Hahaha, what a coincidence! Radiohead wrote a song called Spectre, and there’s a James Bond film out now with the same name! Those silly Brits. Wait, this was written for the film? Well I never…

Radiohead sprung a surprise on us all by confirming rumours that they were approached to write the title song for Spectre. Apparently, it didn’t work out, but they’ve released the song anyway. While the critical reception to Smith’s track is mixed at best (I didn’t mind it, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Skyfall), it certainly feels more like a Bond tune than Radiohead’s offering. Having said that, this is a Radiohead track through and through, with a sound that feels like it could sit comfortably between the Kid A and Amnesiac albums: haunting, mesmerising and a sort darkly rich elegance that I’ve kind of missed from Radiohead of late. Absolutely wonderful, you strange British lads.

Oh ho, I see how it is! I leave this blog for a mere few months and someone thinks they can come along and post whatever they want! Well, the joke’s on you, sir! Somehow!

Allow me, if you please, to claw back some dignity with a tune recommended to me by my friend, Adele (no, not that Adele – all she does is recommend her own music, annoyingly). I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Jack White, whose output tends to seesaw from brilliant (Love is Blindness – heavenly and haunting) to bizarrely woeful (Another Way to Die – be quiet, White, and let Alicia Keys sing, damnit!). Adele helpfully pointed me towards another example of the former via The Raconteurs (or, oddly enough, The Saboteurs if you live in Australia), a Detroit-based supergroup of which White is a member. It’s an absolutely cracking bit of garage rock, with White’s vocals lending it just a hint of psychedelic mystery to go along with its general wildness!

Who wants new music? You do! Who doesn’t want new music? Fussy, tottering old ninnies, that’s who! Y’all have my home country of Australia to thank for this exquisitely bitchin’ piece of psychedelic rock, though “exquisitely bitchin'” doesn’t even begin to describe it. It is a thunderingly good bit of alternative rock, sounding a little bit like a mystical version of The Superjesus (who are, incidentally, another Australian rock band). Is ‘headbangingly catchy’ an adequate enough description? No matter: there’s no doubt that ol’ Lurchy and Chiefy are about to explode all over the airwaves, and deservedly so!

Some good, clean, simple rock. It can be quite the pleasurable experience, provided it’s not some dull derivative. Thankfully, Elliot the Bull delivers something with a good dash of flair and vitality, which is most assuredly what you want in these kinds of situations! It is supremely catchy, with a sound a smidgen like Calla. Besides, who on earth could possibly say no to a skeleton with a moustache and sombrero playing a fiddle?

Once upon a time, there was a film called Sucker Punch. There’s no more to that story, because the film was pretty dang sucky (how on earth do you make a film featuring kick-ass women and robots so dang boring), but there is certainly a good takeaway from it, in the form of this tune.

I am a pretty big fan of the original song, which usually spells doom for any subsequent cover version, but this is quite delightful. It takes an already fairly psychedelic song and gives it a kind of Massive Attack style aura, to which I cannot say no!

I really ought to do a Foo Fighters week at some point in the future. There is something endearing about Dave Grohl and co., and their output is incredibly solid, classically-styled rock and roll. I’m not really sure who else is making this kind of stadium-driven rock these days, and I don’t really care: these guys knock it out of the park every single time.

I am most excited for their new album, Sonic Highways, which is due out in November. Three tracks have emerged from the album so far, and they are all a darn good, back-slapping time. This one has shades of 70s hard rock and punk, which is a most delectable flavour – I cannot wait to hear it live!

You know the best way to cap off a weekend of peace? AN EXPLOSION OF ROCK! YEAH!

Here is a new track from up and coming alternative rock band, Foo Fighters. It seems to me that they’re going to go pretty far and- what’s that? Well established, you say? Been around for decades, you say? He was in Nirvana, you say? Well, either way, this is a rip-roaring track that pleasingly drifts to and from a variety of different rock styles without ever feeling disconnected. Plus, it’s just a boatload of fun, as rock should be. Mr. Grohl and co., you have done it again!

You! Yes, you there! Are you tired of having music from an Irish band forced upon you? Don’t you wish there was another way? Well, with either/or, there is! I AM WITTY, I REFERENCE REAL-LIFE EVENTS.

Anyway, I am certainly not currently in the mood for Bono’s shenanigans, so Pet Sun’s debut single is most welcome. It is a grand throwback to the days of British/American proto-punk, so there’s obviously nothing to hate about it. It’s wild, non-sensical and hairy: you’ll no doubt sprout a chest full of it upon listening.

Oh, how I do love when music punctuates a mood better than words can. Not that I need an assassin right now or anything – possibly a timely example of how sucky words can be, sometimes!

Anyway, this is some more Junip, and we all know what that means: heavenly sounding alternative folk, the kind that might bring a tear of joy or sadness to your eye. It is a wide-open choice! And since I’m in charge of my eyes, I’m going to go with a combination of both.

Oh my good golly gosh: Megan Washington is releasing a new album in September. Happy days! To say I was smitten with her undeniable talent is perhaps the biggest understatement of the year, but I shall carry on regardless. Here is a song off her upcoming album, There There (incidentally, the name of my favourite Radiohead song). It feels a lot more mellow and, dare I say, heartfelt than her peppy debut, but I sure as hell want to listen to it as much as anything else she’s released.

No embeddable stream unfortunately, but you can listen to the new song here.