Finer Things. Clover County

De Amerikaanse band Clover County had de pech dat haar debuutalbum verscheen in een week met heel veel grote releases, waardoor het werkelijk uitstekende Finer Things helaas wat is ondergesneeuwd.

Er is niet heel veel geschreven over Finer Things van Clover County. Dat is niet alleen jammer, maar het is ook best bijzonder. De band rond zangeres A.G. Schiano heeft immers een album gemaakt dat een breed publiek moet kunnen aanspreken. De mix van vooral folk en pop met hier en daar een beetje country klinkt bijzonder aangenaam en dringt zich makkelijk op. Het is de verdienste van de warme klanken en de prima productie, waarna de mooie stem van de frontvrouw van de band het debuutalbum van Clover County nog wat verder optilt. Het heeft hier en daar wel wat van Kacey Musgraves en dat zou genoeg moeten zeggen over de kwaliteit van dit album.

Finer Things van Clover County verscheen eind september in een week met krankzinnig veel interessante nieuwe albums, waaronder albums van een aantal persoonlijke favorieten. Ik heb destijds daarom maar half geluisterd naar het debuutalbum van Clover County, maar recentelijk kwam ik het album bij toeval weer tegen. Bij de hernieuwde kennismaking was ik eigenlijk best onder de indruk van het album van de band uit Athens, Georgia, en dat ben ik nog steeds. 

Clover County is de band rond zangeres en muzikante A.G. (Amanda Grace) Schiano, die voor de productie van het debuutalbum van haar band een beroep deed op Carrie K, die ik eigenlijk alleen ken van het uitstekende debuutalbum van Maggie Antone. Het album van Maggie Antone is een album dat zo lijkt weggelopen uit de jaren 70, maar het debuutalbum van Clover County is een album dat met beide benen in het heden staat. 

Bij beluistering van Finer Things had ik vrijwel onmiddellijk associaties met de muziek van Kacey Musgraves en ik ben zeker niet de enige. Dat ligt niet direct aan de zang op het album, want de stem van A.G. Schiano lijkt niet echt op die van Kacey Musgraves. De stem van de frontvrouw van Clover County betovert misschien net wat minder dan de engelenstem van Kacey Musgraves, maar ook A.G. Schiano beschikt over een hele mooie en licht bedwelmende stem, die op zijn mooist is wanneer ze fluisterzacht zingt. Het is een stem die Finer Things voorziet van een aangenaam laidback en behoorlijk verslavend karakter, dat steeds lastiger te weerstaan is. 

In muzikaal opzicht zit het debuutalbum van Clover County wat dichter tegen de albums van Kacey Musgraves aan. Finer Things bevat flink wat invloeden uit de country en met name de folk, maar deze invloeden zijn overgoten met een subtiel laagje pop. Daar moet je gevoelig voor zijn, maar ik omarmde de warme en sfeervolle klanken op het album echt onmiddellijk. 

Zeker als het laagje pop wat subtieler is maakt Clover County redelijk pure Amerikaanse rootsmuziek, maar ook in dat geval vind ik het meer popsongs dan rootssongs. Ik beschouw dat overigens als een compliment. Het luistert allemaal bijzonder lekker weg, maar A.G. Schiano staat ook voor kwaliteit. De Amerikaanse muzikante heeft het debuutalbum van haar band niet alleen voorzien van sfeervolle klanken en mooie zang, maar ook van zeer aansprekende songs. 

Het zijn songs die me inmiddels bijna allemaal dierbaar zijn en steeds dierbaarder worden. Zeker als A.G. Schiano wat extra gevoel toevoegt aan haar zang en op de achtergrond ook nog een pedal steel opduikt, zoals in het fraaie Blue Suede Eyes, dat meerdere verwijzingen naar Elvis bevat, pakt Clover County me echt volledig in en heb ik in dit jaar zonder nieuwe muziek van Kacey Musgraves een perfect alternatief gevonden. 

Het is jammer dat het debuutalbum van Clover County is verschenen in een week waarin de concurrentie moordend was, want Finer Things lijkt wat ondergesneeuwd door al het muzikale geweld eind september. Het is doodzonde, want A.G. Schiano laat op het debuutalbum van haar band horen dat ze een groot talent is. Liefhebbers van Amerikaanse rootsmuziek die niet vies zijn van een randje pop of hier zelfs een zwak voor hebben, moeten absoluut eens luisteren naar dit uitstekende album.

Erwin Zijleman

To Be Continued. ER Jurken

What a strange band name, ER Jurken. Now jurken is in Dutch the plural of jurk, meaning dress. Musically, the band reminds me of a lot acts, but I still have not really gotten my head around what. On top of all this, I've played the album multiple times in just a few days, so enough reasons to delve in a bit deeper.

E.R. (Ed) Jurken is the name of the artist. So, it is not a band but a solo artist. To Be Continued is his second album, after the release in 2021 of 'I Stand Corrected'. I'm not familiar with this album, but this one is going down really well. Jurken goes back to a time when bands wanted to write pure pop songs. Here and there I hear The Kinks in abundance, but combined with a U.S. country feel not unlike Midlake presents or Wilco with a 100% pop intent.

It is even more in the singing that I am triggered the whole time but my brain just doesn't find the answer so far, except that the harmony vocals bring me back to Midlake circa 20 years ago. The outcome is very varied songs, somewhere in between pop/rock and ballads. Enough of that, let's focus on To Be Continued.

ER Jurken plays songs that go to my brain immediately. Hundreds of songs and albums paved the way for this one to hit straight home. Because that is exactly what To Be Continued did, so I noticed. This album combines the best U.S. and U.K. pop music has to offer. Somehow it is a perfect amalgam. To perfect the music, Jurken brought in three members of Chicago's powertrio Junegrass, Ben Brazil, Grant Engstrom and Jack Schemenauer on bass, guitar, drums and percussion, his friend Jonathan Kult on piano and worked with Paul von Mertens who wrote the arrangements for the horns and violins. On top of this all are the heavenly vocals of Jurken and especially when he starts to harmonies with himself. At least my guess is that by far if not all the the layered vocals are Ed Jurken. The result is an exquisite experience to listen to.

Within a few days To Be Continued has made me an addict to the album. I just have to put on the album again and again. It has been a while since an album has made such a great impression on me. Experience teaches me that quite often an album like this may fizzle out soon after, but there are certainly very positive exceptions to this rule. Time will tell which way To Be Continued will go but in the mean time I'm going to enjoy it for the whole of the ride.

As I already wrote, the album is so varied. It can rock rather hard, like in 'Mighty And Concealed', and still have that flowing almost floating vocals. But also listen to how the lead guitar's solo mixes with the string section. This is something else. There is the light pop of 'I Do', with a country twang added for good measure. The pop ballad 'Morning Paper' is another example of variation. Again that singing is there. Musically, the album is top already but the harmony vocals are the extra layer making the album so much better.

I was totally taken by surprise by To Be Continued, as I started listening without any form of expectation. Within a few songs I knew I was in for a treat, for something special. ER Jurken managed to keep that expectation in place until the very end.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order To Be Continued here:

https://erjurken.bandcamp.com/album/to-be-continued-2  

 

Farewell, Golden Earring (2)

Today we continue with the list where we left you at number 11. Today I consider the following songs my favourite ten Golden Earring(s) singles.

