The Roolz

13/07/2024

Midsummer music loaded for these bright, sunshiney days. Where to begin?

‘Summer of U’, I guess. This is a song by Coral Moons – a band from Boston led by Carly Kraft who helpfully identifies as she/her (always useful, I find). This is indie pop at its best... perhaps what Blondie would be doing nowadays.

Doing the splits between Atlanta and NYC is Dan Call. His music is an electro funk thing... very, very dancey and ‘Drug Like You’ has rightly spent six weeks on Billboard’s Adult Pop chart. A spot of serendipity here: when I was visiting Dan’s web page I stumbled across an artist called Seth Power. I’d never heard of him, but his song ‘I’ll Be There’ blew me away instantly. I can think of some friends who would hate it because his voice & style are a bit James Blunt-y, but that’s fine by me.

The Outfield’s ‘Your Love’ has been re-released from the 1980’s. You’ll remember it: it’s like the Police with harmonies – a great summer vibe.

Sabrina Carpenter is a Disney actress and singer who identifies as they. ‘Please Please Please’ is a banger (if they’ll forgive me).

Amber Mary Bain calls herself The Japanese House. She’s an English indie pop musician from Buckinghamshire and she’s released a very catchy tune called :) That’s it.

Artiste Vera Sola’s birth name is Danielle Aykroyd. You won’t be surprised to learn that she is the progeny of Dan Aykroyd. Very, very bright – she studied at Harvard and plays everything. ‘Desire Path’ is a song for those who appreciate lyrics which are really out there. This tune contains the memorable line ‘Piss on my back and tell me it’s rain’.

A gee-up for Waxahatchee. That’s the nom détage of Katie Crutchfield from Birmingham, Alabama. That location is a giveaway of her music… even though the location of ‘Lone Star Lake’ is in Kansas! Katie has triumphed over the demon drink; now sober, she sings with a mature passion which yet reveals the struggle she has overcome.

Special mentions, too, for Donavon Frankenreiter, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, the Pom Pom Squad and Twenty One Pilots. Too many more to mention… just listen, enjoy and turn on a friend.

04/06/2024

Orange gave me the pip yesterday, but I’m happy to say now it’s all sorted and the summer schedule has already started at The Roolz. 33 new songs have been added to spread the love & the sunshine. Honourable mentions for just some of them:

‘Crucify Your Mind’ is a song from Sixto Rodriguez – perhaps better known as Sugar Man. He died last summer, but left behind a remarkable legacy. Born in Detroit, he was largely ignored by America and was surprised to later learn that in South Africa he had become a cult. At one point he was outselling Elvis Presley there. Maybe you’ve seen the movie Searching for Sugar Man? ‘Crucify Your Mind’ is wonderful.

‘Dolores Jones 2023’ is a song by The Bolshoi. Go into Google and you’ll see that Dolores Jones was a real person who, like Rodriguez, died last year. The lyrics are so pictorial. I don’t know much about the band, except that they hail from the southwest of England and were signed to the Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet label in the 1980s. But this is new work. It reminds me very much of Peter Daltrey’s writing for Fairfield Parlour back in the day – and I’m going to send it to him!

Sheryl Crow and Pearl Jam both have new single releases out; there’s a brilliant, bluesy song from Chris Stapleton called ‘Think I’m In Love With You’ and Clodelle sings ‘I Lost My Baby’ in Franglish: jolly good it is, too. I hope she finds it soon.

Finally, an acknowledgement to Bob Lind who has honoured me with my inclusion amongst his Facebook friends. Bob has turned me on to Lizz Wright and – in particular – to her recording of I’m Confessin’. You’ll probably remember Frank Ifield’s version from W-A-A-Y back (another singer who has recently left the stage), but Frank sure not done it this way.

Cannes beckons. Beware, Maestro Mindel.

03/06/2024

Problems with Orange wi-fi today. Hold your horses while I pull out the remainder of my hair.

11/04/2024

Summer’s on the near horizon as temperatures in southern France reach the mid 20°s. Summertime blues are banished at The Roolz with a raft of new additions to make winter a distant memory.

