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Divine. Jody and the Jerms
Pop meets east in a quite
unconventional way. Oxford-based Jody and the Jerms return to this blog
with a powerful new single that is simply different from the band's
other work. A stop-start rhythm reminds me of girls playing hopscotch in
the streets. All through it a Chinese or Indonesian melody pops up
giving the song a distinctive mood, setting it totally apart from the
usual pop song. Don't think this is a western take on Asian music.
Divine is fully a western pop song. The initial idea for the song was
written without an instrument in sight. A melody was hummed and recorded
on a phone, to be retrieved from it later and turned into what we can
hear today. Whatever people say about the distraction because of modern devices
and media, we might never have heard this strong single without them.
Londen
band Palace releases music since 2014 but to the best of my knowledge,
this is my introduction to the band. Palace is one of the names Bonnie
'Prince' Billy started his career under, so it got me confused for a
little while. Musically the two artists are very dissimilar, yet both
like to wallow in slower tempi and saddish moods. A reference for Palace
is a band like Marjorie Fair. The music on the EP is rustic folk of the
countryside mixed with the dark side of the big city. Both come
together in the moody music Palace plays, as if the fog lifts for a few
seconds to reveal what lies behind it, only to close again, only showing
the vague contours of the, perhaps unsafe, city streets. This
contradiction is reflected in the EPs title. Nightmares & Ice
Cream. The songs of the EP are of the kind that take you by the hand if
you let it. You can float as it were on the long held notes, one after
the other providing a soft ride and landing. Opener 'Rabid Dog', is
another such contradiction. Danger wrapped up in a sweet, softly
meandering song. It's the price song of the album.
Glasgow's finest, Garlands returns
to this blog with a new single that moves further back in time than
ever before. Names is a song that could have come out of the 1960s and
recorded by anyone from The Beatles to The Hollies. There's one
difference. Names does not sparkle like songs by The Hollies called
'Busstop' or 'On A Carrousel'. This song would have been a more serious
album track, hidden between the sparkling hit singles, to be picked up
later when the fans have grown a bit older and more experienced (in a musical
way). I would not have been surprised, had this been for real, that
Names would have grown into a favourite over time. In 2023 as a stand
alone single, this is harder to achieve. The song, as I wrote, misses
that spark. What remains is a song somewhere in between pleasure and
pain, belying the phrase "our names are written in gold". But then
without light gold becomes dull as well. When all is said and done, this
song has everything in it to become that favourite, given the chance.
Only
a few weeks ago Belgian band Sekushi debuted on this blog and already
returns with a new single called Beef. It starts out with wild guitar
abandon. I could call it surf, were it not that the extreme reverb/twang
is totally missing here. The pace is fully correct, so let's settle on
2023 surf music. Beef is, apart from an ahh here and there, let's call
it the chorus, instrumental. Somehow, I expect the vocal to come in at
any point, as if listening to a long intro. The music is so extremely
poppy, while rocking hard at the same time. This song has great pace, a
song to run to or anything else that takes endurance. An instrumental
track and fun for the whole of the way. This combination does not happen
often in my musical universe. Today the stars align for Sekushi and
this great rock beast called Beef.
Aura
Blaze by now is a WoNoBlog veteran. With Life Calling the one person
band gives a new sign of life, where the music of the late 60 to 70s are
mixed with the best of Britpop. In the song so many things come
together. The Beach Boys from circa 'Surf's Up', with The Electric Light
Orchestra trying to be as much The Beatles as they can, while meeting up with a band like
Supergrass. As always Rhode Rachel has found probably all the melodies
and little nooks in a composition where one extra note or riff could be placed, which all
together make Life Calling such a rich song. It's impossible to give an
example, as in almost every second something extra happens, fits perfectly and
enriches the song. With Life Calling Aura Blaze has kept its position as an über
inventive musician with ease in my book.
Almost
two years ago BEECH debuted here with its album 'Artefact'. In the
review I wrote "If Fons Records had told me to be re-releasing an
obscure cassette album from 1993, I would have believed it instantly".
