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Velvet Beings. Elenne May
One year ago Amsterdam band Elenne May started a five singles song cycle, announcing its theatre show Velvet Beings. The title song is the final song in the cycle that showed the growth of the band over the past years and the successful collaboration with Tessa Rose Jackson as co-producer enhancing a little pop and (electronic) mystery in what already was present in Elenne May's music. Velvet Beings is so soft and delicate, looking back on a journey that has reached its conclusion. Experience and knowledge have been gained, allowing for the fairytale elements to return full force to Elenne May's music. Through the purification process of Velvet Beings, as in the show, the singer seems able to return to a state of innocence, dreaming of the future, fully reflected in the soft music and beautiful harmonies between Elenne and bassist Evelien Ypma. They are singing at their best here. From this point onwards the future lays open for the stage Elenne and for the band as such.
There's a final chance to see the show Velvet Beings. 12 March in Theater De Roode Bioscoop in Amsterdam. And, to hear the songs that are not to be recorded. For more info:
https://www.roodebioscoop.nl/velvet-beings
Only
a few weeks ago I added a song of The Zombies from 1968 in this weekly
overview to compare it to a cover version. Totally unaware that a new
single of the band was to be released in January. It is surprisingly
strong. The song is far tougher than the old hits and bordering on a mix
of classic rock and Steely Dan. Colin Blunstone has to strain his voice
a bit to keep up with the power of the band. There's not much left of the
high voice of old here. It has obviously lived for close to 80 years.
The song starts totally jazzy with a nice Fender piano sound. It doesn't
take long for the band to gather steam. Grandads can rock that much is
certain these days. They can also write, produce and play a strong new
song and Rod Argent, as songwriter, leads the pack here, together with Iggy Pop in 2023. Dropped, Reeling & Stupid is a great single. Age in pop
does not matter, that much is certain nowadays.
Becoming
better known is a game of chance in many ways. For Dutch singer Kovacs
being able to get Rammstein singer Till Lindemann on board for one of
her songs of the same titled album is a major scoop. There's no other
word for it, as it will get her global attention. Which is great of
course for her but does the song match the hype? Yes, it does. The song
is an interesting mix of a Shirley Bassey style ballad and what could be a
Rammstein rocker with ease if the Teutonic, loud style of playing of
Rammstein was laid out over Child Of Sin. The result meets in the
middle. Lindemann is forced to sing, which does not seem easy for
him. Kovacs' voice is not your average either. The music is what makes
the song. It has an inner tension, while also having a relaxed
element in the piano, that is played in a soft and delicate way, telling
the world is alright after all. Child Of Sin holds a great scoop but
capitalises on value it adds.
With
True Love Amber Arcades releases another song ahead of the upcoming
album. True Love is another dreamy song. "Dreaming along" is a part of
the lyrics. Behind is a kind of dance beat but almost hidden out of
earshot, muffled. The music is built up out of atmospheric sounds, with
the melody almost fully in the vocal melody. To my surprise I have an
associations with Bettie Serveert, besides the obvious references to
dreampop and a band like Warpaint. It is what makes True Love a totally
hybrid song. Dreamy with a dance element and an alternative rock
reference. And all from under that blanket that is muffling the music.
The chorus though is among the strongest Annelotte de Graaf has written
until today. Three singles into 'Barefoot On Diamond Road', it is proving
to become an album to be on the look out for.
Blanko
is a Dutch singer-songwriter who operated in the background as session
and live guitarist. Since 2019 he works solo under the name Blanko and
entered my musical universe recently. Most likely because I heard him on
the radio. Jan de Witte, as his real name is, played in the 3Js and now
sings in English with a good pop feel, hinting marginally at the later
Britpop of Oasis and with that to many a band from the U.K. in the
decades before and after the biggest U.K. band of the 90s. Stop The
Clock (an Oasis title as well, right?!) is well produced. The sound is allowed to expand beyond the
guitar-bass-drums idiom and a whole string section comes in to support
the singer. Blanko has not made an earth shattering appearance but
certainly a very nice single. The b-side is a surprise, a version of
'Psycho Killer' in the 'Stop Making Sense' version. And then I found a
picture with 'Stop Making Sense' all over it with Blanko in the middle
of it.
