5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #170

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:

1. Rats, by Ghost

Recently I have heard Ghost referred to as a metal band for people who don't like metal. I guess I can sort of understand what they mean by that, but at the same time I have to say as a partial metalhead myself that they are still pretty cool. I applaud them for doing something that is different from what everyone else is doing. They are breaking away from and rebelling from the form. Honestly, isn't that the whole point of heavy metal in the first place?

2. The Difference Between Us, by The Dead Weather

This is one of those songs that I consider to be a dark pop rock song. If you have a listen you will see what I mean. It has some catchy melodies and hooks, but it maintains this dark, haunting atmosphere the whole way through unlike many bright, upbeat, happy pop songs. It is a song that will sink its claws into you and manage to hang on and stay with you long after the final note fades from your speakers.

3. I Think I Like It, by The London Souls

If you are digging the whole modern blues rock thing that you are hearing out of bands like Rival Sons and Greta Van Fleet then I think you are going to dig the sounds of New York City band The London Souls. This tune has a real loud, booming, yet soulful groove to it. In some ways there is kind of a Lenny Kravitz sort of quality to the vocals as well. It is certainly an interesting and fun blend of sounds to say the least.

4. Blues Hand Me Down, by Vintage Trouble

If you like that fast grooving bluesy shuffle of popular tunes from the 50's and 60's but also like that flashy hard rocking edge that you often got out of 70's rock then this is most certainly the song for you. Vintage Trouble is another retro act, but they do so in such a way that makes it still unique and original. There is clearly love and passion put into this music with absolutely no intention of being just a straight ripoff of the old greats.

5. Tales of Brave Ulysses, by Cream

For those older folks out there though who are not that musically adventurous and want to listen to something that they are probably more familiar with, then I will leave you for the week with this Cream classic. It is definitely one of their best tracks for sure. This is psychedelic bluesy hippie hard rock at its absolute finest. You have Eric Clapton tearing it up on the guitar, Jack Bruce laying down a groove on his bass and producing some fine velvety vocals, and Ginger Baker going ham on the drums. All good stuff.