2023 week 12, 10 singles

Tequila, I hate the drink but as a song it is going to make this week's singles reviews go out with a huge bang. Before that bang, expect a lot of interesting songs to pass you by. A few artists come by for the first time on the blog, including the return of a band that had it's greatest hit 30 years ago. A successful attempt at a comeback at that. Which band? You're bound to find out.

Thinking Of Me. Upploppet

Sweden seems to have two tastes in music: pop ditties, of which some are of the highest quality, and (hard)rock. Upploppet certainly has to be placed in the latter category. The five piece from Gothenburg on Sweden's west coast really go for the big riffs, loud chords, a huge solo and straightforward playing, all topped with a golden vocal melody. It is here that the rock meets the pop element of Swedish music. No matter how loud and all the nudges to rock from the late 80s and 90s, there is a pop element in Thinking Of Me. It results in a song to sing, dance and headbang to. Upploppet gives you the opportunity to chose, so be my guest as well.

Piece Of The Pie. Leather Catsuit

Described as "a labour of love" by singer Kim Olin, Piece Of The Pie is in a way the culmination of being active in music for over 30 years. During the pandemic Olin was able to get a band together, Leather Catsuit, whose members would not have been available otherwise. From it an album grew and this is it's first single. Expect a Joan Jett style punk rocker, with a rough and tough singer who "wants the world right at her feet". With Piece Of The Pie chances are she ought to get enough people at her feet to make a difference. Kim Olin shows that age has nothing to do with being able to write, sing and record a great punk rock single. Piece Of The Pie is a declaration of intent and purpose where "the sky is the limit". Assisted by the great guitar work of Steve Conte and the rhythm work of Johnny Pisano and John Weber, this is one tough single.

Waiting Such A Long Long Time. New Earth Farmers

Usually, I do not write about a single after I already wrote about the album. (See a few weeks back.) I happen to like Waiting Such A Long, Long Time so much, I do it anyway. The song is originally by World Party. From an album released in 2012. I wasn't even aware World Party was still active (at the time). I totally lost track of Karl Wallinger's vehicle. If this cover is anything to go by, he hasn't lost his pop touch. The fun of New Earth Farmer's version is that it combines elements of Kaiser Chiefs and the rock side of The Kinks in there. The result is a rock element fused with the pop. Let's focus on the singing also. Tough, a little studio treatment on the voices, yet heavenly harmonies jump from my speakers. New Earth Farmers deserves to score a hit with this version. It has it all and a little more.

Hand Of The Sculptor. Mike Miz

Mike Miz is Mike Mizwinski and with Hand Of The Sculpture he jumps the gun of Stones, Faces and Black Crowes rock as if these bands' days are not long behind us. It isn't of course, as it has proven to be timeless, with The Stones on top of everything right up till today. Mike Miz emulates the best of 'Rocks Off', 'Stay With Me' and 'Remedy' and brings it to his own song Hand Of The Sculpture. Expect double guitars and a slide guitar, a great piano solo where Ian Stewart would have been available for any day, and rock, rock, rock. Just listen to the intro. If you like this style of music and not fall for it, it's time to have your ears flushed, urgently. This is as real as things can get in 2023.

O Torto Santo. Bike

Let's move towards psychedelia. In general I associate Brazilian music with Astrud and Bebel Gilberto. Today I have to revise my prejudices. Bike produces nothing even closely resembling bossa nova. If this had been a new single by The Black Angels, to name an example, I would have believed it. Bike is a totally new name to me. In 2014 Julito Cavalcante (guitar and vocals), Diego Xavier (guitar and voice), Daniel Fumega (drums) and João Gouvea (bass) formed the band and will release their fifth record, 'Arte Bruta', in early May. O Torto Santo is my first Bike song. It is song that has a deep sound but at the same time is not heavily psychedelic. For that the sound is too light. More spacey and wobbly and leaving room for some dynamics in the tune. Just go along with this musical trip is my advise and ride its musical waves and you'll be far out.

