Take A Look. Fast Eddy

With the title and opening song of this album Fast Eddy debuted on this blog. It was not a 1, 2, 3 for the album to continue, because would a whole album of the straightforward rock and roll manage to capture my attention for the whole ride? You have the answer right here.

Fast Eddy is a combo from Denver. Following up its 2018 debut EP 'Tooler', Take A Look is the band's first vinyl release. Micah Morris sings and plays guitar. Lisandro Gutierrez (guitar), Arj Narayan (drums) and Devon Francy (bass) make up the band. Together they clearly have a love for tough U.S. rock, with little parts showing a love for pop melodies, some Britpop here and there and ooh, ooh, ooh Dandy Warhol-like harmonies. The overall sound is one of twin guitars going at it with an overdub or two or three being responsible for pumped up rock and roll. The band itself compares itself to Thin Lizzy (listen to 'Frankie Died' e.g.) but The Rollin Stones of the early 70s or The Black Crowes and Gin Blossoms from the U.S. will do as well. What is missing is the (rhythm &) blues and soul that the latter two bands have within them.

The rock Fast Eddy plays makes them a kind of anachronism but not less fun to listen to them. The combination of fun and in your face is what keeps me on my toes for the whole of the way while listening to Take A Look. In the verses of each song the band already demands attention, which is broadened by each chorus and guitar solo. Or, as the bio writes, the album title is not a polite question, "it's a demand". Let me just repeat this observation. Take a look!, folks, you won't be disappointed.

Promo photo: David Sands

Take A Look comes with a warning from my side. Superficial listening may lead to a conclusion that the album is rather simple. Yes, it may seem to be just more platitudes in rock of things that may have come before and perhaps even better. To all that may fall into this trap, I say: Prick up your ears, mate, because you will find the intricate guitar work that enriches Take A Look. Many details have gone into the songs, making them a deserving addition to what came before. The hard work obviously paid off as Fast Eddy is contradicting its name big time. Slow, painstakingly detailed and precise Eddy is far from a cool name, but would have been more deserving.

Fans from all bands mentioned and even Guns 'N' Roses, minus the endless soloing, ought to find something of their liking on Take A Look. Fast Eddy surprised me with its album. I truly expected to have heard a nice single and that would have been, mostly, enough. It was far from. Take A Look amuses from beginning to end.

Wout de Natris

Nonante-Cinq. Angèle

Angèle is al wereldberoemd in België, maar met haar tweede album Nonante-Cinq moet de muzikante uit Brussel ook Nederland kunnen verleiden met haar zwoele en veelzijdige muziek.

De Belgische muzikante Angèle heeft met Nonante-Cinq een album afgeleverd dat in meerdere opzichten een fascinerende roller-coaster-ride is. In muzikaal opzicht schakelt Angèle moeiteloos tussen uitbundige en zorgeloze Franse popmuziek en wat intiemere en weemoedigere popliedjes. Het ene moment schijnt de zon volop, het volgende moment trekken donkere wolken over, maar Angèle overtuigt eigenlijk altijd met een zeer smaakvolle instrumentatie en een stem die zowel zwoel en verleidelijk als emotievol en melancholisch kan klinken. Angèle werd met haar debuutalbum een ster in België, maar met dit album moet heel Europa aan haar voeten kunnen liggen.

Het is grappig hoe muziek zich aanpast aan de seizoenen. Wanneer op het noordelijk halfrond de lente aanbreekt of de zomer los begint te barsten, domineren in het nieuwe muziekaanbod de zonnige en lichtvoetige klanken, terwijl we de laatste maanden vooral stemmige, donkere en sfeervolle albums zien verschijnen. Dat zijn albums die het inderdaad goed doen bij de koude en donkere dagen van het moment, maar op een gegeven moment heb ik toch ook behoefte aan een flinke dosis zonnestralen. Je hoort ze volop op Nonante-Cinq van Angèle. 

Angèle (Van Laeken) is een muzikante uit Brussel, die in 2018 debuteerde met het fraaie Brol, dat ik destijds niet heb besproken op deze BLOG, maar dat ik wel een tijd lang heb gekoesterd als ‘guilty pleasure’. Angèle is in Nederland volgens mij niet heel bekend, maar bij onze Zuiderburen is ze de afgelopen jaren uitgegroeid tot een grote ster. Met Nonante-Cinq heeft de Belgische muzikante een album afgeleverd dat ook in Nederland hoge ogen moet kunnen gooien. 

Nonante-Cinq opent met een heerlijk zwoele ode aan haar thuisbasis Brussel (Bruxelles Je t'Aime) en het is een ode die laat horen dat Angèle uitstekend uit de voeten kan met de broeierige elektropop die ook populair is bij de betere Franse zuchtmeisjes. Nonante-Cinq is direct vanaf de eerste noten een onuitputtelijke bron van zoete verleiding, die de winter met speels gemak het huis uit jaagt. 

Angèle had van mij best een album vol met dit soort honingzoete popliedjes kunnen maken, maar het feit dat ze dit niet heeft gedaan heeft van Nonante-Cinq een veel beter album gemaakt. Op haar tweede album maakt de muzikante uit Brussel immers indruk met haar veelzijdigheid. 

Na de zwoele openingstrack sleept Angèle je de dansvloer op, maar in de tracks die volgen laat ze horen dat ze ook uit de voeten kan met subtiele Franse popliedjes en met vleugjes R&B en hiphop. Dat Angèle nog veel meer kan laat ze horen in het intieme Taxi, dat veel soberder is ingekleurd met piano en keyboards en dichter tegen het Franse chanson aan kruipt. De Belgische muzikante vertolkt deze track niet alleen met veel gevoel, maar laat ook horen dat ze een uitstekend zangeres, die ook in dit wat serieuzere genre mee kan met de besten. 

