Elephant Stone, courtesy.

This week we bring the past into the present with Elephant Stone and Niagara Moon taking on the ’60s, NHC and SCALPING bringing back the ’90s, Saxon teaching the ’20s how the ’70s rocked, and Mallrat showing them all how the current day does it.

Elephant Stone, “M. Lonely” — This is a ’60s vintage rock song with classical Indian instruments, paired with lyrics in French. What? That’s not enough of a sales pitch? Listen to this single and you’ll understand why that should be all you need to listen. It’s the rare throwback song that doesn’t mimic the source material so much as organically continue the genre; not only would “M. Lonely” have fit in perfectly in 1969, it would probably have lived on until now. Thanks Elephant Stone.

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NHC, “I Could Be Somebody Else” — Does “I Could Be Somebody Else” sound like a single from the late ’90s? There’s a good reason for that. The “N” in NHC is for Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction, the “H” is for Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters, and the “C” is for session musician Chris Chaney, who’s currently playing with Jane’s Addiction and is also a member of Hawkins’ solo project. But like “M. Lonely,” it’s not just mimicking their old material but expanding on it, pulling the moodiness of Jane’s Addiction in with Foo-Fighters-style hooks to make something new and fresh.

Niagara Moon, “Bad Vibes” — Continuing the evolved throwback pattern, Thomas Erwin’s project Niagara Moon expands on musical trends of the past by folding in lessons and technology of the present. “Bad Vibes” sounds like a track from a hypothetical album by the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson responding to the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper. The melodies and feelings of those ’60s powerhouses remain, but with a modern indie rock sensibility and pulled together with modern electronic production.

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Mallrat, “Your Love” — RIFF is a bit obsessed with Aussie singer-songwriter Mallrat. We’ve spoken to her about her Mark Ronson conspiracy theories and we’ve been including her in Tuesday Tracks since the olden days of 2017. We liked her back then and she’s only gotten better in the five years since. Her latest single, “Your Love,” shows an evolved music sensibility beyond her years. In fact, at 23, how does she know what a mall even is? Those have been shutting down since she was a teenager.

SCALPING, “FLASHFORWARD” — I, famously, love the soundtrack to “The Matrix.” It’s been my favorite music to listen to while I’m working since 1999. So when I find a song that would fit seamlessly on that well-worn CD, like SCALPING’s “FLASHFOWARD,” I’m forced to support and endorse it in the hopes that the tragically short-lived genre becomes trendy again. There’s only so many times a man can listen to the Kurayamino mix of Rob D’s “Clubbed to Death,” after all.

SAXON, “The Pilgrimage” — You may not know the term, but you know quite a few bands from the new wave of British heavy metal. The term covers Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, and Motörhead, who you almost definitely know. But one band from the era you should know is Saxon, who are still going strong with “The Pilgrimage.” Granted, they’re not as young as they used to be—original members Biff Byford and guitarist Paul Quinn are 71 and 70 respectively—but even as septuagenarians they rock harder than most young metal bands. They, along with Deep Purple, should teach classes on how to age while remaining extremely metal.

Danny’s pick: All of these could be my favorite, and I’ll be honest, I listened to them on loop quite a few times before settling on one. But in the end the one that stuck with me the most was Elephant Stone’s “M. Lonely.” What struck me even more than its quality is that, despite being a person who focuses heavily on lyrics, I couldn’t get it out of my mind despite only understanding the word “lonely.” It almost makes me want to learn French just so I can find out what they’re talking about.

Follow editor Daniel J. Willis at Twitter.com/BayAreaData.