From America... The Daylilies. The Daylilies

Red on Red Records from Boston has a host of alternatively, garage rocking signees. With The Daylilies the label comes with something completely different. Expect a wallowing in nostalgia, without sounding out of date for a second.

With its album The Daylilies span decades of music without, somehow, if not to say miraculously, sounding outdated for a single second. Musically things may seem familiar. That voice makes a real difference. Laura England Klain could have sung in any band from fairly recent decades. The Bangles, Goat Girl, Garbage, Warpaint, you name it and she would have fitted in. The band behind her give her the off-pop sound her voice deserves to make it shine.

The Daylilies are from Boston and consists of veterans of the local scene. Each member has a few bands behind him/her, all totally unknown to me. Where were Malibou Lou and Justine Covoult when I was younger and cared just this tad more about music than I do today? It is thanks to these two people that I know local Boston bands as if I lived there.

With From America ... The Daylilies Red on Red has released another fine record in 2022, it can be mightily proud of. The band does everything right on the album. No, this is not a new 'Plastic Letters', to name one example. It is near impossible to have an impact on someone who is considerably older than a teenager. That said, there are songs on From America ..., songs that are played without having to overdo things, and, let's face it, sung so much better.

Promo photo: Violet Sharuka

Take opener 'Coriander'. Now who writes an ode to a herb? At the same time I notice this to be the slow version of 'Contact In Red Square'. The slow pop really works and envelopes itself around me. The, synth?, solo gives the song a weird little extra, making me pay even more attention. 'Coriander' combines decades in one song, there's even some Earth & Fire in there, for Dutch 70s pop/symphonic rock aficionados. This is the sort of surprises you'll find all over From America ... The Daylilies will take you from pure pop through the twists and back.

The musicians in The Daylilies are at that point in their musical career where they know how to write a good song and have the awareness that being yourself is enough to come across. This music is made by musicians who are very much aware that they are good. This shows a whole album long, while at the same time assuring that the band's singer can shine. Time for you start finding out for yourself.

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order From America ... The Daylilies here:

https://redonreddaylilies.bandcamp.com/album/from-america-the-daylilies

Week 26, 10 singles

Summer's here and the time is right for ten more singles released somewhere in the past weeks. From the obscure to a band that fills an arena easily. From rock to soul and 80s rock to country and soul. You will see it all come by. Let me not detain you.

She. The Legendary Swagger

The Legendary Swagger is a Long beach, Ca. band that has a clear goal based on the sound of this single and that is to play the tiles of your roof. She is full of energy, the band has the mileage on it to show the wear and tear coming with the mileage. Just like the cassette player in a worn out but totally dependable car the band plays rock from quite some time ago; as if it was invented yesterday. Singer Geoff Yeaton has that greased over voice that comes with the territory. As an extra he throws in a saxophone solo the late Clarence Clemons would not have been ashamed of playing. The blurb is you've heard it all before, but so nice to do so once again. That swagger has a place in 2022 and does not to be legendary based on yesteryear's music. Leave it to this band to create its own.

De Eerste Knecht. Broeder Dieleman

'De Liefde Is de Eerste Wet' heet de laatste plaat van Broeder Dieleman. Het was een prima album, maar viel ook weg in het grote Corona gat dat de wereld voor ons neerzette. De Eerste Knecht is de eerste van twee singles, ja echte 7", die Broeder Dieleman dit jaar uitbrengt. Het verhaal achter de single is dat het begon tijdens de sessie voor 'Liefde Is De Eerste Wet'. De tekst is geïnspireerd door een verhaal uit 1923 van Leo Bootgezel. Het is als het ware een ansichtkaart van een West-Zeeuws-Vlaamse boerderij uit de begin van de 20e eeuw. Het valt op dat Broeder Dieleman zich meer is gaan richten op liedjes en zich weg heeft bewogen van de uitgebreide sfeerstukken van midden vorig decennium. Zelf zie ik dat net anders, de sfeer heeft hij zijn liedjes ingetrokken, want deze zijn zo sfeervol. Dit geldt ook voor De Eerste Knecht. O zo langzaam voltrekt het nummer en daarmee het verhaal zich. Wie de muziek van Broeder Dieleman kent, zal direct de inmiddels bekende elementen opvallen. Elementen die allemaal weer op de precies juiste plek vallen. Met zijn nieuwe single schiet Broeder Dieleman precies in de roos en dat is geen toeval meer.

Julia. Fence

Celebrating 10 years Fons Records, the band Fence is releasing a new album soon. This is one of the singles, Julia. Where the video is rather epileptic, the music is the musical equivalent. The music is just bouncing and then bouncing some more from another floor, wall or ceiling. It has the exuberance of some later 1960s pop single from the U.K., while musically it fits in with a Britpop band like Supergrass. Julia is pure musical fun. There's no other word for it. The music stop-starts the whole of the time, making the song epileptic as well. Where the vocal melody flows forward almost uninterrupted, the music only does so in the outro. This apparent controversy fits together in a beautiful way. On 1 July the album is there, 'Hazy Mist Of Rock'.

Spitting Off The Edge Of The World (feat. Perfume Genius). Yeah Yeah Yeahs

This is an option in Terry Pratchett's Discworld, in ours it is quite the challenge. Not so for Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Spitting Off The Edge Of The World is an ultra exciting single. It has a darkness that is barely let go off and an inner tension that only wants to do one thing and that is explode. The band doesn't permit it and prefers to build the tension a little more. The keyboard solo making it higher and higher before the final seconds die out. Yeah Yeah Yeahs is around since 2000, but has not released a record for nine years. It is about to do so once again in September. Somehow all previous work has past me by, although I had heard the name. But that is it. If Spitting Off The Edge Of The World is the band's standard, I have some catching up to do. This is simply a very exciting single.

Baby Baby. Continental

Rum Bar Records from Boston regularly showcases its artists on compilation albums that are free of charge, if you know where to find them. One of the singles from its recent 'Rebel Rousers, Round 2' compilation is Baby Baby by the band Continental. I know nothing of the band, but the tightly rocking Baby Baby certainly is the kind of invitation that is hard to decline. Baby Baby is a song with a strong connection to things past. The last singles that made it to the top 40 here of this kind are 'Your Love' by The Outfield and 'Satellite' by The Hooters, from deep(er) into the 1980s. The kind of song that rocks but has enough of a pop flavour to capture the attention of a larger group of people without really offending the hardcore rockers. "Your love", is a part of the lyrics and a reference to the Stones' 'Under My Thumb'  tops it off, were it not for the fun horns solo and the lead guitar straight out of the Dan Baird songbook. Top single.

