I think it’s time to put together another Mayhem single, don’t you think? Here’s the fourth for 2023, it includes a dozen or so baker songs that have either been passed on to me or recommended over the past few weeks and months, there are some songs that are rather catchy.
It features many of the artists and bands that have appeared on the Mayhem pages before. There are also four great cover versions in this collection. There’s new songs from Avalanche Party, Apollo Junction, Vaquelin and Liz Davinci who I think all have new albums coming out this year. Judging by their recent offerings, picking Mayhem album of the year for 2023 is going to be tough! Let me know what you think of this awesome collection of songs!
You’ll find a YouTube link to each song in the title (or a link to the audio track) and a link to the artist’s website or one of their social media pages when you click on the artist’s name. You can also find links to Spotify playlists of all of these songs by clicking here.
“Serious Dance Music” – Avalanche Party
There’s no party quite like the Avalanche Party and the AP kids are back with what works best for partying. You probably won’t be playing this at a work event! I feel the Amazing Snakeheads influence in this fast-paced, frenzied, frenetic, funky, wild song. All the bands seemed to be in top form, especially Kane’s drumming. It is the first single from their upcoming second album, ‘Der Traum Über Alles’. The video is indeed very classy.
“History” – Apollo Crossroads
The Apollo Junction boys are back with another offering that will feature on their third album, which will be released later this year. For the first minute, it’s soft, acoustic, gentle, and pensive. Then the sound continues to build with an almost drone-like guitar sound underlying it. It eventually builds into an epic completion that sounds amazingly orchestral. The harmonies are incredible and I can imagine these sounds echoing throughout the festival grounds for years to come. Probably my favorite Apollo Junction song so far.
“The Grayston Boogie” – Hazy Janes
It’s a subtle slab of a hazy, dirty, electric blue. If you don’t do the Grayston Boogie at the end of the course then frankly you should seek medical attention. This video has some quick tips on how to boogie the Grayston way!
“Back to Black” – Palava
Bold choice to top this one. Nobody could hope to emulate the real Amy Winehouse, so Palava opted to take the song in a different direction. Slick blues rock vocals and some gritty, cool garage rock style guitar. I’ve seen bands play this live and they do well, but this record is so much better than that! I like it very much!
“FKN H8 U 2” – Sad As You Are
The group hails from Adelaide, Australia and the track is reminiscent of Blink 182’s softer side. It’s an almost perfect mix of great pop punk and emo. A heartbreaking story that touches the heart. I look forward to hearing more from Sad Like You.
“Pain Reliever” – Liz Davinci
Is Liz Davinci a descendant of Leonardo? I don’t know, but he is certainly a very talented artist. Vocally there are elements of Kate Bush, Suzanne Vega, and Marcella Detroit here. The song is beautiful and almost baroque in its construction. I love the way Liz isn’t afraid to use spaces between notes. This is perfect for her upcoming album ‘Fata Morgana’.
“Five Years” – Easy All Stars/ Steel Pulse
This is the second cover in this selection of singles (there will be more) and I think it is the perfect cover as it is not a simple facsimile of the original. It is the first song released from the upcoming reggae reggae album Easy All Stars of Bowie’s album ‘The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars’. This one works flawlessly and bodes well for the album. The Dame rarely touches reggae, and when she does, I don’t think it’s ever very good. But Easy All Stars with Steel Pulse showed unequivocally that Bowie could work reggae.
“Feel good” – Black Sky Ft. Hell’s Glory
We have another cover in the singles round. This time it’s a smoky, heavy, swampy, garage rock version of Nina Simone’s iconic classic “Feelin’ Good”. To me this version takes back ownership of the song from Muse after the somewhat histrionic and over-the-top Matt Bellamy took a song from a few years ago.
“Tell Me With Your Eyes” – Witch From the East
Witch Of The East is back with an amazing new song. It’s punk, post punk, electro, dancing with gothic icing and a dash of New Order. Based on this, if there’s another Witch Of The East album in development, that would be amazing.
“Back-Alley Barn Dance” – I Lied
Join the band now, then when they hit it big, you can impress your friends by telling them you were there in the first place. The song is full of rock with big shots of Yard Act and Sleaford Mods and a rush of mounting rage. Go see them live as soon as you can!
“The Evil Game” – JW Paris
Gemma, Danny, and Aaron returned with a cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game”. It’s like the Velvet Underground did the song in the ’60s and then Isaak covered it in 1989. OK, I know that’s not true, right? This should be top of the list to be on the Twin Peaks soundtrack if there is another remake, prequel, or sequel. I love that in the video description on YouTube the band states “Dear lovers, nighttime snoggers and doggers. We’ve recorded a cover of one of our favorite songs in regards to the smooooochin seasonThat baffles me, nocturnal doggers bite anyway!
“The Bona fide Money Laundering Society” – Vaquelin
Another thunderous track from Vaquelin, starting like Led Zeppelin in Quaaludes and the vocals are classic 70’s rock with a dash of Bowie’s Tin Machine Style. Screaming lead guitar, especially in the last section of the track is something Mick Ronson would be proud of. Vaquelin’s second album looks like it will be even better than the first based on this song!
“Greed” – Hippy in Disguise
The Undercover Hippy are masters of protest songs, as they are performed in a very smart and subtle way. Backing reggae has the feel of another great band, Captain Ska. This song questions the greed and/or incompetence of our less diligent leaders. We need more artists like this calling out crappy liars in government.
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