The Bends. Rosie Carney

Je moet het maar durven om Radiohead klassieker The Bends integraal te coveren. Rosie Carney durft het en pakt je volledig in met prachtig dromerige klanken en haar geweldige stem.

Het lijkt op voorhand een project dat alleen maar kan mislukken, maar wat is Rosie Carney’s versie van The Bends van Radiohead mooi. De songs zijn natuurlijk fantastisch, maar probeer hier maar eens lome en dromerige indie-folk van te maken. Rosie Carney probeert het en slaagt wat mij betreft met vlag en wimpel. De songs van klassieker The Bends worden stuk voor stuk Rosie Carney songs. Het is verdienste van de wonderschone instrumentatie op het album, waarin akoestische klanken en elektronica fraai samenvloeien, maar het is uiteindelijk vooral de geweldige stem van de Ierse singer-songwriter die je in katzwijm achter laat. Keer op keer. Rosie Carney onderstreept haar talent nog maar eens en doet dat op zeer indrukwekkende wijze.

Rosie Carney debuteerde aan het begin van 2019 bijzonder knap met het wonderschone Bare, waarop de jonge Ierse singer-songwriter afrekende met een aantal persoonlijke demonen uit het verleden. Het leverde een zeer persoonlijk en intiem album op, dat in de maanden die volgden alleen maar mooier en indringender werd. 

Het deed zeer uitzien naar het tweede album van de Ierse singer-songwriter. Dat tweede album is deze week verschenen, al zal de tijd moeten leren of The Bends inderdaad het tweede reguliere album is van Rosie Carney of een mooi tussendoortje. 

Bij The Bends moest ik meteen denken aan het album van Radiohead, dat in 1995 verscheen. Het is het album dat de Britse band op de kaart zette, maar het is ook een relatief toegankelijk album, zeker voor Radiohead begrippen. The Bends is mijn favoriete Radiohead album en het is kennelijk ook het favoriete Radiohead album van Rosie Carney, die overigens pas twee jaar na de release van The Bends werd geboren. 

Op The Bends voert Rosie Carney het geweldige album van Radiohead integraal uit, wat best gewaagd mag worden genoemd. The Bends is zo’n album waar je eigenlijk maar beter af kan blijven en het is bovendien een album dat vrij ver lijkt verwijderd van de muziek die Rosie Carney normaal gesproken maakt. 

Er zullen ongetwijfeld een hoop muziekliefhebbers in het algemeen en Radiohead fans in het bijzonder zijn die helemaal niets moeten hebben van de versie van Rosie Carney of die er zelfs het etiket heiligschennis op plakken, maar persoonlijk ben ik zeer gecharmeerd van deze versie van The Bends. 

Rosie Carney maakt op The Bends haar eigen songs van de originelen van Radiohead. Dit doet de Ierse muzikante door te kiezen voor een wat lome of zelfs dromerige instrumentatie waarin akoestische instrumenten zorgen voor de basis, waarna wolken elektronica en strijkers de dromerige sfeer nog wat verder versterken. 

De instrumentatie klinkt flink anders dan die van Radiohead en is ontdaan van alle scherpe kantjes en met haar stem maakt Rosie Carney het verschil tussen haar versie van The Bends en die van Radiohead nog een stuk groter. De instrumentatie is te karakteriseren als loom, dromerig en sober en dat gaat ook op voor de zang van Rosie Carney, die voor het grootste deel fluisterzacht is. 

Ik ken de originelen van Radiohead heel goed, wat het meestal lastig maakt om van covers te genieten, maar de covers van Rosie Carney hadden me onmiddellijk te pakken. De Ierse singer-songwriter heeft het geluid van haar zo mooie debuut Bare op de versies van Radiohead geplakt en maakt er met haar bijzonder mooie stem definitief haar eigen songs van. 

Het zijn songs vol bezwering, die wat mij betreft recht doen aan de originelen. Rosie Carney nam haar versie van The Bends op in haar slaapkamer, wat het dromerige karakter van het album nog wat verder versterkt. Tussendoortje of niet, wat mij betreft maakt Rosie Carney de belofte van haar zo geweldige debuut meer dan waar. 

De Ierse singer-songwriter was naar verluidt vooral zenuwachtig over haar versie van High & Dry, maar het is wat mij betreft vier minuten kippenvel. En dat geldt uiteindelijk voor veel meer songs op deze zeer geslaagde remake van een klassieker. Petje af.

Erwin Zijleman

 

Luister naar onze Spotify Playlist om uit te vinden waar we over schrijven:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g

 

WoNo Magazine 20 Years

It would have been nice to be able to write:"It was twenty years ago today", but unfortunately we do not know the exact date of publication. It is a fact that somewhere this month it was 20 years ago that Wo. (Wout de Natris) and .No (Wino Penris) released the first issue of WoNo Magazine. At the time we were colleagues at the Dutch regulator for post and telecommunication called OPTA. Management had decided that there was to be a magazine for and by employees and we had suggested to dedicate one page in the by-monthly or quarterly issue, I can't remember, to music and that we would fill it.

We not only got a negative response from the editorial board, but, as often happens, also received the messages below the one replying to our suggestion, where the board ridiculed our suggestion. "However could they think that such a topic would ever get a page in 'Optater'". Reading the response, we decided to start our own magazine, and penned the issue to the last page within days and distributed it among all our colleagues with the invitation to fill the next one themselves: "for and by our readers". Whatever happened to Optater, WoNo Magazine outlived it for many a year. It stopped after nearly 16 years late in 2016. The blog passed its ninth birthday without a sound two weeks ago.

The magazine grew and grew, colleagues brought in friends, family and former colleagues, who became members and with the passing of time the magazine reached a few hundreds of people, several of whom started writing themselves, not seldom coerced by the "evil eye" of the sometimes feared editor Wo. Fear and loathing in The Hague. Despite becoming, over time, a yearly item, the magazine got into its 16th year before the plug was pulled. By then it had outlived itself. The blog is still there. Incidentally you can still find former colleagues writing and a former colleague of a former colleague, Erwin, is a consistent contributor, while HareD or Edwin writes on every live show he goes to (hence his silence the past twelve months).

