One of the highlights of working at Hard Rock Cafe is meeting music fans from all over the world. The passion and love for bands, both new and old, always inspires me to continue exploring every realm of the rock-n-roll universe. The list below reflects some of those suggestions. Now Hear This….

Idles – Danny Nedelko

If there is a war cry to the second Idles record, it is UNITY! The Bristol, UK punk band’s Joy As an Act of Resistance wields positivity like a weapon. “Danny Nedelko” addresses the age of Brexit much like Morrissey, Elvis Costello, and The Specials once did with songs about Margaret Thatcher. When the stakes are raised, punk elevates its game and Idles are the new leaders of the scene in England.

Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians – What Makes You Happy

Dig the groove. The unexpected return of Edie and her Bohemians sounds just as fresh as the first time they arrived on the scene.

 

The Hold Steady – Confusion In the Marketplace

“Princess came to breakfast looking puffy from the Prednisone”, another masterclass of alliteration from Craig Finn, opens the latest single from The Hold Steady. The band summons up a wall of sound worthy of the E Street Band and Finn continues to stake his claim as a songwriter of unmatched wit.

Weathered Statues – Corpse Candle

My goth friends, you are never forgotten. Darkwave upstarts Weathered Statues are from the sun soaked mountains of Denver, CO. If Siouxsie Sioux had replaced Ian Curtis in Joy Division, it may have sounded like the majestically dark “Corpse Candle”. The soaring chorus and live off-the-floor sound of the production give it enough bite to take down a vampire.

 

Pale Waves – One More Time

Speaking of vampires, I was holding out high hopes for the debut from Pale Waves. Their punk-goth aesthetic and early videos generated a huge buzz in the UK. Consider expectations….adjusted. Taken under the wings of The 1975’s Matty Healy, the band’s debut sounds far closer to Taylor Swift and The 1975 than The Cure. And that is ok! Singer Heather Baron-Gracie has tapped into a brightly colored strain of romantic angst that offers an alternative to the vapid nonsense on the pop charts. The high school version of me has a new favourite band.