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Gotta Get To Peeskill feat. Violent Femmes. Dropkick Murphys
The
day arrives that a band is in your life for over 20 years, as in a band
that you discovered after a certain age. To add to this, my cassette tape containing
"Hallowed Ground' probably has disintegrated by now. The two bands
collaborate on the new Dropkick Murphys single Got To Get To Peetskill. Had the title not contained feat. Violent Femmes, I would not have noticed the
difference. (The video helps you out.) I was assuming the more screamed
part of the lyrics is by Violent Femmes, but Gordon Gano's role is bigger. The song itself is the true
Irish side of the Boston band. There's only traditional instruments to
be heard here and as always it works. The Murphys attack them just a
little harder and out comes its take on Irish songs. It's always nice
to hear it, also over twenty years after my introduction. And 'Hallowed
Ground'? I still have to replace that tape one day.
In
the late summer of 2021 before lockdown #x I ran into Nelson Ayala in
Amsterdam's Tolhuistuin and asked him if there was new work coming up.
"Yes", he answered. One and a half year and a little later there is
single 'Possessed'. Whether Indian Askin is still a band, I can't tell,
Ayala is certainly there with his typical way of singing and intonation.
Possessed is on the loud side of Indian Askin's music. This is
alternative rock alright. For Indian Askin Possessed is even fairly
straightforward. The song starts pounding and does not really stop. Like
most songs by the band I instantly liked it. There's always a twist and in
this case it is an almost poppy part that invites singing along to. The
band has an distinct own sound and not only because Nelson Ayala's way
of singing. It is mostly in the music itself. It is in a typical Indian
Askin style and Possessed has that typical quality. Welcome back.
The
Bellwether Syndicate will release its new album in the coming week,
'Vestige & Vigil'. Golden Age is one of the singles preceding it.
1980s doom and gloom is at the heart of Golden Age. People who lived
through the decade and those who caught on later will recognise the
approach of the Chicago band. You are all allowed to stick your own
names on Golden Age. What is important in 2023 is that this song has one
thing over most 80s doom bands, a huge sprightly step in its music, that
was lacking at the time. The members of The Bellwether Syndicate have lived and more
than likely something to live for and that other, wiser station in life
shines though its music. If the title isn't a dead-giveaway here, I'll
eat my last remaining 80s pop band t-shirt. (Well, I have a few left,
actually. 'Serious Moonlight Tour' may be the eldest. Golden Age on top
of this all has a good vocal melody and some nice melodies to
appreciate. The kind of invitation one expects from a single release.
What
to make of this title, what to make of a woman singing "schik mir ein
Dickpick"? The band presents the song as a bellwether to things
unimaginable for most people in the world. Schattenmann is a new name for
me. A German language rock band in the vein of Rammstein. Especially
when Anna Lux comes in for the chorus with the melodic synths behind her
the connotation is not to ignore. Something like 'Moskau' for example.
The deep and dark guitars and drums do the rest. What Schattemann
manages, is to combine the dark rock with melodic prowess. This results
in a chorus that is very singable. That may be where things go wrong.
Just imagine thousands of people singing "bitte, bitte, schik mir ein
Dickpic" because I'm so alone. That aside, Schattenmann scores with this
song. The album 'Día De Muertos' is out on 30 June.
"Love thy neighbour" is the main message of DEADLETTER and the neighbour will love you back. All laudable but what about the music? For me this song is on the edge. A band like The Gang of Four still can't get me to move, let alone enjoy the music. The Snitching Hour is close but at the same time does not forget a song needs something of melody. The chorus is the strong moment of proof here. What I certainly also like is the saxophone coming in and out of the song. With the stricter postpunking verses the song has two faces and the combination does lead to enthusiasm. As a whole it is surprising that so many youths come up with music inspired by the time that their parents were growing up. Music they may have heard at home when growing up. The Snitching Hour is my introduction to DEADLETTER, there is an older EP, and, yes, it does have promise. Bring on the next single please.
