Hope And Fury. Joe Jackson

It is a lifetime ago that Joe Jackson with his Band entered my life. His single 'Is She Really Going Out With Him' made an immediate impression on me and that was the start of a relationship that is still there in 2026. Sure, I skipped a few albums here and there, especially when Jackson went off in directions that are more or less beyond me. Recently, especially two records from the zeros landed really well with me. You can find them on this blog. If there's anything beyond 'The Fool', I've missed that.

His latest record is called Hope And Fury. For starters, no, I do not think it is as good as 'Fast Forward' and 'The Fool', but things are relative in the world of Joe Jackson. At age 71 he releases an album that sounds urgent, is very varied in genres and an amalgam of the rock, latin and pop mixes he is renowned for and extremely good at. Expect touches of the Joe Jackson Band, 'Night and Day' and 'Body and Soul'. It all comes by on Hope And Fury. The album most likely is titled this way because of the similarities with the two albums mentioned, and the style he calls "his own mainstream".

Every Joe Jackson fan will welcome Hope And Fury as Joe Jackson is presenting his music in his best form. The bio even claims that this album could be "his best yet". Should he gain young followers with this album, that may just be true. Everything that came before has to compete then with the first impression. For me that is competing with 'Look Sharp', 'Night and Day' and 'Body and Soul'. Undoable.

That said, with each spin this new album is growing on me. Hope and Fury will effortlessly wind up among my favourite Joe Jackson (Band) albums. Jackson worked again with his new band, Graham Maby, who else, on bass, guitarist Teddy Kumpel, and drummer Doug Yowell. Added to the band is Peruvian percussionist Paulo Stagnaro, whose distinct contribution gives some of the songs a Santana flavour and brings Sue Hadjopoulos of old to mind. It is a very strong team, on record as well as live. They come over here late November and early December.

The album starts of with an odd-sounding song, for Joe Jackson, but after that it is all smooth sailing, to end with a smooth ballad, 'See You In September'. Something Jackson is good at as well. His voice is still in great from, although the first signs of a little wear is noticeable in a few spots. Nothing to worry about, as his voice sounds great and so recognisable.

48 Years after 'Is She Really Going Out With Him' Joe Jackson still pleases me no little. Hope And Fury is a great album and I have no doubt that it will grow on me even more, so that perhaps I will have to re-view my opening paragraph soon.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

The best albums 2000 - 2024, 3 of 10

And onwards we go, slowly climbing up to the top of this list. Once again you are presented with a varied set of albums, not ten this time but 12. You find out at number 26 why that is.

30. Another Place. Maggie Brown (2017)

Did we stop yesterday with Elenne May, here's another band from Amsterdam that is far more obscure than it deserves to be. Maggie Brown released a perfect album in the form of Another Place. Although I like all its songs, songs that seem to have touched me on another level, there's one that really makes the great. 'Hail To The Rain' is the kind of song that a band comes up with, if it's lucky. Only the truly great artists have more than one. Maggie Brown has one at this point from its second album and latest to date. There are more very good songs on Another Place. Check the album out.

29. Wild God. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (2024)

Will the album really stay as good as I think it is right now? I was listening to it for the first time with two dark Kasteel beers in me on a Friday early evening, with my love cooking in the kitchen. Playing it loud with closed eyes, positioned ideally between the two speakers, I was proverbially swept off of my feet. But not just me, from the kitchen came "who is this"? and we played Wild God again over dinner. As I wrote before, I had nothing by Nick Cave before 'Push The Sky Away', see elsewhere in this list, and liked every album since then. Wild God tops it all. It may be over the top, or whatever people say/write about it. This is simply fantastic. Time will tell where we truly wind up. For now this is really, really good and touches me on a host of levels.

28. De Vuelta Y Vuelta. Jarabe de Palo (2001)

'La Flaca' may be my discovery of the Barcelona band, De Vuelta Y Vuelta is my favourite album. Here it all comes together. All the potential presented perfectly. The albums that followed all delivered but never again like this. All the different influences come together and gel like the band must have intended it before but perhaps was not yet able to achieve. Here it could and it shows. Guests bring in influences from rap music and even from Italy. In Rome in 2001 the album lay there in the Italian version, where the band had broken already. With an album like De Vuelta Y Vuelta I found it really does not matter that I do not understand more than a few words. The music tells it all. Always forward is the message I got from it. I took it to heart.

27. Iris. Reb Fountain (2021)

I came on board with her eponymous album not long before the release of Iris. It did not make this list, but would have been somewhere between 125 and 100. Iris is more varied, better and more mysterious. Reb Fountain shows more sides of her musical self, goes deeper musically and within herself it seems. I can listen to all the songs on Iris for a long time. The American born singer-songwriter from New Zealand is a late bloomer. She found her voice later in life but it comes across all the stronger. Iris is a real top album.

26. Violeta Violeta Volume I, II and III. Kaizers Orchestra (2011 - 2012)

I'm cheating a bit here, but Violeta Violeta is a pop opera released in three parts over the period of one year. Should I have to choose an individual spot for each album they would be around here anyway. So why not allow for room for two other albums? On Violeta Violeta Kaizers Orchestra really goes all out. Despite the fact that you'll find some smaller songs like 'Hjerteknuser' on I, there are also several huge songs with an orchestra and choir. Songs do not come more pompous than 'Begravelsespolka' on III, nor often as good as this song As I understand the final shows were in Oslo with all these extras on stage. I never saw nor heard it. And then the band broke up, with me missing the show due to illness when this was announced. I always had the albums for consolation. There is more Kaizers Orchestra to come.