The Reckoning Is Here. Lonely Leesa & the Lost Cowboys

More rock from Rum Bar and Rebel Rousers Round 2, but so much more lush. The guitar is allowed to space out in sound and notes, a warm organ spruces The Reckoning Is Here up no little. Lonely Leesa (Coyne) has the voice of a true rock chick. Tough, yet exactly right. The band obviously loves The Rolling Stones of the 1970s, with organ and electric piano, while the dual guitars are present for the whole of the way, including a slide guitar. In sound The Black Crowes, always a Stones/Faces rip off in sound of course, are certainly present, but so is Guns 'N' Roses in the way the guitars are played. Can a female singer be influenced by Rod Stewart? It appears so listening to this single. This band brings together the best in rock of the 70s and 90s and all in one song.

Rescues. Monica Taylor

From rock to country is a smaller step than one might think. Without country (and rhythm & blues) no rock and roll and without the excitement of rock and roll no rock. Monica Taylor is about to release her 9th record and 3rd as a solo artist. If Rescues is a cue to what 'Trains, Rivers and Trails' has to offer, country fans should start running to the record shop, or the device that gets them on Spotify nowadays, alas. Rescues will introduce you to a very traditional song. Do not expect to hear anything you will not have heard before. What you will hear, is a beautiful song, capturing that bittersweet atmosphere that makes this song stand apart. Besides the extremely pleasant voice of Monica Taylor whose alias certainly is well-deserved: the Cimmaron Songbird. Rescues holds a kind of violin that I was introduced for the first time to by Scarlet Rivera on Bob Dylan's 'Desire' album. In combination with other traditional country instruments and a rhythm section giving the song its body, Rescues is a great song. Monica Taylor thus falls into a category containing hundreds if not more female singers coming out of the U.S. With a song like Rescues I welcome one more with gusto and pleasure.

Kissing Lessons. Lucy Dacus

Back to rock we go. Lucy Dacus is one of the alternative rock ladies that broke in the past few years. To most of them I have an ambivalent relationship. As often I can not really make up my mind what I truly think of them. From Courtney Barnett to Phoebe Bridgers, I am always going from great to what? This is no different for Lucy Dacus

With Kissing Lessons Lucy Dacus takes sides on her love preference in a clear way but also rocks out in a modern and clever way. This is a tough song and yet melodies are oozing out of every corner of Kissing Letters. Blink your eyes and this single is over, yet is immensely rich as it captures so much. At the basis this is a tight rock song with a nice vocal melody. In the second half that tightness does not disappear but magic is sprinkled all over that tightness. Conclusion, Kissing Lessons is one of the songs from the young female rock generation that is great.

Colour Your World EP. Mega

Stepping just a little outside of my comfort zone here. Listening to the opening song Mega's EP, 'Smile', I was captured by her voice. Not to compare her to Tracy Chapman's voice, but I was caught in a way that 'Fast Car' and 'Talking About A Revolution' once did to me a long time ago. Mega has Ugandan roots but is from North London where she sang in church choirs in her youth. A gospel element is certainly no stranger in a song like 'Box Of Regrets'. 'All Day Long' has African influences but is also a 2022 rendition of what Steve Winwood did in the 1980s on e.g. 'Higher Love'. It shows how wide the influences range on this five song EP, Mega's second EP. She can be called a soul singer. This has nothing to do with the soul singes of the 1960 nor 1970s. Mega is a modern singer who lets in modern elements into her music, in the form of beats and electronic elements. The soul is there at heart in the vibe of the album. She manages to pull soul into the third decade of the 21st century. 'If Not My Heart' even contains a little 'All Night Long (All Night)'. Mega is capable of all this in just five song and convinces along the way to be her own singer too.

Kharma Climb. Editors

Kharma Climb was a few seconds old and it had transported me back about 40 years. The pulsing synths, that disco form of drumming underneath a rock song, the lead guitar starting off with a solo, it all spelled 1980s and more specifically Depeche Mode. Kharma Climb is a rip off, there's no other word for it. I would never have written about this song if it wasn't so infectiously good. Editors simply pushes all the right, if totally predictable buttons. I never was a Depeche Mode fan, except for that few fantastic singles like the live version of 'Just Can't Get Enough' and 'Everything Counts' to mention to of about four, five singles. Editors made a song that is on that level and adds two things: an ultimate pop feel and an element of rock, here and there. The rest is classic Depeche Mode and although I'm sure this song was recorded before Andy Fletcher died recently, it is a befitting farewell salute to the least important man in Depeche Mode.

Wout de Natris

The hits of The Kinks, 1965 - 1969, part 2

Welcome back to the second instalment of The Kinks hits from 1965 to 1969. Having looked at the artwork of the first seven singles, I have to make one comment of critique. The Pye record label had a dismal art department. Really nothing was done to make the individual single's artwork stand out. So many are almost identical, have the same picture or are obviously from the same session. In the third part there are even pictures from a period the band was not at anymore. It could have been so much better.

It would be ludicrous to state that to be the reason why, in my opinion, the work of The Kinks is highly underrated for over 30 years already, but having signed to the Pye label was not the wisest decision it seems in hindsight. The question is, why hadn't any other label recognised the potential of this band? Did it have another option? I don't know. The Kinks' legacy is quite clearly badly taken care of and that may be because the label simply doesn't exist any more, for a long time at that. This should change. So, who is willing to start the Ray Davies and The Kinks appreciation society?

In the Dutch Top 40 it is 1966 and great times are awaiting the band and its fans. The big breakthrough is nigh.

Dedicated Follower Of Fashion (1966, 1)

Someone gave one of The Kinks' guitarists a resonator guitar, I know hear in 2022. No matter how often I have heard the song, I had no clue and hadn't, seriously, listened to the song for years. Another one of the singles I was given by my cousin. The second song where Ray Davies looks at the world around him and starts reporting on it in the form of a song. (I am listening to a horrible stereo mix. Only Ray is on the right. The rest is on the left speaker.) Carnaby Street was the center of the world or so it thought and the Carnabishian Army is what is described here.

