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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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
We received an answer from @RoseAlaimoMusic on X: Thanks so much @WoNoMagazine!! I loved your story of being in Ithaca- I feel like that kind of stuff happens a lot here 🤣🤘🏻⭐️💕
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