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Sparkle Endlessly. Stoner Control
Can a band whose members bonded over albums by Green Day, Oasis, The Rolling Stones, Wilco, and Creedence Clearwater Revival produce music that is bad? Yes, of course it can, but that's not the case for Stoner Control. This single does not really follow the list of bands mentioned. Green Day comes closest, I guess. The bands that spring to my mind are more from the Boston region around 1992, but okay, I can live with that.
Sparkle
Endlessly is a hybrid song settling somewhere between the punkrock of
Green Day and the songs of Buffalo Tom. So expect firm drumming of the
kind that is needed in a trio setting to fill a large part of the sound
spectrum. The song itself is jumpy, bouncing created by the and one and two
and three and four rhythm played by the rhythm guitar and bass. The
voice has this punk quality but for me is not the pleasantest voice to
listen to. The trumpet solo comes as a huge surprise and the immediate
drop in volume following it, makes the composition a lot stronger.
Conclusion, Sparkle Endlessly is a nice introduction to Stoner Control, a
band from Portland in Oregon.
Bestaat
Doe Maar nog?, dacht ik toen Tweede Kamer begon. Het lijkt er qua alles
heel erg veel op. Het ritme, de accenten, de ah, ah, ahs, 'Doris Day'
is duidelijk de blauwdruk voor Tweede Kamer. Sophie Straat was een
onbekende voor mij. Met Tweede Kamer plaatst zij een oproep om meer vrouwen in de Kamer te
krijgen, verpakt in een uitermate vrolijk liedje. Het nummer klopt aan
alle kanten qua muziek en wat de tekst betreft, daar mag iedereen zijn
eigen mening over geven. 100 Jaar kiesrecht wil nog niet zeggen dat er
ook gelijkheid is. Hoeveel vrouwen zijn er premier geweest van dit land?
Juist, wij lopen enorm achter. Dus de boodschap van Sophie Straat c.s.
is zeker verdedigbaar. Dit is echter een muziekblog en juist die muziek
is zo ontzettend prettig. Tweede Kamer toont aan hoe ontzettend goed Doe
Maar was en ernstig onderschat rond 1982 juist door al die gillende
meisjes. We moeten echter constateren dat die meisjes het heel goed
gehoord hebben, net zoals in 1963 bij The Beatles. Dat leert ons mannen
wellicht toch ook iets. (Niet waar het David Cassidy betreft, sorry, meisjes van toen.)
Een mooi verhaal voor een zangeres, waarvan de omschrijving begint met
volkszangeres.
Following
the successful 'Tascam Tapes' album of 2020, DeWolff is back already
with a new album, 'Wolffpack', and a single Half Of Your Love. The band
surely but slowely is going through a development, as the U.S. funk and
soul is entering its music more and more. The psychedelic 60s are left
behind more and more. Of course the organ and the weird guitar effects
still hint at where the band comes from, but there's no denying how well
other genres of the past are incorporated into the band's music. And
extremely successful at that. Half Of Your Love has this funky vibe. The
soul in the voice of Pablo van der Poel is allowed to come out,
while singing in a higher register clearly has become more comfortable.
Finally, I notice that DeWolff no longer has to rely on blistering
solos to impress. That's not new, I know, but on this single it's so
clear that the band dares to depend on the quality of the song and its
playing. All is aimed at the strength of the composition and it works.
It's time to check out 'Wolffpack'.
With its EP released on Valentine Day French Girls unleashes a torrent of energy on the world. A blast of upbeat punkrock is hurled at the listener of the kind that combines punkrock with pop melodies. No matter how punk punkers were in the 70s, especially the NYC and UK ones, they knew how to speed up the songs from the early 1960s, including how to make them sound angry, showing teen angst and testosterone filled, without forgetting a song needs not just anger but also a good melody. Come 2021 that same trick is done by a host of women and a lot of them find their way to Boston's pride and joy record label Rum Bar Records. French Girls is a band from Phoenix, Arizona that knows where Abraham found the seeds to make his punk mustard. This version is dark, dirty, murky but richly flavoured. The songs are there but all listeners have to wade through the ugly sound. The voice is totally compressed, slightly distorted, the two guitars, one high in sound, one lower, are both simply dirty and don't mind a small mistake or playing at the top of abilities. The sound is not a main concern of French Girls, whose bandmembers all sport interesting French-like names. This is all about the energy and the fun of playing punkrock. Just like the first bands in this genre did before budgets and producers stepped in. Authentic punkrock still exists and comes out of Phoenix these days. Hey-ho, let's pogo, folks.
