7 Singles

Live Like You. DeWolff
The Tascam Tapes have only been released a few months ago, an album I still like to listen to I've noticed. So I expected when a new single was announced on the radio it would be from the recent album, but no. Live Like You is a totally new song. Something more had to the leave the trio working out of Utrecht, stemming from Limburg.

Live Like You is classic DeWolff. High vocals, funky, loud, exuberant rock music based in the 70s southern and classic rock. Next to being classic DeWolff it is an extremely funky and good song. I have the impression that the band tried to write a hit, without abandoning its musical principles. So it is easy to hear a little Traffic/Steve Winwood come by. The old master would have scored a hit easily with a track like Live Like You in the 60s or early 70s. At the same time the guitar is too omnipresent to be really like Traffic. DeWolff has become DEWOLFF, a band in its totally own right. Extremely competent on record, a sensation on stage. Best of both worlds in my book.

It Ain't Water/Rise. Alison Mosshart
One half of The Kills, one quarter of The Dead Weather Alison Mosshart releases her first single as a solo artist. What this means for her work with The Kills I do not know, but to be fair I have lost sight of the band in the late 00s and not everything Jack White touches turns to gold.

In Rise Mosshart shows herself as a tough rock chick, the alternative kind. The music is elementary yet extremely dirty. This is not a ditty from a well-known singer but a song in which she twists and turns, exorcising her demons and mine for good measure. The bare and chugging rhythm propels the song forward in a stop start way. It makes it urgent and a force to reckon with. Even when it explodes, it is in a reckoned way. Not everything is given away in one go. We will rise but we're not telling you when. You will have to wait. Yes, I like this song.

'It Ain't Water' is a sober song as well. There's no full drumming, more just a soft bang on a floor tom. The flavour is somewhat more country based, not unlike some of Dylan's new songs, but a little bit more easy going. Alison Mossheart is holding back, she's singing with her mildly rough voice. The song becomes a little louder but only marginally so. When a guitar flies in, it is mixed into the background, again, where in the studio it may have been earsplitting to get the effect is has.

I suppose that there will be a solo album in the making. If It Ain't The Water and Rise are an indication to go by, the world can look forward to a great album.

Soccer Mommy & friends singles series, vol. 1: Jay Som
Soccer Mommy and Jay Som have come by on this blog before. In fact 'Color Theory' was reviewed quite recently. Already there is a new Soccer Mommy release. She decided to release a string of singles of songs she made with colleagues, each recording a song of the other. The first in this series is with Jay Som. The two songs are called 'Lucy' and 'I Think You're Right'.

'Lucy' is a dark song, where electronics play the lead role. This gives it an 80s vibe with a sultryness as an extension. This mood is countermanded by little bursts of other synths, little ripples of notes and sounds. As a whole there is not enough happening to keep the song fully interesting for the whole 5 minutes something it lasts. 'I Think You're Right' has an acoustic guitar at its basis, around which Soccer Mommy's voice is treated electronically with hints at percussion and some atmospherics. Again a synth creates the most interesting parts of the song. All in all the song sounds like a cover of an obscure Sparklehorse track, one the band never released.

My conclusion is that both artists are far more interesting on their own. In their collaboration the sum of the parts certainly does not make three, more 1,5. Sorry, but I cannot make much more of this single.

Blue Herons. Karl Blau/The World of Dust
A(nother) split single is a phenomena that started in the punk days, where two bands shared one side. Not long ago Tiny Room Records released a split mini album between Taïfun and Holden Goldmund, an excellent album by the way, now a split 7" between Karl Blau and The World of Dust. Both artists, Karl Blau and Stefan Breuer in recent years left their home towns, Anacortes in Washington state and Utrecht respectively.

