Singles, Week 5

Boy, do the weeks fly by. The older I get, the faster they seem to go it seems. I have no clue why that is. When did time fly by slowly for the last time? In high school and in my air force days. Why, because I was deeply bored. Since then, hardly ever. That may be an explanation. With these singles being released recently there was not much need of getting bored. Was I surprised? Yes, certainly. Just read my review Susanna's new single and then try it out for yourself. All in all it's quite a diverse set, as almost always.

Alchemy Of Suffering. Susanna

Ever so delicate Susanna presents herself on her new single from the upcoming album 'Elevation', the follow up to her 2020 record "Baudelaire & Piano'. The basis is a poem of Baudelaire. Susanna Wallumrød wrote a minimum number of notes underneath her words. The music changing hardly ever. It results in ultimate beauty of voice and piano.

Slowly but surely things change, as in an average episode of the Kairos radio show. All sorts of electronic warbles and hisses move underneath the music to finally completely take over. It always makes me think why?, but it's not my question to ask, is it? Susanna presents her latest song in this way and that is enough for an answer. It does put the whole song on its head, to finally take fully over. Warble, hiss and pulse are all the listener is left with. Sounds intriguing, doesn't it?

Lawn. Aldous Harding

On the first single of Aldous Harding's upcoming album 'Warm Chris' the New Zealand singer shows herself from her most naive side. Her voice is like the absolute innocence. Like a little girl amazed by everything she encounters not seeing any harm in anything, totally unblemished by life. The lyrics are what betray the innocence in the first place. "I'm losing too much time", "shame", "time flies", "now I'm losing you"? Not exactly topics a little girl engages in. The change in the musical accompaniment is number two. That lead guitar is not so innocent. The music at first appears to be almost just drums. The drummer plays a very prominent role for what is, when all is said and done, a very quiet song. It comes close to detonating if it wasn't so pleasant to listen to. What is another nice feature of Lawn, is the male harmony vocal. Also innocent but a nice contrast with Aldous Harding's voice. There are quite some things to digest in a few minutes. A beautiful single it is and an interesting video accompanying it.

Luckiest Man In The World. Speedfossil

Luckiest Man In The World is a song in the best Weezer tradition. In fact Weezer would not mind to have a song like it these days. The song has a fine melody, the right hooks and even the Weezer synth sound in the intro of the song. Speedfossil is one of couple of dozen bands around Boston releasing new songs in a genre that went out of style long ago in a quality that can easily compete with what came and went before. Just don't look at the video! I can't help seeing my accountant rocking away in his spare time. Now I can't say too much in that compartment as I can be spotted with a guitar on a stage every once in a while, without an original song. So, just enjoy the music Speedfossils offer, as, like I wrote, this single is a nice one. It definitely makes me curious for 'No Anesthesia' coming in April.

Dog. Beachdog

Slowly we are moving towards more noise. With Dog Beachdog is moving closer towards its debut album, announced for late April. Dog is a hardrock song with metal and grunge influences woven into the music. David Achter de Molen is able to do just everything he likes within this song. Sing, wail, and everything in between. The band follows his every vocal turn. Dog is a diverse song because of it. Going a bit against the grain in the verse and flowing with it with ease in the chorus. Throw in a great bass part in the verse and Dog comes even more alive. All together Beachdog creates a big sound that makes the song totally noticeable. Here and in the whole world, I'd say.

Toni. Pom

The first vinyl single release of Amsterdam pop-rock band Pom is in the Paradiso Vinyl series. The two sides of Pom come together really well on Toni. On the one hand Pom lays down a nice vibe with a nice sound. The oohs fly into my ears as if there's no tomorrow. On the other there is the fear of losing that comes through in the singing. While the rock element shimmers through here and there, I can't help thinking of Talking Heads. If the rhythm had been just a little more pronounced, this could be a Talking Heads hit single. Just listen to the bass solo to understand where I'm coming from here. The mix Pom presents on Toni works rather well. The song amuses for the full length which is enough for a nice single.

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