Moonflowers. Constant Smiles

De Amerikaanse band Constant Smiles leverde vier jaar geleden een prachtig 90’s album af, kwam twee jaar geleden met een heerlijk 80s album op de proppen en maakt deze week indruk met een fraai album met een vleugje 70s.

Constant Smiles had al een enorme stapel albums op haar naam staan toen het terecht een plekje in de spotlights kreeg met het uitstekende album Paragons. Die spotlights waren er ook toen twee jaar geleden het album Kenneth Anger verscheen en wederom viel er niets af te dingen op de aandacht voor de Amerikaanse band. Hopelijk kan ook het deze week verschenen Moonflowers weer op aandacht rekenen, want het is wederom een sterk album. Het is bovendien wederom een album dat anders klinkt dan zijn voorganger, want de synths van het vorige album hebben plaats gemaakt voor een organischer en folkier geluid. Het levert wederom een bijzond fraai album op.

Bijna precies vier jaar geleden kwam ik voor het eerst in aanraking met de muziek van de Amerikaanse band Constant Smiles. Paragons werd hier en daar aangeprezen als het officiële debuutalbum van de band uit Queens, New York, maar dat voelde een beetje raar bij een band die al meer dan vijftien albums op haar naam bleek te hebben staan. 

Paragons was ook het eerste dat ik hoorde van Constant Smiles, maar het was wel liefde op het eerste gehoor. Ik vergeleek Paragons onder andere met de muziek van de Australische band The Go-Betweens en dat is een van de grootste complimenten die ik een band kan maken. 

Constant Smiles verwerkte op Paragons invloeden uit een aantal decennia popmuziek, maar ik hoorde de meeste raakvlakken met de wat zweverige gitaarmuziek uit de jaren 90 van bijvoorbeeld bands als Yo La Tengo en Luna. Het leverde uiteindelijk een van de mooiste herfstalbums van 2021 op, al was ik het album helaas vergeten toen ik mijn jaarlijstje een paar maanden later maakte. 

In het prille voorjaar van 2023 keerde Constant Smiles terug met het album Kenneth Anger en het was wederom een album waarop de Amerikaanse band uiteenlopende invloeden verwerkte. Waar ik bij beluistering van Paragons vooral associaties had met licht psychedelische gitaaralbums uit de jaren 90, nam Kenneth Anger me vooral mee terug naar de elektronische popmuziek uit de jaren 80 en naar legendarische albums van bands als China Crisis en The Lotus Eaters en het was weer prachtig. 

Deze week is de opvolger van het album uit 2023 verschenen en logischerwijs zou Constant Smiles op Moonflowers terug moeten grijpen op muziek uit de jaren 70. Het nieuwe album van de band uit New York klinkt in ieder geval weer flink anders dan zijn twee voorgangers, dus wat dat betreft voldoet Moonflowers aan de verwachtingen. 

Constant Smiles omschrijft de muziek op het nieuwe album zelf als ambient pop, maar zelf hoor ik ook flink wat invloeden uit de folkrock, met inderdaad meer dan eens een jaren 70 vibe. Moonflowers heeft af en toe misschien een jaren 70 sfeertje, maar het is ook absoluut een indiefolk album van deze tijd. 

Na de psychedelische 90s gitaren van Paragons en de 80s synths van Kenneth Anger kiest Constant Smiles op haar nieuwe album voor een organischer en wat meer ingetogen geluid. Het is een geluid dat best als folky mag worden omschreven, maar het wordt gecombineerd met bijzondere klankentapijten van synths op de achtergrond, waardoor het geen standaard 70s folkrock is.

Net als de vorige albums van de Amerikaanse band wordt ook Moonflowers weer gekenmerkt door een serie aansprekende songs. Het zijn songs die je eigenlijk direct wilt omarmen, maar die ook makkelijk blijven hangen. In muzikaal opzicht is het allemaal weer dik in orde en ook de zang op Moonflowers is weer prima. Het is zang die af en toe is voorzien van fraaie aanvullingen van vrouwenstemmen, waarvoor onder andere Cassandra Jenkins en Katie von Schleicher naar de studio kwamen. 

Constant Smiles is helaas nog altijd behoorlijk onbekend, maar met Paragons, Kenneth Anger en Moonflowers heeft de band nu een fraai stapeltje albums op haar naam staan. Het is lastig kiezen tussen drie totaal verschillende albums, maar Moonflowers is zeker niet minder dan de terecht door mij geprezen voorgangers. Leuke band, uitstekend album.

Erwin Zijleman

 

Je kunt Moonflowers hier luisteren en bestellen:

https://constantsmiles.bandcamp.com/album/moonflowers 

2025, week 51, 10 singles

Catching up some more, here's another bunch of recent singles. What surprises me still, is that even after nearly 14 years of this blog and the probably thousands of singles reviewed over the past years, there still are so many new names that pop up in this section. There is no end to (new) artists wanting to release songs (and then there are all the songs that do not make my circa 30 seconds cut decisions). Going against every grain of commercial advise and distressing news about missing revenues and AI-generated music. As music fans, we are the better because of these artists. Let's celebrate and applaud them. Here's ten more songs, so explore and enjoy!

Things To Do When It’s Dark. Tell

TELL's album 'Life In Reverse' is one the best read reviews on this blog. Here's the band with a new single. Of course, it's an alternative rock track. The beginning though is a very tense affair. After an already very bare intro as in one dark piano note, the first verse is just the drums and singer David Wildman. This makes the track stand out immediately. When the band comes in, it is still not your average rock track. This has everything to do with the rhythm that is not a straightforward affair. Things To Do When It's Dark is a track to pay attention to because of these musical surprises. In my album review last year, I pointed to post-'Hunky Dory' David Bowie and again I hear a faint hint in that direction but this description would sell the song short. TELL is fully it's own here. Lyrically, the song does not leave you with a lot to guess. "Resistance rock" is a new term, but what else can it be when "We take back our country" is one of the lead lyric lines?

Smoke And Drive. Bobby Mahoney

Next up this week is a punkrock track from New Jersey's Bobby Mahoney. In a genre where a lot has been said and done already, Mahoney manages to present us with an exhilarating track  There's nothing new in there, but he manages to excite. Smoke And Drive's rhythm is tight. Over that the lead guitar plays these great melodies. In the lyrics there are enough whoawhoawhoas to allow for a lot of singing along. Living in Ashbury Park he is close to where Bruce Springsteen found his voice. Musically they may be far apart, the energy and intensity are the same. Smoke And Drive boils over with it. 

Take It Back. Regal Beagle

Take It Back is a punk track as punk comes. Dirty, fast, yet with a chorus that is as simple and straightforward as they come. No one has to hear this a second time before it can be sang along to. Regal Beagle is another new name on this blog. Formed in 1993 in Monterey Park, California, the band is about to release its first album in over a decade, also called 'Take It Back.' It seems highly likely to me that with the title track released as a first single, Regal Beagle makes a clear statement. We're back and you better be well prepared as we are going to give you an energy boost you will not easily forget. Take It Back simply works from the first to the last second. Two and a half minute is enough for this statement.

Long Time Gone. Speedtwinn

Speedtwinn is a band from Los Angeles. That makes two California bands in a row. Musically there is a difference though. I'm inclined to call this music bluesrock, but it also has a 1960s pop element hidden in there. Things start with the hard riffing lead guitar played by Derwood Andrews. The mildly dirty sound matches the mildly rough voice of singer Gary Twinn. The riffs are augmented by a slide, making the guitar part stand out even a bit more. I find the song slowly packed me in. At the start I thought been-there-done-that, heard it too many times before, but half way through the song I had gotten into its rhythm. Finally, I wanted to hear it again and again. The hint at Stevie Ray Vaughan is unmistakable, but there are not a lot of Vaughan tracks I like as well as this one. That says enough, right?