Break It All. Muck & The Mires

2.23 minutes is enough. The Beatles, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, all knew that close to and over 60 years ago. Muck and the Mires know it in 2023. Break It All is a song that could have been released in 1964 or 65 and it would have been a huge hit. It is the perfect combination of rock and roll with pop and beat. Had the song been recorded by The Beatles tens of thousands of screaming girls would have fainted at their feet. Muck and the Mires will be lucky if several hundreds show up at the same time. Those hundreds will have the time of their life though. I've already written several positive reviews of the band's songs but this one is exceptionally good. "Maximum garage rock and roll" the band writes (about) itself. Well, folks, and then some I'd like to add. Break It All combines everything that is so good about the beat era, mixed with what was happening in London. Wow, is the word.

Cello Song. Fontaines DC

In July an album is to be released with covers of Nick Drake by a host of artists. One single is released to announce it. Fontaines DC is one of the biggest post punk bands of the 20s. It comes with an, at first, totally unrecognisable song. A long instrumental intro gives way to what indeed is a Nick Drake song. It emerges as it were from the deep. Nick Drake came late to me. Probably in my early to mid 40s. I still do not play him often but when I do, he nearly always touches me. Part of the story is his untimely and sad demise at the age of 26 - He did not even make the famous club! Fontaines DC manages to make its own take on Cello Song. When all is said and done, it is recognisable as a Nick Drake composition but with a post punk sauce over it that makes it Fontaines DC, with some eastern melodies in there for good measure. If all artists approached the repertoire as inventive as Fontaines DC, 'The Endless Coloured Ways' will be quite interesting.

Something Started EP. EUT

EUT returns to the blog with a new. four song EP. It starts with 'San Francisco', a concise alternative rocker. Going against the grain a little, pushing the hair back the wrong way. Singer Megan de Klerk sings with a punky attitude, pleasing just a little less than usual. It makes 'San Francisco' sound just a little darker than EUT usually sounds. Barring the previous single, 'Can't Stop Me', which I thought to be to disco poppy, EUT and I agree a lot. Where 'Step By Step' went down quite well in the fall of last year. This makes 'San Franciso' the only new song on Something Started. (With a remix of 'Can't Stop Me'.) Listening to 'Can't Stop Me Now' today with fresh ears and another mindset probably, I can live with the song. Something Started is a nice in between on route a new full length album. I haven't seen the band live yet. It's high time.

Rise. Extreme

'Get The Funk Out' and of course 'More Than Words', that surprising ballad that became a world wide number 1 hit, were the songs that introduced me to Extreme. And then things went silent again as far as I'm concerned. Extreme is back with a huge single that could have been a new Van Halen single. As Gary Cherone was its singer for a short while, why not? Rise is a powerhouse. The song has so much power in it. When you come back as a band after how many years, you better do it good. Extreme shows why it's a good band. Extremely tight with a fantastic guitarist, Nuno Bettencourt, showcasing a lot of what he's good at in Rise, and a good singer in his own right. Cherone has a little edge to his voice these days and it suits him. Whether 'Six' as a whole is this good, we will know in June. For now I'll amuse myself for a while with Rise. Extreme raises me up for a while alright.

Tequila. Los Bitchos

Let's go out with a bang, like Los Bitchos end their shows, with a shot of tequila. The song has nothing to do with the 60s classic with the same name. The idea is the same though. Play loud rock and roll, sing instead of a saxophone melody and then all together shout "tequila". Huge guitars accompany the shouting/singing. Girls just want to have fun, Cindy Lauper sang in the 1980s and Los Bitchos seems to have taken this advise to heart. This song is rock and roll in the 20s of the 21st century to the max. Of course somewhere deep under the punkrocking, 1 minute 45 seconds song is the The Champs song of old. It's played with so much energy and guitars that it all but became unrecognisable as such. Los Bitchos really make the most of it and a released great song to end this week with on a huge high.

Wout de Natris