Het leven van Angèle was de afgelopen jaren een woeste roller-coaster-ride met hoge toppen en diepe dalen en dat heeft zijn weerslag gehad op Nonante-Cinq, dat net zo makkelijk alle kanten op schiet. Met een emotievol popliedje als Taxi en een aantal vergelijkbare tracks op het album had Angèle me echt onmiddellijk te pakken, maar ook in de wat meer uptempo en tegen pop en R&B aanleunende tracks, laat Angèle horen dat ze veel te bieden heeft. 

Nonante-Cinq is voor het overgrote deel geen album dat je verwacht in de laatste maanden van het jaar, al komen de paar wat melancholischer aandoende tracks op het album precies op het juiste moment. Met de van melancholie overlopende tracks verwarmt de Belgische muzikante op bijzonder fraaie wijze de ruimte, maar op de rest van het album krijg je ook alvast een voorproefje van de lente en zomer van 2022, die als het aan Angèle ligt weer zonnig en zorgeloos gaan worden. 

Een maand geleden liet ik me meedogenloos verleiden door het prachtige album van de Belgische muzikante Sylvie Kreusch, maar ook het album van haar landgenote Angèle mag er zijn. Heerlijk.

Erwin Zijleman

The Someday Herald. Victory Hall

Thank you, but I already have an Elliot Smith, I said when listening to Victory Hall's opening song, 'Fairytale Sky', until I realised I don't any longer. So, welcome Victory Hall. With The Someday Herald Victory Hall has produced an album with its feet in different eras. The listener can find 60s pop with a minor psychedelic flavour infused. There's more folk-tinged songs and there are enough moments that make it a modern album. Although, that is perhaps mostly because of the mix of the genres and the sound as a whole, which were not possible for say The Hollies in 1967. 'King Midas In Reverse' is a song that comes to mind a few times on this album, one of my favourite The Hollies songs. Mildly psychedelic, yet a far cry from what the band's fans and record company demanded from it at the time.

Victory Hall is Julien Pras, who we know on this blog as the partner of singer-songwriter Helen Ferguson or Queen of the Meadow. Pras, a Frenchman from Bordeaux, does everything to not sound like a Frenchman or chansons. The music on The Someday Herald is as U.K. as it comes. In 1967-68 this album could have been so popular, as the songs are probably far better than most pop bands were able to produce then. At the time it was still, mostly, about singles, Pras has made an album, with the quality that demands.

Almost all instruments you can hear on the album are played by Julien Pras. There are a few exceptions and a few harmony vocals and a duet with Helen Ferguson in 'Golden Times'. The song coming closest to Queen of the Meadow's work. For the rest there is a clear distinction between the couple's individual music.

The Someday Herald overall does not need any big gestures to impress. Victory Hall keeps the songs small. The melodies do the work, not the effects. In that the already mentioned Elliot Smith does come to mind. From there the latter half of the 1960s come in. Undoubtedly the music from that era has made an impression on Julien Pras. Do not expect deep psychedelia of warbling guitars. emotionally flat vocals and Mellotron. Victory Hall is far more subtle in its psychedelia. The song comes first and from there light effects can come in. More in the singing, a slight effect on the vocal perhaps, making the intention more than clear.

The overall result is that The Someday Herald is much more than just an Elliot Smith copy album. It found a place for itself and stands its own ground. With its many and short songs, the album flies by it seems, inviting me to put it on again, immediately. Something I have often done in the past weeks, playing the album twice in a row, wallowing in its atmosphere just a little longer. The Someday Herald is that kind of, if modest, album.

Wout de Natris

Godmother. Josephine Foster

With Godmother Josephine Foster returns to this blog. Her new album touches me easily but it also poses a huge challenge to me. I've been listening for some time now and still I have no idea on what to write. To find the words that constitute my experience. Right now, I only know that I want you to know about Godmother. For now, I've decided to go with the flow of the album and take it from there.

The first thing coming to mind is how surprised I am to be writing about Josephine Foster once again. My introduction to her singing style, in the English folk tradition, as in shrill, high, did not go down well. Like fingernails on a blackboard. Add to that the unsteady wavers in her voice. It made listening to her music impossible for me.

This has changed somehow. On Godmother Josephine Foster, Colorado U.S.A., on the one hand sings in a lower register and far softer. Around her a mystical world is created, moving her music far beyond the classic folk tradition. Musically an electronic world is wrapped all around her voice. It still meanders in its characteristic way, but so much softer and significantly less prominent. It is in the way that the synth sounds move with her, that the mythical element joins her music.

Before folk purists start running for the exit, the album contains intricate guitar playing as well. Take opening song 'Hum Memima'. Foster plays her acoustic, nylon stringed guitar, softly and sings over it just as serenely. In the background however electronics hover, like ghosts in between the walls. There and not there. Its presence is the announcement of things to come.

Promo photo

The electronics give Godmother totally its own atmosphere. Of course, the music fits, as it is played in the right chords and notes. Yet, it is almost as if two worlds are combined here. On the one side a singer-songwriter in the folk segment, playing her guitar, sometimes a bass and light percussion are added and on the other these electronic ghostlike sounds that meander over the whole canvas of a song.

This makes that Godmother offers multiple experiences while listening to it. There are two distinct tracks for the listener of the album to explore. Why pick out 'Guardian Angel'? Simply because it is playing right now. The two worlds are so clear. The melody the synth pursues could be the vocal melody of a Depeche Mode song. Just imagine heavy electronics behind it. Imagination runs wild listening to 'Guardian Angel', a strong song in its own right.