The Drop. Queen's Pleasure

Amsterdam's Queen's Pleasure returns to the blog with its final single release before its third album is unleashed on the world on 9 January, called 'Stunt Double'. After its first EP and album, I sort lost track of Queen's Pleasure. This had to do with the fact that the music did not convince me. It made me start listening to The Drop with a negative expectation. And then came the end of the song. It is an explosion of music. It's as if the band understood this was it last chance with me. At the start, of The Drop my impression was that the music was neither meat nor fish. That sealed it sort of. And then the end came in and I advise you to listen to it. The band lets it all go, as in taking no prisoners. What an orgiastic musical delight to listen to.

Indie Hero. Laptop

Laptop debuted on this blog in September with its single 'Additional Animals'. Again, the band of father and son Hartman return to the blog. Listening to Indie Hero, I would say that they present a tribute to that other Hartman, Dan and to Patrick Hernandez, both two mid-70s disco icons, with songs like 'Relight My Fire' and 'Born To Be Alive'. Songs that still light up parties to this day. Indie Hero is far more modern in sound but has this groove that calls for moving your body to the rhythm. The topic of Indie Hero, "I wanna go to Japan again", is one I can subscribe to. Having been there once, I'm sold. I'm also sold on Indie Hero. The track is simply fun. Jesse Hartman's return to music is paying off as far as I'm concerned.

This Guy? Hater

Hater is on this blog since 2017. The last time was in 2023 with its album 'Sincere'. On route to its new album 'Mosquito', the Swedish band released a new single, This Guy? I can be quite short. This Guy? convinces from the very first seconds. It has an indie rock vibe allowing singer Caroline Landahl to present a perfect mix between a Scandinavian ice diva and a warm- blooded singer. Equal parts between distancing and longingly dreaming are created by her voice. The lead guitar manages to underscore this in a great way, making the song grow and grow. I'll own up and admit that I had all but forgotten about Hater in the past years. I'm glad to have renewed our musical relationship today.

L.O.V.E. The Mono Kids

What can I say but that The Mono Kids from Eindhoven have done it again. Of course, this is another punkrock record by two men of a certain age, who love to play the genre they like best. The enthusiasm is more than matched by the quality of the song itself. L.O.V.E. is one of the songs on E.P. 'Lucky Guys', but deserves individual attention. Add the humorous video and the picture is complete. L.O.V.E has so much energy that it ought to be able to assist in unstressing the energy grid in the south west of The Netherlands. From the very first second the song goes full blast and there's no stopping the duo in any way. With the accents all in the right spots, it makes for interesting listening as well. With We Are Joiners in the vicinity, The Mono Kids may have received some local competition. For me the world gets just this little better having them both in it.

Flowers. Shadowman

At the start I had no idea what to make of Flowers (and no, this is not a cover version of Miley Cyrus' 'Flowers'). Music like walking in trickling rain, yet making you very wet and in the dark of course. That darkness remains, the rain swells and subsides. Nick Cave is the name that pops up when listening to Flowers. Just like the Australian artist, Shadowman, and its singer John J Presley, is able to impress with the directness and its impressive wall of sound and with the quiet parts in equal ways. Once that beginning is over, it becomes clear that a musical onslaught awaits us listeners. The musicians go full out and a saxophone works its way into the mix, screaming bloody murder. To think this is the debut single of a collective consisting of Presley, Ben Hillier and Danielle Perry. All three have completely different backgrounds/careers in music, yet collaboratively come up with this impressive work of musical art. Flowers is one heck of an introduction to Shadowman. Besides the message "debut album in 2026", we have to await further news.

Everybody Knows. The Legal Matters

Okay, let's end this post with a band trying to go for the perfect pop song; and comes a long way. The Michigan band may be called The Legal Matters, it has very little to do with the 1965 hitsingle by The Who of that title. This song finds itself in a more guitar laden spot where a sweet song like '74/75' finds itself. Core trio Chris Richards, Andy Reed and Keith Klingensmith have put a silver lining of pure pop over their nostalgic poprock song. The guitar parts are all over the song, backed by organ, bass and drums and they all are very much worthwhile exploring. But then: enter the real forté of The Legal Matters, the vocals. This band knows how to sing together and get the most out of the vocal melodies. The combination of music and vocals creates an extremely rich song that is a pleasure to listen to. Welcome to this blog, The Legal Matters.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

Starlit Alchemy. Rachael Yamagata

Rachael Yamagata leverde 21 jaar geleden een bescheiden en miskend meesterwerk af en levert sindsdien met lange tussenpozen nieuwe albums af, die prachtig zijn, wat ook weer geldt voor het deze week verschenen Starlit Alchemy.

Wie herinnert zich Happenstance van Rachael Yamagata nog? Het misschien wel mooiste album van 2004 deed destijds veel te weinig en de albums die volgden deden nog minder. Niet zo gek dus dat er vorige maand niet heel veel aandacht was voor Starlit Alchemy, maar ook het nieuwe album van Rachael Yamagata is weer prachtig. Het is een intiem album dat wat vaker neigt naar klassieke singer-songwriter albums, maar ook dit album heeft weer het unieke Rachael Yamagata geluid, al is het maar vanwege de mooie en emotievolle stem van de Amerikaanse muzikante, die inmiddels vijf echte wonderschone albums op haar naam heeft staan. Ga dat horen!

De naam Rachael Yamagata is voor mij echt voor eeuwig verbonden met haar debuutalbum Happenstance. Het in 2004 verschenen album is inmiddels alweer meer dan twintig jaar oud, maar het is al die tijd een album geweest waar ik met enige regelmaat naar luister en een album dat me echt extreem dierbaar is. Op haar debuutalbum deed de muziek van Rachael Yamagata wel wat denken aan de muziek van de door mij zeer bewonderde Fiona Apple, maar Happenstance is ook album dat teruggrijpt op de albums van de grote singer-songwriters uit de jaren 70, met Carole King voorop. 

Happenstance leek de start te zijn van een zeer succesvolle carrière, maar die kwam helaas nooit helemaal van de grond. Het feit dat Rachael Yamagata na Happenstance de tijd nam voor haar volgende albums heeft hierin zeker meegespeeld. Aan de kwaliteit van de albums lag het zeker niet, want Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart uit 2008, Chesapeake uit 2011 en Tightrope Walker uit 2016 waren alle drie uitstekende albums, al haalden ze het torenhoge niveau van Happenstance net niet. 

Rachael Yamagata keerde vorige maand terug met haar vijfde album en ook Starlit Alchemy is weer een hele mooie. Het is een zeer persoonlijk en wat melancholisch album dat niet echt onder doet voor zijn drie voorgangers. Op alle albums van de Amerikaanse muzikante hoor ik iets van Fiona Apple en iets van een aantal grote vrouwelijke singer-songwriters uit de jaren 70 en dat is op het nieuwe album van Rachael Yamagata niet anders. 

Vergeleken met Happenstance is de balans wel wat doorgeslagen richting de singer-songwriter muziek uit het verre verleden en daar is niets mis mee. Starlit Alchemy werd opgenomen in de thuisstudio van de Amerikaanse muzikante en er is hoorbaar de tijd genomen voor het album dat tussen 2022 en 2024 is opgenomen in Hudson Valley, New York. 

Met name de wat soberder ingekleurde songs nemen je mee terug naar de jaren 70, maar in Birds of Blue Jay hoor je toch opeens weer Fiona Apple, terwijl het bont ingekleurde en rijk georkestreerde Carnival met een beetje fantasie van Rufus Wainwright zou kunnen zijn. 

