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Nothing's Free. Angel Olsen
Nothing's Free is the
single Angel Olsen released ahead of her new EP 'Forever Means'. The EP
is filled with "leftovers" from her 'Big Time' recording sessions. They
have a common theme in learning, loving, experiencing and growing and as
such belong together. With Nothing's Free she moves even further back
in time then on the country inspired 'Big Time'. The song is a 21st
century take on the 1950s. Music my mother brought with her from Canada
when she moved over here to get married. Music that is somewhere in my
deepest unconsciousness. Ingrained somehow in me; before I broke the arm of the little record
player and was devoid of music in our home for over four years. A dark
piano starts the song over a jazzy, brushed rhythm. Olsen sings like a
jazz singer in a smoky bar, oh so slow and as articulate as it is
vulnerable. One person who starts talking and the magic all falls apart.
This is ultimate beauty but it does make me wonder what she sees as her
next step in music. The range is getting pretty stretched if not too wide. In the
meantime I'm not complaining. Lay that sax on me again please.
No
one ever got hurt from some dirty, sleazy rock and roll and
Slamdinistas delivers an extra dose from the streets of southern
California. Little Troublemaker is a straight up and down rock song
played by men of a certain age who still have the fire in them and some
heat to share with the world. There's nothing not straightforward here.
Dual guitars play a tight rhythm and all the little (and huge) playful
accents before both unleash a nice solo lighting the song up some more.
The song seems so simple and yet is so effective. It always makes me
wonder how it's possible that after 70 years of rock and roll it's still
possible to come up with a great rock song like this? Slamdinistas do.
It may start off as a little troublemaker, it winds up as a great rock song.
Big Batch is a hardrock band from France with some hints at The Offspring/Green Day kind of punkrock. With Kick Me, the single from its upcoming album 'The Last To Fall', the band makes its debut on this blog. Expect a lot of energy being shared. Big Batch goes for the big effect. This is not the same as going full out the whole time. Kick Me is nicely divided into softer and harder parts, creating the dynamics where the contrasts allow for a far more interesting song. Yes, you will have heard it all before. Don't expect new tricks in the genre. Do expect a strong intro that drops away to a more subtle part, first with a muted guitar part and later with a full force blasting bass. It all ends with an outro bordering on heavy metal for some extra changes. In between the whoa's are all over the chorus. Shouting along is taking care of as well. Nice introduction.
Night
Shift is a five years old song but recently Lucy Dacus decided to
release it with a video attached. Usually she and a few other related
female alternative rockers are the domain of Erwin Zijleman on this
blog, today I do the honours. (Also Erwin does not do singles.) Night
Shift almost had me fooled in the first minute or so, because nothing much seemed
to happen. I decided to do a quick lurch forward and got hooked easily.
Night Shift explodes more and more by the minute. From a woman
strumming an electric guitar to a huge rock anthem in six minutes. In
that sense a lot happens in this song. A musical explosion may be the
best description, as that is what happens here. From one person, to
elementary band accompaniment to an orgiastic finale. All over it Lucy
Dacus sings her story. She obviously has a lot to sing about but most of
all she wants to kiss a pair of lips, to know how they feel, if only for a very short while. In the
middle there's a change and she wonders what it will be like five years
from now .... and here's the video.
