2023, Week 3. 10 singles

New names and old names, they all come by in this week's overview, including the comeback of a German postpunk icon from the early 80s, who is back with a new single. Welcome to the blog. At the time you nor I had heard of the word blog and if we used the word posting, it certainly had nothing to with a blogpost on the Internet. This set of new singles is a little less varied than usual. Purely coincidence, I promise. As you may recall, in general this is the order in which the songs are presented to me, bar the one's I do not like (enough) to invest time in. So, enjoy!

A Town Called Chapel. Leon Frear

"It's a big decision in a town called Malice", Paul Weller sang long, long ago. Come 2024 and we have moved to Chapel, dropped the almost irritating organ sound and the tempo. With his second single Leon Frear returns to WoNoBlog. The song has a dark overtone because of the way Frear sings. The clear and big drums sound points in another direction. There's not much darkness in the accompaniment at all. The instruments all sound so clear, it gives A Town Called Chapel an enormous spaciousness. As if I can drive a car in between them. 'Secret Second  Moon' landed well  a while back. With A Town Called Chapel my interest in the album, Wild Rice (1 March) is raised some more. In the end the song points to the fact that Leon Frear seems to want to leave for Malice, but is held back.

Fire. Marathon

When can a band call itself a veteran of this blog? I have no definitive answer to this question. Fact is, that Amsterdam's Marathon is around since, I think, it's first single. With Fire the band is moving beyond the release of its debut EP. Fire is a tight rock song with a lot echo/delay on the guitars giving the song depth and spaciousness. Marathon indeed is on fire in this song. The band brings across a lot of energy, as it seems to have enough to share. I remember seeing the band live, some years ago, and remarking that if they want to maintain this level of energy on stage, the members would have to hit the gym or start running. Fire underscores this observation as this song will call on the bandmembers' reserves. The 1980s are all over Fire with the attitude of the latest generation of postpunk bands. Marathon fits in quite nicely with this lot, while maintaining its own angle in the sub genre.

Permanent Vacation. Tamar Berk

Daydreaming is free and Tamar Berk is leading the way for us. She is dreaming of escaping forever and leave for a permanent vacation. The fourth single of her album 'Tiny Injuries', yes, I know I'm breaking one of my own rules, writing about a single after the album's release, is an extremely pleasant affair. Happy sounding instruments jump at me from all sides. Happy sounds that go straight into the lyrics that tell about wanting to escape the present situation, including panic attacks. Dreaming of elysian fields usual works for a while and provides the energy to continue, just like a song like Permanent Vacation does. It provides extremely pleasant leisure time, focusing on it for a while. Next stop, tackling that difficult encounter while I'm filled with Permanent Vacation induced relaxation. Thank you, Tamar.

Aretha Franklin. The Sleeveens

People are never too old to release their first single. The members of The Sleeveens are around for some time judging their faces and postures. Luckily they're not too old to release a nice punky single called Aretha Franklin. Three chords and the truth suffices here. The Sleeveens have listened to The Ramones and decided to not play that tight.This only ads to the fun. The stop-starts in the song work really well. Everytime the song stops, I prick up my ears, but here we go already again. The Nashville band's, in part by way of Ireland, members have been in all sorts of other bands through the years but decided to work together as The Sleeveens, an Irish word for trixter. Except the self-titled album on 9 February.

Tarkovski. Bodega

Bodega is a new name for me. As the band signed to the Chrysalis label for its third record, it must be me who is running behind. Of course, it's impossible to keep track of all music released. With Tarkovski I have been brought up to speed on Bodega. Tarkovski?, wasn't that a film director from the Soviet Union? What he has to do with the song as such, is unclear to me. Fact is, Tarkovski has a guitar riff that goes on and on in at least half of the song, to the point that it becomes almost irritating but is impossible to ignore. Musically I would place the single in the 1990s where the mood is concerned. Alternative but with a sound knowledge of pop elements that usually make songs more interesting. In just one song a lot of influences come together without ever becoming too much. Bodega does this very well. Tarkovski's a nice single. The album will be out on 12 April. 'Our Brand Could Be Yr Life', it's called.

