Civil Twilight – “Fire Escape”: The South African trio gets things rolling with a foreboding bass line, perhaps unexpected for those only familiar with their megabit “Letters From the Sky.”  The song has almost a U2-feel to it but it stops short of being a blatant copycat.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ4TQGoijTQ]

Maylene and the Sons of Disaster – “Open Your Eyes”: Maylene drops the “core” out of southern-core in this single, now made famous by a music video featuring actor Daniel Trejo as a sadistic predator.  It’s a fun song, but quite as much as their some of their earlier singles.

12 Stones – “Worlds Collide”: Paul McCoy and company return with the latest single off their forthcoming record Only Human.  McCoy commendably stretches his voice more than usual, yet with all the epic sounds it still feels too familiar.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX1q3Z7GvGY]

Jack White – “Love Interruption”: Though short songs aren’t unusual for Jack White, given his vast network of musical endeavors one might be surprised by the mellow (by his standards) acoustic flavor here.  Female harmonies balance out his trademark voice without drowning it out.  It will be interesting to see where White takes the rest of this project.