2026, week 21. 10 singles

"Summer's here and the time is right to" eat in the garden, to walk on sunshine and what have you. Cloudless skies, 25 degrees plus temperatures. It's going to be a lovely day with ten new singles/EPs for you to explore, so I'd say enjoy the weather and the music!

Daughters EP. The Sour

We kick off this week with a new name on the blog. The four women from Tāmaki Makaurau or Auckland as we know it over here, that form The Sour present themselves on their EP with a dirty grunge/alternative rock sound that contrasts nicely with the female voices. The avid readers of this blog will know by now I have one benchmark album for this combination, 'Eight Arms To Hold You" by Veruca Salt. The Sour scores well in this benchmark. The Sour hovers somewhere between wanting to sound cool and hey, look at what we've made. All four songs have that combination, because the band made the most of the chance it was offered. The songs all have well thought out arrangements, allowing rays of light in and even a pop element in the vocal arrangements. On the other side there is the darkness in the deep sounding rhythm guitars and the coolness of the lead singer. All four songs have this quality and although there are some subtle differences between them, it's not necessary to pick out individual songs on the four song EP. They're all good, making The Sour another promising young act from New Zealand.

Sand. Swapmeat

We are going Down Under some more on this blog, but to Adelaide in Southern Australia this time. Swapmeet in part presents a softer kind of slacker rock, only to give a kick to both my ears when it feels like it, with me going, please, kick me some more. Swapmeet consists of Venus O’Broin (guitar, vocals), Joshua Doherty (bass), Maxwell Elphick (guitar, drums, vocals), and Jack Medlyn (guitar, drums, vocals). The four met in their teens and released an EP in 2024, making their upcoming album, 'Mount Zero' (17 June), their debut. Just like this single finds Swapmeet on this blog for the first time. In the part that Jack Medlyn sings lead, the band kicks in the pedals, while Venus O'Broin keeps things calm and tranquil. The combination really works on Sand and makes me certainly curious to hear more next month.

Out Of Context. Library Card

With its previous single Days Of Clay Library Card found itself on these pages for the first time. With Out Of Context the band is back. The context of Out Of Context is post punk. This is a song of contained fury about the downsides of capitalism. "You will love what you do" it is declaimed as a given; wherever one works and whatever one does there. Taken out of context of the song carrying that title, it's clear Library Card follows its own rule. Singer Lot van Teylingen talks more than sings, while the rhythm section of the band plays an incredibly fast pace, the guitarist play accents the whole time. And then it happens, with a few notes the band takes us to a postpunk version of psychedelia. Van Teylingen starts to sing changing the mood of Out Of Context completely. That is not the end. The band explodes in something we could call a solo section, before strongly accented notes brings us to the end of this impressive single. There is a cure though. Just listen to Jefferson Starship's 'Out Of Control'.

Guardrail EP. CAITLIN

With two singles from Guardrail CAITLIN (Bradley) from Christchurch, New Zealand already had drawn some attention to her EP. It deserves attention as a whole as well. Simply because the songs are so good to listen to. No, nothing spectacular may be happening on Guardrail and you will have heard singer-songwriters like CAITLIN before. Those are the very last things that you should let prevent you from taking a listen. It all starts with the voice of the New Zealand singer. She's able to settle right into the middle of your head, like she does in 'Outline', with the instruments mixed all around her voice, so that the quiet and almost modest song fills your whole head, leaving space for nothing else. All songs are at heart singer-songwriter based, I imagine having started on an acoustic guitar. From there she worked with producer Will McGillivray to find out what extra's would work best for the song. I leave you to find out about the details added to the individual songs. Believe me, they all make CAITLIN's voice shine a little bit more.

War On War. Frenchy and the Punk

In a period that the U.S. has actually gone to war, Frenchy and the Punk releases its new single War On War. In the meantime singer Samantha Stevenson has her own battle to fight, breast cancer. As a result the band has to cancel all shows for 2026, losing its revenues and livelihood. You can help the duo by supporting it. You can do so here: https://gofund.me/24f28df11. That makes two musicians I've reviewed this week battling the same disease. Back to music. War On War is the sort of anthem you'd expect with a title like that. War On War is a huge song in a 1980s style but with a rock element of all the past decades put together. Samantha Stevenson has a voice that can alert other boats in the thickest fog imaginable. It's deep and loud but above all totally convincing in a song like this. Scott Heiland creates the music around her that makes her look extremely good. If this song can't convince belligerent parties to get to their senses, I do not know what else can.

I Smell. My Purse

More postpunk from the Low Lands. My Purse is a new band consisting of Una Jongenelis, Keetje Voogd, Igor Jongenelis en Sara Elzinga. If anything, the single reminds me Tramhaus' 'I Don't Sweat', one of its first songs. My Purse is a tad less confrontational than its Rotterdam based colleagues. Slowly but surely Dutch postpunk is becoming its own genre. Always confrontational, with guitars that play parts that are not exactly the notes you’d expect to hear yet work. They always go (a bit) against the grain, yet all together make a good melody, just like the vocal melody does. My Purse has found all the right notes to convince me. Yes, there's room for one more band in the Dutch postpunk basket.

Tambourine. Lenny Kravitz, eh Lenny Lenny

With Tambourine Lenny Kravitz taps into the vein that brought him a string of hits in the second half of the 80s and very early 90s. Tambourine has that mix of swing and robustness with which he created these crossover songs that made him stand out from others at the time. It's decades ago since I stopped following him. More or less after the single 'Are You Gonna Go My Way', still my favourite Lenny Kravitz song, by far. Tambourine will most likely not change that, but I like what I'm hearing. Kravitz is singing with a highish voice, the music underneath his voice is part suave, part soul, part rock. In fact it's attractive. The kind of song I do not mind hearing more than just once...... And then I find the joke's on me. This isn't Lenny Kravitz at all. It is a Belgian artist Lenny Coorevitz working under the name Lenny Lenny. He tricked me alright. The rest of my comments do not change because of this.

Dandelions. Bonnie Kemplay

In his single 'Incantations' Ed O'Brien (Radiohead) plays the same two notes for minutes on end and did not make it here because of this endless repetition. To my surprise the next single on my list starts the same. It made me notice how much of a difference a female voice can make. Bonnie Kempley sings in a way that many 2020s female singers on the verge between folk and indie do. Ms. Kempley does not need a lot of embellishments to make Dandelion come alive, where O'Brien never managed to do so for me with his song. In all its modesty Dandelion lets in a clarinet and a piano and it is enough. Mysterious and mesmerising this single is.

Split. Horace Pinker / The Raging Nathans

A four song EP split evenly between the two bands. A horror for the true audiophile, for where to put a song by two different artists in your discotheque? Under compilations I suppose, but who ever thinks of playing a record form under that? Usually compilations get lost in translation. Anyway, Split deserves a mention here. Both bands are around for about two decades and have a host of records to their name. If you like punkrock the American way, i.e. fast, aggressive with loud and impressive guitars, with a drummer who must have numb arms and legs after each song, that are all anthems you can shout along to, this split single is your thing. Don't expect any subtlety. Just four songs that kick off and end in the exact same way. The bands from Chicago, respectively Dayton blend well together on a side by side divided split single. Punkrock on, I'd say.