Now what made this song The Kinks' first number one hit here in The Netherlands? It starts out rather odd, Dedicated Follower Of Fashion does. Acoustic and loud. It's not someone expects to hear on a hit single. Also, it is not an easy song to sing along with, except the "yes it is" part. Far from I'd opine in fact. The music has a little country flavour, as well as referencing music from Davies' youth or even his parents' age, but is also a little messy. The walking bass is nice but who buys a single for that? The typical The Kinks piano is once again played by Nicky Hopkins. Altogether it is as weird as the text may have sounded at the time. In short, I have no clue why this one went to the top. Perhaps the easy answer is: the country was ready for The Kinks and the band delivered.

Sunny Afternoon (1966, 1)

Now the intro to Sunny Afternoon. Speaking of a suave opening! The chromatic intro is fantastic. Dave's oohs coming in under the rather cynical but resigned sounding lyrics of Ray. This is one of The Kinks' singles I can listen to all day and it is not even my real favourite. That descending bass line opening the song is so good. Something the band will do again later on. Never waste a brilliant idea. The taxman under Prime Minster Wilson was a topic to write songs about in 1965-66.

Musically the band dives a little deeper than ever before. The arrangement is much better worked out that ever before. The piano is well known by now but the melodica coming with it is new (both Nicky Hopkins). The acoustic guitar has become normal by now. Is there even an electric one on the song? Yes, the accents in the bridge of course. Who listens carefully can here Ray's (then) wife Rasa singing along as well.

In 1969 I had a neighbour friend, Hans. He had a lot of singles which he gave away or sold to friends when he'd heard them enough. This is one of them. Thank you, Hans. I still treasure it.

Let's pause for a moment. We are one and a half year underway with our The Kinks overview. Just look back for a few seconds and let the transition get to you. From a proto punk band, playing power chords, to the soft ballads and now this kind of song that nobody else was doing, once again. Sure, many followed suit, Cat Stevens e.g. The Kinks by mid 1966 were on another plain, going their own way. Scoring its second top 1 hit here with Sunny Afternoon.

Dandy (1966, 3)

Now I know 100% certain that this is my first The Kinks single, in the sense of knowing when it was a hit and owning it, with 'Mr. Pleasant'. Why? Because I remember it being played on the radio and by my cousin on birthdays. (And no, not the next one. How that can be, I don't know. I think because I really, really liked Dandy.) And still do.

It is fairly unique as the song was not released as a single in most countries. It was here and made the top 3. It was also a hit for Herman's Hermits and perhaps that is why the Dutch label decided to release it also. Listening to the song for the first time in some years, immediately tickles my inner child. I hear my four year old brother sing "Dandy in de go now". What I notice as an adult, is how well this song is crafted. The descending chords, are simply well done. They give Dandy an immediate change of tone. From the exuberant Dandy part to a far darker mood, looking beyond the dandy part of the person sung to. Ray Davies' voice is totally shot at the end. I've never heard him this raw. It gives the song so much extra. The bridge is simply great, if not stunning.

Again an acoustic guitar drives the song, with a piano clearly playing the fun notes. The bass is also extremely nice. as a whole this song totally works and became a hit because it is one. What was wrong with you in the U.K.?

And the b-side? That is fantastic as well. This week I listened to one of Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour shows, on telephones. And so I heard for Party Line for the first time in years. I love this song perhaps even more than Dandy. What a 45 with these two songs on it.

On Wikipedia I read that the sleeve I have is the German sleeve. So did Ter Meulen in Rotterdam buy up rest badges of singles from Germany and sell them for fl 0,59? Thank you Ter Meulen.

Dead End Street (1966, 5)

The hit in the rest of the world at the same time as 'Dandy' was Dead End Street. Another one of Ray Davies' social commentary songs, perhaps his most so, so far. The drab live in the U.K. in 1966 is highlighted here, a topic that really had nothing to do with a pop song, not with beat, nor with the swinging 60s. Being stuck in nothing, going nowhere, is the digest of Dead End Street.

At the same time it is the most upbeat song with no chance to anything as a topic. No matter how you describe it, this is a fun song. The trombone underscores the "deadness", the rest of the band makes sure the song is alive and cheerful. The rolling piano, that typical The Kinks piano sound, leads parts of the song even. It is Ray Davies playing it. Perhaps the piano because of this is more prominent than ever before. It is the electric guitar that is moving to the background more and more. You will hear a few single notes played very staccato, that's all. Once again, The Kinks produced a great single. Ray Davies was knocking them out of his sleeve as it were. Although John Matthews' trombone solo is sort of fun at the end, it could have been a bit shorter. Final note, as far as I know, this is the first The Kinks single with John Dalton on bass.

Mr. Pleasant (1967, 2)

And here is the absolute favourite of my youth. Listening to it today I still understand why. Having had no clue what this song was about, then, all I heard was that upbeat music, that great piano, that trombone and the great melody. This song is so good. It has something of a carnival song, a pop song, a traditional Dutch pop song, vaudeville and a rock and roll, honky tonk piano. And then I have not even started on the harmonies. The best of the band's to date. It seemed to have all that a young boy needed to be musically satisfied. I could listen to it all day long and probably still can.

It is June 2022 and I'm listening to Mr. Pleasant for the first time in years. The effect it has on me is exactly the same, I think. Mr. Pleasant makes me happy and sad at the same time. It has this bittersweet quality. The Kinks capture this feeling so well here. Ray Davies is laughing at "Mr. Pleasant", straight at his face, in the same way as he did with "Dandy". Musically it is captured in a rolling, round sound that comes across as a party song, but the chords do not match. And exactly this, so I realise now, is what makes this song so strong. The piano just rolls on, the "simple", like a carnival song here, produces that party vibe. Next comes the vocal melody and the harmonies of "Mr. Pleasant, Mr. Pleasant", etc., underneath the "Mr.Pleasant is good, is fine", etc. This is sheer sadness. And there is the mysterious bridge that has a totally different mood once again. Both Nicky Hopkins and Pete Quaife and Rasa Davies are on the record.

