Nite Songs

  We're into the top half of this list now so let's get going and breach upon the Top 30... *** 30.     KID KAPICHI - "There Goes The Neighbourhood" Kid Kapichi are simply one of the best punk bands in the UK today and while some of their contemporaries have put out sadly underwhelming albums this year (Idles and Pet Needs to name but two), these Hastings natives are continuing to go from strength with There Goes The Neighbourhood  introducing a new more melodic feel to their material without losing the fury varying from the anger of Can EU Hear Me  to the more reflective Tamagotchi  and the wistful stripped-down closer Jimi . Difficult second album? Nah, this is anything but. *** 29.     MARC VALENTINE - "Basement Sparks" Following up 2022's excellent Future Obscure  was always going to be a difficult task but in Basement Sparks , former Last Great Dreamers frontman Marc Valentine has delivered a worthy sophomore effort. Packed full of the r...

  Okay, so this is it - the official Nite Songs Top 10 albums of 2022. Enjoy... *** 10.  THE HELLACOPTERS - "Eyes Of Oblivion" A comeback album that thankfully rather than being a faded retread of past glories was a timely reminder of everything that was great about the Hellacopters first time around. With a good mix of lightning precision garage rock and some unexpected sonic twists and turns all backed up by Nicke Andersson being his usual imperious self up front and a returning Dregen firing off the riffs to devastating effect, this was a triumphant return from this seminal band. *** 9. MILES HUNT - "Things Can Change" Recorded during the lockdown, Things Can Change  felt almost like an arm around the shoulder from Milo to reassure us that everything was gonna be alright. With a mix of slower introspective numbers and a couple of heavier interludes which were originally aimed for a Vent 414 reunion that never quite happened, it made for an enjoyably varied album ...

  Marc Valentine is probably best known as the frontman with Britrock mainstays the Last Great Dreamers, a band who have produced a couple of genuinely great albums since reforming around a decade ago (2016's Transmissions From Oblivion  and 2018's 13th Floor Renegades ) before going on hiatus last year. As you'd maybe expect, there isn't a huge amount of distance between Future Obscure  and the LGD's but that's definitely no bad thing - this is an album stuffed full of cracking old-school pop-punk that recalls groups like the Boys (indeed, Boys' guitarist Matt Dangerfield shows up on here as a guest on Mornington Avenue ). The opening one-two-three-four of Last Train Tonight , Swiss Launderette , the aforementioned Mornington Avenue  and Linear Slopes  is an absolutely killer opening salvo, fair bursting out of your stereo with choruses that will be echoing out from your stereo all summer and more hooks than Peter Pan's nemesis with the likes of Ghosts ...

  You still here? Well, it may be near to closing time at the Singles Bar for this month but we've got a few late stragglers nipping in for a pre-last orders pint along with a couple of mini-albums (something we've not had many of this year for some reason) just to round things off for this month. One for the road then?... *** Marc Valentine is probably best known as frontman with the excellent Last Great Dreamers and with that band on a temporary hiatus at present has decided to put out a solo album called Future Obscure  (due in July) with Last Train Tonight  (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑) being released as the lead-off single. There's a definite hint of T-Rex here in the vocals but with a driving riff that makes it an intriguingly individual proposition. Consider me looking forward to that album.  Bandcamp Link You can usually rely on Rum Bar records to brighten your day up with some decent music and Jay Allen and the Archcriminals  are another band to emerge from their stable...