25. Accelerate. R.E.M. (2008)

Accelerate is one of R.E.M.'s later albums, though not its final as I thought. On Accelerate the band rocks once again and is in great form. Every song is what it should be. Yes, the band released several other nice records between 2000 and 2011 but not as good and consistent as this one. Accelerate is the only one deserving a spot on this list. By now retired for well over a decade, we still have the records. I played this one for the first time in a long time because of this list and was so pleased to hear it once again. I must have played it often at the time, as all song rang bells and brought back the lyrics immediately.

24. Big Love Blanket. Personal Trainer (2022)

Big Love Blanket is an album that grew on me. With every spin it became better. It was far too low on my 2022 list, in hindsight. Personal Trainer is the third band Willem Smit is frontman of and he's still some time away from becoming 30. Paleo Superspeed Donkey, Canshaker Pi both bands had their moments. It really came together for Smit in Personal Trainer, with bassist Ruben van Weegberg always at his side. Smit is able to play more with his alternative rock music, making it more playful and serious at the same time. This all came together on Big Love Blanket and especially in the few truly fantastic songs it has on it. They are party songs that can get any crowd moving. One of the best albums to come out of this country for sure. The bands second album, 'Still Willing', is still growing on me. Too slowly to receive a spot on this list.

23. Hoogriet. De Kift (2020)

Here's the Covid album of De Kift. It was presented online from an empty Paradiso. It is the only album show I've missed since 1997 or 98. Hoogriet is the album on which De Kift reached its pinnacle musically. Although over time 'Niemandsland' may prove even more impactful because of the theme, musically it will not. Delicacy meets roughness here and this includes songs to dream away to. De Kift is one of the most alternative bands I know, because nothing is "normal" with De Kift. Not the music, not the atmosphere, not the instruments used, nor the presentation. With De Kift it is impossible to predict what comes next. The surprise is always total and overwhelming. We are ageing, slowly but surely, the experience does not alter. De Kift is a great band and am glad to see it has moved back into the bigger halls of the venues once again. It deserves it. De Kift is not easy, but certainly unique.

And to think that the album containing the band's best song, 'Bal', has not made it to this list. If there ever was a song containing the essence of the band it is that song called 'Bal'. "Feeste, feeste, feeste", in all seriousness.

22. Mutter. Rammstein (2001)

I discovered Mutter several years after its release through the son of the singer of the band I was in at the time, Flopsband. My circa eight year old son discovered one of the songs somehow, perhaps 'Ich Will' through a tv commercial. I took to Mutter immediately. The melodies on the album are so strong. They mostly come from the keyboard of Christian Lorenz. The rest of the band goes for the rhythm and the deep end. In front is the imposing hulk of singer Till Lindemann, who on stage is larger than life and then some more. This album is full of great songs and is simply the band's best. Without competition in sight.

21. Parachutes. Coldplay (2000)

Another album from the first year of this century. Coldplay is a band I've totally lost sight of since 50% of 'X&Y'. What I wrote of a song like 'Fix You', now the band's most popular song it seems, totally came true and exemplary for nearly all songs I've heard since: boring. To think that things started with this incredibly strong and beautiful album followed by that powerful second one. On Parachutes the band sounded fresh, all but a formula. It was full of ideas that worked out so well. Whenever I hear, 'Yellow', 'Trouble' or name one of the others, I'm back immediately, enjoying the memories of the songs on Parachutes. How can things go so wrong for a band and yet become the biggest band on the planet in the 2020s? At least I have Parachutes, 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head' and an half of 'X & Y'.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

The best albums 2000 - 2024, 4 of 10

Today we go from number 40 to number 31 with half of the albums being not from the U.K. or the U.S. which may be quite unique for this list.

40. Hoofdkaas. De Kift (2008)

And then you find that one of your favourite albums by De Kift is already sixteen years old. What stage decoration was Hoofdkaas presented in? The water organ, the percussion vehicle that drove up to the stage with the band as a marching band behind it? Fact is that musically Hoofdkaas was another step forward for the band originally from Oost-Knollendam. An ever evolving collective that continues right up to today. The band is never afraid to experiment and collaborate. With the title song and the way it is presented live by drummer Wim ter Weele, De Kift added one of its most beautiful songs to its oeuvre. It is certainly one of the most beautiful songs of the century so far.

39. A Certain Trigger. Maxïmo Park (2005)

Another band that never lived up to the promise it made with its debut album. Everything after simply wasn't as good as this. Maxïmo Park followed into the shoes of bands like Franz Ferdinand and Dogs Die In Hot Cars and played up tempo post punk. This album contains some classic songs the band produced. On top of these is 'Apply Some Pressure', without a doubt the song it will end shows with until the day it calls it quits. The energy, weirdness and spunk of just this song is sufficient to deserve a spot on this list. The rest of the songs assures this position.

38. Jump Rope Gazers. The Beths (2020)

So many bands and artists from New Zealand crossed my path since I discovered the newsletter of Auckland's Flying Nun record store. Though not on the store's record label, Flying Nun Records, the band came to me that way. Alternative rock with a twist like they only seem capable of in New Zealand. As I wrote a few times, there's something in the water there that everyone else in the world misses out on. The band around singer and songwriter Elizabeth Stokes blows up her songs to giant proportions without losing sight of what is important, the song and the singer. Guitarist and producer Jonathan Pearce can play solos as if he flies totally of the rails only to land on his feet within the song once again. And then the album contains 'I'm Not Getting Excited', one of the best songs of the past years, as a bonus.