Waterloo Sunset (1967, 1)

The return of the chromatically descending chords. One of the most sentimental songs by The Kinks and of course one of the band's greatest hits. Their third number 1 here in NL and last in this selected time period. Waterloo Sunset is a beautiful song and that has to do with that unashamedly sentimentality. The acoustic guitar drives the song and Dave Davies lays down (muted) accents on the electric. The bass is softly going downwards, to start all over again all over the song. The drums are ever so subtle. Rasa Davies has her most prominent role as background singer. She is very clearly heard all through the song. It is 1967 and finally The Kinks admit a little psychedelia into one of its songs. The end gets an ever so light psychedelic flavour, perhaps symbolising the sunset over the river. Waterloo Sunset is a song that is full of restraint, which allows the relaxed atmosphere to dominate the song and Ray smooching his way round "Terry and Judy", accompanying them across the river and to their gazing on the sunset. Beauty, that's the word alright. Oh, yeah, thank you Tineke also for this single.

Death Of A Clown (1967, 2)
Yes, you are right, strictly speaking this is not a The Kinks single but a Dave Davies solo recording. I've opted to bring it along, as in all other ways it is a The Kinks single, written by Dave Davies. You can find it on a The Kinks albums, credited to the band, so there you go. Ray wrote the 'la la la' part, Rasa sings the background vocals and the band plays, with Nicky Hopkins on piano.

Death Of A Clown would have fitted perfectly among the songs in this list as a The Kinks single. This song is truly sad. It is as sad as the topic. Dave Davies sets the stage within a few lines. This circus has outlived itself and goes from bad to worse in a few verses. The intro, played by Nicky Hopkins, sounds like a pop version of a Hungarian gypsy song. It makes Death Of A Clown special immediately. It sounds so different because of it. Again the rhythm has this pre-1960s and even older stamp on it. The Kinks were so far removed from what was going on in the U.K. It really set them apart. The Small Faces had 'Itchycoo Park' of course, but that was drenched in psychedelia. The Kinks have nothing to do with that. No matter how sad Death Of A Clown is, it is a song one can sing along to, but there's no need to do so, really. Listening tells the story and Dave Davies shows himself an accomplished singer and songwriter, although he turned out to be an extremely lazy one.

There is more to come next week.

Wout de Natris

Sophie Hunger Live. Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam, Saturday 25 June 2022 with Géonne Hartman

Photo: Wout de Natris

Another postponed show finally taking place. The surprise of seeing a very pregnant artist in the spotlight, starting to sing an a capella Swiss German song, without the microphone and you could hear a pin drop in Paradiso's Tolhuistuin. The surprise of seeing a totally different Sophie Hunger than ever before. A very confident woman, open, smiling, at ease with the world and herself. The surprise that every time she smiled it was like seeing the younger version of the wife of one of my best friends on stage. This just the beginning of telling you how perfect Sophie Hunger's show was.

Although she opened with the title song of her 2015, fantastic album 'Supermoon', in a radically different version, the backbone of the show was her August 2020 released album 'Halluzinationen'. An album that hangs somewhere between modern beats, electronics and great songs. An album released in the height of the pandemic and falling somewhat flat because no support was possible at all. Even the November 2021 show had to be postponed because of round 3 or 4 of the pandemic. With numbers surging once again in June 2022, this time there is no lockdown.

On stage just three players. The omnipresent keyboardist and flügelhorn player Alexis Anérilles filled up the whole space, so that drummer and percussionist Julian Sartorius could do his amazing rhythms. Just imagine an already complex rhythm to get extra accents within the fourth measure each time, and these accents are usually weird sounds for a drummer. It is as if Sartorius stops time as it were to deliver these two weird accents, before falling back into the rhythm for three measures once again. Rhythms can come from anything attached to or surrounding the drums.

Photo: Wout de Natris

Against this background Sophie Hunger can deliver her songs and play her guitars as little or much as she likes. She is the exact centre of the show and the music. If ever a singer shone on stage, it was Sophie Hunger during this show. She commanded attention. Conversing in a relaxed way with the audience in between, showing big smiles and sing the songs, no matter how complex they are, with an ease that shows how good she is.

Nearly all her albums go to number one in her home country Switzerland, although she lives in Berlin these days. The mystery for me remains, why doesn't she grow a little bigger each album here? She has the songs, the quality, the live performance. The upside is of course that I can see her perform from fairly up close, but I'll forgo this privilege, because Sophie Hunger deserves more, like the Paradiso or Melkweg proper and not the side venue.

We were prepared by her for the end. She announced that with the word "hope" things would be over. Except for three encore songs, of which one was a true punkrocker no less. Her baby will be a rockstar as it has heard so much good music from up close already.

I have seen Sophie Hunger perform five or six times now and all shows were great experiences. Somehow, I have the impression to have seen the best one yet. True or not, there's no way a comparison is possible, it shows how good Sophie Hunger is live. I was mesmerised for the whole time and looking around me, so was everybody else.

Photo: Wout de Natris

The evening was opened by Utrecht based singer Géonne Hartman. One girl, one guitar and singer-songwriter songs from her debut album. A new name to me, she made an impression with her pleasant voice and nice songs. Songs to listen to and the audience allowed for listening. There was no one talking and that is amazing to notice. in a larger venue usually someone always starts and that is the sign for most other people to start doing the same. Not in Tolhuistuin this Saturday. Geónne captured Sophie Hunger's audience and held it. Although I concluded at the end that the songs were a bit the same and the show could use a little more variation, I also noticed the half hour Géonne Hartman played was a time well-spent. She also plays with her band, so it might be worthwhile to check out her songs in another setting as well. All in all a very nice introduction to her music. I have the album on now, and it is quite different and interesting, I can share with you. Check it out sometime.

Wout de Natris

You can order Sophie Hunger's albums on her website:

https://store.sophiehunger.com/store/

and Géonne Hartman's album 'He Went To The See' here:

https://www.platomania.nl/article/11008051/he_went_to_the_sea/hartman_geonne

Elvis

How is it to watch a movie on a rock and roll star I never was a fan of? Well, pretty good actually. The reviews I read were mixed, although the slightly negative one admittedly was rather elitist, perhaps because the reviewer appeared to be a fan of Elvis Presley and had wanted more out of the movie.

Elvis and me never really got it off. I wasn't around when he broke big, I was to young to appreciated what he did in the late 60s and did not really like most of his 70s hit singles at the time. The whole Las Vegas thing passed me by until years after his death. Elvis and me in a nutshell, to set the stage.

In 2022 Elvis Presley is still a phenomenon, albeit a fading one. A good reason to go and watch the movie and see for myself what impact the man had on music, and life in the U.S. in general.