10. Sleepwalkin' (1976)

!976's album 'To The Hilt' was my first Earring album and the two singles my second and third Earring singles. Sleepwalkin' is one of these songs that make me wonder whether the crediting of songs to Hay/Kooijmans is justified. The bass riff in the background and Zuiderwijk's typical drumming and short solo's are such an integral part of this song, that a credit ought to be justified. This is more than just arranging, to my ears at least. There's more of that coming up below. This song is a driving force but it is more. It has a symphonic rock element as well. My take is that for the interludes the band listened to Genesis e.g. Besides that, there is the great sax solo of Bertus Borgers who played with the band for decades. This is some great musicianship and Robert Jan Stips, who would leave the band and later surface in The Nits, taking his moment. Another number 5 hit for the band.

9. That Day (1966)

That Day is Golden Earrings' second single. As the studio's in The Netherlands and the people operating them were all sub par, the band went to England to record in the Pye studio. The result is history, as Golden Earrings broke big with the song. Reaching number 2 for five weeks, behind 'Michelle', one of my least favourite The Beatles songs, the band became a famous pop band. A piano is the main instrument on That Day, played by Aad den Dulk, a friend of drummer Jaap Eggermont. The vocals are a joint delivery of Krassenburg and Kooijmans. What changed is the "steenkolen Engels". It looked like some people took lessons after 'Please Go'. Does perfect pop exist? I don't know but this sure sounds like it. At 17 George Kooijmans could already write a fantastic pop song. As an aside. Golden Earrings was a five and later a four piece, but so many songs had a prominent keyboard. That is rather strange, isn't it, for a band without a keyboard player. It would take years for the band to become a rock band. The beat/pop band was extremely good though.

8. Bombay (1976)

As I already wrote, Golden Earring experimented a lot. With Robert Jan Stips gone it was joined by former Cuby + Blizzards guitarist Eelco Gelling and that led to the sort of injection The Rolling Stones had with Mick Taylor. The guitar work on this single is truly exquisite. Who plays what, I don't know, but there are so many parts and riffs flying around it's almost impossible to keep up. I've liked this single from the day I heard it first, right up to this day. The eastern influence was brought in by Gelling, Bombay by Hay who lived in India in his earliest youth. Only number 7? Yes, and just I can't understand it.

 

7. Going To The Run (1991)

The last really big hit of Golden Earring is the ballad Going To The Run about a Hell's Angel. A friend of Barry Hay who crashed his motorbike, turned into a fantastic song. The chorus sung by Hay and Kooijmans is one of the finest in rock history. Despite playing in cover bands for well over 30 years, this was the first Earring song we've played, with my current band Sweetwood. And it got voted out last year. The remaining one is 'Rader Love', that we mastered after a lot of practising. With Going To The Run the Earring showed how good its ballads can be. One of the very best songs of the band ever.

 

6. Back Home (1970)

Enter Cesar Zuiderwijk, exit Sieb Warner. In a matter of months the band had totally reinvented itself and entered the stage with a real rock song. Heavy riffing and Barry Hay getting into his own. Finally he is the rocker that his voice is best equipped for. Of course, there is the flute played by Hay that is a remnant of times soon gone. With Back Home the band was right on top of the times as bands like Deep Purple and Black Sabbath were scoring their first hit in the same year. Just two years previously the band scored its first number 1 single (not in this list) and the two could not be further apart. The transition is in a way incomprehensible. Back Home is so loud and rough. The audience must have loved it as it was number 1 for five weeks with five weeks at number 2 around the 1 position. It makes Back Home Golden Earring's biggest hit by far. Did the old fans follow? I simply can't imagine they did. This then fourth grader did though.

We approach the first five and here it becomes really hard. On any day it could well be that a song could be in a different position but I think this is about accurate where I am concerned. Golden Earring(s) has produced several great songs but these five certainly are on top of all the others. Two of the songs were the band's claim to fame internationally. When I bought a compilation album in 1977 in Australia called 'Immortal Hits', it contained one Golden Earring song (and one Focus, 'Hocus Pocus'). We all know which song that is of course. The songs were all from the Polydor label, but still, Australia! Travel through the U.S. and you will hear the song regularly, just like Shocking Blue's 'Venus' by the way. Golden Earring is a pop/rock icon, globally. That ought to have had far more international hits, but alas.

5. Twilight Zone (1982)

Twilight Zone is the band's fourth number 1 single and built around a great riff. Sort of out of nowhere the band was really big again. Originally meant for a George Kooijmans solo album but added to 'Cut' that was supposed to be the band's final album. Come today we all know how that went. Again, a global hit was scored but again that could not be followed up, unfortunately. With Twilight Zone the band was able to combine two worlds and sort of reinvent itself. Twilight Zone without a doubt is a rock song, but it is also very danceable and has a lot of sounds that will sound familiar to U.K. postpunk/new wave bands. The Dick Maas video clearly catered to the demands of MTV. We are 44 years down the line but this single is still as strong as it was on its release day. Remember my comment on credits. Just listen to that bass riff and tell me your view.

4. Radar Love (1973)

When we had the intro, that was supposed to be a drum intro, we had created our own Beethoven's Fifth, said Cesar Zuiderwijk recently in an interview. The intro was thought up by bassist Rinus Gerritsen. Radar Love is one of the best rock songs ever of course. Iconic. The kind of song millions of people will recognise right at the first note played. A road song ideal for driving into the distance and within seconds you're speeding as well. As I wrote above, how can this be just written by two if the contribution from the rhythm section is so huge, including the iconic opening riff? What Cesar is doing here is composing on drums. Without his drumming in this way, the song would not half have the power it possesses and the same goes for the bass part. Rinus Gerritsen is a killer bass player! Some guitar parts were played by Eelco Gelling, who was not yet a member. Radar Love was the band's third number 1 hit.

3. She Flies On Strange Wings (1971)

This single/song is nothing less than a mini rock opera. For the life of me I can't understand that this was not a worldwide number 1 hitsingle. In fact, it did not go beyond number 4 here. It has everything you want great songs to have, split over an a and b side as the band refused to make a single edit. As I once wrote a whole post on this song, I'm going to refer you to it. Before I do, that bass player!

https://wonomagazine.blogspot.com/2021/11/a-classic-rock-giant-she-flies-on.html

 

2. When The Lady Smiles (1983)

When The Lady Smiles is Golden Earring's fifth and final number 1 single. Released one year after 'Twilight Zone' and meant as the continuation of the international success. But because of the video being pulled out of rotation by MTV, we will never know what it could have achieved. By attacking a nun on a tram in the video the band sealed its fate. That the perpetrator, Barry Hay's version of Van Kooten and De Bie's character 'De Vieze Man' ('The Dirty Man'), is severely punished further on in the video, is a subtlety that went by the puritan Americans. And us, Dutch? We just saw a great video accompanying an even greater song. As that is what When The Lady Smiles is for certain. This song has so much energy, can be danced to, has a host of guitar lines, and a chorus that is beyond superb. The only element I was not a fan of, was the 'Johnny and Mary' style solo at the end. George Kooijmans has played so many far better ones. The verses hold the tension that the song needs, so that the release in the pre chorus and then the chorus makes its point double and then triple. This song has the absolute wow factor.