37. Where The Spirit Rests. Chris Eckman (2021)

Chris Eckman had released some solo albums through the years, but they never made a real impression on me. And then came Where The Spirit Rests. I was once again swept off my feet by the power of his songs and voice. It had been close to ten years, collaborations aside, that he released new solo work. It was well worth the wait, because Where The Spirit Rests is great and beautiful album. Eckman's voice resonates deeply into my brain. The accompaniment is sober. There's nothing more than strictly necessary and it is enough. This album was a great return to form.

36. Always Ascending. Franz Ferdinand (2018)

To this day Always Ascending is Franz Ferdinand's latest studio album. The title and opening song is so incredibly strong. It was a return to the band's best songs from the first years of its career. The rest of the album is almost just as good, until the final few songs. Otherwise it would have been a Fra Fer classic. I went to see the band for the second time live, which was great fun. The band delivers new songs in a slow fashion but when it does, it delivers the right kind. The fact that only 'Tonight: Franz Ferdinand' is missing in this list, tells all, doesn't it? FraFer is always ascending/delivering alright.

35. Koper. De Kift (2001)

And once more De Kift. The album Koper has a song called 'Nauwe Mijter' on it, a song that is so extremely good that it deserves a spot even if the rest was not up to par. The rest is, rest assured. Again with art work that is different from everything regular bands make. It is not even complete. You could order extra cards to complete it. (I never did.) Koper was the first De Kift album, I liked as a whole. Its predecessor 'Vlaskoorts' contains a few of the band's most beautiful songs, but is not a great album as a whole. Koper is. Several things seemed to get together for the band at the time. although it would be a few years before ti became this good again..

Nice to know. Coincidentally Franz Ferdinand and De Kift are underneath each other in this list. Do you know they released a single together? Both bands play a song of each other on this single. You may still be able to order it on De Kift's website.

34. Adelantando. Jarabe de Palo (2007)

I was shocked when I saw Pau Dones in a new video just before Jarabe de Palo released what turned out to be its final album. A few weeks later he had succumbed to cancer. That was 2020. Let's go back to happier times when the Barcelona band released its 2007 album Adelantando with its happy and energetic songs bringing together Spanish, Latin, rap and rock music in its own perfect blend. Jarabe de Palo was on the top of its game and playing live in my country every once in a while. I love all of the band's albums but some are far better than others and Adelantando is one of them.

33. From A Basement On The Hill. Elliot Smith (2004)

Another artist who is dead. Elliot Smith died under circumstances that will never be totally cleared. Although many people will point to his late 90s album as his best, for me it is From A Basement On The Hill. Admitted, the album last two, three songs too long, but before that moment, there is so much ear candy. On top of it all the album contains his best song: 'Pretty (Ugly Before)'. At a certain period in my life it spoke volumes to me. It all came out well though, but my heartstrings are still touched every single time I hear this song.

32. Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. Lana del Rey (2023)

Ms. del Rey's latest album and as far as I'm concerned her best to date. The spoken word interludes aside, she has never sounded so good over a whole album. She seems to bare it all in a few of the songs. They are not just mysterious but full of emotions and that combination is one she hadn't presented before. The cool, calm and collected Lana del Rey was left behind in that tunnel. Cracks appeared in the facade she always kept between herself and us. We are all better because of it. This is sheer beauty from a superstar, one of the biggest of the past fourteen years.

31. Veggie Patch In The Desert. Elenne May (2016)

Elenne May came into my life with an email asking me if I wanted to listen to the band's new EP, one of three that would make up this album over time. It turned out to be its the final album, as what should have been its last album was never recorded and left behind as a live performance an five digitally released songs. Veggie Patch In The Desert is an album that takes the listener through a host of emotions with songs that are all very much worthwhile listening to. I have seen the band live several times, including twice in my living room and this album came alive every single time. And then it was all over two years ago. A real shame as there was so much talent combined here. Unfortunately, too little people took notice.

Wout  de Natris - van der Borght

The best albums 2000 - 2024, 6 of 10

And then I thought, I'm missing albums here. Luckily, it turned out that I skipped this list of 10 in my list of draft posts. Not that you will notice, it just gave me a fright that despite rigorous checking album I by accident skipped some albums. I hadn't, pfff, so here is numbers 60 to 51.

60. Rough And Rowdy Ways. Bob Dylan (2020)

My album of 2020 is not found that high in this list. I can't say that I've played it a lot since then. Despite that, it remains a return to form for the old bard. The album has a great mood and most of the songs are very strong. I can't say that it would end in the top five of my favourite Bob Dylan albums. They are simply so much better. Rough And Rowdy Ways is the album no one expected to come any more and surprised in various ways. That is what makes it so good and exceptional.

 

59. A Rush Of Blood To The Head. Coldplay (2002)

One of two albums by Coldplay in this list. After A Rush Of Blood To The Head things went downwards musically quite fast. Not financially or where the band's success is concerned. I had heard the songs of this album before it was released. The Paradiso show was rescheduled to the, then, "beer hall" in Amsterdam. From 1200 to 5000 people, the demand was a lot larger than expected. The strength with which the show and later the album kicked off, 'Politik', said it all. Coldplay was going to rock harder and did. Masterpiece 'Clocks' led the way as well. The band's first big hit. Not the band's best album but still a well deserved spot in this list.

58. Love What You Do. The Hackensaw Boys (2005)

The second and last The Hackensaw Boys album in this list. In that first show I saw, see 'Keep It Simple', there was this song that made shivers run down my spine. It was on this album and is called 'Alabama Shamrock'. It is also the album that contains 'Cannonball' not the band's best song but certainly the closest it had to a hit, as it made everyone sing along in shows. Love What You Do also showed to me that this band changed members faster than the change of seasons occur. In 2024 there's only one constant left, David Sickmen, the rest are anonymous band members. My friends, are all (long) gone. What remains is an album like Love What You Do. It's the band's best.

