Alien Weaponry, courtesy.

This is a rock-heavy week with Alien Weaponry’s Māori metal, James and the Cold Gun and Lucie Sue with songs that evoke the ’90s, Air Drawn Dagger defying genres, Madison Violett making a sterling debut and The Velveteers bringing the good parts of disco back.

Lucie Sue, “Battlestation” — I’m obviously writing this last week from your perspective, so I don’t know what’s happening as you’re reading this, but I suspect it’s probably not gonna be great. So here’s something heavy for you. For those of us who have always wished grunge was more metal, I’m pleased to introduce you to Lucie Sue; it’s a really well-balanced blend with a punk aesthetic and none of those things overshadowing the others.

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James and the Cold Gun, “Guessing Games” — James and the Cold Gun claim to be the loudest band in South Wales, and since the only thing I know about Cardiff is that the Torchwood Institute from “Doctor Who” and its spinoffs is based there, I have no reason to doubt that. They are certainly loud—in a very good way, mind you—and they back that up with this song in the style of, say, Stone Temple Pilots or Pearl Jam.

Madison Violett, “Circling” — Did you know that Madison as a first name didn’t exist until the 1984 Ron Howard movie “Splash,” in which a mermaid, who can’t say her true name in human language, picks it from a Madison Ave. street sign? That has nothing to do with the song, it’s just a piece of trivia I find interesting. Fortunately, the song is just as interesting as the trivia. This debut by the Los-Angeles-based singer has me excited for what’s to come.

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The Velveteers, “Bound In Leather” — Frontperson Demi Demitro of The Velveteers perfectly captures the good part of disco; not the part people remember that caused the late ’70s backlash, but artists like Donna Summer, who don’t get enough respect because of the association. I’m a little annoyed I didn’t find them first, they were in a Tuesday Tracks column back in 2021, but I’ll just give credit to Aarushi for having great taste.

Air Drawn Dagger, “Castle” — I make an active effort, every time my turn for Tuesday Tracks comes up, to find a sing that I can’t easily stick in a genre box, and this week it’s “Castle.” It’s rock, obviously, but that doesn’t narrow it down. Also, while I pretend to be a fancy refined music critic on here, there are things I’m just a sucker for, and two of them are a heavy breakdown on the bridge and a fantasy-inspired music video.

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Alien Weaponry, “Mau Moko” — I’ve said it over and over on the site, but my favorite metal incorporates the music of other cultures, and the best metal comes from cultures with warrior traditions. So a metal song in te reo Māori is an absolute lock. I’m actually a little annoyed I haven’t looked into Māori metal before, if Alien Weaponry is any indication, it’s great and I’m spending the next week looking for more.

Danny’s pick: It’s “Mau Moko.” These are all great songs, I had a really hard time narrowing down to six, but Alien Weaponry introduced me to Māori metal, and that’s pretty much that.

Follow publisher Daniel J. Willis at @bayareadata.press on BlueSky.