I have to start with Gregory Alan Isakov and ‘The Stable Song’. Accompaniment is banjo with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Unusual? You bet... and sonically brilliant. I’ve added another track from Beyonce’s excellent country album. This one’s called ‘Protector’ and Beyonce is joined on vocals both by Rumi Carter and her baby daughter, who burbles enchantingly in the background.

Other outstanding music is provided by Iron & Wine with ‘All In Good Time’ on which the band is augmented by orchestra and the outstanding blues voice of Fiona Apple. There’s electroswing (always a favourite of mine) from Meghan Trainor, western tinged alternative music from the Old 97s, big fat funk from Greg Hudik and an interesting duet from Enrique Iglesias with country singer Miranda Lambert called ‘Space In My Heart’.

Lastly, a confession: like so many of my generation I’ve been holding out against what we perceive to be musical intrusion by lesser talents. But I’ve given in to Dua Lipa. ‘Training’ is a fab pop record.

Honestly, this is just a snapshot of the early summer shakeup at The Roolz. I am in constant awe of the wonder of music. It’s not going away and the talent/commitment of so many fine artists remains undiminished.

02/03/2024

Spring cleaning at The Roolz. Some titles have been rested; others added. How many? Loads.

So this month I thought I’d confine my thoughts to one topic: winners. Americans like to cheer winners, while Brits always (and unfathomably) root for the underdog... that is, until he/she becomes a winner (Ed Sheeran, Adele).

Beyonce Knowles has climbed to the top of every conceivable chart with a single track – “Texas Hold ‘Em”. She has reached the summit of Billboard’s Hot 100, Country, Global 200, Streaming and Digital Sales charts. Plus: iTunes, BBC Radios One & Two and too many others to count.

The song may not set your ear’oles alight, but - music snobs - go home.The lady and her team are to be congratulated on one hell of an achievement.

10/02/2024

First 2024 shakeup at The Roolz has taken place. It's always a good idea to wait a few weeks into the New Year until all the Christmas stuff has swirled down the lughole plughole.

Lewis Capaldi shows no sign of his health problems with his new single 'Strangers'. He is a remarkably good songwriter: on first hearing you think, 'meh'. But then after a few more listens it really gets to you.

A special mention, too, for Love, Fame, Tragedy and 'Don't You Want To Sleep with Someone Normal?'
No.
The sobriquet belongs to Matt Murphy - formerly of The Wombats. A touch of the Pet Shop Boys going on there.

Stephen Sanchez is going to have a smash with 'High'. Speaking of which, this week's UK top three singles are Noah Kahan 'Stick Season' (first played on The Roolz in December 2022), Sophie Ellis-Bextor 'Murder etc...' (for some reason revived from 2007) and Teddy Swims 'Lose Control'. That debuted on The Roolz back in last September.

Then there's more obscure stuff... lots of it. If you like electro swing (as I do) you'll enjoy French band Caravan Palace with their song 'Mirrors'.

Dig deep, friends. You'll never get to the bottom of it.

28/01/2024

2 days in Paris. Circuit breaker tripped while we were away: therefore no Roolz.

Mille pardons. Abnormal service has now been resumed.

24/12/2023

26/11/2023

The run-up to Christmas is scheduled at The Roolz. Christmas songs themselves will be held back until closer to the time – no new ones have been added this year, but we promise those that you do hear will be different.

Elsewhere, there are a few splendid new tunes. Dax and Darius Rucker are to be congratulated on bringing the worlds of country music and hip-hop intriguingly together on ‘To Be a Man’. It works.

Papooz are a French duo - Ulysse Cottin and Armand Penicaut, two Parisians passionate about music. They have that Django-y thing going on, with a little of the Atlanta Rhythm Section thrown in on ‘Don’t You Think It’d Be Nice’, which is sung in English. And it’s great.

Tom Speight is an English singer/songwriter from Teddington, where he was recently invited to switch on the Christmas lights! 10 years ago Tom was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, which had a devastating impact on a promising career. He is now a big supporter of Crohn's & Colitis UK, taking part in the London WALK IT. One of his songs has raised £2000 for the charity. Here at The Roolz we’ve chosen ‘Wonderful Wonder’: a boy/girl duet with Ward Thomas. It deserves to be a smash, but won’t be unless it gets the airplay it deserves – which is unlikely in the present wireless climate of the UK.