The Burden. Oddfellows

In 1994 Chris Pulliam, Mark Ryan, and Mike Throneberry formed a band called Oddfellows in Denton, Texas. That must be at the same time that Slobberbone for a short while tried to conquer international stages. The effort (of both bands) was short lived. In the 32 years that followed the ex-Oddfellows formed "hundreds of bands you will have heard from", or so the bio says. And now they are back, with an extra guitarist Peter Salisbury for those who remember the first period that is. The Burden is a song that propels itself forward from the very first second. It has a 1980s vibe played with guitars. There's no stopping The Burden. The singer is singing with a voice that reminds me a little of David Bowie at his least expressionless. Come to think of it, it's more Iggy Pop is his best Bowie co-penned songs. Oddfellows plays and sings everything on one emotional level and that is a huge part of the attraction of the song. A little synth sound (or guitar effect?) is the only thing escaping it. In December 2024 Oddfellows reformed, to write and record a whole album that will see the light of day somewhere this year.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

Hold Everything Lightly. Isabel Rumble

Het gezegde “wat je van ver haalt is lekkerder” is zeker van toepassing op Hold Everything Lightly van de Australische muzikante Isabel Rumble, want wat is dit een mooi en sfeervol en knap gemaakt rootsalbum.

De Australische muzikante Isabel Rumble is nog niet heel bekend, maar dat heeft niets te maken met de kwaliteit van haar muziek. Met die kwaliteit heeft ze mij echt enorm verrast, want haar een paar maanden geleden verschenen tweede album Hold Everything Lightly is in alle opzichten een hoogstaand album. Het is een album waarop sfeervolle en smaakvolle rootsmuziek is te horen en die rootsmuziek wordt naar een hoger plan getild door de prachtige stem van Isabel Rumble. En omdat het ook met de songwriting skills van de Australische muzikante wel goed zit, is Hold Everything Lightly een album dat binnen de (Amerikaanse) rootsmuziek met de allerbeste albums mee kan.

Een paar dagen geleden vond ik Hold Everything Lightly van Isabel Rumble op de deurmat. Het in eigen beheer uitgebrachte album verscheen een maand of zeven geleden en heeft er dus even over gedaan om mij te bereiken. Het pakketje waar het album in zat kwam uit Zweden, maar de oorsprong van Hold Everything Lightly ligt veel verder weg. Isabel Rumble is immers een Australische singer-songwriter en woont ook nog eens in het diepe zuiden van het continent. 

Hold Everything Lightly is het tweede album van de Australische muzikante, die in 2023 debuteerde met het album Bird Be Brave. Ik krijg echt heel veel nieuwe albums die in het hokje (Amerikaanse) rootsmuziek passen en dat is ook het hokje waarin het nieuwe album van Isabel Rumble thuis hoort. Het is een genre waarin de concurrentie momenteel moordend is, maar Hold Everything Lightly had nauwelijks tijd nodig om me te overtuigen van de kwaliteiten van Isabel Rumble en is een rootsalbum dat ik sinds de eerste kennismaking koester. 

De Australische muzikante heeft met haar in eigen beheer uitgebrachte tweede album een verpletterend mooi album afgeleverd. Australië heeft een rijke traditie wanneer het gaat om het maken van kwalitatief hoogstaande rootsmuziek en Hold Everything Lightly past uitstekend in deze traditie. 

Bij beluistering van het album vallen een aantal dingen op. Isabel Rumble beschikt om te beginnen over een hele mooie stem. Het is een zachte stem, maar het is ook een stem met heel veel gevoel. Isabel Rumble zingt in de meeste tracks op haar nieuwe album in een vrij laag tempo en dat vergroot de zeggingskracht van haar zang. De Australische muzikante zingt niet alleen mooi en met veel gevoel, maar ze beschikt ook over een karakteristiek stemgeluid. 

Ik viel direct bij de eerste noten als een blok voor de stem van Isabel Rumble en sindsdien is de zang op Hold Everything Lightly alleen maar mooier geworden. Het is een stem die de songs op het album voorziet van een intiem karakter, maar ik word ook helemaal zen van de zang van Isabel Rumble. 

De zang op het album is echt prachtig en bij mij goed voor kippenvel, maar de muziek op het album is minstens even mooi. Net als de zang is ook de muziek op het tweede album van Isabel Rumble vooral ingetogen. De Australische muzikante vertrouwt volledig op organische klanken en zet deze spaarzaam in. 

Wanneer ze genoeg heeft aan de akoestische gitaar hebben haar songs een folky karakter, maar wanneer de pedal steel opduikt hoor ik ook invloeden uit de country. De muziek op het album is redelijk sober, maar ook verrassend warm en sfeervol. Het is muziek die een fraaie basis biedt voor de echt prachtige stem van Isabel Rumble, die echt alle ruimte krijgt in het subtiele geluid. 

Hold Everything Lightly is een album dat het vooral goed doet in de koudere en donkere seizoenen, waardoor ik het heel jammer vind dat ik het album niet een paar maanden geleden heb ontdekt, maar ik heb de muziek van Isabel Rumble zo hoog zitten, dat ik er van uit ga dat ik ook de lente en de zomer makkelijk door kom met dit prachtige album, dat ook wanneer het gaat om de songs een bijzonder hoog niveau laat horen. 

Het is een album dat ik zonder een Zweedse promotor nooit zou hebben ontdekt en wat ben ik blij met dit weergaloze album. Ik had een week geleden nog nooit van Isabel Rumble gehoord, maar het is een naam die ik vanaf nu echt niet meer ga vergeten.

Erwin Zijleman

 

Je kunt Hold Everything Lightly hier luisteren en bestellen:

https://isabelrumble.bandcamp.com/album/hold-everything-lightly 

The Magic City. The Magic City

New Zealand and Boston. All added up this may be the two geographical locations that popped up most on this blog in the last seven to nine years. Where New Zealand is concerned, I'm always wondering what is in the water there causing all this brilliance. For Boston that's not a question with all that tea having gone into the harbour. Today it's Boston's turn but with a twist, because if I would have had to guess, I'd have said London and more specifically Suede with a new singer.

The Magic City has been on the blog before with two singles in 2023 and 2024. What I'm reading there is consistent with what I'm hearing on my headset. All sorts of alternative and indie rock come by, with some powerpop as an extra flavour added to the whole. With two singers David Jackel, also on guitar and synth, and Mike Quinn, also on bass, the band has two front men, of which Jackel is regularly going for his inner David Bowie and Brett Anderson when singing. The other two members are Adam Anderson (lead guitar, vocals) and Ken Marcou (acoustic and electric drums).

What strikes me foremost when listening to The Magic City is the fun the members have in presenting us their music. They are obvious fans of several styles of (Brit)poprock and manage to write their own originals that match the quality of the originals of Suede. Take 'Don't Forget Me When She Gone'. This song could have been a part of Suede's debut album with ease. That band is now its thirty plus year and The Magic City is releasing its debut album. The members do have a long track record of other bands of which one, The Daylillies, can be found on this blog as well. The song in the middle of the album is one of the best on it. Yes, it is very familiar in sound but far from a rip off. This is as good as Suede can wish for (and still is in 2026).

But let's go back to the beginning. Just listen to the bang with which 'The Magic City' enters my ears and life. An electic guitar is coming to life slowly and the band kicks in, creating the light and the shade within thirty seconds. 'Ozma Is My Shadow', the single that preceded the album, is the visiting card of the album and band. Listen to the drum part Ken Marcou is playing. All the holding back and hitting extra he does on a supertight snare drum sound. More Therapy than Suede. It gives the song an oomphh in its Britpop. The song pulls me straight into the album, making me want to hear more.

It's not all U.K., because 'A Series Of Chemicals' has the kind of quality that a band like Nada Surf has. The guitars are louder, like The Caulfields played in the 1990s. But then both these bands are more U.K. oriented in the sense of working towards the perfect pop song anyway. The "aahs" The Magic City's members sing, is a tell-tale sign of where their ambition lies. You come very close, gentlemen.

