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Can't Believe We're Here. J Mascis
J. Mascis, that is
Dinosaur Jr fame of course. Decades of music and you will not find
anything of it in my home. I never caught on to the band and here is a
single on the blog, sort of out of nowhere. Can't Believe We're Here is
an alternative pop-rock song, with a hint of a lot that came out of
Boston three decades and more ago and one of R.E.M. in the way the
acoustic guitar is played. The mix makes for an attractive single that
is in a darkish way very optimistic. That acoustic guitar and the sus
notes it plays take care of that. The guitar solo fits very well, as it
lets in a little extra darkness. The whole makes for a solid sound,
built up from a very solid drum sound. Last words, I learned something
thanks to the video. You pronounce the man's family name as Mascis, with the c
as a k.
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Why
would a band like The Rolling Stones mix a new song as if it is 1978?
Pretending as if 'Miss You' has never happened. Good question, no answer
really. Mess It Up certainly has a 'Miss You' vibe the whole of the
time. The song already was the disco song of 'Hackney Diamonds' and a
very good one at that. Like most of the songs on the new Stones album it
has an unexpected twist that makes it a very attractive song to listen
to. Even in this old-fashioned disco version. In the mix there even is a
sequence Donna Summer would have been very happy with at the 'Hot
Stuff' and 'Bad Girls' time. In other words, Mess It Up can go for it
with the best disco hits of the late 70 and early 80. Just listen to
that bass going for it. The additions of all the keyboards work really,
really well. And the star of show? Of course, that's Mick Jagger who
still thinks he's on the dance floor of Studio 54 in NYC, late 70s. And
you know what? He gets away with it gloriously. I don't know how he does
it, but at an age many a man walks with a stick or far, far worse. He
is sounding like a 20 or 30 something. No, not looking it, granted. This
disco version of an already very danceable song is a true winner and after knowing it now for over a month, it's better than 'Miss You'.
A
new signing to Bayonet Records from New York releases her first single
on the label. Be prepared for several surprises from the American singer
of Japanese descent. Surprises because the music holds surprising
little cascades played by Mei Semones on her guitar and surprises
because despite all the little weirdnesses in the song, the melody
remains intact, always. Surprises, because of the music swelling to
bigger proportions and fading away once again. Surprises because of the
violin joining the guitar cascades. Together they make Wakare No Kotoba,
"parting words", a very nice introduction to Mei Semones' music. No
doubt we will hear more from a very soon.
How
to call the music Tim McCoy makes? It contains sped up country, without
becoming rock and roll. It has a clear punk attitude without actually
being punk. It's Americana but with punk built in. All sorts of genres
rubbing sides and spitting out Tim McCoy. The singer and bass player
played in several bands over the years (and his voice shows it), like
Watts, a band familiar to this blog. McCoy has worked over several years
to produce his first solo outing. First Of June is one of the singles
released from the upcoming album 'Best Of Us, Worst Of Us, All Of Us' (8
December on Rum Bar). Tim McCoy most likely never made it into the
Wiener Sängerknaben, his voice fits this kind of music perfectly. Both
have an edge that in the end lead to a great party to be had by all. The
rhythm is so enthusiastic that my mind's eye shows partying people at
the shows Tim McCoy and band are going to play soon. All shouting "na na
nana nana na" together.
This
five song EP goes off like the firecracker The Mistons sing about on
'Brika Braka'. The EP is presented to me in alphabetical order I notice
and this song is the right one to put a punkrocker fan like me on alert.
Whatever happens next, no one is going to take the ride 'Brika Braka' is
from me. The Mistons is a trio from Portland, Oregon with a long
history in music. Started as a duo in 2017, Sean Croghan and Micah
Kassell, they are for this record joined by bassist Scott Fox. The
result is a storm that is being cooked to a higher pressure and caught
on tape by Adam Lee. Most songs have this load of energy that is shared
with the listener. It is not just about making noise. The Mistons know
how to write a song and what makes a song attractive. Not only to listen
to but to sing along to as well. There are more than enough references
to find in the music, from recently all the way into the 1980s and even
1960s garage rock. It's all in there and above all the enthusiasm of The
Mistons itself. 'Wait A Minute','Contagious', there all more than just
good songs. Fans of this kind of music know enough, so go and check it
out.
