Always Winning. Neighbours Burning Neighbours
When
I read the name Alicia Breton Ferrer, always a load of noise starts
playing inside of my head. The more surprising the start and by far most
of Neighbours Burning Neighbours' new single is. Always Winning starts
with a soft guitar melody that keeps up for most of the single. The
story that comes with the video tells that Alicia was just noodling away
on her guitar in the studio when the rest of the band was busy on other
parts. From one thing came another and soon Always Winning existed. The
single does have its sonic explosions, what keeps with me is that
seemingly simple but oh so effective guitar melody, that is the anker of
the song. What it shows is that Neighbours Burning Neighbours scores
when it tones down as well. With the release in just a few days, the
album is finally close.
People
in the know and that will be all fans and beyond will know that The
Smile, Radioheads' Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood and drummer Tom
Skinner, is about to release its second album of 2024. Gone are the days
that a band takes four or five years to release a new album. Except for
Radiohead. Greenwood's brother Colin has even moved to Nick Cave's Bad
Seeds for a tour. Don't Get Me Started is far more digital and fleeting
than anything on 'Wall Of Eyes'. As such, and I can't help comparing, it
reminds me of 'Kid A' and 'Amnesiac', where melodic music at times is near non-existent. At the same time the coming and going of the sound of the synth brings to mind
what The Who was doing at the time of 'Who's Next', without the rock. In
other words, Don't Get Me Started is a song I will have to get used to
or forget about, like I forgot 'Kid A'. The subtlety of the song is
something I can appreciate though. It's just that I may not want to hear
it often.
The
title is so accurate at the time of writing. Tomorrow may be the last
warm day of the summer. Today it certainly was. Tanning just a little
extra during lunch before sweaters come out of the cupboards next week. The
Laissez Fairs place everyone listening to the song in a time machine.
Including the cover art of the single we are transposed back to the summer
of love. With a riff rephrasing The Monkees' 'Last Train To Clarksville'
and so many other songs in kind, psychedelia is spread out as if it never went out
of fashion in 1969. The good news is that Living In The Summer totally
works. Set the controls for the summer of 1967 and we're totally out
there, far out even. How come that a song like this remains so much fun?
I truly do not know, having been too young to live through that summer
in the know. The songs captured me, some then, most (long) after. Living
In The Summer just did it straight away. It's spacey rock and roll and I like it.
How
many musicians are there in Boston? Are there even any artists there
that do not create beautiful songs? In the past years I've gotten to
know so much music that I rank very high from the city and even today
I'm still surprised regularly. Today by a single from The Brother
Stereo, a band led by Michael Robert Kelly, a brother of Dropkick
Murphys' drummer Matt Kelly. That is a nice to know, but inconsequential
where Time In History is concerned. It is an epic rock song like they
used to make them a long, long time ago. Think 'More Than A Feeling' by, eh,
Boston. The kind of song that takes you through a range of emotions.
The Brother Stereo do so in mid-tempo rocker mood, with a firm set of drums
at its heart. Around it many guitars and keys swirl, while the bass and
rhythm guitar keep things tight. The singing is serious, slightly
melancholy in a resigned way but above all touching. "I give you my
shoulder to cry" and the guitar takes off to great effect. What sticks
with me is the way the song is arranged, except for the little messy and
strange interlude this song is a straight A, or 10 over here.
Wow,
wat heb ik nu aan mijn klomp hangen? Inmiddels zal het tien jaar
geleden zijn dat Tonnie Dieleman als broeder Dieleman zijn debuut maakte
op dit blog. Vele verrassingen passeerden in die jaren, maar na wat
wellicht zijn meest popgeorienteerde album genoemd mag worden, komt hier
Grafschrift van De Mannen Broeders, waarin Dieleman met Colin van
Eeckhout en vaste pianist Pim van der Werken ouderwets de diepte in
gaat. Met een galm alsof de muziek is opgenomen in de protestantse kerk
van Axel waar de video is geschoten, klinkt de muziek mysterieus en
bijzonder indringend tegelijkertijd. (De muziek is opgenomen in een kerk
in Middelburg lees ik later.) De samenwerking is een opvallende, omdat
Van Eeckhout een post-metal zanger is in de band Amenra. Zijn stem past
echter bij Dielemans alsof het zo bedoeld is. Het begin van het lied is
een tekst die de dominee van Axel schreef voor zijn overleden vriend die pastoor
was in de katholieke kerk. Dat kon natuurlijk niet, maar hij had
schijt, zoals wij in Nederland al eeuwen zeggen. Alleen dit soort handreikingen
maken de wereld betere plek. Dat zouden meer mensen moeten doen. Er komt een
heel album aan, op 13 oktober genaamd 'Sober Maal'.
