sit-and-spin

Artist: Guns N’ Roses

Single: “Shadow Of Your Love” from the upcoming Appetite for Destruction: Locked N’ Loaded box set, due June 29.

Reason We’re Cranking It: If you cut us, we bleed leopard spotted GNR blood. So, when we heard about the new “Ultimate F’n Box” set, we tightened our bandanas and prepared to rock. It’s always great to hear the classic tracks that have been remastered, but what we’re really throwing up the devil horns for is the 49 previously unreleased songs that were recorded during the “Appetite for Destruction” era.

What The Single Tells Us About Them: Guns N’ Roses are iconic rock gods, and it was all cemented with the release of “Appetite for Destruction,” which had hit after hit after hit. To now find out they had 49 more potential classics in the can during this time, waiting for their moment to play, it seems unfathomable. It tells us that the band deserves their spot in music history, and that they will be talked about (if not already) in the same way people talk about The Rolling Stones or The Beatles.

Track Stuck On Repeat: “Shadow Of Your Love” is the first single to come out of the new box set, and if the rest of the songs are as on point as this pinnacle, we are all in for a treat. The song feels like a GNR take on a classic ‘80s hair band song, which brings things to whole other level. It’s the kind of track that will help you get the last reps in at the gym, be able to jump a little higher and maybe, just maybe, make you bulletproof for a moment. (But seriously, don’t test that theory!)

Coming To A City Near You: Guns N’ Roses tour dates can be found here.

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Artist: Cut Worms

Album: “Hollow Ground”

Label: Jagjaguwar

Reason We’re Cranking It: Like an old dusty LP passed down to us from our mother’s prized record collection, “Hollow Ground” is a trip of a trip, a callback to a prior generation’s definitive rock vibe when 60s-era pop ballads served as the dawn of the commercial music industry. All artists pull from what came before them, some without realizing it, but Max Clarke, aka Cut Worms, proudly stands arm in arm with his rock ‘n’ roll predecessors.

What The Album Tells Us About Him: Although a vintage approach was taken in the production of “Hollow Ground,” the lyrical positioning of Clarke is very contemporary, making him the Marty McFly of modern music – existing in the present but perfectly comfortable in the past. We can’t wait to experience what comes next.

Track Stuck On Repeat: Wedged somewhere between the song stylings of The Every Brothers and The Hollies, “Don’t Want To Say Good-bye” feels like a long lost track, at one time destined for Billboard greatness, rediscovered after being tucked inside an old vault for 50 years. If our childhood time capsule came with a soundtrack, this song would be on it.

Coming To A City Near You: Cut Worms tour dates can be found here.

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Artist: Skating Polly

Album: “The Make It All Show”

Label: El Camino Media

Reason We’re Cranking It: If the 1992 film “Singles” were to be rebooted in the present, Skating Polly would be representative of the kind of modern musical tie-in serving as an organic ingredient of the reimagined iconic “grunge” era movie. Although each individual track has its own identity, the overall feel of “The Make It All Show” is reminiscent of the FFF Age… flannel, “Friends,” and Fiction. (As in “Pulp Fiction.”) The Breeders with more attitude but still pop enough to be a ska-less No Doubt, the Oklahoma band is a sonic boomerang – a throwback that is even more fun when it comes back around again.

What The Album Tells Us About Them: Stepsisters Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse have been writing and recording together since they were kids, so naturally they’d add their younger brother Kurtis to the mix eventually, right? And while they have kept the roots of their rock close to home, this isn’t The Partridge Family we’re talking about. There’s a natural tightness to their songwriting that shines through, the kind of “you can’t get this unless…” situation, where being raised alongside of each other helps, but it’s still messy (in a total good way). And at the end of the day, that’s sort of what being a family is all about.

Track Stuck On Repeat: There’s a lot to love on “The Make It All Show,” but the table was already set for us to dig into a multi-course offering of nostalgic sounds, which is why we were pulled to “Free Will At Ease,” a song that feels like it would be perfectly at home on MTV, circa 1994, tucked in-between the videos for Gin Blossoms’ “Until I Fall Away” and The Cranberries’ “Dreams.”