Twenty years. It is a shocking. On the one hand it shows the love for music and the fun to write personal opinions about music. On the other hand it is shocking to notice the passing of time. When we started in 2001 we were no longer young and today we certainly are not young by a long shot. What hasn't changed is the love and fascination for music. .No makes that monthly utterly intriguing radio program called 'Kairos' on Concertzender, while I, Wo., chaise every young band with guitars combined with great melodies and can still get thrilled by new music that I (am invited to) get to know.

Because of the blog I have got to know many artists personally. I, until Corona got to us all, was able to organise in-home shows for friends by artists that I started to know. It is a privilege and a thrill to be able to see music played in such an intimate setting, something our friends will certainly underscore. To get to know artists, is one of the privileges that came with the blog. One I never foresaw when I started. Yes, artists and record labels from all over the world send me music for years already and through this I have gotten to know artists that I, most likely, would never have gotten to know otherwise. This blog has enriched my life in several ways. But, the fun of listening to fantastic music and to be able to express my personal feelings, intuitions, associations and thoughts tied to that music, is the fun of running this blog. Hopefully I can continue doing this for another ?? years to come.

And the WoNo logo you see at the top? That was designed by my incredibly creative niece Tineke. It was turned into a t-shirt as well. If I remember correctly there are or were five of them in this world. This week mine was at the top of the heap. When I put it one, I noticed that the print had started to fray after 15 years or so. Decay, aarrghh! But okay, time passes.

And that first issue from February 2001, does it still exist? Not in a digital form, as all OPTA's non-essential records were deleted after the merger into ACM. There was however, at least, one physical copy that survived. We scanned it for you. Below is the link to that very first WoNo Magazine. It's in Dutch, but even for our foreign friends, it will be fun to find out what it looked like all those years ago. Among the articles is one on my favourite Spanish band Jarabe de Palo, whose singer Pau Donés died last year at the age of 54. The passing of time alright.

For all following the blog and all those who have contributed in filling the magazine for all those years, thank you! It was great fun. In our own way, let's stay forever young! Onwards to 10 years of WoNoBlog. Let's take it from there and see where it can go. Only 11.5 months to go from today.

Wo.

You find the first WoNo Magazine here:

https://www.winopenris.nl/wono/WoNo%20nr%201.pdf

 

Listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g

 

George Kooymans, Golden Earring(s). A conversation for three

When on Friday 5 February George Kooymans, gitarist, co-vocalist and songwriter of Golden Earring (and Vreemde Kostgangers) announced to be too ill to ever perform again and later that same day singer Barry Hay announced the end of the band, as this a one-for-all, all-for-one band relationship. An unexpected end came to one of the longest lasting rock bands in history. At the age of 13 and 15 in 1961 George Kooymans and Rinus Gerritsen started a band that would become Golden Earrings and from late 1969 Golden Earring, because that would fit better in the U.S. after the band toured there for the first time. The end came without being able to choose a goodbye, most likely due to corona/covid-19, as in any other scenario some kind of goodbye could have been planned. Now it is simply totally uncertain and a horrible disease like ALS is extremely progressive.

Golden Earring outside of The Netherlands is a band mostly, perhaps exclusively known for its 1973 hit 'Radar Love'. This undersells the band in a tremendous way, as it has a string of incredibly strong hit songs, spanning decades. Even the last single, released in 2019, 'Say When', is still more than just passable. Below a digital conversation takes place in which Wout is able to share his favourite Golden Earring(s) singles with Gary and Mark (and all readers of course), while they take a look at other bands as well.

As a small aside. In the second edition of WoNo Magazine in the early spring of 2001, Wo. wrote an article called "Everyone has his own Golden Earring". Even 20 years ago the band spanned such an era that many generations have had their own favourites, starting with teenagers in the mid 60, etc.

Wout, 5 February:

This morning NL woke up to a shock to its musical heritage. There are bands that exist for longer than I can remember, in the almost original line up. Every once in a while, I can't help thinking: Who will be the first to fall. In the case of Golden Earring we know today. It is songwriter, guitarist, singer George Kooymans. He made it known that he is ill and will not recover in a way ever to perform again. What his ailment is, was not made known, but it sounds ominous. It sounds more like a neural or muscle disease "will not recover allowing", but could be worse and shorter. I do not know.

The Earring is an institute over here. In action since 1961 with two of the then five still present and the current line-up, minus two short lived additions in the 1970s, since 1970. An incredible number of hits spanning several decades to its name.

I saw Kooymans perform, a week before the country went into lockdown in March 2020. Not with Golden Earring but with Vreemde Kostgangers (Strange Boarders), consisting of Boudewijn de Groot, Henny Vrienten and Kooymans, writing in Dutch, which were Kooymans' first songs in the Dutch language. Compared to the other two I noticed he looked old, stooped. De Groot had announced his farewell from the stage the week before this show. He couldn't stand the pre-performance nerves he had any more. The tour was cancelled like all else was and De Groot promised to postpone his retirement until after the Covid. Now it turns out that it was his goodbye anyway, as another of the trio will not be able to perform any more.

When interested, let's start a conversation on the Golden Earring(s). This gives me the opportunity to point you to my favourite Earring songs, beside the worldwide popular song 'Radar Love', which btw made it to the list of 10 "new" songs slated for a Sweetwood rendition, if we are ever allowed to get together again that is.

I have heard 'Radar Love' played on three continents so far. That is a rare feat for a Dutch rock band, unlike the dance acts of this century.

Gary, 5 February:

Sad new indeed Wout!

Golden Earring’s Radar Love was a favourite on radio playlists since the 1970s and is even heard now and again on BBC Radio 2 even today! It shouldn’t be forgotten that Golden Earring toured with Hendrix, Zeppelin and King Crimson! Also worth noting that English singer Barry Hay joined in 1967 and I understand is still the band today? Wout, do you have their last album 'Tits ’N' Ass’ (2012 - a rather Spinal Tap title if I have ever heard one?) as I understand that made No1 in the NL? Many a time have I played air guitar in rock pubs over the years, although I have to be careful and very drunk to do that kind of thing now… 🤣

I note that the Thijs van Leer variant of Focus is still going strong and (intend) to tour the UK again later this year!