A
modern dance track on WoNoBlog is not an everyday thing. Electric Dream
is a correct title for this single as it has a dreamy quality. An
extreme hectic dream because of the rhythm behind the singing, but a
dream it is. The beginning of the song reminds me of one of my favourite
Madonna songs, 'Frozen'. At the same time the music slowly but surely
works itself towards a climax. At the first chance to unleash Pixey lets her
electronics and musicians hold back. Only the second time the rhythm and long held
synth notes are freed and is the body allowed to move. Of course,
Electric Dream is far removed from what I usually play during the day, but
does not stop me from noticing a good dance track when I hear one. The
melody of the song is simply right, the way the song is built up is
fantastic. In other words this is the kind of dance track that I can
listen to and if the occasion ever rises to dance to as well. Best of
both worlds, to quote Robert Palmer's cross over hit from long ago.
Something like that Pixey manages as well over 40 years later.
"I
guess we started off on the wrong foot", opens Snowapple in its new
single. To everyone who is inclined to take this literally and turn off the song
immediately, I strongly suggest to hang on in there for a few minutes
longer. Wrong Feet certainly isn't an easy song as pop songs go. It fits
in more with albums I have gotten to know in the past half year by female duos
like Midnight Sister, Ohmme and Lily Grace. Now Snowapple is a trio, from
Amsterdam, that specialises in music that travels the road less taken.
Percussion is just as much drums as hand claps and an important part of
the song. The suggestion is almost as if it is a melodic instrument as
well, supporting the (vocal) melody and not exclusively serving up the rhythm. A
banjo gives the song an eerie atmosphere, not unlike a band like Elliot
Brood is a master at. There are electronic sounds, perhaps a dark piano
note or two. All else are the vocals of three women weaving them in and out
of each other, giving the song its distinct atmosphere. Now these U.S.
duos may have made pretty exceptional records, if Wrong Feet is a
bellwether for the upcoming Snowapple album, it may well be able to
compete with its U.S. and Belgian colleagues with ease.
The
change of pace cannot be a lot bigger when One More Try starts. The
opening riff on the guitar shows immediately that we are in Rum Bar
circles. Indonesian Junk rocks out, with a huge sound. Where a lot of
the action is created by a big bass sound. Fantastically blown up,
pounding away giving the song a strong backbone where the drums can play
a backseat role, despite the power of playing. The singing is dark, a
bit dirty, matched by the guitar solo that goes all out in a delicious way. It adorns the song in a great way. The second voice in the song is by Kurt
Baker, cleaner, higher, so a good mix of voices. Yes, this is a fun,
rocking single, that will do great in a live setting as well. Great
choice for a single release.
Following
a Christmas single this is the second Cold Expectations song to make it to
these pages. Two Blueberries is a song making me all nostalgic for times
long gone while allowing me to enjoy a totally new experience at the
same time. The sprightly rhythm of the song is so upbeat that it makes
me listen within the second. The singing is more downcast, creating an
interesting contradiction between the singing and the music. At the same
time the harmony singing draws the song in a more happy direction. The start that gives away the main guitar part of Two Blueberries
straight away, is of the kind that only introduces a great pop tune. Two
Blueberries holds those elements within it. At first glance it may all
seem pretty straightforward, listening better I can only wonder at how
well this song is crafted. Yes, I can still identify a great pop tune
when I hear one.
Of course Justine and the Unclean has traded in its record label now that singer Justine Covoult has started her own label, Red on Red. It comes with consequences, as one of my favourite Rum Bar Records band is no longer on the label. What a loss that is and gain for the new label, is shown by Scorpion Bowl To Go (whatever that may mean). The 2.20 minutes single, starts off with a big drum intro before the punkrock is unleashed on the listener. In fact it could have been the intro to a classic rock song, before the tempo goes up. The song is so tight. Tough bass and rhythm guitar play over the big drum part. The harmony vocal is in the best punk tradition, shouting some sort of insolent reply. The singing itself is simply great. I love to hear Justine Covault sing in this band. With a lyric line about an "electric dream" we have two of those in this singles roundup. With Scorpion Bowl To Go Justine and the Unclean add another fantastic punkrock song to its roster. I'm a fan.
Tunnel Of Love is a song title that has been taken by Dire Straits as far as I'm concerned for a long, long time. New band of old hands Kewpid lays its own claim to the song title with a powerpop song as short as its sweet. Geoff Palmer, well-known to these pages by now, teams up with members of Lawman to produce two songs released on a cassette (just 50 copies!). In both the force comes out, the stamina is in place and it rocks and it rolls all over the place. Everything from the first two The Kinks singles to The Ramones and Palmer's own output of the past years are combined in two great rock songs. The guitars sound as if they are all over the place and dampened at the right moments creating the air a song sometimes needs. The solos come out above it all to expand the party beyond limits. I haven't a clue whether Kewpid is here for just one single or for the longer run, for now the world is two great rocking songs the richer. Tunnel Of Love and Star Crossed are what the world needs when in lockdown and curfewed. The inner party has been taken care of. Thank you!
Wo.
Listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:
https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g
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