There are other adds, too. Listen and enjoy them all at The Roolz.

21/11/2023

Why is listening to Christmas music such a chore? And such a bore. It's the same old schtick year after year. Come on, guys, do something NEW. This year there's even an American duo who have reworked the timeless 'Fairytale of New York' as 'Fairy Tale of Philadelphia'... complete with faux McGowan vocal. It's awful.

So we'll have to revisit the past.

Occasionally.

28/10/2023

So, about the new music (don’t you just HATE sentences which begin with so?)...

I’m going to start with a bit of a blag. BBC Radio 1 has recently added Noah Kahan’s ‘Stick Season’ and the single has just entered the UK Top Ten. Listeners to The Roolz (yes, all six of you) will have heard the song since December 2022. We can’t wait for them to catch up with Noah’s follow-up ‘Homesick’ or his duet with Post Malone ‘Dial Drunk’.

Elsewhere, to the Rolling Stones and another track from Hackney Diamonds: ‘Mess It Up’. This features the late Charlie Watts on drums and takes us back to good, old time rock ‘n roll. Speaking of which – have you heard about The Weeklings? They’re a band from Asbury Park NJ (some heritage there!) and they all call themselves Weekling: Glen Burtnik is Lefty Weekling, Bob Burger is Zeek Weekling, John Merjave is Rocky Weekling and Joe Bellia is Smokestack Weekling. Anyway, the band has released a track called ‘Brian Jones’ – great bluesy vibe, fine lyrics and fab harmonies.

I’m sure Brian would have been proud.

If you like reggae you won’t be disappointed by Paul KasticK’s ‘Night By Night’. It’s up there. Or down there.

I’m becoming sentimentally attached to Jimmy Buffett’s ‘Bubbles Up’, but not in a maudlin way. In a champagne way. I’m sure it’s how he would like to be remembered.

The National are a band from Cincinnatti. Lead singer Matt Berninger’s gritty, growly voice is perfectly complemented by Johnny Cash’s daughter Rosanne on ‘Crumble’.

Madi Diaz hails from Pennsylvania via the prestigious Berklee School of Music. She’s been around for a few years and she’s a triff songwriter. ‘The Same Risk’ is a relationship thing... are we taking it together? Please don’t listen if you have an aversion to four letter words.

There are many other brilliant additions to The Roolz this week, but I’m sure you’re bored of this by now.

Finally – Allez les Bleus!
No, that was so last week.

26/10/2023

I was so busy with the Capital Radio anniversary documentary that I failed to post a notice for new music at The Roolz last month. But that does not mean it was not added... it was. Just the Facebook notification was missing.

This month has been a goldmine. There is so much great talent out there despite the naysayers. I've listened in full to Hackney Diamonds, too: it's a bit of a curate's egg. But you have to hand it to the old buggers - still rocking authentically in their 80s.

We recently lost Jimmy Buffett. I've added 'Bubbles Up' which seems an appropriate epitaph.

More details to follow.

06/10/2023

For anyone who may have missed this week's documentary 'Many Capital Returns' (celebrating 50 years of London's first music ILR and played out earlier this week on Boom Radio), there is an alternative edit now posted at

12/08/2023

There’s been a radical, late summer shakeup of music at The Roolz. I have been agonising over whether to include ‘Last Resort’ by US band Falling In Reverse. It’s a blistering cover of an original song by Papa Roach, with an incredible vocal and huge production. The song is about a man contemplating su***de – a subject which should give any broadcaster pause for thought. Normally, I would give the artist the benefit of the doubt: Van Gogh’s paintings are not taboo, after all. But then I researched the band. It seems Ronnie Radke, the lead singer, is a most unsavoury character. He was involved in a fatal, gang related shooting and later jailed for breaching bail. He has also faced domestic assault and r**e allegations; he was fined for throwing stage equipment into the crowd - causing injury - at a gig. So on this occasion the benefit has been withdrawn.

