2023. Week 9, 10 singles

Come Sunday, come 10 singles on this blog. There are so much more coming out than can ever fit this format. Yet, we have managed to select ten more from various backgrounds and genres. In other words, more than enough to discover.

Scatterbrain. Filibuster

Soon, on 15 March, Filibuster will release its second album, 'Quiet Part Out Loud’. The Antwerp based band gives a another short taste of what's to come with its new single 'Scatterbrain'. Expect a dark late 80s and early 90s kind of rock as played by Dinosaur Jr', Buffalo Tom, etc., at the time. Add a little shoegaze and you get the picture. Over the dark, muddied sound singer Karl Stroobant sings in a quiet, dreamy way, almost as in another place. As in songs of old, this combination works well on Scatterbrain. Does this song add to what came before, is a question someone might ask? The answer is yes. The enthusiasm Filibuster shares with the world is infectuous. You will find this not only totally justifies the work put in to the song, but also getting to know it. Listen and find all those details that shine somewhere in the mud.

Waking Up. Withered Hand

From rock to pop perfection is a small step in this weekly overview of singles. Playing guitar with a withered hand seems a huge challenge to me but Dan Willson manages in a glorious way. With Waking Up, released under his artist name Withered Hand, he presents a song that could have been released anywhere since somewhere in the 1970s. Timeless it is. What sets it apart from the days of old, is the more modern production. Musically it's the use of the trumpet played by Richard Merchant and the tastefully played lead guitar of Malcolm Benzie doing the rest.

Willson is a late bloomer. Only starting to write songs into his thirties, he released his first album in 2014 called 'New Gods'. His new album, 'How To Love', is expected on 28 April. If Waking Up is anything to go by, lovers of perfect pop should put the date into their agendas.

Dreaming. Surf Friends

"More from New Zealand. Duo Surf Friends, Brad Coley and Peter Westmoreland, is working towards the release of a new album, 'Sonic Waves' on 17 March. With its new single Surf Friends operates in the indie segment of rock, adding a light touch of psychedelia to the mix. without laying it on too thick." This is what I wrote a few weeks ago about 'Something Real', Surf Friends' previous single. Dreaming is caught by it fully and completely. The duo has cranked up the tempo. Dreaming is a hurried song with a guitar intro bringing Amber Arcades' single 'Fading Lines' to mind immediately. It is that kind of nice indie rocker. Fans of this song will find their way to Dreaming with ease.

Paradijs. Spinvis

Een single van zes minuten is niet een liedje met een lengte die radio djs heel fijn vinden. Toch heb ik het nummer al, één keer, op de radio gehoord. (Ik luister niet regelmatig, dus wie weet...) Spinvis timmert inmiddels ruim 20 jaar aan de weg en is hele stevige subtopper in het Nederlandse poplandschap. Erik de Jong heeft een eigen stukje voor zichzelf uitgehakt. Nederlandstalig, zeer eigenzinnig en toch commercieel genoeg om een zeer divers publiek aan te spreken. Schouwburgen, poptempels en festivals, zijn muziek werkt in al deze contexten, zonder veel concessies te doen. Paradijs is een uptempo nummer met subtiele hints naar zowel Doe Maar en met name Hennie Vrienten als Het Goede Doel. Zijn eigengereidheid zit verweven in de fragmentarische wijze van het presenteren van de muziek. Het betere knip- en plakwerk, alsof er vanuit verschillende bronnen stukjes zijn gevonden die goed bij elkaar passen en zo een totaal nieuw nummer maken. Dat lijkt het, want is volledig eigen. Speels en serieus, oud en nieuw, omfloerst en direct, Paradijs is het allemaal.

The Calling. The Dyna Jets

In 2023 there are still artists who sell their souls to the devil at one crossroad or another. Whoever the singer of The Dyna Jets is, he must be one. The devil's on his tail, hardtime. The Calling is the kind of song that is of the kind that does not even takes the time to be a little more polished. Everything is recorded as in transit, if not in flight. Guitar, bass, drums all pound the same rhythm and the singer wails his lyrics fully underscored by the lead guitar. Heavily distorted, sounding as if the amp is at least on 10 but coming through the window from the outside.

