Top 2000 voting

Come end of year, come Top 2000 in the Netherlands. All listeners of NPO2 and everybody else who fancies the list of list activity has to vote in this week. For weeks it is being announced, songs are pushed by DJs, hoping to influence voting. All to arrive at the Top 2000, broadcasted from Christmas to 12PM on New Year's eve. Everyone willing to share a truckload of privacy sensitive data and all sorts of other data with the national broadcaster, why????, can vote. From a huge list with thousands and thousands of preselected songs, a selection of a minimum of five and a maximum of 35 can be made. The oldest from 1954, perhaps even older, the youngest maybe only a few weeks, like the new Adele single.

There are two major pushed songs. One to get 'Radar Love' by Golden Earring on the #1 spot, to honour songwriter, singer and guitarist George Kooijmans, who is mortally ill and 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' by Procul Harum. This was the favourite song of the assassinated reporter and crime-fighter Peter R. de Vries. Anything better than 'Rollercoaster', imho.

Like I shared with my girlfriend last week, if I was really to delve into this conundrum in a serious way, it would probably cost me my sanity. Making a choice of 35 songs from the thousands I truly like? Even making a longlist that really reflected my favourites in music would cost me more time that I could ever afford, stopping all other activities. And I put far too much time into music already, listening, writing and playing. So, I do things rather snappy when it comes to voting. I made a list of a little over 50 songs and stopped there. What is my true favourite Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Doors, Radiohead, Oasis, etc., song? Even that would cost me days to figure out. And some did not even make it into the list, simply because I want my favourite German, French and Dutch songs in there to.

So what 35 songs made it? The overview is below. Traditionally by now I add two songs that are not preselected. The first is 'Inca Roads' by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. The opening song of 'One Size Fits All' is a combination of utter madness, childish humour, virtuosity, fantastic soloing, singing and playing in unison at lightning speed. Clocking in at many minutes the song shales all sorts of parts, changing pace and moods the whole time, including a fantastic George Duke synthesizer solo. Not to speak of percussive work by Ruth Underwood echoed by many in the band.

The second song is 'Hail To The Rain', Maggie Brown's perfect pop song from 2017. The Amsterdam based band created one of the most beautiful songs of the past decade and would have deserved a lot of attention with it. Sometimes bands do not get the attention they deserve. Go and have a listen and form an opinion yourself.

The third one I've added, is by Shocking Blue. Everyone knows 'Venus', as in all over the world. It wasn't even the band's biggest hit over here. Both 'Mighty Joe' and 'Never Marry A Railroad Man' made the #1 spot here. My favourite however is 'Send Me A Postcard'.  The band's first single with singer Mariska Veres, also the first one I ever heard. 'Send Me A Postcard' is a wild song, with some great breaks in it. My own band, Sweetwood, has mastered it pretty well by now.

With the rest, I'll admit to voting to some of the most popular songs by the band, but not if I would not  truly like it as well. Yes, I supported the George Kooijmans bit for the #1 spot, but not without scoring 'She Flies On Strange Wings' as well, currently my favourite Golden Earring song, replacing 'Just A Little Bit Of Peace In My Heart'. This is the only band with two songs this year. You see what I mean with making hard choices? The Beatles and The Rolling Stones deserve at least ten songs each.

A few songs are new in my list. Kiki Dee e.g. I love playing this song with Sweetwood. It's so full of energy and so much fun. It had to make my list this year. Just like Supertramp's 'Dreamer', for exactly the same reason. The band has several other songs deserving a spot, so why 'Dreamer'? Good question. Sweetwood is my answer.

The list for a large part shows my age of course. I thought hard yesterday whether any new songs, read the last 15 years, should be in the list. Fact is, I could simply not think of a single one. How many songs are there that make an impression on me like the songs that did when I was 8, 9 or 15, 16? I know that there are songs that have made an impression like this, except that I can't think of them. Besides, there's the fact that most likely hardly anybody has heard of these songs. My music is not the world's music. Enter Maggie Brown. I've added 'Deutschland' as new song. Rammstein's single and fantastic video from 2019 and 'Knights Of Cydonia', Muse's epic song, but most songs are from my youth. That is the period that will, when all is said and done, remain my favourite, always. Hence 'Eloise' that beautiful mini opera by Barry Ryan and his brother Paul, 'Hair' by Zen, the most rocking rendition of the musical's title song and 'Hey Jude'. Late 1968, the time I discovered Veronica's Top 40.

Of course it did not stop there, as you can see below. 35 Songs. There's so, so much more. Especially the one hit wonders, that I will never guess at, because I start with the bands I've loads of records of. Not that one single. When I'm retired, perhaps then I'll take the time to really do this for the first time since I was young. But what did I know then? Now it's 40 years more music and then perhaps 50. Pfff. Probably it's best to just do it like this. Anyway, here's my 35.