What do you think?

Billie Eilish and her brother are prodigals. There are many stars which quickly fade, but Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell’s burns brightly for the millennial generation. ‘What Was I Made For’ is a masterpiece. In the wake of Sinead’s departure from this mortal coil, Irish eyes are still smiling. You might think the Zac Schulze Gang would hail from the Emerald Isle because their new offering is called ‘Ballyshannon Blues’. And it’s rollicking.

But you’d be wrong. They are from Orpington in Kent. Well, if it was good enough for Bowie, Richards and Jagger...

21/05/2023

MAHOOOSIVE number of new additions to warm the cockles of your summer heart. Lots of Eurovision songs on the UK chart this week, around which we’ve managed to swerve. I can’t possibly list all our recent exceptions; I can but mention a few and ask you to listen for the rest.

Blessing Offor is an unsighted Nigerian who went to America for eye surgery. Sadly, whilst there, he lost the sight in his one ‘good’ eye. As in so many cases the loss of one sense served to heighten the power of others – in Blessing’s case, hearing and music. Have a listen to ‘Brighter Days’ for confirmation of his journey, which is underlined by backing from a gospel choir.

Reverend and the Makers are a Sheffield band who’ve been together for more than 10 years. The group’s latest album is its first to enter the UK chart and from it we’ve chosen ‘A Letter To My 21 Year Old Self’. It’s very good.

From east to west, now - and to Liverpool. Brooke Combe is an exciting new soul singer who packs multo power into ‘Are You With Me’. She is definitely one to watch.

Special mentions, too, for All Time Low, Stephen Marley, Lola Audreys with Nile Rogers, and some fabulous 12-bar blues from Gov’t Mule. And that is by no means all of it.

It has been Film Festival week in Cannes:

And all the movie stars
Came in their best clothes
And all the crazy fans came from so far
Just to get too close

And all the rich carpets
Rolled out for painted feet
And all the cameras flashed for the big artists
Until they took their seat

It was a galaxy of pretty people
Planets floating in the sky
A bowl of oranges spilling on the carpet
Outside

Lyric by Bombadil (an American band as well as a JRR Tolkien character)

Have a fabby summer along with The Roolz.

04/04/2023

March listening for the Spring collection has, frankly, been a bit of a pain in the Aristotle (although the trawl has taken as long as usual). 90% of everything now seems to be produced by computer technicians. It’s predictable, autotuned, soulless crap with a few four letter words thrown in to give it the appearance of street ‘cred’. I don’t see the point: earnings from physical sales and streaming are practically non-existent, and none of these ‘acts’ will ever be able to fill a live venue - which is the only source of musical revenue.

Nevertheless a few shrimps have tumbled through the net. I can find only one to commend to you: Benny Sings with Remi Wolf and ‘Pyjamas’. Benny’s real name is Tim van Berkestijn and he’s a cloggie from the Netherlands. The song is pure Antonio Carlos Jobim with added humour.

That’s it for this month. Be happy.

04/03/2023

I’ve spent a week trawling for new music to greet the Spring. It’s been a worldwide gas. I can mention only a few before the Facebookworms get bored of reading... so here goes.

The David Wax Museum is husband/wife team David Wax and Suz Slezak from Charlottesville, Virginia. Their hymn to ‘Luanne’ is truly adventurous in its instrumentation with accordion, fairground organ and cheesy sax. They describe their music as Mex/American. It’s very good.

That might lead nicely on to José Gonzalez… except, he’s not Mexican. José hails from Gothenburg in Sweden, and his song ‘Stay Alive’ is a beautifully produced, pacy ballad. Great stereo drums. Bass drum to the fore on Moontricks’ song ‘Animals’. They’re a roots/rock duo from the beautiful Kootenay Mountains in western Canada. My friend David Mindel hates banjos, but I’m going to ram this song down his ears in an attempt to change his mind.

South to Florida for a new release from the excellent rock band Shinedown. ‘A Symptom of Being Human’ doesn’t disappoint in words or music.

