Come And See. Gurriers

In the past few weeks several post punk records were released that deserve attention but somehow kept laying on the stack of releases. Like for example Come And See the debut band of Irish band Gurriers. Right from the bat the band goes for it. The intro is long for a debut album and a declaration of intent. Ugly guitar noises and a stark rhythm set the stage for singer Dan Hoff to start spitting out his lyrics. 'Nausea' is the title of the song and I've never heard a song coming so close to the feeling of being nauseous. The guitar sort of whirls like a head can before being sick from too much drink (so I've been told...)

'Nausea' sets the stage for a storm of an album. If the band managed to  capture half of the energy that Gurriers brings to the podium in the recording  studio, playing shows must be near death experiences for band and audience. That's where the band got smart. It has built in these little interludes in songs that bring the tempo and mood down for a short while. Post punk mixed with psychedelia? Yes, maybe unintended but that is the effect it has on me. Near surreal sequences enter my mind, before the storm is unleashed again. Listen to 'Des Goblin' or the vocals in 'Die Alone' to hear it.

Gurriers is a band from Dublin. It takes its name from a chiefly Dublin slang word, meaning loutish young men or ruffians. Don't be mistaking them for a Dublin band from around 2000 called The Gurriers. The five, Dan Hoff, Emmet White, Ben O'Neill, Mark MacCormack and Pierce Callaghan, musically live up to their name. They come to the world with a hearty punk attitude and incorporate everything from The Undertones to Arctic Monkeys, the early of that band.

A storm Come And See for the main part may be, it is a varied album because of the interludes. It makes for exciting listening, as the songs on the album are totally unpredictable because of it. But when all is said and done, the band plays post punk, whatever that term exactly means, with sharp guitar sounds, weird guitar sounds and a rhythm section that never lays back. Dublin has produced another band that will be interesting to follow.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

You can listen to and order Come And See here:

https://gurriersdub.bandcamp.com/album/come-and-see

2024. Week 39, 10 singles 3

Yes, another ten singles this week. Next week I will make the final push to catch up with albums of the past months. I'm afraid all others will have to do with either a mention in the singles section or not at all. From next week onwards it will be current albums. Where singles are concerned, there are simply too many nice ones worth writing about. This week you'll not find "big" names. You will find artists familiar to this blog but also a few premiering. So, enjoy the selection!

liefde is lang. De Toegift

De Toegift komen we al een paar jaar tegen op dit blog. Dat de nieuwe single deze post haalt, is dan ook geen verrassing. Het nummer zelf is wel een verrassing. Na een kort dromerig begin met een dwarsfluit die op zoek lijkt naar een richting, grijpt de band in en komt er een tempo in dat mij aan de jaren 80 doet denken. Even lijkt het alsof zanger Maxim Ventulé te vroeg inzet en men het gewoon zo heeft gelaten. In liefde is lang weet De Toegift zijn karakteristieke dromerige sfeer succesvol te combineren met een strak ritme. Zowel (samen)zang als lead gitaar spelen langs en over dat strakke heen. Er zit ook een beetje Spinvis in liefde is lang, maar dat is prima. Net als dat de dwarsfluit aan het begin, nadat de band is ingevallen, het zwierige van 'Prikkebeen' in herinnering brengt. Het maak de nieuwe single van De Toegift alleen maar mooier. Het duurt nog bijna een half jaar, maar er komt een nieuw, tweede album aan.

Girl I Want. Hotbox

Time for some dirty rock and roll. Hotbox plays it in Girl I Want. Not the Chuck Berry and Little Richard style but the rock and roll it evolved in with 1960s garage rock and late in the 70s and early 80s powerrock bands. Played with the huge sound any band can achieve in these modern times. Hotbox makes the most of it and successfully so. Ho, wait! If it were not the case that this is a long lost recording from the 1990s. Bands stop, others are formed and Hotbox is a short lived one that recorded in 1990 after The Dogmatics folded. Hotbox is Jerry Lehane on guitar and vocals, Peter Mulford lead guitar, Frank Pagliughi on bass and Pete Sisco drums. In the two years after the band recorded a total of eight songs and  they will be released by Rum Bar Records. Based on this great rock song, it must be very worthwhile that they were unearthed. If there ever is to be a "Nuggets" box for the 90s, Girl I Want really needs to be on there.

Frequency. New Earth Farmers

Listening to the intro of Frequency, for a moment I thought I had clicked on the wrong song, as I had expected Hendrik-Jan de Wolff to start singing. But no, the voice I heard does not match The Maureens' front man. Paul Knowles' voice is far rougher. Frequency is not the lesser song because of it. Expect a nicely flowing song positioned somewhere between country, pop and rock. New Earth Farmers at heart is a duo, Nicole Storto and Knowles but they are helped out James DePrato (guitars and lead guitar), Nigel Twist (drums) and Kevin T. White (bass). Together they form a tight band. Frequency has that quality that comes with good songs in this genre that can only come from the U.S. or so one would think. (Remember how I started this review. it's meant as a tip.) New Earth Farmers continues its relationship with WoNoBlog. On 4 October the new album sees the light of day. It's called 'The Sky From The Underground'.

Cherry Pie. Fazerdaze

With Cherry Pie Fazerdaze returns to WoNoBlog with a bang. Imagine Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark synths with a strong but soft beat and dreamy vocals. Oh, wait, that describes the band perfectly, doesn't it? So let's trade in Andy and Paul, OMD's two singers, for Amelia Murray and there's the new Fazerdaze. This is all meant positively because Cherry Pie is a, well, delicious track. After the intro the synth lead sets the mood for the song and all the other sounds follow suit. The only thing Murray needs to do is sing the song home. She does. Pay attention to that bass part as well. I have a strong feeling it's all electronic though. In the meantime it is Amelia Murray that pulls the song to her voice more and more. You will notice that she may have begun a bit hesitant. After the first chorus she's in control for the whole of the way, even pushing the synth to the background. Only for it to return full force towards the end. By then the point of Cherry Pie was made abundantly. 'Soft Power' Fazerdaze's sophomore album, not counting her 2022 EP 'Break!', is released on 15 November.