Wout de Natris

Muse Knights Of Cydonia (Albumversie)
	Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention Inca Roads
	Hail To The Rain Maggie Brown
	Golden Earring Radar Love (Albumversie)
	Rolling Stones Sympathy For The Devil
	Pink Floyd Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts. 1-5)
	The Beatles Hey Jude
	Queen Bohemian Rhapsody
	Led Zeppelin Immigrant Song
	Boudewijn de Groot Prikkebeen
	Creedence Clearwater Revival I Put A Spell On You
	Zen Hair
	France Gall Poupee De Cire, Poupee De Son
	Rammstein Deutschland
	Doors Riders On The Storm
	Jimi Hendrix Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
	Golden Earring She Flies On Strange Wings (Albumversie)
	Nirvana Smells Like Teen Spirit
	Barry Ryan Eloise
	Jefferson Airplane White Rabbit
	Franz Ferdinand Take Me Out
	Kiki Dee I've Got The Music In Me
	David Bowie Ashes To Ashes
	Guns N' Roses Sweet Child O' Mine (Albumversie)
	Supertramp Dreamer
	U2 Vertigo
	Madness Our House
	Blondie Hanging On The Telephone
	Otis Redding (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay
	Fleetwood Mac Go Your Own Way
	De Dijk Binnen Zonder Kloppen
	Send Me A Postcard Shocking Blue
	Kate Bush Wuthering Heights
	The The Uncertain Smile
	Arctic Monkeys I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor

Singles, week 48

Here the singles section is back once again. From a #MeToo song, to the rural parts of the U.S. and released inner beast. It all can be found today.

Flag (Feel Like A Girl). Coach Party

From party to harder topics. Sexting is the topic Flag (Feel Like A Girl) or sexual harassment in a general sense and getting to close to someone, in different but negative ways, more specifically. The music is as uncomfortable as the topic. A music depiction of how the victim feels. Singer Jess Eastwood is shouting it right into the face of the world. "I want to hurt you back like you hurt me", "When did you become this obsessive freak". It can't become much more direct, can it? The music sounds just as angry, loud and in your face. No, correction, rammed straight into the space between one's ears. Oh, there are dynamics in the song. Coach Party ensures it remains possible to keep listening to these very intense 2.48 minutes. Whether Jess Eastwood sings from own experience, for a friend or for all abused women in the world, I can't tell. The message ought be received very loud and clear men of the world.

Ohio. Mountaineer

The second single announcing Mountaineer's new album 'Lewis And Clark' is released. Ohio is a slow ballad, with an acoustic guitar taking the lead. Singer-songwriter Marcel Hulst, in announcing the album to me, indicated that he may have written his best songs to date. In Ohio's case, he certainly was not boasting. Everything seems to have been done right, each note is in its right place and more. At the basis of this song only one word comes to mind: modesty. The song is small yet all the details are just so right. The result is Beauty. Yes, with a capital b. The chords and the chord structure may have been used a thousand times before, Mountaineer has not only found the unique combination of notes, it also found a perfect combination of instruments and voices to support them. On top of it all are these little twists, making the vocal melody just this little different without losing that feeling of perfection, in fact adding to it. Subdued, soft, extremely nice and I wasn't even looking for Ohio. I was just surprised by a beautiful song called Ohio.

Unnoticed. Tom Allan and the Strangest

Unnoticed is an odd title for a single like this. Musically it does its utmost to be as noticeable as possible. Of course that is a great recipe to receive some attention. Mission succeeded as far as I'm concerned. Unnoticed starts as if in total chaos, noise coming from a few angles. It only takes a few drumsticks to create order. The lead guitar plays the same noise, drums and bass kick it into the mould it should be in and pave the way for Tom Allen to start singing over just bass and drums. Sound familiar? Of course, ever since The Police and later Nirvana these extreme dynamics in a song are extremely popular. Tom Allen and the Strangest use it to its advantage. Unnoticed is a song that immediately caught my ear and does not let go for circa three minutes. Totally befitting, with the intro in mind, it is the most disciplining instrument, the drums, that gets to end Unnoticed. If "I want to be unnoticed" was the mission of this song, it failed miserably as far as I'm concerned, but that is truly the only downside I can discover. The single comes with a b-side. 'Gather Your Senses', is of the same grungy, punk rocking quality. Lay some more on me soon.

The Passage. I Am Oak

I Am Oak is allowed to call itself a WoNoBlog veteran by now. It's albums and singles have found their way to these pages, as have a few live shows. So, can a band surprise with new work? I was surprised in the very first line. I thought to be listening to one of my favourite songs from the 60s to 80s and more specifically a The Beatles ballad in a rendition by Klaatu. Also Klein Orkest's 'Over De Muur' comes to mind. Thijs Kuijken of course cannot hide his typical voice. It really gives him away immediately. In the background a soft bass and drums play. The song is carried by the equally soft organ, playing pure chords, holding them for as long as possible before a chordchange needs to be made. The embellishments come, at first from the harmony vocals Kuijken sings with himself. A synth string solo does not so much change the song as underscores its mood. After the solo The Passage slowly fleshes out as a guitar enters more prominently. Slow notes are an integral part of I Am Oak's music. With The Passage it shows how well it masters this soft pop genre.

