Finding My Religion #15: Twelve More New Songs Curated by the Priest - "Head Case"
Yep, despite about a hundred songs in the queue, this is our last new song post for 2026 until our year-end "Best Songs of the Year Mixtapes" in December. At that time, as always, you'll get our 104 favorite songs ranked in order, many never before discussed in this forum. Here's twelve more to hold you over. Each amused us in some way over the past couple weeks.
FINDING MY RELIGION #15: "HEAD CASE"
SIDE A
Intro: "Cement Head" | Caroline Rose
Sometimes I identify with the content, sometimes I respond to the execution, but this time I get both satisfied simultaneously. We've been on and off the bandwagon like Tampa Bay Rays fans when it comes to Caroline Rose over the years due to perceived inconsistency, but her new record finds us leading the parade again thanks to the set of killer tracks populating Gentling the Horse at the Walt Whitman Mall, her peculiarly-titled new record. I was all set to drop "Yip Yip Yow" on you today, which would've been a killer intro track to get us in the mood, but then I heard "Cement Head" and it sounded like she had written the song just for me, so I made a last minute substitution. For I, too, have a cement head.
01 "Jessica's Bra" | Deep Purple
Uh oh. I haven't been keeping up on my Deep Purple, have you? If anyone in the know has a free afternoon, I might need a primer on everything they've released since 1972's Made in Japan. Bad news for me, because Deep Purple just released the 24th album in their long career this year and haven't stop making them for the last few decades, albeit with lots of lineup changes along the way. Splat! is the 2026 version of Deep Purple (I can't believe I am even writing that sentence) and their roster miraculously still includes Ian Gillan (81), Roger Glover (80), and, of course, Ian Paice (78), plus some hired guns. I decided to check out the record based on some highly flattering press from a highly unreliable source merely out of curiosity, but I have to tell you, I was fucking delighted upon hearing this record. Age is a construct people—I guess that's my main point—for these guys can still bring it. They're considerably more prog than I remembered, perhaps a recent development, but I wouldn't know. Still the same keyboard/guitar dynamic (RIP Jon Lord), but with some pretty ambitious and well-written songs that prove they're more than a nostalgia act. They put their heart and soul into this stuff, you can tell. Oh, and a welcome sense of humor, too. Is that new? "Jessica's Bra" feels like a new genre called pub-prog, combining the epic soundstage and dynamic flamboyance of prog with the goings-on at Jessica's Bar (title typo clarified early in lyrics) on a typical evening. Apparently, it's a place where old rockers go to die. But not yet, I'm happy to report.
02 "Card Declined" | Charli XCX
All the other videos on this mix combined have about the same number of views that Charli XCX gets while she squats for a quick whiz in the middle of the night, but we do not discriminate based on popularity or lack thereof here. If we hear something we like, we say something. That said, I've got nothing to say about Charli XCX that hasn't been said by some publication already. I do, surprisingly, find myself loving some of Charli's new record, Music, Fashion, Film (which features John Cale, Marc Jacobs, and Martin Scorsese on the cover, each representing their respective titular discipline). XCX has always been on the cutting edge of modern pop music and this record further cements her rep. "Card Declined" hits thematically hard in a country where people without adequate funding still desire to live the glamorous lifestyle of the rich and famous only to find out they just don't have the cash to pull it off. I do appreciate that Charli doesn't go the Lorde route and name-drop a bunch of high-end brands in her lyrics (which could've been lucrative). A generic approach is more relatable. I know I was out shopping for a new Hermes 25 handbag the other day (in orange Clemence leather with palladium hardware) and before long I realized I'd have to compromise a bit because my credit limit couldn't keep up with my extravagant taste in handbags. I finally settled for a plain black Kelly with rose gold hardware and left with my tail between my legs. But my card wasn't declined, so I'll call that a win.
03 "Time is Wasting Me" | Crocodiles
All this time, I've thought I'm the one wasting time, what with writing this blog and all (among other time-sucking trivial pursuits). Now I realize, if San Diego's long-running Crocodiles are correct, time has been wasting me! That makes me feel much better about myself! Glad to have Crocs back and doing their thing, which is usually some form of guitar/bass/drums gutter-punk 'n' roll. It's fascinating to me how a band from a weather utopia like San Diego decided to produce music that is the antithesis of its locale, but that's exactly what we get here. Even more amusing, their new record is titled Greetings From Hell, so maybe life ain't so sweet in San Diego after all. Pickled Priest Recommendation: Waste some of your time on these guys. They've earned your attention and this song will ensure they keep it.
04 "Pocket Full of Cash" | Ruckus
The members of Ruckus recorded this very alive sounding garage-punk-rock record remotely, but you can't tell from the recording. And when I say remote, I mean guitar parts imported from Australia from the guitarist for the Prize and Chubby & the Gang. The rest of the guys hang in New Jersey and/or New York and the band's sound reflects that regional slant, sounding very much like a New Yawk band that crosses over to Jersey for band practice. They've been called a supergroup, but that designation holds water only for those who are deeply in the know about the underground band scenes in NYC and Down Under. "Pocket Full of Cash" has a classic Big Apple sound, like it could've been an old undiscovered cut from an LP of mid-70 punk or something. It's one of several highlights from their self-titled, 20-minute EP, to which you should give some of your valuable time. We checked your schedule. You have free time right between your Acai bowl and your deep cleanse.