 

1. Just A Little Bit Of Peace In My Heart (1968)

George was married to Melanie Gerritsen for 56 years. Melanie is bassist Rinus' sister, while their brother Rob for decades took care of finances for the band. A family band in a certain way Golden Earring was. But, in 1968 she broke up the relationship. George was heartbroken and must have decided to write one of the ultimate love songs ever to win her back and succeeded. They married soon after. Still called Golden Earrings, he went into the studio and came out with this masterpiece that reached number 2 behind The Cats' 'Lea'. In a way this is the least Golden Earring(s) song of all in this list, as the song has drums and bass but is carried by the orchestra arranged by Frans Mijts. Full blasting horns and loud violins! Listen to the end and you will find that bass sound already that would become a signature of Golden Earring a few years later. Kooijmans plays an acoustic guitar on the song and is pouring his heart out, to quote a later single. For me this was an earth shaking song. Together with 'Hey Jude', 'MacArthur's Park' and 'Eloise' it showed a third grader the power of music. There would be more songs at that level through the decades but very, very seldom better. For a short time, George Kooijmans was the lead singer of the Earring(s) on the singles before the band finally found the modus that would make Barry Hay the star he remained for well over five decades. Here George is shining like never before and never after. It goes to show that heartbreak leads to the best songs.

 

Summing up. The Earring will be there for my whole life as the songs will be there forever. Longer than I will live. Cover bands will keep the songs alive for some time to come. It's impossible to say what my truly favourite Earring(s) period is. I love the singles from the Earrings period. The rock period in the first half of the 70s is great, just like several singles from the early 80s. In the past days I played the 'Devil Made Us Do It' box repeatedly and found music at such a consistent level, even from the periods I thought I liked less. The box set is an altar for the music of Golden Earring(s). Should a song like 'Where Will I Be' be in this top 25? Yes, probably. Tomorrow this list may look different, for now this is it. What I can conclude, is that I like George sung songs the best in general, but without Barry's voice it would never have worked for so long. They were a golden tandem, just like Cesar and Rinus were. Together they were and are the best Dutch rock band ever.

Golden Earring is no more. At the end of this week the farewell shows are over. The music is there and I am sure going to enjoy it for some time to come.

Barry Hay seems prone to retire on Curacao, but Cesar is active in music, e.g. with Sloper and Rinus has become the bass player in the revived Supersister, with my neighbour from down the street Leon Klaassen on drums.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

Farewell, Golden Earring (1)

When guitarist, composer and singer George Kooymans announced that he was suffering from ALS and could no longer play, that spelled the end of the best Dutch rock band after an adventure that lasted for circa sixty years. Kooijmans died during my holidays last summer.

This January The Earring's three remaining members play five farewell shows in Rotterdam's Ahoy venue, for circa 15.000 people each evening, accompanied by a host of guests, celebrating a career with a host of highlights. With more demand than available days. I'm not there but will pay tribute to the band that was there for my whole life, from the moment I acknowledged music as more than a song that was put on by somebody else. The first song I can truly remember is 'I've Just Lost Somebody' in the spring of 1968. I think that a song like 'That Day' must have been there subconsciously, as I can not remember having heard it for the first time. To compair e.g., 1967's 'Sound Of The Screaming Day'. I know I did not know it when it charted, as it was on a compilation record I got as a present circa 1972 and it was a new song for me then.

In one of the very first WoNo Magazine's in 2001, yes 25 years ago, I wrote an article on the topic everyone has his or her own Golden Earring, as the band already existed for so long, that whole generations of popfans will have gotten acquainted with the band in a different era with a different song and backtracked from there. It also implies that the band will have sounded differently to everyone. Until the band more or less became a rock formula from the mid-80s onwards. Before that, it followed trends closely and reinvented itself multiple times and often very successfully. 

So for me that start was 'I've Just Lost Somebody', followed by the rather lame 'Dong-Dong-Di-Ki-Di-Gi-Dong', the band's first number 1 hit of five, but one the whole band later wanted to forget about. The next single is the one that made a huge impact on me, 'Just A Little Bit Of Peace In My Heart', a song that deserved to be number 1, but was beaten by The Cats' 'Lea' and that other rock mini-opera, 'Eloise' by Barry Ryan. Songs that were stamped into my young boy's brain and remain favourites to this day.

So many hits followed, the string went on well into the early 2000s. As far as albums are concerned, I am far less enthusiastic. If I had to mention my favourite, it would probably be decided between 'To The Hilt' and 'Grab It For A Second', the latter a total flop compared to the money poured into it. Somehow, it is the one that I did play for more than a few times (but long ago at that). Truthfully, I have far too many Golden Earring albums, but glad to have them anyway. The singles though, most are good and some are so great.

To honour Golden Earring(s) I am going to dive into the singles and present my favourites here, in two goes. Before we start, Golden Earring(s) released its first single in 1965 and the latest in 2019. I missed the first years and some early singles I only got to know because of the four cd compilation 'The Devil Made Us Do It'. The same goes for much after 1991, when I had lost interest in the band. Most albums from 1982's 'Cut' onward, I do not possess. As I have no albums before 'Eight Miles High' and neither all right after.

Here, we go, a countdown from 25 to 1. I'll admit to being "lazy" by deciding not to go for that one pearl on an album that I might have overlooked. These are all (hit)singles.

25. Say When (2019)

In 2019 the band released what proved to be its last single. It is not a final blast but certainly a worthy goodbye. The band rocks like it can and all the members have their moment. Rinus Gerritsen plays a mighty bass, Cesar Zuijderwijk lays the firmest of foundations and the guitar (overdubs) are all over the place and almost absent. The two singers do what they have done for decades, blending their different voices like they should. Barry Hay is himself. George Kooijmans' voice has clearly aged.

24. Another 45 Miles (1969)

If I remember correctly, this is the single in which the 's' was dropped from the band's name and the first where Barry Hay plays his flute. All of a sudden a lot of rock bands had a flute, which stopped again after 1970. The lyrics to this song are a 'Radar Love' avant la lettre. Also here in this mostly acoustic single the driver is looking forward to coming home. Sung by George Kooijmans it means that the song has a different vibe from the more rock led Barry Hay songs. The bass is deep and almost nasty. Released as a stand alone single the reach to number 3 in the Top 40. It was also the last and only single with drummer Sieb Warner who would leave the band in 1970. Drummer Jaap Eggermont left after the first U.S. tour to become a world renowned producer, e.g. Stars on 45. His last single, 'Where Will I Be' does not "chart" here.

23. Hold Me Now (1994)

The song received its iconic status as it was the encore in what has proven to be the final show of Golden Earring in Ahoy 2019. One they barely sold out at the time. Again, a George Kooijmans sung ballad. By 1994 I was turned off the band, so it never made a real impression on me. Like the rest of this country the song grew on me over the years, with a spot in this list as a result. Almost 30 years after 'Please Go' the band still scored a number 11 hit.

22. No For An Answer (1980) 

A song that did not make it into the Top 40 but one I've always liked. The band is rocking in a fairly uncomplicated way, straightforward with a chorus that is instantly recognisable and singable. Just like the guitar solo is a standard one and so nice. Singers Barry and George blend at the right moments, but Barry leads here. I truly can't understand why this did not chart. It should have.