In her own way Josephine Foster has evolved in her music in the same way her Fire Records colleague Jane Weaver has. Allowing more and more electronics into their work. With a totally different outcome, for sure. The comparison is striking though as it results in imaginative and strong work.

For folk purists Godmother may be hard to digest. For everyone with a more open mind it may well be a very surprising album containing not only adventurous but also beautiful songs. Inspiration for me to write struck anyway, as it should be with an inspirational album like Godmother is.

Wout de Natris

Swamp Street Soul. Inca Babies

In April 2020 Harry Stafford debuted on these pages with his solo album, 'Urban Gothic Blues'. In my post I mentioned that he played in a band called Inca Babies, totally unknown to me, until recently that is.

With the long intro of 'Swamp Street Soul', the title track, Inca Babies blasted itself into my life. A huge sound, a modern wall of sound, catapults out of my speakers. With a couple of trumpets (Kevin Davy) heralding the sign of the times of Swamp Street Soul. Trumpets that are as much a part of the musical landscape as hovering over it. The top of a cymbal as the warning sound at a crossroad for the oncoming train. Somewhere from deep down the David Gilmour led Pink Floyd floats to the surface and descends again. And this is just the beginning of what I could write about 'Swamp Street Soul'. Let me stop here to move on, as there's so much more to enjoy.

Inca Babies, from Manchester is around for several decades now. In fact next year the band celebrates it's 40th birthday. Harry Stafford (guitar, keys, vocals), bassist Vince Hunt and Rob Haynes on drums and percussion make up the band. Musically the music is all but a trio. What I hear is impossible to reproduce in a live setting. The band may have (post)punk as a starting point, in 2022 this is only a part of the story. The energy is there but also the life lived, the experience gained, the skills picked up during years of playing. All this is reflected in the quality of the songs and the power put into the music.

Promo photo: Steve Nicholl

Part of Swamp Street Soul is set firmly in the 80s. New wave and postpunk elements are found in the mix, as are punk eruptions themselves. At the same time Inca Babies fits perfectly in the newest wave of new wave that rages over the U.K., Ireland and The Netherlands. The album fits in nicely with the likes of Shame, IDELS, Fontaines D.C. and the likes. Squaring the circle as it were. Musically and energetically the band totally competes. Songs like 'A Walk In The Park', Crawling Garage Gasoline' do very well, while 'Bigger Than All Of Us' could be on Shame's debut album with ease and stand out. It is always a question who influences whom, but Inca Babies was here first, but may have become convinced that it was the right moment to return after releasing its previous record in 2014. 'Bigger Than All Of Us' rocks so loud. Way to go, Inca Babies.

One of the stronger points of Swamp Street Soul is that it dares to use contrasts. 'I'm Grounded' is a dirty sounding song, based on one basic riff, one bar going around and around, while not forgetting to get its musical message across. Where I had and have a hard time listening to Wire and especially Gang of Four, 'I'm Grounded' goes down really well. It does not forget to rock. Directly, in the next song, 'Oh The Angles' Inca Babies aims for a perfect chorus. Again, the contrast between verse and chorus is huge. Beauty and ugly in the twain shall meet and do.

Swamp Street Soul joins decades and a few genres as well. Inca Babies may have been around, off and on, for 38 years, it deserves a spot in between this newest wave of new wave, as I decided to call it for myself. The inner tension 'Windshield Gnat' holds within it, is ten times worth the latest Fontaines D.C. single.

Finally, the title track returns in a "dub version", closing in everything in between between the so much more mystical composition. The kind that will seem to continue endlessly when played on repeat. So, if this kind of music is your thing, Swamp Street Soul ought to be your next album to check out.

Wout de Natris

Barn. Neil Young Crazy Horse

An album that I totally overlooked in 2021 is Barn, the new album by Neil Young and his oldest play mates, Crazy Horse. When I played it for the first time a couple of days ago, I was totally surprised. The older Neil Young, as he is definitely sounding older here, his voice weaker, is in a great form. And yes, I have heard music like this from him for decades. This makes the surprise only the more pleasant. Barn holds a collection of fantastic new songs that add directly to what came before in a significant and relevant way.

Anyone who has followed this blog in the past decade will have noticed that I: a) have not bought a Neil Young album in this century (barring 'Homegrown') and b) am often surprised the last years how his albums speak to me. It's just that I have enough Neil Young albums to last me a lifetime. Not so with Barn. This album is a must have.

The question you might want to ask me is: why? This starts with the very first song. 'Song Of The Seasons' is the kind of country song that Neil Young is good at, while lacing it with some Mexican colours here and there, Nils Lofgren playing accordion. It contains warmth and despair at the same time, just like Young does in his best songs. As always his voice is an acquired taste, but I got past that in my teens already.

When the electric guitars ring out in the intro of 'Heading West', in that typical dark and brooding Neil Young sound, I got the idea that I may be in for a trip. And was not let down for a second further into the album. Together with the rhythm section Ralph Molina and Billy Talbot with "new" guitarist Nils Lofgren, who already played with Neil Young in the early 70s, Neil Young manages to sound as relevant as he did in the beginning of his solo career. In 'Canerican' he discusses his descent and current nationality. "I see the changes that came to this country". In the sound of the song, his worries come through. The guitars emulate an explosion here and there and a derailing at the end.