Coming To A City Near You: Skating Polly tour dates can be found here.

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Artist: Cold Cave

Album: “You & Me & Infinity”

Label: Heartworm

Reason We’re Cranking It: Wesley Eisold and Amy Lee deliver a sound reminiscent of greats like David Bowie, The Cure and Depeche Mode. Cold Cave’s retro synth-pop sound is a driving creative force that takes you on an uplifting journey.

What The Album Tells Us About Them: “You & Me & Infinity” paints a synth-scape picture that delves into the human condition. It delivers a message of positivity, hope and motivation in the face of adversity, which, we feel, speaks volumes to the driven and creative spirit that is Cold Cave.

Track Stuck On Repeat: “Glory” is our track of choice. The beat is so addictive, and the message of the lyrics delivered by Eisold in a Bowie-esque fashion are pulling us in like a tractor beam.

Coming To A City Near You: Cold Cave tour dates can be found here.

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Artist: Erika Wennerstrom

Album: “Sweet Unknown”

Label: Partisan Records

Reason We’re Cranking It: With thought-provoking lyrics that resonate with both past and present versions of ourselves, Wennerstrom ventures away from the band atmosphere of Heartless Bastards and spreads her creative wings, only to wrap them around the listener in an embrace of mutual understanding.

What The Album Tells Us About Her: With a captivating voice that is classically modern, Wennerstrom has created one of the most noteworthy going solo ventures in recent memory. While “Sweet Unknown” is clearly a collection of songs, they could just as easily be viewed as an assemblage of mantras. Mental health through music is a concept that has helped many of us over the years and Wennerstrom has written a prescription to weather future storms.

Track Stuck On Repeat: By title alone, “Be Good To Yourself” is a reminder to all of us that sometimes we need to step back from the chaos of life and, at least reasonably so, be selfish. Comforting in both message and mechanism, it’s a cradle for the adult mind that longs to be held like a baby and reminded that, just this once, everything’s going to be okay.

Coming To A City Near You: Erika Wennerstrom tour dates can be found here.

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Artist: The Goddamn Gallows

Album: “The Trial”

Label: Sailor’s Grave Records

Reason We’re Cranking It: A good album is able to transport you to an entirely different realm or place in your mind, and “The Trial” does exactly that. Combining bluegrass, heavy metal guitar riffs, gruff-voiced vocals and a haunting (yet catchy!) organ sound, The Goddamn Gallows ships you off to somewhere unforgettable and otherworldly.

What The Album Tells Us About Them: “The Trial” is a wild and imaginative ride that displays The Goddamn Gallows’ ability to not only rock a banjo but put together a sound that is something entirely its own. If this album were a soundtrack to a movie, it would probably be an R-rated version of “Pirates of the Caribbean” directed by Rob Zombie!

Track Stuck On Repeat: “Shitwish”… now, hold on. Don’t judge a track by its title, though you have to admit, it’s original! This song has such a great hook in the melody that it’s impossible to not get this one stuck in your melon. We’ve never headbanged to organ music before, so to that we say, thank you “Shitwish” for showing us a good time first time!

Coming To A City Near You: The Goddamn Gallows tour dates can be found here.

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Artist: Bonny Doon

Album: “Longwave”

Label: Woodsist

Reason We’re Cranking It: There’s a lot of music out there. If you dig too deep, you can get lost in the weeds and spun around. However, if you hunt with a predatory ear, you can find some fresh musical meat worth sinking your teeth into. Barely a year ago Bonny Doon popped up on our radar with the release of their self-titled debut, and now with their follow-up “Longwave” continuing their impressive momentum, we’re locked in as full-fledged fans. Sign us up for what comes next.

