Posts
Avalanche. Kant
Psychedelic rock comes in many guises. Kant from Aschaffenburg in Germany can be found in the louder segment. The band is more rock and then adds the psychedelic side in the sound it puts on its guitars and the effects here and there on singer Marius Seidl's voice. Expect a loud riff played in (harmonic) stereo that charges through most of the song. It's a while before Seidl's voice can be heard for the first time. The light and shade in the song is taken care of in a way that makes the song surprising to listen to, while the drums and bass charge on an on as if the last bus is in sight but the bus stop still a long way off. The band's third album, 'Echoes Of Unfortunate Times' will be released on 23 October.
Please allow me to get confused, but how many bands are Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey active in? I can't keep up, help! The "problem" is I seem to like them all. Swansea Sound is the new iteration that I'm getting myself acquainted with. Single Mean To Be Mean is just so much fun. It is jumpy, bouncy, upbeat and apologetic as both Amelia and co-singer Hue Williams "did not mean to be mean". Both are retelling a story about a review by Williams of Amelia's band a long time a go and here they are in a band together in the 2020s. In fact, the band will release its third album come 13 November. If the songs on 'Pre-Post-Truth' are as much fun as this single, count me in.
I Got An Idea brings me back a decade or five. The song is totally post-punk with a 60s undertone in there. The music does not excuse itself for being raw. The lead guitar is distorted, the effects in the back and foreground are all a bit weird. Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh helps out on vocals. I remember the band from circa 1980 but for the life of me can't remember a song. At the time I did not like it at all. I do like I Got An Idea though, because it is so sprightly and in its own weird way extremely upbeat. Gary Calamar is a new name to me. His label Big Stir introduces him as follows: "LA singer-songwriter and all-around music scene Renaissance man (influential DJ, in-demand TV music supervisor and rock author)". I'm letting the weird sounds and noises go through my ears once again, deciding that I certainly want to hear more by Calamar. That opportunity arises on 23 October when 'Odd Numb3rs And Slanted Rhymes' is released.
Two and a half years down the line New Jersey trio Quiz Show, Chris Matthews (guitars and vocals), Jesse Krakow (bass, organ, and backing vocals), Joe Billy III (drums, backing vocals, acoustic guitar), returns to this blog with its latest single Xono, from an EP with the same name. Xono is an alternative rock song with besides power a prickly side that puts it apart from smooth rock many prefer to hear. Quiz Show puts in elements that are able to please, but like a band as The B52s, it adds quirky parts that make it necessary to listen to Xono again and again to realise and appreciate the extend of pleasing within the song fully. Take in the bass part for example when it is not in a unisono riff with the guitar. And especially listen to the bridge. Here Quiz Show really shows its skills. The EP is released on 28 September.
Another debutant on this blog is Freyja Elsy. The singer from the United Kingdom released a new EP after her debut EP from 2023, ‘Modern Artifice’. On to stop the world turning she presents a dreamy kind of music with one foot in the past of both Enya style folk music and Massive Attack style hiphop, while a modern production that includes both atmospheric sounds as classic elements of (synth?) strings and piano puts the other foot in 2026. Freyja Elsy sings with a relaxed voice. Like in 'Control' where the influence of Massive Attack is most obvious. The link to a track like 'Teardrop' is quite evident. The listener is enveloped by the music like the fetus in the video is in its mother's womb. For me Control is the price track on to stop the world turning. The dreamy atmosphere is kept up by Freyja Elsy on the whole four track EP. Although I do not want to hear music like this at every moment of the day, there definitely are moments when she strikes just the right mood. to stop the world turning is beautifully made and in great taste.
Quite often there's a lot of noisy music to be found in the weekly singles post. St. Yuma decided to put a stop to that and presents Alone The Walrus. St. Yuma makes its debut on this blog, so an introduction is welcome. St. Yuma is Stevan Alva from Seattle in the state of Washington. Alone The Walrus is his debut single on the Fully Time Hobby label. The title is to be taken literally, as the song is about a walrus called Alone, "inspired by Worried Walrus, written and illustrated by Richard Hefter and published in 1977". Alone is swimming in an ocean that is so tranquil, it must be a desired place for everyone wanting to reach this level of relaxation. Stevan Alva sings with a dreamy voice and the music follows his soft voice for the whole of the way. During the song a female voice and more instruments are added, all adding to the listening experience Alone The Walrus offers. This is a debut single that promises a lot more.
Teenage Kicks. Christina Jean & her Allstars
In 1979, I had no idea, I think. I can't remember hearing the song then. Come 2026 and Teenage Kicks is one of my favourite punk singles ever. I think it only kicked in really when I bought The Undertones' singles collection cd at a mid price. Most of the album is more than good. Take the b-side 'Mars Bar' as a proof of point. Although I bought three of the four The Undertones albums around 1982, except for the first one, it took me a few more years to become a fan of the band. Come 2026 and I receive a cover version of Christina Jean & her Allstars. The problem with anyone singing a The Undertones song, no one has a strange voice like Feargal Sharkey. Not even the guy who replaced him in the revived The Undertones. That aside, what can you do wrong with a song like Teenage Kicks as long as you get that groove going. That is exactly what Christine Jean and band got, presenting us with a nice cover version of a fantastic song.
Nathalie Miller has made it twice to this blog with her EP 'like you used to' and with a single from that EP in 2025. Today she's back with the single teeth filed down. Again, it is song that can be qualified as a pop song, but also again, she does things in the song that makes it not a part of the beaten pop track. Again, I like the way she multitracks her voice. It gives the song and Nathalie Miller as an artist an authentic sound. The lead guitar is the instrument attracting attention. Played in a higher register, playing the same two chords over and over in a tightly strummed way. Although the song seems to continue in one pace, watch a little more closely and you will notice the mood changes ms. Miller throws into the whole. Once again a song I really like by Nathalie Miller. No doubt more will follow.
In 2015 and 2025 Heather Nova can be found on this blog, both in reviews by Erwin Zijleman. This is my first words on an artist who is around for 30 years. I like the pace of In The Path Of Hurricanes. The song has this way in which it keeps going, with the exception of an interlude. Without loudness or violence, the (electronic) rhythm just goes on and on. Around it are swaths of synths, guitar atmospherics and later on something I can't put a name to. Over it Heather Nova sings with a quiet voice that she may be in her head or lost in a slipstream. Are things what they are?, this seems to be the theme of In The Path Of Hurricanes. The combination of the voice and the dreamy, yet firm music simply works. It proves for me that no matter your expectations of an artist, you should always give a new song a chance. More follows on 30 October when 'The Orchard' is released.
Wout de Natris - van der Borght
No comments:
Post a Comment