Hermine. Octavian Winters
All members of Octavian Winters are of a certain age, showing that rock is not an age-confined art stream. We know that of course thanks to the first and second generation rock, beat and rollers, who are now even beyond a certain age (well) into their eighties. Octavian Winters is a San Francisco band, led by Ria Aursjoen who can be found as a solo artist on the blog. The band itself makes its debut with this powerful track, that comes postpunk with 80s gothrock. Hermine has a tough stance and mixes it with a stab at darkness. What I remember of bands like Sisters of Mercy and Killing Joke at the time, seems to come close. Octavian Winters very successfully creates a huge sound and infuses it with a bit of mystic goth sounds, like the ghostlike background vocals and long held guitar notes. The question is what is next? The first step towards the follow up of debut EP 'The Line Of Curve' has been presented today.
Looking out my window right now, it's raining cats and dogs. Palms? Not here, mate. Los Palms is from Adelaide in South Australia and has released its sophomore album 'Los Palms' last week. Way Too Cold is the single and undoubtedly is meant as a showcase for the album. Los Palms make music like it's 1967, perhaps '68 for those coming late to the party. You can expect fuzzed out guitars with authentic sounding effects. Late by nearly sixty years Los Palms is, as this is music the members' grandparents bought singles of. That said Way Too Cold is a pleasant song to listen to. The fun is in the details and Los Palms presents enough of them to keep my ears busy for a while.
Primitive Ring? The name does not ring any kind of bell with me. The trio makes its debut on this blog. just like the previous two bands by the way. And yet, I find out reading the bio, two members of Primitive Ring do not. They both play in Hooveriii and Jon Modaff also in Frankie and the Witch Fingers.Together with Charles Moothart and Bert Hoover he makes up this trio. On the single Rolling Greed the three play loud classic rock with a nice psych injection. The song could come straight out of the first years of the 1970s. Something like 'Easy Livin' or 'Fireball'. Primitive Ring catches that level of energy and combines it with the right kind of melody. There are two singers doing a call and response while the riffs and runs on the electric guitars are on fire. All three play in at least one other band but show why they play in Primitive Ring: to make totally different music together.
Around 1964, so it is said, all boys bought instruments and started practising in their parents' garages, leading to the famous garage rock of the 1960s. Come the third decade of the 21st century and it seems that all the children of these 1960s kids are coming out of their grandparents' garages for the second time and release an endless string of singles and albums that all pay tribute to the music of the 1960, 70s and at best early 80s. My guess is that The Jive out of Pennsylvania is another of these "second chancers" who are making music because of the fun it brings, the ability to write nice to good songs and can and have the time to bring them with a load of enthusiasm, while all the pressure of having to make it has been laid by the wayside a ling time ago. The result with The Jive is a nice powerpop song that could have been released anywhere in the years around 1980. (I know nothing of The Jive so could be totally wrong, but what remains is this energetic song that is simply great fun to listen to.)
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The Saints was band that was around at the time I just wrote about and is about to release a final, posthumous album. I only knew one song until today, because my good friend in music Thomas plays it with his Swiss band and I perform on background vocals when we are in the same town because of our respective jobs. The song is of course 'Under The Milky Way'. Chris Bailey, The Saints front man would have turned 69 in 2025 but died on 9 April 2022. A final album is released on 28 November called 'Long March Through the Jazz Age'. Going by the single, it may be a very nice album. Empires (Sometimes We Fall) is an alternative/indie ballad where several instruments meander around each other in a slow but deliberate way. Acoustic and electric guitars, piano and organ all get their respective moments, including a beautiful intro. Bailey sings with two different voices adding to the great mood the song has. If anything this song has an easygoing beauty that impresses me. And here I am today knowing two songs by The Saints and can only muse, what have I missed?