We Can't Go Wrong. I Believe In My Mess

A single that seems to have nothing to do with the 2020s nor the 2010s nor much else before that either. Yet, it is far from music that is totally and fundamentally new. It holds some elements that could be heard in Steve Winwood's music in the 1980s, it has faint traces of a dance rhythm, it is sung with the deadness of a 1980s doom band singer who was certain the world would end in a nuclear storm any day soon and it holds a spoken word section as if from a 1960s b-movie. So, what makes up We Can't Be Wrong? It is a mix of many things where the1980s pop up the most, as there's also that high synth sound. Let's take a look at the band then. I Believe In My Mess is not a U.K. band as I expected but a Dutch duo, Frank van Praag en Geert de Groot, in fact I must have seen them play live at some point in one of the many other bands they play.have played in. The bio says: "Embrace your own imperfections and the chaos that life brings". We Can't Be Wrong is all but imperfection and chaos. The song has the same vibe as two bands from long ago had, Kewi University of Swing and The Mo. Add the lo-fi sound and there you have the combination of so many elements called We Can't Be Wrong. Well, whatever it is or should be described, this single works alright. And, it is the title track of the album that is released on 4 October.

A Drink Before the War. Falsely Accused

Back to rock we go. Falsely Accused is a band from New England. You will not find it on this blog before today. The only part where the band relaxes, as the title more or less suggests, is in the beginning. One guitar, with a clean sound, plays the intro chords that have a faint trace to Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. Then the guitarist kicks in a pedal or two and there the band flies off in a little storm called A Drink Before The War. A title that until very recently I would have dismissed as very theoretical, just like I would have an illiberal party winning the elections by a landslide in my country. The second has already come true and I'm not so certain about the first any more. Falsely Accused plays as if the band members have the same fear. The song can be called post grunge as it has that power combined with that feeling of being dragged behind. The trio, Mike Azzolino: drums, percussion, and backup vocals, Matt Tavano: bass and lead vocals and Mark Young: guitar and backup vocals, really goes for it. Believe it or not, singer Tavano sees the song as a love song to his wife. I did not see that one coming.

Goodnight. Being Dead

In just a few weeks Being Dead finds itself once again on this blog. On the day it's album 'Eels' is released as well. On the previous single, I wrote: "Van Goes is an energetic single full of weirdness and surprises, the kind that is unpredictable". In part this goes for Goodnight as well. A psychedelic vibe is all around, a The Velvet Underground guitar clearly present, the style of singing can be linked to a host of songs from the mid 60s. Feel free to pick your own favourite. What I like about Midnight is that unpredictability without the weirdness taking over in excess. In combination with the song's clear direction. "You are mysterious", the two singers sing and that describes Being Dead's new single quite well I have to say. Goodnight is an as nice as it is an intriguing song.

Made Of Rain. Beauty In Chaos

Beauty In Chaos returns to this blog with a song filled with inner tension and yet is a lesson in restraint at the same time. Michael Ciravolo worked together with singer Ashton Nyte, who was on this blog very recently with his own single 'Mirror Midnight'. Because of his style of singing on Made Of Rain I totally understand his nickname 'Bowie of Johannesburg' totally by the way. Made Of Rain is a dark song with a layered sound over which Nyte can sing his slow vocal line, letting the vowels in his lyrics linger just a little longer. To great effect I have to say. Ciravolo has listened quite well to 80s bands like The Cult and creates his own world from there. The lead guitar draws out the notes just as easily. Underneath things are very solid. The drums and bass make sure that everyone understand this is a solid (goth) rock ballad. The synth provides a warm carpet for the listener to lie and wallow on in this beautiful rock track. There's appears to have gone a lot of feeling into Made Of Rain. It comes out totally.

Lullaby For The Lost. Current Joys

In both 2021 and 2023 Current Joys can be found on this blog with a single, never with an album though. In 2024 there's another single for you, Lullaby For The Lost. The tempo and the repetition of the song does the first word in the title right. Expect a slow ballad in a folky way. Nick Rattigan, who releases his songs under the name Current Joys, presents the song chiefly with an acoustic guitar. It plays this beautiful riff every time when he has finished a verse line.The song starts and ends with it. The overall mood of the song is totally slacker but not before a lot of work has gone into creating this arrangement. Another point of proof here is the intricate arrangement of the solo. This is so nicely done. Current Joys totally shines here. There's simply not enough room for more albums on this blog. Lullaby For The Lost has made me curious for the upcoming album. 'East My Love' is due out October 11th.

Ridley & Me After The Apocalypse. The Armoires

Songs and albums come to me in many ways. Some directly from the artist, from the label or press agencies. It is not every day that the two coincide. In this week's post it happens twice. (Also see I Believe In My Mess.) The Armoires is the band of the two people behind Big Stir Records, Christina Bulbenko and Rex Broome. You have found multiple singles and albums released by them over the past years. This fact alone does not merit a post of course. What does, is the fine 80s inspired pop song Ridley & Me After The Apocalypse is. Just that synth riff alone justifies a mention. It takes me back forty years easily. Ridley etc. is an upbeat pop song despite the single's title, making the apocalypse something to look forward to. The intro to the song is quite daring by the way. It takes close to one minute and even involves a violin before that heavenly synth sets in, announcing the singing as it turns out. Album 'Octoberland' is out on 11 October.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

Night Reign. Arooj Aftab

Arooj Aftab was een van de grote verrassingen van 2021 met haar album Vulture Prince, maar laat met het deze week verschenen en minstens even mooie Night Reign horen dat haar vorige album zeker geen toevalstreffer was.