But what about other Dutch bands like Picture and Shocking Blue?

Mark, 6 February:

Shocking Blue: the adorable lead singer Mariska passed away in 2006 with cancer and we eulogised the death also of the bassist Klaasje van der Wal in one of our emails three years ago. The original drummer died in the late 1990s so the only survivor of the original line-up is the guitarist Robbie van Leeuwen. He wrote Venus and most of the other original songs they recorded. I've got Bananarama's cover of Venus but I still haven't got round to getting a copy of the original. Amazingly Nirvana chose one of his SB songs, Love Buzz, as their debut single and it was also included on Bleach. 

I hadn't heard of Picture - did they make much of an impression in the UK? - so I had to look them up.  A lot of line-up changes over the years but still doing their thing according to wikiheavypedia - and popular with metal fans here in Japan apparently. I wonder if Wout is banging his head as he reads this.

 

Mark, 8 February:

That is sad news about George Kooymans. You may have forgotten the email I wrote at the time last year when I bought the RSD limited edition of Radar Love. It's a superb piece of rock'n'roll but for me it also brings back memories of my time working in Rotterdam and Schiedam in the mid-70s when somebody I knew then had a copy which I recorded on a cassette.

 

Wout, 8 February:

I certainly do. Funny thing is, that I may own over 30, perhaps even over 40 Golden Earring(s) singles but not Radar Love and neither the band's first #1 single in 1968, 'Dong-Dong-Di-Ki-Di-Ki-Dong', a song the band hated so much later that it was never played live. How many bands can afford not to play its first number one hit? Not that many is my guess. I simply never run into them second hand. I still have a few to go though, including some very nice ones, like 'I've Just Lost Somebody'.

Later that fateful Friday Barry Hay, the singer, announced that the band stops as well. The four members had a long-standing agreement that it was together or nothing. Kooymans announced later that Friday it is ALS he's suffering from, so my hunch was correct. Also, he indicated that there was nothing left to say. In other words, please leave me alone.

Golden Earring, to me, was a great singles band. I never gave much about its albums. Not from the 60s, 70s or later. That makes it noteworthy, Gary, that I did like 'Tits 'n Ass', from 2012. I never bought it, but listened to it regularly at the time. Albums that I do like are 'To The Hilt' and 'Against The Grain', albums that in general are not scored well.

Where singles are concerned, the band has a near endless string of hits, that should have made it far more famous abroad than it did. I do have the impression the band always followed international trends until it settled into its own sound later into its career. From U.K. pop in the mid 60s, to psychedelia in 1967 and a mini opera late in 1968. From 1970 onwards only the band became a (classic) rock band, culminating in its worldwide hit Radar Love and later 'Twilight Zone and 'When The Lady Smiles'.

For all people not Dutch I'd recommend listening to the following songs.

The two early pop songs 'Please Go' and 'That Day'.

Psychedelia: 'Sound of the Screaming Day' (the first with Barry Hay as singer) and 'I've Just Lost Somebody (the last lyric Rinus Gerritsen wrote for the band).

The horrible pop #1: Dong-Dong-Di-Ki-Di-Ki-Dong (just so you know)

The mini opera: 'Just a Little Bit of Peace in my Heart' (!!!!!!!!!!)

1969 ballad: Another 45 Miles

Rock: Back Home (first single with Cesar Zuijderwijk), Holy Holy Life (my first GE single), She Flies on Strange Wings (!!!!!!), Ce Soir, Sleepwalking, Bombay, Weekend Love.

1980s: Twilight Zone, When the Lady Smiles, Quiet Eyes

1990s: Going to the Run (another ultimate ballad !!!!!)

In the mid 90s the band got a new leash on life thanks to the unplugged rage. Three albums that all sold well, the first turned out to become the best of its whole career and it allowed the band to play unplugged for older fans in theatres next to the outdoor shows. It started a movement for all other artists over here as well, as people come in droves in that setting. I went to one of these shows and it was great fun.

The last Earring show, as it turns out, was late in 2019. They had a hard time selling out Ahoy in Rotterdam. With a little help from last minute tv talkshow appearances they managed to.

As I already wrote, I saw Kooymans on March 5 2020, a few days before the lockdown with no inclination at all how legendary in hindsight that show would become.

And Gary, as to your question on Dutch bands, there isn't a single band with the standing of Golden Earring in The Netherlands. All others folded at some point. Shocking Blue in the mid 70s, when the big hits had already stopped. Robbie van Leeuwen, who before Shocking Blue wrote the hits for The Motions, started another band, Galaxy Lin, that scored a few minor hits before he retired to his mansion or castle in Luxemburg. He totally remained out of view in his retirement for decades. (The others started to perform under the name of Shocking Blue for a while at greatest hits shows.) Until 2019. A midweek tv show host decided to put a spotlight on Shocking Blue with a cover of one of its songs by  a modern artist once a week. At the start he had Robbie van Leeuwen in the studio, "for the first and the last time", as he said. It didn't do much as a revival. This is the past and every once in a while one if the songs may come by on the radio.

For his most famous song, the one you can hear all over the world, 'Venus', Van Leeuwen lifted its two main riffs from The Big 3's 'The Banjo Song'. The fact that song is an alternate arrangement of 'Oh, Susannah', may explain why the authors of 'The Banjo Song' arrangement never sued in court. For the rest 'Venus' is a perfect pop single of course, although I always liked 'Send Me A Postcard' so much more. (The 'Venus' story is not unlike Jimi Hendrix nicking the 'Hey Joe' arrangement.)

Picture? I have never even heard of the band. I truly have no clue.