Looking around me in the theatre that was nearly sold out on a Friday night, not sold out, I noticed how young the audience was. No Elvis fan of old in sight. They may be too old to go to a movie at night by now. Most weren't even closely born in 1977, the year Elvis died at the age of 42. So what could have attracted them? The director is not a hip young one. It is not as if Elvis' music is everywhere on the radio anymore. Hence, I doubt whether Elvis can do for Elvis Presley, what 'Bohemian Rhapsody' did for Queen and perhaps 'Rocketman' for Elton John.

What Baz Luhrmann, the director and co-scenarist, shows extremely well, is how music influenced Elvis. How he lived music and was possessed by it. By joining a jukejoint with a Southern baptist church in one setting, in the dirt poor, rural land of Mississippi, the whole of Elvis' musical career is caught within ten minutes. How he soaked up country blues and gospel and used both to work for himself in the first songs he recorded at Sun Records and RCA Victor. Luhrmann shows the excitement the young Elvis brought with him, the impact this had on girls (and women) and the outrage of the fathers who could see the reputation of their daughters shot to you know what. The conservative backlash it caused, the racism that was part of the outrage: "Negro music is corrupting the souls of our children". The excitement and ecstasy the younger Elvis had seen in the Southern church, he brought to the stage with him and caused a sexual arousing in the whole of the country. All this extrapolates into the intenseness of his Las Vegas shows, when he is finally released again by younger collaborators. Where nothing is withheld and the candle burns at both ends and fast. These bursts of energy are caught on film in a fantastic way. The way he is fixed up time and again by a doctor, brought Pink Floyd's 'Comfortably Numb' to mind immediately. "It will keep you going through the show, come on it's time to go". All this comes across so good.

It is not the main story though. In the background is Elvis' relationship with Col. Tom Parker, his manager. The complexity of that relationship is shown in all its facets. The constant hints that Parker, who had never been a colonel, was not a Tom and not even a Parker but Breda, The Netherlands born Andreas van Kuijk and illegally in the U.S., was pressured into certain choices because he could be blackmailed, show a few things. Elvis had a lot to thank Parker for. He brought him where he was, co-made him into who he was. He also held him back tremendously. The army, the movies, not being able to perform outside of the U.S., because Parker had no passport and could not get one (or thought so). Then going back to the other side, Elvis was the only rock and roll star that did survive the 60s in a grand way and started to score hits, huge hits and to critical acclaim from the late 60s onwards. That may well be because Elvis was not competing with the British Invasion and returned at the right moment when the invasion was over and spent its energy. The world was ready for Elvis once again and never got him, because of Parker. He could have been so much bigger now, as in essence Elvis remained an American phenomenon and not a true global one. Can Elvis possibly be bigger? I think yes and that travelling had enriched his career and perhaps even made him see there was more to live for than Graceland and Las Vegas. Perhaps his self-view and appreciation would have changed for the positive.

All the hangers on and leeches living from his pocket, including his father, were not able to stop the candle from burning. They had no interest to do so. The only one who had, his wife Priscilla, had left the building by then. That is the other side of a giant money generator, no one has in interest in the well-being of the chicken with the golden eggs, i.e. Elvis Presley. Pills, drugs and the fabled peanutbutter sandwiches, that are not shown in the movie, culminated in a tremendously overweight, spent, 42 year old wreck. And then the scene changes from the actor to the real Elvis, singing the last song he sang live on stage, a caricature of the man he once was. When he starts singing 'Unchained Melody', the only thing left to do is to sit back in awe at the power of that voice. No, I'm not a fan but have come to appreciate some of his work more over the past 50 years and some songs are fantastic, with 'Suspicious Minds' as my favourite. Many of the rock and roll ones are still great fun to play with the band.

I was left with one question. The Elvis songs I remember from being a smal kid, were the ballads. 'Wooden Heart', 'Are You Lonesome Tonight?', 'Love Me Tender'. Except for an almost psychedelicly warped 'Are You Lonesome Tonight' they are not within earshot. Elvis is a movie about the excitement. There's no room for sentimentality there, until the end that is.

And Tom Hanks as Co. Tom Parker? An Academy Awards shimmers in the near future.

Wout de Natris

Weep The Time Away: Emily Brontë. Sofie Livebrant

De Zweedse muzikante Sofie Livebrant gaat aan de haal met de gedichten van de Engelse Emily Brontë en met zowel Britse als Amerikaanse folk, met een verbluffend mooi en spannend album als resultaat.

Ik ben meestal niet zo gek op de wat traditionele Britse folk, maar het nieuwe album van de uit Stockholm afkomstige Emily Livebrant duwde ik te makkelijk in dit hokje. Weep The Time Away: Emily Brontë van Sofie Livebrant is immers geen moment een dertien in een dozijn folkalbum. Alle songs vallen op door een prachtige en veelkleurige instrumentatie, Sofie Livebrant zingt op haar nieuwe album prachtig en slaagt er ook nog eens in om de gedichten van Emily Brontë te vangen in songs die zowel authentiek als eigentijds klinken. Ik moest er heel even aan wennen, maar dit album wordt echt alleen maar mooier en indrukwekkender. Veel te mooi om onder te laten sneeuwen dus.

Weep The Time Away: Emily Brontë van de Zweedse muzikante Sofie Livebrant verscheen afgelopen zomer al, maar heeft eindelijk een Nederlandse release gekregen. Ik was de naam van de muzikante uit Stockholm volgens mij nog niet eerder tegen gekomen, maar Weep The Time Away: Emily Brontë is al het zesde album van Sofie Livebrant. Haar vorige albums werden stuk voor stuk in het hokje folk geduwd en dat is ook het hokje waarin haar nieuwe album thuis hoort, al kan Sofie Livebrant binnen de folk op een breed terrein uit de voeten. 

Op Weep The Time Away: Emily Brontë gaat Sofie Livebrant aan de slag met de gedichten van de Engelse schrijfster Emily Brontë. De telg uit de schrijversfamilie Brontë is vooral bekend van haar roman Wuthering Heights, maar voor ze op slechts 30-jarige leeftijd overleed aan tuberculose schreef ze ook een flink aantal gedichten. Sofie Livebrant draagt de gedichten van Emily Brontë (gelukkig) niet voor, maar heeft ze verwerkt in haar songs. 