So, is Neil Young relevant on Barn? Not as in relevant to most 15 year olds. Not if you would compare each individual songs to your favourite Young song in specific genres he has played over the years. As in a strong collection of songs? I dare you to name a better collection since, perhaps 'Freedom' or 'Ragged Glory'. Barn contains a great collection of ten songs making it an extremely strong album, with enough stories that needed to be told in the lyrics. That makes Barn an urgent album for fans to have, as they, like I am, must be enormously pleased to be tickled in all the right places by the 76 year old rocker. How many of his contemporaries are able to state the same?

If you're a Neil Young (& Crazy Horse) fan, you better start running for the record shop or online service, but start with the former and keep them alive!

Wout de Natris

Singles, week 4

We are kicking off with a blues(rock) single. Not something that happens every week in the 2020s. You will notice that nearly all new music presented this week refers to things that have been popular at some point in time but our now more niches on the music scene. Psychedelic pop, new wave, country rock, powerpop, all were very popular at some point in time, occupying the charts. Although this may be the case, all the singles and EPs presented here are very much worth your while. So, enjoy.

Devil On My Shoulder EP. Nienke Dingemans

17 Years old and singing the blues as if singing from an age old experience. Nienke Dingemans is a Dutch singer-songwriter who released a six song EP in November of 2021 that she recorded with a host of musicians from the NL blues scene. The lead song is 'Why Do Caged Birds Sing', a five minute plus blast of a song. Do not expect a traditional 12 bar blues. No, expect an electrically charged, slide guitar driven, above all extremely powerful song, where Dingemans gives it all she's got. The song has a great sound, where the guitars are mixed in exactly the right way to have a maximum effect on the song. 'Why Do Caged Birds Sing' may stand on the shoulder of giants, it is certainly a building block for the next level. The song is simply that good. Would Anouk sound like this/this good if she ever makes a blues-tinged album? The question does come to mind. There are five more songs on the EP and all worth the while. Do check it out.

You Blow My Mind. Miss Georgia Peach

Cowpunk? Is that a word/genre? Probably it is. If it isn't, I'm listening to it right now and feel free to use the term, if you like. Miss Georgia Peach teamed up with Nashville Pussy and sings You Blow My Mind with Blaine Cartwright. The song holds the right mix between both genres to irk both its fans, most likely. Meaning it is a perfect mix. The singing is pure country, the riffing punkrock with a country rhythm, sped up considerably but not that much from a song like "There's A Guy Who Works Down The Chips Shop' or C'est la Vie (You Never Can Tell)' and just as much fun to listen to. To enjoy it, all I have to do is let go of my inhibitions and get into the groove. Hee-haw.

Open-Mindedness EP. Aura Blaze

Three new songs by Aura Blaze. Always something to look out for. After a few covers and a totally spaced out 9 minutes long song, it is hard to expect what is to come. The EP opens with the title song and I have a hard time to pinpoint the song for you. Why? It is so many things all at once. Surely psychedelic, yes, pop as well, there's even a little balladry in there pointing to Earth, Wind & Fire, e.g. 'After The Love Has Gone' and some Zappa style phrasing. What it certainly is, is a next level Aura Blaze. It's like Rhode Rachel has soaked up half the musical world, to come up with a superior song like Open-Mindedness. To think that Rachel played, sang and recorded it all by himself makes it even more special. Open-Mindedness is an extremely rich song for those who care to listen.

'The Summer Solstice' is perfect pop from the 60s. As if a long lost track by The Move, Jeff Lynne's first band, was found and received a total makeover. Only a hint of psychedelia remains here. In the final song, 'The Only One I Know', Aura Blaze is far more direct. 'Hush', as in Kula Shaker, territory is explored here. With a nice warm Hammond organ laying over everything. A very nice psychedelic rocking ending to an EP that opens with a mind explosion in music on several levels.

The artwork deserves a closer look also. What a piece of art it is.

Jackie Down The Line. Fontaines D.C.

Fontaines D.C. was seen as the frontrunners of the newest wave of new wave to give it a name. No longer. With its album 'Archive Material' Silverbacks has left its Dublin based colleagues far behind. It is almost shocking to hear the difference in richness between the two bands. As if a Ferrari overtakes a Nissan Micra. And then to think that Jackie Down The Line is a kind of song that is totally in line with the band's repertoire. The new single is what I've come to expect and that is where things go wrong; by comparison that is. There's absolutely no progress to be noted here. The effect that makes Jackie Down The Line stand out, is the flange or whatever stompbox it is on the guitar, not the quality of the composition. The start certainly gives the song a level of urgency. The drum pick up and bass pattern give the song its pace. It made me prick up my ears immediately. After that there's simply too little variation on the vocal melody to keep my interest up. Jackie Down The Line is nice. As first single of an upcoming album it should be good or better.

Building Blocks/Mandy. J. Prozac

Boy oh boy is this one hell of a powerpoppunk single. J. Prozac cranks out a song that has the world screaming for building blocks, whether it means it or not. For the first time in decades I am shouting for them. The lyrics may be a bit weird for grown ups but then who wants to be grown up all of the time? Listening to powerpoppunk songs like this from a certain age onwards attests to the answer. Fun is an ingredient that makes life worthwhile and Building Blocks and Mandy provide just that. Five and a half minute of pure distraction from everything grown ups like me deal with during the day. For me, listening to Building Blocks is enough to keep me going, so if J. Prozac likes to play with them, to achieve the same effect, that's fine by me. As long as he produces fun songs like these on the side, I'm here to encourage him to play with them some more.

Wout de Natris

Archive Material. Silverbacks

Archive Material? It seemed like Silverbacks was about to release songs leftover from the writing and recording process around 'Fad', it's debut album from 2020. It turns out to be an album containing new work. And a spectacularly good album it is.