Things have not changed in the new single Back In December. What has
changed is the record label, UhmYeahSure Records, the music reminds me as
much of Nada Surf or Buffalo Tom as anything. Kristof Souvagie clearly
still likes his 90s alternative pop-rock bands. Like Aura Blaze, see
above, BEECH is a one person project. All you hear is played by
Souvagie. Over the bass-drums-rhythm guitar-voice you can hear one after
another oh-so-nice guitar lead line. One after another jumps in, as do
the harmony vocals. BEECH knows exactly where the extras in a song can
be found and plays them out in a way that make Back In December a joy to
listen to.
With
a video showing features from 50c or 60s c- (scifi) movies The
Amplifier Heads go for it with Jen D'Angora going at it as guest singer.
The song musically is from the same era, except for the much bigger
sound. Something which is within reach for any band nowadays. Even by a more obscure one like The
Amplifier Heads. Musically, you have to think of
a song like 'Not Fade Away', that most people will associate with The
Rolling Stones thanks to any greatest hits compilation including the
band's earliest career. It is originally a Buddy Holly track. Something
Went Down has that exact same rhythm. The Amplifier Heads are able to
make much more of the rhythm in the 2020s, pulling rock and roll into the
21st century. By inviting Jen D'Angora, the band has a great singer up
front, who sang on one of the best tracks released in 2023, 'Takes One To Know
One' as well. This combination works really well, excitement without
going berserk. It is enough to get me moving.
Who
can explain to me what "postrock" is? I always took it to be the
moniker for bands that played, complex instrumental tracks, a few
decades ago. Now THAMES from Amsterdam falls under postrock as well.
What I hear is loud and exciting, if not wild and exciting, to quote the
title of Earth & Fire's third single. If this isn't rock, what is?
Alternative? Yes, certainly. THAMES falls into the line with Tramhaus
here and with bands like Fontaines DC and Shame on the British Isles.
Astonishment is a wild song. THAMES seems to hold its guitars only
barely under control, while the rhythm section pounds on relentlessly.
No rest for the wicked nor the well-behaved for that matter. If anything,
excitement shines through the four minutes the song lasts. For those
doubting the singer voice in the first sung lines, that voice gets so much better. THAMES
has made its point with me.
A
long time ago Richie Parsons defined Boston's punk scene, so I'm told,
with a band called Unnatural Axe. Now it's 2023 and he sings "dress like
it's 1977/ Their leather jacket doesn't zip/They don't give a shit" and
later some references to bands and titles. The music blazes through my
room as if the last train is only just within reach. 1.56 minutes and
its all over, just like a song like this should. #1 Punk has a great
melody, allowing for shouting along while pogoing, and a great little
riff that tears through the song here and there. Funny to read that the
songs are only recorded under his own name because Unnatural Axe doesn't
do new songs. There are 20 or so and "we play them whenever", read
forever. It's all unknown to me but with #1 Punk Richie Parsons has made a
dent in my music collection. Be on the look out for the EP, 'Rhymes With Rock".
1985, I'm in my student room of 4 by 3 meters on the 7th floor overlooking most of the city, studying with the radio on. It was a Wednesday afternoon, one of the two days it was worthwhile to listen to the radio at the time. A song starts and after a few seconds I had the impression someone started to drill into one of the walls somewhere in our 10 story high rise. We could hear a lot of the things going on there. I was pretty annoyed as I couldn't hear the song anymore. Remember, I was studying as well as listening. It was my introduction to 'Psychocandy', one of the most confrontational songs ever made. Fast forward 38 years. I'm listening to jam cod, the single of the album 'Glasgow Eyes', that is announced for March 2024. It's a great psychedelic rock single. Estranging effects and in your face sequences can be found all through the song but nothing as wild as on 'Psychocandy'. Brothers Jim and William Reid present a song that fits with a band evolving from the 80s into the 20s. There's a clear link with 80s colleagues New Order, in the bassline and rhythm e.g.. The Jesus and Mary Chain rock as well. Great guitar eruption escape from the rhythm and electronics, making jam cod a great hybrid rock song. Is it representative for what the band has been doing in the past 38 years? I can't tell but if it's as good as jam cod, I have a lot of catching up to do.
Wout de Natris
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