Voor 2021 was de muziek van de Pakistaanse muzikante Arooj Aftab slechts in kleine kring bekend, maar  met Vulture Prince bewees de muzikante uit New York dat je ook met muziek die zich absoluut niet in hokjes laat vangen een breed publiek kunt bereiken. Dat deed Arooj Aftab niet alleen met bijzondere en vaak wat ongrijpbare muziek, maar ook met betoverend mooie klanken, een prachtige stem en songs die de fantasie uitvoerig prikkelden. Het zijn allemaal ingrediënten die terugkeren op het deze week verschenen Night Reign dat zeker niet onder doet voor het nog altijd wonderschone Vulture Prince. Night Reign is een net wat ander album, maar de pracht en betovering zijn gebleven.

De van oorsprong Pakistaanse muzikante Arooj Aftab maakte met Vulture Prince een van de meest bijzondere, een van de mooiste en een van de meest ongrijpbare albums van 2021. Op het album verwerkte de vanuit Brooklyn, New York, werkende muzikante zeer uiteenlopende invloeden, variërend van folk en jazz tot new age en klassieke muziek tot ambient en Pakistaanse muziek. Ook met deze invloeden kon je de unieke muziek van Arooj Aftab nog niet volledig vangen.

Het album maakte niet alleen indruk door de vele invloeden en de werklijk wonderschone muziek die op het album was te horen, maar betoverde ook met de prachtige stem van Arooj Aftab en intrigeerde met haar grotendeels in het Urdu gezongen teksten. Vulture Prince was met geen mogelijkheid in een hokje te duwen, maar de schoonheid van het album wist uiteindelijk een verrassend breed publiek aan te spreken en leverde Arooj Aftab uiteindelijk zelfs een Grammy op. Deze week keert de Pakistaanse muzikante terug met de echte opvolger van Vulture Prince (vorig jaar verscheen een album dat ze samen maakte met Vijay Iyer en Shahzad Ismaily) en ook Night Reign blijkt onmiddellijk een prachtig album.

Arooj Aftab werkt ook op haar nieuwe album samen met een aantal muzikanten die ze ontmoette toen ze studeerde aan het prestigieuze Berklee College Of Music in Boston en vervolgens weer tegen het lijf liep in de jazz scene van New York, onder wie gitarist Gyan Riley, harpist Maeve Gilchrist, fluitist Nadje Noordhuis en multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily. Voor haar nieuwe album deed Arooj Aftab bovendien een beroep op een aantal aansprekende gastmuzikanten als Moor Mother, Chocolate Genius, Kaki King, Cautious Clay, Joel Ross, James Francies en Elvis Costello.

In muzikaal opzicht ligt Night Reign voor een belangrijk deel in het verlengde van Vulture Prince, al is de combinatie van invloeden wel net iets anders en klinkt het album door alle gastmuzikanten in muzikaal opzicht nog wat veelzijdiger. Op haar nieuwe album, dat een ode brengt aan de nacht, verwerkt de Pakistaanse muzikante ook net wat meer invloeden uit de jazz, maar het is zeker geen jazzalbum, al is het maar omdat ook alle andere invloeden die van Vulture Prince zo’n uniek album maakten zijn gebleven.

Je hoort ook dit keer onmiddellijk dat Arooj Aftab kan werken met topmuzikanten, want alles op Night Reign klinkt even mooi en bijzonder en zelfs van een uitgekauwde jazzklassieker als Autumn Leaves maakt Arooj Aftab iets heel bijzonders. De instrumentatie op het album is over het algemeen redelijk subtiel en slaagt er in op een bijzondere sfeer te creëren. Het is een sfeer die de muziek van Arooj Aftab een uniek eigen geluid geeft.

Dat geluid wordt verrijkt door de karakteristieke maar ook bijzonder mooie stem van Arooj Aftab, die ook dit keer in het merendeel van de songs kiest voor teksten in het Urdu. De zang vind ik persoonlijk nog wat mooier dan op het vorige album en ondanks de bijzondere taal klinkt het zeker niet ontoegankelijk. In de Engelstalige songs op het album klinkt de muziek van de New Yorkse muzikante net wat conventioneler, maar de unieke sfeer blijft.

Ik heb Night Reign al een aantal weken in mijn bezit en heb al vaak naar het album geluisterd, maar ook het nieuwe album van Arooj Aftab is weer een album waarop je nieuwe dingen blijft horen, zeker wanneer je het album met de koptelefoon beluistert. Night Reign is natuurlijk niet de sensationele verrassing die Vulture Prince drie jaar geleden was, maar ik vind het nieuwe album van Arooj Aftab persoonlijk nog net wat mooier dan zijn voorganger.

Night Reign is wat consistenter van sfeer dan Vulture Prince en het is bovendien een album dat in muzikaal en vocaal opzicht nog net wat mooier is, terwijl de songs zeker niet onder doen voor die op Vulture Prince. Het is een album dat zich niet laat vergelijken met andere albums die deze week zijn verschenen en dat qua schoonheid en betovering de meeste albums die dit jaar zijn verschenen het nakijken geeft.

Erwin Zijleman

2024. Week 39, 10 singles 2

Still catching up, here's another batch of recent singles and EPs for you. We are going around the globe alright once again. You will find a few countries of origin that are quite exceptional on this blog. Curious? Go on and enjoy the selection.

