exploremusic

“Raw” by The Popes

We are going to start with some Irishmen in London. The Popes were formed by singer Shane McGowan when the was kicked out of The Pogues for being too much of a drunk. He’s not in The Popes anymore, either—at least not officially. And The Popes have had their troubles, too. There was time in prison. One of the members died. But they are still carrying on.

A guy named Paul McGuinness is the singer—not the same Paul McGuinness who manages U2—and he sounds so brilliantly world-weary that—well, just have a listen.

The album is called “Outlaw Heaven”. The song you want is “Raw”. It’s way more Tom Waits than Celtic Rock.

“This Is A Test” by Attack! Attack!

Attack! Attack! Is from southern Wales. They obviously look to The Foo Fighters for inspiration. They probably like Seether, Bush, and Nirvana, too. In fact, they share space with Nirvana on “Guitar Hero 5”. They contribute a song called “This Is A Test”. Grungey Welsh music.

“Congratulations” by MGMT

MGMT is currently working on a second album in Malibu. They’ve been trying out some of this new material live. A track called “Congratulations” has been posted. This is apparently the title track of their new record. 

“Time” by O’Spada

O’Spada is a band left over from Friday’s list of Swedish bands. Alan honestly doesn’t know what to make of these people. He has a hard time making it through a song called “Time”—but maybe you’ll have better luck. You will if you like Michael Jackson. 

“The Unforgettable Fire” by U2

And finally, back to Ireland for U2. They’ve reissued their fourth album, “The Unforgettable Fire,” in a bunch of different deluxe forms. This was their game-changing album from 1984—and the first to feature the production team of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. Still a great, great record. Check out the video for the title track.