Calling. Elephant

Elephant released its second single recently. it appears I have missed the debut EP earlier this year. Calling has come by on the radio a few times in the past two weeks and I noticed it immediately. It's a song with very much two faces. The soft pop in the singing and harmony singing, the dirty sounding guitars. Especially in the solo. Calling opens as if it is leading the insurgence against Midlake's 'Roscoe'. The harmonies are an instant attack on Teenage Fanclub's best songs. The soft song moves along ever so soothing and pleasing the ear. But do not get fooled, a demon lives within all this soothing delicacy. An almost ugly sound moves through the bowels of Calling and erupts like the ugly little thing in 'Alien'. Elephant pretends like nothing has happened and sings just like before, but we know better. There's no elephant in the room here, Elephant's inner beast is on the loose and in plain sight.

Wout de Natris

 

Older EP. Loupe

A debut EP from a new band that is an old band. Dakota featured on this blog, so you can look up what tragic circumstances befell the band, how I got to meet the band in the first place and my advice for the future. Come 2021, enter Loupe.

What is worth mentioning that Dakota's album, 'Here's The 101 On How To Disappear', was released as an LP after all and I have played it regularly ever since. A tour with a new singer was nipped in the bud by the pandemic that is still upon us all. Perhaps that final disappointment led to the true end and to the restart. Together with new singer Julia, Jasmine, Lara and Annemarie finished four songs that had already been written but needed lyrics and vocal melodies.

What stayed is the dreamy quality of the music, the almost ethereal atmosphere in the music. I remember the truckload of effectpadels guitarist Jasmine van der Waals had in front of her during her graduation show at the Amsterdam conservatory. I could imagine her graduating on all the different effects and how to combine them into fantastic sounds, creating a huge part of that atmosphere.

This returns in these songs as well, but is only a part of Loupe's story. The backbone of the band is an integral part of the dreamy music. Without resorting to power the drumming is solid. Recorded and mixed in such a way that every beat can be identified and enjoyed. The bass plays in a combination of rhythm and solo. Believe me, it's fun to follow Lara Kooper's bass lines throughout the songs.

The guitar, or better guitars, do all sorts of things. From subtle arpeggios to full sonic storms, it all comes by and more. Where the singing is always a little dreamy, with subtle, even more dreamy harmonies, the guitars can create the opposite of soft, gentle dreaming. More like chasing turning into indeterminably being chased by an unknown entity in dreams turning unpleasant. Elements that make Loupe's music so interesting to listen to.

Older is a great introduction to Loupe and an immense promise for more to come. As a personal message I can only add that I'm so glad that the trio continued to do what they are so good at, creating beautiful songs. Older shows the right decision was made to continue by starting over again.

Wout de Natris

One.NoWordsNeeded, 27-11-2021. Celebrating Freddie Mercury

Prachtig!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wt_k92QGivA

 

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=mnozil+brass+bohemian+rhapsody

one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden. Ada Lea

De Canadese muzikante Ada Lea valt op met de lange titel van haar nieuwe album, maar uiteindelijk vooral met een serie uitstekende songs die vol zitten met aangename verrassingen.

Alexandra Levy debuteerde twee jaar geleden zeer verdienstelijk als Ada Lea met een album dat zich makkelijk opdrong, maar echt indruk maakte door heel veel muzikaal avontuur. Het is eigenlijk niet anders met one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden, al is het tweede album van de Canadese muzikante nog een stuk beter. Ada Lea nam haar nieuwe album op in Los Angeles, maar het is een fraai eerbetoon aan haar thuisbasis Montreal. Net als op haar debuut kan het in muzikaal opzicht alle kanten op, maar het album klinkt ook consistent. Het debuut van Ada Lea was charmant, maar met album nummer twee zet ze een reuzenstap en kan ze met de allerbesten mee.

De Canadese muzikante Ada Lea baart tussen de nieuwe releases van deze week in ieder geval opzien met de titel van haar album, one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden (geen hoofdletters). Ook zonder de lange titel was het album me overigens wel opgevallen, want ik heb net iets meer dan twee jaar geleden erg genoten van haar debuutalbum what we say in private (ook geen hoofdletters). 

Op dit debuutalbum toverde de muzikante het ene na het andere memorabele popliedje met invloeden uit de indierock, indiepop, lo-fi, folk, rock en nog veel meer uit de hoge hoed. Het knappe van het debuut van Ada Lea was dat ze je ook keer op keer op het verkeerde been zette met haar op het eerste gehoor toegankelijke songs. 

Het deze week verschenen one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden, vanaf nu in deze recensie one hand …, maakt net zo makkelijk indruk als het debuut van het alter ego van Alexandra Levy en is ook net zo fascinerend. 

Openingstrack damn (Ada Lea houdt niet van hoofdletters) is een even aanstekelijk als interessant popliedje, met een mooi en zwierig gitaarloopje, een aantrekkelijk refrein, aansprekende zang en heel veel tekst. Het is een popliedje waarmee Ada Lea aansluiting vindt bij de smaakmakers in het genre, al laat de Canadese muzikante zich niet zomaar in een hokje duwen. 

Op one hand … werkt de muzikante uit Montreal samen met producer Marshall Vore, die eerder werkte met Phoebe Bridgers. Het is niet de enige link met Phoebe Bridgers, want de gitaarlijnen op het album komen deels van haar gitarist van het eerste uur Harrison Whitford. Het zorgt er voor dat one hand … hier en daar doet denken aan de muziek van Phoebe Bridgers, al heeft Ada Lea absoluut een eigen geluid, dat ook mijlenver verwijderd kan zijn van de muziek van de Amerikaanse muzikante. 

