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5. Kaleo – "Rock N Roller". Kaleo is an Icelandic band inspired by the blues rock prevalent in the 1970s. If you miss guitar-heavy songs with wailin' harmonica and lyrics about snortin' whisky, drinkin' cocaine, hoochie-koo and similarly wacky stuff, this one's for you.

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4. Geneva Jacuzzi – "Dry". This tune could go on your early '80s playlist and hardly anyone would notice, thanks to its arty synthpop arrangement and Geneva's coolly ironic voice repeating the fun lyrics.

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3. Caroline Says – "Faded and Golden". Wistful, melancholy indie folk with a touch of dream pop and a stack of gorgeous close harmonies. This one's a gem.

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2. Being Dead – "Nightvision". Psychedelic jangle pop from Austin, Texas. This takes so many unexpected twists and turns in its two minutes and forty-five seconds your head will spin, but all are welcome, adding up to a song that will haunt your ears for days.

My Top 5 Songs of the Week (2024 Week 34):
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1. Sofi Tukker featuring Kah-Lo – "Woof". Sofi Tukker are back with their custom blend of club beats, global grooves and irresistible melodies. They're joined here by Nigerian singer-songwriter Kah-Lo.

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5. Deadletter – "More Heat". Yorkshire band with a track from their upcoming debut album that reminds me most immediately of New Model Army (remember them?), but a little funkier, and with saxophone.

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4. Dora Jar – "Ragdoll". Dora Jar's second appearance in my top songs list this year, "Ragdoll" is a compelling hybrid of contemporary pop and indie rock that keeps introducing new sonic elements all the way through.

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3. The Howl & The Hum – "Echo". Starts off as a fingerpicked ballad. Then at 0:45 the band enters, lifting the song to another level while keeping the focus on the lyrics. "I'm not afraid to die, I'm afraid of the terms and conditions."

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2. Say She She – "I Believe In Miracles". This is a pretty straight re-creation of The Jackson Sisters' (not that Jackson Sisters) rare 1973 disco funk single (not that Hot Chocolate song with the same phrase in the lyrics) by Brooklyn's Say She She. A lost banger brought to thrilling life.

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5. Video Age with Esther Rose – "Out in the Country". Sweet 'n simple country-folk duet featuring intertwined acoustic guitars and vocal harmonies from Rose and Video Age's Ross Farbe.

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4. Fontaines D.C. – "Here's The Thing". One of my favorite young Irish indie rock bands, Fontaines D.C.'s latest pairs Pixies-esque guitars with falsetto vocals for a 2:44 blast of adrenaline.

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3. Jarrow – "Birthmark". Melbourne's Dan Oke, a.k.a. Jarrow's new release is the kind of garage pop they seem to excel at down under. Is it the jangly guitars? The melodic basslines? Vocal harmonies? Whatever it is, I can't get enough of it.

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2. Chase & Status with Stormzy – "Backbone". On this hard-hitting grime track with jungle breaks thrown in, London's Chase & Status lay down a runway and rapper Stormzy takes off from it.

My Top 5 Songs of the Week (2024 Week 32):
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1. Flammer Dance Band – "Trenger Ikke Dra". Norwegian septet channeling the spirit of psychedelic Afrofunk (for almost 9 minutes in this case). I'd have guessed this was recorded in Nigeria in the '70s if I hadn't looked it up.

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5. X – "Ruby Church". X are saying this will be their last album, and if so, they're going out with their iconic sound intact if a bit mellowed by time: DJ Bonebrake's distinctive snare hits, Billy Zoom's punkabilly whammy and John and Exene's why-do-those-work-so-well harmony vocals all feature here.

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Steve Carll

CounterSocial is the first Social Network Platform to take a zero-tolerance stance to hostile nations, bot accounts and trolls who are weaponizing OUR social media platforms and freedoms to engage in influence operations against us. And we're here to counter it.