Doggerland EP. Office Dog

New Zealand is at the other end of the world from me. I feel privileged to have heard so many good records coming out of the country in the past years. All thanks to that record shop cum record label, Flying Nun. Recently the roster was expanded with the band Office Dog. After two singles, reviewed in 2023 and 2024, the band returns with its EP Doggerland. It turns out that the name refers to what is now called the Doggerbank in the North Sea, a place where fishermen at times bring up the bones of mammoths and other extinct animals that lived there, when the North Sea's waterlevel was far lower and Britain was attached to the mainland of Europe. Most likely how it got populated in the first place. So much for the history lesson.

Office Dog is Kane Strang, already on the blog in 2016, with drummer Mitchell Innes and bassist Rassani Tolovaa. The trio releases an EP somewhere between alternative pop and dreampop with a fuzzy edge here and there, making the songs just this little rougher than what the two descriptions merit. The songs were produced by De Stevens (Marlin’s Dreaming), which makes sense listening to Doggerland, as Marlin's Dreaming is another band walking the thin line between those types of music. The song with the biggest inner contrast is 'Dump No Waste, Floats To The Sea'. The soft, dreamy opening stands in sharp contrast with the sound explosion near the end. It's the kind of inner anger I feel when a minister says we need another commission to investigate how bad pollution really is, in the meanwhile kicking the can down the road some more, making things worse. Office Dog captured that feeling quite well. With seven songs, I'd say Doggerland is more a mini album than an EP, but who cares. Its place in this post is well deserved either way.

Sooner Or Later. Soft Skies Inc

By the time I started to wonder whether I was listening to an instrumental track, the singer kicks in, with a double tracked, husky vocal. The rock song has a strong foundation but with recognisable pop overtones. There's an 80s vibe that has me singing 'Love Will Tear Me Apart' in Paul Young's version in my mind. That synth plays a nice variation on the melody for the whole of the song. Ryan and Martin Rex played together in the band Lockgroove in the 90s and make a comeback under the name Soft Skies Inc. The combination of dreamy singing and that stark groove works quite well. That rhythm just goes on and on, with no rest for the listener. No, Sooner Or Later is not an earth-shattering experience but fans of this music at the time will find a nice addition to their private discotheque or, to put it in a more modern way, playlist.

Bad Xerox. Cheap Cassettes

Beware, people. Listening to Bad Xerox means listening to some good old-fashioned rock like they used to play it a long time ago. Looking at a picture of Cheap Cassettes they were around at the time of cassettes and old-fashioned rock when it was very new. Bad Xerox is the kind of song that starts to rock in second 1 and only stops in the final second, at 2 minutes and 27 seconds in this particular case. Drums, bass, two guitars and two lead vocals do the trick. The vocal melody is golden and instantly singable. The guitar solo to the point and so nice. The Seattle band does everything right in Bad Xerox. That copy must really have been bad to inspire such a good song. Rock and roll!

Mistakes Become You. Night Court

Do coincidences exist or is it fate? Fact is that Cheap Cassettes and Night Court figured in a singles post together before, on 21 April 2022 with 'Malnutrition' and 'Titanic'. The Vancouver band returns with the single Mistakes Become You. Emilor (drums and vocals), Dave-O (guitar/vocals) and Jiffy (bass/vocals) return to the blog with a pop oriented alternative rock song. The band really focused on the melodies, without dropping the punk attitude in its approach. It is not afraid to bring some volume, while at the same time putting effort into the arrangement of Mistakes Become You. I'm reminded of The Beths a few times, while Night Court keeps its own fully. There's a nice keyboard entering the mix here and there, adding an extra sound and layer to the song. This is the first of seventeen songs to be released later this year under the title $hit Machine.

Knots E.P. W.Y. Huang

In April 2012, during the first months of this blog, I reviewed a mini album called 'Mannequins' by the band Monstercat from Singapore. The mini album made a great impression on me. An album followed but after that silence and Monstercat receded into memories. Until I received a message from Bandcamp. The website has an everlasting memory it seems, as 12 years later it alerted me to an album by W.Y. Huang. Who? W.Y. Huang is one of Monstercat's former members, who released an EP called Knots. Of course I gave it a listen and here we are in 2024. Gone is the rock, revealing the dreamy ballads that were caught within Monstercat's music as well. The album opens with a few soft piano chords, followed by multitracked oohs. W.Y. Huang shows himself from a very vulnerable position, changing to a gospel choir responding him in the very short, introductory song 'No Answers'. It does set the mood for Knots in the right way. 'Life Just Lately' has this great laidback feeling. The kind of song that can put everybody at rest for a short while. With his soft voice Huang sings in a whispery way. All the instruments honour his voice. If you like 'Life Just Lately', this mini album is right for you alright.

Lessons. David Luning

What stands out most on Lessons for me are two things: David Luning's rough voice and a great harmonica solo played by bassist Ben Dubin. With a whole bathroom of reverb on it, the instrument sounds so nice on Luning's single, that announced his already released same titled album. The song falls into a singer-songwriter and country rock combination category. The electric guitar plays a supportive role with a nice riff that is played over all chords. I believe that's called ostinato. David Luning and band set a great mood in the song. It has a hint of darkness and desolation. I can hear the wind sweeping through some isolated desert town where usually things do not turn out well. With that lone harmonica coming from somewhere in the town. Lessons is a strong song by a singer with a great voice for this genre.

Marisol. John Surge & The Haymakers

Listening to Marisol a few little hatches in my brain opened. Where had I heard this sound before? It has been a while, that much was for sure. The first thing coming to mind was Flaco Jimenez' accordion playing, but there was more. In the rhythm it was when a song title came to me 'Mendocino' and then Sir Douglas Quintet. One of two hits the band had here in NL. Then I recognised the organ, that's Augie Myers style of course. Reading the bio on Marisol it was all explained. While recording the song John Surge & the Haymakers kept asking themselves "what would Doug Sahm have done"? Well, recording Marisol like this, may well have been the right answer. Marisol plays Sahm's Tex-Mex style music to a t. It is so positive in sound and rocks in all the right places, with that Mexican vibe for the whole of the way. I had nearly forgotten about this kind of music, so thank you for putting it back in my mind.