In muzikaal opzicht is Starlit Alchemy een interessant album. In een van de weinige artikelen die over het album is gepubliceerd omschrijft Rachael Yamagata het album zelfs als volgt: “Perhaps think of Tom Waits as Willy Wonka and Rickie Lee Jones as Dorothy in a soundscape mentored by Hans Zimmer and Joni Mitchell – from her ‘Both Sides Now’ album. None of which I’m well versed in by the way, so forgive any pretence”. Geestig, maar het zegt verder niet zoveel, dus ik hou me bij mijn eerdere omschrijving. 

Ik heb het nog niet over de stem van Rachael Yamagata gehad en het was haar stem die me 21 jaar geleden betoverde. De stem van de Amerikaanse muzikante klinkt op haar nieuwe album rijper en doorleefder, maar ook op Starlit Alchemy is de zang intens en bijzonder mooi. 

Het blijft jammer dat Rachael Yamagata nooit is omarmd door een groot publiek, want hier zijn haar albums goed en interessant genoeg voor. Ik ben zelf blij dat ik haar nieuwe albums steeds weer in het vizier krijg en dat is dit keer niet anders, want na een paar keer horen ben ik alweer behoorlijk gehecht aan het intieme, intense en bij vlagen echt wonderschone Starlit Alchemy van Rachael Yamagata.

Erwin Zijleman

Pentimento. Carson McHone

De Amerikaanse muzikante Carson McHone betoverde op haar vorige albums met haar prachtige stem en dompelt deze op haar nieuwe album Pentimento onder in een bijzonder geluid vol invloeden uit de jaren 60 en 70.

Ik luister nog geregeld naar Carousel, het album waarmee Carson McHone in 2019 de aandacht trok en dat moet worden geschaard onder de mooiste rootsalbums van de laatste jaren. Op haar nieuwe album laat Carson McHone horen dat haar stem alleen maar mooier en intenser is geworden, maar Pentimento is niet alleen in vocaal opzicht een bijzonder album. Samen met een handvol muzikanten, onder wie haar partner Daniel Romano, werd vrijwel in een live-setting een bijzonder klinkend album gemaakt. De liefde voor muziek uit de jaren 60 en 70 van Daniel Romano klinkt nadrukkelijk door op een album dat af en toe klinkt als een vergeten klassieker van weleer, maar het past prachtig bij de uitzonderlijke stem van Carson McHone.

Carson McHone zag ik eerder dit jaar, samen met haar partner Daniel Romano, in de Leidse Qbus (check de goed gevulde agenda van dit bijzondere rootspodium). Dat optreden was oké, maar wat mij betreft niet heel indrukwekkend. De songs van de Amerikaanse singer-songwriter werden wat eenvormig door de wat stevig aangezette gitaren van de twee, waardoor ik de schoonheid van haar songs, die ik wel hoorde op haar albums, niet meer hoorde. 

Carson McHone sprak tijdens haar optreden over een nieuw album en dat album kwam ik in september tegen in het Britse muziektijdschrift Uncut, dat Pentimento uitriep tot album van de maand en er maar liefst vier pagina’s over vulde. Alle reden dus om met hooggespannen verwachtingen te gaan luisteren naar het album van de muzikante, die de Verenigde Staten inmiddels heeft verruild voor Canada, de thuisbasis van haar partner Daniel Romano. 

Dat Uncut een album van een toch vrij onbekende muzikante tot album van de maand bombardeert vind ik best opvallend, al komt Carson McHone zeker niet uit de lucht vallen. Met Carousel maakte ze in 2019 een van de mooiste rootsalbums van het betreffende jaar en ook het door Daniel Romano wat voller ingekleurde Still Life uit 2022 was een bijzonder mooi album (haar debuutalbum Goodluck Man uit 2015 ken ik niet en is verdwenen op Spotify). 

Het zijn albums waarop Carson McHone laat horen dat ze beschikt over een geweldige stem, die rijker en doorleefder klinkt dan haar leeftijd rechtvaardigt. Het deze week verschenen Pentimento bevat maar liefst zestien tracks, maar hieronder een aantal hele korte intermezzo’s. Die intermezzo’s vind ik persoonlijk wat overbodig, maar er blijft gelukkig genoeg moois over op het vierde album van Carson McHone. 

Ook bij beluistering van Pentimento valt direct op hoe mooi de stem van de van oorsprong Texaanse muzikante is. Het is een zuivere stem, maar het is ook een stem met een duidelijk eigen geluid en een stem die veel gevoel laat horen. Het is de zang die van Pentimento een bovengemiddeld goed album maakt, maar er valt veel meer te genieten op het derde album van Carson McHone. 

Haar partner Daniel Romano had al de nodige invloed op haar vorige album Still Life en die invloed is nog wat groter geworden op Pentimento. Op haar debuutalbum sloot Carson McHone nog aan bij de rootsmuziek uit Nashville en Austin, maar op haar nieuwe album laat ze in flink wat songs een flink ander geluid horen. Zeker de wat voller klinkende songs nemen je mee terug naar de jaren 60 en 70 en vermengen Amerikaanse rootsmuziek met een wat psychedelisch sfeertje. 

Het klinkt absoluut lekker, zeker wanneer fraaie koortjes opduiken en wanneer de gitaren los gaan, en het past ook verrassend goed bij de stem van Carson McHone, die normaal gesproken baat heeft bij een intiemere setting. De naar Canada uitgeweken muzikante is ook haar Amerikaanse wortels zeker niet vergeten, wat je hoort wanneer in muzikaal opzicht gas wordt teruggenomen en alles aankomt op haar stem. 

Zeker de wat meer ingetogen songs zijn van een bijzondere intimiteit en schoonheid, maar ook het wat vollere geluid met flarden 60s en 70s bevalt me uitstekend. Het levert een rootsalbum op dat anders klinkt dan de rootsalbums die momenteel in Nashville en Austin worden gemaakt, maar dat liefhebbers van pure Amerikaanse rootsmuziek nog altijd aan zal spreken. Ik was wat verbaasd over alle aandacht en lof van Uncut, maar het Britse tijdschrift heeft het weer goed gehoord.

Erwin Zijleman

 

Je kunt Pentimento hier luisteren en bestellen:

https://carsonmchone.bandcamp.com/album/pentimento 

2025 Week 39. 10 singles

 

Fall is here and the weather is sort of looking like it. Tree leaves are slowly growing into the dark green they get before they change colour. Time for some more singles, although the opening one is not a single. After this listening suggestion you'll find something old and something new, so, enjoy! 

The return of Girlyman?

Girlyman pulled the plug after a disastrous tour of Europe that left the band broke. I saw the band in Q-Bus, Leiden at the time and was amazed about how the four sang together, with a little help from tour manager, driver, roadie Ingrid at the end of the show. In 2025 three of the four sit down once again. It was time to heal, as they expressed it themselves. I hope that it is a fresh start as well, as not many people sing this good together. No new single, but great news instead. Copy this link and find out for yourself.

https://u53092314.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.pMh5hUTQpMwwo5fU3r-2BK-2Fc1PsAArqDwavdA9pIdW0IIHCiAt8nLIdCzUIuBu1w2fbMibKOKi14-2FH-2Fjrx99QY9uqVXrG3732GFH2-2BmYXMgium0w-2F4pT-2B-2Fi1vzQ6wq2P1chiOGVHOSq0BOdet9z1paMJh-2FaP1I7Zc-2FujpVAys6p7Ay99sR-2FtmrzoNNDTazOaL72SSW_7AaYPpYdQXeCdAPfWDTzSEhGQGFvY3sJnRgw0TP9ANOHg6oV8yD1jmMZdSwnODGIEzbmgfh5m8k4QKjHcXwLpdXBYdnSB-2B2Vc6QCW6mGLNL-2F43BIu8sFf20LorhKg0FMnV3cz-2BK2BCYfmO9-2BxE2Z3ct8AJUoTgqMlMMljIv3j1PihaSJzxRvRzLbHe8F7DeURASIW0GcMuVLXwJqqk1OVLRrw1P2AMDJ9zgqAAJTC-2BSb8Wuc-2FNL4ErKMBdGIQfnCmjbo2fQoKRBdsZ9zVzJsgZyONussUpFDv2m9-2FWESVdXHeMq9wlRmZj46beuevC0jeooSqbhylVJ4Et18HW3PxSYp7kS7Bw6KnzgEbgr8axc-3D