It is this variation in the approach to its songs that gives 'The Magic City' the extra quality push. The band is able to work on the arrangement of songs in such a way, that it presents surprises within songs as well. In fact, the album full of them, making me like it ever more. 'The Magic City' is one of the nicest surprises of 2026 thus far. "Come and get it", they sing in the 2023 single 'Roadrunner vs. Your Mother", also on this album. If I were you, I'd follow its advice.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order 'The Magic City' here:

https://themagiccityofficial.bandcamp.com/ 

Land Of The Forgotten. Brit Taylor

De Amerikaanse muzikante Brit Taylor leek zich met haar debuutalbum te scharen onder de smaakmakers binnen de countrypop, maar ook op haar nieuwe album kiest ze weer vooral voor een wat traditioneler klinkend geluid.

Als je een stem hebt als die van Brit Taylor kun je eigenlijk alleen maar countrymuziek maken. Dat doet de muzikante uit Nashville dan ook en ze doet het bovendien heel goed. Op haar derde album Land Of The Forgotten lijkt ze definitief te kiezen voor een wat traditioneler geluid met zowel invloeden uit de country als de bluegrass, maar de songs van Brit Taylor klinken ook fris en aanstekelijk en schuiven af en toe wat op richting een moderner geluid. Het is een geluid dat in alle songs is volgestopt met fraaie bijdragen van een heel arsenaal aan snareninstrumenten, waardoor Land Of The Forgotten het waarschijnlijk uitstekend gaat doen bij liefhebbers van Amerikaanse rootsmuziek.

Brit Taylor leverde net iets meer dan vijf jaar geleden met Real Me een prachtig debuutalbum af. De Amerikaanse muzikante had haar leven net goed op de rails toen haar huwelijk op de klippen liep en ze financieel aan de grond kwam te zitten. Ze werd opgeraapt door Black Keys voorman Dan Auerbach met wie ze een aantal van de songs schreef die op Real Me terecht kwamen. Real Me was wat mij betreft een van de betere countrypop albums van 2021 en de concurrentie in het genre was dat jaar stevig. 

Twee jaar na haar debuutalbum keerde Brit Taylor terug met Kentucky Blue en ook dat was een uitstekend album. Vergeleken met haar debuutalbum koos de Amerikaanse voor een flink traditioneler geluid met vooral invloeden uit de country en de bluegrass, maar de songs op het album klonken ook fris en toegankelijk. Ook het door David Ferguson en Sturgill Simpson prachtig geproduceerde Kentucky Blue kon in 2023 mee met de beste rootsalbums van het jaar, al was de doelgroep net wat anders dan twee jaar eerder. 

Brit Taylor bracht in 2024 nog een nieuwe versie van Kentucky Blue uit (Kentucky Bluegrassed), waarop ze de songs van het album een extra bluegrass injectie gaf, maar het deze week verschenen Land Of The Forgotten is wat mij betreft het officiële derde album van de Amerikaanse muzikante. 

In de openingstrack Broke No More lijkt de muzikante uit Nashville te kiezen voor een nog wat traditioneler geluid dan op Kentucky Blue. Ze groeide op aan de voet van de Appalachen en laat in de openingstrack van Land Of The Forgotten horen dat ze de invloeden uit haar jeugd niet vergeten is. 

Het derde album van Brit Taylor is in veel songs een album dat het geluid van haar vorige album doortrekt, maar af en toe sijpelt er ook wel wat door van haar debuutalbum, dat de countrypop wat steviger omarmde. Na de producers van naam en faam van Kentucky Blue koos Brit Taylor dit keer voor de samenwerking met haar (nieuwe) echtgenoot Adam Chaffin, die het album trefzeker produceerde. 

Het eerste deel van het nieuwe album zal zeer in de smaak vallen bij liefhebbers van wat traditionelere country en bluegrass, maar naarmate het album vordert winnen de wat modernere invloeden met enige regelmaat aan terrein in de songs van Brit Taylor. Modern is niet helemaal het goede woord, want het album blijft verwijderd bij de countrypop van het moment en sluit incidenteel eerder aan bij de countrypop uit de jaren 90. 

De titeltrack van het album is een track waarvoor Fleetwood Mac zich in de jaren 70 niet zou hebben geschaamd, al houdt Brit Taylor wel vast aan het instrumentarium dat is verbonden met de Amerikaanse rootsmuziek. De muziek op Land Of The Forgotten wordt gedomineerd door snareninstrumenten, waarvan er flink wat worden ingezet op het album (gitaren, dobro, mandoline, viool, pedal steel, banjo). 

Het levert een smaakvol en ook warm geluid op, waarin de prima muzikanten die zijn te horen op het album de kans krijgen om te schitteren. Dat doet Brit Taylor ook zelf, want ze beschikt over de perfecte stem voor het maken van country, bluegrass en countrypop. Ik vond haar stem nog net wat indrukwekkender op het met melancholie overladen Real Me, maar ook op Land Of The Forgotten zingt de Amerikaanse muzikante prachtig en ik gun haar uiteraard het levensgeluk. Al met al het derde uitstekende album van de in Nederland helaas nog wat onbekende Brit Taylor.

Erwin Zijleman

Painted Sea, Painted Stars. Steve French

Cees Paris was once a part of the Canshaker Pi and Personal Trainer entourage around Willem Smit, but he found his own vehicle with Steve French, assisted by some friends of old. In the past seven years I wrote reviews of 'Lightning Tiger Running' (2019) and 'Dogs' (2022). And then I sort of overlooked the latest effort released in March of this year. Time to make amends, as with Painted Sea, Painted Stars, Paris shows to be home from many markets.

Rereading my 2019 review, the following sentences struck me:

"What I notice in the nine song album is that Steve French is able to create a few moods. First there is the ramshackle vagueness. Secondly, very direct songs. Finally there is an alternative ballad, just one man and one guitar, no matter how short the song is".

Come 2026, Steve French is still very good at that mix and even adds an Hawaiian influenced track to boot.

The new album shows a far more mature and serious Steve French. This is no longer a young exuberant man bouncing around, showing off his musical prowess. A lot of thought has gone into the new album. It sounds far more mapped out, but without losing the open-mindedness of a fresh sound.

Like I wrote, Painted Sea, Painted Stars is a varied album. Indie rock can be found in abundance, but also an alternative ballad, 'Shallow Glow', with just Cees Paris and his guitar and a little embellishments. Then take the way the album ends. 'Arid Plains' is a full hybrid song. It is an alternative ballad, with a band. It includes an interesting electrical piano part, great riffs and an exploding electric guitar in a very short interlude (solo?). Because of the alternative approach, it is hard to call it beautiful, yet, in its own way it is. Constantly tugging at my pleasing and at my prickly pear side, manoeuvring itself between pop and alternative.

As a small boy, I was allowed to go to a radio studio with my mother and grandmother to record a programme for the ship my dad sailed on at the time. All I got to say was "dag pappa". There was a band performing, The Kilima Hawaiians. I had totally forgotten about this event and here's Steve French with the track 'Blue Hawaii' bringing back the memory. Thank you for that.

The indierock side of Steve French with some postpunk flavours dominates the biggest parts of Painted Sea, Pained Stars. No song is just straightforward, there's always a twist here, a turn there, the curve ball thrown in to prick up the ears or to give a jolt. It remains melodic but never in expected ways. Exactly what makes the Dutch alternative / postpunk rock scene so good. Steve French claims its position here no little.

Summing up, the more mature approach suits Steve French really well. The band fits right in with what is happening in this country and found its own voice along the way.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can order Painted Sea, Painted Stars here:

https://excelsior-recordings.com/products/steve-french-painted-sea-painted-stars 

The Rideout. The Chelsea Curve

With the avalanche of albums reaching me every week, it is extremely hard to catch up on albums that are released during a holiday and other periods of time where listening and writing are hard to do. Based on listening to the single 'Ride' by The Chelsea Curve, I knew it was time to make the extra effort.

