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(I Live With) Ghosts. Cold Expectations
When Justine
Covoult passed away in the spring, I was shocked, as you could have
read on this blog. I also wondered what would happen with all the
releases that had been announced on her Red on Red Records label. One
answer has been provided recently. Where else to go but Boston's Rum Bar
Records? Cold Expectations have done so and release this blistering rock
song called (I Live With) Ghosts. In the intro a surf guitar plays the
lead licks, introducing a perfect mix of pop and rock. I have reviewed a
few of the band's singles but none as good as this one. Cold
Expectations rock as hard and good as Cottbus, Germany's Para Lia and
then add a shot of pop melody that simply is stunning. Energy combined
with joy (I Live With) Ghosts is and definitely not exclusive for under
30s!
Marika Hackman can be
found on this blog but both reviews were by Erwin Zijleman. There is a
new album coming up, 'Big Sigh, 12 January, and Hanging is one of the
singles released to draw attention to the album. Hanging does just that,
as it is a song with two distinct sides to it. It starts totally
subdued with a somewhat muffled piano and Marika Hackman singing over it.
The contrast between her clean voice and the piano "under a blanket" is
earcatching. A little electronic percussion is added and a synth
playing long held, sweeping notes. Yet, it's no giveaway for what is to
come. First comes an even softer part of the song, before Marika Hackman lets go and presents a full band sound with voices coming from all sides,
creating a vocal wall of sound. If this is meant to be a teaser, it
certainly worked for me.
Linnea's
Garden returns to this blog with a punkrocker of some urgency. The
sound is dirty, almost sleezy, with a far cleaner interlude that even
has a CCR vibe. Everything around it is rock around the clock. Linnea's
Garden is rocking hard. The song starts as loud as it can. Pathological
Liar is in your face (and brain) even before Linnea Herzog sings "I'm
not a pathological liar", although she was "full of shit when she was
26", as she reveals later in the song. The start is so convincing, even
if she's singing at the "breaking point" of her voice. This is
the real thing musically and emotionally. It includes an important
confession if not declaration "I've got the life I wanted". How many
people are able to share this in all honesty? Pathological Liar is a
punkrock song of importance, as it is one of the better ones I know.
There's an EP out already, 'Mirrors' but I'm so far behind, desperate to catch up
with the best releases.
With
The Spark Elephant Stone releases a Beatlesque, dreamy track on route
to its upcoming album 'Back Into The Dream (23-02-24). The psychedelic
influences are mild. A Rickenbacker guitar sound and Indian tabla(?)
percussion, not unlike can be heard in George Harrison's songs of the
60s and The Byrds first singles. The combination spells pop from a long
time ago. Elephant Stone always had one musical foot firmly in the past
but with The Spark aims for pop heaven and getting close in reaching it.
This song is well thought out and balanced. Only the small coda
seems superfluous. The song is over, yet continues, as if the album
track is cut off at the wrong point. A minor point as The Spark is a
beautiful song with multilayered guitars that play nice melodies over
each other. The dreamy singing by Rishi Dhir does the rest. Point
scored.
Boston's
Stop Calling Me Frank recorded an ode to Justin Covoult that does her
totally right. They sing about a situation that undoubtedly comes from
real life that Justine wore that t-shirt and draw the eyes of everyone
towards her. Covoult is know on this blog for her great albums with
Justine and the Unclean and all those records she released on her label
in the past three years. From my Dutch distance I got it how much loved
she was around Boston and its vibrant rock and roll scene. Filled with
bands that still make music despite their youth has gone by a long time
ago. What surprised me how good many of these bands are. Her own band is
one of them, Stop Calling Me Frank another, with its characteristic
saxophone in the rock and roll mix. I can only imagine how pleased the
band must have been that Justine Covoult walked into the room or stood
on stage wearing its t-shirt for all to see. This song shows just how
pleased.
Big
Thief has become more than just a band to watch. In the past few years
it became a popular band with the music press and the public but without
big hits and playing arenas. However, when the band releases two songs
as a 7" single, it's news. Vampire Empire seems a bit like a leftover,
inspired by Neil Young's 'Vampire Blues', but that may have more to do
with the title than the music. The song does show another side of Big
Thief as Vampire Empire is a dirty song, almost punky in its attitude.
There's some anger here, steam vented. The song does work, but different
from what I've expected. Born For Loving You is the second song. Again a dirty
guitar in the intro, to disappear when Adrianne Lenker starts singing.
The song has a country feel to it but is too raw to qualify here. Again,
I have the feeling this song is one that was never completely finished
by the band. Played in the studio but discarded. If it is true, then it
only shows how good the band is, because both songs are fine additions
to the oeuvre.
Moan is a dreamy,
light form of psychedelic song from the until today totally unknown, at
least for me, Belgian band Sekushi. A louder version of one of my
favourite bands from Belgium, TMGS, so it's no surprise that Moan lands
well with me. The more surprising that the song expands into a large
finale, with a huge guitar solo. The intro is somewhere between "the
chances of anything coming from Mars" and 'Kayleigh'. This intriguing
mix is followed by an oh so nice guitar solo, repeating the intro. The
singing has that dreamy quality of Peter Lodiers of TMGS. The outro is
almost otherworldly. The soft sung ahhs are repeated over and over,
while the guitarist is allowed to soar into the stratosphere with enough
oxygen on him to not have to return anytime soon. Great ending to a
nice song. There's an EP to follow soon.
"I
am the man with the x-ray eyes and I can see through you". The Spackles
debut on Rum Bar with its first single. The trio, Marie Slurrie,
guitar, vocals; Phil McKraken, drums and Brian "Spackle" McKraken, bass,
vocals, rock out on this single. The sound is dirty, yet recognisable.
There's no denying an earlier Bowie sound in the song, like there are
references to a lot of music from a long time ago. The trio plays it as rough as it sings, yet holds a firm hold on the pop element in
the licks and vocal melody. Because of it the music hovers between
punkrock and 70s glam in a successful way. The Spackles knows how to
tickle the fancy of memories from a long time ago, hidden somewhere
within the brain of the older music fan. The Man With The X-Ray Eyes
does a lot of things just right.
Time
for some good old-fashioned country and rock inspired music from the
U.S.A. Lee Gallagher & The Hallelujah presents just that. The mix
between the two is nearing perfection. The rock guitars and above all
the warm sounds of the Hammond organ put a rock layer over a country
song. I must not forget to mention the piano that is hammering away all
throughout the song as well. Lee Gallagher lives in Nashville, where he
located to during the pandemic from San Francisco where he set his first serious
steps in music with his band The Hallelujah. In Baby, I'm There
everything may sound extremely familiar, it's simply so well done.
Everything falls into the right place supporting the warm vocals.
Nothing was left to chance and that is exactly what shows through most.
Keep a look out for the album, 'The Falcon Ate The Flower' that was
released last week.
The Golden Glows is a trio from Belgium. Recently it decided to approach its music in a different way and now sings three part harmonies over one acoustic guitar. The decision and the quality of its music led to a contract with the Excelsior label from Amsterdam. Fathers, "here's a lonesome song", was released as a single for 'Sunrise' (24-11). The slow song underscored The Golden Glows' decision perfectly. The music is laidback, the singing underscoring the mood, the lyrics reflective and serious, like the trio sings. This is not a debut album. Look at the Music Meter website and you find four albums and three EPs there since 2007. Fathers is a modest song. To notice it you have to truly listen and when you do, you will be captured by it. So, let me leave it there and leave you with the song.
Wout de Natris
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