In 'Slightly Salted' Blau celebrates his years in the U.S.' north-west coast town where major ferries from the islands dock. It is a cover of the band Pounding Serfs, a song that became something like an anthem for Anacortes, although I have a hard time imagining the population singing it on festive days. Listening more closely, it is nice to hear the details Karl Blau has put into the intro just to start the song with. A few elementary keyboard notes, a harmonica playing lead notes and maracas for rhythm. The lyrics is literally about living on the coast. "We are slightly, slightly salted, but we don't care". At the end a heavily distorted guitar chimes in, without taking over completely. That's the nice thing about mixing. The effect is sort devastating any which way.

'The Life Of Gods' is Breuer's contribution to the split single. The World of Dust is his vehicle for his own songs. An acoustic guitar is the main instrument, a child's piano the solo instrument. Around it all sorts of other sounds and atmospherics move in and out of the song. The result is a dreamy song as if detached from reality. Where the salt of Anacortes is as real as it gets, "gazing at the cosmos, looking for God" is as far from daily life and strive as can be. The song reminds me of 'I Am The Cosmos", and not just because of the word cosmos.

Summing up I have to admit that both songs will not enter my personal top 10, but as a split single the effort by both acts are well-balanced and extremely pleasant to listen to.

Our Love Is Beautiful. Ethan Gold
Ethan Gold debuted on these pages with his previous, anthem like single Not Me. Us. Mostly known for his film scores, he does not find himself easily on WoNoBlog. So now that he released a second single in succession, let's look at his music again. The anthem part is now delegated to the cover art where a profile view of a man is made up out of hundreds and hundreds of small pictures of people, underscoring the not me, us theme of his previous single.

Our Love Is Beautiful is a modern song steeped in classic singer-songriter laced with pop music, that made it to great heights in the 70s. Ethan Gold does not linger in this era but makes his statement in a contemporary way as well. The song may mix things from long ago, I'm even faintly reminded of The Moody Blues at some point, it is the rhythm section in the song, including the tight acoustic guitar, that makes it fit in with the singer-songwriters of today. The theme is solely personal like the title of the song already suggests. No inclusion here, only personal support: "Don't take yourself down" is Gold's comforting line to his loved one.

Our Love Is Beautiful is not a song extraordinaire like his previous single. Just a small, very descent, delicate and nice song.

South Of Somewhere. Stop Calling Me Frank
With the album 'Haberdashed' coming up, Stop Calling Me Frank returns to these pages with a single from the album. The revamped band from the 80s shows that it is all business and no play. Don't take that last word literally as SCMF is playing the tiles of your roof. South Of Somewhere is a tight bluesrocking song like they used to make them of old. Perhaps psyched up rock and roll is a better description. Aerosmith certainly is connection here. The harmonica is pushing the band onwards into a supertight, highrolling party song that allows for some mild headbanging and jumping around befitting our ages. "Little Red Corvette" is mentioned in the lyrics, sounding on the jukebox. The singer is south of somewhere, in other words not in his natural rocking habitat. The Elton John reference coming up next, is still not in the turf of SCMF, though closer. Closer, but not close enough. This is a dirty song, not unlike the final tip of the hat, 'Desolation Row', where things most likely aren't clean as well. In other words rock and roll as it is supposed to sound. Rough at the edges, nice on the inside.

If this song is anything to go on, 'Haberdashed' is going to be some album.


Perfect Company. The Hi-End
The final song of today is a song that reminds me of Rod Stewart's 'Hot Legs' where the guitar sound is concerned. Always one of my favourites as 'Stay With Me', The Faces' biggest hit isn't too far away either.

Perfect Company lyrically is closer to 'Stay With Me'. "Just what you needed", but far from perfect. Musically it is blast of energy with a great lead guitar that's allowed to go all over the place and a supertight rhythm section behind it. The singing is rough with some supernice harmonies and shouting going on. Howling into the night. This has all been done before but I'm not complaining hearing a song like Perfect Company. For that it is just too much fun. The reference to The Cars in the most repeated song line is also good to hear. The High End is exactly that, faster and upbeat, but the nod is unmistakable. A nice mix between snotty punk, new wave rock and powerpop. It all comes together quite nicely. Near perfect company in my ears.

Wo.


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