'Ride' is a such an energetic song. The Boston band is rocking in a serious way, without forgetting that a golden vocal melody is the thing of miracles where hit songs are concerned. Whatever the influence of The Radio Indie Alliance Top 100 is I can't tell you, the fact that 'Ride' recently was its number 1 does tell you something. 'Ride' is the kind of song that deserves being a number 1. Most likely the current number 1 in our Top 40 doesn't, as far as I'm concerned.

Like me, The Chelsea Curve is a remnant of the past. From the time when Blondie managed to top the charts with 'Denis' and the albums 'Plastic Letters' and 'Parallel Lines'. Listen to 'Kindawanna' and 'Out Of My Head' and you know more than enough. Both are songs that deserve to be hits in that parallel universe of mine and The Chelsea Curve's and that Indie Alliance Top 100.

Photo: Trebmal Photography

The Chelsea Curve is from Boston and consists of Linda Pardee (bass, vocals, keys), Tim Gillis (guitars, vocals, keys), and Bruce Caporal (drums and percussion). The Rideout is the band's second album after 'All The Things' (2021), that was released after eight single releases in just as many months. You'll find many reviewed in the singles' section but not the album as a whole. With The Rideout WoNoBlog makes its amends. The Rideout deserves your full attention.

Despite being a mini album of just seven songs, the energy shared with you by the band will last you for the rest of the day. In the first seconds of the album The Chelsea Curve grabs me and, the trio does not let go of me before the final note has faded away, leaving me totally fulfilled. The Rideout is one explosion of energy, contending for the Blondie crown. If you plan to listen to one powerpop/rock album this year, The Rideout should be your record of choice.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order The Rideout here:

https://thechelseacurve.bandcamp.com/album/the-rideout 

Path Of Totality. The Montvales

Het Amerikaanse duo The Montvales doet op het derde album Path Of Totality alles goed en overtuigt met een mooi rootsgeluid, lekker in het gehoor liggende songs en prachtig bij elkaar kleurende stemmen.

Ik had Path Of Totality van The Montvales bijna over het hoofd gezien, maar het nieuwe album van Sally Buice en Molly Rochelson is me inmiddels heel dierbaar. Path Of Totality van The Montvales klinkt op het eerste gehoor als een wat traditioneler aandoend rootsalbum, maar de songs van het tweetal uit Tennessee hebben ook iets lichtvoetigs en een randje pop. Het zijn songs die zijn ingekleurd met vooral snareninstrumenten, wat een aangenaam en smaakvol geluid oplevert. Het is een geluid dat verder wordt opgetild door de mooie stemmen van Sally Buice en Molly Rochelson, die elkaar prachtig versterken. De prima songs op het album maken het helemaal af. Topalbum.

The Euro Americana Chart, een maandelijkse lijst met de beste rootsalbums van de maand volgens een stuk of 70 reporters, biedt absoluut ruimte aan vrouwelijke muzikanten, maar wordt het grootste deel van de tijd aangevoerd door mannelijke muzikanten. In april was het anders en stond het nieuwe album van The Montvales bovenaan de lijst. 

Het is wat zuur dat ik als groot liefhebber van vrouwenstemmen juist dit album heb gemist in de week van de release, maar dankzij The Euro Americana Chart heb ik het album gelukkig toch nog redelijk op tijd ontdekt. The Montvales is een duo uit Knoxville, Tennessee, dat bestaat uit Sally Buice en Molly Rochelson. Path Of Totality is het derde album van het tweetal, maar ik was de naam The Montvales tot de publicatie van The Euro Americana Chart van april volgens mij nog niet eerder tegengekomen. 

Ik ga Sally Buice en Molly Rochelson vanaf nu wel in de gaten houden, want Path Of Totality is een erg goed album. Dat is voor een belangrijk deel de verdienste van de stemmen van Sally Buice en Molly Rochelson, want zeker bij eerste beluistering springen die het meest in het oor. Het zijn stemmen die elkaar prachtig ondersteunen, maar die elkaar ook versterken. 

Het zijn stemmen die duidelijk van elkaar verschillen, maar ze kleuren echt heel mooi bij elkaar. Ook wanneer Sally Buice en Molly Rochelson niet tegelijk zingen is de zang op hun album echt bijzonder mooi, maar als de stemmen samensmelten gebeurt er iets bijzonders. Bij het soort harmonieën dat is te horen op het album van The Montvales gaat de zang vaak voluit, maar Sally Buice en Molly Rochelson zingen ook fraai ingetogen, wat de schoonheid van de zang ten goede komt. 

Het nieuwe album van het duo uit Tennessee moet het niet alleen hebben van de vocale kracht van de twee, want ook de muziek op hun nieuwe album is heel mooi. Sally Buice speelt zelf banjo, terwijl Molly Rochelson zorgt voor een deel van het gitaarwerk. Het snarenwerk van de twee wordt aangevuld door een handvol extra muzikanten, die onder andere bijdragen van de pedal steel, mandoline, viool, bas, drums en nog wat extra impulsen van gitaren en de banjo toevoegen aan het verzorgd klinkende geluid op Path Of Totality. 

Het is een geluid dat goed past in het hokje Amerikaanse rootsmuziek met vooral invloeden uit de folk en de country, maar veel songs van het tweetal hebben ook iets lichts door ook een vleugje pop toe te voegen aan het geluid. Ik werd in eerste instantie vooral gegrepen door de zang van Sally Buice en Molly Rochelson, maar wat klinkt het nieuwe album van The Montvales lekker. 

Dat ligt niet alleen aan het fraai snarenwerk dat domineert in de muziek op het album, maar ook aan de lekker in het gehoor liggende maar ook aansprekende en vaak voorzichtig aanstekelijke songs van The Montvales. Het duo uit Knoxville heeft een album gemaakt dat in de smaak zal vallen bij liefhebbers van wat traditioneler klinkende Amerikaanse rootsmuziek, maar Path Of Totality is ook een album dat een breder publiek aan moet kunnen spreken, wat misschien ook wel blijkt uit de hoge notering in The Euro Americana Chart van deze maand. 

Ik heb het album zelf ontdekt via deze lijst en wat ben ik daar blij mee. Path Of Totality van The Montvales heeft immers alles wat nodig is om uit te groeien tot een van mijn favoriete albums van 2026, al is het jaar nog lang natuurlijk.

Erwin Zijleman

 

Je kunt The Path Of Totality hier luisteren en bestellen:

https://themontvales.bandcamp.com/album/path-of-totality 

made it!. lucky break

When lucky break made its debut on this blog with a review of the single 'Camp Song', I wrote:

"Believe it or not, I can, as it were, hear Tammy Wynette sing Camp Song, but also R.E.M. Now that is what I call a hybrid".

Having familiarised myself with her album made it! I can state that this feeling of listening to a hybrid album has not leave me. Despite rocking out as well, the mood at times switches between country and indie, especially because she is able to sing in an indie and a country kind of way. I will not go as far and write that this artist cannot make up her mind on what it is she wants to be, that she's comfortable somewhere in between seems obvious.

lucky break is Emma Gerson who has an East and West Coast background. After a short stint in the music industry, she felt she wanted to be a musician first and that resulted in the EP 'Biggest Thing' and now in her debut album made it!. On the album, she worked with Elliott Woodbridge, friend and co-producer. Gerson played the acoustic guitar and Woodbridge all other instruments.

That country feel aside, it's obvious that Emma Gerson grew up with a solid dose of indierock. This music form is the bedrock of made it!. lucky break is not afraid to rock and move from the light to the shade and back. Take Darklight for example. The soft toned verses are painted over in dark overtones when the chorus gets there. Listen to the two opening songs and you hear she's pretty convincing in songs that may alienate pure pop lovers but please the more alternative pop-rock fans.