"I'm
on a party line, wondering all the time, who's on the other end", "Hello Operator, I
want to talk to you", "Long-distance operator give me Memphis, Tennessee', etc., etc., are all songs
that have whole generations wondering what it is all about. What is an operator?
Librarians With Hickeys' members seem to have the age that they may have called
through an operator. I have, only abroad though. The pop of Librarians
With Hickeys is just as infectious as the pop songs from the days an
operator still manned, femaled is not an existing word but would be more
accurate, telephone exchanges. With the jangly sound of a Rickenbacker
the band takes the jangly sound of The Byrds just a little bit further
into pop-rock territory, sparkling all the way. Hello Operator in more
than one sense is not from 2024 but no less welcome. This is first class
pop music and nothing else.
Geordie
Greep is the band leader of Black Midi, one of the most baffling bands
of the past decade. Unfollowable changes in the music make it hard to
keep up, despite that what is going on is obviously well done. Holy,
Holy, perhaps is even more surprising, as the song can be followed, as
it contains a truckload of influences from Steely Dan, to Santana, right
up to Frank Sinatra. It is the way that this all is mixed that makes my
jaw drop more than twice during Holy, Holy. There seems to be no end to
the song for one. It it totally manic, as there's no rest for the
wicked and the good. Who is able to listen to this song and relax for
even a second? I'd even to as far as to advise people with even the
slightest sensory sensibilities to refrain from listening. What a trip
Holy, Holy is. But what does all this mean of Black Midi's future?
It's
only 1,5 years ago that New Earth Farmers debuted on WoNoBlog with its
album 'The Good Ones Got Away'. A new album is coming up, 4 October 'The
Sky From The Underground'. With War Inside Our Hearts the band throws
in a good rocking bone to start things off. It may start with an
acoustic guitar, before you know it the band kicks in and off we are.
Paul Knowles c.s. allow no rest here. The drums pound on relentless,
with the snare really getting it. Nigel Twist is really going for it in
this song. The rest of the band follows suit. At the right time a warm
Hammond comes in, as does a wailing lead guitar. War is raging all over
the world it seems these days or is it just that it seems far closer to
home than ever in my life time? So why not one in the heart as well.
Time to make peace, folks, but not at all cost. In the meantime let's
enjoy this fine rocking song.
 |
A
trio from London, Kevin Goddard, guitar/vocals, Sophie Landers, drums
and new bassist Daniel Armstrong, plays psychedelic rock but with the
accent on rock. Black Doldrums rocks alright. Landers drums like Mo
Tucker on steroids, banging the floor tom and bass drum, Goddard plays
layer after layer of guitars building a veritable wall of sound from
high to low, from strictly rhythm to what could be called a riff and lead
sounds. Armstrong walks his bass through it all making the song more
adventurous. Hideaway is powerful and charged. The kind of rock song
that makes me want to move. Musically it reminds me of The Black Angels,
with some of that Texan jalapeños in the you know where. Black
Doldrums do not beat around the bush but go for the rocking prize. As
this is my introduction to the band, at least so I thought, until I
found 'Sad Paradise' among the singles of week 1, 2022. Please excuse me
for not having a recollection. The re-acquaintance is just fine, thank
you. And to finish my initial thought, I can't tell whether the single
is an outlier or announcement of much more to come. Let's be patient.
With the dreamy single 'Monks Of Lindisfarne' Arliston made its debut on this blog, just a few months ago. It returns with its second single, vertical. However, had someone had me listen to the single I would have though that Matt Berninger decided to sing a little differently than usual and use an effect on his voice here and there. Vertical is 100% The National inspired .... and then takes off to do its own thing. Underneath the song there is something electronic and atmospheric. Then comes an electric piano before the rest is introduced. The music is layered and suggests a huge sound. Singer Jack Ratcliffe can use his voice just like Berninger but is not afraid to go higher and easily reaches there. Nor to play with electronic devices to his vocals. The music becomes more and more layered and comes so alive, driven by drummer Sam Catchpole. He is really making the most of this song and successfully so. Vertical is a serious song but one filled with musical joy that shouts out louder and louder as the single progresses. Somewhere in the future Arliston's album will be released. It's to be called 'Disappointment Machine'.
Wout de Natris - van der Borght
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