Afgelopen zomer daalde ik spectaculair of naar de plaats Kotor. De volgende dag legde er een cruiseschip aan dat het hele Middeleeuwse stadje aan het oog onttrok. Waarom is dit relevant, omdat op de cover van Lianne Ging Op Reis zo'n schip staat afgebeeld. De nieuwe single van Winston is een uitermate prettig popnummer. Heel anders dan waar ik me op had ingesteld. Het is een braaf nummer, dat in een iets ouderwetser arrangement een nummer van Louis Neefs of Rudi Carrell kunnen zijn. En toch werkt het, zoals ik 'Ein Kleines Kompliment' of 'Een Muis In Een Molen In Mooi Amsterdam' nooit van mijn leven meer uit mijn hoofd krijg. Winston bespeelt hetzelfde sentiment merk ik. Het nummer gaat over een vrouw die aan haar laatste reis begint, tot aan "het bezoekje van Magere Hein" en alles wat daar vanaf het vertrek tijdens gebeurt. Simon Alice René werkt samen met een aantal bevriende muzikanten en dat levert een mix op van Spinvis en popmuziek van alle jaren die het nummer een mix van verwachting en nostalgie geeft. Lianne Ging Op Reis is op vele manier volledig geslaagd.
Na
'Meisjezoet' eerder dit jaar staat De Held, in het meer dagelijkse
leven bekend als Jo Jacobs, opnieuw op dit blog. Het Was Maar Een Jaar
is een persoonlijk nummer, "een jaar dat wij niet eens samen waren". De
titel geeft wel reden tot nadenken. Zeker nu het jaar er alweer bijna op
zit. Die bespiegelingen zal ik u besparen. Niet die over de nieuwe
single van De Held. Dat is namelijk een heerlijke popsingle, die zeker
past in een lange lijst van popmuziek, maar tegelijkertijd door de stem
van Jacobs een heel eigen karakter krijgt. Denk een klein beetje aan
Henny Vrienten, dat helpt om u nieuwsgierig te maken, hoop ik. De
akoestische gitaar is het instrument van De Held. Dat is de basis, slag
en solo, begeleid door bas en drums. Het is genoeg om de stem van Jo
Jacobs tot volle wasdom te laten komen. Kortom, na 'Meisjezoet' is er
een tweede single om te genieten van nieuw werk van De Held.
When
a band can tell it has a legend in its ranks, that always makes it
easier to get some attention sooner. Blondie drummer Clem Burke is a
member of The Tearaways and the video shows it. 45 years ago Burke ruled
the musical world as drummer for one of the sexiest women in
(punk)rock. The all male The Tearaways contend for the purest popsong
imaginable with Easier Done Than Said. The subtle notes suspending and
diminishing chords for the whole of the song, makes for little melodies that
are extremely pleasant to listen to. The Byrds and The Beatles of the
mid-1960s are all over the song. In the Rickenbacker guitar sound, the
perfect harmonies and the mix of the mood going up and down in the vocals. Think
'Ticket To Ride' or 'Eight Days A Week'. These are the kind of songs
Easier Done Than Said reminds me of. In this decade the pop rock songs
of Brad Marino come very close. John “Fin” Finseth, bass, vocals, Greg
Brallier, rhythm guitar, vocals, David Hekhouse, lead guitar with a
little help from Benmont Tench on organ know exactly what a perfect pop
song takes. And this is one alright. It's no doubt much easier to write a
review on the song than to write and arrange it.
Sometimes
it takes a lot of changes to get a life back on the rails and it seems
that Leon Frears managed to just do that. The process resulted in this single,
announcing his upcoming album 'Wild Rice' (2 February). Second Secret
Moon is a rock song that sounds both modern and traditional. Frear sings
like he has put the reverb of a surf guitarist on his voice, yet rocks
like it is 2023, which it is. The combination of the tough drum sound that starts and
props up the song for the whole of the way and the voice are
the two anchors of Secret Second Moon. Everything else plays around the
two and that makes the song not only stand out, it is what is making it
so good. The guitars and bass play second fiddle. It is a bit of a
mystery to me who Leon Frear was before he moved to Chicago and changed
his name but there are links to the 1980s in his music. It is a hint at
most. Secret Second Moon is as timeless as it is modern. After my initial
hesitation, which lasted for about one minute into the song, I found I could not stop
listening it. In about two months we will know more what Leon Frear has in store for us.
The Vaccines and WoNoBlog go right back to the beginning and here's the latest single of the band. Lunar Eclipse sounds both familiar and fresh. The band blends pop and rock, blandness and energy, the ordinary with brilliance. Just listen how clever this song is arranged. The seemingly superficial verses versus the so extremely good choruses and that pre-chorus bridging the two. Lunar Eclipse is such a clever song. The Vaccines simply can't and don't go wrong here. In fact it may be its best song since 'Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)'. On 24 January the new album, 'Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations' sees its release. On the basis of the three singles so far, it is almost impossible for it to disappoint.
Wout de Natris
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