Angelena. GoldCoast
Angelena is the kind of song that seems to have been around since forever. The kind of song I've been listening to for most of my adult life and will listen to and discover for my remaining years. Angelena is that kind of song that was born in country music and taken through a rock mixture of electric guitars, sound drums and a warm Hammond. A song that you can listen, sing along to with a loud voice and can even make you dance. A song that ought to only come out of the U.S.. GoldCoast is the husband-and-wife duo of Rich and Jen Mahan, who make their debut under this name. As far as I'm concerned, may many a song follow this fine debut single.
With album 'The Whale' getting close to the release date, Chantal Acda has released another single from the album. Hit The Verge is a slow, somewhat dreamy song with a jazz feel because of the drumming of husband Eric Thielemans. (With Chris Eckman present as co-recording person, the Light, Distance & Sky line up is fully present on Hit The Verge.) This approach makes the single a slow listening experience in which a trumpet comes into the song, to leave it once again. Slow piano notes enter as well. The more I hear the more impressed I am. Chantal Acda does not go for the big achievements and postures. Far from even. She goes straight to the heart and mind. I read an old calendar page today saying "The biggest distance is between the heart and the mind". Not with Hit The Verge. The song has made a tight connection between the two alright.
Buckle up, folks. This EP, Red, White, and Blue, by Boston band Parts Per Million is not for the faint of ear. In my book this comes very close to the System of a Down albums of old. Metal with a melodic edge and a lot of anger, shouting and what not, while somehow still manages to keep my ear in listening mode. Most bands playing this kind of music don't, believe me. At the same time Parts Per Million shares a message with their fellow Americans. The country is "sinking down". People need to listen to each other to understand their respective positions. It is a message that is easy to miss under the onslaught of the music. (Reality caught up with my review as well, WdNvdB.) The songs are called 'Red', 'White' and 'Blue', the colours in the American flag and the Dutch one at that. In New York and parts of New England the Dutch flag is flying proudly, without the flag flyers realising it is ours. Funny that. Don't let it stop you from listening to this EP for some metal delight and to learn a lesson or two on living together in peace. The world needs it more today than ever in my lifetime.
I’ve tried to write a sad song in my mind", Australian singer-songwriter Jaimi Faulkner is singing on his single Sad Song. In other words, the song did not just stay there and the world is a, even if it's just a little bit, better place for it. Think a very traditional singer-songwriter tune with no more than a guitar and some keys over which Faulkner sings with a fairly deep, somewhat sad and dreamy voice. In the second half of the song the rhythm section joins, giving Sad Song more body. It is the electric piano that gives the song the 70s singer-songwriter vibe above all. Christopher Cross is one of the names that come to mind, but also Harry Chapin and Gordon Lightfoot to name two others. Faulkner is active since the 00s and has toured here regularly. He has a connection with The Netherlands and recorded his new album 'Half Of It', released on 12 September, here as well, with Dutch musicians. I have the idea that I saw him play in Q-Bus, Leiden years ago, but can't find anything on it, so it could have been another Australian singer-songwriter. Anyway, Sad Song is an elementary, yet beautiful song.
In 2001 New York City band The Strokes asked a pivotal question, "Is This It?" As far as I'm concerned and for many other music lovers the question was answered twice over. In the short run, yes, this is a very exciting album and in the long run, no, as that was it for the band, as it never made any kind of impression with an album ever again. In August 2025 Boston band Ape Hangers give the definitive answer to that question: This Is It. Ape Hangers were a band in the 1990s and then quit at some point. Circa 30 years down the line the members return older and wiser with a couple of punky, melodic rock song that put my ears on fire from the very first chords of opening song 'Happiness'. The title song matches this and st(r)okes up the fire. In 'Bombay' the tempo goes down a little, to be replaced by some subtle yet firm slide guitar playing. Drummer Dennis McCarthy had not been told he was playing a punk ballad song as he is releasing his inner 'Animal' for a lot of the time. The trio, Pete Sjostedt (guitars and vocals) and Bob Kiah (bass and vocals) are back and the world ought to know it. Ape Hangers check the band out!
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The song starts like a Britpop song from the mid-90ties, bright and with a firm step and then singer Bee Brogan starts singing and it comes quite as a shock. As if from beyond the grave her voice sounds, so smokey and rough. I can only compare it with some ladies I hear speaking on the street who have obviously smoked far too much for decades. In music I only have the Genya Ravan album Rum Bar Records released a few years back. When she sings in a higher registry as a form of response call, we might hear what she once have sounded like. However, what it does, is it definitely makes Flowers At Her Door stand out. Musically, I like the The Byrds reference guitarist Neil Fitzsimon plays a few times. The combination makes FaB an interesting musical experience.
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Another singer-songwriter enters this week's singles post. Mark Fry allows us to listen to the bare essentials of the songs he released on his previous album 'Not On The Radar'. Rainbow Days comes of a whole album with demos called 'Not On The Radar (The Demos)'. The result is the listener gets an insight into how the songs started their life but more than that. I can't judge the whole album but listening to Rainbow Days (demo)' I would say the song does not need anything more. Mark Fry's guitar plays a slow motive over and over and together with his voice makes it a meditative song. Sometimes a song doesn't need anything more than just a voice and a guitar. Rainbow Days (demo) is one of them.
Covid projects. Although the pandemic itself lies behind us for a few years, plans that were formed at the time still see the light of day. Curt Florczak (Boston), who can be found with a solo album in 2021 on this blog, teamed up with Hans Molnar from Arizona and from these exchange of ideas the band Badterms was formed and finally the music sees the light of day. Knowing Florczak a little, I'm not surprised to hear some aggressive alternative rock bordering on punk. Tightly played instruments, guitars that play a nice chord-based melody in between the vocal lines and a lead singer whose voice has seen some mileage. Although the band released several EPs on a German label, this is the band's U.S. debut album, like it is new for me. With Special Kind Of Crazy Badterms gives off the message, we're here to make a good old-fashioned rock and roll impression. Nothing more but certainly nothing less.
Clone is a Brooklyn based postpunk band led by LG Galleon. Now postpunk is a very wide genre and I can not for the life of me put Clone in the same box as British Isles band like Shame, Sprints or Fontaines DC or Dutch bands like Tramhaus and Global Charming. Had I been asked without knowing anything about Clone I would have put them in the box alternative rock with some influences from the 1980s. A lighter version of Killing Joke. Take Galvanized, the second song of the upcoming EP Care To Try (3 October). It is a hard rocking song, but the lead guitar definitely has a light touch, that lifts the song up for the whole of the way. At the same time Galvanized has a dreamy quality that the drummer keeps punching holes into. That dreaminess hovers over the tough song in the form of backing vocals that ooh and ahh all throughout the song. It is a combination that makes for a great song.
The third singer-songwriter this week is runo plum. With Sickness a far more alternative form of singer-songwriting is presented, although the basic idea is the same. Plum could play her song at a campfire and most likely will have the same strength. An acoustic guitar and dreamy voice would do the trick. Had she been living in France decades ago, she would have been called a sigh girl. Let me not forget Aimee Mann at the time of 'Bachelor No. 2'. In the past years she has released her songs herself. No longer. She signed with a label and will release her debut album in November, 'Patching'. Sickness is a song that slowly progresses and gets a darker edge because of the electric lead guitar. She worked with instrumentalist Noa Francis and producer Lutalo and based on this single, the result could be a very pleasing album. Sickness mixes lightness with darkness in a way that makes me want to listen to more. I'm sure we will get that chance in the coming weeks.
Wout de Natris - van der Borght
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