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Riptide. 9-Volt Velvet
Oh,
yeah. "On a riptide" whisper sings Mark Cross, 9-Volt Velvet's singer.
The trio from Dallas in Texas, by way of a Brighton U.K. based label,
simply bounces into my room. Yes, I've heard it all before but when that
familiar sound comes with so much energy and fuzzed-out guitars, why
should I complain? The trio Mark Cross (lead vocals, guitar, bass,
keyboards, percussion), Donnie Robertson (drums, percussion, keyboards)
and Kevin Robinson (guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals), really goes for it
on their first single of the album 'Nude Beaches' (10 May). Who plays
what is hard to discern when all members play nearly all instruments.
Fans of The Black Angels' loud side can start saving to buy 'Nude
Beaches' or the 7" single of Riptide. Just listening to that big, huge
bass is enough. It takes the rest of the band in tow and over the
highest mountain. Riptide is quite the single.
Winston,
het vehikel van Simon Alice René, haalt dit blog opnieuw. Zelf schrijft
hij dat hij zijn innerlijke Freddy Mercury weer heeft aangesproken.
Daar zit hij goed naast, want zijn innerlijke Brian May knalt nog harder
uit mijn speakers. Laten we het op zijn innerlijke Queen houden, daar
kan ik goed mee leven. Ludwig begint heel klein. Winston heeft geen
haast, zoveel is duidelijk. Een piano en een stem dat is het. Zo rustig,
dat ik het nummer bij eerste beluistering bijna weglegde. Dat gaat heel
snel bij zo'n single rubriek. Al snel komt de meerstemmigheid om de
hoek kijken en ook een basgitaar. Mijn oren beginnen zich te openen. Langzaam
maar zeker gebeurt er steeds meer, tot dat "Brian" mee gaat doen en
Ludwig de overdrive in gaat. Ik onderga een veni, vidi, vici ervaring.
Zo voelde de oude Julius zich dus? Dat moet Winston toch gedacht hebben, nadat je een single van deze epische proporties opgenomen hebt en daarna in de mix terugluistert. Kortom, u krijgt het advies dit ook te gaan doen nu en daarna
pas verder te lezen.
Sinks,
Neo Neos, Citric Dummies, Color Tv, green/blue, Retainers, Dummy, the
Soviettes, IV, and Awesome Snakes? Anyone? All names mean nothing to me,
I'm afraid, but on the basis of these bands Bermuda Squares is
described as a super group. Since the past few minutes I do know
Bermuda Squares. The band rocks, the band punks, if that had been a word, so
punkrocks. And garagerocks on the side as well. The inspiration comes
straight out of the 'Nuggets' box set but then with a far more modern
sound. With a screaming way of singing the mood is set, the tempo is
relentless and the sound as dirty as can be controlled while playing.
I'm remembered of an album from the 00s that I can't get my head around
I'm afraid but had this great song 'Heart Attack' on it. That's how Car
Accident sounds. One big blast of energy. There's an album called
'Outsider' on the way, but a whole album may be a bit much. For now I'll
give it the benefit of the doubt.
I
Hate My Village is "Italy's most beloved indie supergroup" it says in
the message I received introducing Artiminime. Now that is promising and
raises the bar quite some for a band that I had never heard of. What to
expect? And, especially when the song is introduced thus: "a
hallucinated track that refuses to move within a refined orbit"? What
I'm hearing is a nervous track, filled with electronic sounds that pop
up to disappear again. The rhythm does not provide the listener with a
single pause. "You drive me insane", the singer shares with us. I can
totally imagine that there will be scores of people driven up the walls
by the freaky sound of I Hate My Village. Listen through what is going
on though and a fine song shows itself to the listener. Album 'Never
Mind The Tempo' was released on 17 May. Finally, Mini Me has been turned into a song.
We have to go back for circa two years to find Seb Zukini on the blog. The Dutch band returns with a fine alternative rock single, matching expectations the band has set for itself with its two singles and EP. Honestly is an uptempo, somewhat darkish single. Singer Sebastiaan Kusters uses a whispering version of his voice giving the song its darker sheen. The band on the one hand matches this but in the choruses lets it go, enveloping Kusters in a huge sound. The guitars and drums simply don't hold back any more giving Honestly two faces that fit the song really well. Add the pre-chorus and the solo with a nice delay sound on it and Honestly is nothing but a success. This is the smooth kind of alternative rock that goes down really well here.
