. On their half, Stay Put keep finding ways to surprise. Two songs particularly stand out. Mindwise is a massive ’90s throwback melodic punkrock hit, while The Killing Thing has hints of Fountains Of Wayne. Meanwhile, Fresh Specimen’s side make me want to dig into their back catalogue, only to discover this seems to be their debut release. What a promising start for the Falmouth (UK) band!
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp
We previously shared our lists of favorite albums – here‘s Niek’s and there‘s mine – but there were also some shorter format releases that I noted as wantlist worthy. Below you can listen to the Top 50 singles and EPs that I enjoyed the most last year – quite an eclectic selection, but imho all pretty cool. I’ve excluded releases with songs that also appear on my AOTY overview, and also left out individual songs. Links point to Discogs or Bandcamp (the headings), and to previously posted reviews (in the body text) – add to your wantlist (or collection) what you like!
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Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Singles and EPs of 2022Read More »
And now for some R-rated rock’n’roll, here’s TRAMP featuring Vikki Venom (AKA Gabbie Bam Bam), Suzie Sleeze and Joey Deuce. The Bleed/She’s Fast is the second single by the band, and I have no idea why I haven’t written about the first one. Both singles are an excellent mix of punk, glam, rock’n’roll, girl group and garage. Vikki Venom and Suzie Sleeze don’t hold back on the lyrics front either. There is a raunchy spoken piece in She’s Fast that will make the Shangri-Las blush. Meanwhile, Bleed touches upon the subject of…well just listen to the lyrics and find out for yourselves.
As catchy as NSFW, TRAMP are massive fun. Out early January through Surfin’ Ki Records, shipping around Christmas.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Surfin’ Ki
This week’s least romantic yet most compelling love message comes from French garage rockers Black Boys On Moped. Dangerous duo David (vocals, guitar, keys) and Charlie (drums) deliver dirty and raucous punk noise, but they don’t even need a full minute to make a lasting impression.
Do I Love You (More Than A Pizza)? is out now digitally and on limited edition 5″ vinyl.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp
Danny (vocals, harmonica, percussion, lyrics), Seth (guitar), Manu (guitar), Crudo (bass) and Ovo (drums) from Italian punk wave band Diplomatics are influenced by the New York sound of the 70’s, playing with a cool attitude and huge energy. For their new (third) full-length album Is It Time To Fly? they were looking for a wave and punk-funk evolution, without losing their DNA. In a few tunes the post-punk approach that is so popular at the moment seeps through (especially in the opening banger Jungle, and towards the end in 7 Notes), but the other, more old school oriented songs are perhaps even more interesting, rich, catchy and appealing. My absolute favorite is closing track Dancing All Alone, which starts as a Stones classic but gets out of hand as it goes, with Edoardo Brunello (SkaJ) on sax, and Eleonora Vanzo, Anita Formilan, Viola Salvato, Elli De Mon and Sofia Dalla Riva on backing vocals – awesome. Too bad that I have already published my year-end list, this one should have been included.
Is It Time To Fly? is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Go Down Records.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Go Down Records