Even further south now to Melbourne, Australia, and the Teskey Brothers. ‘Oceans of Emotion’ is as close to Otis as you can get without digging him up.

Finally, homeward bound to Blighty. The Lathums are an indie rock outfit from Wigan. ‘Struggle’ tells a tale of relationship problems. It was probably written at Wigan railway station. Or was that Widnes?

That is just a taste: a mere soupςon of the weeks which lie ahead at The Roolz. Come join us.

11/02/2023

Goodness (or words to that effect)... wot a lot we got. New music, that is. Miley’s at #1 (again) with ‘Flowers’. Shania’s back with a new single called ‘Giddy Up’.

That’s probably about it for names you’ll be familiar with. Dotan is a Dutch/Israeli singer and multi-instrumentalist. I’ve picked ‘Home’ from his new album ‘Satellites’ – I hope you’ll like it.

Joy Oladokun is a q***r woman of colour (her description, not mine) from Arizona. The girl has soul. She bares it on ‘Sweet Symphony’.

Jelly Roll describes himself as a reformed drug dealer and an active alcoholic. He sings a bit, too - when he’s not drinking - and ‘Son of a Sinner’ sounds like a personal musical journal.

It’s not all about America, though. Eloise Viola is British. As British as roast beef and Camden Town, where Amy came from. Viola’s so new she is still hustling for gigs. ‘That Ain’t Right’ is a fab showcase for this girl’s talents.

There is so much more, I promise. But writing about new tunes is a tad boring... listening is preferred.

13/01/2023

Friday the 13th. Feeling lucky?

Here are some new songs to cheer your mood. The Commonheart are an 8-piece from Pittsburgh, following in the footsteps of early Chicago or BST. We’ve been playing them for a while, but their new album ‘For Work or Love’ is even bigger and beefier than 2019’s ‘Pressure’. Produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, ‘Hustler’ (the first single from the new album) is a tour de force. Clinton Clegg’s vocals are easily as powerful as anything David Clayton-Thomas ever managed.

At the other end of the scale is Katie Gregson-MacLeod. ‘Complex’ is exactly what its title suggests. Katie is a 21-year old from Edinburgh, headed for the heights. The song is both gentle and moving; it shows amazing depth for one so young. While in Scotland, there’s a new toon from Belle & Sebastian called ‘I Don’t Know What You See in Me’ which has smash written all over it. Last, but not least, listen to some jazzy stuff from Leslie Odom Jr, float gently down Michael McArthur’s ‘Winding River’ and harken unto Brett Dennen’s proclamation that ‘This Is Going To Be The Year’.

I do so hope he is right.

13/01/2023

Friday 13th. Awoke to no signal. Took an eternity to get it back. All good now :)

12/01/2023

Jeff Beck at Jardin Sonore Marseille France 23 July 2022

01/01/2023

Happy New Year to you all! May God bless you with happiness, success, and prosperity.

The Roolz

31/12/2022

New music for a New Year.

Gayle’s ‘fmk’ has been dialled back to ‘fight, marry, kiss’, but in compensation the unexpurgated version of The K**ts ‘F**k the Tories’ has been added. It will become tedious after a couple of weeks (rather like its intended target) and I’ll pull it later. The Tories’ rug will eventually get pulled, too, which will be uniquely disappointing to Michael Fabricant.

There are some surprisingly good new French tunes out to greet the New Year, which is bound to please Francophiles. Elsewhere: I know we have heard ‘Hallelujah’ a million times, but the Pentatonix acapella version is exceptional and well worth a listen. I’ve also added for intrigue the Texas group’s take on Tchaikovsky’s ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’.

I am late to appreciate the talents of Prima Queen, for which I profusely apologise. An unlikely pairing of friends, one from Bristol and the other from Chicago, they offer something distinctly different.

‘I was building sand castles on the beach, when you appeared and told us you were swimming to Albania.’

That is the spoken introduction to ‘Butter Knife’. I’ve also added Prima Queen’s ‘Brownstone’ which – as its name suggests – is a song about a building in New York. Plenty of smoky sax in there.

From the Director of Technology and me... Happy New Year! We hope 2023 exceeds your wildest expectations.

