In a just world, the name Ryan Hamilton would be one of those dropped into musical conversations often, but over the years, the US singer-songwriter has had to settle for achieving a Marshall Crenshaw-like cult status. Whether as a solo performer or as frontman of the Harlequin Ghosts, of course, he’ll be more than familiar to fans of retro sounding college rock, power pop and indie infused country rock.
For power pop fans, singer songwriter Donnie Vie will need no introduction. With Enuff Z’Nuff, he lent his vocal and songwriting chops to a string of great albums, released at a time when a blend of Cheap Trick obsessions crossed with a 60s inspired, flower power cool was decidedly uncool. Their first three albums (‘Enuff Z’Nuff’, ‘Strength’ and ‘Animals With Human Intelligence’) are cast iron classics which still play brilliantly, decades after the fact. During the second half of the nineties and beyond, the band’s tendency to take a cut ‘n’ paste approach to making albums could be frustrating, but for the more patient fan, there was always a little more gold to be mined, and an on-form Vie continued to show his very natural melodic gifts on tracks like ‘There Goes My Heart’, ‘Believe In Love’ and ‘What Can I Do?’
This fifth album from Polish deep psych merchants Weedpecker had a long gestation period. The material started taking shape in 2023, and the original demos had all been recorded by the end of that year. With so much doom, sludge and deep psych taking on a raw, live in the studio feel, you might wonder how different the material sounded back then, since ‘V’ didn’t actually reach the public until the beginning of 2026, but no matter what changes were made in the interim, the record sounds superb.
This visit to the popular Singles Bar presents a variety of new and underground sounds. There’s a singer songwriter sharing a deep folk melody, the return of some British ska legends, and even a tune from a legendary Britpop act that’s a little different to many of their biggest hits. You’ll also find a great cover tune, a massive slab of Finnish metal, and more besides… As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!
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Spanish band Le Mur sound like a force of nature on their current single ‘Porno’. With immediate effect, the arrangement introduces a slow, heavy riff that mixes the tones of post metal with a grungy undertone, bringing out the very best in Pedto’s aggressive tones.