21. Moving Down Life (1978)

The only single from 'Grab It For A Second', the Jimmy Iovine produced album that nearly flopped. It may have been a little too much of an American direction, while the songs as such certainly are not bad, as this single shows. It is a good rock song, where the band does what it was so good in. To my ears it sounds like the Earring should sound. 1978 however was not a good year for rockbands that were around for several years and with this album the band was not in sync, the Earring just behind the sign of the times. That may explain it. In 2026 this is classic Earring alright. It only got to #27 in the charts.

20. Quiet Eyes (1986)

The single with four different sleeves portraying each member solo. I have two of them and still on the look out for the others. The 1980s were a dark and often dismal affair musically. Quiet Eyes plays into this mood. It is a dark single for Golden Earring. The other side is that the band is able to write golden choruses and Quiet Eyes is no exception. Of course that typical bass sound is in the background and there is a warm Hammond organ accompanying the band. The song made it to number 9.

19. Buddy Joe (1972)

A single from the time the band was still experimenting by the song and Buddy Joe is no exception. With a sitar the intro and later playing the main riff Buddy Joe is very different. The same goes for the rhythm guitar. The pace is great though and Cesar is playing his signature drum fills, that would make him the best drummer this country has. The way the song is approached has a certain lightness because the way the guitars are played and mixed. It only gets its toughness in the verse with its muted guitar chords. Listening to the song in 2026, it is a lot better than I remembered it to be. With a number 4 position Buddy Joe was another big hit for the band.

18. Kill Me (Ce Soir) (1975)

I remember the song only as being called Ce Soir at the time. Perhaps the Kill Me was added for the English market. The song is so brooding. That made it really different from all the songs I knew at the time. It was a song I immediately liked. The darkness is everywhere on this song and yet it has this great pace that starts to shine through more and more as the song progresses. The violins made it different as well. Barry Hay is really shining here. 'Switch', the album, was the first with Robert Jan Stips, formerly (and now again) of Supersister, on keyboards. It reached to number 5.

17. In My House (1967)

The first of four Golden Earrings songs in this list. A song I was too young to know at the time and only got to know in the year 2000. I understand that it was mostly written by Rinus Gerritsen. It is a great pop track that has two faces. The pop rock and the mildly psychedelic interludes. It works great. The song is led by a piano and the solo is an organ both played by non-member Cees Schrama. Also it has to be noted that the band's composition is totally different. The singer is Frans Krassenburg and the drummer Jaap Eggermont. This would be the last single with Krassenburg, before Barry Hay entered the band. He can be proud of this final single though. It is a great pop song and got to number 10. All singles that charted after In My House for ten years all would be top 10 hits with 'Bombay' as the final one.

16. Long Blond Animal (1980)

The second representative of the album 'Prisoner Of The Night' here and its first single. At the time I was not convinced of the quality of this song, but that has definitely changed. This is a rock song that forever goes forward. The kind of song this band was so good at. It has a great little riff in between the lyrics of the verse. The "ah-ah" part is no doubt an explanation that the song kept growing in popularity. Barry Hay is shining in another rock song. The division between the two singers is mostly clear. The song did not make it beyond #19.

15. I've Just Lost Somebody (1968)

Here's the song that I remember as the first Golden Earrings song that I remember. A beautiful ballad with a lot of strings and a spinet or something like it. The song was written by Rinus Gerritsen although co-credited to Kooijmans. It was the last single with Gerritsen's name under it. Kooijmans took over and later Hay would be responsible for most lyrics. This song is so full of pining for a lost girlfriend and the music underscores it in a perfect way. That spinet (?) plays all the right sad notes, the dreamy vocals do the rest. It reached the charts twice. Number 8 in 1968 and number 13 in the "Naked" live version in 2005, forty years after the first chart position!

14. Slow Down (1981)

The only cover in this list. The band added Slow Down to the list of its second live album, '2nd Live'. It shows that Golden Earring was a great rock and roll band as well. Sounding a little like The Kinks did on its 1980 live album 'One For The Road'. Most likely a nod to the band it was before it charted first in 1965. I always liked this version of the Larry Williams song, as it is so utterly rock and roll. The single never charted. Why, I have no idea. I'm the proud owner of the single.

13. Weekend Love (1979)

Sort of out of the blue Golden Earring scored another big hit, hitting number 3. Kooijmans wrote and recorded the song at home and the demo never really got better in the studio, so what we hear is mostly the demo. The reason for the hit is obvious. Weekend Love is the kind of earworm that just never leaves you again. The end is not the strongest but by then the song has long made its point.

12. Holy Holy Life (1971)

The first Golden Earring single I bought. Most likely at a discount. I remember it premiering in 'Avro's Top Pop'. This was some pretty heavy shit alright. The double tracked riff is one of a killer kind. Golden Earring shows to be one of the great classic rock bands with this single. It is a logical follow up to 'Back Home' and is almost as good. The number 5 position was far too low for a great single like this. It was by the way, again a stand alone single. It also has a great ending, inspired by Small Faces, I'd say, but well before 'Stay With Me', Faces biggest hit was released.

11. Please Go (1965)

The band's first single and hit from 1965 and definitely one deserving to be in this list. Don't listen to the English, as it does not make a lot of sense. The pop feel is there however and is simply really infectious. At the time there was a fifth member, Peter de Ronde who plays the harmonica and guitar and can be heard on background vocals. Nobody was happy with the recording but it was released anyway and made the name for the band as it was in the charts for 20 weeks with #10 as peak spot. Although I got to know the song far beyond 1965, it has become one of my favourites because of that great pop feel.

Read on tomorrow when we continue with the top 10.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

Bang. Iona Zajac

De Schotse muzikante Iona Zajac speelde eerder met The Pogues, maar levert nu met Bang een buitengewoon indrukwekkend, indringend en bloedstollend mooi visitekaartje als solomuzikante af.

Bang van Iona Zajac zou ik zonder een tip van Spotify waarschijnlijk nooit hebben ontdekt, maar het is in zeer korte tijd uitgegroeid tot een album dat ik wil koesteren en de rek is er nog lang niet uit. Bang is een overwegend donker klinkend album, maar het is een album vol dynamiek. De muziek van de Schotse muzikante kan hier en daar uitbarsten, maar ze is ook niet bang voor zeer ingetogen folk. Het past allemaal prachtig bij haar stem, die niet alleen mooi en bijzonder is, maar ook over heel veel zeggingskracht beschikt. Het voorziet de songs op Bang van een bijzondere sfeer en lading, die alleen maar bijzonderder wordt wanneer je het album vaker hoort. Wat een droomdebuut.

In december werd ik zeer aangenaam verrast door een aantal bijzonder trefzekere tips van de tot op dat moment teleurstellende algoritmes van Spotify. Het zorgde ervoor dat ik mijn selectie voor deze week heb omgegooid. 

Eerder week besprak ik het werkelijk prachtige This Might Effect You van het Britse St. Catherine’s Child en vandaag is het de beurt aan Bang, het debuutalbum van Iona Zajac, dat minstens net zo mooi en bijzonder is. Iona Zajac is een Schotse muzikante, die in het verleden op het podium stond met The Pogues, maar met Bang haar eigen plek in de spotlights opeist. 

