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Unentertained. RubinCarter
Anyone who ever listened to Bob Dylan's 'Hurricane' knows who Ruben Carter is. Chances are alternative rockers RubinCarter took the second part of its name from the U.S. boxer who was or was not guilty of murder. The band formed around Queen's Pleasure drummer Sal Rubinstein. Just like in former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, a songwriter and guitarist was hiding inside of Sal Rubinstein. Judging by single Unentertained, his talent as a songwriter must have been bursting at the seems. Unentertained is a stark rocker with a strong melody, vocally and musically, with a pop element that invites singing along to. RubinCarter makes his debut (on this blog) with a strong musical statement. There's an EP underway, release date 24 April backed by a live presentation in Cinetol on 25 April.
With One Stop Aldous Harding returns to this blog with a mysterious new single, that holds a complete change of everything to boot. John Cale has a mention in the lyrics, "eating rice". The music evolves around a few small changes in the chords, played by a piano, acoustic guitar and a sparse bass. It is almost stern the way it is played. Over it Aldous Harding sings with a voice that hovers over the music, at times almost dreamy to change back to being very present, including harmonising with herself. And then it happens, everything changes. The rug is pulled from under the song and its listeners. Rhythm is allowed in, as the guitar gets strummed and a drummer joins. The vocal becomes more improvised it seems and for the final seconds, a second, electric guitar joins, before all is faded out. Album 'Train On The Island' will be out on 8 May.
The second new name this week is The Woggles. Musically, the band takes yo back a decade or six. Love Tick is a great psychedelic rock song like they used to make them in the 1960s. This song rocks in a great way, with a fiery guitar tandem and a great, to the point solo. The organ that meanders throughout the song continuously gives the song both an authentic and a warm feel. Believe it or not, the music of the Woggles took shape during the pandemic. When will we hear the last song from that short period of time, that we have all but forgotten about or so it seems? As long as a song is as good as Love Tick I can't complain too loudly. This is a really good rock song. There's an album coming up, 'Stop And Take A Minute', also released on 8 May.
The Mono Kids from Eindhoven are moving up in the world, as its latest single Speeding Up Faster is released through the U.K.'s Dammit Records as part of its 'Dam-Nations (mix tape)'. Of course The Mono Kids do what they are good at. The duo plays punk rock and roll and if necessary in overdrive. Speeding Up Faster does the title right. It's over before you know it. Michel is singing as if he had a bad meal earlier that evening. The words spew truly powerfully from his mouth. The drums are whacking like they should: rhythm and major filling up musical space all at once. The distorted guitar does the rest. What the listener is left with, is the sense of an electrical shock to the brain and with the sheer need to play Speeding Up Faster again and again and again.
In the summer of 2025 Ape Hangers returned after a long hiatus with the EP 'This Is It'. Come spring 2026 and the band is back with a new single called She Comes Again. Once again the band hits the nail on the head. Pete Sjostedt (guitars/vocals), Bob Kiah (bass/vocals) and Dennis McCarthy (drums) present a grunge ballad that both has a touch of tenderness in it and a bite. Comparison wise I would opt for Foo Fighters as Ape Hangers can explode out of nothing as well. She Comes Again is a song that is instantly recognisable and in all universes except this one dominated by the like Taylor Swift, etc., this would be a huge hit. This is one hell of a grunge ballad.
Some fuzz toned music from the Fuzz Club label. Upupayãma's latest single is a mix of dreamy psychedelia and an exploding nightmare in one. The Italian project of Alessio Ferarri, live a six piece band, called Upupayãma is on route to deliver a new album, 'Honesty Flowers' (29 May) and delivers quite the statement. The song goes off in many directions. With just a little imagination it is possible to hear a Santana like groove from 1969, at the beginning and end of the song. There is some singing with a dreamy voice as well, supported by a wah wah guitar making it all just a little more psychedelic, not unlike The Stone Roses were capable of. However, it seems more like an excuse to be able to go into the stratosphere with that fuzz solo. Ferarri does not hold back here. Mystic Chords Of Memory is quite the statement.
The song title 'So Long' will always bring me to the Fischer Z single from the very early 80s. Nothing is going to change that. Not even the nice pop single of The Spongetones, a band that started not that much after Fischer Z did. Pop I wrote, as this So Long comes close to a Paul McCartney song from once upon a long time ago. Slightly melancholy but with a touch of lightness in the music that will make the average popmusic lover prick up his or her ears. From the soft beginning, the band turns into a rock song anyway. From the voices it is obvious that this is not a band with young musicians. They do manage to attain that pop feel in the harmonies, that makes a song special. The song tinkles in all the right places, even after it is toned down again, mimicking its start.
This might just be the first song about eating disorder that I'm reviewing. Bass player Kristi Who shares that she ate a sandwich without fear for the first time in a long time. I sincerely hope that it was her first of many. As this is a blog focusing on music, let's put our attention on the song. In my ears it sounds inspired by 1980s indie pop bands, that had a revival in later decades. That gives the song a punky underside while delivering a pop feel in the lightness with which I Ate A Sandwich is presented. The guitar sound is light but has definitely heard the guitarists of The Velvet Underground, to give an example. The tempo is what gives the song a punky feel. I Ate A Sandwich is my introduction to The Eradicats from Kansas City, Missouri. Send me more when the time is there, please.
You have to go back close to three years to find Berlin's The Underground Youth on this blog, with the single I Thought I Understood. The post tells you about 80s doom and gloom. O' Evangeline is far less easy to capture. The song has the same kind of mix as 'I Ate A Sandwich' by The Eradicates has (see above here). The guitars sound light despite the melancholy vibe the whole song holds. Craig Dyer sings with L.A. Witch's Sade Sanchez who lends her voice to this duet, determining a large part of the mood of O' Evangeline. Both singers are able to sing in the same kind of tone. This fact sets the way the song sounds. The The Cure style guitar playing brings the song to the 1980s, but without the doom and gloom of the years. Making the song very attractive to listen to. Don't forget to notice the dreamy interlude!
We close this week's singles post with a punk song from The Netherlands. Dishes has recently released its debut album, 'Drama'. I have not gotten around listening to it yet, but Requiem is telling me that it might be a smart thing to do and soon. Dishes is a band from Amsterdam and Leiden and started in 2021. The result of its years of working towards the release of Requiem has given the band the ability to play fast without losing the quality of melody and variety. The two guitars play off of each other in a great way. Interchanging rhythm and melody, while the drummer just keeps pounding away in the best Mo Tucker tradition. Again, I notice the way Dishes is also able to have the light and the shade in its single. Both sides are divided equal. I had not heard of the band before today but it is certainly worthwhile checking out.
Wout de Natris - van der Borght
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