Ada Lea bespeelde overigens een groot deel van de instrumenten zelf toen ze de demo’s voor het album opnam in het Canadese Banff, waarna het album werd afgemaakt in Los Angeles. Ondanks de uitstapjes buiten de eigen thuisbasis Montreal is one hand … een album dat zich uitsluitend in de Canadese stad afspeelt en inzoomt op plekken die belangrijk zijn voor Ada Lea. 

Net als het debuutalbum van Ada Lea is ook one hand … een album dat zich direct makkelijk opdringt met aantrekkelijke songs en een eigenzinnig geluid, maar dat ook vol aangename verrassingen zit. Die zitten deels in de zeer gevarieerde instrumentatie, maar ook in de stem van Ada Lea en in de structuren van haar songs, die variëren van sober tot uitbundig. 

Ada Lea laat zich met haar nieuwe album niet in een hokje duwen, maar verwerkt uiteenlopende invloeden in haar songs, die wel stuk voor stuk klinken als Ada Lea songs. Op het debuutalbum was het charmant, maar ook wel wat wispelturig, maar op one hand … slaagt Ada Lea er in om een hoog niveau vast te houden. 

Het tweede album van de Canadese muzikante is een album dat past in deze tijd met alle bijzondere twists, maar als je goed luistert duiken er keer op keer flarden uit de rijke muziekgeschiedenis op, waarbij net als op het debuut een vleugje postpunk en wat van Bowie uit zijn Berlijnse periode niet worden vergeten. 

Het zorgt er voor dat one hand …. van Ada Lea niet alleen steeds aangenamer, maar ook steeds interessanter wordt. In het genre zijn alleen dit jaar al stapels albums verschenen, maar het tweede album van Ada Lea is er absoluut een om te koesteren en schaart de Canadese muzikante onder de smaakmakers in het genre.

Erwin Zijleman

Singles, week 47

Weeks fly by, don't they? You get up on Monday morning to start work, well most of us do this traditional work rhythm, and before you know it Friday is closing in once again with its alluring Friday afternoon drinks or VrijMiBo in good Dutch. It is the same with this singles round up. Before I know it I have to decide once again what to put in here. Well, usually I work with the first come, first served principal. The rest is too bad, unless I hear a song on the radio or elsewhere that I give precedence. Like this week with Elbow.

The Seldom Seen Kid. Elbow

The new Elbow album is out and to be frank, I do not expect to writing on it. My first impression is of a jazzy nightclub record. Recorded in a time of lockdown, the band had locked itself into a theatre where it finished the ideas each band member brought with him for new songs and recorded them. One of these songs is the single with the title of one of the band's previous albums. It is a beautiful song with a crystal clear sound. Like the whole of 'Flying Dream 1'. So I may get around to it after a few more tries. Just imagine Elbow without the fullness that the band's slow music can muster. The Seldom Seen Kid is brushed drums, long-held keyboard notes, a soft bass plopping away and Guy Garvey, always seemingly at ease with his music, never having to exert himself over it. Elbow is a small band here, all the big pathos has been left at home. Even a little guitar can be heard underneath the piano solo. The Seldom Seen Kid is a beautiful single that can be heard on a daily basis on the radio and rightly so.

What Exactly Are You Looking For EP. Ramkot

Ghent rocktrio Ramkot returns to this blog with its second EP. Five songs in which the band is in search of a dark sound and some great rock riffs. Ramkot does not forget that a song needs a melody as well. I have heard Soulwax rock this hard, almost twenty years ago, and forgetting the electronic beats of that other band from Ghent, Ramkot does have that in common with it. Another reference in Dutch band De Staat, like in 'Fever' where the hard rock is mixed with hard rhythms, and some Zappian interludes. In other words, Ramkot, is not caught in one hole. Although at times on verge of what I like in rock, like De Staat Ramkot falls to my right side. The trio, Hannes Cuyvers and brothers Tim and Tom Leyman, really are able to rock out and play giant riffs, yet can come up with a great melody like in 'Stevie' as well. I cannot claim Ramkot to be original, for that there are too many familiarities on What Exactly Are You Looking For. Enthusiastic in all the right ways the band is for certain. 

Morbid Fascination. Blood Red Shoes

Ghosts On Tape, Blood Red Shoes' new album is still two months away, with Morbid Fascination the duo from Brighton releases a single that is in line with some of the songs on its, now, still last album, yet unmistakably darker in nature. Again keyboards and electronics are a part of Blood Red Shoes' sound. It works, sometimes things are as simple as that. Laura-Mary Carter takes the lead role in Morbid Fascination, a song that stares the 1980s long and hard in the face and comes out winning. She is far more sensuous than Kim Wilde ever was and who could beat that in the 1980s? The synths reflect those dark ages and in a way they befit the early 20s to. A time that will be remember for turmoil, Covid, lockdown and all the things we could not do. These recent years will also be remembered for the inspired music that was created and Morbid Fascination certainly is among those songs.  