05 "Tres de Carnitas" | Lenguas Largas
If the folks at Chipotle had an ounce of daring, they'd lock in Tucson's Lenguas Largas (translation: "Long Tongues" ) to do the music for their next ad campaign. If they don't want it, I'll get the nut jobs at Arby's on the horn. I mean, these guys have the meat credentials. It's right there in the album title! Who wouldn't want a little border punk as the soundtrack to a pig roast or fajita fest? This is a real rock and roll album with a lo-fi punk attitude. I chose "Tres de Carnitas" because I love punk songs sung in Spanish, maybe because sometimes all you need to hear is the attitude and feeling of a song to get the gist. Bonus: That message is delivered fast and furious on their new EP, which, like the Ruckus EP previous, has a sub-20 run time. No hay tiempo que perder! That's the new Pickled Priest motto, with long tongues firmly planted in fat cheeks, of course.
SIDE B
06 "Falling Up" | Jonny Couch
There's a band named The Living Room from Rochester, New York, but Jonny Couch isn't a member. What a missed opportunity that is. It would've been the perfect band in which to use fake surnames as a crutch. Eric "Coffee" Table, Amber Lamp, Nia Ottoman, and Peter Recliner could've rounded out the lineup. I now digress back to Jonny Couch. Based on his sound, it took me about two seconds to slot him as a rocker of New York origin. It turns out he's from Jersey City, so close enough to get full credit. He's not your typical Lou Reed, Willy De Ville, or Joey Ramone type (speaking of fake surnames), but he has some street smarts built into his sound, like he's been walking them for a long time, observing, living, striving to be noticed. Even better, he's a drummer who sings, for which I have a sweet spot. Most importantly, his songs are just a little off-center in a charming way. Every time I'm inclined to raise an eyebrow, instead I find myself cracking the smallest perceptible smile. He amuses me, but it's charming power-pop songs like "Falling Up" that make me stay around for a bit longer, mainly because there's a whiff of "true believer" coming from his general direction.
07 "Touch the Perfect Speed" | Dummy
One listen is all it took for me to be enamored with L.A. band Dummy's new dream-pop effort, Do You Love the Color of the Sky? And can you think of an album title that better fits the genre? It's nothing groundbreaking, but I do love the male/female vocal dynamic here and their songs sound constructed from pieces and parts that were reassembled hastily, somehow amounting to something better than they were originally. If you need a cool record to soundtrack a contemplative afternoon staring into the void, perhaps THC-augmented, here you go.
08 "Mother Nature's Killing Spree" | Chloe Slater
She’s starting the wildfires, deep in the water
She’s swimming in your eyes, the sound of laughter
And now nothing matters, save it for later
I’ll tell you I love you, drink to the danger
Objectively, a great song title. Also, a timely concept. Plus, we can now blame all the natural disasters in the world on a deranged, female serial killer and not our thoughtless, short-sighted management of our planet's health and well-being. Republicans will be pumped! The entirety of Chloe Slater's new LP, Riot Youth, is equally ambitious throughout, announcing the arrival of a new kind of songwriter, one with more to say beyond her own personal airspace. She's said this about the song, "I've always loved the idea of a story that isn't true yet." The key word being "yet," of course.* That approach works to the song's advantage, making the simple act of finding love a high stakes, last chance pursuit. Time is running out! Maybe you haven't fallen for the songwriting of Chloe Slater...yet, but there's a good chance that will come true soon enough.
*As exhaustively discussed by Jack Black in the movie High Fidelity.
09 "Uh Huh" | Fenne Lily
I took kindly to Fenne Lily's last album, Big Picture, mainly due to my discovery of "Lights Light Up" which has now taken up permanent, rent-controlled residency in my heart. Fenne is finally back with a new record, Win Win, and her subtle way of working conversational lyrics into her songs continues to captivate. Her songs feel honest and personal, like they're happening in real time as you listen. "Uh Huh" has done it yet again. She's made a song where you hang on every word.
10 "Just Kidding" | Claud
We love Claud Mintz as a singer, as a songwriter, as an individual. Her songs radiate such a natural charm it is hard not to get wrapped up in them. That happened in 2021, when her single "Guard Down" finished #6 on our favorite songs list that year. Then her song "Paul Rudd" was one of our favorites in 2023. "Just Kidding" continues her streak of warmly-lit pop songs. It's one of many songs on Me and the Music that shows she hasn't lost her youthful cleverness, although she's arguably a touch more mature now. In "Just Kidding" she sings about wanting to get married and have babies, but ixnay the aby-bay part if that scares you. But, really, she does want to make this permanent. That part she meant. Unless that scares you, too.
Outro: "Goodbye Brain" | Fine
Fine's new album is titled Jazz Dreams, but don't let that fool you into thinking this is proper jazz music. It's not. It's everything but, although the deployment of sounds and instruments is highly calculated for maximum impact. Nothing gets too much space or prominence, except maybe the vocals and even then they are hovering just above the sonic water table, guiding things along with delicate leadership. "Goodbye Brain" is the perfect demo track for potential buyers of what Denmark's Fine Glindvad Jensen is selling. It's atmospheric to the point of being cinematic, just right for a indie film with a haunting plotline.
______________________________
This is your brain on music. Enjoy the sensation.
Cheers,
The Priest