Silverbacks is a band from Dublin that can easily be lumped in with many new bands that have risen to, some kind of, prominence in the past four years. Shame, Fontaines D.C., IDELS, Global Charming, etc., etc., bands from Ireland, the U.K. and the Netherlands that take their inspiration from the late 70s, early 80s Talking Heads, new wave, postpunk and Franz Ferdinand c.s. in the 00s.

Where 'Fad' was nice, Archive Material is the giant leap forward putting Silverbacks in the front seat of the movement with Global Charming. On Archive Material Silverbacks manages to combine an alternative pop/rock feel with notes and chords that are at the edge of making the hair stand up on my arms but never does as it always manages to please instead. Of course, this music will be a corner or two or perhaps even more for the average pop fan, but anyone who has grooved to 'More Songs On Buildings And Food' at the time may want to listen to Archive Material, as should anyone who loved 'Take Me Out' or 'Darts Of Pleasure'.

Chauvinist alternative rocker I am, well, not really, I have lauded many an album from my country in the past few years. However, Shame's first album is very probably my favourite album in the newest wave of new wave, to give the genre a name. Archive Material is about to start competing it feels like. It is competing with Global Charming's 'Mediocre, Brutal' for second place for sure. Yes, I hear a lot that has been done before on all these albums, but not necessarily done (a lot) better. It is musically up to par, melodically far stronger than a lot of the 1980s originals from the U.K., let alone contemporary colleagues. Talking Heads is of course the U.S. godfather here.

Photo: Róisín Murphy O'Sullivan

One of the strong points of this album is the shared lead vocals between singer/guitarist Daniel O'Kelly and singer/bassist Emma Hanlon. It gives the album its extra. The vocal duties are shared more widely than on the debut, 'Fad', which gives Archive Material more balance. The pointy and sticky rhythms and guitar melodies make me wonder how you create them, let alone play them. Fact is they are to the point and work together with the melodies sprinkled out over the listener.

The outlier on the album is the ambient instrumental track 'Carshade'. It works as a point of rest in the middle of the album but only in that sense. As if to throw a pigsty at pearls. It's not that bad but I do seriously wonder why the song is on the album.

That Silverbacks has extensively studied Talking Heads for this album, is undeniable. The new wave band's music is all over Archive Material. The way it has incorporated this music into its own music is superb. The result is a superior mix of era's. This music is exiting, danceable, great to listen and sing-a-long to. There simply is not much more to ask for when listening to a new album. With Archive Material Silverbacks puts it in the lead of the new alternative rock wolfpack.

Wout de Natris

White Flemish Trash. Mercelis

Zestien jaar na het vorige album keert de Vlaamse band Mercelis terug met het buitengewoon fascinerende White Flemish Trash, dat overloopt van avontuur, onderhuidse spanning en bezwering.

Uitgerekend met Halloween maakte ik voor het eerst kennis met White Flemish Trash van de Belgische band Mercelis. Het is een band met een lang verleden, maar heel succesvol was Mercelis nog niet. Dat moet gaan veranderen met het nieuwe album, want wat is White Flemish Trash een mooi en bijzonder album. Mercelis schotelt je een fascinerende soundtrack van de nacht voor en het is een soundtrack vol muzikaal avontuur, onderhuidse spanning, wilde intensiteit en meedogenloze bezwering. Mercelis maakt muziek die je vrijwel onmiddellijk vastgrijpt en die pas weer los laat wanneer de laatste noten na 45 minuten wegsterven. Hierna koester je dit album voorgoed.

Achter Mercelis, dat eind oktober opdook met het album White Flemish Trash, gaat de Vlaamse muzikant Jef Mercelis schuil. Jef Mercelis deed met zijn band Mercelis in 1992 mee aan de fameuze Belgische talentenjacht Humo’s Rock Rally, maar wist het podium niet te halen. Dat was achteraf bezien zeker geen schande, want ook Nemo, The Sideburns (de voorloper van Novastar, dat in 1996 Humo’s Rock Rally won) en zelfs dEUS vielen in 1992 niet in de prijzen (en dit in tegenstelling tot Charlie 45, The Beautiful Babies en Orgasmaddix, van wie we sindsdien niet heel veel meer hebben vernomen). 

Mercelis trok wel de aandacht tijdens de meest aansprekende talentenjacht in België en debuteerde in 1996 met het fraaie The Hopes & Dreams Of A Drunk Punk, dat net als opvolger Western Union uit 2005 helaas nergens meer te vinden is en destijds veel te weinig aandacht kreeg. 

Mercelis keert vrijwel uit het niets terug met White Flemish Trash en het is een terugkeer die best sensationeel genoemd mag worden. Samen met een aantal gelouterde Belgische muzikanten heeft Jef Mercelis een geweldig album afgeleverd, dat in niets lijkt op de andere albums die deze week, deze maand of dit jaar zijn verschenen. 

Met White Flemish Trash borduurt Mercelis deels terug op de al lang vergeten vorige twee albums van de band en positioneert het zichzelf ergens tussen de muziek van dEUS in haar gloriejaren en het fantastische debuut van de Ierse muzikant Gavin Friday, Each Man Kills The Thing He Loves uit 1989, dat ik graag gebruik als graadmeter voor albums als White Flemish Trash van Mercelis. 