Additional Animals. Laptop

What a vibrant single! It sounds like this is one big party track, mixing Britpop with a dance rhythm and pop from all parts of the world. A song that invites people to dance to with huge smiles on their faces, with a drink in one hand, who knows what in the other and only smiling people around them, who are enjoying the evening and night with total abondon. A little message is nagging in the back of their minds though, "we only need additional animals". Why would we ever need that? We are having a blast, go away! Laptop is Jesse Hartman, who released three albums in the 00s under the name Laptop and returns in 2025 with assistance of his son Charlie. The upcoming album titled 'On This Planet', to be released in spring 2026, gives another hint that not all is well in the universe. Mankind is notorious for not facing slow burning issues like climate change and extinction. Laptop tries to influence the minds of people by way of a great and optimistic pop track. Don't be fooled though and listen to the message and act, now that you still can!

Howard Johnson's. Jessie Kilguss

Former actress turned musician Jessie Kilguss debuts on this blog with a tough sounding countryrock/pop track. Funny, for a European "going to Algiers" immediately brings the capitol of Algeria to mind. You have to know just a litlte more of geography than average to know that there is an Algiers opposite of New Orleans, Louisiana. And what is a Howard Johnson's? 'Howard Johnson's', Jessie Kilguss' single comes with a lot of questions. And then the video starts with a desert, implying the other Algiers anyway! This single doesn't raise a lot of questions though. The melody is just fine and Kilguss' voice has a level of depth, yet is very feminine, making it so pleasant to listen to. 'They Have A Howard Johnson's There' is Jessie Kilguss' sixth, upcoming, album. To me she's a new name but if the rest is this good, I'm all ears.

Play. Figures On A Beach

What a nostalgic sounding track, I thought listening to Play. This song has a very authentic eighties sound. And then I read the bio. This track may be released in 2025, it was recorded in 1991 by a band who had released music in the 1980s and called it quits after not being able to sign a new recording deal in the early 90s. It tells me two things though. That this music was going out of style fast in 1991. Hardly any 80s band survived the grunge explosion of 1991-92. The other point is that Play is a very strong song. Fans of 80s bands like Tears for Fears, Spandau Ballet and why not Simple Minds should take an interest in Play. The extra attention is that Play is an obvious link to what happened two years later, the first album of Suede. Chris Ewen: Synthesizers, programming, Anthony Kaczynski: Vocals, keyboard bass, piano, Rik Rolski: bass guitar and acoustic guitars, Michael J.F. Smith: drums and Perry Tell: Electric guitars may just have called it quits to early. Who knows if they would have blended in perfectly just two years later. In the U.K. that is.

Nearly There. Steve Gunn

The name Steve Gunn is found on this blog exactly once in Erwin Zijleman's review of his 2016 album 'Way Out Weather'. In the bio of Gunn's upcoming album 'Daylight Daylight', 7 November, it says that this time he only recorded a demo of himself and his guitar and sent the result to his producer James Elkington. He was requested to arrange the songs any way that he felt like. This resulted where Nearly There is concerned in the addition of strings, as can be heard in the intro, but also dreamy backing vocals. I'm reminded a little of early solo work of Ryan Adams, partly because of the depth of the sound. But also of Wilco where the mood of this song is concerned. In other words, we are in high quality territory and Nearly There stands its ground with ease. Despite a length of over six minutes, I cannot get enough of the music. Gunn and Elkington do a lot right on Neary There.

Extended Play. The Jive

WoNoBlog and time machines. It is starting to become a common topic. There are so many labels that specialise in music that seems to come from the past. (Occasionaly, it is a re-release or belated one, in like decades.) With The Jive's Extended Play it concerns a completely new release that is nothing but an energy jolt of  poprock like they used to make and still do. The Jive fits nicely under the likes of Geoff Palmer and Brad Marino but of course also The Cars and acts like them from the late 70s and early 80s. Extended Play's songs are full of melody, energy and good-time fun. And where else can an EP like this be released than on Rum Bar. I sometimes imagine myself stepping into Malibu Lou's garage and that he tells me that I can select my two favourite releases on the label. It is a thought that could turn into nightmare from choice anxiety. It is that good that I think this EP is. It contains songs to sing along with, dance to, jump up and down to and simply greatly enjoy. There's absolutely no need to mention an individual song. They are all just great.

Live In Toulon. Naima Bock

Naima Bock has found herself on this blog but with Live In Toulon she shows a totally different side of herself: the singer-songwriter performing with only her acoustic guitar. Although I had to get used to her in this setting, it took me only one song to be on her side. With her voice, she steps into a long line of U.K. female folk singers. Believe me, with this five song EP she deserves the spot in that line totally. The playing on the guitar is almost fully supportive, so do not expect intricate fingerpicking. Naima Bock builds on the strength of her voice, digitally supported with a harmony vocal, but that is it. How far she has moved from her past as a member of Goat Girl, but even from her two solo albums, 'Giant Plam' (2022) and 'Below A Massive Dark Land' (2024). Nothing in there prepared me for what I'm hearing on Live In Toulon. If she is playing acoustically because of economic restraints, then it is a giant blessing in disguise. She sounds like a natural in this setting. "Now I say goodbye and drink a beer", she says at the end of the final song 'Giant Palm'. That is one deserved drink. 

Let's Make A Tulpa! Tulpa 

Let's make a tulpa? What is a Tulpa? Questions, questions. Tulpa itself is a band from Leeds that is on route to release its first album late November called 'Monster of the Week'. Tulpa is very new, as the label reports. Let's Make A Tulpa! is its first release. The song is an upbeat, alternative rock/pop track. Don't expect an earth-shattering original song. No, expect a decent track that explodes into an upbeat chorus that calls us all out to go and make a tulpa. It makes me think of Dutch band De Kift, that starts an album with the statement that the singer has taken a "Noek" into his home. Nobody knows what a noek is, but that is totally beside the point as we learn. The same goes here. Whatever a tulpa is, the band has fun and is sharing that fun with us. Tulpa may be in the alternative corner, it is far from dangerous. Let's Make A Tulpa! is all in good fun and for nearly everybody. (Of course we looked it up. A tulpa is an imaginary being and so is a noek.)

Temporary Circus: Act 2 EP. Derek Smith and the Cosmic Vultures

In June we wrote on Act 1 of Temporary Circus. With Act 2 Derek Smith and the Cosmic Vultures take us on another nostalgic musical trip to the 1970s. Smith and co may record in the 2020s, their music could have been written, recorded and released something like 52 to 42 years ago. The years that James Taylor was on a roll, at least in the U.S.. When Christopher Cross scored his hits. In other words, smooth songs that are part of the singer-songwriter tradition. Songs that flow so easily forward, that it is like A.I. already existed, with background vocals that seem to come and and leave as steady and predictable as the tide. The three songs on Temporary Circus: Act 2 are far from identical, especially 'Opium Revolver' is tougher and carries a mean sounding guitar solo, yet they all have that flow. The difference is what makes the EP even more interesting to listen to. As I wrote before, not all Derek Smith release is to my taste, but there is always something there for me, as this EP once again proves. Fans of smooth, mature songs with a 70s flavour know what to do.

