Hello, and welcome to a new Spotify playlist-embiggened Essential Guitar Tracks. As you may well know, every seven days (or thereabouts), we endeavor to bring you a selection of songs from across the guitar universe, all with one thing in common: our favorite instrument plays a starring role.
Our goal is to give you an overview of the biggest tracks, our editor’s picks and anything you may have missed. We’re pushing horizons and taking you out of your comfort zone – because, as guitarists, that’s something we should all be striving for in our playing.
So, here are our highlights from the past seven days – now with a Spotify playlist (scroll to the bottom for the latest additions).
KK's Priest – One More Shot at Glory
Grizzly guitars and visceral passages absolutely dripping in distortion headline the latest single from K.K Downing's post-Judas Priest project. The riffs fly at you at breakneck speed, the harmonized guitar solos are as sweet as they come, and those shreds will most certainly singe an eyebrow or two along the way. (MO)
Nita Strauss – Digital Bullets
We knew that Digital Bullets was going to be special as soon as Strauss started throwing around phrases like “Eruption moment” and “a big 'fuck you' to the haters.” Her metalcore turn with Chris Motionless is her response to online trolling in the face of the Demi Lovato gig and features – at least, in the case of the video – a quite literally electrifying tap-heavy solo. (MP)
Dirty Honey – Won't Take Me Alive
We've been waiting for a new Guns N' Roses album for a long, loooong time, but if your thirst for that particular vein of slippery, biker bar fretwork has become unbearable, fear not, for ye shall be quenched by Dirty Honey's explosive new tune, Won't Take Me Alive. John Notto brings the satisfying six-string sleaze so convincingly in this single's riff (which a colleague of mine accurately described as “stonking“) that Slash'll surely be looking in his rear-view mirror... (JM)
The Dust Coda – Come the Night
Through razor riffs, crunchy guitars and acoustic-driven verses, The Dust Coda – fresh from supporting Guns N’ Roses – have served up a powerful tribute to the late Taylor Hawkins. Come The Night isn’t just a Really Good Classic Rock Song, it’s also a dedication to those affected most by the loss of Hawkins, as well as a soaring sonic memorial of the man himself. (MO)
Lauran Hibberd – Honda Civic
It’s the simple things in life that are often the most satisfying: in this case, a crackling distortion, an axe to grind with a self-satisfied ex-boyfriend and a monstrous four chord riff that luxuriates in its space. For some reason, hanging for another half-beat on that fourth bar just makes it extra headbang-y. (MP)
Teenage Fanclub – Tired Of Being Alone
30+ years on and Teenage Fanclub are still delivering spangled, sophisticated alt-pop gems at a remarkably consistent rate. Though they're certainly not the first band that comes to mind when you hear the words 'guitar solo', the one that highlights their new single, Tired Of Being Alone, is an understated gem that'll earn a 10 even from the Soviet judges in the melody and vibrato categories. (JM)
Curling – Hi-Elixir
Pan-Pacific duo Curling’s new album is named No Guitar – an ode to their short-lived mission statement to record without six-strings. “It lasted 30 minutes,” reports guitarist Bernie Gelman. Praise be. (MP)
Ida Mae – Lost On Your Time
Rootsy acoustics and a plodding double bass prop up Lost On Your Time – the latest single to arrive from the British indie rock pair, who have taken a deeper dive into their folk roots this time out. It’s a stunning piece of music, and those glass-like open tuning progressions are oh-so sweet. (MO)
Benét – Insensitive
This wobbles enticingly between classic rock and indie pop, with a breezy abandon. Benét’s vocal hops in and out of the thudding bass and the washes of jangle and chime are neatly punctuated by Garrett Russ’s fuzz solo – reclaiming the Ibanez for indie kids in the process. (MP)
Maggot Heart – Looking Back At You
Maggot Heart’s Swedish guitarist and singer Linnéa Olsson has priors when it comes to angular anger, having played a key role in both Beastmilk and The Oath. The first taste of the trio’s new album, Hunger, takes no prisoners – it’s a thundering gut-punch that only catches its breath with a Hagstrom-powered, minor key guitar breakdown. (MP)
Metric – Just The Once
Synths and disco strings might be the star attractions of the lead single from the Canadian indie vets' forthcoming Formentera II LP, but guitarist James Shaw puts in some killer rhythm work that – in the style of Nile Rodgers – bolsters the song's groove perfectly. (JM)
Nothing But Thieves – Tomorrow Is Closed
There's not much to say here other than Tomorrow Is Closed is prime Nothing But Thieves. They've brought their A-game for their new album Dead Club City, and if we had the space here we'd probably be putting every track on this playlist. (MO)
Also on this week’s playlist…
- AMAARA – Still
- Tash Sultana – Bitter Lovers (ft. BJ The Chicago Kid)
- ANOHNI and the Johnsons – Why Am I Alive Now?
- Hannah Georgas – Fake Happy
