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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.
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.
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 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.
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'.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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