Alabama Shakes – “Hold On”: This female fronted, soulful blues rock group literally sprang out of nowhere in the past few months.  America is jamming to this group for a reason.  This girl has got some pipes and guitar sensibility! You don’t hear about that much.  By pipes, I mean that gritty rock n’ roll voice and not just a good range, but I didn’t need to tell you that.  A smidgen of rockabilly influence can be heard as well, but right now I’m just going to advise you to stop reading and listen!

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le-3MIBxQTw]

Love and Death – “Chemicals”: Firstly, my personal tastes have never leaned toward Korn or their counterparts.  However, this song by Brian “Head” Welch’s new band is actually pretty good.  “Paralyzed” I found annoying but old Korn fans will definitely love this.  Anyone reminded of “Freak on a Leash”? Brutal vocals and tight instrumentation are the focus, as Welch bellows lyrics that seem to be alluding to temptation.  I doubt I’ll ever be a convert to Korn-type music, but credit is due where credit is due.

The Gaslight Anthem – “45”:  This song is classic Gaslight.  Someone noted on a Youtube stream of the song that every song by these guys sounds like an anthem, making the name appropriate.  This is a plus and a minus.  This Americana-influenced song seems to soar more than usual though, making it a great choice for the lead in single from their next record.   There’s a really fun guitar solo thrown in for the heck of it as well.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbfEFA0ZI68]

Mike Mains and the Branches – “Miracle”:  This Michigan indie rock group recently had a second song from Home added to radio, this one.  It’s not as instantly catchy as “Stereo”, but carries a depth and sensibility worth noting nonetheless.  Organ synths are quite prominent but not overindulgent.  I like to think of this band as the indie/hipster movement’s foray into the pop-punk and hard rock dominated Christian rock culture and this single only cements that reputation in my head.