Wat Is Het Kut Om Agent Te Zijn. Sophie Straat

Ha, ha, ha, ha. Hoe anders moet ik de lachbui omschrijven die mij overviel tijdens het luisteren naar Wat Is Het Kut Om Agent Te Zijn? Het nummer begon en ik dacht even dat ik naar een reclame zat te luisteren. De muziek die ik hoorde was wel ongeveer het laatste dat ik verwachtte te horen, vandaar. Zo ontzettende bekend. Ik zal toegeven dat dit niet tot mijn favoriete nummers van de band behoort, als is het zeker altijd leuk om naar te luisteren, maar vergeleken bij 'Need Your Love So Bad', 'Oh, Well', laat staan 'Go Your Own Way' en 'Don't Stop' is 'Everywhere' toch maar een slap zaad nummer. Toch? Op de tekst van Sophie Straat wordt het nummer uitzonderlijk genietbaar. Een protestsong in 2021!? Ja zeker. "Ben jij er om te helpen of om iemand dood te slaan ... wat is het kut om agent te zijn". Tsja, wat kun je daar nog aan toevoegen, als iemand er zo tegenaan kijkt. Maar, vooral dat refrein met die zachte, dromerige stem van Sophie Straat. Het contrast kan echt niet groter. Een grap en een aanklacht ineen. Goed gedaan.

Bitter Masses. Bashford

Bitter Masses involves some bashes, well almost, in the video accompanying this grunge rock single. Kurt may be dead for closing in on 30 years, incredible but yes, he is, he and his band Nirvana keep inspiring young musicians like Bashford. Musically, the song follows the Nirvana example. From the loud all over drumming style of Dave Grohl, the bass filling all else up at the bottom of the sound, the distorted guitar sound and the shouting way of singing, it is all there. The solo is longer and better than Nirvana's. The lyrics are all about the sign of the times. Bitter Masses everywhere we look. Discontented people all over the place, over everything and everybody that is not a part of their respective bubbles. 

The upcoming album, 'Greener Grasses' is Bashford's fifth and if Bitter Masses is anything to go by, the band will be cooking up a storm on their new album. Only a few more weeks to go and we'll know.

Wout de Natris

Things Take Time, Take Time. Courtney Barnett

Within a very short time Courtney Barnett became the indie darling of the world. In a way this must have been welcome as every artist craves some form of recognition. In another it made her far from happy. On top of that her relationship with singer-songwriter Jen Cloher folded as well. And Covid. Luckily for her she was in her home country just before it went into lockdown. It gave her all the time in the world to reflect on herself, her life, her music. The result is released in the form of a new album.

I'll admit straight away, I had a hard time getting to grips with Things Take Time, Take Time. A prophetic title at that for me. The first single I heard, not necessarily the first, gave me a lot of doubts. I could not discover much truly exciting about it. But then, I had almost forgotten that until her previous album, she had not fully convinced me either.

With each new listening session, as hey, this is Courtney Barnett, the album slowly did come alive for me. More and more I started to listen with joy and started to enjoy the little details in the songs. A dilapidated organ here, a wobbly guitar there. Things Courtney Barnett start with her voice. Although she has a pleasing timbre in her voice, her singing technique is something else. The way she, often not always, uses her voice suggests total disinterest or even fully high. For me this often detaches her from positive feelings induced by listening to her music. Listening to music in a general sense brings me joy, makes me feel good. Even a song about lives horribly gone wrong, can make me feel good because of the energy it releases. Not Courtney Barnett, as emotions are not always shared with the listener. "We got angry, said some careless things, who was wrong remains unclear", sings Barnett, obviously about a break up. It can hardly get more personal, but also more detached from what has happened. There seems to be a huge barrier thrown up between the song and the actual occurrence.

'Turning Green' is an example of what Courtney Barnett is capable of. She has written a great song, one that could have been covered in guitars and melodies. She has decided to leave it almost bare, to let her singing carry it; until the guitar solo that is. This makes it fully an alternative rock song, an REM plus. It's not this part I think is impressive, that is her singing performance. More songs on the album are elementary, part electronic rhythms, baring my original negative feelings concerning Things Take Time, Take Time. All attention is put on the slacker tone of Courtney Barnett, at first making it impossible for me to get over it.

Luckily there was also a song like 'Write A List Of Things To Look Forward To'. With its The Byrds/REM like intro it pricks up the ears immediately. The song opens a doorway into the rest of the album, one that I for one used to keep listening and form another opinion than my original one.

Summing up, Things Take Time, Take Time is more in line with the first two albums, including the two EP compilation, by Courtney Barnett. My favourite remains 'Tell Me How You Really Feel', simply because its so much more alive. Time will tell where I'm going with the new album. Sometimes these things take time.

Wout de Natris

Supersister Project live // no, cancelled // She Was Naked

Thursday 18 November would have been the day on which I should have gone to my first live show since early March 2020. The farewell show of Canshaker Pi in Tolhuistuin on a Saturday evening. An evening in which I seriously doubted whether it was a smart thing to do, going to a venue with hundreds of other people, all potential virus carriers. I lived to tell and had a great evening.

During the first lockdown my girlfriend and I played numerous duo shows in our front garden for neighbours and friends, who all socially distanced, watched us sing and play. Late September I played a live show with my band Sweetwood, as part of Neighbour Day, standing in the muddle of the street. We played with a guest drummer, our close by neighbour Léon Klaasse. So I played myself more than ever. but going to a show, no that had not happened.