Het debuutalbum van de muzikante uit Glasgow intrigeert vanaf de eerste noten. De openingstrack Bowls opent met een langzame maar diepe percussie, waarna de stem van Iona Zajac invalt. Het is een mooie en ook wat donkere stem, die mede opvalt door de bijzondere zanglijnen. Langzaam maar zeker worden gitaren en synths toegevoegd en doet de Schotse muzikante er steeds een schepje bovenop in haar zang, wat een bezwerende track met een heftig slot oplevert. 

Bang heeft gedurende elf tracks een bijzonder geluid en houdt je een kleine drie kwartier aan de speakers gekluisterd. In muzikaal opzicht klinkt Bang vaak wat donker en dat wordt versterkt door de stem van Iona Zajac. Het doet me af en toe wel wat denken aan PJ Harvey, maar deze vergelijking gaat zeker niet altijd op. 

Bang is het debuutalbum van de Schotse muzikante, maar het album klinkt niet als een debuutalbum. Iona Zajac laat op Bang een eigenzinnig geluid horen en het is een geluid dat in alle opzichten kwaliteit ademt. De muziek op het album heeft vaak iets beklemmends, maar de vaak subtiele maar ook af en toen uitbarstende klanken op het album zijn ook bijzonder mooi en laten wat mij betreft een zeer onderscheidend geluid horen. 

Het is een geluid dat prachtig past bij de stem van Iona Zajac, die zowel ingetogen als wat expressiever kan zingen en de bijzondere sfeer van de muziek op het album versterkt. De intense zang van de muzikante uit Glasgow voorziet haar songs van een bijzondere lading en die wordt nog wat versterkt door de persoonlijke teksten, die hier en daar dwars door de ziel snijden. 

Bang is door de vaak wat donkere klanken en de intense zang af en toe best een heftig album, totdat Iona Zajac op de proppen komt met een uiterst ingetogen folky song en vervolgens nog wat meer indruk maakt met haar stem. Door de grote verschillen in de muziek en de zang is Bang een album vol dynamiek en een album met hier en daar flinke spanningsbogen, maar het debuutalbum van Iona Zajac is ook bloedstollend mooi en angstaanjagend intiem. 

Ik heb het album niet opgemerkt in de releaselijsten, maar een deel van de Britse muziekpers vond het album wel en strooit terecht met superlatieven voor een album dat als een mokerslag aan komt. Ik was altijd wat sceptisch over de tips van Spotify, maar met Bang van Iona Zajac heeft het een album getipt dat zonder enige twijfel in mijn jaarlijstje gaat terecht komen. En ik weet zeker dat ik dit groeialbum dan nog wat mooier en indrukwekkender zal vinden dan nu al het geval is.

Erwin Zijleman

 

Je kunt Bang hier luisteren en bestellen:

https://ionazajac.bandcamp.com/album/bang-2 

Can't Take My Story Away. Elles Bailey

With Elles Bailey we welcome a new name to the blog. The English singer-songwriter released her sixth album this year, excluding two live albums, since 2017. All the previous efforts passed me by and that changed recently.

On Can't Take My Story Away Elles Bailey shows a few sides to herself. With a voice well west of Four Roses' commercial saying "nothing's changed really", she takes us down a soul, country(rock) and blues adventure. In several songs this all comes together. The record starts with that voice. It almost has the grit that Janice Joplin used to have and Bonnie Raitt should wish to have. Musically I would connect the latter singer with Elles Bailey. The way all the genres are somehow connected is not unlike the albums I know by Raitt.

That is why in my opinion Can't Take My Story Away will be associated with the U.S. far sooner than the U.K. Everything ms. Bailey presents here has its origin in U.S. musical culture. She has mastered it all and made it her own signature.

For years, I am a fan of Swiss-American singer-songwriter Beth Wimmer. The start of this album reminds me a lot of several of her songs. Her voice is sweeter, as is her approach to the songs. It is all in the vibe of the two artists where the similarity lies. I can Beth easily hear singing the title song or 'Growing Roots'.

Photo: R. Blackham

Where the use of instruments is concerned, Elles Bailey obviously has a wider budget. The use of the horns, the warm sound of a Hammond organ, it all gives the music a broader sound, which brings soul songs of Aretha Franklin or 'Dusty In Memphis' to mind. Elles Bailey without a doubt uses the past for her music but in such a way that most songs have an urgent feel and fit perfectly in the 2020s. I have no way of knowing whether this music will attract young people to shows or mainly grey haired men and grey women at the roots of their hair.

I must admit that towards the end of Can't Take My Story Away, I have heard enough. For now I blame myself, as this music is somewhat towards the fringe of my musical tastes. All before that moment is consumed with pleasure. Elles Bailey has made an album that has a great sound and her voice is almost one of a kind. It's certainly enough for now.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

2026, Week 4. 10 singles (2)

Because of the ladies' singles special edition of earlier this week, here's the second new singles edition of this week. Again, there is a very diverse set of songs and artist to explore, so enjoy!

New Leafs. The Reds, Pinks and Purples

The Reds, Pinks and Purples so far is Erwin Zijleman territory as those following this blog will recognise. Recently this single reached me and I decided to give it a chance. New Leaf is a nice indie ballad, that is built around a riff played on an acoustic guitar that just goes on and on and on. On top of it this gentle song is played with on top of that the soft, almost whispering voice of The Reds, Pinks and Purples' front man Glenn Donaldson. Despite the chords changing in the chorus, that riff does not. The other instruments do. it could be a piano playing a few notes, a raging slide guitar mixed deep into the background, like a thunderstorm in the distance, or an electric guitar. The bass and drums provide the solid ground for the others to play around that one riff. Beautifully done and full of atmosphere.

Marathon. Maria BC

Listening to Marathon, the title track of Maria BC's upcoming third album (27-02), the sentence "I've got a good reason, for taking the easy way out", sprang into my mind. The quote from The Beatles' 'Day Tripper' is appropriate, as darkness was enveloping me from all sides. In 2023 I reviewed a previous single, called 'Amber'. It made me think of a church song. Marathon does not, the artist's name of course does. If Maria was 13 or 14 when she gave birth to Jesus, as some say, I can only hope for her that her thoughts were never a bleak as this Maria BC in 2026 portrays. Marathon is somewhere between dark sounds and song, with Maria BC singing over it with a high voice. I can't make out any words though. Dark guitar chords put themselves as a pillow over soft piano notes. They rise even more when the singing starts. Like a prisoner in a too small cell, the music wraps itself around her voice. And then I make out the word "afraid". This is some dark music, folks.

Panacea. Celine Cairo 

In September 2021 Erwin Zijleman reviewed Celine Cairo's album 'Overflow' and was obviously very enthusiastic. With Panacea she returns to the music front. Panacea is a very cool sounding song. It is as if everybody is holding back to not show too many emotions. The result of this restraint is that Celine Cairo's voice starts to glow more and more. The instruments wrap themselves around her in a very organic way. The lyrics speak of undertow and counterflow but also that her head is above water now. Luctor et emergo set to music. Although Celine Cairo is a new name to me, she has multimillion streams on Spotify and performed with the Metropole Orkest. With her new single she is announcing her upcoming album also called 'Panacea' It is scheduled for 18 June.