57. Not God. Finom (2024)

A band that changes its name per album is a disaster, seen from a marketing point of view. Musically though I can't complain. Where the album under the name Ohmme was left behind on the long list, the most recent album by Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart under the name Finom is incredibly good. From the staccato way of playing and singing right up to the exuberance on display, Not God is an album to undergo completely. In 2024 there were a few albums by women that I cherished but not a single one comes close to Not God. Whatever the name of the band is next time, if the quality is this good, who cares?! The one thing is, I need to pay attention.

 

56. Origin Of Symmetry. Muse (2001)

Muse was the last band I discovered in the 20th century. Coming home from band practice on Thursday evenings I always had to unwind before being able to sleep. I always watched 'Alter 8' for a while on MTV and it showed a song by Muse, 'Muscle Museum'. The next day I bought the album. This is the band's second album with a host of strong singles, starting with the fantastic 'Plug In Baby' with its signature riff longer than the road to Rome. Origin Of Symmetry in everything was the boss over the band's debut album 'Showbiz'. With further singles like 'New Born' and 'Bliss' Muse became a household name in alternative rock, slowly climbing to the stadium act it already is for years.

 

55. Push The Sky Away. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (2013)

My first Nick Cave album and one I bought as an LP a few years later. Why did Cave all of a sudden touch me? Good question. Most likely because I decided to download the album from The Pirate Bay because of a review I'd read. Four of the songs really got to me. Songs like 'Jubilee Street' and 'Higgs Boson Blues' just did it. It made me start listening to the man and his band for the first time. I haven't stopped since but also have not bothered to look back so far, with one exception, 'Dig Lazarus Dig'. Who knows, if I run into something second hand, I might buy some more. Push The Sky Away keeps coming by regularly, so deserves a spot here, despite not making it to my year list in 2013.

 

54. Ghosteen. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (2021)

And yet another Nick Cave album. His mourning album for his 15 year old son Arthur, who fell of a cliff. Not much later he lost a second son. Ghosteen is an impressive album but also hard to listen to, not as hard as Lou Reed's 'Berlin' but you have the picture. The album is so quiet for the most part that The Bad Seeds could well have stayed at home. Cave is pouring his heart, mind and grief out over us. Shows became therapeutic sessions for singer and audience. Musically he grew to great heights though as Ghosteen is a monument.

53. Somos. Jarabe de Palo (2014)

Somos is Pau Dones last studio album before he became ill and left the music business to die at the age of 54. On Somos he is the exuberance itself. Somos is a celebration of fun to be had in and through music. My album of 2014 is not his best album, be patient, but is so deserving of having a place here. The band is in great form and the songs show why. Somos is party time and Jarabe De Palo shares it with the whole world. By then the band didn't bother to play up here any more. The latin part of the Americas lay at the band's feet by then. And then it all came to a tragic stop. One album was to follow, not unlike David Bowie released as a surprise just before Dones' death. Let Somos be the album to remember him by.

52. Rock n Roll. Ryan Adams (2003)

There were days that a new Ryan Adams album was released by the week it seemed, so many came out. Of inconsistent quality, o.k., but never bad. One of these albums stood out for me and here it is, Rock n Roll. To me it is the Ryan Adams album. As far as the Americana artist rocked, it is here. The album is extremely varied and brings together what I truly like about Ryan Adams. Part of that is his voice, the other half how he approaches his songs on this album. Rock n Roll comes across as far more direct and that pays off. Whatever happened to and more importantly because of Adams' behaviour in later years, he never surpassed this album for me.

51. Cluster Funk. Death Goldbloom (2014)

A totally obscure band from Vancouver B.C., Death Goldbloom brings us halfway of this list. Natalie Ramsay, a singer-songwriter from Vancouver was interviewed by me and pointed me to a guitarist she thought was great and here came Cluster Funk my way. Tim Claridge and drummer Tomek lay it all down on this rock album. Claridge is a guitarist extra ordinair. Just listen to all those lead and rhythm guitar parts he lays down on the album. His voice sounds not unlike the singer of Masters of Reality, Chris Goss. Death Goldbloom mixes classic rock with elements of desert rock and electric blues. The devil, 66(6), satanic, it is all pretty dark in the Vancouver of Tim Claridge. It pays off though, as Cluster Funk is a fantastic mini album of six songs. That darkness only distracts from how Claridge and Tomek are playing. They really rock out and can turn a soft blues into a sonic storm. And then there's '66th And Crimson' the absolute top song of Cluster Funk. Check it out folks. By the way, if I remember corrected it is Natalie Ramsay you hear singing background vocals on that fantastic song '66th And Crimson'.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

Kairos 126 , 4 February 2021 on Concertzender

Yes, I am running behind ever more, I know. There's so much music to write on. All but excuses for making other priorities for the blog. Not so today. The Kairos of February is tackled today. Let's go and see what .No presented the world five months ago.

Believe it or not, but a mystery has been unveiled for me today. All having paid close attention in February already know. Look at the first item on the playlist and you know too if you haven't noticed. The composer and the name of the intro has been made known!

Soft piano tinkering takes over, backed by some atmospheric sounds. Turning the music up, I want to hear what is happening, an acoustic guitar is there and a dark voice in the style of Serge Gainsbourg with even more Gauloises or Gitanes behind him then he could muster. The language, I have no clue. It could be anything, including just sounds. The composition, ' Tsakoniko', by Hairetis Harper, slowly but surely becomes more solid, mostly because of the more aggressively strummed guitar and the more demanding singing. Slowly I can imagine the language to be Greek.