19/12/2022

So - after debating my conscience for a while - Christmas has finally arrived at The Roolz. There were two reasons for the debate: 1) most of the popular music bores the pants off most sane people 2) I have friends of all faiths and no faith... Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, agnostics, atheists and - whilst I remain firm in my own Christian beliefs - I feel that endlessly ramming a single faith into the ears of others is distasteful.

So there are two Christmas songs per hour, the majority of which are as loose as possible and which hopefully will be new to you.

It is so difficult, but I've tried really hard to please.

04/12/2022

December is usually a measly month for new music, but this year has been a disavowal of the norm. I’ve spent a week plotting December music at The Roolz and it’s been quite a trip. I still don’t know what to do about Christmas: I am a Believer, but I just can’t stomach the notion of hearing again the same old schmaltz we’ve been enduring for the past 60 years. An unlikely exception is ‘It’s Christmas Again’ from Tommy James (yes, he of the Shondells). I hadn’t known Tommy (who impressively calls himself Tommy Tadger for the girls) was still alive.

A word about GAYLE. She has followed ‘ABCDEFU’ with a catchy little tune called ‘fmk’. This is shorthand for I want to f**k you, marry you, k*ll you. All on the same day, which is quite an achievement. However, I think we’ve all felt like that at one time or another and the tune is actually rather good. It challenged my editing skills and I’ve got rid of most of the dreadful rapper.

What else? Some rare honesty about herself from Selena Gomez. In ‘My Mind and Me’, a film for Apple TV+, Selena candidly reveals her battle against the gremlins of mental health. I’m delighted to have included the haunting title track.

There is also a kaleidoscope of new songs from Shania Twain, Caroline Polachek, The National Parks, Zeke Finn (nothing to do with Crowded House: he’s from New York), Kevin Morby, Teleman, Rose Gray and more. Avril Lavigne has teamed up with Yungblood on ‘I’m a Mess’. Yungblood is a Gen Z phenomenon from Sheffield who dares to be different in pretty much all respects. By releasing a mainstream pop song with Avril? I thought he was a k**b when he was recently interviewed by Louis Theroux, and nothing has changed my mind. Still, it’s a good tune.

Kula Shaker has released a cover of John Lennon’s ‘Gimme Some Truth’. There is nothing very different about the arrangement, but it was always a cracking tune. I’m grateful to Janis Ian for bringing King Margo to my attention. ‘Dishes Ain’t Done’ is bluegrass at its best.

Lastly, my fave track of all the latest additions to The Roolz. It’s Young the Giant and ‘The Walk Home’. The guys are a high school band from Irvine, California – where there’s a splendid amphitheatre and an airport named after John Wayne. But I digress.

‘Is anyone out there listening? I’ve lost myself. Deep in the algorithm of somewhere else. Can someone walk me home to pearly gates?’

30/10/2022

Welcome to winter! Even though swathes of Europe are basking in summery climes, and here in France folk are still taking the plunge from sunshiny beaches.

The clocks have gone back, but the music has moved forward. As I wrote last year, November usually offers slim pickings and 2022 is no exception. I have ignored all the pre Christmas pap and added tracks from Måneskin, Meghan Trainor, Noah Kahan and Garbage. As I write, Dire Straits' 'Telegraph Road' is playing in the background - what a fabulous piece of art is that.

The Garbage song is called 'GodHead'. It's extremely unlikely you'll hear it anywhere else except on The Roolz, since Shirley Ann (lead singer) intriguingly asks 'If I had a dick, would you know it, would you blow it?' The band is American, Shirley Ann is Scottish. Obviously.

There is also new material from Jack Johnson, American Authors, Bob Green (whose combination of whiskey, wine and w**d sounds too rich, even for me) and We Are Scientists. There are others, too.

Finally a paeon of praise for soul singer Danielle Ponder who hails from Rochester. New York, not Kent. Her song, 'So Long', is mistressful.

So long... I'm still trying to get my head around the Christmas thing.