A new
punkrock duo from the city of light in The Netherlands. Although Philips
has left the light bulbs behind for years now, the city Eindhoven still
has that name. The Mono Kids is a new duo consisting of two men of a
certain age still having the fire burning deep within them. The result
is three songs that could have started with one, two, three, four,
counted off very fast and go. Don't expect a lot of subtlety, just
playing and singing 'Die, Motherfucker, Die' and it being all over
within 1.45 minutes. That kind of energy discharge. Roelof and Michel
don't let the grass over it, as we say over here. Distorted guitars and
drums mixed in a way that every hole in the mix is plugged, creating a
huge sound. The only piece of rest for the wicked is in the intro to
opening song 'Shooting Star' when some feedback is slowly built up. The
rest is Personal Trainer on steroids. Excitement is for all ages, folks!
Less
excitement, more thoughtful contemplation with some enthusiasm to go.
Seed is the lead song on a three song single. The song combines pop with
alternative rock with a little folk hidden underneath the light rock
elements. Just come in yourself with all the possible references here.
Fact is that Seed is a delightful, albeit very short, single. Where M.
Byrd, a solo singer-songwriter from Germany, excels in in Seed is
sounding very dreamy in combination with making his points in the music.
From an acoustic beginning a whole band joins and builds up the song.
And all in 1.45 minutes. M. Byrd released his first EP, 'Orion', in 2021.
This is a new single on route to more to come. If it's this good, lay
it on me, please.
Fons
Records releases Filibuster's new single and celebrates it with a video
as well. The first seconds go by in a musical anarchy of guitars
players and drummer just do what they feel like, no structure, no focus,
no nothing. The contrast with the actual song can't be much larger.
Filibuster plays a tight song in Can't Unfriend Yourself but on the edge
of being out of tune with the actual chord progression. In short, just
like all modern post punk bands do. Filibuster adds rock to the mix. it
sounds louder than most Dutch post punk bands of the 20s. The lyrics are
totally 20s as well. Unfriend, cancelling, it has all become normal
words on a large scale and a disaster for those who are unfriended and
care deeply about such things. The angst comes across in the music that shouts out in anguish. "I
don't really know what to do" singer Karl Stroobant. Well, I do, wait
in quite anticipation for album 'Quiet Part Out Loud'.
Only
recently I wrote about a single from last year, I forgot all about at
the time and here's Selk already again with a newer single called Spill.
Spill is what I call a small song. Basically a guitar and a voice, soft
and modest. Later on strings enter the song. The atmosphere is not
changed. So Spill may be small, the effect it creates is no
less because of it. Anna Jordan's voice comes in in a very direct way, her guitar
playing fully in support of the vocal performance. "You shout out to
anyone with an open ear" she sings. There's no need, she's entering mine
without having to do any shouting at all. Spill is the kind of song
that is simply there. Call it folk, for sure, but without any
traditional folk instruments, thus elements. Because of the addition of a
violin and cello it becomes almost chamber music. Selk/Anna Jordan
presents beauty without going for the obvious effects in music. This
song is pure.
Right, don't expect anything new here but if you like Noel Gallagher's music my guess you will not be disappointed by his new single. The urgency of the early Oasis hits is all gone. It is all about songsmithing now (and for some time already of course) and that is something well put into the safe hands of Noel. He knows how to write a nice and sympathetic song. Easy Now obviously is such a song. Why does this song, that is not overly exciting, new nor exceptionally good, work? A good question, that is hard to answer. It just does. The melody is nice to start with and Noel adds the right sort of licks and instruments in the right places. Add his voice, which is certainly good enough as lead singer and a melodic guitar solo. Finally, The Beatles elements woven through the song do the rest. Easy Now is simply a really nice song. The video does have a surprising ending though.
Wout de Natris
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