A
synthpop single, with the accent on pop, by Smashing Pumpkins? Yes,
that's possible in 2023. Spellbinding has the most poppy chorus of the
band ever. I didn't know the band had it in it, is what I'm inclined to
write and do. An earworm it may even turn out to be. Admittedly, I
haven't bought a song by Billy Corgan since the Zwan album and hardly
listened to new work either. If I'm correct on 5 May a box set of 43
songs will be released on the basis of three digital albums in the past
few months plus 10 extra songs. I have heard one other song, somewhere
last year. Spellbinder is one of the singles and it is totally
surprising. A synth is at the heart of the verses and yes guitars come
in, let's say at best half as deep as in the old days, with a "happy"
lead guitar sound to finish the sound off. I am totally surprised as
this is the kind of song that could have been a hit, decades ago.
I
have to be patient for about three more months but The Beths are
coming to NL and I have tickets. People following the blog will know The
Beths have landed well here. The band around singer - guitarist
Elizabeth Stokes surprised me with a new single, a leftover from the
'Expert in A Dying Field' sessions. Can you tell? No, as the song would
have fitted easily. Maybe it is a tad to optimistic, happy sounding in comparison? Watching
The Credits is about what we at home call stick around for "de kleine
lettertjes". Musically it fits right in with the alternative rock the
band plays. The Beths play perfect alternative popsongs that get a twist
somewhere along the way and usually it has to do with the guitar solo
of Jonathan Pearce. It is as if he at times loses the direction of his
fingers somewhere among all those little squares on his fretboard. In
Watching The Credits it is not that extreme but present. It is of the
many things making The Beths' music so surprising and attractive.
I
am listening to a song recorded in 1989 and re-released in a more
modern format than a cassette. The song is half-serious, half a joke.
The music obviously is serious. Tight, punk-rocking and all it should
be. The lyrics is where the joking part begins. Sung in a serious way, as
if the toaster oven Jay Allen is singing about is a metaphor for a
girlfriend. The toaster oven gives the singer everything he needs until
it burns his English muffin. That's the day the relationship ends
violently. In the meantime there's a lot to enjoy with the Boston
punkers of old. When bass player Justine Covault started her own record
label Red on Red, the idea came up to search for Quest For Tuna's master tapes of old.
They were found, recorded at the time by the then almost famous
producer Sean Slade in the Fort Apache studio. Available for the first
time in decades, I am glad I get to know about the now long defunct but
once loved kitchen appliance.
With
labour there is a second song in this overview on things happening to
women that are not supposed to happen. Paris Paloma addresses the topic
of inequality within relationships and male domination. The labour is of the
"24 hour baby machine" kind. Sorry, I do not feel addressed. labour is
becoming a popular song fast, reading the bio. To me it is a modern song
that fits in a row of modern singer-songwriters that move around
somewhere between traditional singer-songwriters and electronics. The
sound is far from traditional, despite a new tradition in the making.
There are the usual instruments, even an upright bass. The layers of vocals
are very modern and the sounds and atmospherics moving in and out also.
The result is a song that is on the edge of my tastes but false to the
right side with ease. With a lot to discover musical as a little extra.
Search hard and you will find Ruth Blake twice on this blog. Once with a single and the second time in a collaborative single. Her folk side is completely gone on Not Your Angel. It appears Ruth Blake has embraced her electronic side on her new single. Coming out of a broken relationship she decided to show another side of herself. Working with producer James Yuill the whole track is built up from electronic devices with Ruth Blake riding the electronic waves, totally in command. Surprising on the basis of her previous work? No doubt about it. The vocal melody could have been over a totally different arrangement but fits the song totally. Anyone who listens beyond the beats and loud bass synths will start discovering the rich arrangement Not Your Angel has with little electronic melodies popping up all over the place. Ruth Blake may not be an angel, she sure is an inventive singer and musician. Let the anger out, Ms. Blake. It works for you.
Wout de Natris
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