05/10/2022

If you hadn’t already noticed, a flotilla of new songs has been launched on The Roolz for October. Here are mentions for some of the most notable. TALK is a musician from Ottawa. His song ‘Runaway To Mars’ isn’t new – it was recorded in the summer of last year – but its recent traction has been nothing short of sensational. TALK’s real name is Nicholas Durocher and he looks like Boy George. In technicolour. OK we weren’t first, but we weren’t last. Listen – you will be as amazed as the 16m people who have downloaded the song, which has reached #1 in countries from Finland to New Zealand.

Speaking of New Zealand, that takes us to Marlon Williams. Born in Christchurch but now working out of Melbourne, Marlon’s ‘Don’t Go Back’ is a masterclass in rhythmic pop. Top of the class in that department must be Nile Rogers, and he has teamed with Ramona Flowers – a mythical character from the movie ‘Scott Pilgrim vs The World’ – on a track called ‘Up All Night’. More than that I do not know, except that The Ramona Flowers are from Toronto.

I’m grateful to my dear friend David Mindel for his recommendation of ‘Quand’ by Trois Cafés Gourmands. You have to be careful how you say that, especially in mixed company. Great tune.

I’ve only scr**ed the surface of all new things bright and beautiful. Tune in and stay in for the rest.

03/09/2022

Well, the electrical storm which signalled the arrival of autumn blew in yesterday and knocked us off the air for a couple of hours. I was busying myself with listening to new music at the time. Some fine songs for September were added as the lightning disappeared into the Mediterranean horizon.

I’m going to start with the Tallest Man on Earth – ‘Tears Are In Your Eyes’, because you won’t hear it unless you are an avid Roolz freak. It’s kinda ‘out there’, so I’ve tucked it away in a faraway place. Now to the others. The Kooks are back with a spiffing track called ‘Cold Heart’. The Goo Goo Dolls are convinced that ‘You Are the Answer’ to all their problems and Matt Nathanson extols the virtues of ‘German Cars’. Caamp is a folk trio from Ohio making beautiful noise. This is proved by ‘The Otter’. Listen out, too, for new songs from Panic At the Disco!, Spoon and Blue October.

Cecilia Castleman is a 21 year old native of Tennessee who compares her writing to sending herself letters over and over again. She has a beautiful voice, as you will hear on ‘Lonely Nights’. Trampled by Turtles is a bluegrass band hailing from Duluth, Minnesota. Banjoist Dave Carrol insisted that their name should sound as far away from bluegrass as possible and I guess they’ve succeeded. We’ve added their song ‘It’s So Hard to Hold On’. Voila!

There are also new offerings from Pete Muller, the Dimestone Dolls, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and lots more. So have an aural frolic this autumn at The Roolz.

16/08/2022

Long overdue electrical storm knocked us off the air this evening.

I'm sorry...

I think.

11/08/2022

Well… whaddaya know? There are diamonds in the dust of this year’s summer. It’s either famine or feast. There are so many new additions to The Roolz that it would be pointless to give you a blow-by-blow on each one. Suffice to say, there are some fabulous new tunes here – proving that the art of making great music is alive & well. Listen, enjoy and turn on a friend.

U.S. Girls - So Typically Now; Two Door Cinema Club - Lucky [Radio Edit]; The Head And The Heart - Hurts (But It Goes Away); The Driver Era - Malibu; Sophie Ellis-Bextor & Oh - Hypnotized; Sam Ness - Slow it Down; Rex Orange County - Keep It Up; Plains - Problem With It; Nick Phoenix - Wide World; Meghan Trainor - Bad For Me ft. Teddy Swims; Dear Boy - Forever Sometimes; Billie Eilish - TV; Alec Benjamin - Devil Doesn't Bargain; Wild Pink - ILYSM [Radio Edit]; Richard Marx - Same Heartbreak Different Day; Mister Green - Annabelle; PJ Western - Blah Blah Blah; Lightning Seeds - Walk Another Mile; Lauren Spencer Smith – Narcissist; Jon Batiste, Pentatonix, Diane Warren - Sweet; Jack White - Queen of the Bees; Houndmouth – McKenzie; Charlie Puth - Left And Right (ft. Jung Kook of BTS.

Stay cool x