Another sound moves over Harper's speaking way of singing. A long held note, with a drone behind it, from which an organ sound rises up. Nils Frahm is a modern composer returning very regularly on Kairos and thus this blog. This song is from the album 'Tripping With Nils Frahm'. Now my notions on reading the word tripping, bring hippies, San Francisco, Jefferson Airplane, etc., to mind, not what I'm currently listening to here. But then I'm sure that every individual is able to trip on anything he or she likes. It just takes a little more imagination the I can muster, to imagine someone tripping on the serious church organ composition Frahm plays here. But then speaking in tongues is also a Christian tradition, so who knows? Let me leave it at that, but could have written on here about ideas on other forms of psychedelic, religious experiences I immediately associate with because of my former association. I notice a violin joining the music, making things a bit wilder, but...

...my guess is that this no longer is Nils Frahm and that we are slowly moving on through one of the grand mash ups .No is famous for, at least on this blog he is. If I'm correct what I'm listening to is a Nick Cave/Nicholas Lens song called 'Litany Of The First Encounter'. A song that could have been part of his last album, recorded with Waren Ellis, 'Carnage', with Cage singing himself. This is quite nice actually.

The next song I dare to take credit for it being on Kairos. Reb Fountain is a singer, born in the U.S., but since young childhood from New Zealand. With her self-titled album I discovered her in the fall of 2020 and tipped .No for Kairos. Since a beautiful remix of 'Hawks & Doves' has been released as well and a new album announced. 'Hawks & Doves' is a beautiful song, acoustic but so firm nonetheless. Reb Fountain created a sort of monument for her song. So erect, yet so alive. Her voice sort of puts a spell on me. She captured me alright. I can only hope that in 2022 she can cross the world for a tour.

A demanding piano takes over. A soft, breathy woman's voice starts singing. It has a Japanese association for some reason. The song is from 'Mooncy & Tobias III', 'Sericum'. Again I'm listening to a song that is quite alright. Mysterious, and a bit strange, sure, but quite beautiful and holding it's own against 'Hawks & Doves' with ease. So why did I truly not like this album when listening to it on its release? I have no answer, except that I should be listening to it again some time.

The change is a bit mysterious. What is it that I'm presented with? From the musical chaos a violin raises itself, accompanied by a piano. The mood of the previous two songs is continued in this instrumental song called 'Weary Remains' by Blear Moon. I can play music, once upon a time wrote songs, I listen to loads of music, write on music but never for the life of me could I present music in the way .No does. Who thinks up these sequences that work so well and is able to mix them and tweak them in these ways?

Because somewhere in all this Philip G Anderson & Laura Masotto's 'Moments' is hidden and my guess is that the little musicál chaos on the edges is Blear Moon, while the song I hear is 'Moments'. And now you know why I was asking all these questions, with even more urgency than you may have imagined. The mixing genius at work this is.

A little chaos again and out of it rises a female voice singing 'ooh ooh", over a soft piano. It is Dutch singer VanWyck, who I discovered not long after I discovered Reb Fountain. 'This Is That Time' is a song from VanWyck's corona album. A few new songs, a few reworked ones, stripped to the bone. This approach puts focus on her voice, making it come out in spades. A tip is always given not expecting anything, as this is not my programme. I'm just pleasantly surprised when a few months later a song pops up. Just listen to the sequence of songs and I hear perfection in choices.

And a harp takes over, pushing VanWyck totally aside. No subtleties here. Some birds, crickets?, faintly in the distance hidden deeply underneath the harp. It is Hairetis Harper returning with a second composition from his album 'Draft', ' Meadow'. When the acoustic guitar enters, it takes over the centre position in the song. It changes the mood as it is played more focused it seems. The harp is dreamy, slow, the guitar's touch is far more secure and down to earth and direct. Finally also a piano enters and then the guitar drops out. As if the giants in a troll movie have moved out of the forest back to the mountains.

I could have known, the piano is not a part of Harper's composition. It is Keith Jarrett performing live in Budapest. (I hope that people from abroad wanting to see him there, did not buy tickets for Bucharest, as some football fans appeared to have done.) 'Part VIII' is a beautiful piece of music. Sensitive, the keys touched so lightly it seems, that the music hovers through my room, slowly settling into my ears and brain.

When a female's voice moves over the piano notes, I take it that Jarrett is being interrupted. Then a man enters as well, I was thinking Nick Cave, but is it? That roughness in the voice is missing. But, yes, it is. Again that L.I.T.A.N.I.E.S. album that I have never heard of before. I can't call it classical music, but for someone who started out as a self-destructive post-punk artist in The Birthday Party, a song like this is beyond classical music. (I could not listen to Cave in the first two and a half decades of his career.) The duet with a, for me at this point, unknown female singer is utterly beautiful.

Cave and Lens' music is serious but nothing compared to what I'm hearing next. This is serious, modern classical music alright. Tōru Takemitsu. 'The Night', from ‘Toward The Sea II for alto flute, harp and orchestra’ is what I'm hearing. All deep tones, dark, slow with an eruption of notes here and there, as if dancing over the music, the alto flute taking the lead, supported by the lighter sound of the harp. The orchestra is left with the task of creating that dark mood.

