Time for a roundup of recent singles I've downloaded recently........

Firstly In My Blood by Black Stone Cherry. A fantastic track which sounds like the single Skynyrd should have written sometime in the late 70's..... When you can include lyrics such as "when Tuesday comes, I'll be gone again" and a chorus blessed with a hook that could catch a whale it should have been a massive radio hit. Says a lot about the state of radio and record promotion when this remains a hidden gem but Kings of Leon are a commercial radio staple - such a shame


Now a song that was not designed for the radio - L'enfant Sauvage by Gojira. Confusingly a song with a French title by a French band but sung in English !!
This chugs along with a simmering brutality and vocals best described as an acquired taste. Sound is somewhere between Sepultura without the tribal drums and a heavier Apocalyptica
Worth a listen just to see what is happening across the channel in the world of metal


Regina Spector's single All the Rowboats is one my highlights of the year so far.... An ode to paintings hanging in museums, this is one of the cleverest lyrics I've heard in a long time. Some insistent piano in the background means comparisons to Tori Amos will be made but this is less self consciously kooky and with a harder edge. The unexpected ending with the synthesised drum crashes is strangely in keeping with the whole feel of the song


Fear Factory have returned (in case anyone noticed they had been away) but for a band that once was the cutting edge of metal, this is just treading water. Recharger could have come from any of the last 3 albums I've heard.... Whilst there is some melody in the chorus, this band ceased to be relevant many years ago. Check out the albums Demanufacture or Digimortal to hear the band in their prime rather than listen to this


Finally Kate Bush has released a remix of Running Up That Hill. Debuting at the closing ceremony of the Olympics, the first thing to note is the re-recorded vocals and then the fact that thankfully she hasn't tampered too much with what is a classic song. Whilst it always a delight to hear new material from Ms Bush this is probably the least essential thing she has done in years.