Nearly August and maybe that is a small light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel. Which makes it time for our ninth singles round-up of 2020. This one features six cracking tunes, whiche have all found their way into the world over the last few weeks, and I bloody love them!
These six tracks feature another amazing and eclectic mix of bands and singers from Sweden, London, Dallas, Philadelphia, Birmingham (UK) and . All of these acts are new to With Just A Hint Of Mayhem except Nia Wynn and I reckon they will all feature again sometime in the future. Get on them now! That’s an order!
“Konkret Musik” – Gösta Berlings Saga
Swedish instrumentalists Gösta Berlings Saga released their sixth studio album on July 24th via InsideOutMusic. The title track “Konkret Music” is the second single from the LP after the highly acclaimed “Basement Traps”. The track is dark, atmospheric with a kind of hard prog rock influence. The band describe the tune (and to a degree the album) as, ” Being partly a play of words with the term “Musique concrète” – a compositional tradition of modifying recorded sounds to create new sound identities” The video is rather excellent as it is filmed in a Karaoke setting with a bloke doing the kind of dancing that I excel at! Well worth checking this band out.
We reviewed Nia’s single “Who Asked You” back in April and we had some very good things to say about that tune. This time around she has issued a brace of new singles in “Atlantis” and “Ghosted”. Once again this pair of great modern R & B tunes showcase Nia’s fine vocals and exquisite lyrics. I can still feel the Amy Winehouse influence, but Ms. Wynn is a true talent in her own right. “Atlantis” seems to be about starting over while “Ghosted” appears to look with dealing with anxiety and the shallowness of modern relationships conducted using social media. I am most definitely a fan of Nia Wynn. I really want to see her live, and maybe that opportunity will arise in her support slot on Paul Weller’s rescheduled tour in March 2021
“Animals Haunted By Love” – Welcome Center
“Animals Haunted By Love” is a single from Welcome Center’s new EP ‘ ‘This House Will Be Filled With _‘. It is a bright, breezy and highly infectious slab of electro pop perfection. If you like electronic music or maybe if you’re a fan of Arcade Fire you will love this. Welcome Center formed in 2017 and consists of Jesse Smith and Aaron Sternick. I will definitely be listening to more from this bunch!
“Man On The Bridge” – The Novus
On their FaceBook profile the Novus describe themselves as “Black Sabbath’s art-raged Grandchildren” and that is a pretty good description. Although there is more of a pure pop strand here than Ozzy’s gang ever mustered. There is a wider influence too from the Move, to the Kinks, via Blur and maybe even Pulp. “Man On The Bridge” is pleasantly and amusingly weird and takes residence in your head pretty quickly. This is a band that could well go a long way. I reckon as a live act they will become pretty bloody special!
“Travesties From Closure“ – Rithiya Khiev
This instrumental is brimming over with emotion from a relatively mellow bluesy start reminiscent of Peter Green era Fleetwood Mac through to a full on Iron Maiden style metal onslaught from around the three minute mark. Khiev’s playing is impeccable perfection personified and his sonic influenec may come from the likes of Joe Satriani. This is a truly uplifting piece of music.
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