Slowly someone else if morphed into the music of Takemitsu, Nils Frahm. Some more tripping, I'm afraid. 'Ode To My Own Roof'. There are two options to look at this song title. 1) In the metaphorical sense as an ode to roof as the house as a whole, protecting you, making it possible to live sheltered, warm and safe and 2) the psychedelic form where Frahm detaches the roof from all else and sees it as a sole entity moving in front of him. Listening to how serious this music is, I do opt for number 1. The composition takes a whole 10 minutes and I'm afraid it's a bit too long to my taste. Too little is happening to keep my attention span at the task at hand. Especially because by now I know which song closes this Kairos and I can't wait for it to start.

It is a double tribute. Pau Dónes, singer, rhythm guitarist and songwriter of the Spanish band Jarabe de Palo, died last year at the age of 54. On this song, the title song from the band's first, album 'La Flaca' from 1996, I wrote my first article for the first issue of WoNo Magazine. And that issue, the very first one, was published in February 2001, 20 years ago this year. Started as a bit of a joke, with no idea that we would continue for 16 years, let alone that and 20 years later there still would be a blog with WoNo in its name. Yes, it was my suggestion to add 'La Flaca' to Kairos, if .No would like it, as a tribute to our work of the past 20 years. The Cuban inspired slow rock song rings in my ears, bringing tears to my eyes. It was sort of chance that I ever heard the song, as it almost never happened. Read the story in that first WoNo Magazine. The link can be found in February of 2021, to make it easy for you here: http://wonomagazine.blogspot.com/2021/02/wono-magazine-20-years.html. Hearing 'La Flaca' was the beginning of a relationship with Jarabe de Palo that will last a life time. My favourite Spanish band ever, no doubt about it, stopped in its tracks in May or June 2020. A double tribute 'La Flaca' is. Sorry, .No but it is the most beautiful song on Kairos ever.

Wo.

This is the link to listen to this Kairos:

https://www.concertzender.nl/programma/kairos_593799/

or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g

This is the playlist of February 2021:

00:00 – 00:16  Kairos Tune by Wino Penris.

00:07 – 06:45  Hairetis Harper. Tsakoniko. Album ‘Draft’. Same Difference Music.

05:52 – 11:28  Nils Frahm. Enters.
Album ‘Tripping with Nils Frahm’. Erased Tapes Records.

10:46 – 15:35  Nicholas Lens/Nick Cave. Litany Of The First Encounter.
Album ‘L.I.T.A.N.I.E.S. Deutsche Grammophon 00289 483 9745.

15:21 – 19:24  Reb Fountain. Hawks & Doves. Album ‘Reb Fountain’. self-released.

19:16 – 22.30  Moonchy & Tobias. Sericum (slightly adapted by Wino Penris).
Album ‘Moonchy & Tobias III’. Tiny Room Records.

21:49 – 23:48  Blear Moon. Weary Remains (fragment).
Album ‘Winter Journal. EP ‘Winter Journal’. ΠΑΝΘΕΟΝ Records (Pantheon).

22:48 – 25:56  Philip G Anderson & Laura Masotto. Moments.
EP ‘A Quiet Evening’. Lady Blunt Records.

25:35 – 26:39  Blear Moon. Weary Remains (fragment).
Album ‘Winter Journal. EP ‘Winter Journal’. ΠΑΝΘΕΟΝ Records (Pantheon).

26:29 – 30:48  Van Wyck. This Time That Time.
Album ‘God Is In The Detour. Self-released.

30:40 – 34:38  Hairetis Harper. Meadow. Album ‘Draft’. Same Difference Music.

34:18 – 39:32  Keith Jarrett. Part VIII (applause removed).
Album ‘Budapest Concert’. ECM2700/01.

39:07 – 43:17  Nicholas Lens & Nick Cave. Litany of the gathering up.
Album ‘L.I.T.A.N.I.E.S. Deutsche Grammophon 00289 483 9745.

43:08 – 46:49  Tōru Takemitsu. The Night, from ‘Toward The Sea II for alto flute, harp and orchestra’. Album ‘20th Century Music for Flute and Orchestra’. NAXOS 8.554185.

46:27 – 56:30  Nils Frahm. Ode Our Own Roof.
Album ‘Tripping with Nils Frahm’. Erased Tapes Records.

55:38 – 59:57  Jarabe de Palo. La flaca. Album ‘La Flaca’. EMI.

Tragas O Escupes. Jarabe de Palo

In the summer of 1997 I visited Spain for a marriage of a friend together with other friends. In the discotheques of Salamanca three songs were played over and over: 'La Macarena', something by The Spice Girls and a Spanish song that was so incredibly good. I found out that it was called 'La Flaca'. The next day I bought the album. In fact that record shop, just off the Plaza Mayor, may be the only one abroad I bought an album twice over the years. Both by Jarabe de Palo. Ever since I remained a fan of Jarabe de Palo. Even got to see the band play live a few times in Amsterdam. Since 'Somos' in 2014, then my album of the year, things remained silent. In 2020 a thin looking Pau Donés returns with his band on Tragas O Escupes.

The album kicks off with the drums and a nice up tempo song, ''Vuelvo'. The music is immediately likeable. It has that upbeat atmosphere Jarabe de Palo has in this upbeat songs. The voice of Pau Donés is different though. It sounds older and thinner, more tired than in 2014 and before. Something has changed for sure here. Being in his early 50s is not necessarily an explanation.

That said, musically the album certainly grows on me. Again the band mixes southern European, Latin and western rock elements in a mix that makes it hard not to like it and not to move the body along to the music. It seems so effortless to swing like this, as swing it does. The music fully allows someone to live in the moment. Surrender to it and the outside world no longer exists. Of course that goes for all music, but for me Jarabe de Palo makes me feel good immediately as well. I do not understand anything he sings about, some words apart, but it doesn't matter one thing. This band plays feel good music with a slightly exotic touch. It doesn't take more for me.

