Tercel: Tercel

photo: Rachel Salvetti

Alternative rock with seasoning of punk attitude is the recipe that is followed by quartet Tercel on their self-titled EP. Plenty fuzz was applied to the twin guitars, mostly in open tuning, with a crystal clear pedal steel as the surprise element, a rare instrument in their niche.

Taking cues for the late 90s they have constructed a wall of sound, a safe place for the vocalists to sit on top on and tell the world about their serious worries and inconvenient truths that will annoy the followers of the orange one. Rock with a message, but also plenty of swagger for the audience to bob along to.

Mike Van Eyes Big Band: Yield Not To Temptation

Vancouver based singer and boogie woogie piano player Mike Van Eyes called upon his big band (24 musicians) for to play up a storm on his new single Yield Not To Temptation, the first taste from the upcoming album Ain’t That Loving You, Baby. Does it swing? It sure does. What's not to like about this throwback to the sound of early 60s Ray Charles. No AI, but the real thing. It will convince computer programmers that there is still a long, long way to go if they want to replicate this sound.

Steve Cropper: 1941-2025

Guitarist Steve Cropper has died, aged 84. His signature sound was what made Stax Records the cream of the crop for soul music in the 60s. He was a member of Booker T. & the M.G.'s and the go-to 6-string maestro for artists such as Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, and Carla Thomas. He was one of those rare musicians that are instantly recognizable, even after hearing only one note.

» playitsteve.com

The Melody Chamber: "1 + 1 " video

Richmond, VA jangle pop postmodernists The Melody Chamber have unveiled a video for 1 + 1, a track from their self-titled debut album: "a collection of melodic post-punk songs that will be embraced by fans of The Smiths, The La's and Echo & the Bunnymen." The clip was directed by Dan Deckelman.

» The Melody Chamber on Bluesky

HCTF review of The Melody Chamber

Bass Communion/Modelbau: new album "Analysis Reveals Nothing of Substance'" in March

Steven Wilson and Frans de Waard played a lowkey show at Cafe Oto in London back in May 2024, a meeting of minds for their avant-garde noise projects Bass Communion and Modelbau. During rehearsals the pair they laid down a lot of new music and now 70 minutes of this spontaneous recordings have been tweaked a bit for release on an album, Analysis Reveals Nothing of Substance, which will see the light of day in March on CD via Fourth Dimension Records. It comes with a 24p. booklet. Limited edition of 600 copies.