Cheap. Grazia

Another debut single this week. Duo Grazia, Heather Dunlop and Lindsay Corstorphine, do not mind adding an instrument here and there it can never play live on stage as a duo. Cheap is a punky rock song, where the drums go for it regularly, while the rest keeps the tempo for it. Dunlop sings with an attitude as if the world can be stolen as far as she's concerned. It is the instruments that underscore the drive for being alive in the here and now. I love that riff that goes on and on and on in the background. The lead guitar, the lead drums, the organ they all spell intense fun and yes, again, energy. Grazia releases a superb first single. One that makes me so curious for its EP that is released on 2 February. This song is one big race and leaves you breathless but totally satisfied.

Right Back To It. Waxahatchee

Waxahatchee is Erwin Zijleman territory on this blog. Yet, I want to write about this single. It is country, alt.Americana in a new.Americana jacket. The banjo, played by Phil Cook, gives the song its fully authentic flavour. Slowly the song progresses, just like the boat on the swamp in the video does. It glides over the water and just like that this song seems to float on the water. Wednesday's MJ Lenderman plays a, large, supportive role, playing the lead guitar and singing harmony vocals in the choruses. The world has to be patient until 22 March, before Waxahatchee's new album 'Tiger Blood' will be released. If Right Back To It is the standard set, 'Tiger Blood' may be an album to be on the watch out for. This single is leisure itself.

Soo All The Way. Canyons and Locusts

Some true up and down punk alternative rock in the way it is coming out of the U.S. for decades. Let's say the 1980s. Canyons and Locusts ram it out in just a little more than two minutes. Soo All The Way is a laurel for Canadian town Sault Ste Marie, a place where the coolest people live, according to Justin Keane, who is half of this duo. Together with drummer Amy Young, Boston and Phoenix residents respectively, Keane does not take half measures to commemorate the Canadian city. Where the previous single 'To Art Bell' was a musically varied affair, the duo all but flies out of the bend in the road here. Anyone in the mood for some uncomplicated headbanging knows where to go now.

Power Lines. Rose Alaimo

Rose Alaimo rocks in the way many girls from the U.S. have done for decades. The Bangles, The Go-Go's and what not. Just add a little more distorted guitar to be tougher, totally take it away in the second half of the song and become an "eternal flame", but not for too long. In Power Lines Alaimo plays with the listener and takes him/her through a few experiences. On the album I'm somewhere in between sort of the whole time and never truly find my way. With Power Lines it is not that much different. Rose Alaimo really rocks in a great way, but why be a Bangle in the, long, interlude? The song is nice though, so it deserves a spot this week.

Ithaca, NY, is where Rose Alaimo is from. It is the town where I nearly fell from my feet, after turning around to the sound of "Do you guys want another beer"? The prettiest girl I've ever seen was standing in front of me. We met the next day and then I left for a huge roadtrip through the U.S. and went home to graduate. How are you today, Penny Jo?

Rabenschwartz. Anja Huwe

Anja Huwe over 40 years ago was the singer of a German punk band called XMal Deutschland. Its early singles are seeing a re-release on 8 March on the same day that Huwe makes a comeback after decades in musical hibernation. Called back into the studio by her old-time friend Mona Mur, the two strated working on a new album. 'Codes' will be released on 8 March as well. If this single is anything to go by, the album will be as exciting as it is relentless. Rabenschwartz has a huge, almost industrial sound, with huge guitar work by Manuela Rickers. Rabenschwartz is like a ray of lighting striking me. My hair is on end, my everything charged beyond the max. Yes, this has been done before, but as a comeback single after decades of not being in music, this is remarkable. At an age where most people are thinking of retiring Anja Huwe decides to start all over again and go for it. Good for her.

Wout de Natris