A quick run through some recently released stand alone singles.....

First up Shovels & Rope with America, Great. It's the most lyrically toothless anti Trump song since Roger Waters dared to call him a nincompoop. However it's still good to hear a stompin' track from this duo

Next up are Peter Yates (Nephilim) and Evi Vine (Eden House) with two minutes of basically nothing. All the People consist of a couple of guitar strums and a plaintive vocal and that's it. Rather inconsequential

Happy Axe is a young woman from Australia and the single Seven Sounds is weird but in a good way. Strident violin and I think a saw (!) give way to skittish electronic beats. Worth keeping an eye on

Finally kudos to AWS who decided to try and win the Eurovision contest for Hungary with a full on metal track. Viszlát nyár comes complete with half shouted/ half screamed chorus and a hard riffing instrumental section. Turn up to 11.....

Went to see a gig very recently and it was quite depressing... Not the music or the band but rather the fact that only 13 people turned up to see it

Midas Fall play a very listenable form of post rock but with the added stardust of some soaring female vocals. Evaporate is their debut album as a duo and it's fantastic piece of work

The song has elements of Blueneck and possibly Russians Circles but the vocals give it an identity of its own. My favourite tracks are Glue (with some delicious guitar lines as the song gathers pace) and Soveraine (most affecting vocal on the album)

Special mention also to the vinyl version of the album - The artwork is beautiful and the clear blue vinyl with the encroaching blackness is inspired

I think there is a more aggressive album in them but for now this is just perfect