Traagkes Groeien. Het Zesde Metaal

Het Zesde Metaal vindt zichzelf opnieuw of WoNoBlog met een nieuwe single. De titel, Traagkes Groeien, geeft eigenlijk alles weg. Wannes Capelle en companen staan in de laagste versnelling en meanderen als een grote rivier door het laagland richting zee. Voor de luisteraar resteert dan ook gewoon te gaan zitten en genieten van de langzame schoonheid die stukje bij beetje wordt uitgeserveerd door de band. De weemoed die een ouder voelt bij een te snel opgroeiend kind, is het thema van Traagkes Groeien. De ouder die wil dat het kind nog even klein blijft. Terwijl het kind alleen maar door wil denderen. Je bent nooit klaar met troetelen, maar het kind wordt groter en groter en ontwurmt zich aan dat troetelen. De wens is de vader van de gedachte en Het Zesde Metaal vangt dit prachtig in zijn muziek. In het West-Vlaams, maar ook voor een Hollander met een deels Brabantse opvoeding, prima te verstaan. Traagske Groeien is gewoon heel erg mooi.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

Before The Future. Rebecca Schiffman

Rebecca Schiffman trekt nog niet heel veel aandacht met haar muziek, maar met het deze week verschenen Before The Future maakt de singer-songwriter uit Los Angeles eigenlijk in alle opzichten indruk.

De Amerikaanse muzikante Rebecca Schiffman neemt de tijd voor haar albums, maar levert wel werk van zeer hoge kwaliteit af. Het is ook weer te horen op het uitstekende Before The Future, dat opvalt met sterke en zeer persoonlijke songs. Het zijn songs met een tijdloos karakter en hier en daar een jaren 70 vibe en het zijn songs die opvallen door de zeer fraaie inkleuring en de trefzekere productie. Rebecca Schiffman beschikt ook nog eens door een mooie en bijzondere stem, wat Before The Future nog wat verder optilt. Het levert een sterk album op dat zich makkelijk weet te onderscheiden van de meeste andere albums in het genre. Absoluut een aanrader dit album.

Het is best bijzonder dat ik nog nooit wat heb geschreven over de muziek van de Amerikaanse singer-songwriter Rebecca Schiffman, die in juli haar vierde album heeft uitgebracht. Ook de vorige drie albums van de muzikante, die New York onlangs heeft verruild voor Los Angeles, zijn immers zeer de moeite waard en het zijn albums die mij als liefhebber van vrouwelijke singer-songwriters zeer zouden moeten aanspreken. 

Nu trekt de Amerikaanse muzikante in Nederland tot dusver helaas weinig aandacht met haar muziek. Op het Nederlandse muziekforum MusicMeter is geen letter geschreven over Upside Down Lacrimosa (2003), To Be Good For A Day (2009) en Rebecca Schiffman (2016) en ook rond het deze week verschenen Before The Future is het vooralsnog angstvallig stil. 

Het is gelukkig anders in het prachtige Britse muziektijdschrift Uncut, dat in het augustus nummer flink wat woorden besteed aan het nieuwe album van Rebecca Schiffman. Ik vertrouw over het algemeen op het oordeel van het gerenommeerde Britse muziektijdschrift en ook dit keer heeft Uncut het bij het juiste eind. Before The Future is immers direct vanaf de eerste noten prachtig en nu ik het album wat vaker heb beluisterd is het album van Rebecca Schiffman me zeer dierbaar geworden. Het is een album dat is te omschrijven als een folkalbum met invloeden uit de pop en rock, maar Before The Future klinkt ook als de tijdloze singer-songwriters die in de jaren 70 werden gemaakt. 

Rebecca Schiffman heeft veel aandacht besteed aan de muziek op haar nieuwe album, waarvoor flink wat muzikanten werden ingeschakeld. Het zorgt voor een warm en lekker vol geluid, waarin van alles gebeurt en waarin vooral het prachtige gitaarwerk opvalt, al zijn ook de bijdragen van uiteenlopende synths niet te versmaden en is ook het baswerk fenomenaal. Ook de andere muzikanten op het album verdienen overigens een compliment, want het nieuwe album van Rebecca Schiffman overtuigt song na song met prachtige klanken en arrangementen. 

Het is allemaal bijzonder knap geproduceerd en dat kan ook bijna niet anders, want gedurende de wat langere periode waarin het album werd opgenomen werkte Rebecca Schiffman samen met topkrachten als Sasami Ashworth, Luke Temple en Chris Cohen. In muzikaal opzicht heeft de Amerikaanse muzikante een hoogstaand album gemaakt, maar ik ben ook zeer onder de indruk van haar stem, die ook in de wat voller klinkende songs centraal staat. 

Het is een stem die me af en toe wel wat aan Suzanne Vega doet denken, maar ik hoor ook flarden van vergeten Amerikaanse folkies uit de jaren 60. De stem van Rebecca Schiffman wordt alleen maar mooier wanneer koortjes worden ingezet en dat gebeurt met enige regelmaat. Het versterkt de 70s vibe die het album heeft, maar Before The Future is zeker geen retro album. 

Ik heb het tot dusver vooral gehad over de vocale en muzikale kwaliteiten van Rebecca Schiffman, maar ze schrijft ook nog eens geweldige songs. Het zijn songs die je makkelijk betoveren, maar die ook de fantasie blijven prikkelen. Ik heb er door de ontdekking van Rebecca Schiffman opeens vier geweldige albums bij en van deze albums schat ik Before The Future het hoogst in. Zeer warm aanbevolen dus dit nieuwe album van deze zeer getalenteerde singer-songwriter uit Los Angeles.

Erwin Zijleman

 

Je kunt Before The Future hier luisteren en bestellen:

https://rebeccaschiffman.bandcamp.com/album/before-the-future 

2025, week 35. 10 singles

Yesterday, I witnessed rain, a downpour, lasting quite some time. For the life of me I could not remember when I saw such a downpour or even serious rain fall last. It will have been somewhere this year, but ...??? It happened while I was selecting songs for this week's singles post. Here is the resulting 10 singles, so enjoy!

Hey Now Sunshine. The Vibeke Saugestad Band

For me this singer and band are a new name. The title reminds me of 'Walking On Sunshine', the song itself brings to mind Blondie though. Debbie Harry turned 80 this year and recently announced the band's new album. Hey Now Sunshine delves back further in time then Blondie too. Expect some 1960s influences also. Especially when that horn comes in. Think the Kinks, 'Dead End Street'? Vibeke Saugestad is from Norway originally and had a whole career in music with her band Weld, before she met Ken Fox, got married and moved stateside. Now many years later she back in music with a new band, including husband Ken on bass. Hey Now Sunshine shows at least two things, the sprightly, bouncing step the band has in this song, making me feel good immediately and that its singer has a great voice, with just this little edge to it. This introduction is a tremendously pleasant one. I can't wait to hear more on the band's upcoming EP 'The Sun Sessions', out on 3 October.

Fuck It. Dick Move 

It seem inevitable that a singles post contains a contribution from New Zealand and so it is today. Punkers Dick Move throw in an energetic attempt at livening up the blog with Fuck It. You can take that as a successful one. Fuck It is a punk track like they should be. A promising intro, a loud continuation and then the use of dynamics in the verse, before mayhem strikes again in the chorus which has only two words, which you can guess. There's even a guitar solo thrown in for good measure. That's all you really need to know, fuck it!

Not So Sweet. Pearly*

Pearly* is an alt-rock band from Ōtepoti as Dunedin is also known and consists of Joel Field (guitar/vocals), Phaedra Love (bass/vocals), Ryan Hill (guitars) and Josh Nicholls (drums). The band started in 2023 and on Friday released its debut album, 'Not So Sweet'. The title track of the album is a gem of an indie track. Light sounding guitars, that meander around and hurtle over each other, backed by a soft yet firm rhythm section. The singers Field and Love meander just as nice around each other. Love takes the lead and Field supports her. What amazes me that there's nothing earthshattering happening at all and still Not So Sweet makes a great impression on me. And then that glorious explosion in the second half of the song. No, "honey" definitely is not so sweet all of the time. That message comes across quite easily with Pearly*.