Dr Love. Would-be-goods

Dr. Love is a single with the length of a mid-60s pop song. It has the melancholy feel of a French sigh girl song from the age but not the poppy innocence songs of the age had. The melancholy feeling is so much deeper. This is the expression of a grown woman and Jessica Griffin is, with issues almost no 17 year old singers, nor their 27 year old songwriters experienced then. Griffin returns to the record releasing world with this second single of the Would-be-goods new album 'Tears Before Bedtime'. Dr. Love is a bittersweet song that reminds me of the time when songs were just fun, while putting my two feet firmly on the ground in the here and now. Like a wake up call pulling me back into the real world. That will not stop me from listening to Dr. Love and dream a little anyway.

Designed To Lose. The Twilight Sad

When did I listen to Big Country for the last time? A very good question that popped into my head listening to Designed To Lose for the first time. I really wouldn't know. It may well be decades. The Twilight Sad does not use that guitar as if a bag pipe sound, but the guitars do have that high sound. To add to the feel, there is the Scottish accent of the singer, even if it's light. The band produces an 80s feel on this single, including the gloom that comes with the territory. When I read that the singer of The Twilight Sad battles with mental illness, the comparison I've just made becomes rather scary. To end on a positive note, the band will release its new album on 27 March and it is called 'It's The Long Goodbye'.

I Wish You Well. Mylo Bybee

As reported late last year, Mylo Bybee is from Boise, Idaho and on route to release an EP called 'Revisions' on 20 February. After 'Time Machine' this is the second time the band finds itself on WoNoBlog. With I Wish You Well the band shows two sides to itself. Between the loud intro and second half of the song, the band shows that it is able to contain itself. The two sides make for interesting listening, like enjoying that wild bass guitar parts that go on in the background and the drummer who wants to escape the whole of the time, until he can finally lead the way in the second half. Mylo Bybee is really playing with the fabric of the song. No, this single has not succeeded to convince me for 100%, but only by trying can one become better and reach the goal. For now I Wish You Well is certainly good enough.

Second Time Around. The Spackles

Okay, Spackle McKraken will not be invited to sing in a Bach choir (sorry, if this is your ambition). His voice works like a miracle for a song like Second Time Around though. The Spackles return to the blog with a fine, up tempo garage rock song in which the guitar of Marie Slurrie plays fast chord changes and progressions. The kind of song that puts a smile on your face if you are a fan of an uncomplicated rock song like Second Time Around is. Energy is there the whole time and there is a quieter interlude, in a 2.04 minutes song, which makes for an intriguing change. A short breather for everyone, except for Ms. Slurrie who keeps the chords flying, chugging her guitar along, preparing for a fiery solo as well. Last week the band released its new EP, 'Music For Blockheads'. You can hit me with that rhythm stick alright.

Against The Dying Of The Light. José González

Sweden's José González is on route to release his fifth album, with the same name as this single. Release date, 27 March. It is possible to be extremely short on this song. González is his soft-spoken self. His music is totally unobtrusive, soft like a murmuring brook in a forest. An acoustic guitar, a bass and very soft drumming over which González sings, double tracked and harmonious. If you put the song on, you better pay attention as it is over before you know it. If you do, there's more than enough to enjoy in between all that modest playing.

 

Bored. Melanie Baker

In December Melanie Baker made her entrance on this blog for the first time with her singe 'Sad Clown' and she is here again already. With Bored she presents the same mix, alternative rock like Hole, some slacker diction, explosions in the choruses. Again, the mix works really well. Baker may be going after a married woman who is the woman of her dreams. From there the story develops, unapologetic in lyrics and music. The music has this bouncy quality that potentially may make festivals explode, if she manages to a) get there and b) finds a way for people to get to know the song before the festivals. Bored will work really well here. Two singles underway and what I'm hearing sounds great. 'Somebody Help Me, I’m Being Spontaneous!' is set for release on 10 April.

Sorry Eyes. Pictish Trail

Pictish Trail, or Johnny Lynch, can be found on this blog with three albums, the latest from 2022, but not a single single. That is taken care of today. With Sorry Eyes, Lynch presents a very electronic song, where warbling synths hurtle over each other, creating the layer that makes the song more than a man with his guitar lamenting a lost love. In fact, together with producer Mike Lindsay (Tungg, LUMP) Lynch seems to have stripped away most of the original song as it must have been conceived at home and rebuilt it into what we hear on Sorry Eyes. The result is a song with so many details, that it may well be that someone will hear an unheard detail during the 1000th listening session. The electronics give Sorry Eyes an 80s feel, the rest of the song that of a timeless ballad. An intriguing mix. Album 'Life Slime' will be released on 10 April.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

Lightning Might Strike. Juliana Hatfield

Juliana Hatfield brak door in de jaren 90, maar gaat naarmate de jaren vorderen steeds betere albums maken, wat ook weer op gaat voor het deze week verschenen en echt uitstekende Lightning Might Strike.

Concurrentie had Juliana Hatfield, want bijna niemand brengt twee weken voor het eind van het jaar een nieuw album uit. Het is goed nieuws voor de fans van de Amerikaanse muzikante en dat is een groep waar ik mezelf zeker toe reken. Juliana Hatfield had ooit het patent op gruizige indierock, maar ze verwerkt inmiddels wat meer invloeden uit de pop. Het klinkt allemaal bijzonder lekker, zeker als de Amerikaanse muzikante ook nog harmonieën toevoegt, maar wat zijn de songs van Juliana Hatfield op Lightning Might Strike ook goed. De Amerikaanse muzikante heeft inmiddels een imposante stapel albums op haar naam staan en dit nieuwe album hoort absoluut bij de betere albums.

Ik had eerlijk gezegd geen interessante nieuwe releases meer verwacht nu het einde van het jaar snel nadert, maar een album van de Amerikaanse muzikante Juliana Hatfield is altijd iets om naar uit te kijken. Mijn eerste kennismaking met Juliana Hatfield stamt uit de late jaren 80, toen ze de band Blake Babies aanvoerde, maar mijn liefde voor haar muziek werd pas echt groot toen ze in de jaren 90 soloalbums ging maken. 

Juliana Hatfield was in de jaren 90 niet de enige muzikante die stevige gitaren combineerde met bijna lieflijke zang, maar ze behoort wat mij betreft tot het allerbeste dat de door vrouwen aangevoerde indierock uit de jaren 90 heeft voortgebracht. Objectief maakte ze haar beste albums overigens in het huidige millennium, met In Exile Deo (2004), Made In China (2005) en het onder de naam The Juliana Hatfield Three gemaakte Whatever, My Love (2015) als persoonlijke favorieten. 

Niet alles dat de Amerikaanse muzikante de afgelopen 25 jaar heeft uitgebracht was raak, zo heb ik wat minder met de albums die ze uitbracht met songs van Olivia Newton-John, The Police en E.L.O, maar albums met eigen en nogal politiek getinte songs als Weird uit 2019 en Blood (tot mijn grote verbazing niet besproken op de krenten uit de pop) uit 2021 waren juist erg sterk en moeten ook worden gerekend tot haar beste werk. 

Heel veel jonge vrouwelijke muzikanten uit de indierock van het moment hebben zich stevig laten beïnvloeden door de muziek die Juliana Hatfield met name in de jaren 90 maakte, maar zelf is ze de afgelopen jaren wat opgeschoven in de richting van een meer pop en rock georiënteerd geluid dat eerder aansluit bij muziek uit een verder verleden dan bij de indierock van het moment. 