Playing the album for the first time a few weeks ago, I was hit by the oh, yeah, I heard this before feeling, that I sometimes have when hearing a new album by a favourite artist of years if not decades. Sometimes it is correct but not with Tragas O Escupes. The album came more alive with each spin and started to show her secrets slowly. The clean sound in which so many great details come forward as the mix is well done. Attention was clearly given to details when recording and mixing. It gives each song on the album its own characteristics. Whether a dry percussion, a hi-hat, saxophone or guitar line, they all come forward nicely next to the prominent voice of Pau Donés.

It is such a nice thing to hear, a favourite artist who delivers with his new album. With Tragas O Escupes Jarabe de Palo delivers alright. Although it is instantly recognisable as Jarabe de Palo the band does experiment with its sound as well. 'Hombrecitos' has a new sound to it, very 70s, I think, reggae of the 'Dreadlock Holiday' kind, with a surf(guitar) sound that is even older. It makes 'Hombrecitos' a song that attracts attention immediately, without overdoing anything.

There's more of that, where the Spanish/Mexican tradition enters the album. 'Me Flechaste Ingrata' is really something different, the trumpet is used so melancholically, underscoring the whole of the song. It holds a yearning for things past that will never returns. A beautiful song. To discover this beauty it is a necessity to truly get to know the album. I am glad I have and have started to discover all the things that passed me by when being introduced to it. Never give up after one go, is a wise walk in life.

It seems Jarabe de Palo has released another great album.

And then I open Wikipedia and sit shocked behind my screen. My hunch feeling seeing his picture and the weaker voice proved only too true. Pau Donés died on 9 June, two weeks after the release of Tragas O Escupes. News that did not reach my country or at least me. Jarabe de Palo and I have reached the end of our road, except that I am allowed to walk it some more, with the music the band has given me, the memories of Salamanca and the shows I saw in the Melkweg in Amsterdam in the 00s. I notice the news truly affects me deeply. Time to write some more. (You can read that writing here: http://wonomagazine.blogspot.com/2020/06/pau-dones-of-jarabe-de-palo-1966-2020.html).

Wo.

Listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g

Pau Donés of Jarabe de Palo (1966 - 2020)

When a musician dies that I truly loved hearing and have followed for his whole career and thus a big chunk of my life, it affects me. Some more than others, but this one truly I notice. It is the second time that I get the news while having finished a review of the new album. David Bowie in 2016 and now Pau Donés in 2020. Donés is dead for ten days on writing. The news never reached me until I had finished my review of his new album, Tragas O Escupes.

Pau Donés was the singer-songwriter and rhythm guitarist of Jarabe de Palo, a band from Barcelona in Spain. After conquering Spain and Italy, the band never really was able to make the step to western Europe. Next Latin America and the Latin part of the U.S. fully fell for the band, making them big stars. Here only 'Bonito' made it to the radio. It still gets an occasional airplay. Unfortunately that was it. Perhaps the language barrier was too big, as it certainly could not have been the quality of the band's hit singles. At the shows I visited Spanish was the language mainly spoken around me. One of those moments making me realise how diverse my country has become where nationalities and languages are concerned. How colourful and brighter.

For me the ride started in two discotheques in Salamanca in Spain in the early summer of 1997 when a good friend from my student days married his Spanish love. After the marriage and two days in Madrid with another friend from the same home who emigrated to Spain we spend two days in Salamanca, five guys, disco time. That is where we got to know 'La Flaca', for me an introduction that stayed with me for 23 years almost to the day.

'Grita' of the 'La Flaca' album was played by my previous band for years on a Dutch lyric I wrote. Only last Saturday my son sang 'Grita' with me on guitar as part of the Social Distancing Tour 2020 my girlfriend and I hold in our front garden for the neighbours each weekend. If we had known, it would have been a tribute. Now an unbeknown one.

Since 1997 Jarabe de Palo took me on a musical trip. A trip full of great albums, beautiful songs and a joy of life in general. Despite I am unable to understand what Pau Donés sings (and too lazy to look it up), the music always brings joy. Read the review on the latest album that will be online in the coming days and that is just what it says. The music simply does something to me.

That journey through life together has come to an end. I will continue it and keep playing the albums while moving down life further. With Tragas O Escupes Jarabe de Palo has delivered a last, beautiful present and I wrote that before I found out and was shocked and saddened by the news. I never met Pau Donés but it feels like having lost a friend.

Wo.

Listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g

Sway Wild. Sway Wild

Dave McGraw en Mandy Fer keren terug als Sway Wild en imponeren met een bijzonder geluid, een veelheid aan stijlen, uitstekende songs en zang om van te watertanden.

Na drie prachtalbums werd het wel weer eens tijd voor een nieuw album van Dave McGraw en Mandy Fer, maar aangevuld met bassist Thom Lord duiken de Amerikaanse muzikanten nu op als Sway Wild. Het levert een bijzonder avontuurlijk debuutalbum op. Het is een album waarop Mandy Fer alles uit haar elektrische gitaar haalt, waarna de wat staccato basis fraai wordt ingekleurd met onder andere strijkers, blazers en bas en drums. Het levert een bont geluid op dat alle kanten op schiet, maar dat neerslaat in fraaie songs wanneer Mandy Fer begint te zingen. Het levert een album op dat niet al te veel aandacht heeft gekregen de afgelopen maanden, maar dat met de allerbesten mee kan.

Ik ontdekte de muziek van Dave McGraw en Mandy Fer pas laat. Het in kleine kring bejubelde debuut Seed Of A Pine uit 2010 ging volledig aan mij voorbij, terwijl ik het in veel bredere kring opgepikte Maritime uit 2014 pas ontdekte toen het album opdook in flink wat jaarlijstjes.
 
