OK, now today’s tune is one that I’ve had kicking around since I first came up with this whole concept – even before I started posting songs on the blog at the start of September. It’s a hugely guilty pleasure track which I’ve so far resisted putting into the mix, but as it’s almost the Christmas holidays, I felt the time was right to put it up.
This is The Wicked Witch of Wonder by Melbourne rockers The Ugly Kings and it’s fucking glorious. Not in a strokey-beard muso way, where you intricately dissect the complexities of its lyrics and verse structure, but more in a “holy crap this is a hell of a lot of fun” way. It’s the sound of a bunch of rock-loving dudes blasting guitar licks around and howling at the moon, and that’s just the kind of thing we all need to hear every now and again.
I don’t even know how I stumbled across these guys in the first place. It could have been random happenstance or a recommendation from one of my Antipodean friends (and if it was the latter, I’m sorry. Thanks for bringing it to my attention). But I’m very, very glad that I have it on my playlist now.
From the resonant growly vocals through to the crisp, bludgeoning fret-work, this is bombastic stuff – yet retains a charming, unpretentious vibe. It’s rock, played by guys who like rock and don’t give a damn about what anyone else thinks. I know guys that sounded/played like this back when I was still performing open mic nights and co-hosting a residency, and that’s probably why I’ve got a real soft spot for it.
Top work fellas – don’t ever change.
365 New Music Project 