440...this episode comes to you in standard tuning! Sorry, it's a guitar nerd joke.
This week you all get to listen to a heap of new stuff. It must be the time for new releases. So without any further ado, let's dive right in.
Witchskull are from Canberra and feature former members of Looking Glass and the legendary Armoured Angel. They wear their Black Sabbath influences proudly on their collective sleeve so fans of that band will no doubt enjoy their tunes. Witchskull, however, are much more than a Sabbath rip off. They incorporate the heaviest of metal into their sound. So, if you like bands like Kyuss then this is for you. "Coven's Will" is their second album following on from "The Vast Electric Dark". Turn the lights down, light some candles and get your doom groove on to this...
Witchskull - Raven - https://youtu.be/FOiBuii8kwg
Also released this week is Ghost's long player, "Prequelle". It's hard to judge with only time to listen to the album a couple of times...but...it retains what is their particular sound but feels heavier than the last studio album. I won't say much more other than to recommend the band to lovers of hard rock, theatre and not taking themselves too seriously.
Ghost - Faith - https://youtu.be/gLnMZEyLJ6Q
If you like cover versions then Ghost's new version of the Pet Shop Boys track, "It's a sin" isn't too hard to track down. I think it's a bit tame but they are a multi-million dollar band and I'm blogging to anyone who will listen!
Last week I played Weezer covering Toto's song, "Rosanna". Apparently a youg fan started a campaign to get them to cover "Africa" and they released Toto's other big hit instead. A week later - this:
Weezer - Africa - https://youtu.be/E4c7EE8_IX0
Another recent release is The Beach Boys with the Royal Philharmonic. They've taken classic surf hits and added the orchestra. Meh...that's my reaction; I'm not impressed. The extra instrumentation feels unnecessary and at times it detracts from the brilliance that was the Beach Boys. I found myself delving back into tracks that show the development of Beach Boys tunes instead. Anyway, you might like it...this is one of the least offensive in my opinion:
The Beach Boys and the Royal Philharmonic - Good Vibrations - https://youtu.be/TvvIKS2oHsc
Try this for a good indication of the brilliance of the Beach Boys' vocal talents - https://youtu.be/amD2RQmDlbo?t=3m48s
The Angels are an iconic Australian rock band. They've been around in one form or another since 1974 and are still making records and playing live shows. I saw them, with Dave Gleeson on vocals, in 2015 and they were really, really good. However, they've chosen to mark the 40th anniversary of the album, "Face to Face" by re-recording it with the current lineup. Sure; it sounds pretty good and the songs are timeless but did we really need it again? The tour where the album is played in its entirety should be fun but to re-record it....I dunno. At least they included the full live version with the CD I guess. You can search out the album and tracks if you like. They are all on Spotify and YouTube. My choice is the classic lineup though....just a bit more oomph.
The Angels - Marseilles (live 1983) - https://youtu.be/O93CoQ5Klt0
On Thursday I had a frustrating day at work. After dealing with Telstra for hours I got home close on dark. I knew that I needed a short ride to hit my 1000km monthly goal so I wrapped myself in cold weather gear, strapped the lights to my bike and off I went. As luck would have it, I got a flat about half way around my 30km loop...in the pitch dark with the temperature heading towards zero. What fun! Anyway, I ended up not being able to get much more than 30psi of pressure into the front tyre (I usually run them at about 100psi) so it was a spongy ride home in the cold and dark!
In other two wheeled news I am no longer the owner of a motorcycle. After 6 years I sold it. It's not that I didn't like riding it, more that my bicycle got way more love and it really wasn't practical for the work I do now. There's a bit of empty space in the garage now. Luckily for me I had a ride on it in the sun last Sunday. I need a pickle.
Arlo Guthrie - Motorcycle Song (live) - https://youtu.be/BvLtNBm1yyA
Alison and I saw the latest Star Wars film this week. It's called "Solo" and therefore you can probably guess what it's about. Without spoiling anything for anyone else let me say this; it was fantastic. Tons of fun, lots of action, plenty of nods to the movies that came before it and a good script. Well that's what I thought anyway. Cool twist at the end as well...I wonder if we'll get a spinoff from this spinoff?
This week is a song for DJ Zedboots...who might be off to another part of the world where natural disasters are prevalent...
Bob Seger - Kathmandu - https://youtu.be/XG-wuWNIyzI
Avagoodweegend,
Rob
"Just when every ray of hope was gone..." , My Old Friend The Blues, Steve Earle, 1986.
bbrrrrkkkkkkkk
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