Op White Flemish Trash hoor je het muzikale avontuur en de onderhuidse spanning die je ook bij dEUS zo vaak hoorde en het album heeft hiernaast het intense en doorleefde van het meesterwerk van Gavin Friday. Mercelis past met zijn nieuwe album in het hokje rock, maar het is rock zoals je die niet al te vaak hoort. De Vlaamse band maakt op haar nieuwe album beeldende muziek die niet zou misstaan in wat duistere films, maar de muziek van Mercelis heeft ook een bezwerend karakter. 

In de instrumentatie hoor je vooral veel gitaren en het zijn gitaren die alle kanten op schieten. White Flemish Trash staat vol met breed uitwaaiende gitaarwolken, maar de gitaren op het album kunnen ook gruizig klinken of juist subtiele akkoorden spelen. Het fraaie gitaarwerk op het album wordt omgeven door wolken van wat creepy synths, waarna de vaak geweldig spelende ritmesectie de boel aan elkaar mag breien. 

Het nieuwe album van Mercelis is in muzikaal opzicht een rijk en fascinerend album, dat in iedere track weer een bijzondere sfeer en spanning weet op te roepen, maar de muziek past ook uitstekend bij de indringende zang van Jef Mercelis, die de associaties met Gavin Friday nog wat versterkt. 

White Flemish Trash is een album dat snel een onuitwisbare indruk maakt, maar alle geheimen van de muziek van Mercelis ontdek je pas wanneer je het album vele keren hebt beluisterd. Ik beluister het album inmiddels voor de zoveelste keer en het wordt alleen maar mooier. 

Het zit Mercelis tot dusver nog niet heel erg mee, maar het zou doodzonde zijn als White Flemish Trash, net als zijn twee voorgangers, snel in de vergetelheid raakt. België heeft een naam hoog te houden wanneer het gaat om broeierige en beeldende muziek vol avontuur en bezwering, maar met Mercelis hebben onze zuiderburen er absoluut weer een band bij waarop ze heel erg trots kunnen zijn.

Erwin Zijleman

Marvin Lee Aday, Meat Loaf (1947 - 2022)

With the death of Meat Loaf, the Meat Loaf tandem Aday - Jim Steinman is no more. Steinman died last year. That leaves Ellen Foley as the only pivotal person left in the creation of that grand illusion called 'Paradise By The Dashboard Light'.

I have never been a fan of Meat Loaf. Looking back in hindsight, I take it to be for the same reason that I never became a Bruce Springsteen, perhaps even a Billy Joel fan. That part of U.S. rock just never appealed to me.

Paradise By The Dashboard Light became a hit in the winter of 1978 in The Netherlands. The huge, fat man in the video made for an extremely unlikely pop star, especially in contrast with the woman he was wooing, Karla DeVito. We did not know about Ellen Foley yet. The bombast, the sweating huge man, the song as a whole, give me 'Denis', 'Wuthering Heights', 'We Are The Champions' or Lust for Life' any time said the 1978 version of me.

Did that change over the years? Oh, yeah. What made me change my mind were the parties on the 7th floor of an ugly, detonating flat in Leiden, where we sang and danced to the song, splitting up the boy girl roles. The best fun was when the girl new the lyrics well enough and had the timing right. The enormous power of the song hit home and still does in 2022. Decades older we can still do it when we meet and the song comes by in the here and now.

This is the kind of impact that a song can have on a person, strong enough to last a lifetime. Do I play the song at home? No, never. Did it make me curious to learn more? No, it did not. There's no need. I know I do not like Meat Loaf's music over all. Paradise By The Dashboard Light though has the ability to make me feel good instantly. Playing music myself now, I hear far better what happens musically, the strong shuffle worked in there, all the elements that make it such a strong song. And, yes, the drama and bombast worked in there are a huge part of it.

Meat Loaf has scored far more hits, even another number 1 hit over here. I've been told that six of the seven songs on 'Bat Out Of Hell' have found their way into the Top 2000. That is a statement of how popular the band and album still are 45 years after its release. This does imply that one of the great rockers has left this planet. Meat Loaf was just not my kind of rocker.

Wout de Natris

Singles, Week 3

Slowly but surely we are all laving behind our thoughts of the festive season, as we are steadily progressing into 2022. New albums are starting to be released as you can find on the blog, with several bigger releases among them and some personal favourites. The singles of this week are still a little of mixed decent but also here 2021 is slowly fading away. A nicely mixed bunch it is once again.

Three Shots EP. The Dirty Truckers

The Dirty Truckers makes music that I heard in what I call my transition period in music.A period that I sort of lost interest in new music and hardly have any favourite albums rom, opposed to some singles. Let's say from 1982 to 1991. I may have liked a single from a band like The Hooters, 'Satellite', but never an album. Listening to Three Shots EP The Dirty Truckers combine the best of the era in its songs, including a hit like 'I Love You Period'. What I'm hearing is good old, honest rock music from the U.S. with a lot of melody, a truckload of it, deliciously raucous guitar playing and a rhythm section that goes straight for the goal line without any sidetracking. Tom Baker's voice has the exact right rasp in his voice to make the songs on the EP totally convincing. Three Shots has all the right ingredients to rock out to.

Popular. Pom Pom Squad + Matthew Caws

Popular was Nada Surf's breakthrough and as far as I know, only hit single. Which is a shame as the band has made great songs over the past quarter century. Pom Pom Squad (Mia Berrin) has made it to the blog once with its album 'Death Of A Cheerleader'. The two bands toured together recently, which led to a Pom Pom Squad in between single. She recorded her own version of Popular, with Matthew Caws, which is, was and always will be be a great song, also in the new version. Pom Pom Girl rocks out fully, totally within the limits the spoken word verses and the chorus alternated song allows for. Deep guitars strummed fiercely, yet melodically, support the chorus melody, that invites singing along to, loudly. The video not only refers to the title of her album but is also a full remake of the original one. It's filled with cheerleaders and American football players, all girls this time. The whole video is about bending the rules around, the girls taking over and still I love it. This version is totally deserving of attention for it. Popular is a great song.