The debuts are flying all over the place this week. It is another clear cut powerpop single that propels Little Billy Lost into these pages. With Tonight the energy just flies into my head through the earphones with which I'm listening. The story I've made up about The Jive, see above, certainly goes for Little Billy Lost's members. I'd guess they were around when the likes of The Knack, Blondie, The Shoes, The Cars, etc., etc. released their first singles. (If they weren't playing in one of these bands or bands like them.) In other words, it is a good thing that songs like these are written, recorded and released as the originals are often no longer around. Tonight is a truck going down the highway at full speed and not intending to stop for anything. Just listen to the tempo and the fiery guitar solos. This is the real thing, twice removed from 1980. The end sounds odd though, as if they're vaporised by an alien who never vaporises captain Kirk or mister Spock.
Scarlet Rae debuted on this blog in January of this year with the single 'Bleu'. She said it was her most vulnerable track to date. Well, that is not the case with A World Where She Left Me Out. Although it does have its quiet, acoustic, atmospheric moments, the song regularly rocks out and when it rocks, it ROCKS. The funny part is that it starts as relatively quiet as it ends. Around the 30 seconds moment the distortion and fuzz pedals are kicked in, making a ruckus like there's no tomorrow. There's no predicting what is going to happen on this song when first hearing it. A World Where She Left Me Out announces her first EP for Bayonet Records, that is released on 19 September. It deals with one of the hardest things in life, the passing of a sibling at an age that it shouldn't. The single deals with the topic in a very direct way and must be hard to sing for Scarlet Rae. I can only hope it aids her towards acceptance of her loss. The sorrow and anger are all over the song, just like resignation and love.
The Chelsea Curve came into my life thanks to the late Justine Covault, who ran the Red on Red label from Boston. If I remember correctly the band released one song a month circa 2021-22 and several of them and an album made it this blog. Come 2025 and the band is here once again with a song that, like many others in this week's post could have been released anywhere in the past 47 years. A tight two chord progression that gets some variations later on over which a golden melody is sang with great harmony vocals and a lead guitar plays a great lead riff. "Like electricity" they sing and like electricity Never Come Down gives the listener a jolt in right places. As simple as the song may sound, it is honest and golden.
Spanish Bombs? I know one song called that, from 'London Calling' or 'Sandinista"? My guess is the first. And, yes, The Hellflowers released a cover version of the Clash's song from around 1980. The song commemorates the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). This version sounds familiar because of the melody but misses the biting delivery of Joe Strummer and the direct delivery of the band. That said The Hellflowers do the song totally right with their own version that follows the original pretty closely, where the keys in the background make it sound more modern, just like the softer guitars do. Spanish Bombs is the kind of song that deserves being brought to the fore once again. So, here it is in writing as well.
Only one week ago I learned that Philine is a Dutch singer with a five piece band behind her, including her musical and life partner Roos. I was a little surprised that a band that I had never encountered was going on a extended tour of The Netherlands but then I found that Philine signed a deal with Nettwork, so perhaps there's even more ahead than just a Dutch tour. You can find my impression of the Phil show on this blog a few days back. How does the music translate on record? Of course these songs were recorded well before that live show. I remain with my conclusion that Philine makes music that can be heard on the Dakota/Loupe records, with a major difference. The feel of the truth of living in reality is lighter. The topics may not be, self doubt, uncertainty, mental ill-being, the music has a lighter touch. To make it more concrete, the absence of a guitarist/effect pedal wizard like Jasmine van der Waals is what makes it different. That brings Philine in line with many female artists of this decade and several are far from my cup of tea in general. Philine receives the benefit of the doubt, also because she and her band are able to give the music a bite on stage, where that is missing on record. The Stevie Nicks comparison I made is noticeable in a song like 'Heavy'. Again it is more distinguishable on stage than on record, but without doubt it's there. Had I written on this mini album without the show? No, as I would never have learned of the album, but otherwise it may have been 50-50. Songs like 'Heavy' and 'Josie' may have come too late on the album for me to have kopt my interest. They're here and that is a good thing.
Wout de Natris - van der Borght
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