Mix CD #3 - The Devil's Right Hand

This is the first mix I've done with no theme, it's just a collection of songs I like that I wanted other people to listen to and like too. I've been planning this blog for a while and whenever a song cropped up that I thought fitted the bill I'd stick it on the end of a playlist. That list is now pushing 300 songs so I've enough to keep me going for a while yet.

I'm pleased with the way it's turned out. Let me know what you think (but only if it's nice things, I'm not emotionally stable enough for constructive criticism...)

You can download the mix HERE 

Tracklisting:

Miracle Of Sound – The Ballad Of Clay Carmine

Hagfish – Disappointed

The Dowling Poole – Adam & Eve (A Secular Hymn)

Wolf Alice – Moaning Lisa Smile

The Vandals – S.W.M.

The Phenomenauts – She’ll Launch

Kyuss – Supa Scoopa And Mighty Scoop

April Smith And The Great Picture Show – Bright White Jackets

The Cog Is Dead – Burn It Down

Andrew Jackson Jihad – We Didn’t Come Here To Rock

Foxy Shazam – Holy Touch

Porcupine Tree – Remember Me Lover

Inglorious - Inglorious

Möngöl Hörde – Casual Threats From Weekend Hardmen

Septicflesh - Prometheus

The Spookshow – I Can But I Won’t

Ignite – Where I’m From

Katatonia – Don’t Tell A Soul

Twin Atlantic – Make A Beast Of Myself

Eden Brent – Everybody Already Knows

Johnny Cash - Devil's Right Hand

Miracle Of Sound – The Ballad Of Clay Carmine

Taken from the 2011 album Level 1

Miracle Of Sound is the stage name of Irishman Gavin Dunne. He writes songs based on videogames, comics, movies and anything Geek/Nerd related. Each song is performed in a style fitting to the theme of the song, though he seems to have a default setting of Industrial/Electro-Rock. This song in particular is based on a character from the Gears Of War franchise. It's one of my favourites by MIracle Of Sound despite not being that familiar with GOW. It's a slide guitar laden, Stoner Rock anthem with an engaging story that makes me want to investigate Gears of War further. 
Boy, get your head down!

Hagfish – Disappointed

Taken from the 1996 album ...Rocks Your Lame Ass

I don't know how I got into this Texan Punk band originally but I seem to have had two of their albums forever. Members of the group have gone on to be in other bands such as Rise Against, Toadies and Gwar. They have a lot less aggression than other Punk bands of the time but aren't as fluffy as a lot of Pop Punk and Ska Punk that was around at the time either. If any of you are aware of the Leeds band, Eureka Machines then Hagfish remind me of them a lot. Or vise versa.

The Dowling Poole – Adam & Eve (A Secular Hymn)

Taken from the 2016 album One Hyde Park

One Hyde Park is the upcoming second album by this collaboration between Willie Dowling and Jon Poole. it's another album that perfectly combines the bright, summery Power Pop of Willie's old band Jackdaw4 and the anarchic Psychedelic Prog Punk of Cardiacs that Jon Poole is formally of. One Hyde Park is up there as one of my favourite albums of the year so far and this song is catchy but weird and probably a bit blasphemic.

Wolf Alice – Moaning Lisa Smile

Taken from the 2015 album My Love Is Cool

Probably the youngest, hippest band I listen to. Are bands hip any more? Does me calling them hip negate any hipness? Anyway, they're a popular Indie Rock band from London and this is a good song. 

These cats be trippin'

The Vandals – S.W.M.

Taken from the 2001 Warped Tour Compilation

I have a lot of time for The Vandals; they're funny and light-hearted without just being a comedy band.  This particular song isn't on any of their albums but it's a gem about a lonely hearts ad. There's a storming telephone solo in it too!

The Phenomenauts – She’ll Launch

Taken from the 2008 album For All Man Kind

I only really listened to this Californian band because of their amazing name but the music is pretty cool too. They play Pop Punk but with ample doses of Surf Rock and Garage Rock, all capped off with a 50's Sci Fi image. Their albums tend to be a bit patchy and For All Man Kind is the most polished and consistent. I imagine they're the sort of band that are best seen live

Kyuss – Supa Scoopa And Mighty Scoop

Taken from the 1994 album Sky Valley

Kyuss are the pioneering Stoner/Desert Rock band that the majority of people these days think of as the band Josh Homme was in before Queens Of The Stone Age. He had such a unique guitar sound that's 'influenced' so many bands. They're ripped off by Stoner bands almost as much as Black Sabbath. This song has the most frustrating fake endings ever. I have no idea who either Supa Scoopa or, indeed, Mighty Scoop are. Mighty could be related to Fatman I suppose.

April Smith And The Great Picture Show – Bright White Jackets

Taken from the 2005 album Loveletterbombs

I don't know if his song about mental illness is meant to be light-hearted or morose but I guess that's sort of the point of it. Very Bipolar. April Smith is a singer from New York, she has a lovely voice and writes songs that are equal parts funny, disturbing and wry. She followed this album up with the excellent Songs From A Sinking Ship in 2007 and then seemed to disappear off the internet. Judging by her song content it's probably not that surprising but I'd have liked to hear more. 