Léon told us that he was going to play with Robert Jan Stips and Rinus Gerritsen in Supersister Project. As a band Sweetwoord decided to go and watch him play. Supersister is something that is from before our time or nearly, as in my case. They were able to play all shows and The Hague was the final one. The show turned to a seated show, but we still had tickets. And then Léon phoned on Thursday afternoon, that the show was cancelled, as Stips had contracted Covid. I wish him a speedy and full recovery!

So instead of reviewing the show, let me focus on Supersister's biggest hit, as it is a curiosum of grand proportions. Somewhere in the early 70s and I can't for the life of me remember who gave it to me on what occasion, I was given a compilation album with Dutch (almost) hits from 1967 to 1971. The acts were all on the Polydor label. One of the songs on that album is 'She Was Naked' by Supersister. The lyrics undoubtedly the fantasy of a pubescent, fevered dream, appealed to me as an 11 year old who still had to see a woman naked for the first time.

Supersister was a band from The Hague with an unusual line up. Drums, bass, keyboard and flute. Having started in highschool, the band progressed from a psychedelic band to a progressive and jazzrock band. It ended up recording three albums in the original line up. There are two surviving members of who only Robert Jan Stips is active in Supersister Project.

She Was Naked was released as a single by the band and picked up by pirate radio station Radio Veronica ending in the charts on number 11, the band's biggest hit and the opening to a recording career.

The single starts with a organ that slowly swells before a single, soft bass note takes over announcing the first verse. Soft drumming, soft singing, a beautiful flute intertwining with the singing. This part of the song is so soft and yet intense, as it begs listening.

And then it is one minute and fourty seconds. A totally distorted bass guitar takes over the song in a relentless riff. Unless someone is playing guitar anyway. There is a clean bass behind the distored part, playing the same notes. The Hammond organ screaming behind it. Gone is the flute, this is rock and roll.

The surprises are far from over. The "Dona nobis pacem" part is the next surprise. Who comes up with a part like this? Now Supersister has a song with the same title as well, but it has nothing to do with this chorus in She Was Naked. The total silence invoking a Gregorian Medieval monk choir style of singing as a final farewell, but not before a crescendo of grand propotions.

This music now is totally out there. The outro has two parts, why make things simple when you don't have to? First Sacha van Geest plays a great flute solo and finally Robert Jan Stips ends it all and most likely finishes off his organ as well. I can't imagine an instrument surviving a solo like this.

Reading some more on Wikipedia, I find out that She Was Naked is as it were a compilation of different compositions. The producer picked out parts of longer compositions that he liked and glued them together. That knowledge explains a lot, reading back what I just wrote. She Was Naked is a bizarre song but at the same so much worth listening.

She Was Naked is a forgotten song or nearly, as I'm writing on it. Had I not gotten that compilation album, I doubt if I had ever picked up on the band. After Sweetwood had decided to go, I checked my record collection. My memory is still working as, yes, there was a compilation cd bought in the early 00s. I think I played it once and maybe not completely. In the past weeks I have already played it a few times and when I encounter one of the studio albums of the band second hand I think it may come with me, if priced reasonably.

Let's hope that not too far from now we can go and watch the show together. That would be nice.

Wout de Natris

I've Been Trying To Tell You. Saint Etienne

Het was vier jaar stil rond Saint Etienne, maar met I’ve Been Trying To Tell You levert de Britse band een verrassend avontuurlijk album af, dat je maar blijft verbazen, intrigeren en betoveren.

Ik probeer het altijd met nieuwe albums van Saint Etienne, maar tot dusver wist de Britse band me nooit echt te boeien. Het is een enorm contrast met de ervaring die ik heb met het nieuwe album van de band. Waar de muziek van de band in het verleden altijd licht verteerbaar was en vaak niet meer deed dan luchtig vermaken, is I’ve Been Trying To Tell You een fascinerende luistertrip. Het is een luistertrip die het je geen moment echt makkelijk maakt, maar het is er ook een vol verleiding, bezwering en betovering. Het nieuwe album van Saint Etienne staat bol van de invloeden uit de 90s triphop, maar de band geeft er ook een unieke eigen draai aan. Wat een geweldig album. Had ik niet zien aan komen.

Ik moet eerlijk toegeven dat ik me nooit echt heb verdiept in de muziek van Saint Etienne. De band uit het Britse Croydon bestaat al sinds 1988 en debuteerde vier jaar later. De tien albums die Saint Etienne tussen 1992 en 2017 maakte heb ik allemaal beluisterd, maar onder de indruk was ik nooit. 

Saint Etienne maakt op al deze albums op het eerste gehoor vooral zomerse, dromerige en betrekkelijk lichtvoetige popmuziek. Het is popmuziek die tegen de chamber pop aan kon leunen of een vleugje bossanova kon bevatten, maar veel vaker flirtte de Britse band met zwoele pop, met elektronica en meestal ook nog met de dansvloer. 

Hierdoor waren de albums van Saint Etienne wat mij betreft leuk voor een zomers feestje, maar verder niet zo interessant, al moet ik direct toegeven dat ik nooit veel verder ben gekomen dan oppervlakkige beluistering. Het heeft er wel voor gezorgd dat ik geen hoge verwachtingen had van het onlangs verschenen I’ve Been Trying To Tell You, dat na een stilte van vier jaar is verschenen, al werd mijn nieuwsgierigheid wel aangewakkerd door een aantal hele positieve recensies. 

