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Malnutrition. Cheap Cassettes
"Now what can a poor boy do, except to play in a rock and roll band? Mick Jagger asked himself this question on 1968 and is still doing it in 2022, without ever having had to have a 9 to 5 job. The members of Cheap Cassettes may have asked themselves the same question two decades ago and answered that question totally differently by necessity. At the same time the dream of playing in a rock and roll band never died. This two sided choice results in a perfect pop song called Malnutrition. Decades of rock music come together in the song, containing one killer riff and a great melody. Malnutrition is a single of the album 'Ever Since Ever Since' released in January of this year. An album I've missed at the time. It seems like that may have been a tragic omission. Fans of a band like Nada Surf and other bands from the U.S. in search of perfect pop songs, let's say a lighter form of Weezer, should check this band out. Malnutrition is a perfect introduction to the album.
This morning the radio show my girlfriend listens to in the morning announced its new music, they play one a day, it seems. I only pay half attention usually. After a while it dawned on me that I must be listening to the new Franz Ferdinand single. Without anyone warning me?! Next came the notion that this is not Alex Kapranos singing, although it was a good impersonation. So, what is it?, I wondered. White Lies?, isn't that band the band always trying and never really succeeding? As far as I'm concerned that is. With Am I Really Going To Die? (spoiler alert, yes, you are, so you better have fun in between), it took me only one half listen to be convinced. This single is great fun. The darkness and gloom, usually part of White Lies' music, has been transformed into a mix of disco, 80s new wave and Franz Ferdinand style pop. The combination totally works. This single is highly danceable, easy to sing along to and great fun. The synths sound shows that it is oh so easy to have fun and listen to 80s sounds. Played this way, it is simply so good. White Lies surprised me no little today. This is a top song and should be a huge hit.
With Angel Olsen a lot is possible. Over the years I've heard things I liked and music that I did not really care for. So what comes our way in 2022? A country single with a huge twist later on. With All The Good Times Angel Olsen announces her upcoming album 'Big Time', to be released early in June. To be honest, I had lost Ms. Olsen over the past years. I had seen her play in Paradiso somewhere in the first half of the previous decade, a good show, but she did not fully convince me. The albums that came afterwards did not do so either. Resulting in Big Time not being high on my list of expected albums. All The Good Times is a single that convinces me though. The country mood settles on the right tone, her voice just right for that mood. The pedal steel wines in an alternative way. When the twist comes and the band fully kicks in, with a warm Hammond organ on top of it all, the 1960s come alive in a Nancy-Lee kind of way, without forgetting to tip to the hat at the likes of Lynn Anderson and Tammy Wynette. Angel Olsen balances exactly right between tradition and alternative, with a beautiful song as an end result. If there's more like this on Big Time, expect more in a few weeks' time.
Talking of dreampop. Annemarie Duff or T.G. Shand from New Zealand is laying on the reverb effect no little on Little Sieve. The song is from a limited edition 7" single, impossible to get over here, but that is what we have the Internet for, to discover it anyway. Thank you, once again Flying Nun for tipping me here. Little Sieve is the kind of song that somehow seems not always to know how to continue. It has these extremely charming halting moments before the rest of the band comes back in to continue the song despite the hiccups. The drums are the solid backbone of the single. It plays a soft version of a Madchester (dance)track from the early 90s. The kind that involved many pills and thrills. Over it a heavily reverbed guitar plays its melody, supported by a soft, unobtrusive bass. A whispering voice sings the lyrics, that are not overly present on Little Sieve. Several harmony vocals come in from all sides. Just don't expect a huge story. The lyrics are almost a part of the atmospherics and sounds that make up the rest of the song. Little Sieve is such a modest song, yet worth every second of your time.
Talking about a song that's over before you know it. Titanic is over in a sigh and a whisper, except the song is not that soft. Night Court is a band that started during and in lockdown. Two friends emailing song ideas to each other and recording them on an old Tascam recorder. The result is a punkrocking song of the softer kind. A workingman's, daily life version of Fountains of Wayne, something like that. The title is a bit of a joke, as the band members wanted to write a song about the Titanic, without mentioning it once. To wind up naming the song after the 1912 shipwreck disaster. There's simply not much more to write, the song was over four times before I reached this point. You best go listen yourself, but pay attention. As I wrote, it's all over before you know it.