Where albums were concerned, I never bought a lot from Dutch bands at the time, I never thought them to be good enough. Singles, yes, albums incidentally. That changed in recent years. Currently we have a host of young alternative rock bands that are able to take on the world, if they knew how to. Perhaps the Dutch bureau for foreign investments has to create some kind of awareness program.

Due to our conversations, I did buy the first two Focus albums, two by Earth & Fire, whose first single, 'Seasons' was penned by .... George Kooymans, and three Alquin albums, one left to go. You could try out Brainbox, with Jan Akkerman before Focus, with the fantastic single 'Down Man' or the sympho jazzy Solution, 'It's Only Just Begun'. 'Hair', yes from the musical, by Zen is my absolute favourite rock single from NL. Finally, listen to "Prikkebeen' by Boudewijn de Groot. The arrangement of that song is fabulous.

To come back to Golden Earring. That band was so much more than just 'Radar Love'. Try out a few of my tips and see what you find there.

 

Mark, 8 February:

Many thanks for all the Golden Earring info as I'm certainly keen to add a couple of more singles to my collection especially if they thunder along like Radar Love. I always feel that if I have just the one record by an artist, it is not doing fair justice to their contribution to music - and it is usually interesting to play back to back records by the same artist. I'm grateful to know, though, that I need not risk going into my favourite record shop in Soho (Sister Ray on Berwick Street ) and asking if they've got a decent copy of Dong-Dong-Di-Ki-Di-Ki-Dong. They'd probably say I was in the wrong shop and direct me round the corner to Ann Summers on Wardour Street.

Focus yes of course but we mustn't forget Alquin: remember you strongly urged me - in Paris I think*? - to buy that rather scruffy but cheap copy of Nobody Can Wait, the l.p. with the great surreal cover. I need to replace that with a copy in concourse condition (as they say in the world of classic cars).

Your reference to "The Big 3" threw me at first because I thought I knew the entire discography (it's not that long actually) of the Merseybeat band of that name - "The Big Three" (sic) - who were rated on the local Liverpool club circuit as serious rivals to The Beatles at one point. Then I looked up The Banjo Song and found the info on a contemporary folk trio including (Mama) Cass Elliott and Tim Rose. Neither outfit survived long enough it seems to sue each other with their prior claims to the name. 

The "big three" in Japan you might say were three guys who crested the wave of early 1980s electronica as contemporaries of Kraftwerk. One member later acted alongside David Bowie in a war film that you may recall with a memorable soundtrack that he composed. I came across their eye catching first album for sale in a Japanese coffee shop a few days ago.

In perfect condition with the customary "obi strip" and Japanese lyric insert, I couldn't resist it at 2,500 yen (though the coffee wasn't so great actually!). The Yellow Magic Orchestra were a rare case of a Japanese band making it "Big in Europe" (!) and I expect they must have played in Holland on one of their tours. The YMO keyboardist and soundtrack composer (The Last Emperor, The Revenant and of course the haunting piano melody of Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence),  Ryuichi Sakamoto is now enduring cancer treatment, as described in a recent, very moving documentary film about his life, [goog_447644119] Coda , which I recommend highly.

 

(* No, Mark, in my former hometown Leiden)

 

Cesar, Rinus, Barry, George

Gary, 8 February:

That is sad that Kooymans is suffering from ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease which is a progressive nervous system illness that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control) as for a musician it will rob you of one of the most important part of your life?

As for not performing Dong-Dong-Di-Ki-Di-Ki-Dong, The Sweet had a similar aversion and approach to not playing their first hits ‘Co-Co’, ‘Little Willy’ and ‘Wig-Wam Bam’ although a lot of that may have been down to a dispute with songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman? It was obvious that The Sweet and Golden Earring both considered themselves serious rock musicians rather than ‘Pop’…. I am therefore not surprised that Barry Hay took an ethical/moral decision to announce the end of the band.

I will defiantly look into your recommendations!

 

Wout, 8 February:

Yes, Gary, I can imagine Sweet no longer playing 'Coco', 'Poppa Joe' and 'Little Willy'. Wig-Wam-Bam though was the switch to the music that defined the glam Sweet. Meaning in the Netherlands, Sweet ignored two number one hits, the first was Funny, Funny, the second Poppa Joe. Topping the Earring by one #1 hit not played. The third and final #1 was Blockbuster.

Where Venus is concerned, the song became a hit three times, once as Shocking Blue (twice in NL after the song was re-released after it had peaked in the US charts, both times peaking at #3), then as a part of the first Stars on 45 single and finally Bananarama. In the U.S. all three versions topped the charts. Venus is the only song able to state this. So now you know why Robbie van Leeuwen was able to retire to his chateau in Luxemburg.

The Banjo Song riff, written by Tim Rose, was played on a clavinet by a session musician, Cees Schrama, so not a member of Shocking Blue. He improvised a little, he later stated, based on 'Watermelon Man' by Herbie Hancock. That makes it the more baffling how much it sounds like The Banjo Song. (Thank you Wikipedia, for that final information.) Schrama defines a major part of the song, not unlike the organ part in 'A Whiter Shade of Pale'. He was paid for the session, while he could have shared a mansion as well, just like Tim Rose could have. The other three Shocking Blue members also only saw money as performers. Van Leeuwen truly knew what he was doing at the time, and admitted as much later on.

 

Gary

Mark

Wout   

 

Listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g

Fun Sized. Hayley and the Crushers

Hayley and the Crushers have already come by twice in two posts on recent singles. 'Church Of Flag' and 'Jacaranda' have received a favourable review, where especially the former stood out as an extremely great single. So how does the mini album Fun Sized hold up?

Let's first take a look at who this band is as this is its first album on this blog. The band is from California's San Luis Obispo and describes itself as "poolside glitter trash", just so we know. Also "one part punk-pop, one part sunny surf" comes by as a description and that I'll abide to. Hayley Crusher Cain fronts the band on guitar and singing. Dr. Cain wields his bass, while Action Ben Cabreana is the drummer. Musically the band looks in the rear-view mirror to music that was made in the late 70s to late 80s. The band has two previous albums to it name, 'Vintage Millennial' (2020) and 'Cool/Lame' (2018).