De muzikante uit Massachusetts, die haar voormalige thuisbasis Boston inmiddels heeft verruild voor een plekje op het platteland, werkte twee jaar aan het deze week verschenen Lightning Might Strike, waarbij ze werd geholpen door een bassist en een drummer, die van afstand hun bijdragen aanleverden. De rest deed Juliana Hatfield zelf, inclusief de harmonieën. 

Lightning Might Strike is getekend door de ziekte en het overlijden van dierbaren van Juliana Hatfield en is een album met het (nood)lot als centraal thema. In tekstueel opzicht is Lightning Might Strike (de broer van haar moeder werd op jonge leeftijd door de bliksem getroffen) een wat somber album, maar de songs van Juliana Hatfield klinken meestal behoorlijk opgewekt en dat is dit keer niet anders. 

Zeker op haar vroege albums klonk de stem van de Amerikaanse muzikante nog erg meisjesachtig, maar de zang op Lightning Might Strike is echt uitstekend en heeft nog altijd het uit duizenden herkenbare geluid van Juliana Hatfield. Hier en daar hoor je nog flink wat flarden van de muziek die Juliana Hatfield in de jaren 90 maakte, maar Lightning Might Strike klinkt wat minder gruizig en sluit bovendien wat meer aan bij de popmuziek die vanaf de jaren 70 wordt gemaakt. 

De muzikante uit Massachusetts liet op al haar recente albums horen dat ze een gelouterde en uitstekende songwriter is en ook op haar nieuwe album schudt ze de ene na de andere memorabele popsong uit de mouw. Ik gaf eerder al aan dat Juliana Hatfield in het huidige millennium haar beste albums heeft afgeleverd en Lightning Might Strike past qua niveau prima bij haar andere recente albums.

Erwin Zijleman

 

Je kunt Lighting Might Strike hier luisteren en bestellen:

https://dekrentenuitdepop.blogspot.com/2025/12/review-juliana-hatfield-lightning-might.html 

Her Favourite Disguise. The Melancholy Kings

The Melancholy Kings is a totally justified name for the band. From the ten songs on Her Favourite Disguise the strong liking of music from quite long ago just oozes. Liking music from long ago is one thing, creating a career in the 2020s around is another. Those who follow this blog know that for many bands it is a necessity to write and play songs based on what came before and play it today. Most members of these bands have tried in the past, never made it big and return to the front now that life (and finances) allow them to do so.

What strikes me often, is the quality with which this love is paired. A lot of these bands are good. Sometimes even better than the originals ever could play. There's one difference. The impact on me cannot be the same. I do not have fresh ears, only older ears recognising the influences. That does not go to say that the new albums are not good. Far from that and at that quite regularly as well. Just don't expect me to hear a new 'Pictures Of Lily', 'Waterloo Sunset' or Lazy Sunday'.

The Melancholy Kings from New Jersey are Mike Potenza (vocals/guitar), Scott Selig (bass), Paul Andrew (drums) and Peter Horvath (guitar). Together they rock within the blend of early 90s bands like Gin Blossoms joined by 60s influences from the likes of The Who and The Kinks. You can hear that Potenza has studied Roger Daltrey's phrasing right in the opening track, 'Six Feet Down'. The use of the organ bring the 60s even more directly into the whole. What 'Six Feet Under' shares with the listener is a undisguised surge of energy. The Melancholy Kings wants to grab your attention and in my case succeeded.

Photo: Carlo Cipriani

Next song is 'Victoria', which I reviewed in week 47 last year. The song grabbed my ear, just like the opening song did now. This is also the point where I leave you with Her Favourite Disguise, because nothing I can write will stress what I've already pointed out to you. Right up to the end the band shares the fun of playing its songs, even when the tempo goes down. If you like your music from close to 60 years ago, you are bound to like Her Favourite Disguise.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Her Favourite Disguise here:

https://melancholykings.bandcamp.com/album/her-favorite-disguise 

2026, week 4. 10 singles

Last Sunday we had a special edition of the weekly singles post. Today we go back to regular with a list of singles that have been mostly released this year. Already the list presented to me is so long and I like too many of them. Blue Monday is coming up. Nothing better to stop feeling blue than good music, sunny days that show that the days are already getting longer a little and okay, playing 'Blue Monday' itself. I'm lucky enough to have the original 12" for over forty years already. Enjoy this week's selection!

Loss & Loneliness. Seb Zukini

Looking back on past posts, I saw that Seb Zukini was first on this blog almost four years ago, together what would become Tramhaus' first 7" single, 'Karen Was A Punk". From that moment onwards the band's lines diverged considerably. Where the Rotterdam band toured around the world a few times, Seb Zukini remained fairly obscure. Listening to Loss & Loneliness the Groningen band certainly deserves more attention. The band's latest song is so full of power. The song has a brilliant build up. The way the bass comes in simply sets the song on fire. That is how to play with dynamics in a song!  At the same time this is a different Seb Zukini from before. Frontman Sebastiaan Kusters is surrounded by a new line up, but shines like ever and maybe even a little more. Loss & Loneliness is a very good, 90s influenced rock song.

Let's Be Loving. Beth Wimmer 

Usually I don't review singles that are released after the record they are on has been reviewed. To make room for new singles and give them the attention they deserve. There's a special reason, that I do anyway here, besides the fact that an artist making a sympathetic song like Let's Be Loving deserves attention always. It is exactly what this single is. Beth Wimmer has written a warm song about love, "time is precious, so let's be loving now". Beth Wimmer can be as direct as this in her songs, as fans have learned through the past years and this song is no different. Country tinged, thanks to the warm tones of her partner Mike Bischof, the song shows that Beth Wimmer is a singer-songwriter that ought to far better known than she is. This is a great song in its genre. Now, about that good cause. Beth's cat needs a medical treatment and she asks for your support. You can do so here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/bethwimmer.

Tripping Out On Love/Let's Kiss And Makeup Tonight. Muck and the Mires

A 7" single by Boston garage rockers Muck and the Mires. Always in fear of becoming a pastiche, the band never does. For that the band takes it music to serious. Even if there's a musical quote hidden somewhere in a song, it is the sound of the band. This single shows two sides of the same coin. Tripping Out On Love represents the rock side of the band. The band rocks like it is the second half of the 60s and sounds like no band could at the time. Little heart shaped pills are all over the video, a nice entendre to another love pill. Let's Kiss And Makeup Tonight shows the other side of a relationship and of Muck and the Mires. This is the more poppy side of the 60s, like 'Glad All Over' was for example. Tough, but pure pop. Muck and the Mires show that it is a band at the top of its game. It always delivers.

Live 2024 - 2025. And They Spoke In Anthems 

Last spring a car stopped in front of our house and from it more instruments, gear and cables were schlept than I ever could imagine one artist to bring with him. After a few hours of putting it all together, a living room show was presented that those present will not easily forget. Arne Leurentop, as the artist behind And They Spoke In Anthems is called in daily life, mesmerised the circa 20 people (and sold many a record afterwards). Recently, he released a mini live album from a benefit show played in 2024. Without the intention to record it. The sound man had any way. You can listen to it for free but are requested to donate to a good cause. This cause closed at the end of last year (I now read), but I'm sure you can think of another good cause. Listening to a recording is not the same as experiencing Arne Leurentop playing up as close as I were lucky to see/hear, but it is definitely second best, because his songs are so beautiful and mesmerising.