Direct bij eerste beluistering klonk I’ve Been Trying To Tell You anders in de oren dan de muziek van Saint Etienne die ik tot dat moment had gehoord. Voor een band die tot dusver grossierde in zwoele en lichtvoetige popliedjes, is I’ve Been Trying To Tell You een behoorlijk experimenteel album. Het is een album dat zich naar verluidt vooral heeft laten inspireren door popmuziek uit de jaren 90 of zelfs al een ode aan dit decennium moet worden gezien. 

De vele samples uit de jaren 90 die worden gebruikt in de songs op het nieuwe album van Saint Etienne verwijzen nog naar de toegankelijke pop die het zelf ook zo lang maakte, maar de samples zijn verstopt in bijzondere klanken. Het zijn grotendeels elektronische klanken, die meestal een beeldend karakter hebben en een bijzondere sfeer creëren. 

In muzikaal opzicht lijkt Saint Etienne vooral terug te grijpen op de pioniersdagen van de Britse triphop met zwaar aangezette ritmes en atmosferische klanken. Qua sfeer doet het album wel wat denken aan de eerste albums van Massive Attack, maar het gaat Saint Etienne dit keer meer om de sfeer dan om de songs met een kop en een staart. 

Saint Etienne bestaat nog steeds uit leden van het eerste moment Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs en Sarah Cracknell, die allen vanuit huis bijdroegen aan het album, maar laatstgenoemde speelt op I’ve Been Trying To Tell You een bescheiden rol. Vocalen spelen een ondergeschikte rol op het album en komen nog deels van samples ook en als Sarah Cracknell mag zingen lijkt het vaak of er lukraak wat vocalen op de muziek zijn geplakt. Het draagt op een of andere manier wel bij aan de unieke sfeer op het album. 

I’ve Been Trying To Tell You is veertig minuten lang een fascinerende en bezwerende luistertrip. Het is een bedwelmende maar ook sprookjesachtig mooie soundtrack bij een film waarvan je zelf de beelden mag bedenken. Ik heb de laatste dagen ook wat geluisterd naar de rest van het oeuvre van Saint Etienne, dat wel wat beter is dan in mijn beleving, maar de pure magie hoor ik alleen op het wonderschone I’ve Been Trying To Tell You, dat de fantasie genadeloos prikkelt, maar je ook binnen de kortste keren naar een droomwereld voert. Wat een fascinerend album van Saint Etienne.

Erwin Zijleman

Burn So Bright. Jane Willow

With Burn So Bright a second album from Dublin enters these pages within a few days, following Cat Dowling's 'Animals'. Jane Willow's debut full-length album is out and she can be so proud of her achievement is the shortest conclusion I can offer.

Over the past two years I have been able to follow the activities leading up to Burn So Bright. Jane Willow played a living room show in August 2019 where she already played some of the songs now released on record. In the months that followed this show she released a few singles and while the lockdown lasted and lasted, live renditions from her favourite songs from her room. In the fall of 2020 she announced a funding action, announcing her debut album. Money allowing her to finish it, covering some of the cost up front. Photos of mixing activities on Twitter, until finally those who had participated in the crowdfunding received a link to MP3s some weeks ago.

Releasing a record is all about investing in many different details that most people never even think of. Investments that can only be returned upon after the release, through sales and live shows. Judging the quality of the songs on Burn So Bright this ought to be a serious option.

My first impression is easy to formulate. Burn So Bright is a beautiful and intimate album. On the final qualification some bits could be taken away from when focusing on a few details within songs, but overall it is intimate. The kind of album to listen to, as in really listen. To enjoy Jane Willow's voice, the soothing arrangements, the songs as a whole, the little details. All together they create an album that delivers all that Jane Willow promised in the live show, on her mini album and the singles.

But, the way the album starts is definitely not so intimate. It comes in with a bang: Here I am. The strings cook up an acoustic storm, 'A Day In The Life' in reverse as it were. Not one note held forever but all instruments intermingling, creating chaos. With firm drums and electric guitars laying down accents 'This Free Life' surely is an opening song that draws attention to the album. At the same time it is a folk song, a powerful one, but a folk song nonetheless.

On the album Jane Willow shows a few sides to herself. From folk songs with a more poppy nature, to Nick Drake influenced songs and from serious ballads to lighter songs, musically, not necessarily lyrically. In her lyrics she shows herself as searching, longing even, for true love, "I miss the mornings when you said I love you so", but also recognition. No line in her songs underscores this feeling better than "I have this music and I want the world to know", from 'Let There Be Light', with a brilliant video showing how beautiful her adopted country, Ireland is. Yes, adopted, as Jane Willow is from Breda in The Netherlands, having moved to Dublin ten years ago to pursue her love for the music there.

By now it is time to mention that Jane Willow managed to work with Joe Csibi as arranger. Someone who usually works with a classical orchestra. It certainly paid off, as the arrangements swirl. They make the songs come so much alive. From full force to ever so subtle in the most delicate sections of 'Let There Be Light'. Csibi really caught the feel of the song in his arrangement, embellishing it in a beautiful way.