Here I start with the punkpop side of Blondie, but also the Go-Go's are a part of the mix but what to think of a song like 'Walking On Sunshine' by Katrina and the Waves? Hayley sings very much like Debbie Harry did but has the much better and stronger voice. What is more important is that Fun Sized is not only called this way but is fun all around.

Hayley and the Crushers are able to make music that blends pop and punk in an utmost way. The result is songs that are instantly recognisable and likeable. Yes, you may correctly state that this has all been done before, but my answer is that when this is done this good, the comment becomes inconsequential. From the first guitar strokes of 'Jacaranda' the lover of punkpop is in punkpop heaven. The kind of song that aims for the head, the heart, the legs and the mouth. Just try to sit still and not sing along. I dare you!

Promo photo: Jenny Ashley

'Church Of Flag' was the correct first single of Fun Sized. The song is the toughest of the six and the melodically the best. It resonated with me immediately and remains to do so. The kind of song that I could play all day and put it on once more just for good fun.

The four songs that were not released as singles, show that liking the two singles wasn't a coincidence. The three Crushers show how tight as a band they are, how they fill the sound spectrum as a force, like a trio setting must and don't lose the melody out of their sight no matter how tough they are playing. A nice bass run when the guitar plays tight chords, the drums like a powerhouse, just some details to be aware of when listening. A song like 'Water On Glass' is the best song Blondie never made and I can even imagine it as a cover should Blondie ever release an album again.

As a final comment I will point to Hayley's voice. No matter how loud, tough and strong the music becomes, she always masters the song. There's no need to scream, to shout, to exert herself. Her voice always sounds like she is truly singing, with ease and comfortably. This is something that is not given a lot of singers in this genre. She presents herself as the woman she is without having to try to be tougher than she is. The combination is totally charming. I love hearing her sing this music.

All fans of poppunk, powerpop, whatever you would like to call it, this is your music. Fun Sized is a fun sized album alright.

Wo.

You can listen to and order Fun Sized here:

https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/fun-sized

or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g

10 Singles, 2021/8

With another week gone by WoNoBlog presents you another set of recent singles and the odd EP. Going through the list, again I'm surprised how diverse this grouping is. There's so much to enjoy out there. From great powerrock and roll to a Doe Maar reincarnation, but also an electronic dance track and funky soul 'n' rock. You can find it all in this post. Below is the link so you can listen to it all yourself while reading. Have fun!

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.

Tweede Kamer. Sophie Straat featuring Goldband

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.

Half Of Your Love. DeWolff

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'.

French Girls EP. French Girls

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.

Electric Dream. Pixey

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.

Wrong Feet. Snowapple

"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.

One More Try. Indonesian Junk featuring Kurt Baker

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.

Two Blueberries. Cold Expectations

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.

Scorpion Bowl to Go. Justine and the Unclean

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 / Star Crossed. Kewpid

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

Party Time. EUT

My conclusion after listening to EUT's debut album several times more, after writing about my initial conclusions, was that I liked the music but at the same time was not fully convinced of the quality. Which is okay for a first album. A few years down the road several nice singles come by from the announced album Party Time, making me wonder whether it was time to change my first impression of the band. What I wrote at the end of the review was that this band was already very accomplished. "Where will this end?" Party Time is here, so how has EUT fared since the release of 'Fool For The Vibes'?

The album opens with a couple of songs that are Garbage 1995 all over again. Strong, electronic rock songs of the kind that demand listening to. They are extremely present, all over the place. Their sound may be familiar, the quality is quite alright and perfect opening songs for an alternative rock album. When the mood goes down a little in the fourth song, 'Cool', the sound again is familiar. Also again the song is simply great. An opening set of songs that make an immediate impression.

From the host of alternative rock bands coming out of this country in the past four years EUT may be the most commercial. The pop element is far more clear than with bands like Price or Slow Worries, let alone the mathematical rhythms of Global Charming. The more surprising are the moments when the band does dive into an experiment with the jazzy 'Interlude'. This jam has developed into a full fledged song, with a nice groove to go. The more surprising as well is the track preceding it, 'Stuck'. "I'm stuck under a rock, teach me how to fuck" is not the kind of lyric I expect to hear from a nice singing Megan de Klerk nor from a member of the new, extremely prude generation. The lyric is provocative and confrontational, so can be seen as an experiment as well.

It doesn't stop there. In 'The Buggs (part II)' most traditional song structures are let go of as well. Sound and melody are not what is to be expected at the beginning of Party Time, in fact the easy going party time has been left behind by EUT already. The chiming bells bring The Velvet Underground into mind, as does the ending of the song as a whole.

With the single 'Killer Bee' the pop element returns, but also isn't a song that is easy to read. A song like 'Killer Bee' shows how good EUT is. It combines a few musical worlds. Pop, alternative rock, synthpop and a keen ear for writing a great melody in combination with part harder to read arrangement and free flowing pop. 'Killer Bee' holds a lot of intriguing elements all in just under four minutes.

Add all this up and I can only conclude that EUT has set the step I had hoped, even expected the band to make. This is an album to be proud of.

Wo.

You can order Party Time on EUT's website;

https://www.thewordiseut.com/

or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g

Youth Pastoral. Ben Seretan

Youth Pastoral van Ben Seretan begint bij de countryrock uit de jaren 70, maar laat zich geen moment beperken door de conventies van het genre, wat een wonderschoon album oplevert.

Dankzij het jaarlijstje van Paste Magazine heb ik sinkennis gemaakt met Youth Pastoral van Ben Seretan en wat is het een mooi en indrukwekkend album. Het is een album dat opvalt door een wat lome maar ook zeer rijke instrumentatie, die je mee terugneemt naar de jaren 70, maar daar zeker niet blijft hangen. Ben Seretan is niet vies van countryrock uit vervlogen tijden, maar hij geeft zijn eigen draai aan de invloeden uit het verleden. In muzikaal opzicht staat het als een huis, maar ook het niveau van de zang (met een vleugje Neil Young) en het niveau van de songs (die ook omliggende genres verkennen) is hoog. Tot voor kort had ik er nooit iets over gehoord, maar wat is het mooi.

