The 10 best guitar tracks to hear this week
No Flag by Elvis Costello Costello recorded this tune over three days at Suomenlinnan Studio, a facility that’s a short ferry ride from downtown Helsinki, Finland. The man himself is the only credited performer on the track that he describes as having the ‘Helsinki Sound’ – he playing drums, guitars, hammond organ and bass. Thatcher […]
No Flag by Elvis Costello
Costello recorded this tune over three days at Suomenlinnan Studio, a facility that’s a short ferry ride from downtown Helsinki, Finland. The man himself is the only credited performer on the track that he describes as having the ‘Helsinki Sound’ – he playing drums, guitars, hammond organ and bass.
Thatcher Fucked The Kids by NOFX
Coinciding with the announcement of a split LP with Frank Turner entitled West Coast vs Wessex, NOFX have also shared their cover of Turner’s song Thatcher Fucked The Kids. It opens with a brash, guitar-laden intro before moving into characteristically NOFX ska-punk chops and vocals – and it’s perfectly timed too, given the current political unrest.
Strawberry Moon by Thurston Moore
Moore has stated that the single – an instrumental composition written for three guitars – is “a new piece for new peace”. Recorded at the Daydream Library in London last week, the sprawling, nine-minute pocket symphony is both eerie and melancholic, with clashing Fender vibratos and jangly guitars in abundance.
Street Scenes by C. Diab
The solitary project of Vancouver multi-instrumentalist C. Diab, White Wale follows the critically acclaimed 2018 release Exit Rumination. The lead single, Street Scenes, is an exquisite and emotive song, with bowed guitars and off-kilter drones that push the guitar into new relationships with flutes, synthesisers and tape manipulations.
Camel Crew by Sports Team
Heard on their debut album Deep Down Happy, Camel Crew is a raucous, Britpop-inspired track that takes aim at former Sony signees HMLTD, notably with the lyric “go to Goldsmiths and dye their fringes”. Expect galloping, octave-tinged guitars, brash and chanting vocals and pure excitement from one of the country’s favourite new bands.
Don’t Wanna by Haim
The latest single from the trio’s forthcoming third album, which is due for release next month, was written in collaboration with former Vampire Weekend man Rostam Batmanglij, and was co-produced by both Rostam and Danielle Haim. More akin to Haim’s nostalgic style, the track leans into an organic, punchy guitar melody that underpins the vocals.
Sometimes Always by Hatchie & The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
Hariette Pillbeam, the Australian dream-pop musician better known as Hatchie, has teamed up with Kip Berman’s The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart to give us an alternate version of The Jesus And Mary Chain’s 1994 classic. Faithful to the original, the guitars here edge towards even fuzzier territory than the original.
The Play by Hinds
Hinds’ third album sees the band step out from being typecast as a reverb-drenched slacker rock group and into fully formed festival anthem composers. Packed to the rafters with grooves, vocal hooks and killer guitar riffs, The Play stands out for its dirty chordal guitar work and great chorus.
Double Denim Hop (Disco Version) by Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard
Cardiff-based quartet Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard have released a disco-version of their sleeper hit, which was originally released back in 2018. Initially full of 70s-inspired guitars and of course, double denim, this alternate, summery version is still full of scuzzy and spitting guitars, but with a laid-back, can-in-hand vibe that’s a perfect soundtrack to your summer spent indoors.
Be Safe by The Cribs ft. Lee Ranaldo
The band chose to re-record this track off their acclaimed 2007 album Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever – with Lee Ranaldo in tow. It dropped alongside a “fashionably late isolation video”, which also happens to be The Cribs’ first live performance in over two years. Who said indie was dead?