Promo photo

A third element in lucky break's music that struck me, is her closeness to the indie female singers coming out of New Zealand like Vera Ellen, Aldous Harding and Ernie Ball. On made it! the indie, alternative rock and folk elements are mingled just as easily. It makes made it! stand out for me just a little bit more. And, makes the album so much more varied. The playfulness of 'Red Balloon' is a good example of such another tone compared to most other songs on made it!.

made it! is a debut album, but as a whole it is a mature album by an artist who seems to have a clear view of where she wants to go. So don't take my primary observation too serious. lucky break is indie/alternative enough to be taken seriously and allows in other elements that may make her attractive to a lot more music fans. Time will tell if she will make a choice or is able to keep walking on that thin line in the middle. In the meantime let's enjoy this good debut album.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

 

2026, week 20. 10 singles

Today you will find a bunch of octogenarians in the singles section and all with songs that are vibrant and full of life totally belying their age. At that age one can know what will be the last you'll do. If this over time will be proven to be the last, all can be tremendously pleased with these efforts. To compensate there a few very new names as well, some even debut records. In other words, more than enough to explore and enjoy!

Rome. Brook Fox

And yet another debut on the blog. He is an indie-pop/rock artist from South-West Wales who knows exactly how the light and the shade works in his music. My take is that his main influences come from the post-grunge era with bands like Creed and that band with the hit 'Outside' that I keep forgetting the name of, Staind? Brook Fox' own contribution is the pop element he throws into the mix, making Rome far less darker than the bands I mentioned. That said, he knows how to make his band rock and handles the light and the shade to perfection, giving an audience a moment to rest before everyone can explode into the song once again. Rome is aimed for festival fields in the way it is set up and it is working as far as I'm concerned.

Still In The Race EP. RubinCarter

RubinCarter is Queen's Pleasure drummer Sal Rubinstein turned singer-songwriter. After the release of singles announcing his debut EP, we can listen to the whole work. The songs started in his bedroom playing an acoustic guitar just for his own pleasure. Slowly but surely he realised these songs should be heard by more people. With help from his friends the songs and RubinCarter took shape. Ruben Carter became a famous name because of the Bob Dylan - Jacques Levy composition 'Hurricane', more than because of his boxing career and trial. Do not expect Bob Dylan style music here. The EP kicks off with the alternative rock track 'Unentertained'. A song that goes for the big sound, with a huge lead guitar and background vocals. The exact right song to put on pole position, because it is the kind of song that can define a career. In theory 'Unentertained' is a song to play in a stadium and to have that as your first song on your first EP is an asset. With 'Frame' the mood goes down, but again RubinCarter shows to know what it takes to arrange a song in such a way that it catches the ear. Going deeper into the EP, it becomes clear Sal Rubinstein is showing us what he is capable of. His goal was not to create a musically consistent EP. 'April' is a ballad with a fingerpicked acoustic guitar. It is not my favourite song on the EP but it certainly shows courage to present such a different song. 'Still In The Race' is also a ballad but of a different sort. The slide guitar gives the song a distinct rock feel as does the main riff. So is the final song, 'Money Machine'. Setting the easy scoring opening rock track apart, 'Money Machine' is the song that impresses me most. It has this easy going vibe, while at the same time being able to make a great impression on me. Without making a grand effort during the first impression, 'Money Machine' is the kind of song that slowly but surely turns into a anthem.  A modest one but an anthem nonetheless."Lalala" sometimes is enough to do the trick. RubinCarter is a name to watch alright.

ESO. The Bernadette Maries

The Bernadette Maries from Brussels return with its second single. ESO is a song with two faces. It all starts out as an alternative rock song. In fact I can call it grunge without any qualms. Nirvana is all over the intro. The light and the shade between verse and chorus? Check. The two guitar line up is used to create a lighter mood and a darker one. Before the two minutes mark things change. Let's call it psychedelic, that interlude. Not that the world becomes all wobbly and out of focus, it still qualifies. The drums come in with a high and fast rhythm after which singer/bassist Daria takes over the lead vocals. By then the song has been totally set on its head. I have to admit, I like the first part better, yet surprising it is. Two singles down, upcoming album 'Soft' is an album to look out for. We have a, hopefully, glorious summer in front of us first, as the release date is set for 18 September.

Ride. The Chelsea Curve

Click The Chelsea Curve in this blog's search engine and one single after the other pops up. Promoted by the late Justine Covault, the band came into my life thanks to her and I liked the band better by the single. Come 2026 and here's the band once again with single Ride from the already released album 'The Rideout'. Like a song with a title like it should, it is about riding, a motorcycle in this case. Linda Pardee (bass, vocals, keys) and Tim Gillis (guitars, vocals, keys) are joined by their new drummer Bruce Caporal. The trio rocks in a very familiar way, more U.K. than the U.S. A band like The Who comes to mind from the time when they were able to blend pop and rock in a perfect way. Mixed a little into the background is the warm sound of a Hammond organ, but mostly the guitars, bass and drums are rocking no little. The Chelsea Curve adds some delicious pop elements in the background vocals and packs Ride with some great rock riffs as well. Do things come much better than this? I doubt it. Brilliant single.

Home To Us. Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr

It's 2026 and 50% of The Beatles release a single together. In the year Paul turns 84 and Ringo 86, the two present a song that is simply great fun. You won't hear me saying this is their best work, but it is good. In the lyrics they look back at their youth, when where you lived was simply called home, no matter how you might look at the house or you think of the circumstances today. The song has a strong pop vibe with some Status Quo light overtones. The two alternate on vocals, with Ringo singing in a slightly different voice than normal, fitting Home To Us perfectly. Just close your eyes for two seconds and imagine that all four were still alive and working together. That  would have made a very decent single, ranking there with George's 'Handle Me With Care' by The Travelling Wilburys for example. In fact, I haven't heard a better song by Paul than Home To Us since I don't know when. There's a new album in the stars, ‘The Boys O f Dungeon Lane’ and its release date is 29 May.

In The Stars. The Rolling Stones

Yes, I'm a fan since like forever. No not from the beginning. I'm not that old. But let's face it, In The Stars is a tossaway kind of Stones song. Sure, it's nice and the "ooooooo" part does give it a little extra. Yet, I have 'Undercover Of The Night', 'She Was Hot', 'One Hit To The Body' and 'Rock And A Hard Place', to name a few of the average Stones singles already in my collection. In The Stars does not add a lot more. On the positive side. There is a new Stones single and yes, it sounds energetic. Andrew Watt does get the best out of the Jagger-Richard material of the 2020s and Jagger is a 82 year old force of nature. The man must be so fit that not even his voice wears down. The hard life seems to be catching up with Keith Richards. To give the song some credit, the way the song plays out, with the piano coming in, I may take a shine to it any way. The details are nicer than I thought at first. Only two more months and we'll know more about 'Foreign Tongues', including, once again, Paul McCartney.

Arrogant Boy. Deep Purple 

Established in 1968, also Deep Purple is releasing a new album in 2026, 'Splat!' and listening to Arrogant Boy, the band is in top form. The song goes off in classic hard rock, metal, symphonic rock directions as if its the most normal thing in the world. The three from the Mach II line up and most famous one, Gillan, Glover, Paice and keyboard player Don Airey around for the whole of this century, are joined by new guitarist Simon McBride. Together the rock like it is 1970 something. The guitar playing in the verses wasn't invented then though. Think Metallica or something like it. Next, Marillion comes in and a little Bowie in the singing in the "Billy" interlude part. There's so much energy here that it is inconceivable that I'm listening to older senior citizens of around 80. Arrogant Boy is pure power and more importantly, a great song.

