The selection includes The Courettes, a Danish band from former Autoramas member Flavia Couri, and many new alternative rock offerings
The Modern Playlist is a selection of new alternative sounds gathered from 50 recent music videos. This week’s list focuses on rock distortion. There are clips of punk rock, hardcore, riot grrrls, queer punk, garage, surf music, psychedelia, blues, hard rock, Satanic heavy metal and cosmic progressive, most of them featuring screaming girls with guitars in hand – starting with the first 11 videos of female punk with the volume also turned up to 11. Noise opens with a street tone, with scenes of skateboarding, rock and rebellion, but by the end of the marathon it turns to cosplay, with ’60s and ’70s revivalist bands using amplifiers plugged into the Time Tunnel.
Old acquaintances with new sounds
The selection included two veteran punk bands, the English New Model Army, formed in 1980 and who played last June in Brazil, and American Cigar, from the 90s, but most of the artists are recent. Those who follow the column are already accustomed to the new English punk of Shooting Daggers and Bad Nerves. Older readers/listeners may also remember Destroy Boys, the American band that opened this virtual festival, which has not shown signs of being active since 2021 and returns with its fourth album on August 9. But there are other names already established in the alternative scene, such as surfers Surfjettes and Los Bitchos, from Canada and England respectively, blues singers Lo Barnes and Larkin Poe, from England and the United States, and hard rockers Sunflower Bean, Blue Pills and Lucifero, from the United States, Sweden and Germany.
Among the various artists, it is worth highlighting the perfect 60s pop of The Courettes and their connection to Brazil, despite having formed in Aalborg, Denmark. The duo is composed of Brazilian singer and guitarist Flavia Couri and Danish drummer Martin Couri. The couple met in Brazil in 2013, when Martin’s former band, The Tremolo Beer Gut, performed at the same show as Flavia’s former band, Autoramas. When she decides to get married and move to Denmark, the two start The Courettes, which revisits the sound of 60s girl groups.
The new generation
Many of the videos are from newcomers, but there are veterans in new clothes, like Memorials. Two years ago, Electrelane singer Verity Susman and Wire guitarist Matthew Simms were commissioned to create two soundtracks: for “Tramps!”, which chronicles the queer origins of the New Romantic scene, and for “Women Against the Bomb,” a documentary about the Greenham Common women’s peace camp. The pair loved playing together and decided to formalize their collaborations under the name Memorials. They’ve signed to the prestigious British indie label Fire Records and, following the soundtracks, are planning their first album as a band this year, of which the psychedelic track “Acceptable Experience” is the first sample.
Highlights also include songs and clips that sound like they’re from half a century ago. Thanks to Dutch keyboardist Doris’s organ playing, psychedelic band Dream Machine sound like they’ve arrived in 1969 for a double bill with Iron Butterfly, while Greece’s Saturday Night Satan could only have emerged from a portal in 1972. Their hard rock – or dark metal for those who give an ancient sound a more modern name – highlights the vocals of Kate Soulthorn and multi-instrumentalist Jim Kotsis – on bass, guitars and backing vocals – who is also a member of traditional heavy metal band Black Soul Horde.
And let’s talk about the brothers. Founded by Karina Kaos (vocals/keyboards) and eMon (guitar), Argentine band The Nasty Neighbors delivers fun garage punk, warning of the evils of the world, such as vampires, zombies and sub-celebrity, and celebrating the best of South America, also known as caipirinha.
You can fall into the pogo
As always, the videos are arranged in the playlist by sonic affinity and in an indie club video recording atmosphere: to watch on Smart TV, search for Cast in the Settings tab of Chrome or More tools/Stream etc. in Edge. Try seamless listening on YouTube Premium (without ads) to throw an alternative rock party on your phone. Just press play and let it go.
Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
