My Instagram feed is positively flooded with songs from established, new, up and coming, or just new to me bands. I wish I had time to explore all of them in-depth. Alas, there are only so many hours in a day. But there’s always a chance I’ll circle back around to some of them.^

Still, I like idea of taking a quick second to recognize something cool that might otherwise slip into the either. Here are a few of those cool moments. At the end of this piece, you’ll find a Spotify playlist containing the first thirty songs I sampled. You’ll also find a YouTube playlist of the tunes I mention in this piece.

I’m keeping my thoughts short in order to encourage self-exploration (nudge-nudge).

Can ya dig it? I believe that you can!

GRAPEFRUIT ASTRONAUT. A little something out of the Animals as Leaders/Polyphia family, “Duck King” is chunky, funky, and groovy.

OMNESIA. A retro-futuristic Bay Area duo (with a little help from bassist Julie Slick) take on Frank Zappa’s classic “Dirty Love” in a way that would no doubt make Frank proud.

KOLM. “The Reach” offers up a nice bit of Tool-inspired progressive metal. Heavy, melodic, and full of riffage. Though it could be argued that they bear more resemblance to A Perfect Circle.

TABLOID NATION. “Mr. President” wastes no time digging into the issues that come with the USA’s leaders. It doesn’t necessarily go where you might think it will.

CLÂM. “Levee Lament” is an interesting slice of psychedelic metal. The groove is sludgy and heavy while the vocals soar nicely above the fray. It’s better heard than described.

THE BLUE STONES. “Happy Cry” gives me Indie grunge feels. Solid groove, heavy guitars and passionate vocals rule the day.

RIFFINDOTS. A lovely cover of Talk-Talk’s “Life’s What You Make It” caught my attention via its lush vocal layers and jangly guitars, which coincide with a raw bottom end and tight drums. Very trippy!

AVOCADO BOYS. “Sweet Cider” gives me eighties/early nineties college rock meets Amy Winehouse vibes. Sweet and soulful without pretense or overproduction.

ZOUNGLA. “Master of Illusion” is not only a great title for a spy thriller, but here’s its theme song! Modern electronics and grooves collide brilliantly with an old school horn section vibe. Nice …

MOONPOOL. “Like You Do” is as straightforward as it comes, in a good way. Good old rock and roll! Just turn it up and dig in!

Here’s a YouTube playlist of these tunes via my channel. (Please like and subscribe, wouldya?)

While I’ve mentioned ten artists here, they are but a third of what I’ve been digging on so far this month. Here’s a Spotify playlist of every band I took time to check out.

^ — I am well aware of who The Black Crowes (not written about here) are. They slipped onto this list before I had a revelation about this format. But since it’s a great song, I decided to leave it. The same goes for OMNESIA, whom I’ve known about for years. But this is the last time established bands make this particular feature.

#cirdecsongs

If you would like to have your music reviewed or have your band photographed while in Chicago, please contact me at cirdecsongs@gmail.com