A quick look at a ten new bands (new to me, anyway) and their latest music. These are bands that popped up on my Instagram feed. I assembled a 30-song playlist, which you can find at the end of this piece. The ten specific tunes I mention here have a YouTube playlist of their own.

WHERE’S GLADYS, “Over Now.” A heavy driving rocker with a Stone Temple Pilots feel. Solid from top to bottom.

TABLOID NATION, “Silver City.” UNHH! This tune takes no prisoners, rocking heavy and hard from Note One. Tune down, turn up, and full speed ahead until it’s done! A fun ride.

SIDE HUG, “Everyone Else.” Makes me warm and fuzzy for my college rock days of the eighties. Uptempo yet earnest with demanding vocals and a cool groove.

DYLAN PHAM, “Idols.” A nice bit of well-arranged indie rock. The string element adds a cool layer to what was already a charming tune.

DELEO, “Asshole and Ashes.” Grungy but not quite grunge, with a bit of a late-eighties Sugarcubes vibe. He groove charges hard while laying back in the rhythmic cut.

FRACTURE PLANE, “The Other Side.” Put the convertible top down for this stoner rock drive through the desert. The guitar work is a lot of fun, while the bass and drums brutalize throughout.

LEVITATION ORCHESTRA, “Within Us, Without Us.” Jazz? Orchestral? Fusion? Does it matter? Not really! Just a lovely bit of chill with some intensity knocking on the door. The arrangement is ornate and lovely, with a charming harp making for a nice addition to the mix. One might hear the mellower side of Snarky Puppy. Or not.

NINEPLANFAILED, “Past the Sun.” These guys could be descendants of DEVO. Choppy guitars, electronic backing, heavy riffs and earnest vocals. An homage and a thing all its own.

FICTIONAL STRANGER, “Come or Go.” Cowboy Junkies and Garbage record a tune with Portishead producing. Chill and ethereal, the music lays back, then pushes the pendulum forward for emphasis.

FYRES, “To Flow, to Float, to Brush Your Teeth.” Would fit in nicely with the Industrial movement of the nineties a la Ministry and Nine Inch Nails, but the vocals go in a slightly different direction, making this a sound unto itself. Heavy but accessible.

You can find the Spotify playlist of the tunes I discuss above and twenty more here.

A YouTube playlist of the songs I discuss can be found here.

Enjoy!

#cirdecsongs

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