Only Free When Sleeping. Big Special

With two records in two years and one stand alone single, the announcement of a new EP by Big Special shows that the band is in a hurry to show more of itself. 'O'Joy' will be out on 5 June. It is said to contain the songs that did not fit on both albums. Those following the band will not be surprised by Only Free When Sleeping. Vocalist Joe Hicklin does his mix of rapping/talking singing in his Midlands accent, while drummer Callum Moloney points the direction of the song through his relentless rhythm. Who does all else that we hear, I don't know. Only Free When Your Sleeping is a strong song, like the best songs of the duo are. There's always urgency that is brought across and not only because of the vocal delivery. The whole song wants its listeners to move and move some more. Yes, it's undeniable, I like Big Special, even if it is a bit outside of my usual musical habitat.

Mess. Tape Toy

Tape Toy debuted on this blog with a single of its EP 'Launch The Rocket' in January 2025. Today the band is back with the up tempo, almost creating a hunted down kind of tempo of Mess. Don't expect originality, as I've heard a song like this so many times before. What Mess does present is a truckload of positive energy, fun and little surprises all throughout the song. The song announces an as yet unnamed album to be released in September. Based on what I'm hearing here, it should be great fun. The mix of a modern sounding lo-fi song with all the modernity electronics and samples can add, presents a song that is simply filled with inventions, additions, weirdness, to return to the kind of art rock bands like The Mo and The Kewi University of Swing were already making around 1980. Then add that tempo and you have Mess. Tape Toy, a band to be on the lookout for.

Just Love. Reluctant Bob & The Lonely Lovers

Just Love is the kind of pure pop that came into fashion a long time ago and somewhere in the 1970s went out again, after bubblegum bands like The Rubettes and Showaddywaddy, who rehashed the feel from the decade before, went out of fashion. I never hear these two examples anymore. The originals from the 1960s still seem to come by and may forever come by when new generations take a look a their grandparents' records collection (or Tik Tok or Spotify of course). That makes Just Love pure nostalgia for a time long gone, but no less fun. Just listen to those guitar notes, the sweet harmony vocals, the way the piano adds to the fun. In a way the song reminds me most of The Rutles, Eric Idle's The Beatles parody. Just Love would have fit perfectly on the album, without parodying a The Beatles song in a superb way. Well done, Reluctant Bob & The Lonely Lovers.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

True. Tenderness

De coronapandemie inspireerde de Britse muzikante Katy Beth Young tot het schrijven van een aantal persoonlijke songs, die nu zijn terechtgekomen op True, het prachtige debuutalbum van haar soloproject Tenderness.

Katy Beth Young maakte samen met Rosa Slade een aantal albums onder de naam Peggy Sue, maar de coronapandemie gooide roet in het eten. De Britse muzikante schreef in haar eentje een aantal songs en deze songs zijn te horen op het onder de naam Tenderness uitgebrachte album True. Het zijn songs met veel invloeden uit de Amerikaanse rootsmuziek, maar de songs van Katy Beth Young hebben ook een Brits en soms wat steviger geluid. In muzikaal opzicht klinkt het allemaal prachtig en dat geldt ook voor de stem van Katy Beth Young, die de wat melancholische songs op True met veel gevoel vertolkt. Het levert een bijzonder mooi album op, dat het op de nog even donkere avonden van het moment echt prachtig doet. Het album had me echt binnen een minuut te pakken met zeer sfeervolle klanken en een bijzonder mooie stem. 

Vervolgens kon ik op zoek naar informatie over Tenderness, want het is een naam die ik nog niet eerder had gehoord. Tenderness blijkt het alter ego van de Britse muzikante Katy Beth Young. Ook dat is een naam die niet direct een belletje deed rinkelen, maar de onderzoeker, schrijver en muzikante uit Londen maakte met haar band Peggy Sue een album dat ik zestien jaar geleden besprak op de krenten uit de pop. 

Peggy Sue maakte uiteindelijk vier albums, maar na het positief besproken debuutalbum verloor ik de band helaas uit het oog. Ik ben blij dat ik de muziek van Katy Beth Young nu weer heb opgepikt, want True van Tenderness is een bijzonder mooi album, dat me steeds dierbaarder wordt. 

Het is een album waarvoor het zaadje werd geplant tijdens de coronapandemie, die het leven van muzikanten tussen 2020 en 2022 moeilijk maakte. Katy Beth Young zat in haar appartement in Londen en begon met het schrijven van songs. De een paar jaar geleden al opgenomen ruwe demo’s werden uiteindelijk uitgewerkt tot de songs die zijn terechtgekomen op True. 

True kreeg concurrentie van stapels andere albums en moet het vooralsnog stellen zonder al te veel aandacht. In de ene recensie die ik van het album ben tegengekomen wordt het een Americana album genoemd. Dat vind ik persoonlijk niet helemaal passen, maar ik heb geen goed alternatief. 

Invloeden uit de Amerikaanse rootsmuziek hebben inderdaad hun weg gevonden naar het eerste album van Tenderness, maar Katy Beth Young heeft er allerlei invloeden aan toegevoegd, variërend van Britse folk tot indierock. Het zorgt ervoor dat True een onderscheidend geluid heeft en dat is in het enorme aanbod van het moment winst. 

Katy Beth Young begon een paar jaar geleden met vrij ruwe demo’s, maar heeft uiteindelijk flink wat muzikanten ingeschakeld voor het debuutalbum van haar project. Gitaren spelen een voorname rol op het album en het zijn de soms wat ruwe gitaarakkoorden die meestal een prominente plek hebben gekregen in de mix, maar op de achtergrond zijn veel instrumenten toegevoegd, waaronder strijkers, synths en een pedal steel. 

Het levert een geluid op dat een groot deel van de tijd vooral Amerikaans klinkt, maar in de ruwe randjes die de Britse muzikante heeft toegevoegd aan haar geluid klinken ook wel wat Britse invloeden door. Ik vind de muziek op True echt heel mooi, maar de stem van Katy Beth Young is nog wat mooier. Het is een krachtige stem, maar de muzikante uit Londen zingt ook met veel precisie en gevoel. 

Dat gevoel heeft een oorsprong, want Katy Beth Young kreeg naast de coronapandemie nog wat meer ellende te verwerken de afgelopen jaren, wat heeft gezorgd voor flink wat melancholie in de songs. Die melancholie wordt nog wat zwaarder aangezet wanneer een compleet koor wordt ingeschakeld, maar ook als de muziek ingetogen is en alles van de stem van Katy Beth Young moet komen grijpt ze je makkelijk bij de strot. 

Een album moet in deze drukke releaseweken een beetje geluk hebben om op te vallen en dat heeft True nog niet, maar wat ben ik blij met dit ontroerend mooie en ook ijzersterke album.

Erwin Zijleman

 

Je kunt True hier luisteren en bestellen:

https://tenderness.bandcamp.com/album/true 

Train On The Island. Aldous Harding

Listening to Train On The Island I get the idea that Aldous Harding is slowly but surely retreating from music. As if she makes herself smaller by the album, vocally and musically. The only other band I know who pulled that off successfully for a few years, was The Walkabouts. That did not turn out well for the band in the end, as it got lost in silence and when it tried to find its way back, there was no audience left to sustain it. Don't worry, Aldous Harding is not there yet.

Enter Train On The Island, the fifth album by New Zealand's singer-songwriter Aldous Harding. I was attracted immediately to the released singles and the album goes down really well with me. But, I can imagine an average listener asking me 'is anything going to happen today?' Yes, it is, but you have to be quiet and pay attention.