In het jaarlijstje van Paste Magazine vond ik Youth Pastoral van de Amerikaanse singer-songwriter Ben Seretan. Ik was de naam nog niet tegengekomen en in de jaren hiervoor overigens ook niet, maar de omschrijving van Paste Magazine, met onder andere de onderstaande zin, maakte me direct nieuwsgierig: “Youth Pastoral is a stunning album that draws its power from Seretan’s Neil Young-like vocals, his evocative, soul-baring songwriting, and a rustic, reverent hum befitting of its heavenward gaze”. 

Omdat ik de naam Ben Seretan nog nooit was tegengekomen, ging ik er lange tijd van uit dat Youth Pastoral het debuut was van de singer-songwriter uit Troy, New York, maar Ben Pastoral blijkt een zeer productief muzikant, die alleen al in 2020 meerdere albums uitbracht. Youth Pastoral is de meest ambitieuze van het stel en het is een album dat wat mij betreft terecht is opgedoken in het jaarlijstje van Paste Magazine. 

In het citaat van de Amerikaanse muziekwebsite komt al naar voren dat de stem van Ben Seretan wel wat doet denken aan die van Neil Young. Daar is inderdaad wel wat voor te zeggen, maar het is zeker niet het eerste dat me opviel bij beluistering van Youth Pastoral. Ik was in eerste instantie vooral diep onder de indruk van de rijke instrumentatie op het album van de Amerikaanse muzikant. 

Ben Seretan heeft een lui en ruimtelijk klinkend album gemaakt, dat absoluut een 70s feel heeft, maar van retro is zeker geen sprake. De Amerikaanse muzikant maakt Amerikaanse rootsmuziek met een voorliefde voor countryrock, maar de inkleuring van de rootsmuziek van Ben Seretan is eigenzinnig. 

Voor Youth Pastoral werd een heel arsenaal aan instrumenten de studio in gesleept. Uiteraard zijn er de gitaren en de binnen de countryrock onmisbare pedal steel, maar Ben Seretan en zijn medemuzikanten maakten ook nog gebruik van onder andere een harmonium, flink wat synthesizers, een pomporgel, een fluit en een saxofoon. 

Het voorziet het album van een lekker vol geluid, dat enerzijds herinnert aan de hoogtijdagen van de countryrock, maar ook uitstapjes maakt richting psychedelica. Ook de percussie op het album durft overigens buiten de lijntjes te kleuren, waardoor Youth Pastoral een stuk spannender is dan het zoveelste album dat zich laat beïnvloeden door de hoogtijdagen van de countryrock. 

Ben Seretan maakt zijn eigen ding van alle invloeden uit het verleden en beschikt ook nog eens over een stem die gemaakt lijkt voor dit genre. Ik hoor inderdaad een vleugje Neil Young, maar de overeenkomsten moeten niet overdreven worden, al is het maar omdat ik ook het wat geknepen geluid van Billy Corgan hoor in de zang. 

De stem van Ben Seretan wordt nog wat mooier wanneer hij zich laat ondersteunen door zangeres Devra Freelander, die nog wat schoonheid toevoegt aan het al zo rijkelijk met schoonheid bedeelde Youth Pastoral. 

Het album wordt tenslotte nog wat verder opgetild door de tijdloze en soms monumentale songs op het album, die niet alleen bijzonder fraai worden ingekleurd, maar die ook vol gevoel worden vertolkt en zo af en toe ook nog eens heerlijk mogen ontsporen. Het album van Ben Seretan heeft vorig jaar nauwelijks aandacht gekregen, of het is mij ontgaan, maar ik durf het inmiddels best een van de pareltjes van 2020 te noemen.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt Youth Pastoral hier beluisteren en bestellen:

https://benseretan.bandcamp.com/album/youth-pastoral

 

of luister naar onze Spotify Playlist om uit te vinden waar we over schrijven:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g

 

Dwellers Of The Deep. Wobbler

De Noorse band Wobbler levert met Dwellers Of The Deep een Yes album af dat de Britse band zelf niet maakte aan het begin van de jaren 70, maar waarvoor het zich niet had hoeven schamen.

Er zijn maar weinig bassisten die zo spelen als Chris Squire van Yes dat kon, maar de bassist van de Noorse band Wobbler doet het. De band uit Oslo heeft sowieso goed geluisterd naar het oudere werk van Yes, maar klinkt absoluut niet als een Yes tribute band. Dwellers Of The Deep is een album dat imponeert met 45 minuten lang muzikaal vuurwerk, maar ook met mooie en bijzondere songs waarin de spanning fraai wordt opgebouwd. Het ademt de muziek van Yes uit de vroege jaren 70, maar Wobbler voegt ook absoluut iets toe aan alle invloeden uit het verre verleden. Liefde voor Yes helpt absoluut, maar ook liefhebbers van modernere progrock vallen zich geen buil aan dit geweldige album.

De afgelopen jaren deed de Noorse band Motorpsycho mijn oude liefde voor de muziek van Yes herleven met een indrukwekkende trilogie waarop het werk van de Britse symfonische rockband absoluut invloed heeft gehad. Invloeden van Yes zijn nog veel sterker hoorbaar op Dwellers Of The Deep van de eveneens Noorse band Wobbler. Het vijfde album van de band uit Oslo klinkt zelfs meer als Yes dan de Britse band zelf de afgelopen decennia deed. 

Direct vanaf de eerste noten dacht ik naar niet eerder uitgebracht werk van Yes uit de vroege jaren 70 te luisteren. Dat effect bereikt Wobbler vooral met het geweldige baswerk op Dwellers Of The Deep, dat absoluut schatplichtig is aan dat van meesterbassist Chris Squire. Het baswerk zou niet hebben misstaan op het beste werk van Yes, maar ook in het toetsenwerk en in de zang, hoor ik flink wat van Yes in haar jonge en beste jaren. 

