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I'm Not Sorry. The Jordan
An unapologetic The Jordan releases another single from upcoming album 'Nowhere Near The Sky' (23 February). I'm Not Sorry is an electronic dreampop track that holds a lot of under the skin kind of tension. The music and beats are all sort of smothered, leaving room for Caroline van der Leeuw's husky voice to steal the show. The track totally works on several levels because of it. The video is totally against the grain of time. Where most artists opt for sexy videos where as little clothes as possible are worn, taking away everything from the music, The Jordan puts a naked woman in a chair in a psychedelic version of 'Bilitis'. There seems to be no faking here. The odd thing is that the woman in the chair does not take away from the music and song. It is strengthened by it. Another level of success added. The Jordan seems on route to a strong album.
Gramercy Arms is Dave Derby's band with changing musicians. This song he wrote at some point in time with Lloyd Cole for a singer called Darlene Love. He decided to record it himself as well. His producer Ray Ketchem suggested to turn it into a duet. Enter singer Renee Lo Bue of Elk City. The result is a nice mid-tempo song with a distinct country flavour. The mood is certainly in a melancholy minor key. This is not the happiest of times, "years have gone by" and old lovers meet once again, years down the road and wondering whether they can revive that old spark. Judging by the mood, it most be a hopeless case. The song does strike all the right notes. With a fairly tough drums and acoustic guitar that hold it all together, the rest of the musicians and singers can focus on the mood and do it so good. Yesterday's Girl is far from spectacular, exactly what it aims not to be.
Rock and Roooollll!!!! Grande Royale's latest single really, really rocks, as you surmised from the first words. The Swedish band is working towards the release of its sixth album, 'Welcome To Grime Town'. Tell Me is a mix of garage rock filled with guitars that shoot off into all kind of directions and hints at Swedish rock pop like Europe's 'The Final Countdown', played in overdrive like the live version of Cheap Trick's 'I Want You To Want Me'. In other words, riffs fly around and solo's are everywhere. Add a drummer who's drumming as if his life depends on it. Finally, there's even thought given to some dynamics in the song before the storm gathers to play Tell Me home. No, this song, title apart, has nothing to do with The Rolling Stones' first self-penned hit.
Some more rock but of a very different kind here. Blondshell is American singer and rocker Sabrina Teitelbaum. She sings about a tv programme called Veronica Mars, invoking the title one of The Rolling Stones' best songs, 'Gimme Shelter' in the lyrics, before the song totally explodes into a huge punk rocking anthem. Veronica Mars is a short song. The song starts with a muted guitar and Teitelbaum singing over it. In what I assume to be the chorus, hard to tell as it comes by only once before the lead guitarist lets it rip and shreds the song to its 1.57 minutes end. For me Blondshell is a new name. Veronica Mars is quite the introduction. There's simply no escaping the song, no ignoring, no not-loving it. It's a bombshell dropped on me, exploding in my face and dragging me all the way in. Boom!
A church bell chimes. It didn't come from outside but from my speakers. When not paying attention, they all sound the same, don't they? The music kicks in and a nice country-tinged rocker unfolds into my ears. The kind of song that thousands of U.S. artists play and some copycats from other regions as well. New Earth Farmers, Paul Knowles and Nicole Storto, with help from the former drummer of The Alarm and two band members from Chuck Prophet's live band, lay down this nice groove together, with a warm Hammond sound and a lead guitar playing the right kind of notes all throughout the song. The lyrics are about the Virgin who is asked to tell that she always knew there wasn't any water before the wine. Sacriledge!? It seems like it, except that every well thinking person knows what New Earth Farmers is singing about must be true. Even my late grandfather, an avid churchgower, said that he still had to see his first miracle. A nice song Oh Mary is, so be on the look out for the upcoming album 'The Good Ones Got Away', 4 March.
Another song that is like stepping into a time machine, The End Of A Gun is. To be more precise, as if, then, Jim McGuinn still had to find his first Rickenbacker guitar and The Kinks had recorded 'Tired Of Waiting' just a little louder. While that little dash of psychedelia had been found one year earlier than in 1966. Ghost Woman is not just recreating the past but adds a song of itself to that mix that is more than interesting enough to enjoy as a song from 2022. There's nothing much in the sound though giving away this song is the second single from an album to be released in 2023, 'Anne, If'. Ghost Woman is basically a one man band. Evan Uschenko recorded almost everything himself on a Tascam recorder, sounding as authentic as possible. The result is a single that mildly rocks, has a great guitar solo and intrigues. Not just because it sounds authentically old, no, it does it all in its own right.
In 2022 war entered the consciousness of Europeans once again and brought with it feelings of uncertainty, anxiety and fear. If anything with Beacons The Bellwether Syndicate reflects these feelings. Like the best doom and gloom songs of the 1980s the band manages to keep things as dark as possible. Layer upon layer of dark sounding guitars are stacked over the bass and drums, that keep a clear and separate part in the mix. Add the voice of William Faith, not exactly the happiest sounding person on earth and the mood is set for dark-painted, toupeed hair and waiting in a small group of like-minded persons, not to forget staring at the floor together, for that one song to come and take over the dancefloor, as if 1986 never went away. Beacons captured that scene exactly.
Every once in a while there is a song released that has an immediate impact on me. Takes One To Know One is such a single. The songwriting duo Jen D'Angora and Dan Kopko simply works a miracle together. No matter the quality of their respective bands one and one makes three here. Takes One To Know One rocks, no little and to underscore it all, the coda stresses it with a bang. It all starts out with a 'Mr. Blue Sky' kind of rhythm but takes a tough rocking turn left. Kopko takes the lead vocal but as soon as D'Angora joins in the harmonies, sparks fly. The singing is the icing on the cake, twice over. This song is energy combined with a huge load of fun. In an alternative rock universe this is a number 1 hitsingle and for weeks and weeks on end at that.
Rock from Italy is no longer an exception on this blog. Diplomatics is a band that mixes in a lot influences into Jungle. The punk rock is easy to spot. Listening a bit longer, Brazilian rhythms are mixed with a jazzy saxophone, so Sweden's Viagra Boys come to mind. Yes, it's all a bit chaotic but it works. The notes chosen are a bit against the grain, so enter most alternative rockbands coming out of my country in the last three, four years. Diplomatics certainly deserves a chance from fans of all these bands. Add in the choruses a great melody that makes me think of Gogol Bordello and I think the mix is clear. Diplomatics is not afraid of taking on anything and incorporating it successfully into its own song. Jungle rocks no little and amazes on the side. With, yes, a great saxophone solo in a punk-alternative rock song. The album was released in December, 'Is It Time To Fly?' Based on Jungle I'm inclined to answer, yes!
If Shame proves anything, it is possible to compose, play and record a song while having looked seriously into a couple of glasses. Drakulas was invited by Drunken Dial Records to come and record a song for a 7" single. The rules are: come in and compose and record a song on the spot, plus record a cover of a favourite song. Besides this, all members of the band have to be quite drunk before starting their work. Shame is the original result. What I hear is a great punkrock song that really rocks. The drummer is very, very present, pounding away, making sure the tempo is up all of the time. The rest of the band makes sure this is a pub brawling experience. People all over the world can shout along and pogo to Shame. I'm sure the band and studio personal had a great time together. It shows.
Wout de Natris
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