Glum. Hayley Williams

Hayley Williams, so I learned, already has a career in music and a successful one for twenty years with her band Paramore and here I am without a clue. Recently I received a message announcing her (solo) album '17 Singles' and decided to give 1 single a try. Glum is an indie track sung with a voice definitely underscoring the title. With a voice that sounds tragically innocent and vulnerable all at once. In the chorus Williams can not really hold back and decides to turn the song into a modest musical party. The different ways she uses her voice makes the chorus a delight to listen to. If anything Glum is an invitation to listen to more. '17 Singles' is out since early this month.

Grandmother [ft. Laraaji]. Big Thief

I came rather late to Big Thief. So I was not there for the first four albums and stepped in with the album with the strange and long name. My plan still is to delve in the past but on the musical diet I'm on that is not an easy thing to do. A new album, 'Double Infinity' is announced for 5 September and to go by Grandmother, it will be a totally different affair. This song is so dreamy and ungrounded. It does not sound like anything I've heard by the band before (with the caveat I started this post with). Laraaji meanders throughout the song with a wordless contribution, giving the song an eastern vibe without being actually eastern. The combination works over the same pattern that is repeated over and over and puts the listener in a relaxed mood. Adrianne Lenker sings with a deeper voice making her sound mature and more mysterious, allowing us all to dream of turning things into rock and roll.

June Gloom. Laura-Mary Carter

And another of my more favourite bands of the past two decades is no more, Blood Red Shoes. The female part of the duo, Laura-Mary Carter is the one who told me by announcing her solo album with the single June Gloom. It is announced as something completely different; and it is. June Gloom is a slow, psychedelic ballad. A track that could have been on a The Beatles album from the mid sixties. This is meant as a complement, as Carter not only shows a totally different side of herself successfully, she also comes with a song that has an iced kind of beauty. It shines clearly from within the cool ice but for now is not within reach. Album 'Bye Bye Jackie' is released on 26 September. By that time we will learn more about Laura-Mary Carter's solo efforts. (N.B. Wikipedia has no announcement of the end of the band, so maybe things are not this bad.)

Cherry Pills. Small Miracles

People with a superb memory will remember that Small Miracles have found a spot on this blog before. These songs were more glamrock oriented. With Cherry Pills the Welsh band from Cardiff shows another side of itself. Cherry Pills is an alternative ballad in which Small Miracles totally stands its ground. The band is advertised as "queer alt-rockers". I will mention it once, but for me it is about the quality of a song. It is here where Small Miracles scores. The vocal and musical arrangements of Cherry Pills are simply so effective and enticing. Just listen to the backing vocals and the way an organ is incorporated into the whole. It makes for delicious listening. And, yes, debut album A Human Connection is finally announced: October 10th, 2025.

Dumb (Take Me Out). The Fool's Agenda 

Whole festival meadows start jumping up and down as soon as the iconic Franz Ferdinand riff starts playing, kickstarting life into the hitsingle. Next they shout out, answering the demand "I want you to": "take me out". The Fool's Agenda has the same demand "take me out". I doubt of the band's song will become this iconic a song but it is one that you may want to hear. If enough people will hear it, it can have the same impact on an audience, as the song has a great bounce in it. The Salem band plays a great mix of punk and grunge, where it's quite clear the band has listened to Nirvana and some 80s bands that preceded Seattle's finest. With singer Rhiannon Raine The Fool's Agenda has a great voice, with enough of a girl element to be pleasant and enough mature female toughness to sound convincing. It may well be that this band is not so dumb as it professes.

Never Again. STONE

It never seizes to amaze me, that there are still youngsters around the world who want to grab a guitar or bass and drums to start making noise as loud as they can. While all the charts are occupied by songs by a, with b and c, feat. d, e and f, where at least five people wrote on individual parts and sort of are all uninteresting to my ears. Luckily, bands like STONE from Liverpool step up and go for it. Never Again is a punk rock track that can make fans jump up and down, as the video, most likely filmed with friends and fans, shows. STONE's single is loud, huge in sound, wild but without forgetting that a song needs a few hooks to stick in the mind. That part is all over the song, making Never Again the kind of song to sing and dance to. "Rock and roll will never die", to quote a dinosaur.

Save Yourself. Steve Geraci

In the first spring weekend of this year Steve Geraci debuted on this blog with his single 'Voice In My Head'. Where this single had me doubting where Geraci wanted to go with his music, Save Yourself is very straightforward. Something like Alice Cooper in 'School's Out' or 'Billion Dollar Babies'. In my mind that sums this single up quite nicely. The song has a political message, taking the point of view of his own family coming to the U.S. in the hope of living the American Dream and puts that in the light of today when the fear of "the other" is growing and growing. He has put that idea into an almost blistering rock song, hoping for the best for the future. Many of us do, Mr. Geraci, so let me underscore your message with this review. Besides Save Yourself being a great rock song, of course. This song is on the blog on the last weekend before the start of the meteorological fall. So, how about a musical date on the first weekend of the winter?

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

Pacific Ocean Blue. Dennis Wilson

In the Brian Wilson documentary 'Long Promised Road' I recently watched on TV, there is one interesting item I would like to highlight here. It's on his younger brother Dennis's only solo album, 'Pacific Ocean Blue'. Brian tells the interviewer while they are driving through L.A. that he had never heard the album. He had heard songs and was in the studio while Dennis was working on it, but never listened to the album as a whole. When they are back at Wilson's home he asks the interviewer to put the album on and they listen to it together. It made me want to listen to the album once again, and here's the result.

Dennis Wilson died in 1983 when he drowned in the L.A. marina, most likely very drunk or worse. By that time his rock and roll lifestyle had caught up with him big time, destroying his voice, a process that can already be heard on this album, private life and his health.

What becomes clear in the documentary, but can be read in any The Beach Boys biography, is the negative influence of the father, Murry, on Brian's mental health, but most likely also on Dennis. He was always sort of seen as the best looking Beach Boy, attracting all the attention of the girls, the happy-go-lucky one. 'Long Promised Road' is about Brian but hints at the dark side of Dennis as well.

Now that album. I had never heard of it, as far as I know as memories are fallible. What I do remember is reading about the re-issue in 2008 in 'Oor'. It was hailed as something like a lost classic album. I went to The Pirate Bay, a legal act in my country at that time and downloaded the extended album containing 33 songs. I think I listened twice and that was about it. I did not hear any brilliance, just somewhat mediocre songs, a bit tougher in a few instances than the band itself produced in the 70s and where I had stopped paying attention to at the time.

Because of the documentary I decided to not only give some The Beach Boys albums a new chance, with surprising results, but also Dennis Wilson's album. And with a surprising result as well. I will not claim that Pacific Ocean Blue is a long lost classic album, but certainly that it is a good album.

Let's start with Dennis Wilson's voice. Yes, it has a rough edge, but that suits most of the songs on the album quite well. The fact that he could work with people from the extended The Beach Boys family, including some from the closer circle as well, means he was working on familiar turf. Recording took place over a number of years, most likely in between the touring and band work but all in the Beach Boys' own Brothers studio in Santa Monica. That Dennis Wilson was more than a background vocalist and live drummer for The Beach Boys is shown by the credits he gets on the album. "Lead and backing vocals, piano, Hammond organ, ARP synthesizer, Moog bass, Minimoog, Clavinet, Fender Rhodes, drums, percussion, bass harmonica, tuba on "Dreamer", violin on "Time", lap steel guitar on "Farewell My Friend", viola and cello on "Tug of Love", arrangements". The sheer musicality and how serious he must have taken his music over the year shows from all these efforts. Rock and roll life style or not.