Strange Again. The Vices

It's not even a year ago that The Vices' debut album 'Looking For Faces' saw the light of day and already the first single towards album number 2 'At Least I Heard 'em Saying' is released. This will take a lot of patience though, as the album is scheduled for the fall of 2022. If Strange Again is a bellwether it is going to be a long wait. The single rocks out and the arrangements within the alternative rocksong are simply fun. Nothing elaborate and totally functional, it works the whole of the way. The dynamics within the song are just as good. A fundamental beat is present during the whole song, tight and elementary. All the little fun melodies are played out one by one, where the band did not stop at one, or two or three findings. There are multiple melodies sprinkled all over the song, to drop away to reveal the bare rhythm once again. Strange Again is one of those good alternative rock songs that are great fun as well.

Karaoke. Judy Blank

If Karaoke is a protest song, it is the softest one I've ever heard. Without Covid-19, this song would have never been made, as this is all about Covid-19 or better the consequences coming with the disease. In a time where for many people living is no longer an option as they did not survive the disease, most people are longing to resume their lives. "Wouldn't it be nice to do some living before I die", Judy Blank sings. She voices this as a question, while many youths I know are totally despairing of losing their party years, that will never return. Judy Blank voices this concern in a soft voiced song with a bare accompaniment on an acoustic guitar, with a sparse piano note here and there. The soft singer-songwriter song in a style that reminds me of the softest ballads of Big Star, strikes the right dreamy tone of someone dreaming of days that seem to never come again in the time of a pandemic. Waiting for the sun to come, for now, is the only remedy in the dark winter months.

Everything Is Simple. Widowspeak

"Everything is simple till it's not". Do you really think so?, I can't help but muse. With its new single, the first one on route to the band's new album, 'The Jacket', Widowspeak does make it seem simple to write a dreamy song with a dark undertone. Singer Molly Hamilton dreams away with her soft-toned voice, while the lead guitar plays dark notes on the bass strings. A second guitar plays parts of a chord but also in an ominous way. I only saw the movie 'Don't Look Up' very recently, so the memory is fresh. This song sort of reminds me of the ignoring of disaster while dreaming of other things taking place in the movie. The way people are unable to grasp impending doom as long as it is out of sight, around the corner. I'm not excluding myself here. Widowspeak seems to capture both this state of mind and the "thing" around the corner with Everything Is Simple. The only enlightenment comes from the sparse piano notes, despite the fact that even they have a darker tone.

Wout de Natris

Lonely City Exit Wounds. Blaudzun

With the trilogy of albums years behind us by now, it is time for a new album for Blaudzun, In the past months one single after the other was fired off into the world, culminating in a Topsong on radio 2 in the past week. The album remained out of sight but not any longer. Lonely City Exit Wounds is there.

The first words reaching me were in Oor writing that Blaudzun reached for Coldplay heights. Now Coldplay and I have not been a good combination since 2005. So, where do Blaudzun an I go with his first album of the 20s?

The fact that Blaudzun and I go back for about a decade by now in an ever better musical relationship did make me look forward to listening to an even better album. I wasn't worried at all, despite the fact that a band can always make an album that does not go down well.

Within a few songs I was totally convinced that Blaudzun had made another great album. One that I do not count out to be able to become my favourite. Everything that I appreciate in the band's music is there and somehow at a different level. As if everything and everybody has been elevated to a higher level. The thought struck me that I'm listening to the essence of what Blaudzun is, as if the band went through a distilling process. The nucleus was then brought to the listener as direct as possible, without a need to hide behind anything. Lonely City Exit Wounds is the great result of this elaborate process.

This conclusion is based more on my immediate thoughts, instincts if you like, than that I've played all my Blaudzun albums preparing for this review. Far from it. I wanted to be as less biased as possible. For me, it comes with the atmosphere Lonely City Exit Wounds. All the songs are direct, the arrangements all a direct part of the songs and not embellishments. Blaudzun rocks more openly as well. Just listen to the moment Johannes Sigmond sings "I'm wide open now" in 'Wide Open'. Blaudzun does not often rock out as hard as this, without becoming a rock band of course. All signs of the essence bared by leaving out extra's.

Promo photo: Andreas Terlaak

For international readers not knowing the band. If I have to compare, to me Arcade Fire remains the closest I can think of. Deeper down, I would point to the early 80s U2 and Simple Minds, if they had been as good as musicians and arrangers then, as Blaudzun is in 2022. Truth is that Blaudzun has carved out his own universe in the past 10 years. Music that is instantly recognisable as his. In 2012 I wrote on this blog "Watch out world, Blaudzun is coming". In 2022 I still think this is a band that ought to be known at the global level as in nothing Blaudzun is any less than Arcade Fire. Coming from The Netherlands is equal to a less easy road to travel being born in Arnhem compared to the U.S. or Canada.

Listening to a strong rock song like 'End Times Kissing The Daytimer' should do the trick. Next up is the latest single, 'Wide Open'. Both songs are instantly convincing and on a straight level with a song like 'Everything Now'.

And Coldplay? It may be one of the biggest bands on earth but it may wish to have recorded and released any of the songs on Lonely City Exit Wounds ever since 'X&Y' in 2005 (and I already expressed my doubts on that album at the time). Blaudzun is in great form on its new album and this may indeed be its best to date.

