“Live in the Moment” – Portugal. The Man
At the moment, Portugal. The Man have taken Midas’ golden touch, and continue to drop these incredibly infectious slices of indie-rock. Just press play, and don’t call us when you can shake this one out of your head.
“Chainsmoking” – Jacob Banks
There is something soulful afoot in the UK, as Jacob Banks has this great pop-soul sound that reminds me of Rag’n’Bone Man, with X Ambassadors’ production. The video here is something else; it’s a bit intense, but this isn’t a sunshine and rainbows sort of track either.
“Figures” – Jessie Reyez
Much like Alessia Cara did in 2016, Jessie Reyez took 2017 and used it to become one of the most ubiquitous artists of the year. Her album Kiddo has given birth to the singles “Gatekeeper”, “Figures”, “Great One”, and “Shutter Island”, but between this track and the aforementioned (and heartbreaking) single “Gatekeeper”, if you haven’t heard of Jessie Reyez, you soon will.
“Forget Me Not” – Brian Fallon
While the Gaslight Anthem went on hiatus back in 2015, Brian Fallon has recorded his 2nd solo album with Ted Hutt, who produced Gaslight’s wildly successful The ’59 Sound. Fans of Northcote and Frank Turner will feel right at home here.
“The General” – Dispatch
Recently my wife and I were out celebrating our anniversary, and we walked by The Auction House here in Halifax. Out of the speakers was wafting this fantastic cover of the Dispatch staple by local singer Morgan Stedman. While I couldn’t track down a video of Morgan’s performance, here is a live version by Dispatch themselves from earlier this year.