Het zijn songs die niet alleen fraai maar ook bijzonder zijn ingekleurd. De akoestische gitaar legt in de meeste songs op het album de basis, maar strijkers zorgen steeds voor bijzondere accenten. Het zijn accenten die de muziek van Sofie Livebrant voorzien van vooral donkere tinten, maar die ook zorgen voor een bijzondere onderhuidse spanning. Door hier en daar gebruik te maken van bijzondere percussie wordt vervolgens voldoende variatie aangebracht in de over het algemeen genomen toch redelijk sobere instrumentatie. 

Met de bijzonder sfeervolle maar ook altijd bijzondere klanken op het album onderscheidt Sofie Livebrant zich eenvoudig van de meeste Britse folkalbums van het moment, al klinkt het album door de gedichten van Emily Brontë behoorlijk Brits. Brits met een bijzondere twist, dat wel. 

De mooie maar ook spannende instrumentatie, met hier en daar weergaloos akoestisch gitaarspel, was voor mij de eerste reden om te blijven luisteren naar Weep The Time Away: Emily Brontë, maar langzaam maar zeker werd ik steeds meer gegrepen door de stem van Sofie Livebrant. 

De Zweedse muzikante beschikt over een wat hoge stem, die af en toe herinnert aan de grootse vocale daden van Sandy Denny. Wanneer Sofie Livebrant wat opschuift van Britse naar Laurel Canyon folk, hoor ik ook wel wat van Joni Mitchell, waarmee we zeer indrukwekkend vergelijkingsmateriaal te pakken hebben. De combinatie van de fraaie instrumentatie en de mooie vocalen doet me ook wel wat denken aan de vroege albums van de Britse singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams, maar Sofie Livebrant heeft ook een bijzonder eigen geluid. 

Weep The Time Away: Emily Brontë is een album dat waarschijnlijk niet overdreven veel aandacht gaat krijgen, maar het is in alle opzichten een bescheiden meesterwerk. De fraaie instrumentatie en arrangementen strelen meedogenloos het oor, maar weten je ook steeds weer te verrassen, de stem van Sofie Livebrant is prachtig en het is knap hoe ze de meer dan tweehonderd jaar oude gedichten* van Emily Brontë het heden in sleept en deze opneemt in songs die geen moment te pretentieus klinken, wat vaak wel het geval is op albums met dit soort ambities. 

Ik vind pure Britse folkalbums meestal net wat te traditioneel, te plechtig of pastoraal, of zelfs te saai, maar Weep The Time Away: Emily Brontë van Sofie Livebrant is een album waar ik alleen maar ademloos naar kan luisteren. En de groei is er, ook na vele keren horen, nog niet uit.

Erwin Zijleman

* Als historicus moet ik hier toch aangeven dat de gedichten iets minder oud zijn. Circa 185-175 jaar. Emily Brontë overleed in 1848.

Je kunt het album hier beluisteren en bestellen:

 

https://sofielivebrant.bandcamp.com/album/weep-the-time-away-emily-bront

 

The Spur. Joan Shelley

The Spur is Joan Shelley's, from Kentucky, sixth album (Wikipidea counts to nine though). You could not find her on this blog but today that has changed. The Spur is the kind of album one undergoes, in the positive sense. The music meanders forward ever so slowly, like a brook in the forest moving from small bend to the next. Water trickling, without a hurry but ever, no matter how slightly, downward. Joan Shelley takes her time to present her new songs and invites you to spend time, and well-spent it is, with her.

Joan Shelley's music is somewhere on the verge of folk music, with a little alt.americana and roots, a term that people use but for me has not much meaning. A singer-songwriter with a modestly playing band behind her is another description. It sets the scene for you. Where the atmosphere is concerned I'm immediately thinking of her Canadian colleague Lauren Mann. The music has the same intimacy for me.

Up front on The Spur is Joan Shelley's voice, harmonising with herself here and there. This voice has a depth and a height going on at the same time and is extremely pleasant to listen to. She sings in a folk style, even that formal way U.K. folkies of old used to sing. Especially so in the duet with Bill Callahan, 'Amberlit Morning'. His low voice underscoring Shelley's formality. Either her voice will draw you into The Spur or the album is without a chance to impress.

Promo photo: Mickie Winters

Right behind that voice is the lead acoustic guitar. Its high(er) notes playing slow riffs that define an important part of the songs. All behind that guitar is meant to fill up the sound. Soft percussion, an unobtrusive bass and electric guitar. Yes, a soft solo may come by. This is nearly all, but expect a few other instruments here and there; it is enough. The soft country "rocker" 'Like The Thunder" is almost a scare when it starts after the ultra soft 'Amberlit Morning'.

With twelve songs the album is exactly right. Less would have made me think, why is it over?, and longer might have become too much of a good thing. Joan Shelley provides an atmosphere that is pleasant to be a part of for a while. The Spur simply is a delight to listen to and simply enough. What else does one need (to do) in such a moment?

Finally, if you like The Spur, give Lauren Mann's 'Memory & Desire' a chance. You ought not to be disappointed.

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order The Spur here:

https://joanshelley.bandcamp.com/album/the-spur

Three albums, 23-06-2022

Three more albums that were on their way to escape this blog, but caught together in a smaller post, so that they receive the spotlight they deserve anyway.

Skipping To Maloo. Ernest Moon

What a moment of rest and relaxation Skipping To Maloo offers. It is as if Ernest Moon knows no pressure, no time, no nothing caused by anything having to do with clocks, let alone the virtual world. Song after song the duo takes its time to slowly play them out. Combine that with nice melodies, a pleasant voice and away I go on a slowboat to China for all I care.

Ernest Moon is a duo from Liverpool, in the U.K. I assume. Steven Doran and Brian Murphy started working together as Ernest Moon in 2017, but played together before in Betty Backscuttle. Ernest has released two EPs and is now on its first full-length album. On drums you hear Jake Woodward, on strings and backing vocals Amy Chalmers and Vicky Reid.

The album meanders ever so nicely, until somewhere in the South China Sea a cyclone hits the ship in the form of 'Big Wow'. The tempo goes up and finally I understand why the bio speaks of an "indierock band". Ernest Moon shows off its chops in combining rockabilly with new wave of the late 70s. Just as suddenly the storm hit that slowboat it disappeared again, as with 'Big Wow' I have reached the end of the album. A bit of a surprise but a nice one. Playing the album once again, I back in that slowrolling sound once again. Closing my eyes, listening and enjoying is all I have to do.

