Posts
Not Around Anymore. Broken Social Scene
With the title of its upcoming album Canadians Broken Social Scene make a jump towards a time where A.I. has replaced us. 'Remember The Humans', 8 May, points out the paradox the A.I. creators share constantly, that they are about to wipe out humanity but forge on nonetheless with developing A.I. Single Not Around Here Anymore puts the dot on the i, should we not have gotten the message. Musically, the single reminds me of the mid 80s jazzy folk episode with bands like Everything but the Girl and Working Week. What this band adds, is some more modern, albeit laidback grooves and atmospherics. The result is a pleasant single that allows Broken Social Scene to make its debut on WoNoBlog.
The solo project of ex-Metz' Alex Edkins keeps putting fun singles out. The 2.02 minutes long Might See You There is no exception. It is a punkrock track with a great pop feel, as Edkins is able to put this feel into his vocal melodies, that simply invite singing along to. It is built on a pop tradition of ages. Singer Julianne Riolino adds the female voice that makes listening to Might See You There even more pleasant. Of the song Edkins says to have been listening to The Undertones a lot. Now that is a band that evolved quite a lot over its four albums (before its hiatus), but I can hear where he's coming from. Punk and pop was written all over the band's first two albums, with 'Teenage Kicks' as absolute highlight. Might See You There is not that good, but absolutely so nice. Album 'Hoopla' will be out on 1 May.
After releasing a few singles, here's the whole four track EP. Steve Geraci is the front man of a band called The Tear Downs but made this EP with producer Dave Westner, who plays the keys, drums and bass. Geraci himself plays guitar and bass. With the title song, the EP starts with a rock track that is a neat version of rock. Neat as in, it doesn't fly off the road nor cuts corners. Neat as in a golden melody and a lot to like. It opens the door to the EP wide. Geraci and Westner brought their scissors to 'Voice In My Head' and show they can rock a bit more dirty, with a great rhythm on the drums and stop-start guitar and bass work. As I wrote last year, the name springing up is Dan Baird and in this year it still is. I'm sorry to say, to quote Steve Geraci in 'Paradise Lost', it is not for me. The song does not come alive for me, although that sax, that could be taken from a Spandau Ballet song, does its utmost. Everything is alright again with the punky 'Save Yourself', that for me is the prize song of There Goes The Neighborhood. It rocks and is extremely sleazy. In 1977 it would have come with a free safety pin and all.
Had ik geweten dat Cloud, wat ik verstond, Claude was dan had ik misschien niet naar dit nummer gaan luisteren. Maar het is inderdaad de nieuwe single van de man die Nederland vertegenwoordigde op het Eurovisie Songfestival in 2025. Eb en Vloed is een lekker pop nummer dat aansluit bij muziek zoals die gemaakt wordt door een Amerikaanse band als The War Against Drugs, maar dat met a) een enorm shot pop en b) de mystiek die vaak te horen is bij een band als De Toegift. Claude speelt met alle drie deze onderdelen, geassisteerd door producer/co-schrijver Jeroen van der Voort. De derde schrijver is Arno Krabman. Zoals bij The War on Drugs heeft het nummer die enorme drive voorwaarts. Het tempo is niet zo zeer enorm hoog, maar laat je de hele tijd voorwaarts denken, als het surfen op een draaikolk. Ik ben prettig verrast door dit nummer van Claude, die overigens op een enkel woord na, volledig in het Nederlands zingt. Ook dat zette mij daarom op het verkeerde been. Cloud, eh, Claude, onthoudt die naam.
There is a lot to write about Pain. How short it is, 1.45 minutes. The video could have been the set up of photo shoots of which each individual photo could go into a museum. More importantly, is the conclusion that it is a beautiful, serious song. In the past I have never been attracted to Janne Schra's music. It was just not made for my ears. Today I'm writing about a second single from her upcoming album, 'Work Out'. Pain is a bittersweet song, that mixes resignation and expectation, but above all is so warm. That warmth comes for an important part from the electric piano and from Janne Schra's voice. There are also some very nice details in the arrangement. The more you listen, the more details come forward. Pain is a beautiful song.
Canadian band Metric is on route to the release of its tenth album, 'Romanticize The Dive', 24 April. The new single announcing the album rang a faint bell. Metric? Searching the blog I found two albums, one from 2012 and one from 2015 (and a solo album by singer Emily Haines reviewed in 2017 by Erwin Zijleman). After that silence on these pages. What to expect of a new single? In short, a pleasant pop track with an electronic angle. Singer Haines has a voice like I mentioned recently in GUNMOLL's debut album, including a reference to Danish band The Astroid Galaxy Tour. All together that makes for a pleasant listening experience. Metric does not rock the boat in any way. It wants to please and succeeds.
It took the music world a while but protest songs are totally back in fashion. Now leave it to Dropkick Murphys to lead the punk pack. No nice Irish folk punk, uilleann pipes or tin whistles here. The band around singers Al Barr, who seems to have gotten out of hiatus for this song, and Ken Casey is angry and lets the world know it is, loud and proud. There is no holding back, pointing to scumbags and all. The song is one fast flow of anger oozing out of band and record. It's time more artists start speaking their minds as to all appearances democracy in the U.S. is in peril. "May you live in interesting times", is a famous Chinese quote. Well, at times things are becoming too interesting to my taste. Dropkick Murphys, sing loud, sing proud and I'll wear my hoodie from 2001 in support.
More noise, but this time from Germany. The Aschaffenburg band KANT puts itself in the heavy psych rock niche and I can totally live with that. It takes a few seconds before the band takes off, where the tempo of the drummer already leaves no doubt where this song is going. The rest of the band is taking its time. KANT loves punk as much as heavy psych. The difference is the psychedelic effects on the guitars. Qualm is a song that brings the two sides together. This is a song that will invite one part of the fans to get into the moshpit while the others can move their heads up and down on the side and back of the venue, move on the spot and sing along. KANT knows exactly what it is doing and what effect it wants to reach. This tastes like more, but I understand Qualm is a 7" single only.
What to make if 'Camp Song', one half of the single with 'City Lights' that both announce Lucky Break's debut album 'Made It' (8 May)? It is a short song, like the big hits around 1965, 2.30 minutes. The U.S. singer-songwriter, presents a song that can be played with an acoustic guitar around the campfire in the woods of Michigan where she wrote the song. What I hear, is a track that has a modern drumbeat and a wide arrangement in which a lot of things happen, especially in the choruses. Some sounds are easy to determine, others a bit harder. The combination makes for a song that has something of a singer-songwriter country song and an alternative twist. 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.
In 1979 The Cure released it's first album and one of the tracks, later re-released as single, is 'Boys Don't Cry'. 47 Years down the line the band gets an answer from a Belgium band correcting them. 'Boys Cry Too', is the name of The Haunted Youth's upcoming album (8 May). The single of the album has the uplifting title Deathwish. The music does not give that impression, unless its tempo suggests the equivalent of driving a car at full speed into a wall. It just may, listening to the chaotic end. The Haunted Youth goes at it like the siren rock of Big Country's signature song 'In A Big Country' and adds a relentless pace. The Belgian band sounds familiar because of this but because of the power it has put into Deathwish totally convinces. What the role of Mark Fry is in this song, I don't know. I do know this is not the Mark Fry who featured on this blog last year with 'Not On The Radar. The Demos'.
Wout de Natris - van der Borght