Rock
and roll made in 2023? Yes, it still exists and it is not a coincidence
Luke Metz is involved. The star however on this song is Mozzy Dee. With
her deep voice she leads the whole she-bang of call and response: orale
indeed. The song is as 1950s rock and roll as it comes. No, not in the
style of the great male rockers of the day. It's closer to rhythm and
blues and surf. Expect a guitar playing a walking part the whole time
and the high sound of the lead guitar. Perhaps Link Wray style. Chord
changes are to be avoided as much as possible. The result is a song that
just keeps going and going. Dolores D. Fuentes sings it with Shanda
Cisneros Ratto (Shanda & The Howlers) and Frankie Miller responding
in the choruses. Orale!. Is there a market for this kind of music in
2023? Who cares, Orale! And with John Fallon co-producing the whole Las Vegas Rum Bar gang is present
There's
no predicting what Lizzy comes up with next. Of course expect a mix of
old fashioned song writing and modern elements in the sound of the
individual singles. This is no different for Ominous Silence, the second
single from hr upcoming EP 'Every Colour Suits Me ', to be released
somewhere this spring. Unless one is John cage, there are no
compositions that can claim an ominous silence. The mood of Lizzy's new
single does capture a negative or better, a sad feeling. This is all in a
minor key and don't we all love to wallow in sad, sad songs every once
in a while. Ominous Silence is just the song for such a moment. Lise
Reynders is singing this beautifully, with great harmonising, there's a
lot of it on this single and all perfect. Producer Joes Brands played
'Sad, Sad Songs' in my living room two weeks ago this weekend with his band The
LVE. Here is another sad songs that deserves to be heard far and wide.
The
British band Captain is the latest signing of the Rotterdam based label
Gentlemen Recordings. The band released its first album in 2006, after which
it lost its guitarist Mario Athanasiou to cancer. The dark days are
behind the band as it releases a fine alternative pop-rock song
somewhere in between Britpop and U.S. powerpop. Apart from the nice
bittersweet feel of High Beams, the song excels in the double fronted
lead vocals shared by Rik Flynn and Clare Szembek. Somewhere between
dreamy and solid, the two sing together in a way that makes the song come totally alive. It took me a
few listening sessions to realise that I'm reminded of the Ricky Ross -
Lorraine McIntosh Deacon Blue tandem. This is meant as a compliment. I had
never heard of the band Captian but this certainly makes me curious for
the album that is to follow later this year.
Via
The Bangles The Downhauls cover Simon & Garfunkel's album track. I
doubt whether the famous 1960s duo ever imagined the song could rock
this hard. Even The Bangles most likely. The Downhauls really shred the
song apart in a fantastic version. The lead guitar really rips the riff
apart. It is the drummer however who kicks off the song by pounding away
for quite some time. Not giving away anything of course of what is to
come for the unsuspecting listener. When the guitar bursts loose there's
instant recognition for the pop connoisseurs. This is punk rock,
whatever you like to call it, heaven. The Downhauls are working on a new
album and kick it off with this fantastic cover. There's an abundance of
energy, joy and fun bundled into the track. The love of music comes
through in all ways possible. Hazy Shade Of Winter announces spring 2023
in a big way!
Boston
alternative rockers return with a banger that could have been a single
by a U.K. punk band from the late 1970s anytime. The tempo is there from
the very beginning and never lets go. Cold Expectations is back with a
nice single and an album, 'Static Reactions'. Trench Coat is the kind of
song that does not take a lot of words to describe. Just dance to it,
sing along, shout "trench coats, trench coats" and you'll be fine for
the evening. And if you can't dance, just move your head up and down to
the rhythm and you'll be fine to. Even just sitting in your chair at home!. Trench Coats is pop and punk defined
into one.
We end this week with an instrumental. Of the kind that does not need a vocal. néander unleashes a virtual storm. néander is a post rock band that incorporates hard rock, surf, metal and probably a lot more into its music. In yola des goz it all comes together. A huge sound is created that seems to come from all sides. The song starts out like ships passing each other in a thick fog. Their horns sounding out muffled over the river. That image can be shelved when the band kicks in full force. Man, am I glad I'm not the drummer of néander, Sebastian Grimberg. Most likely you could sweep up from the floor in about half a minute. Neither could I keep up with the guitar shredding. My muscles were not designed to do this. My ears are totally up to it though and that is what counts here. With three guitarist the band has a great line up and that shows. With odèm - yola des goz néander has released a 7" single especially for the tour the band embarks on next month taking them all through Germany, with a t-shirt design after the single sleeve. Better be fast if you want both.
Wout de Natris
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