Excuse Me. Heavenly 

 '74/75' and Excuse Me are both songs that look back with loads of nostalgia to a time that is long gone. Twenty years for the former, maybe 40 years for the latter. I am not a nostalgic person. Yes, it was fun but it still is today, only different, even doing things I was not able to do, like playing music myself. So, sometimes even better in several ways. Heavenly has reformed and will release an album 'Highway To Heavenly' on 27 February and do an extensive tour. Four original members have come back on board with a new drummer. What I have heard so far, makes me pine for what I may have missed at the time and look forward to what I am about to hear. Excuse Me is a track that is very much alive with a punky attitude and an alternative pop feel. Heavenly compares Excuse Me to the first The Undertones album. I can understand why but have to point out that the age difference is apparent, but that is perfectly okay. Excuse Me is a strong track, with a great beat and feeling for things that came and went. We're all still here and that is something to rejoice for certain.

Artificial Stars. Ultrabomb

Made up out of former members of Hüsker Dü, Soul Asylum and Social Distortion, it makes it a good guess what the average age of the Ultrabomb members is? It will not be 20, 30 or 40 and most likely not even 50. Whatever the average is exactly, the outcome is an energetic powerpoprock song that lights up these artificial stars the band sings about no little. The band has released a few albums this decennium and will release its new album 'The Bridges That We Burn' in April. Ultrabomb is a trio, Greg Norton, Derek O’Brien and Ryan Smith. You will hear that Smith overdubbed some guitars, but the basis is a powertrio that goes for it in the way powertrios should. Drums and bass are very present and the guitars are everywhere. I always perceive a difference between U.K. and U.S. trios, the latter are somewhat smoother in sound, no matter how much noise they produce. Ultrabomb is no different.

Cut Glass Hammer. Memorials

A song named after an artwork by Yoko Ono? Now that is intriguing. I never got further than seeing the outside ad on a museum wall in Frankfurt when driving by in a tram from the train station on route to a project kick off near the old harbour, with no time to have a visit. What I'm listening to is an electronic pop track, that makes me think of 'Are Friends Electric' or 'Cars' by Tubeway Army/Gary Newman. Cut Glass Hammer is only slightly less straitjacketed. The vocals are a little more frivolous or loose, however you prefer to describe it. Memorials, previously members of Electrelane and WIRE, consists of Verity Susman and Matthew Simms and wil release its album ‘All Clouds Bring Not Rain’ on 27 March. It is announced as as a very experimental album, so it must get a lot wilder/weirder than this single. This is gefundenes fressen for lovers of circa 1980 electropop. You are allowed to think The Human League as well.

Undertow Afterglow. Kurt Baker

To think that I, Dutchman, was on the guestlist of Kurt Baker in Tokio in the fall of 2023 by way of Geoff Palmer who than played guitar in Baker's band. Alas, the confirmation never reached me because for some reason I was unable to acces my WoNo account. in Japan. It just wouldn't open, until I got home. I would not have heard this extremely pleasant poprock track, as it didn't exist yet. Undertow Afterglow, besides making me think "undertoad" immediately thanks to 'The World According To Garp', is such a nice song. The positive riffs fly into my ears, not ever wanting to leave again. The vocal melody is totally upbeat. Baker gives me the idea that we are all back in high school pining for our first love, that for some have and for others did not happen. Bittersweet is the right word, were it not that decades later it is taken in as great fun. That is exactly what Undertow Afterglow is. And, mr. Baker, my apologies for not showing up. I would have loved to be there.

Rainbow Cardigan. The Corner Laughers

A new name to the blog, The Corner Laughers is. Had I been asked to say where the band comes from, I would have said the U.K./England. Wrong, the band is from northern-California. On Rainbow Cardigan it weaves pop with folk and indie. It is totally upbeat from the get go and grabs the listener by way of positive vibes and this positivity shines through for the whole of the musical ride. Although the song has a melancholy side to it, it looks back to a time in the past, it makes the sun come out and puts a pleasant tan on our skin and warms our bones. I had never heard of The Corner Laughers before, but I can assure you more is welcome in the future. Patience until March is called for when 'Concerns Of Wasp and Willow' will be released on Big Stir Records.

In Your Ocean. Iron & Wine

Iron & Wine, aka as Sam Bean, is an act that I have passed up on quite often in the past few decades. Bean's music somehow most of the time is just outside of my interest, while his music is quite close to musicians that I do like. Today it's different. In Your Ocean is a positive sounding pop track that appeals to me. Please do not ask why, as it just is. The vocal melody brings U.K. vibes to me, think The Hollies of the 1960s. Iron & Wine has really tapped into a musical vein from long, long ago. With an organ as on 'Marrakesh Express', there is Graham Nash again, and vocals that bring to mind a myriad of bands from long ago. That is more than enough for me to like In Your Ocean, a lot.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

Beyond Wires. Golden Hours

Today we present a little more darkness. Golden Hours obviously was inspired by gothrockers from the 80s, including tie-ins to bands like New Order and The Cult, while adding a lighter sounding guitar that lets light into Beyond Wires regularly. The mix works extremely well. It even leads to songs that are quite danceable, at least at the time that I frequneted dance evenings a long time ago and "the bats", Robert Smith hair, dark clothes, shoegazing, mixed with us dancers with less extreme if not exclusive, dance appetites.

Golden Hours only debuted on this blog late December in the singles section and I realise to know nothing about the band. Beyond Wires is the band's second album, yet we are not focusing on new kids on the block. The members have histories in bands like "Gang of Four, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Tricky, The Fuzztones, and more", to quote the bio. That is extremely diverse. From this wide mix comes Golden Hours, a band with many different sides to its goth. Of the members, based in a few European capitals, Hákon Aõalsteinsson, Wim Janssens, Tobias Humble and Rodrigo Fuentealba Palavacino, the first two are responsible for the vocals. Of course, you will be able to hear the difference, but both sing from that starting point of this band: goth.

It is all happening around the voices that make the band far more attractive for a listener wanting to listen to more than just darkness. That may lead to the loss of "bats", but to be honest, I haven't seen many of them since the summer of 1987. Why that was, is a totally different story, but let me suffice to write that it was in that summer our then crown prince, now king, entered Leiden's university and elite student club and how that affected the membership and outlook of all the other student clubs.

Promo photo

Personally, I have always liked the mix in music. Slowly but surely I was leaving behind my 1970s heroes. No, that is wrong. I started to add bands to the roster, but mostly singles. At the time there were very little albums that impressed me as a whole. My body, dancing, was won over first before my brain, listening. I learned to dance, to let go and that was possible with 'A Forest' or 'Pale Shelter' and 'Burning Down The House (live)'.. etc.

Beyond Wires brings elements from that era but that is only part of the story. It is the singing that put me on the goth track. When listening deeper, I started to notice all the other elements. This band allows a lot of light in, through the sound of the guitars, that have a nice reverb to it. Also, there can be a different shade of darkness with New Order synths woven through or underneath the fabric of a song.

When listening to 'Heading For The Moon', I wondered whether I would like a whole album by Golden Hours. That questions has been answered with a wholehearted yes.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Beyond Wires here:

https://goldenhours1.bandcamp.com/album/beyond-wires