Zonder liefde voor de muziek van Yes is Dwellers Of The Deep waarschijnlijk zware kost, maar ik vind het prachtig. Het vijfde album van Wobbler bevat absoluut elementen uit de muziek van Yes, maar de band uit Oslo voegt ook eigen invloeden toe aan haar muziek. Zo mag het gitaarwerk af en toe stevig ontsporen en is de muziek van de band bij vlagen ook behoorlijk psychedelisch, zeker als het orgel de hoofdrol opeist. 

Voor popsongs met een kop en een staart ben je in dit genre vaak aan het verkeerde adres en dat geldt ook voor Dwellers Of The Deep van Wobbler. Het album bevat drie kwartier muziek, maar bevat slechts vier songs, waarvan de eerste en de laatste respectievelijk 14 en 19 minuten klokken. Toch kiest Wobbler niet voor eindeloos gepiel in de ruimte. Net als Yes in haar jonge jaren verliest de band de structuren van de popsong nergens volledig uit het oog, maar zeker in de wat langere tracks is er natuurlijk wel alle ruimte voor muzikaal vuurwerk en experiment. 

Dat vuurwerk komt vooral van de toetsenist, die het geluid van Wobbler voor een belangrijk deel vult, maar ook de andere leden van de band spelen de pannen van het dak. De gitarist moet af en toe even op zijn beurt wachten, maar trekt vervolgens alle registers open. Minstens net zo goed is de ritmesectie, waarin met name de eerder al genoemde bassist imponeert met baswerk dat alleen de krachtpatsers onder de bassisten gegeven is. 

Dwellers Of The Deep is door alle associaties met het werk van Yes een feest van herkenning, maar Wobbler voegt met haar vijfde album ook iets toe aan de symfonische rock uit de vroege jaren 70. Het is knap hoe de Noorse band niet onmiddellijk doet verlangen naar de klassiekers van weleer, maar het is nog veel knapper hoe Dwellers Of The Deep aan de ene kant herinnert aan muziek van zo’n 50 jaar geleden, maar aan de andere kant toch ook fris en zeker urgent klinkt. 

Zeker in de laatste track gaan 19 minuten lang alle remmen los en krijg je een portie muzikaal vuurwerk over je heen gestort dat voor liefhebbers met een oude of jonge liefde voor symfonische rock of progrock maar lastig te weerstaan is. Motorpsycho leverde de afgelopen jaren drie prachtalbums vol invloeden uit de archieven van Yes op, maar dit album mag er best naast staan. Ik pak de geweldige box-set met de Steven Wilson remixes van Yes er maar weer eens bij, maar eerst nog een keer genieten van Dwellers Of The Deep van Wobbler.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt Dwellers Of The Deep hier luisteren en bestellen:

https://wobbler.bandcamp.com/album/dwellers-of-the-deep

 

of luister naar onze Spotify Playlist om uit te vinden waar we over schrijven:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g

Ten singles, 2021/7

Another week has gone by and it's time to dive into the singles on offer. Chances are that most people will have never heard of any of the artists involved here. All the more reason to pay a little attention as you never know what you might discover. Music from the U.K., Ireland, U.S., The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Greece, also quite diverse. One of the bands is releasing its very first single, others the first single announcing a new album for 2021. Curious? Below you find a link so you can follow all songs while you read and can form your own opinion immediately. Feel like sharing these? There's a comment section below as well. Looking forward to reading your views. Ready? Here we go.

Moment. The Crayon Set

Who as a child has not drawn pictures with a crayon set? This band name brings back instant memories, also memories of having to draw within the lines, something I have never been particularly good at, in many ways. The Crayon Set is a band from Dublin working towards the release of its third album, 'Downer Disco'. Moment is released as a single on route to the June planned release. It is a subdued electronic pop song. The synth are swirling most of the time around the voice of singer Kate Dineen, often doubled by Robert Baker's singing. The background vocals go for the same effect in the aahs and oohs behind the lead vocal melody. The result is the suggestion of perpetual motion, like Franz Ferdinand achieved in 'Always Ascending' and more recently 'Spirals' by Django Django. It lifts a nice but subdued pop song up to something that intrigues. The effect is well crafted and executed in a song that is pleasant to listen to.

White Noise. The Yummy Mouths

Looking at the title and band name, I thought to have do with a Rum Bar Records release, but no. The Yummy Mouths are from Belgium. The band releases its first single ever and we have the opportunity to review it. White Noise is full of energy and melody. It falls into a long tradition of alternative rock music tending towards punkrock, that is going through a total revival since 2018.

The way the bass kicks off the song, full of spunk and forward motion, announces exactly what is to follow. Things are not as straightforward as they may at first seem. Midway White Noise totally falls apart into, well, white noise. A referee's whistle brings it all back together (and ends the song) and makes The Yummy Mouths play according to the rules of a three minutes pop-punk-rock song once again. White Noise is an introduction to a new band that is full of promise. Let the debut EP 'Ugh!' come.

Jacaranda. Hayley and the Crushers

After the perfect powerpop of 'Church Of Flag', it's time for a new single by Hayley and the Crushers. All the way from San Luis Obispo in California the trio shows once again how good it masters a music style that went out of fashion around 1980 and is totally back thanks to bands like Justine and the Unclean and Hayley and the Crushers. The world needs upbeat and energetic songs like this. Where the original bands making this music had the Cold War hanging over them, always holding the mood back in a lot of the songs, in Jacaranda it is as if there's no financial nor Covid crisis. The song aims to please the ears, body and mind all at once. The guitars are loud, the rhythm section tight and the melody sweet. Jacaranda is the right song for the times we live in.

Non-Dramatic Breakup Song. Linnea's Garden

They still exist, pop songs of just over two minutes. With the release of Non-Dramatic Breakup Song the new Boston based label Red on Red gives another example of its ambition. Linnea's Garden is the new band of Linnea Herzog. The first song the band releases is a great pop song that incorporates 60s girl groups, Blondie and pure pop, including the many women fronted pop groups of the 80s and 90s. Linnea's Garden blends all these influences in an incredibly light and open sound. The kind of song that is so easy to instantly like. There's enough of a rock element to give it credibility, a sprightly guitar riff that catches the ear immediately and Linnea Herzog's voice holds enough of Debbie Harry and all the Bangles to please with ease. Non-Dramatic Breakup Song is a kind of song impossible to dislike. Sing, dance, listen, it will get you there if you let it.