On the album there are two duets, one musically, with Steve Wickham's violin, who plays as if 'Hands On My Hips' is a song on my favourite The Waterboys' record, 'Room To Roam' and one vocal duet with Pat Byrne, who lends his deep voice to 'In Your House There'. Both adorn the album with an extra charm. Not that it needs it. Jane Willow's charms would have sufficed. Now they are there the album simply scores some extra points.

Nick Drake's ghost visits us through 'Linger Here'. The song captures Nick Drake's legacy in a perfect way. Again the arrangement, this time by Marco Francescangeli, is so strong. Again Jane Willow shows that she really wanted the best within her reach, with no compromise, no matter the consequences. The ambition totally paid off

With 'The Fool' Burn So Bright has its most brightly burning song. Uptempo and simply fun to listen to. No matter how personal the song is thematically, Jane Willow has turned the song into a musical feast for all. Of course the song is around for some time already as a single. This takes nothing away from the power it holds within it. 'The Fool' spells hit single if you ask me. Who makes sure the single is delivered on the doorsteps of influential disk jockeys?

To expand on my opening remark. Burn So Bright is the debut album of an ambitious and accomplished singer-songwriter who is ready for the next step in her career. As soon as possible there will be a new living room show but I truly hope that after that it will become totally impossible to have one with Jane Willow ever again. Due to success of course. Go on and listen, as this album is beautiful.

Wout de Natris

Animals. Cat Dowling

Two Dublin singers feature on this blog in just a few days and both have released incredibly rich records. Jane Willow debuted with her first full length album. Cat Dowling has been around for quite some years, as singer of bands like Babelfish and Alphastates and as a solo artist. For me the singles coming from Animals were my introduction to her though. And all three singles impressed. They put the expectations for the album quite high, actually.

The question following a comment like this, invariably is: Does Animals deliver? The first hint is given away by the fact that you are reading this little contribution to the promotion of Animals.

On Animals Cat Dowling presents herself in broad, diverse ways. Nowhere there's a hint that the music to album was written in stolen moments, in a time she was extremely busy. A time where doing one thing was leaving another. To turn this observation around, it may well be that she was able to work with optimal focus as there was not that much time available. If so, Animals attests to it. The album is filled with eleven beautiful songs, in a few genres of music at that.

The album opens with the title song and single 'Animals'. It starts as a fast folk song. An acoustic guitar with a driving rhythm. Drums play isolated accents. Strings come in, some background vocals. As I wrote before, nothing suggests the U2 storm that is cooked up and released. 'Animals' is such a fantastic surprise. The kind of song the whole world ought to get to know.

That Animals means business, is shown by 'All That I Can Do'. A soft kind of rock song, sung with a seductive voice. Singing close to a whisper. The arrangement of the song is rich. There's no other word for it. There's a lot going on and obviously a lot of preparation has gone into it. You will hear many details and extra additions to the whole, making the song busy in nature, without losing focus.

In 'Trouble' Cat Dowling shows herself from a more rocking side. The electric guitar is allowed to play a main role, being propelled by a tight drums and elementary bass guitar. Dowling shows herself to sing in the league of a Reb Fountain and Lana del Ray, musically though there's no comparison. She rocks out when she wants to and certainly is not bothered by music from the time of her grandparents. Her voice does hold something mysterious to it, while also promising intimacy. On this record it is just her and you, as listener, no one else. A promise she delivers upon as some of the songs become softer, more delicate and intimate later on.

Folk is never far away on Animals. The intro of 'Bullets' certainly is folky. When the band joins in. the folk guitar is joined by a rocking band, with hints at jazzrock. This is a far from usual folk song. It spells adventure of the musical kind. Where 'I Wanna Dance' is a ballad, one that could have been found on Reb Fountain's last record 'Iris'. Singing and music have a mysterious element that keep me listening over and over, trying to determine what the song is keeping from me.

The second half of Animals is different from the first. Almost a classic a and b side division. The songs are softer, not so much acoustic, as the electric guitar is there. The album offers a more intimate atmosphere, it opens itself up, as there's no hiding behind a rock guitar and loud drums anymore, let alone a musical tempest as in the opening song. A piano is heard more often as well. 'I Never Knew' is all piano and is closer to a Billy Joel song than anything else. Had not some more traditional instruments entered the song later on that is.

'In The Dark' starts as an average song. The change it makes is superb. The song is given this dreamy element that makes it seem to float away. There's obviously a 60s element woven into the song, let's call it Nancy Sinatra assisted by Lee Hazelwood. It makes Animals take another turn once again. With 'Is This Love' my Reb Fountain association returns once again. When a song is this good, I do not care. Now I have 'Iris' and 'Animals'.

The album ends with rain and wind and a kind of lullaby, where music from my parents' favoured music do come by. Although the guitar is played a little differently, I can imagine Doris Day singing 'Let Love Be'. A befitting song to close off an album.

Overhearing it all, I could comment that the three singles I had heard before this release, are not fully representative for the music on Animals. The album would have profited from another louder song on the B side. It would have made the balance just a little better. That said, there's so much beauty to be found here, so who am I to complain?

Wout de Natris