Clockwise from top left: William Lee Golden and The Goldens, SUMO CYCO, Bitch, Another One Down!, The Browning and Chris Lorenzo.

This week’s Tuesday Tracks feature the face-melting metal of The Browning and Sumo Cyco, excellent covers by Chris Lorenzo and William Lee Golden, the pop-punk of Another One Down! and the glorious electronic psychedelia of Bitch.

Another One Down!, “Deadweight” — Just about every time it’s my turn to pick songs, I pick a pop-punk track then complain about how much I miss non-pop (unpopular?) punk. And yet I keep picking pop-punk. But the fact is The Offspring and Bad Religion were two of my favorite bands back in the day and “Deadweight” shares a lot more with them than Blink-182, Sum 41, 5 Seconds of Summer and other bands with numbers in their names that kept the sound but lost the attitude. Music with an edge to it—be it aurally or lyrically—should always be encouraged, because the world always needs more.

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The Browning, “End of Existence” — Here at Tuesday Tracks, most writers (myself included) try to keep things mellow or upbeat. There are a lot of singer-songwriters, some pop-punk, maybe some electronica or hip-hop. Occasionally I throw in some southern rock or even outlaw country when it strikes my fancy. We look for tracks that will appeal to as wide an audience as possible, basically.

But here’s the thing: We’re in Month 20 of a pandemic that a significant segment of the American people won’t let end, often at the expense of their own lives, because of medical advice they got from strangers on Facebook. We just went through six months where climate change was so apparent and destructive that the western half of the country was on fire and the eastern half was underwater. And despite that, the very first thing the Senate took out of the President’s budget proposal was the money to start the process of fixing it. School shootings started again the second school did, and nobody in any position of power is willing to do anything to stop it.

What I’m saying is that what you and I need right now is some really good extreme metal, and this is really good. It’s electronic metal, yes, but it has the right soul to it. I mean look at that video, anything with a dragon has to be metal, right?

And feel free to scream along. It helps release some of the pent up stress and tension.

Chris Lorenzo with High Jinx, “California Dreamin'” — Long story short, this is the vocal track from The Mamas and the Papas’ 1965 classic “California Dreamin'” (which apparently stands alone incredibly well) over some basic electronic music. Lorenzo says as much himself: “This track was originally made as a DJ tool. I take no credit for how well it has been received as all I did was threw some drums, an 808 and some FX over a banging acapella.” So, as Lorenzo requests, credit to the various Mamas and Papas for this modern reimagining of a classic song, but also credit to Lorenzo himself for appreciating an all-time great song and letting it take the spotlight.

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Sumo Cyco, “Sun Eater” — There was a glorious time, back in the early 2000s, when the backlash to nu-metal created a frenetic fusion of metal and punk. It was a good reaction. I was a fan. Then, as fast as it appeared, Incubus swallowed it whole and it was never seen again… until now! “Sun Eater” is a throwback in the best way, but at the same time feels modern and fresh. And the vocals remind me of Kittie, which is never a bad thing.

Bitch, “Hello Meadow!” — Have you ever wondered what it would sound like if the Runaways were transported to 2021 and recorded a psychedelic song with chiptune tones, an electric violin and a tent for a skirt? No? Just me? Huh. Well in case there’s another person like me out there, I’m pretty sure this is what it would sound like. And if you’ve never considered that question that’s haunted me for years, maybe you should take a listen and regret your decision, because it’s amazing. More anticapitalist critiques should be this deceptively chipper.

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William Lee Golden and The Goldens, “Jambalaya” — Given the other five songs on the list, it may seem strange to see a cover of Hank Williams’ classic song performed by the octogenarian baritone from the Oak Ridge Boys make an appearance. But consider these objective facts: Hank Williams is a legend and you shouldn’t judge him (nor Hank Williams III for that matter) by Hank Williams Jr. The Oak Ridge Boys are underrated legends. “Jambalaya” is a modern standard recorded by everyone from the Carpenters to John Fogerty to Mexican band K-Paz de la Sierra. And, most of all, this is a joyful rendition that does Hank Sr. proud.

Danny’s pick: Given what seems to be the nation’s collective mood, the pick of the week was a race between “Sun Eater” and “End of Existence,” and after careful consideration, the latter wins. It’s more metal, and in addition to all the reasons I listed its entry involving, you know, everything, it’s October, which is the most metal of all months. The song immediately found a place on my horrorcore/horror punk/death metal Halloween Season playlist. You may not think you need more metal in your life, but you need more metal in your life.

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