Hope. Opera Alaska

Within a year of Opera Alaska's first album, a new single sees the light of day. The collaboration between Moss' Marien Dorleijn and jazz guitarist Marzio Scholten receives a delicate yet successful continuation. Hope is a song as soft as the title suggests. It is a slow meandering song, like a big river with huge, slow bends. A trumpet plays a solo like a boat navigating the stream and the bends, slowly but surely. The trumpet's sound is muted as if coming through me through the mist from the boat somewhere on the big river. The sound of Hope is so delicate, as is Marien Dorleijn's singing. With a song like Hope there's only a binary choice: either as a listener you pay the closest attention or you miss it completely. All who follow the former route are awarded with a beautiful song. There's no other word for it: beauty.

Naked In The Rain. Holy Monitor

Psychedelia from Greece? Why not? Holy Monitor applies a great wah wah pedal to the guitar sound, creating an immediately recognisable sound as huge as Cream's 'White Room'. The warm organ keeps an ongoing long-lasting sound underneath the whole song. The traditional rhythm section are playing a distinct role. Alex Bolpasis' "walking" bass runs carve out its successful place in the single. The drums played by Dimitris Doumouliakas are far from straightforward too, resulting in a musical situation that it's the organ and guitar that are the real mainstays of Naked In The Rain. They are totally predictable, until the organ, played by Vangelis Mitsis, steps out for a great solo. Naked In The Rain precedes the album 'Southern Lights' to be released late in the month. It will be the band's third full length release since forming in 2015 in Athens. There's no denying one of the guitars, George Nikas (also vocals) and Stefanos Mitsis, plays a front role, but both are not the most distinctive features of this song, which is surprising for a two guitar band. It sets Naked In The Rain apart and the more interesting. Like I asked, psychedelia from Greece? Certainly.

My Muse. Para Lia

To celebrate the release of Gone With The Flow on vinyl, a huge next step for the musical project of René and Cindy Methner from Cottbus in Germany, My Muse is released as a single. A totally correct choice as it is one the best songs on the album. My Muse manages to capture a rocking energy and blends it with a great melody that is easy to sing along to when dancing around to the music. There's no standing still with a song like My Muse. Together they sing, while René takes care of all else on the record. That includes a blistering guitar solo that must have caused the paint of his recording studio's ceiling to crack. The start is like Led Zeppelin's 'Rock And Roll' a fiery drum pick up and then all is allowed to go off for a short while, as the song is masterly built up as well. René Methner has a keen ear for dynamics and never to overdo things. The result is a great, melodic rock song that I simply love listening to.

The Laughing H E A R T. The Puzzle is Cast

The Puzzle Is Cast releases a song every second Friday of the month and on the time of writing it is that Friday. It works towards a cd release late in the spring. With the first song 'O Rif*' it startled and surprised me. What to make of it? Search these pages and you will find out. With The Laughing H E A R T it is not as if The Puzzle Is Cast plays a pop song in the best ABBA tradition. Of course is does not, but by comparison, this is 'Fernando' or 'Does Your Mother Know' alright. Against a backdrop of electronic sounds and effects, all of a delicate nature, a guitar plays soft but pleasant, jazzy notes and riffs. A melody that is nice to follow while alternately it is fun to follow the sounds going on around it and in the background. The guitar is prominent and starts by playing a melody that reminds me of the opening riff of 'Drive', the country rock song by American band Hazeldine. Two totally unrelated songs make a connection in my mind, before The Laughing H E A R T plots its own route through a series a flageolets on the guitar. Listen to it but don't forget that background, it's interesting as well.

Girls Just Wanna Dance. Modesty Blaise

Girls just wanna have fun gets a 2021 reincarnation. Less exuberant but perhaps only in the difference between the U.S. and the U.K. as Modesty Blaise captures the sound of Madness, like in 'Our House', in its extreme pop song called Girls Just Wanna Dance. The only thing slightly eschew is the no longer innocent voice of singer Jonny Collins. So many boys in my younger days were always standing on the side, beers in hand. I preferred dancing with the girls. A lot more fun.

Girls Just Wanna Dance is a single from the upcoming, third album of Modesty Blaise, the first in 20 years. This explains the not so innocent voice. What the band captures is that mood of just twirling around without having to think about anything else then dancing and who will buy them the next round. No, this is not the best song I've ever heard, but it is sheer pop fun. The prospect mood of a night out is caught well and presented with the resigned voice of a man who knows he doesn't stand a chance tonight. This explains the lack of a total festive atmosphere of Girls Just Wanna Dance as it is sung not from the girls' perspective like Cyndy Lauper's hit but from the boys', probably standing on the side afraid to move onto the dance floor (until they had too much to drink). The psychology of a song? Who knows, but experience may prove me right here.

Owl In The Parlour. Cathal Coughlan

Owl In The Parlour is the second single from Cathal Couglan's (Microdisney, The Fatima Masions) upcoming 'The Song of Co-Aklan' album (26 March). His first in ten years. If a ghost hovers over this song it is David Bowie's. In the chord changes and parts of the vocal melody the more esoteric compositions of the first half or the 70s Bowie shine through. It gives Owl In The Parlour a flavour from long ago. The kind that I had almost forgotten, were it not that I played 'Hunky Dory' last week because one of its songs, the stellar 'Life On Mars. came by on the radio. Owl In The Parlour is a languid song, one that's more for a long, warm summer night that a frostbitten day like this one. Coughlan's voice is not good enough for this song, although he does come a long way. There's a little power missing, that would have carried it across better. The fact that he is able to write this song does speak in his favour. Bowie meets Scott Walker, something like that is what I hear. Two singles under way, still a positive score.

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