What I Had In Mind. Ron Sexsmith
Reading
the comments underneath Ron Sexsmith's new single on You Tube, I am
surprised that just about everyone in pop music is mentioned, except for
Ray Davies. It goes to show how far The Kinks and Davies have drifted
from the larger public's mind. Ron Sexsmith is the best
singer-songwriter in the world bar Ray Davies, in this line of songs, of
course. What I Had In Mind is a beautiful song, full of nice finds, a
soft banjo playing the lead role, ever so modestly. Nothing takes away
of Sexsmith's soothing voice. He is central in this song, as in many of
his songs. Fans can start listening without hesitation. It is about time
the rest of the world starts doing so, as this is the kind of artist
who always delivers at a consistent level of quality.
Where Ron Sexsmith can sing in a dreamy way, New Zealand's Womb release a single that is beyond dreaming. The Dove is about never having to wake up again while still being present, as if locked up in your own mind, in a hybernatic state. Things move in extreme slow motion in this song. Singer Cello Forrester almost whispers her lyrics, while behind her swaths of synth sounds slowly progress towards a point somewhere unknown far beyond the horizon. Although the trio has a drummer according to the bio, Georgette Brown is not playing her instrument on this song. The Dove is as mysterious as unfathomable. What to make of it? Just go with its extremely slow flow, is my advise.
EUT
is found on this blog since the release of its first album. With Step
By Step the Dutch band sets a new, well, step in its career. There's
always a pop element in EUT's indie rock music. Here a new blend is
created, making Step By Step an alternative kind of dance song, where
electronics meet indie rock and pop harmonies. Singer Megan de Klerk is
the epicentre of the song, perhaps more central than ever before. All
around her synths pulse and roll, with others lay down the melodies.
From the very opening of the song, which is also the end, it sounds
different. It presents a question to me. What is happening here? What am
I going to listen to? The answer is a song that is very mature and
self-assured. Full of memorable details and one short guitar solo,
perhaps to not totally alienate old indie rockers with less flexibility.
Step By Step is an incredibly cool song.
Another
band from Amsterdam, totally different music, except for the tempo of
the song. Iron Jinn is a band that formed from the ruins of several
others, known and unknown to me. With Soft Healers the band presents an
alternative rock ballad. Ballads are there to instantly please and Iron
Jinn has decided to provoke more than please. Soft Healers forces the
listener to make a choice. It's not an easy song. The notes played are
not instantly recognised as softly pleasing. There are some thorns and
dense thickets involved. There's semi-darkness as well. With seven minutes the
song demands stamina. Slowly but surely the band proceeds and builds
out the song more and more. Iron Jinn signed with German label Stickman
Records and will have its album 'Iron Jinn' out in April next year. That
fact asks for a lot of patience, but on the basis of this varied
alternative rock ballad, that wait may be very well rewarded.
New
work by Leeds punkrock combo L'Objectif. EP 'We Are Not Getting Out But
Tonight We Might' is only from June and here's a new single already.
The enthusiasm is there, the energy and sheer fun but above all the
quality that is a clear sign of a new young band on its route to (more) fame.
This is the only conclusion drawable when a young band presents a powerful song like
The Dance You Sell. The fact that L'Objectif is influenced by second
generation Britpop bands from the 00s like The Automatic and what not,
doesn't matter. It's the starting point of a career and with the songs
released so far the band's ability to write songs that make a difference
is obvious. The Dance You Sell is the kind of song that guarantees
attention.
You
will have to go back to 2018 to find The Inspector Cluzo on this blog
for the first and last time, until today. Having announced its new album
'Horizon' a few weeks ago, to be released in January, the title song is
available already. Singer/guitarist Laurent and drummer Matthieu are
musicians and farmers, running a farm together. How that combines with
releasing 8 albums since 2008 and playing over 1200 shows around the
whole world, I don't know. It reminds me of a hit single from my youth
called 'Guus', about a farmer who discovers girls of a certain
reputation in the big city and neglects his cows to the point of
bursting. (Believe it or not, a number 1 hit!) Listening to Horizon, I can only admit that no matter the
consequences, The Inpector Cluzo has made the right decision. Horizon
rocks no little, is of great quality and the collaboration with producer
Vance Powell works like a miracle. Violins in a great rock song can
work really well. Of course this has nothing to do with a duo set up,
nor do the guitar overdubs, but Horizon works on many levels. Great
song!
Finnish
rockers Rokets return to the blog as well. With Best Kept Secret the
band sounds tough and shows a more melodic and softer side as well. Soft
in the sense that more sensitive listeners will still need earplugs, of
course. This single, the third for upcoming album 'Break Free',
scheduled for 9 December, is of the kind that could have been a hit in a
time when charts were far more varied. Hits from the time when radio
stations weren't totally diversified. Best Kept Secrets holds a few
great guitar riffs, has a tough rhythm, overridden by a great melody and chorus. The guitars support both sides of the song, the
toughness and the melody. The result is that this song allows
headbanging and dancing. The more I listen to it the more convinced I
become that Rokets has gold in its hands with Best Kept Secret. Who
dares to play the song on the radio?
A
new name, and old hand. A lot of people around the world will have
heard of Caro Emerald, with her mix of 1950s pop and modern dance
rhythms, without undermining the 1950s element, enhancing it. Absolutely
not my kind of music. As the music was some sort of a gimmick, obvious
quality apart, I can imagine Caroline van de Leeuw was at some sort of a
dead end in her career. Enter The Jordan, named after a part of
Amsterdam's city centre. The result is a single that is as stately
as her biggest hitsingles of circa 10 years ago but is a total makeover
as well. This is serious pop music alright. Best Damn Day fits her
voice like a glove. She sings great, she looks great and is ready for
the big time, again. Whether her fans of old will follow her, is the big
gamble she takes. The new song should allow for many to catch on in the
here and now. Majestic is the word. There's no other for it.
Sicky?
Tricky's brother? Unconsciously the name put me on the wrong foot
completely. Luckily for Sicky this did not stop me from listening.
Garbage Town is a song that reminds me of acts like The Sweet and Suzi
Quatro from the Chinn-Chapman era, with a layer of alternative rock over
the glamrock. The result is a fascinating song, that truly rocks and is as
dirty as the garbage left in a pile on the street for over a week. The
song holds an element of fear and danger, equally divided by the singer
and music. Sicky is the solo project of Mick Butler, who played in a few
bands over the years and during the lockdown found himself on his own
with a huge urge to write songs. 'Garbage Town' will be his second solo
album under the Sicky moniker, after last year's 'Bowling Balls'. The
new album, out in November, has a title track that is an instant ear
catcher.
A decades old song in the singles section? Yes, The Smugglers, an ex-band since 2004, is re-releasing its album 'In The Hall Of Fame' as a double album on LP for the first time. The Smugglers formed in West-Vancouver in the 1988 in high-school, became a more serious band in the early 90s in the grunge time but had already moved into punkrock, coming into its own. Releasing eight albums in a few years, the band had a prolific output. Interest must have remained as one of the albums, from 1992, now sees the light of day on vinyl. Is the band totally serious? Not if you listen to how the song starts. It's like the band is playing in the rehearsal studio, false start and all, encouraging each other to come into the song's groove. Once in full rocking mode, there's no holding back. This is in many ways a classic punkrock track, with hints at rock and pop that came before, from Elvis to The Ramones, it's all there. Fun was obviously had by all in the band and now it's our turn.
Wout de Natris
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