"Now I'm old and grey and I remember each day how it feels" Cindy Lawson sings in her new single. Now that is not a lyric I've heard a rock chick sing ever before. Cindy Lawson debuted on this blog with a re-release of a single of her 1980s band The Clams. Today with the single of her upcoming solo album 'New Tricks'. How It Feels is a tough rocking song, with the right mix between tough rock and melody. The guitar solo will make the paint on your ceiling pulverise immediately, showing the toughness of the song. At the end some sweetness comes through showing the other side of Cindy Lawson: "We pretended to be the bad girls, we just wanted to know how it feels", she sings, while the music gets another shade. At the beginning of the song, the same lyric spells the bad girls for 100%. How It Feels is all about loud, huge riffs and a mean rhythm section. Adding it all up it spells excitement. If How It Feels signifies Cindy Lawson's return to rock and roll, the world can only welcome her warmly.
Yes, O.K, I know, I wrote last Friday that I would write no more about Wet Leg singles from the 'Wet leg' album, but Ur Mom is so good, I can't resist. Ur Mom has a clever melody, this ear-pleasing riff and the tongue-in-cheek messages announcing what is going to happen next: "I've been practising my loudest scream", followed by am extra long one. Ur Mom proves how good Wet Leg is and why they are the new indie darlings. The charm of the song, like most of Wet Leg's is that it all seems so extremely simple, as if anyone could do this, and let's face it, not much can. There somehow is an irresistible urge to listen to the band's songs, something I have not had this intense since Franz Ferdinand and Artic Monkeys. Ur Mum combines all that makes Wet Leg so good. They're good and fun. This element certainly is a huge part of the attraction. Teasdale and Chambers have a knack to introduce all these little elements into their songs that make them draw your attention to them, while simultaneously offering instant aural satisfaction. A little extra sound here, a little doo-doo there, some humour and seriousness combined. There's nothing to feel sorry for where your Ur Mom is concerned. This song is quintessentially Wet Leg.
Seb Zukini has released its second single, after 'Reaping What You Sow' in the winter. It's spring single, again is a glorious modern rocking song. Lord Lord is a tight song, with a loose feel. This paradox can be clearly heard. The rhythm section keeps it all together. This allows the lead instruments the freedom to play playful notes, going out of the the four bar rhythm. In the chorus it all comes together, when the band goes full out in a glorious chorus. In 2022 it is easy to state that I've heard this all before. There's no denying there. What Seb Zukini achieves is to take something like the heritage of a band like Go Back To The Zoo and Moss of 10 years ago and mix it into a song that sounds fresh and new. Not unlike the Belgium band Ramkot does. Lord Lord rocks, has melody and sounds like I want to hear more, much more. A final comment has to go to the artwork. this can go straight into a modern art museum. Wow!, is the word here.
When a band like Di-Rect has crossed the 20 years line, I know I'm getting old. I remember an old van parked in Leiden, while I was cycling to the train station on my way to work. Di-Rect never was my band, although I took one of my stepsons to a show twice as his birthday present. The shows as such were fine. Every once in a while a single comes by that I like better and Through The Looking Glass is one of them. Di-Rect does a The War on Drugs is probably the easiest way out to describe it. Without taking six minutes or more to make a statement. Di-Rect manages to add a little pop vibe to the song and Spike van Zoest plays a glorious riff on his guitar. The lyrics show two sides of modern life: in the modern world there is nothing left to believe in, while on the other side everyone needs dreams to pursue and fulfil in order to get to the other side of life successfully. Marcel van Veenendaal's voice suits this song perfectly. He finds the right balance between tenderness and force, underscoring the subtle verses and the strong chorus. I do not have a clue anymore what makes a song a hit and what doesn't. To my ears Through The Looking Glass is one.
We end this week with another great pop rock song. Beach Bunny is rocking out alright and lays down a great pop melody over the rock song. Singer Lili Trifilio masters her rocking band fully. Her voice, girllike, innocent, is mixed fully up in front, There's no doubt who is leading who here. To answer the lead guitar plays a glorious melody in spots where Trifilio leaves a little spot open. Behind the two, the band plays loud punkrock in a way The Offspring would not be ashamed of. The drummer is extremely prominently present. Playing double hits and long lasting fills, he is present alright. The bass plays playfully around him. The rhythm guitar fills in the rest. Distorted, strong, tight. Fire Escape shows the best of a few worlds and is a good introduction to Beach Bunny's upcoming album 'Emotional Creature'.
Wout de Natris
Received from @NightCourtPunk on Twitter: "Hey hey hey thanks for the Titanic write up @WoNoMagazine 🤙
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