Playboy. The Roamers

With Playboy we remain in country rock territory. A little tougher and more direct than both previous songs. The Roamers are rocking with the country element more in the style of singing than in the way the music is presented. The Roamers are a new band filled with veterans of the L.A. music scene. Singer and bassist Matt Rice had written Playboy a decade ago but only now had the right circumstance to record it. The guitars around him are nice and dirty in one. They are everywhere. There's at least two rhythm parts and one soloing. Brian Whelan plays them all and all other instruments you're hearing on Playboy, with the exception of the drums, played by Luke Adams and bass. The self-titled album is out since 20 September, so if you like this kind of music, I'd check it out.

Mystery Of Love. Soap & Skin

Soap & Skin is Austrian artist Anja Plaschg. Her forthcoming album 'Torso' is her fourth with a host of EPs and singles on the side. Yet, you will not find her on this blog, except in a review of a David Bowie tribute review from 2018. With Mystery Of  Love her place here is well deserved. Soap & Skin has released a beautiful and slightly sad ballad. Anja Plaschg plays the piano and sings with a lot of space on her voice. The clear piano notes find their way to my heart quite fast. In the first chorus strings come in, a cello and violin, in a short instrumental interlude following it there are even horns to be heard. Slowly but surely an intricate arrangement unfolds itself. Agnes Obel may be a reference for this music, but I have the impression Soap & Skin reaches far deeper. There's a lot going on here but mainly below the surface. The mystery of the title is caught in the music as well. The ending of Mystery Of Love is as refined as it is clear. Sheer beauty it is.

Burned To The Ground. Tides From Nebula

Set the clock to rock, hard. Tides From Nebula is a Polish post rock band that is on route to release its new and self-produced album, 'Instant Rewards', on 8 November. As this is a new band for this blog, some extra information is justified. The band formed in 2008 in Warsaw and consists of Maciej Karbowski (guitar and keyboards), Przemek Węgłowski (bass and keyboards) and Tomasz Stołowski (drums). 'Instant Rewards' is the first self-produced album and recorded in the bands own studio. The result is a monumental single of over seven minutes. The song has two faces. One a softer and electronic side, led by keyboards. It is quite dreamy in the intro. Slowly Tides From Nebula lets electronic pulses come in that play the same sequence, over and over, over the lead melody. When the band comes in, it is pounding, as if battering the gates of a Medieval castle. The lead guitar shreds everything to pieces. The sound is huge but there's still room for a melody in all the onslaught of rock. This sequence is departed for another softer part, repeating the atmosphere of the start but in a far more nervous way. The wolves are lurking around the battered gate it seems. I am usually not one for instrumental tracks but Burned To The Ground is monumental, as I already wrote. What a song!

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

Oyster Cuts. Quivers

De Australische band Quivers timmert in eigen land al een tijdje aan de weg, maar moet met het bijzonder aangename en nagenoeg perfecte zomeralbum Oyster Cuts ook aan de andere kant van de wereld potten gaan breken.

Het vorige album van Quivers uit Melbourne kreeg uiteindelijk niet de aandacht die het verdiende, maar met Oyster Cuts doet de Australische band een nieuwe poging. Het is een wat mij betreft zeer geslaagde poging, want het nieuwe album van Quivers is een album vol zoete verleiding. Het is een album dat herinnert aan de onweerstaanbaar lekkere en vaak bitterzoete popsongs van landgenoten The Go-Betweens, maar de songs van Quivers laten zich door veel meer muziek beïnvloeden en klinken ook zeker eigentijds. Zeker bij de recente zomerse temperaturen doet het nieuwe album van de Australische band het uitstekend, maar dit album gaat nog veel langer mee.

De Australische band Quivers maakte wat mij betreft met Golden Doubt de soundtrack van de zomer van 2021. Dat is althans wat ik destijds opschreef in mijn recensie van het album. In de vroege zomer van 2021 werd nog uitgekeken naar een ‘summer of love’ na het jaar van de coronapandemie. Het virus bleek helaas een stuk hardnekkiger dan verwacht, waardoor ook de zomer van 2021 in het water viel.

Dat heeft er misschien ook wel voor gezorgd dat ik het album van Quivers na de zomer van 2021 snel ben vergeten. De band uit Melbourne krijgt een herkansing met Oyster Cuts, want het vierde album van Quivers is een album dat absoluut kans maakt op de eretitel ‘soundtrack van de zomer van 2024’.

In mijn recensie van het vorige albums van Quivers noemde ik meerdere malen de naam van de eveneens Australische band The Go-Betweens en dat is een naam die ook onmiddellijk op komt bij beluistering van Oyster Cuts. The Go-Betweens waren met name in de jaren 80 meester in het schrijven van hopeloos aanstekelijke, maar ook stekelige popsongs, wat een handvol destijds zwaar onderschatte albums opleverde.

Australië was in die tijd nog heel ver weg, maar sinds de komst van het Internet duikt een album dat aan de andere kant van de wereld verschijnt hier net zo snel op als een album van eigen bodem. Desondanks heeft Oyster Cuts van Quivers hier nog niet veel aandacht gekregen, wat alles te maken heeft met de zomerdip in de muziekwereld.

The Go-Betweens zijn zeker niet de enige muzikale helden van de leden van Quivers. In 2021 bracht de band naast het eerder genoemde Golden Doubt ook haar versie van R.E.M.’s Out Of Time uit en ook op Oyster Cuts zijn invloeden van R.E.M. hoorbaar. Quivers teert echter niet alleen op de inspiratiebronnen uit het verleden, maar maakt ook indruk met fris klinkende songs.