The Early Years. Wolf Vanwymeersch

Pop from Belgium. Of course that pop comes with a twist and The Early Years is no exception. Expect extremely nice songs to come at you. Every single one well produced, sounding so nice and then the curve ball comes at you, in various, musical ways.

Who Is Wolf Vanwymeersch? To me he is a totally new name, but has made a name for himself as it turns out. He started in a band called Waldorf. Then played guitar in the band The Van Jets, of which I must have a, digital, album on one of the many hard drives of the past and finally Elephant, but not the recent Rotterdam one. Whether Covid was the reason to go solo, I can't tell. Fact is Vanwymeersch released his first solo song during the pandemic and his first EP in 2021. This spring a solo album is added to his roster.

In a few ways it is a true solo album, as there is not a band(like sound) in sight in most, not all songs. A voice, acoustic guitars (sometimes with effects on them), a keyboard, on and off a bass, and a lot of electronic percussion. This describes much of The Early Years. On the whole it is enough. It gives the album its very distinct, own vibe. Take note, Vanwymeersch is a Bowie fan, especially his 1980s work and has a little of Bowie's diction in a few songs.

It all gives The Early Years a dark sheen hanging over the pop music. Which is totally alright. Who said pop has to be poppy? The album gets a deeper layer with this dark sound and becomes the more interesting because of it.

If I Never Know You Like This Again. Soak

I had intended to listen to this album time and again but never got around to it. Sometimes it happens. There are so many releases and limited time available.

When I listened to Soak's single recently, I knew the time had come. With If I Never Know You Like This Again Soak, Bridie Monds-Watson, walks an alternative rock path. And tries to sound as alternative as say The Libertines. Just listen to her diction and singing in opening song 'Purgatory'. It is that against all odds Pete Doherty is still alive, otherwise Soak could have been his reincarnation in a non-binary form. Musically they are less tough here but makes up for that in 'Last July', where the guitars are ronking and honking away.

Soak is from Northern Ireland, Derry. They debuted in 2015 with the album 'Before We Forget How To Dream', of which Erwin Zijleman wrote at the time: "One of the most special debut albums of 2015" and "a totally own, unique sound". Until single 'Swear Jar' things were silent on this blog. There's no trace of 'Grim Town' (2018) here. Were things too hard after being lauded as a major talent at the age of 18?

Bridie Monds-Watson now is 25 and delivers a mature album, written and recorded with Tommy McLaughlin (Villagers). Three influences are noted by the band itself. Broken Social Scene, 'The Bends' and Pavement. That may well be. I notice two things. First, that Soak certainly has heard a band like Wolf Alice. We are not just living in the past here, and, second, that Soak is in great form. With songs that vary from alternative rock, to alternative, electrified folk and indie as the in between form, the album has a nice musical range. It can all be found on If I Never Know You Like This Again. Expect an outburst every once in while to shake things up a little. Soak seems to do everything just right and at the right moments. Each song well-balanced, interesting and good. A nice mix is offered.

Wout de Natris

 

You can listen to and order The Early Years here:

https://wolfvanwymeersch.bandcamp.com/album/the-early-years

and If I Never Know You Like This Again here:

https://soakmusic.bandcamp.com/album/if-i-never-know-you-like-this-again

Week 25, 10 Singles

In week 25 you will find a perhaps somewhat less diverse set of recent singles than you may have become accustomed to. In many of the reviews you will find the word mysterious and I stopped using the word to avoid endless repetitions. It could have been used though. Dreaming is another word that would fit the bill. It starts off with a good old, but very new alternative (punk)rock song though for good measure and in between you will find a song of which I have the 45 RPM single in my possession for about 37 years. Curious? Read on, dear reader.

Off Day. Adult School

Working towards its second release, 'No Party', on 19 July, Adult School shows off its chops with this punkrocking single, lasting as short as the best 1960s singles, i.e. under 2.30 minutes. Off Day contains it all. A melodic intro, the powerpop/rock verses played tight and muted to the all out going choruses and a The Beatles ending. In between Adult School shows it knows how to build a song and a potential party song. Off Day has the quality and the fun to set off a crowd at any time of the day. Time and again within the 2.26 the song lasts. In the singing, whether that is Anton Benedicto or Nick Wuebben, I do not know, there is certainly more than a hint at emo, making the song have even more impact. Off Day is a part of the U.S.' alternative rock tradition of the last three decades, but has a very nice own take on the genre, combining it with punkrock in an ever so nice way. 'No Party' may be an album to watch out for.

Swaying Pelvises. Elenne May

With Swaying Pelvises Elenne May releases its third single working towards the start of its theater tour called 'Velvet Beings' this fall. Working with Tessa Rose Jackson (Someone) as producer has its effect on the music of Elenne May. Again I notice the electronic underground of the song. This is more an electronic song than ever before. The dark synth bass, played by Roeland Scherff, is a very characteristic part of the song that, as it were, floats over the drums of Eddie Jenssen. He is a drummer who is not afraid to step back, near fully, when a song calls for it, just delivering some percussion. Jenssen is totally present though in Swaying Pelvises. Although the song can be called dreampop, his drums certainly make it dreamrock. Over the electronic music voices weave into each other more and more, adding to the mystery the song already contains abundantly. Lyrically the song at first glance at about dancing and about freedom. All other interpretations I'll leave open here, for you to muse on. With Swaying Pelvises Elenne May has set quite a different course for itself, allowing it to dive deeper into unchartered territory. Reading the band's Bandcamp page text accompanying the single, an album is announced for February next year. The news keeps getting better.

Being Alone EP. Wiri Donna

In week 17 Wiri Donna debuted on this blog with a single from her EP Being Alone. Full of disbelieve I was working my way through the huge surprises 'No Follow Through' offered me. How can she ever top that experience?, was the question I was left with. The answer I know now, is by staying true to her artistic self. Wiri Donna, or Bianca Bailey from Wellington in New Zealand, and band can change a tranquil lake into a raging, dangerous highrise of water of biblical proportions. Ever since The Police and of course especially Nirvana, we know how this is done. (As an aside, have you ever heard 'Send Me A Postcard', Shocking Blue's second hitsingle and two before 'Venus'? No, allow yourself to be amazed in that case. It's late 1968!) Wiri Donna uses extreme dynamics in her songs quite successfully and spices them up this way no little. All the time manoeuvring herself between pop and alternative rock successfully. The songs are different enough among themselves to keep me on my toes easily. Being Alone is a great introduction to another female rock singer from New Zealand, where apparently they are growing on trees in abundance.