The Cog Is Dead – Burn It Down

Taken from the 2013 album Full Steam Ahead!

 The Cog Is Dead are a Steampunk band that utilise a wide array of musical styles to tell their weird, fantastical stories that range from a lonely toy soldier to a cyborg kraken, an old man who built himself an automaton daughter to this particular story of a factory built on a lake of oil. They're very much a nerds band but write some great songs with it.

Andrew Jackson Jihad – We Didn’t Come Here To Rock

Taken from the 2009 album Can't Maintain

Usually this American band play a ramshackle form of Folk that's angry, funny and very self depreciating. Occasionally they plug in and play a ramshackle form of Punk that's angry, funny and very self depreciating. 
I particularly like the chorus of this song that goes:

"If that's what gets your dick hard. 
Telling people they're bad at making art" 

So next time you're ripping into Bieber, just think about his feelings, yeah?

Foxy Shazam – Holy Touch

Taken from the 2012 album The Church Of Rock And Roll

I saw this bands name around a lot for a while but heard anything. It wasn't until frontman Eric Nally sang the chorus of that Macklemore song about a moped that I investigated further. Each of their albums is pretty different but they generally sound something like a weird mix of The Darkness, The Used and Frank Zappa. They're a lot of fun. Like the Kyuss song earlier, this one has a fake ending but much less irritating.

Porcupine Tree – Remember Me Lover

Taken from the 2009 album The Incident

One of the biggest names in modern UK Prog. They started off as Psychedelic Rock but edged their way more and more into Progressive Metal territory. They're currently on hiatus while the various members busy themselves with other stuff. The Incident was their last album so far.

Inglorious - Inglorious

Taken from the 2016 album Inglorious

This international Hard Rock band are based in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne but sound like they're from Los Angeles in about 1987. They're unashamedly throwback and unfashionable but sound all the better for it. Frontman Nathan James has a whiskey soaked, Bluesy voice that suits them perfectly. 

Möngöl Hörde – Casual Threats From Weekend Hardmen

Taken from the 2014 album Möngöl Hörde

You've probably heard of Frank Turner, maybe even his old band Million Dead. You might be less aware of this project he released in 2014 with a couple of current and former bandmates. It's chaotic Hardcore Punk much removed from the acoustic Indie Folk of his solo albums. It's riotous blast of energy and fun. I hope he keeps releasing stuff like this.

Septicflesh - Prometheus

Taken from thr 2014 album Titan

The Greek Symphonic Death Metal band Septic Flesh split in 1999 and reformed in 2003 with a (slightly) different name and with the addition of a full orchestra. It's changed their sound into something ominous and atmospheric. With each subsequent album they've refined it further and their last album, Titan was a truly involving and intelligent album. To be honest they should have changed their name properly as it's a bit misleading these days

The Spookshow – I Can But I Won’t

Taken from the 2007 album Psychosexual Vol. 2

A fairly generic but entertaining Horror Punk band. Their songs are very short, simplistic and often very gruesome. These albums were originally supposed to be a trilogy but the band went on hiatus when singer Miss Behave fell pregnant. They have now disbanded altogether and some of the band have gone on to form Mad Mary & The Caretakers.

Ignite – Where I’m From

Taken from the 2016 album A War Against You

Another album that's contender for album of the year for me. Ignite are a Melodic Hardcore band, from Orange County. Vocalist Zoli has a very distinctive voice, I like this band a lot. Where I'm From was a highlight on this album, it details his family's immigration to the US from Hungary during the war. 

Katatonia – Don’t Tell A Soul

Taken from the 2001 album Last Fair Deal Gone Down

This Swedish Doom Metal band started as a Death Metal band but slowly phased out the growls in favour of Jonas Renkse's melancholic clean vocals. The music has softened too and they've since released several excellent albums with The Fall Of Hearts being due for release some time this year. Just don't mention that Welsh band.

Twin Atlantic – Make A Beast Of Myself

Taken From The 2011 album Free

Every now and then I watch the rock channel Scuzz and despair at the state of Rock music these days. Sometimes, just sometimes mind, a band gives me hope. One such band is Twin Atlantic from Glasgow, I saw the video for this song on Scuzz and really liked it, I've since got all three of their albums and they're all pretty decent.

Eden Brent – Everybody Already Knows

Taken from the 2014 album Jigsaw Heart

I don't really know much about Eden Brent other than this album was a pleasant surprise for me in 2014. She mixes Country with Blues and, ahem, Boogie Woogie to great effect. She also has this incredible raspy Blues voice that doesn't sound like it belongs to her. 

Johnny Cash - The Devil's Right Hand
Taken from the 2003 album Unearthed Volume 2: Trouble In Mind

I don't know if there's any artist with such a broad range of fans as Johnny Cash. From hairy Metal dudes to purple-rinsed pensioners, everyone loves The Man In Black. This song is taken from a rarities box set called Unearthed and is a cover of a Steve Earle song. It's about the danger's of owning a gun, both the misuse of one and the ease of killing someone in anger.