It looks like the devil won. I have no clue anymore where I found information on this release. On Bandcamp I find The Dyna Jets released a four song EP in 2015 called The Calling. The duo Johnny Tex and Warren Fisher has not released a new song since, it seems. Perhaps a label decided to release the EP on vinyl? Whatever it is, this is a song that is steaming. Full of energy and a rawness I don't hear everyday. Ghetto Ways is a band that comes close. The start of this post sounded so good to write. Too bad, it is an almost eight year old EP. Think 2015 and it's totally correct.

Big Grey Boxes. Timo de Jong

Driving through the Dutch landscape but also walking long-distance trails, the "verdozing" of The Netherlands is something that I have noticed for something like two decades now. Big Grey Boxes are everywhere in the landscape. These huge complexes where stuff is shipped and reshipped. "Transport and logistics" it often says on the lorries I pass, driving from big grey box to big grey box. Dutch singer-songwriter Timo de Jong voices his amazement at the changes our country has undergone over the past years. In a slow, modest country ballad he takes us through this landscape. He shows us the beautiful Dutch countryside viewed from the trains he's riding. He shows us all nature has to offer, until the landscape changes and the big grey boxes spring to view. With a soft but prominent pedal steel guitar playing in the background, attention is drawn to the song. With his darkish voice he sings in a very pleasant way, making Big Grey Boxes an extremely pleasant listening experience.

Big Smoke. Matt Corby

Dreamy seems to become a common denominator this week. Big Smoke certainly falls into this category. On the 24th of this month Matt Corby releases his new album 'Everything's Fine'. I think I passed by his previous single. Not this one. Matt Corby combines the feeling of a sunny day with having to do nothing but daydreaming. The Australian invokes memories of Jack Johnson's Hawaiian dreaming, while sounding, musically totally different. Big Smoke is far more electric in sound. The singing is extremely soulful, the musical embellishments psychedelic 60s. The question what was smoked here?, is a justified one. When it leads to a beautiful song like Big Smoke, be my guest. Matt Corby combines a lot on Big Smoke and does so successfully. Lay yourself down and just dream away on the sounds of this single.

Cut Out The Middleman EP. Middleman

Anyone wanting to save on costs will want to cut out the middleman. Does he have true added value? No?, get rid of him! With the band called Middleman, I would wait a bit longer before deciding. This punk band from London in the U.K. is touching upon the right attitude. The added value is instantly clear. It may well be this EP could have safely been released in 1977. The link to metal style guitar playing would have been innovative at the time though. It's what sets Middleman apart from 1977. The band makes the most of its powertrio line up. Huge drums and bass allow for the guitar to be al over the place as the basis is taken care of. Harper Maury and Lily Pym know what they're doing here. Cooking up a huge storm. Noah Alves only has to kick the ball into the net and does, four songs long. Don't expect any subtleties here. Just go. Please, don't cut out this Middleman.

Anglecover. The New Pornographers

There has been quite some time that I followed The New Pornographers but in the past perhaps ten years they also faded from consciousness. I have seen at least two great live shows and have at least four cds. What happened? Time, other interests, etc. With Anglecover the band entered my consciousness once again. The song is of the driving kind. The pulse keeps going forward, relentlessly. A.C. Newman and Neko Case lead on the vocal duties and as always, the combination works. It results in a rocker without the muscles often coming with rock. The subtle main riff, played on a keyboard?, distorted flute? gives Anglecover a down to earth element, allowing the huge drums in this song to keep pounding away. The New Pornographers' best songs, in my view, were always über melodic. Anglecover is not. Yet, the interplay between Newman and Case is fantastic, as is the beat. I'm looking forward to the new album later this month.

Going 'Til We Go. Chris Church

Chris Church is working towards the release of his new album 'Radio Transient' on 24 March. With the fast pace of this single, he obviously jumps on the train set into motion by a band like The War On Drugs. What he adds is a superb melody and 1960s The Byrds style or 1980s R.E.M. style guitar playing and picking. (Feel free to fill in what you recognise, as there's much more.) The result is an upbeat song that brings out a smile. Ask me about a smile and The War on Drugs. Add the nice video accompanying this song and more people ought to be paying attention to Chris Church's music. He manages to use elements popular in music over the past nearly 60 years and make them work for him. Going 'Til We Go has what it takes to be nice, good and interesting. All with a tempo that never gives up.

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