Net als The Go-Betweens staat Quivers garant voor geweldige melodieën, is het gitaarwerk lekker rafelig en zijn de songs zowel aanstekelijk als prikkelend. De muziek van Quivers is misschien nog wel onweerstaanbaarder dan de muziek van The Go-Betweens door de combinatie van mannenstemmen en vrouwenstemmen en de meerstemmige zang, die nog een extra dimensie toevoegen aan de muziek van de Australische band.

Direct bij eerste beluistering werd ik meedogenloos verleid door de zonnige popsongs van de Australische band, maar Oyster Cuts is een album dat bij herhaalde beluistering alleen maar beter wordt. Bijvoorbeeld door het subtiele laagje shoegaze, de tijdloze rock riffs of het laagje 80s synthpop, maar ook door al het andere moois dat onder de enorme dosis aan zonnestralen is verstopt.

Golden Doubt viel in 2021, mede door het uitblijven van de aangekondigde en zo gewenste ‘summer of love’ wat tussen wal en schip, maar met Oyster Cuts laat de band uit Melbourne horen dat het vorige album zeker geen toevalstreffer was. Zeker op het eerste deel van het album strooit Quivers met perfecte popsongs, maar op de tweede helft is ook aan de cooling down gedacht, wat dit uitstekende album nog wat beter maakt. De zomer van 2024 is een stukje mooier geworden door dit heerlijke album, maar Oyster Cuts is een album voor alle seizoenen.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt Oyster Cuts hier luisteren en bestellen:

https://quiversss.bandcamp.com/album/oyster-cuts

Manning Fireworks. MJ Lenderman

MJ Lenderman is a busy musician. With Manning Fireworks he releases his fifth album, of which one live, plays in Wednesday with whom he has released some great records. That is what I know him from, so this is my first solo album. On first listen, I was still a bit sceptical. I had heard this kind of music so many times before. Something made me come back and the quarter dropped quite soon. MJ Lenderman is my new Neil Young. Manning Fireworks is the right mix between 'On The Beach' and 'American Stars 'n' Bars'.

Of course, this is an unfair comparison, but there's merit in my comment. I will leave it there, as Manning Fireworks deserves its own story. Lenderman presents a very rich album to us, with surprising sounds, while delving in the mine of musical history. Mostly you will find songs with an alternative country angle in the mid-tempo range. Either in an acoustic setting or an electric one. The two flavours blend very well on the album.

The album opens with a very traditional folk song. Lenderman plays his acoustic guitar and sings. Slowly other instruments come in, while the tempo drags itself along, as if a heavy weight is keeping it from keeping up with the real tempo. Lenderman lengthens his singing notes adding to the effect. The violin gives it an eerie mood, while the electric guitar solo, darkly distorted seems more like a circular saw attempting to cut the title song in two. What started as a soft folk tune, ends in something totally different.

What follows are in a way country (rock) songs that follow the book. Looked at it from a superficial angle that is. Lenderman plays his new songs in an incredible loose way. As if the musicians are sitting on a porch on a warm summer evening in the U.S.'s south, beating the humidity and playing off each other. There's no hurry, no stress, nothing, just playing. A few times inspiration for something louder strikes, forcing the band to go inside. Until the end, where Lenderman lets his guitar feedback and all to let 'Bark At The Moon' play until exactly 10 minutes.

If this range in music is your thing, Manning Fireworks is your album. You will be presented with exactly the kind of music you expect. Your personal taste will determine how good this music is to you. For me MJ Lenderman delivers alright.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

You can listen to and order Manning Fireworks here:

https://mjlenderman.bandcamp.com/album/manning-fireworks

The Analogues live. Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam Friday 20 September 2024

Photo: Wout de Natris

In 1966 The Beatles played their last live show in the U.S. and went on an extensive holiday, to return in the studio, Abbey Road of course, in late November. The Beatles had released 'Revolver' early August 1966 and played Candlestick Park on the 29th. Many songs on 'Revolver' were impossible to play live with the then current technique and the limitations a four piece band held.

These facts are where the story of The Analogues starts. Erstwhile drummer and former Tommy Hilfiger ceo Fred Gehring had a dream. After leaving the company he invested in music. In a band that would recreate the music The Beatles made in the studio and never played live. And not just recreate the music but play it on the original instruments The Beatles played on at the time. A hunt started with musical leader Bart van Poppel in charge to find similar instruments, like a Höfner violin bass, Ludwig drums, guitars, amps, keyboards, even a doorbell like the one The Beatles used. The work of Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn helped tremendously, as his research was leading the way.

The Analogies became a five piece band in 2014, Gehring, Van Poppel, Jan van der Meij, Jac Bico and Diederik Nomden. Van der Meij was later replaced by Felix Maginn but was present at this show a lot. And then there is a host of musicians on everything else The Beatles did not play themselves or to be able to play three keyboard parts at the same time.

The reputation of the band grew. So they got to know pivotal persons in The Beatles' career. They received copies of the original tapes to completely dissect what was actually being played. Shows in local theaters became Ziggo Dome shows, international tours and what not. The only question that can never be answered is what would have happened internationally without Covid? This must have hampered the band, as there is nothing like it in the whole wide world.

And now we are looking at the end. All albums have been played multiple times. Three shows remained doing everything from 'Revolver' to 'Let It Be'. Last Friday The Analogues played 'Revolver' and 'Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band' (and 'Magical Mystery Tour') and not to forget the one stand alone single, 'Penny Lane'/'Strawberry Fields Forever'. Which of course reached the no.1 position in 1967 in many countries. They did so with stand in drummer Kees Schaper, also a member of The Kik since 2024.