Wilson wrote two songs with his brother Carl and one with Mike Love. Most songs were written with his friend Gregg Jakobson, now 86 years old and two with his then wife Karen Lamm-Wilson (née Park). All this results in very different songs. From rock and roll based rockers, to very dreamy songs in the vein of The Beach Boys' 70s album. The overall mood is a mellow one and in line with the better music made in the second half of the 70s, like Steely Dan, CSN, The Beach Boys themselves. Not that the music becomes this intricately complicated, but certainly has that vibe.

The album starts with the uplifting piano part of 'River Song'. The vocal harmonies are of Beach Boys quality, like the arrangement is. If there is a critique possible, it is that the verse made me think of Manfred Mann's Earth Band, until I realised it is Manfred Mann / Bob Dylan's 'Mighty Quinn' that shines through the verse of 'River Song'. The song takes more that enough turns to become original, including a whole choir. From there we go into some honky tonk rock and roll with 'What's Wrong', with horns and all, followed by a slow ballad called 'Moonshine'. Another richly arranged song. Three songs, all very different and showing Dennis Wilson's talent. This continues all throughout the album. 'Thoughts Of You' is a song that really stands out, from small to big and back.

Being second fiddle behind someone like Brian Wilson and outshone by the angelic vocal quality of your little brother may have been frustrating for Dennis, who had the looks and the body of a surfer dude. His profession was being a musician, but finding your writing space in this specific band, that also held others who (co-)wrote songs may have been too hard for him. With Pacific Ocean Blue Dennis Wilson has proven to the world that he was a talented writer and musician in his own right. Had he conquered his demons, who knows what would have happened. That was not to be and that in itself is very sad.

On the re-issue in 2008 outtakes and another recording session were added bringing his solo oeuvre to 33 songs. If you haven't heard the album and like 1970s pop/rock music in general, you should listen to Pacific Ocean Blue. I picked up on it, better late than never.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

 

Chameleon. Jana Mila

Jana Mila heeft met het in Nashville opgenomen Chameleon een uitstekend en verrassend veelzijdig album gemaakt, dat zowel in muzikaal en productioneel als in vocaal opzicht makkelijk indruk maakt.

De muziekindustrie draait in Nashville momenteel op volle toeren, wat week na week uitstekende albums oplevert. Tussen deze uitstekende albums valt Chameleon van Jana Mila makkelijk op. Het is een wat veelzijdiger klinkend album dan gebruikelijk in Nashville en het is bovendien een album dat werkelijk prachtig is geproduceerd door Todd Lombardo, die als muzikant zo belangrijk is op de albums van Kacey Musgraves. De ster van het album is echter toch Jana Mila zelf, die indruk maakt met een serie sterke songs en die bovendien makkelijk overtuigt als zangeres. De concurrentie in Nashville is momenteel moordend, maar dit bijzonder mooie album mag zeker niet ondersneeuwen.

Het bekende Amerikaanse platenlabel New West Records kondigt deze week met veel trots het album Chameleon van Jana Mila aan. Het in Nashville, Tennessee, opgenomen album is geproduceerd door de Amerikaanse muzikant Todd Lombardo, die als gitarist een voorname rol speelt op de laatste albums van onder andere Lera Lynn en Kacey Musgraves. New West Records heeft alle reden om trots te zijn op het debuutalbum van Jana Mila, want Chameleon is een uitstekend album, dat er voor mij uit springt deze week. Het is een album dat van Jana Mila zomaar een ster kan maken in Nashville, al is daar ook wel een beetje geluk voor nodig. 

Ook in Nederland kunnen we overigens trots zijn op het eerste album van Jana Mila, want haar wieg stond in Amsterdam. Jana Mila Doorten deed in Nederland mee aan enkele talentenjachten en trok de aandacht met de single When Times Get Rough, dat ze op jonge leeftijd schreef en dat op Spotify al een kleine vijf miljoen keer werd beluisterd. Het is een single die absoluut het talent van Jana Mila laat horen, maar als ik luister naar de songs op Chameleon kan ik alleen maar concluderen dat de Nederlandse muzikante de afgelopen twee jaar hele grote stappen heeft gezet. 

Het album opent met een folky track die opvalt door fraai gitaarwerk, een hele mooie en ruimtelijke productie en uitstekende zang, die hier en daar fraai wordt ondersteund. Het doet qua sfeer wel wat denken aan de muziek die Kacey Musgraves eerder dit jaar maakte op het wonderschone Deeper Well, maar Jana Mila beschikt over een totaal andere stem en laat zich bovendien door andere genres beïnvloeden. 

De Nederlandse muzikante is zeker niet kieskeurig als het gaat om het verwerken van invloeden. Chameleon bevat invloeden uit de Nashville country van het moment, maar heeft ook een jaren 70 vibe met invloeden uit de Laurel Canyon folk. Hier blijft het niet bij, want invloeden uit de Amerikaanse rootsmuziek worden op Chameleon ook gecombineerd met invloeden uit de pop, al zijn deze nooit dominant. Door alle invloeden is Chameleon een toepasselijke titel van een album dat een stuk veelzijdiger is dan de meeste andere albums die momenteel in Nashville worden gemaakt en dat de competitie met deze albums daarom zeker aan kan. 

Jana Mila profiteert op haar debuutalbum nadrukkelijk van de kwaliteiten van Todd Lombardo, die niet alleen tekent voor flink wat instrumenten op het album waaronder het geweldige gitaarwerk, maar bovendien laat horen dat hij de kunst van het produceren inmiddels uitstekend beheerst. Chameleon is in productioneel opzicht een van de mooiste albums uit Nashville die ik de laatste tijd heb gehoord en ook in muzikaal opzicht is het album zeer aansprekend. 

Het doet me in een aantal opzichten denken aan het laatste album van Kacey Musgraves en dat is wat mij betreft een enorm compliment voor Jana Mila. De Nederlandse muzikante laat op haar debuutalbum horen dat ze een uitstekende songwriter is en ook als zangeres maakt ze wat mij betreft makkelijk indruk met een mooie maar ook karakteristieke en emotievolle stem. 

Ik moet eerlijk toegeven dat ik tot een paar dagen geleden nog nooit van Jana Mila had gehoord en daarom ook met zeer bescheiden verwachtingen begon aan het beluisteren van Chameleon, maar het album heeft me echt enorm verrast en is nog lang niet uitgegroeid. Wat een belofte deze Nederlandse muzikante.

Erwin Zijleman

 

Je kunt Chameleon hier luisteren en bestellen:

https://janamila.bandcamp.com/album/chameleon 

2025, week 26. 10 singles

Yes, back once more before the summer recess that is coming closer fast. After more than a week in Oslo. Norway, I'm back home enjoying being at home and listening to some new music. Hundreds of emails behind and not enough time to catch up. Real life is also important. This week we have some new names, as well as a few very recent ones and a few names that are around for some time. The mix of music is nice too, but I have to say that most songs remind me of things past. Certainly nice, to very good, but in one form or another done before. Experience comes with age, so if you are (much) younger this will be very different. Enjoy either way!

Unicorn. Rio Kosta

Let's start this week's singles post with an ultimate poptrack. The description coming with the song mentioned Tame Impala and I fully understand why. At the same time Unicorn is more poppy, with a hint of the ploppy bass of Air (and Serge Gainsbourg before it) and the dreamy wave of a band like Warpaint. Singer Kosta Galanopoulos has an as high voice like singer Alex Maas of The Black Angels. Putting it all together results in a dreamy pop song with which Rio Kosta presents itself for the second time to the world (and the first time on this blog). In fact Unicorn was the first track Galanopoulis and Mike Del Rio worked on together. In nothing it shows that this is what could have been a unique event. The two kept working together, resulting in album 'Unicorn' that will be released on 19 July.