What The Album Tells Us About Them: Sometimes prolific bands unwittingly find themselves in a quantity over quality situation, but this quartet from Michigan remains focused on putting out the best version of themselves, which with “Longwave,” improves upon their last studio offering. They’re good, but in time, they could very easily be great.

Track Stuck On Repeat: With a bit of a Carly Simon vibe tucked into the melody, “I Am Here (I Am Alive)” is a midday chill pill for the mind and body. Bill Lennox sings, “I’m a track without a train,” which is a metaphor we can all relate to as we chug chug chug our way through this odd journey called life.

Coming To A City Near You: Bonny Doon tour dates can be found here.

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Artist: Current Joys

Album: “A Different Age”

Label: Danger Collective Records

Reason We’re Cranking It: As content control continues to drive the way we consume media, it’s no surprise that many musicians are taking a multi-platform approach with their own creative offspring. Marrying a cinematic narrative to music is not a new concept by any means, but Current Joys’ visual album “A Different Age” is an innovative way to get an artistic point across. It’s like when Nerds candy decided to offer split packaging featuring two of your favorite flavors side by side… delicious.

What The Album Tells Us About Them: The solo project of songwriter Nicholas Rattigan (Surf Curse), Current Joys is clearly a labor of love for the LA-based multi-hyphenate who also directed the videos that correspond with the nine tracks. While everyone is out there trying to outdo each other, Rattigan is doing, creating multiple stages for himself to stand on, even within a single project. It’s ambitious and telling of the drive he has, and it doesn’t hurt that the music is pretty damn compelling as well.

Track Stuck On Repeat: With the song “Alabama,” Rattigan delivers us into a state of mind as opposed to an actual state. Mellow and moody, it’s the most memorable snippet from the album, and although there is a video already queued up, this is one offering from “A Different Age” that we suggest closing your eyes to and finding your own visual way with. Rattigan’s vocals will take you somewhere. Let them.

Coming To A City Near You: Current Joys tour dates can be found here.

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Artist: MGT

Album: “Gemini Nyte”

Label: Cleopatra Records

Reason We’re Cranking It: “Gemini Nyte” is the latest collaboration between guitarist Mark Gemini Thwaite (The Mission, Peter Murphy) and vocalist Ashton Nyte (The Awakening). Together they have composed an impressive album of 13 tracks that take you through a range of goth rock. Their combined resume in music could knock even the tightest of socks off!

What The Album Tells Us About Them: Thwaite and Nyte both have their specific set of skills, skills that when enacted, work together to produce some serious guitar riffs and haunting vocals. The duo created a collection of songs that is nostalgic in sound but with a modern spin on the dark alternative style.

Track Stuck On Repeat: “Every Little Dream” has a feeling to it that conjures up our love of The Cure. While the song is entirely its own, we can’t help but get that Robert Smith-esque vibe out of our heads when the track plays… and plays again.

Coming To A City Near You: MGT tour dates can be found here.

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Artist: Nap Eyes

Album: “I’m Bad Now”

Label: Paradise of Bachelors

Reason We’re Cranking It: As intimate as a living room performance, “I’m Bad Now” invites you inside, rolling out a welcome mat from the very first sound that breaks free from your speakers. Warm and enticing, the third full-length from the Novia Scotian foursome is like a hot cup of coffee on a cold March day – calming at first, but you know it will give you that much-needed pick-me-up once it absorbs into your bloodstream.

What The Album Tells Us About Them: Playing like a great work of contemporary fiction where each song is an additional chapter in the story, “I’m Bad Now” is a new kind of New York Times Bestseller. Singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist Nigel Chapman is both author, bringing a compelling narrative to his lyrics, and illustrator, adding depth to the world that Nap Eyes has created through his vintage voice.

Track Stuck On Repeat: We’re following Chapman and crew on “Follow Me Down,” a song that calls out to us like a subdued singalong, leading us step by musical step down a pathway that will remain in our minds well after we move on from the album. We can leave it, but it won’t leave us.

Coming To A City Near You: Nap Eyes tour dates can be found here.

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