Photo: Wout de Natris

To put things into perspective. The Beatles started to record 'Penny Lane' on 29 December. Until the mid of January there were all sorts of overdubs, including the famous piccolo trumpet solo by David Mason that came very late in the process. The single was released on 13 February 1967. All in the span of six weeks. (Source: Wikipedia)

No, the Analogues did not play flawless. There were some mistakes, showing that even The Analogues are human. That said, the show was fantastic. From 'Taxman' right up to 'All You Need Is Love' I was sitting on the edge of my seat, enjoying every minute of the show. I have no truck stating that it was The Analogues that revived my love for The Beatles and made me realise, with my older and more experienced ears, how good and influential the band actually is. (Coincidentally, I listened to 'Fountains of Wayne', the self-titled debut album of the band, this weekend. I heard The Beatles half of the time. I did not in 1996 or so when the album was released.) The Analogues brought me back to the band of my earliest youth. My very first band, with The Kinks. That return made me understand how good the band was and how impressive its progress and output. And doubly so, how good The Analogues is. The singing, the harmonies, the sounds that seemed to come from everywhere, it is all so impressive.

To my surprise we were literally in the last seats sold at the side of the stage. On the basis of the selling website, I had the idea to be in the middle of the side seats. So, we saw everything from the side. What logistics! To be able to play this show, so much goes on and not just guitar tuning. All sorts of other instruments need to be in place at the right time. People have to move on and off stage continuously. Sometimes just for a few notes. It also shows what a huge business The Analogues is from a logistical point of view. I know that for a show three trucks are involved to drive the gear around. It started with just one. Perfection comes at a cost. Here I got to see all that gear from a totally different perspective.

Mark Lewisohn gave two history lessons in between albums, putting The Beatles' work ethic in perspective, while lauding the band on stage. Yes, the young men (25, 24 and 23 at the time) delivered so much in such a short time span. And then take into account the quality they delivered as well. It showed in abundance in the Ziggo Dome.

The only thing The Analogues could not recreate was the tremendous surprise and emotions that I felt the first time I saw them play. There is no telling how deep that went. Now it was the awe in which I still am and feel for the band's quality and my love for the music of The Beatles. A love that will never leave me. As I got to know the music so early in life, I assume it will even be with me should my mind go off and wander in older age. A quite consoling thought.

Two more shows to go. I still have to get tickets though. Fingers crossed.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

2024. Week 39, 10 singles

"There are so many singles and so many songs", I can hear Sting sing in my head in a variation of his lyrics in 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free'. Recently I took out the album once again, enjoyed it tremendously and sincw heard the single a few times since on different occasions. And it's true, it's fun to listen to albums and fun to listen to a host of new singles. For now, I try to keep up with the latter a bit, so here are two sets of singles in two days. Enjoy!

Mirror Midnight. The Awakening

"Johannesburg's Bowie", that was the nickname Ashton Nyte had when he started his act The Awakening there in the 90s. Working towards the release of the band's 12th album, 'The Awakening', on 18 October, here's the single. The music is described as gothic and dark wave. I can live with that. The inspiration for Mirror Midnight is found in the 1980s with bands like Killing Joke and The Sisters of Mercy. With his dark voice Nyte sets the tone for the song. It does not allow for a lot of variation and emotions, giving the song ghostlike qualities. Around him the sound is huge. Starting with the drums, that bring to mind Cottbus' Para Lia immediately. Dark bass, guitar and synths do the rest. The Awakening sets the tone of the song in a great way. A wobbly effect on the guitar makes the song sound surreal, where nothing is like it seems. Rock Mirror Midnight does though, making me instantly like the song. And Bowie? Mwah, not much in 2024.

Patch EP. Robin Kester

Last year Robin Kester's debut album 'Honeycomb Shade' caused quite a stir in NL and fairly rightly so. A year later she returns to this blog with a new EP called Patch. The five song EP contains two super short songs. The first is more atmosphere than song. 'Birds In D Minor' contains some bird song and synth sounds, perhaps a treated voice, piano noodling and some sounds that make up a rhythm of some sort. An intro but not more than that. Single 'Shape Memory' has already been reviewed, positively, and may even be better during the re-acquaintance today than I thought last May. The dreampop continues even more hazy in the next song. 'Long Dark Sleep' is caught in music beautifully. The electronic drums and the bass keep the song on track. Otherwise it would simply drift away into a dream, that Kester has no memory of, as she's in bed for a long dark sleep. I love how the little extras come in from the keyboards/synths. 'Long Dark Sleep' is a well produced and arranged song, beautifully layered and structured. It's even better than the single. 'Reversed Shimmers' is exactly that. A synth and an electric guitar playing together in a short instrumental, atmospheric song. More an idea for a song that did not go anywhere but was too nice to leave behind. The final song has a mysterious title, 'Something In My Room'. That situation is caught in a dreamy song. Nothing seems certain, somewhere between suspense and normal. The song reminds me of Norwegian singer Susanna, who can be just as mysterious. The two have quality in common. Patch may be an in between EP, it may also be better than the songs on 'Honeycomb Shades'. Time will tell.

I do have a serious question. Why does a serious artist like Robin Kester release this EP with herself half undressed on the front? If anything, an EP with the quality Patch contains doesn't need it.

Unt. Pinhead Gunpowder

Who needs Green Day when you have Pinhead Gunpowder? Well, I do. Green Day is ten times if not more bigger than this band, but Billie Joe Armstrong is a member, since 1990. On and off the members Aaron Cometbus, Jason White and Bill Schneider have been playing together and are about to release their fifth album together. This single is the album title as well. It is an extremely pleasant punk rock song with strongly muted guitars laying down the right accents, like a good up tempo punk rock song has. Unt is the kind of song that allows for singing, dancing and joy. It's up to you to enjoy this first recording since 2010. It's my first, and I am.