Nothing On Me. White Lies

'All or nothing' Steve Marriot sang on one Small Faces' greatest hits, released in 1966. That title sort of describes my relationship with English trio White Lies. With the needle pointing more often to the nothing section if I'm honest. When I recently heard Nothing On Me on the radio, the needle shot fast to the all good part of the dial. A lot of boxes were ticked within a few seconds. Yes, I can hear you saying of course, as White Lies is ticking a thousands boxes in the 2.44 minutes the single last. I can keep on pointing to references until tomorrow morning. I will not do that and let you pick out your own favourites from the last say 10, 15 years. Nothing On Me is a delightfully charged song where the energy oozes out of. White Lies is on fire and running for its life, making this great music along the way. I did not know the band had it in it and I'm the happier finding out it does.

Return Of Youth. DIIV

DIIV can be found on this blog in its first year, 2012, with the album 'Oshin' and later once again. It has been quiet though and now there's Return Of Youth. It is a slow and dreamy track, with a lot of clarity in the sound spread out all around the rhythm section. Listening to the song is like coming home and drawing a nice warm bath or stepping into the shower attuned to your favourite temperature. The song may be slow, the drums are so solid in sound, a cymbal is crashed regularly for dramatic extras. It's the guitars though that draw me into the song. There are quite a few you'll notice. Around them in the long intro all sort of wobbly sounds are interjected. Singer Zachary Cole Smith is softness itself and his voice hovers over the music like an apparition. In other words, I'm totally happy with this new DIIV song, except for the long outro. The band could have left that for the ten year anniversary version as far as I'm concerned. For the rest, there's not a complaint possible.

Pistols At Dawn. The Spackles

Besides the video accompanying the song that contains animation clips from the 1930 and 40s, including Betty Boop, The Spackles bring alive music that went sort of out of style decades ago as well, albeit not from the 30s and 40s. More like the 60s and 70s. Riffs fly around my ears and the band rocks no little. The song takes a little from different genres and songs. There's a little in there for everyone loving good time rock music from long ago. Marie Slurrie - Guitars,vocals and keys, Spackle McKraken, bass, vocals, keys, Phil McKraken, drums have found themselves on this blog three times before and with Pistols At Dawn they deserve a new spot. The single is simply too much fun to pass up on. From the start with an 'I Feel Fine' intro note, things go from weird, to tight (double) riffing and that's not the last surprise in the song's structure. The Spackles make for exciting and surprising listening on Pistols at Dawn.

Nobody.  Billy Dodge Moody

In May Billy Dodge Moody made his debut on this blog with his single 'Meaning To Disaster', in which he raised a musical statue for a friend who passed away. Now he returns with Nobody, a song that in part brings alive the music of The Beatles. There are this parts and chord changes that come straight from the The Beatles playbook. He adds a form of Americana to it that makes the song have its place in the American songbook. Nobody reminds me of Shane Alexander's songs. Moody's voice even gets close. In the tune he mixes an upbeat rhythm with a dreamy, slightly melancholy mood. It is the drums that give the song an upbeat tempo and feel that the other instruments just have to follow. It's the melody and Billy Dodge Moody's voice that give Nobody its other half. And that is a quality Shane Alexander has tuned to perfection. There's more to come. EP 'Ephemera' is slated for 11 July and is the first of a few EPs that will make up Moody's new album.

Portland Town. Heavenly

29 Years is a long time. We are talking 1996, that's in the previous century, what, millennium! It was the year in which Heavenly released its last album 'Operation Heavenly'. It will be re-released in July. Portland Town is a new single though, announcing a new album expected in 2026. The 7" vinyl is not available until mid July though. The return of Heavenly, although I have to admit that I have not heard of the band before, is welcome though. Portland Time is nostalgic in sound but with a sense of urgency. The band is obviously enjoying its return to writing and making music. With most likely the kids having left the home, there's time to do so. The singing between Amelia Fletcher, the principal singer and keyboardist Cathy Rogers is so pleasant, that I can listen to Portland Town quite a few times in a row. Yes, it sounds familiar but I don't care. This song has quality and that does the trick for me.

Sweet Fame. OPROER

OPROER is from Belgium and working towards the release of its second album, 'The Catch' in October. In the 00s and early 10s there was the Antwerp band A Brand. Sweet Fame reminds me of the enthusiasm A Brand shared with its listeners. Oproer is slightly more subtle than the double accents A Brand put in all the places where they could be put. Oproer's music is described as funky,alterative rock, but, at least on Sweet Fame, I will add pop to the mix. It is all over the harmony vocals, the oohs and aahs of the backing vocals and the 80s synth sound that can be called the lead instrument on Sweet Fame. There's another band from Belgium that keeps escaping me but I'm almost certain it's Soulwax that has influenced OPROER. Sweet Fame is exciting and full of its own special kind of energy. If this is the standard of 'The Catch', I can't wait until it's fall, but allow me to enjoy the summer first anyway.

Nightbird. Celeste Corsano 

In the same week Billy Dodge Moody debuted on this blog, Celeste Corsano did too. I compared her single 'Sunlight Gazing' to 'Wuthering Heights' no less. Nightbird is different, which is good. Ms Corsano shows us all the edges of her voice once again. The childish and high pitch of the early Kate Bush is mixed with the darker voice of a mature woman. Together with the somewhat mysterious music it makes for very interesting listening. Just like I wrote in May, the impact of Celeste Corsano is not the same as Kate Bush had on me all those years ago. It can't, as I had the experience at the time already. Yet, Nightbird is very much welcome and not just because of memories for times long gone. This song has its own power and strength. In fact, like 'Fisherman's Friend', this is strong stuff. Oddly metered, the percussive music stands out. Over it Celeste Corsano does her thing. I have no clue what she has done musically before these singles. Based on the two singles I've heard, it's inconsequential. 'Sunlight Gazing' and Nightbird are the real thing. There's no album announced yet, but that can only be a matter of time.

Alive. Ghostwoman

Ghostwoman's album 'Anne, If', was reviewed by Erwin Zijleman in 2023. I will take this single. With the way the jangly 12 string guitar leads the way on Alive, not much can go wrong and it does not. In fact, all's well. An electric 12 string guitar sound brings only one band to mind and that is the most successful incarnation of The Byrds when then Jim McGuinn played it and was singing with David Crosby, Gene Clark and Chris Hillman, a sound that Roger McGuinn recreated very successfully on his album 'Back From Rio' in the early 1990s. Ghostwoman, Evan Uschenko and Ille van Dessel, plays around with this sound in a more modern way, while letting the single simply explode in the solos before returning for an instrumental outro. Yes, Alive is a song that makes me feel nostalgic but pulls me right out of it because of the double, triple solos at the end. Ghostwoman plays two cards on Alive that are hard to trump. The album, 'Welcome to the Civilized World', will be released on Sept 5th.

I Want It All. Rise Against

Sorry, Rise Against, but when I hear "I want it all", I immediately sing "and I want it now". Queen's powerful return to rock music in 1989 remains one of the band's best singles and one of the best rock songs ever. Rise Against, in business since 1999, returns to this blog with a powerful rock song taking the famous title. Based on what I'm hearing I will allow it. This I Want It All has the power a title like that calls for. The song has this tight rhythm, where paradoxically the drums is the instrument that is allowed the most frivolity, powerful but full of little extras that are fun to follow all throughout the song. it's the guitar that is in a straightjacket with the tight (punk)rock riffing throughout the song. Singer Tim McIlrath brings in some emo in the way of his singing, adding some emotion to the tight rock song. Album 'Ricochet' will be released on 15 August.

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