Welcome back to Three Songs To The Head – A small collection of songs that saturate my daily routines, and, subsequently, my co-worker’s as well (sorry guys!). This edition is 2/3rds brother-inspired and features Seattle bands that all have a completely different approach on what makes a “catchy” song. So relax, enjoy, and get ready to be obsessed!

“Wishing You The Best – Campfire OK

Full disclosure: Campfire Ok has had to grow on me over the years, always lingering in the “I think I like them” stage. So when my brother, who rarely sits me down to show me anything new that isn’t coming from one of our friends, said that I had to listen to this, I was still a little skeptical. But, upon watching the video for “Wishing You The Best”, I became stoked, intrigued, visually stimulated; I became a believer. The track begins with a driving kick-drum and a haunting vocal line that draws you deep into the song, only to be followed by a hand-clapping, foot-stomping, sing along of a chorus. Lots of people in this city’s scene have been giving this band credit for years, with this new single and the subsequent album to follow in 2013, I’m now right there with them.

Watch The Video For “Wishing You The Best”

“Ape Strut” – Feverton

As a band that describes themselves as electric, funk and hip hop, it’s hard to imagine Feverton’s recordings matching the massive energy displayed at one of their live shows, but with their Ape Strut EP and it’s star track “Ten Lb Hit”, this recording gives you everything you’re looking to experience. “Ten Lb Hit” is a smorgasbord of feet-moving gems, including a rolling vocal canter, a crunchy guitar solo, and a chorus that will seep deep into your brain, unexpectedly revealing itself through your mouth as you speak the words, “That Hit!”

Listen To “Ten Lb Hit”

“All Of Them – Roaming Herds Of Buffalo

I once heard my brother tell the guys from Roaming Herds of Buffalo that the guitar riff in “All Of Them” was the kind of hook that he is continually striving to create. It was in that moment that my simple love for this band turned into an admiration that opened me up to how well-constructed their songs really are. “All Of Them” is the type of tune that is perfect for listening to in a car, it engages the listener with a light and digestible first verse, then locks you in with the hook that oozes from the combination of electric guitar and spacey vocals. It culminates with a chorus of both voices and instruments that, as seen in the video for this song, is quite deadly! Truthfully, I have no idea what they’re talking about in their lyrics, but their songs incorporate some super fun and creative language. For example, “We swim in pools of leaking batteries, new world shaped by old diaries, closer now to the drowning sun, than we ever were… to the hotter one”.

Watch The Video For “All Of Them”

Dominic Cortese, music writer, The Monarch Review