(Almost) all is subtlety on Train On The Island. In that Ms. Harding moves closer to the magical environment her countrywoman Reb Fountain creates on her records. The music is slow and so subtle. The rewards are in the little details that are interspersed between the at times elementary chord progressions. The second reward is Aldous Harding's voice that slowly but surely (and softly) mesmerised the listener. All hurry and urgency has left her it seems. The title song is the ultimate example I can give you. This could have been a Reb Fountain song, sure. But the little rewards are in the wizardry that moves in and out of the song, as if she asked Gary Lucas to play like he did on a few songs on 'Grace' and in her background vocals.

I could use all the songs as examples as well, because they all have parts that stand out, if you listen closely. Don't and you will only hear a slow moving album that could even become utterly boring. Train On The Island is an ever so soft album, but to make it come alive it should be played louder in the room or with a headset on. This way it opens up and shows its full colours. Just like half way the album opens up more as well for two songs, defying the quieter parts.

My first impression is that Train On The Island is a far more interesting album than Ms. Aldous previous effort, 'Warm Chris' (2023) and can be placed on the same height as 'Designer' (2019). She worked once again with producer John Parish in Wales, just like her previous three albums. Together they have created a sound that can today be called Aldous Harding's sound and it is a sound I have come to like.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Train On The Island here:

https://aldousharding.bandcamp.com/album/train-on-the-island 

Gaze At The Raisin. The Slow Clock

Is it three years already since 'Interpretative Dancing'? Time flies when life happens and often is fun. A new The Slow Clock album is always something to look forward to. Harmen Kuiper's home project, a modern form of lo-fi, i.e. the concept of recording DIY at home with a far better sound, has a fifth iteration and once again takes me through a whole range of styles, emotions and voices. Once again he works with singer-songwriter Amarins Romkema who assists on co- and background vocals, making the album even more varied in sound.

With Gaze At The Raisin, a pointer to raisin therapy no less, The Slow Clock presents itself as an alternative pop band. No one loving modern acts like Raye or Olivia Rodrigo will recognise the pop in this music, yet it is there. Built up from the rhythm of a drum computer, different kind of songs are presented. Some can be compared to the likes of, here they are once again, Pickle Darling and Carol Cleveland Sings, others have a more pop feel as soon as more estranging elements are left behind in the recording bedroom.

Things on this album start with 1960s (psychedelic) pop. Kuiper is an obvious fan of psychedelic pop tracks of the age. He plays elements from this music over the electronic rhythms. He may turn them inside out and/or upside down, connaisseurs like me recognise these elements immediately. The next level The Slow Clock adds is a more alternative feel. One that makes a pop tune less recognisable. Treat a voice a little electronically, use notes that will make the listener listen again to truly understand what is happening here (or turn them off immediately), bring in electronics. The result is songs that do not bring instant satisfaction but are far more fun to listen to.

At the same time it is clear that a lot of work went into the arrangements of the songs. They all work, have surprising elements or turns and satisfy in the end. Melodies and counter melodies can be found. Elements that usually are not associated with lo-fi music. A laptop and a recording programme offer infinite options just like the most expensive recording studios do. Harmen Kuiper uses all the options modern technique offers him, successfully.

I will refrain from singling out individual songs. It is not so relevant if one songs has a great guitar riff or has a corny synth sound and another seems inspired by Personal Trainer, etc. What the main message is, that Gaze At The Raisin has this pop feel that makes me feel good, while listening to the album. That message should be enough to make you take a listen right now. Too bad though that The Slow Clock only play live shows in Los Angeles.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Gaze At The Raisin here:

https://chinup.bandcamp.com/album/gaze-at-the-raisin 

Misty Mountain. Sophia Yau-Weeks

Sophia Yau-Weeks is een debuterende muzikante uit Oakland, California, maar ze heeft met het echt in alle opzichten wonderschone Misty Mountain een album gemaakt dat geen moment klinkt als een debuutalbum.

Al sinds mijn eerste kennismaking ben ik compleet ondersteboven van Misty Mountain van de Amerikaanse singer-songwriter Sophia Yau-Weeks. Het is nauwelijks te geloven dat ze pas een paar jaar geleden is begonnen met het schrijven van songs, want Misty Mountain is een album van een bijna ongekende schoonheid. De muziek op het album is bijzonder mooi, de productie is prachtig, de songs zijn intiem en stuk voor stuk indringend en dan is er ook nog eens de stem van de Amerikaanse muzikante die je continu in vervoering brengt. Het debuut van Sophia Yau-Weeks was voor mij direct goed voor kippenvel en mijn bewondering voor dit betoverend mooie album is alleen maar groter geworden. Wat een ontdekking!

Mijn rondje langs de nieuwe albums op het Amerikaanse muziekplatform bandcamp zette me bij toeval op het spoor van het debuutalbum van de Amerikaanse singer-songwriter Sophia Yau-Weeks. De teksten waarmee muzikanten zich op bandcamp introduceren zeggen meestal niet al te veel, maar de tekst van Sophia Yau-Weeks is behoorlijk informatief: “Sophia Yau-Weeks is a singer-songwriter based in Oakland, CA. Now back in her hometown after a two-year-stint living in London, Yau-Weeks is releasing her debut record, Misty Mountain. This vulnerable body of work, which was recorded to tape at Tiny Telephone Oakland, is rooted in slowness and introspection. The album was co-produced with Maryam Qudus (SPELLLING, Gracie Abrams, Alanis Morissette)”. 

Wat ik op basis van deze introductie nog niet wist is dat de Amerikaanse muzikante min of meer werd gered door de coronapandemie. Door de coronapandemie ontsnapte ze aan de druk die eerst moest leiden tot een bestaan als een professionele violiste en later moest resulteren in een geslaagde academische carrière. Sophia Yau-Weeks zocht haar geluk in Londen, waar ze haar droom om zich te ontwikkelen tot singer-songwriter najoeg. Het is een droom die is uitgekomen met de release van haar debuutalbum Misty Mountain. 

Door mijn enorme liefde voor vrouwelijke singer-songwriters beluister ik alles wat los en vast zit in het genre. Dat heeft me de afgelopen jaren heel veel albums opgeleverd die me zeer dierbaar zijn, maar ik kom niet vaak albums tegen die me zo betoveren als het debuutalbum van Sophia Yau-Weeks. 

De muzikante uit Oakland schreef de songs voor haar eerste album in een voor haar zware periode, en dat hoor je. De songs op Misty Mountain zijn aan de donkere kant en daar hou ik meestal wel van. De songs van Sophia Yau-Weeks zijn niet alleen donker, maar ook zeer persoonlijk. De Amerikaanse muzikante vertolkt haar songs bovendien met heel veel gevoel, waardoor ze echt keihard binnenkomen. 

De opvallend intieme songs op Misty Mountain worden nog wat mooier door de stem van Sophia Yau-Weeks en voor mij is het een van de mooiste stemmen die ik in tijden heb gehoord. Het is ook een zeer karakteristieke stem, wat de zang op Misty Mountain nog wat mooier maakt, zeker als de stem van Sophia Yau-Weeks in meerdere lagen uit de speakers komt. 

Het is een stem die wordt omgeven door een zeer smaakvolle instrumentatie, die in de basis bestaat uit fraai gitaarspel. De gitaarakkoorden worden gecombineerd met strijkers en met atmosferische klanken van synths, al worden die niet genoemd in de credits van het album. Het is allemaal subliem geproduceerd door Sophia Yau-Weeks en Maryam Qudus, die samen tekenen voor een geluid vol contrasten. 

Misty Mountain schakelt continu tussen breekbare en sobere klanken en beeldende en vollere klanken. het album beweegt zich hiernaast net zo makkelijk tussen echo’s uit het verleden van bijvoorbeeld de Laurel Canyon folk en de psychedelische folk als tussen echo’s uit de indiefolk van het moment. 