With
Sweet NYC band Been Stellar makes it to the single section for the
third time this year. With its debut album 'Scream from New York, NY'
only weeks away, life is becoming more real by the day for the young
band. Undoubtedly a tour will be slated and making music is about to
become work. But let's focus on Sweet. Again, I hear an alternative rock
song by a band that is not afraid to rock out and making big gestures
in the music. A premonition of things to come? That is far too early to
tell. Been Stellar has already created the songs to play far bigger
places than they will be starting out in. This single can be played in huge, stadium
style. Sweet contains the light and shade, with a drummer who is going
at it as if his life depends on it. After a short interlude, the band
goes at it once more and plays Sweet home.
Texoprint
was the second EP of Kalaallit Nunaat. The band decided to change its
name and changed it to the name of the last EP. With Mumble the band
has, at least in my mind, changed its approach to its music a little as
well. Tramhaus is the band that comes to mind immediately. Can we speak
of a Rotterdam sound? It seems like it. Texoprint fits the mould all
right. The trio plays the Dutch version of alternative rock where energy
meets an anything goes as long as it is not what everybody else in the
world is playing kind of attitude. Texoprint meets that qualification
with ease. The five songs on Mumble jump around, receive energised
jolts, allowing for anything from pogoing to just jumping up and down.
"The songs highlight a deliberate step towards capturing a more
aggressive and energetic sound", the bio reads. How does that match my
memory? I associate Kalaallit Nunaat more with noise, I guess. Maybe
it's my memory that mixes things up, but an alternative rock ballad like
'3' is certainly not what I would have expected. Noisy outbursts or
not. Mumble is not an EP for the masses, but all alternative rockers
here in NL and the rest of the world should be able to find their way
into the EP. When it all ends with a nice bit of punk, 'Mumble', the
album's title track, the audience widens once again. Mumble is more than
worthwhile checking out.
FEET
is from Coventry in the U.K. and about to release its album 'Make It
Up'. The description of the music is alternative rock, but it could not
be a lot more different than its U.S. brethren in this post. The music
is jumpy, yet there is such a clear reference to a band like The Kinks
in the music (the 1960s hit machine, not the later U.S. stadium rockers
version), that it cannot be but an English band. The Kinks?, that's our
grandparents' generation FEET's members may rightfully say in response. Yeah, I know, I reply in answer. A much better reference can not be given. Sit Down is the kind of song that invites dancing to, listening to in two
ways, seriously and to have fun, not forgetting to sing-along with. FEET
does it all right it seems on Sit Down. In the video they do a nice
Madness impersonation, scoring another point. Sit Down has a
great flow, mixing pop with alternative rock, letting the former prevail. It's a song that a lot of
people can relate to, jumping across generations with ease. Seldom was a title
chosen so wrongly, as the only result of listening to Sit Down will be to
jump up and to dance.
The
new single shows again the artistic growth Bloomsday has undergone in
the past few years. 'Place To Land', the debut album was nice but did
not stick when all was said and done. 'Dollar Slice', the previous
single and Virtual Hug show all the signs that these song will. There's
no doubt that Iris James Garrison has listened to Adrianne Lenker's band
Big Thief. It is about what comes out as Bloomsday what counts and that is a
beautiful song. There's nothing in Virtual Hug that is not supposed to
be there. The song is totally essential with a few extra notes or lines
here and there that have an immediate effect on the quality of Virtual
Hug. Garrison sings in an ultra relaxed way, showing the world the
quality of their voice. It is far too early into Bloomsday's career to
talk about best songs, but I would be gravely mistaken if Virtual Hug
would not be on that list in the future. This is beauty caught in music.
It's time for some country rock. David Serby is about to release his first album in ten years. This is the title track. Again I marvel at how someone is able to come up with an original song that sounds so good, while using the same chords thousands of others used before him. Low Hanging Stars has that clear sound country rocking songs often have. Anyone with a love for this music will find that this song will go straight to your mind and heart. With a tough drummer, a serving bass, a warm Hammond and a high and a low sounding guitar with a clean and less clean sound, the music of Low Hanging Stars is defined. Serby has a nice voice somewhere between high and low and rough and smooth. It fits this song like the proverbial glove. The album is there on 14 June.
Wout de Natris
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