Dyra. SHHE

Yes, I have a digital download but no idea who sent it to me. So, I do not know who is behind the name SHHE. What I do know, it is 100% pure Kairos music. I haven't written about Wino Penris' programme for quite some time. It can still be heard once a month on Concertzender. So go and check it out. Dyrá is an, I thought EP, but is an album I now find, filled with swaths of music. Long, long held notes that swell and subside, over a drone that continues. It is also minimal music, as slowly but surely changes take place. One has to have patience to notice them though, given the length of the compositions. Dyrá's lucky that I put it away as an EP as it never would have made the long play section. For that it is too esoteric. Of course having no information is not good enough. On Bandcamp I found that SHHE is Scottish-Portuguese artist and producer Su Shaw. Dyrá is her debut album. Wino, here's a tip for you.

Better Than God. Rhea

Better Than God? or does zero equal zero here? A true existential question pops to mind based on the title of this single (and album) of the Belgian band Rhea. Luckily for the band we still have the music. Better Than God is a great rock track and like the better Belgian bands Rhea plays a little with different genres. Yes, it's rock but you will also find some nice pop elements in the melody of the main riff and the vocal harmonies. At the same time there are some metal elements when that lead guitar toughens up. Next, listen to the one note on the keyboard that keeps returning a little in the background. The singer likes to liken himself to the likes of Joey Tempest (Europe). Rhea in other words plays with the mind of its listeners a little and that is quite alright. It makes Better Than God fun to listen to, with a superb end.

Gold. The Vices

After two albums The Vices have left Rotterdam label Mattan Records and seems ready for a big next step in its career. On these album 'Looking For Faces' (2021) and 'Unknown Affairs' both were more than average for certain, but I kept wondering who The Vices really were musically, because the band did not seem to make that choice for itself. Perhaps that the new and bigger label will assist here. Gold is an up tempo alternative pop track. The tempo is vast, driven by drums and bass. The music reminding me of Go Back To The Zoo in its better songs, like 'Electric'. The Vices play with a difference in dynamics in Gold. And does so superbly. The dreamy 'ah ah' is another very nice feature. Gold is the kind of song that allows festival fields to explode. Effect and quality go hand in hand here. 'Before It Might Be Gone' is going to be the band's third album. The question is who is going to send it to me now?

The Mirror. Bongloard

Yes, Bongloard can be found on this blog with an album and a single. Sorry for not having much of a recollection. That is no reason for not letting the band come back two years later with its new single The Mirror. The Utrecht based trio rocks no little. By far the hardest of the previous two bands. The singer has a rough voice making it impossible for him to impersonate as a pop singer. It gives Bongloard a true rock edge. The music above all is tough and yet the song has a golden melody. The kind that shines in between all that toughness. The same goes for the fine background vocals and the keyboard/organ that creeps from behind all that loudness every once in a while. I do remember liking Bongloard's album 'People Overreacting To My Behaviour'. It just sort of disappeared in that load of albums that come by each year. On 4 October 'DYTYR?' is released. We will have to see how the album fares. The single is simply great.

E Corp. Cosmic Room 99

Cosmic Room 99 returns to the blog after its debut with 'Plastic Venus'. Listening to E Corp, I can't help associating it with 'Venus In Furs', as Cosmic Room 99 works hard at recreating The Velvet Underground. Even the video could have been made by Andy Warhol! I have to admit that I had to get into the groove of E Corp first but once I did I was pulled into it s rabbit's hole totally. The song is in its way ugly, as it is relentless and disturbing. Cosmic Room 99 has made not a single effort to make the song prettier. There's no compromise. Most importantly, it works. The bass drum rhythm kicks in the pace of the song, while over it slowly but surely more and more instruments and melodies are added. And then listen to how the vocal melody changes, lifting the song up no little. The Italian psychedelic rockers seem to know exactly what they are doing here. The band's self-titled album is released on 11 October.

I Can See. Waltzburg

In 2018 Nijmegen band Waltzburg debuted on this blog with an EP. After that the band's music did not really agree with me but see, here's the nicely upbeat and up tempo new single I Can See. The song is carried by a nice synth and keyboard under which the rhythm section can keep the tempo up in a great and fun way. The band, Joost Klapmuts (bass/keyboards), Jesse Smits (guitar/keyboards), Luuk Gerards (drums), Nicole Jansen (vocals/keyboards) and Menno Krivokutya (vocals/guitar), release this single working towards the release of its new album 'Black Cat On Your Doormat', on 11 October. I Can See is one of the first songs Krivokutya wrote and has gone through a host of versions before it gelled into this elementary synth rocker. Somewhat undercooled with frivolities in the synth sounds that pop up all through the song. It makes for fun listening.

For A Friend. Elephant

Rotterdam band Elephant is in a hurry. With For A Friend it sets its first step towards its third album. The song is like the husky male voice in a bourbon add from long ago saying while savouring the drink: "Nothing's changed really", while the whole world around him changed beyond recognition. Currently I feel the same about my country, things have changed beyond recognition, but not Elephant's songs. For A Friend has that same dreamy quality, reaching beyond space and time to something eternal. The dreaming is mostly in the singing. Who of the three described as singer is singing here, I don't know. It doesn't matter. Fans of a voice like this will recognise their favourites caught in this voice. Musically, the music matches this dreaminess only in part. The drums and guitars especially make their points here and are not afraid to toughen up, providing the spice the song deserves. Elephant is rocking here at times and that is something I previously did not associate with the band. Although my mind may be wrong of course, it is my overall impression of the band, so I'm quite pleasantly surprised.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght