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