Wout de Natris

Lewis & Clark. Mountaineer

Soft, sweet, gentle are the first words that come to mind listening to Mountaineer's new album. Lewis & Clark is that kind of album. Serious listening is mandatory. Concentration a prerequisite to be able to submerge into the musical world singer-songwriter Marcel Hulst conjures up for all to hear. Without it hardly any of it may come across. Digging in will come with its perks, as the album may well prove to be one of the finest to be released in the genre in 2022.

It has been almost seven years since Mountaineer debuted with '1974'. In the meantime Hulst released an album with his band Maggie Brown, 'Another Place' (2017), and worked with another project as singer. With Lewis & Clark he sets a huge step as singer-songwriter, leaving '1974' far and wide behind him. The intricate arrangements and production all show huge progress.

Lewis & Clark were two explorers who at the very start of the 19th century had to find a western passage to the Pacific Ocean. They started from St. Louis to sail up the Missouri river. With the assistance of local Indian tribes they found their way across the Rocky Mountains into the mighty rivers all flooding into the Columbia river that reaches the Pacific near what is now Astoria, Oregon, where they camped and recuperated before starting the journey home. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark are near unknown here but heroes in the United States, who explored the vast expanses west of the Mississippi river.

Marcel Hulst has a strong fascination for the U.S. that once again comes through in the lyrics and obviously the title of the album. In part the songs are a reflection of his (longing for) travels and observations on the U.S.A.. Expect places to be named, from Louisiana to Ohio or Baltimore, but also a typical American political process, impeachment, to be reflected upon from a personal perspective.

Musically it is all set in an almost delicate setting, where a sparse note on a piano or a slide note on a pedal steel guitar can totally set the mood, as in one of the singles, 'Ohio'. The melancholy atmosphere the song already has, is underscored in an extremely relaxed yet clearly sad circumstance. The person sung to has given up looking for Ohio it seems and never will look for it again.

The intricate accompaniment is what makes Lewis & Clark come alive. In all the songs there are these fantastic little extras. There are the harmony vocals that stand out totally. This album already has a large dreamy component, the harmonies elevate it to angelic levels. Elements of extreme beauty are shared out to those willing to receive it. Something I gladly do.

At heart this is a singer-songwriter album. An acoustic guitar, bass and drums is what makes up the backbone of the Lewis & Clark album. This would have made for an album with nice songs but in the end not special enough to keep my attention for the whole ride. For each song Hulst, together with co-producers Jan Schenk and Frans Hagenaars, has found the elements that make the individual songs stand out. Elements that make for a listening experience.

The power of a good song is that it still stands out played with just an acoustic guitar at a campfire. The strength of a good song is to make it stand out and that is what happens on Lewis & Clark. In the arrangements the right choice seems to be made each time. The mood of the song is enlarged by minimal effects, indeed as in the best songs of the artists Mountaineer mentions in the bio accompanying the release, Neil Young, Elliot Smith and Belle & Sebastian. Fans of these artists should find their way to and with Mountaineer. If only to hear the magic of "a simple" to-do-to-do-do-do. I truly wonder whether it will get much better in 2022.

Wout de Natris

Toy. David Bowie

As Bowie fans, we are spoilt for choice with new records, books and gadgets. Much more than our bank accounts can handle, but if you don't buy it right away, you will never find it for the regular price.

At the end of 2021 the 5th box set, with 11 discs of the 90's. Early January the Hunky Dory 50th anniversary album and the album Toy, rejected by the record companies in 2001. Shortly before David’s glorious return to Glastonbury in 2000 Bowie had expressed his intentions to record an album with his tour band. He wanted to make updates of his songs from the 60s. There were 13 tracks but also a new song (Hole in the ground). Halfway the process Bowie’s daughter was born which caused a break of two months. Bowie wanted to do the artwork himself and promised that was going to be very odd. Unfortunately record company Virgin didn’t want to release the album. Finally Bowie started working on Heathen and the recordings were shelved. In 2011 14 tracks leaked onto the internet.

Also a part of these songs were reworked for Heathen and released as B-sides and bonus tracks.

There are plenty releases with the original versions of the old songs. You can also find LPs and CDs with many of the reworked songs. The contents are different each time and not all of them are complete. Songs are: I dig everything, You’ve got a habit of leaving, The London boys, Karma man, Conversation piece, Shadow man, Let me sleep beside you, Hole in the ground, Baby loves that way, Can’t help thinking about me, Silly boy blue, Liza Jane, Uncle Floyd, In the heat of the morning, Toy (later: Your turn to drive) = 15 songs. Uncle Floyd is not on the official box for some reason.

Now that the record has finally been released, we can judge what we would have got 21 years ago. First of all there is this very odd cover, a mixture of a photo of Bowie in 2000 and a photo of him in 1947, as a cute baby. In my opinion, the worst cover ever. He seems to have created it himself.

Disc1: The songs lack the freshness of the 18-year-old enthusiast that David was. As if everything had been slowed down a bit. Of course David had slowed down too and his voice has matured and sounds better. Karma Man, Silly Boy Blue, The London Boys and Shadowman are standing out. Also on the sleeve information. Because the titles are shorter than the others. Larger letters have been used. Rightly so. 

Disc2; Liza Jane is a nice opener. You can hear the stylophone at the end. The first few numbers look too much like the ones on CD1 but there are two more tracks.

Disc3: This is the disc I prefer. The Acoustic versions.

Over all, a must have, but listen to the original stuff too. I treasure the 60’s versions. I can understand why none of the songs became a hit single, but all of them are little gems. It’s obvious that the young David had a lot of talent.

Tineke Guise