Direct bij eerste beluistering werd ik gegrepen en betoverd door het debuutalbum van Sophia Yau-Weeks en iedere keer als ik naar het album luister vind ik het nog wat mooier en indrukwekkender. Het is puur toeval dat ik dit album ben tegengekomen, maar wat is dit mooi. Absoluut een van de mooiste albums van 2026 tot dusver. Ik ben echt diep onder de indruk.

Erwin Zijleman

 

Je kunt Misty Mountain hier luisteren en bestellen:

https://sophiayauweeks.bandcamp.com/album/misty-mountain 

Slow Death Of A Good Girl. Hiqpy

Why this exactly happened is not clear, what happened is. The anecdote is too good to pass up on. A few days ago, I read the review of Slow Death Of A Good Girl in 'Oor'. It was not an undividedly positive review. Hester Aalberts thought many songs on the album to be too long, unnecessarily blown up, etc. It came across a little bit like hype bashing to me, like happened often in the early 1980s in 'Oor', the reason I stopped reading it back then, to return circa ten years later. Up front I have to admit that during the experience below, I was writing a text and not really paying attention to the music most of the time.

Soon after turning on Slow Death Of A Good Girl, I had to agree with Ms. Aalberts for more than 100%. There were these noise eruptions drowning Hiqpy singer Abir Hamam out totally and why every time a song seemed to be over did this male singer come in? For a second I thought: are there two albums playing at the same time? But somehow it seemed to fit and I was intrigued by the way this music unfolded (while not paying true attention). There would definitely not be a review, that much was certain.

When I had finished writing the text, I wanted to go downstairs to have lunch and switched off Spotify. The aggressive music and singer continued and I still have no clue what it was and why it was playing. I must have clicked on a link or something that started playing by itself. Listening to Hiqpy alone later that same day, gave me a totally different experience and left me wondering about Hester Aalberts' review, as under the current circumstances, I'm not hearing what she heard.

But what do I hear? Hiqpy became a hype because the band was gathering positive reviews, interviews in newspapers and magazines before a single song was released, all based on live shows and a few songs played lived on radio shows. That period was expanded way beyond what any other band would consider commercially smart. Well into 2026 that album is finally there, with a fear of having waited too long, expectations rising too high. Not for me, as I managed to forget about the band with ease and then read the album is there, so started listening.

Based on a first impression, it's clear the wait was well worthwhile. Slow Death Of A Good Girl is a solid, at times even huge album. There was time and finances involved that allowed the album to be as big as it is. With a producer, Danton Supple, of name and fame (Coldplay, U2, Elbow) on board, nothing was left to circumstance and luck. The sound is of a stadium performing band. Hiqpy will not have the routine for that yet and will have to build its name further.

Hiqpy is, besides singer Abir Hamam, guitarist/singer Vincent ter Velde, bassist Tom Radsma and drummer Kasper de Boer. The first three started the band during their student days at the Amsterdam conservatorium. Drummer Kasper joined later. From there things went fast and slow.

The band that springs to mind most for me, is Wolf Alice. The music is quite compatible, as is the singing of the two ladies involved. This U.K. band could be a nice example for Hiqpy. Build a fan base and make each next album one step up the ladder and with each tour move into a bigger venue. Hopefully, Abir Hamam is able to grow with the venues, where Ellie Rowsell appears to have a hard time adapting. Based on what I'm hearing now this could be a feasible scenario.

Where I have a harder time, is that after several listening sessions, still not a single song has stuck in my brain. Don't get me wrong, I like what I'm hearing but where is the recognition that usually is there after two, three listening sessions? And I'm far further than that. This makes me wonder if Slow Death Of A Good Girl is a must have album for me. I will give it some more time, but have not bought the album yet.

So, at the end of the day, I am somewhere in between. Hiqpy has produced a huge album, that as far as I'm concerned is not bothered by an unnecessary "peacock tail", to quote Ms. Aalberts. In its genre it is a great sounding album, but are the songs as good as they seem? Time will tell, but there is reason for a slight doubt. On the other side. Despite liking Wolf Alice's first two albums, including a great live show in Melkweg, I only became a real fan with album three and four. I still cannot sing a single song from the first two. In other words, there is more than just hope for Hiqpy.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

Mountaineer live with The Amelie Spinks Trio. De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam, Friday 8 May 2026

Photo: WdN-vdB

I seldom travel by bus between cities but when a band plays in De Nieuwe Anita in Amsterdam I can travel almost door to door on one bus. Once again Mountaineer held its album release party there and once again I was surprised by how weird the stage set up is and by how friendly the environment of the venue is.

Mountaineer, the band around Amsterdam based singer-songwriter Marcel Hulst, released its third album early April. You can read my review here: https://wonomagazine.blogspot.com/2026/04/country-dragon-mountaineer.html. Again it is a listening experience that is rich, relaxing and soothing. Also, it is far more professional in sound than ever before.

The band on stage was a seven piece with familiar and new faces. The pedal steel guitar and Mellotron synthesizer were additions that enhanced the music and translated the studio sound into a live situation. Having studio owner Diederik van den Brandt (Aidan and the Wild) as lead guitarist, also made quite the difference. A deeper country feel has come into the sound of Mountaineer because of it.

I would not call the songs of Mountaineer country, but the music is steeped in Americana of all sorts. All these elements taken from singer-songwriter, folk, indie, country, etc. translate into Mountaineer songs. Soft-spoken, melodic, modest, honest songs that demand listening. At home and live. The fact that the stage manager and sound man of De Nieuwe Anita took it upon himself to demand quiet before the support act started, said enough (and that he did not trust the audience). "If you want to talk, go into the bar area, set nicely apart", he told the audience. The Dutch disease was mostly absent this night, but in general I've noticed of late that WHO has succeeded in quelling the epidemic over here. It took a long time though.

Mountaineer was totally on top of its game. The songs sounded great, the sound mix was perfect and the  audience close to if not totally devoted. This was all fans, friends and family and it showed. The new songs were very well received and hearing 'Ohio' once again perfect bliss. I will say it again, Mountaineer is a band deserving a far wider audience. The final song brought the release the band obviously had fun with getting to. A true climax to a perfect evening.

Photo: WdN-vdB

Yes, a perfect evening with The Amelie Spinks Trio opening for Mountaineer. A new name to me and I found a very international band. Amelie herself sported a Flying Nun t-shirt. I noticed traces of a Down Under accent in her voice, the two together hinting at New Zealand. With Swedish contrabass player Anja Gottberg and guitarist Adrian Bifano she plays a very, very quiet form of folk, slowcore, singer-songwriter, country, indie kind of music. Music that takes dedication to listen to. Mission accomplished as the audience was won over one song at a time. It was just beautiful what the three shared with us. Some originals and some covers from a recent covers album, called 'a girl of constant sorrow', the trio released. During the show, I was trying to think of comparisons. That brought me to Drugstore, a long since gone trio from the U.S. supporting Jeff Buckley in Nighttown but also Low came to mind as did other artists I simply forgot the names of.

Comparisons galore perhaps, but that took nothing away from the experience in De Nieuwe Anita. The Amelie Spinks Trio has got its act together and quite obviously impressed the audience that had mostly come for another band. That shows that things are moving in the right direction for them.

Finally, once again, we had to leave for the last bus but did not really want to leave. The DJ of De Nieuwe Anita had us moving. I may have been the only one dancing that was around when most of the oldies played were released and was dancing to the other ones from the 1980s at the time of release. DJ Barry Stiletto has all the original singles and obviously loves playing them for a far younger audience. And for my Karen and me. For next time, there are night buses now. We just have to cycle first, so that we don't have to walk the rest of the way home.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Mountaineer's albums here:

https://mountaineer-music.bandcamp.com/album/country-dragon 

And The Amelie Spinks trio here:

https://ameliespinks.bandcamp.com/album/a-girl-of-constant-sorrow