Salt. Wytiki

With Salt Wytiki releases her second solo single (see week 20 for the first one). Again it is a song that is on the very verge of my musical tastes. Electronic, dark and mysterious Salt is. Long-held electronic notes make up the music, with sparse, muffled, electronic percussion. In an interlude there's just atmospherics, Wytiki's voice and something electronic emulating her voice underneath. When the song comes back to life again, a guitar enters as do other synths and electronic strings, eventually real ones too. The song becomes more analogue by the second and is brought to life because of it, thus creating a great difference in < 3 minutes Salt lasts. This development caught my attention just in time. I'll admit to already having struck the title from the list, to put it back on. Like Belgian singer Lizzy, Wytiki successfully scales that outer edge of my musical interest. More is to come in the fall.

Unimpressed & Unaroused. Tom Allan & The Strangest

This trio is a recent signing to the Hamburg based Glitterhouse Records label. The single is released ahead of an LP announced for later summer. It totally fits in with recent releases from German punking rock bands. Tom Allan & The Strangest may be a little more mysterious but know how to rock in a straightforward manner as well. The mystery is caught by the different guitar effects, changing the sound of Unimpressed & Unaroused. The title leaves me with an urgent question though. If you like alternative rock and punk, and this song leaves you unimpressed and unaroused, it would seem to me like you have an issue or a hearing problem. This song is fun and there's not another word for it.

Running Up That Hill. Kate Bush

Since a week or something I'm reading that this single from 1985 is having a second run of success because of a streaming series called 'Stranger Things'. 1985 is near 40 years ago, so how does the song fare in 2022 with me. In 1985 I was at university and could not afford to buy everything being released I liked. And, to be honest, I did not like everything going on on this Kate Bush album. When someone bought a record, an LP of course, we all taped it on a cassette and expanded our collections that way. Running Up That Hill was the first single of the album 'Hounds Of Love' and the video was exciting. The song was all over the radio as well and the strong pulse driving the song ever forward, struck a chord with me alright. For me it seemed like a return to form, after the album 'The Dreaming' that totally passed me by musically and intellectually most likely as well. Running Up That Hill in one way is not that different from 'The Dreaming', it is that ever going forward rhythm representing that running and getting out of breath, making the difference. Hear how the guitar comes in later on, and an 'In The Air Tonight' like drumbreak no less, keep up the pace. It is 2022 and I can only write that Running Up That Hill has lost nothing of its alluring beauty and mystery. Kate Bush was on the top of her singles hill, with 'Cloudbusting' still to come. Hopefully the youth of today will listen to more of that great music she released before this single. Only one question remains: If this indeed is a huge hit again, how high will the song end at the end of 2022 in our Top 2000?

Vessel. Carlos Truly

Soul in 2022? Yes, it exists and Carlos Truly shows the world how soul and a little jazz can be combined with more modern sounds. Decades of music meet in the twine. Soul as if recorded by the Muscle Shoals band or Aretha Franklin's musician's, a jazz piano from a smoky 1950s club and more modern rhythms and some electronics merge in a near perfect way. Carlos Truly sings over it with a highish voice, supple and soft, not to be mistaken as not being on the spot. The mix works and deserves to be heard. I am remembered of two things. First, Josh Stone's debut album, where Truly stripped away all excesses from. Second, the best The White Stripes songs, where Truly stripped away all excess noise and antics from. What you are left with then is an extremely soulful song called Vessel. Where a soul guitar plays a few blue notes and a, very warm, organ is allowed to play a few chords only. As if they are accidental passers-by. "In der Beschränkung zeigt sich erst der Meister", as J.W. Goethe wrote in one of his sonnets. I can't tell how good Carlos Truly's German is, but he certainly heeded this lesson.

Big Tear. Pitou

What to make of Big Tear, Pitou's first single on the V2 label? Oh, it is beautiful, make no mistake there. But what kind of music is this? There seems to be a little of everything in it. A mysterious intro and outro. Classical elements, world music sounds, a rhythm that is not everyday's in pop music. And yet Pitou in her own way is part of the pop family. Yet, listen to the way she sings, listen to the beautifully constructed harmony vocals and you will know you are in pop territory. With a lot of external factors in the music itself. I can imagine this song having come to her on an acoustic guitar or piano and from there deconstructed and built up again into something completely different. However Big Tear was conceived and/or made, the result is a single Pitou can be quite proud of. An album is not to be expected before 2023. So just like with Elenne May in the above, two musicians that are certainly alike, patience is called for. More singles are announced in the mean time. And, people, should that big tear fall from the sky in the mean time, it will teach you how to swim, Pitou teaches us.

Cul de Sac. Jillette Johnson

Jillette Johnson returns to this blog with another single. A whole album is more for Erwin Zijleman, the occasional single certainly can sit on my right side. Cul de Sac is a dreampop song with a country twang guitar as a strong feature. The reverb on the amp is up quite a bit providing that echo on the sound. All the while Jillette Johnson softly croons over the song. In a way it has the right title. It is not going anywhere really or at best brings you back at the point where you started, following the loop at the end. But is it necessary for a song to go anywhere, always? No, because it is possible to enjoy the ride for the ride. This is what Cul de Sac offers. Soft and slowly moving forwards, without much truly accentuating the music in the song. The dry snare sound, a twang, some vibrato and you've highlighted it all. In the mean time, Jillette Johnson sings her song about growing up in a cul de sac, thinking she was all alone and being wrong. It is enough in this case. Cul de Sac indeed.

Illusion. Lera Lynn

Two Erwin Zijleman favoured singers in a row. Lera Lynn returns with her new single and combines two musical worlds, not unlike Lana del Rey does. The romantic 1950s are a part of this single as are more modern times, making the song tougher than most Del Rey's songs, if not all. The dreamy illusion of things long, if not too long ago is spiced by a strong rhythm and a muted country style guitar. The way Illusion sounds was impossible in the 1950s of course. In 2022 the whole orchestra that was behind the singers from 1950 is missing here. It is that elusive way of singing with all the studio effects on the voice, today, that creates that atmosphere from long ago. There are more singers fishing in the pond Lera Lynn is active in with her new single. That works out fine however. Illusion is a song that is warm and aloof, as if the warmth is not meant for me but for someone else. Sometimes that kind of warmth is enough to receive and today is such a day.

Wout de Natris