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Angry. The Rolling Stones
Wednesday 6 September some
minutes after four o'clock CET a giant riff, classic Stones style, goes out
over You Tube. The world premiere of Angry and I'm there. Skipped a
final part of a meeting to be present. How many more times will there be
a release of a Stones single? (Although in the interview with Jimmy
Fallon preceding the premiere Keith mentioned two albums have been
recorded, including two songs with Charlie Watts, one of them with
Bill Wyman on bass.) At first listen two things struck me. One is the
urgency of the sound. Yes, it is a 'Start Me Up' kind of riff, the song
is not a formulaic Stones track. It really, really moves into sweet
territory like in the old days and in a way that '(Has Anybody) Seen My
Baby' and especially 'Saint Of Me' do in the bands later career. Angry
holds the anger of the title and yet drifts away from it, to be balled
together in the outro were anger turns to rage. This is all first
impression, fresh off the first listen. I am totally surprised and fully
pleased and found myself clapping my hands softly in front of my computer when the video was over.
'Hackney Diamonds' the album is called and it's out on 20 October. About the album Mick
Jagger said to Jimmy Fallon we go into the studio first to please ourselves and "we're
pleased". It may well be that the fans are too.
Nice
to meet you too, Vor-Stellen. The first single by this trio from New
Zealand is both intriguing as trance inducing. It lasts a little over
five minutes but appears endless in the way the rhythm keeps going and
going. Other elements are added, a female voice, a bass playing the same
three notes over and over. The rhythm reminds me of The Stone Roses et
al immediately. Danceable without being a dance track as such. Steve
Reay and Brendan Moran were on this blog under the name avoid!avoid and
the album 'Particles and Waves' (2016). Together with Jared Johanson
they've formed Vor-Stellen and recorded an album called 'Parallelograms'
that was released on the 8th. If Grønland is anything to go by, expect
to dance to hypnotic music.
Fourth Of July rocks but is a pop gem in disguise. Steve Conte was able to find all the right options hidden within the original idea for this song, that he wrote with Andy Partridge of XTC fame. Where XTC always hid the pop element in their songs in complexer rhythms and oft estranging melodies, here they shine. XTC comes forth in the solo and the main riff for example, while in the rest of the song it is 60s pop that rules. As far as I'm aware, Steve Conte came into my life with the Leather Catsuit mini album, containing that fantastic rocker 'Piece Of The Pie' that he wrote for Kim Olin. Fourth Of July is far more playful, while at the same time having that sing-a-long factor. The song is full with rich details to explore while listening more often. I guarantee you, it is very much worth doing.
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Linnea's
Garden returns with a nice poppy single to this blog. There are a few
different sides to the song. 1) It has a fine reminder of the Two Tone
ska records of the late 70s, 2) but also Blondie's later hits like 'Call
Me'. 3) There's a nice disco synth sound woven in for good measure. 4)
The song includes a nice psychedelic solo, seemingly slowing the whole
song down. 5) The verse sets it all nicely apart. 6) Carissa Johnson, who
recently released a deluxe version of her album 'Blues Hour', that ought to have
made these pages but did not, sings a duet with Linnea Herzog. She adds a tougher part to In The City.
Adding this all up, Linnea's Garden has released a somewhat surprising but
totally convincing single to her oeuvre.
"Baby,
it's in the water", Erny Belle (Aimee Renata) sings in her new single
Unchained. I've been wondering what it is in the water of New Zealand,
as bands from this relatively small country on the edge of the world are
releasing one amazing album after another. This single is no exception
to this observation. It may be a direct line to an artist like Aldous
Harding what can be heard here, the quality of this song is beyond
reproach. A slow chord progression, a soft rhythm and long held notes is
all Erny Belle needs to deliver her beautiful lyrics. When the drums
come in after the first chorus the song is given some energy and a mild
oomph, I'm all but floored by Erny Belle. It seems like the girls are
winning out more and more in my record collection.
Where
have the football coaches wearing a trench coat gone to? Retirement, placed in this museum I
suppose, replaced by fashionistas because of contracts and big, big
money. Yard Act debuted not that long ago on this blog. My initial
enthusiasm for its album was replaced by oblivion and then enter a new single with the weird
name The Trench Coat Museum. I had to get used to it but was convinced
within a few minutes. Yard Act gets the groove right and all the
interesting things coming with that groove. The light and the shade is
there. Dynamics is a important ingredient of The Trench Coat Museum.
Yes, the post punk is still there but also guitar histrionics of a to be
Adrian Belew, great percussion and electronic beats. If the song is
extended for the video or truly has a 12" length, I don't know. Like
(almost) all 12", things get a bit tedious but that is a matter of
taste. Before that moment kicks in, Yard Act will have your body moving.
I
almost discarded Elvis In The Army. Just in time I got into the punky
groove of A. Savage's single announcing his solo album 'Several Songs'
(6 October). Savage is a member of the band Parquet Courts, not unknown
to this blog (and my cd collection). I was not aware of this link until I
decided to write on the song and read up in the bio. Elvis In The Army, we're talking 1958 or
something here, is an elementary song. Guitar, bass, drums, voice, all
connecting to that groove, with the bass escaping here and there for a
great melody run. Now Elvis' stint in the army led to his marriage with
Priscilla, so where will things lead for A. Savage. I can't help but
wonder. What I'm so glad to notice, as so often, that a "simple" song
can have this impact. There are a million songs like this, that do
nothing to me. This groove does. I can ride it forever. And then it stops
with a verse, an original choice.
Single
two of Ella Williams' upcoming album and again bull's eye. Alley Light
is more a ballad. With a little imagination I'd even call it an
alt.country rocker. An alternative and tough one. Can ballads rock? No,
they can't but if anyone came close with an effort to do so, Squirrel
Flower qualifies. The guitars sound tough, as do bass and drums behind
them. The tempo ranges somewhere in the middle bringing the song closer
into ballad territory. Williams sings it with a slow voice, she's not in
a hurry to deliver her song about taking another girl out. The way
Alley Light starts, with a loud guitar, seems to announce a stark rocker
but her singing is longing, wishing, despite that she often is in a
hurry, as she sings "I can never take it slow". This song isn't and
really does the job. Whatever we decide to call it, a good song is a
good song. Alley Light is.
More music by Brad Marino is always welcome. The New Hampshire singer-guitarist manages to contain his favourite music in around two minutes each song and give you the idea to listen to a song at least a minute longer. It contains it all. Verse-chorus-bridge-solo and always catchy from the get go. Lucy is one of them. A song that sounds deceptively simple and familiar. Marino no doubt lends a little here and there but always in an original way. Lucy is no exception. Listen to the song once and you're singing along. If anything, if Fountains of Wayne ever want to reform, I know who the replacement of Adam Schlesinger could be. Don't be fooled, Lucy is craftmanship, Brad Marino the artisan.
Coincidences almost do not exist. Marino's former band mate Geoff Palmer comes next. Palmer is about to release a new record as well. The t-shirt in the video is a dead giveaway for what to expect. The punksong really goes down well. Not even close to two minutes and it's all over. Repetition is the word here. The chorus is nothing else than the title of the song over and over. Singing along becomes almost mandatory this way. Like in A. Savage's single a little higher in this post, it is the bass that is stealing the show here. Kurt Baker's fingers are running all over the frets, providing a lot of extra excitement to Give It Up. You do not have to be a punk connoisseur to recognise a little The Ramones in the single. Geoff Palmer uses the influence to his advantage and creates his own excitement along the way.
Wout de Natris
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