Ruim drie jaar geleden was ik wel bij de les toen het derde album van Dave McGraw en Mandy Fer verscheen. Het met bescheiden middelen gemaakte Off-Grid Lo-Fi maakte behoorlijk wat indruk en vanaf dat moment was ik van plan om het werk van het Amerikaanse tweetal nauwlettend in de gaten te houden.
 
Dat is weer niet gelukt, want vorig jaar dook het duo, na een stilte van ruim drie jaar, op met nieuw werk. Dat ik het album niet direct oppikte is deels te verklaren door het feit dat Dave McGraw en Mandy Fer hun nieuwe album niet onder hun eigen naam hebben uitgebracht, maar onder de naam Sway Wild.
 
Na het drukke tourschema dat volgde op de release van Maritime en Off-Grid Lo-Fi maakte het duo samen met een bevriende muzikant, Thom Lord, een lange zeiltocht langs de Noord-Amerikaanse en Canadese kust. Het leverde zoveel inspiratie op dat de drie na afloop de studio in doken en Sway Wild was geboren. Dave McGraw nam plaats achter de drums, Thom Lord bespeelde de bas, terwijl Mandy Fer zich uitleefde op haar elektrische gitaar.
 
Het is met name Mandy Fer die haar stempel drukt op het debuut van Sway Wild. Haar veelkleurige gitaarspel domineert het geluid op het album en doet dit samen met haar prachtige vocalen. Dave McGraw en Thom Lord spelen vooral ondersteunend, maar smeden ondertussen ook de vele stijlen die worden aangeraakt op het debuut van Sway Wild op knappe wijze aan elkaar.
 
In de studio kreeg het trio in vocaal opzicht gezelschap van Birds of Chicago en Anna Tivel, terwijl de blazers van MarchFourth en de strijkers van het Portland Cello Project het bijzondere geluid van Sway Wild verder inkleurden, met een prachtig Hammond orgel als finishing touch.
 
Het is een bont geluid dat zich niet makkelijk of helemaal niet in een hokje laat duwen. Veel songs op het album worden gedomineerd door het bijzondere gitaarspel van Mandy Fer dat soms staccato, maar soms ook subtiel en prachtig melodieus klinkt. Het is gitaarspel dat varieert van zeer ingetogen tot rauw en uitbundig.
 
Sway Wild heeft bovendien een geluid dat vele genres bestrijkt. Sway Of Wild kan uit de voeten met zo ongeveer alles dat binnen het hokje Amerikaanse rootsmuziek past (folk, blues, country), maar schuwt ook uitstapjes richting funk, jazz, gospel, Afrikaanse muziek, Latin, psychedelica en rock niet.
 
Het Amerikaanse drietal lijkt zeker bij eerste beluistering van de hak op de tak te springen met de ene tempowisseling naar de andere, maar door deze dynamiek lopen alle stijlen op het album op organische wijze in elkaar over.
 
In muzikaal opzicht is het debuut van Sway Wild smullen, maar ook in vocaal opzicht valt er heel veel te genieten op het album. Mandy Fer is een uitstekend zangeres, die meer dan eens aan Norah Jones doet denken, maar ze heeft ook een duidelijk eigen geluid dat op het debuut van Sway Wild meer dan eens goed is voor kippenvel. Het prachtdebuut van Sway Wild lag een aantal maanden op de stapel, maar is nu hard op weg richting mijn jaarlijstje. Prachtplaat.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt Sway Wild hier beluisteren en kopen:

https://swaywild.bandcamp.com/album/sway-wild


of luister naar onze Spotify Playlist en ontdek waar we over schrijven:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g

Joe Jackson live. Paradiso, Amsterdam Monday 8 April 2019

Photo: Wo.

"There are bands and there are bands", commented My Love when we exited Paradiso and that is a truth like a cow.

Paradiso was filled to the brim. Clad in my now supertight t-shirt from spring 1984's 'Body and Soul' tour I went to see Joe Jackson, for sure, for the third time. In my mind there is a show at De Doelen in Rotterdam, but can't find any recollection of it in there. Joe Jackson played there in the winter of 1983, so this might just have been my fourth show in the 40 year anniversary of 'Look Sharp''s release. For sure there is Ahoy in 1984 and the Pepsi Stage in 2003.

Jazz music filled Paradiso, including some tremendous swing. This was Jackson's own choice for sure. Something changed when just a drum started, the stage empty. Lights slowly faded. A man walked on stage, sat himself on his stool and after some ostentatious preparatory movements picked up the beat. Graham Maby, Jackson's career long bass player, picked up his bass and joined. The sound was so clear, so right and above all so groovy. A third man walked on stage, strapped on his guitar and joined. Finally Joe Jackson walked on sat him lanky body behind the keyboards and threw in some piano chords. In a way, if this had been the show, it would already have been perfect. The groove laid down by the band was so fantastic. The ease of playing is phenomenal to view, while everyone ever having tried to master an instrument knows how many hours of practice it takes to attain such a level. All against a red lightning projected on a stage-high draping of curtains.

The slow groove of 'Alchemy', one of the many strong songs on Joe Jackson's latest album 'Fool', proved the start, and close, of a perfect evening. The show was centered around one album from each decade: 'Look Sharp' (1979), 'Night And Day' (1982), 'Laughter And Lust' (1991), 'Rain' (2008) and 'Fool' (2019). From 'Alchemy' we all shot back 40 years in time with the totally energetic 'One More Time'. The angry young Joe still has a role to play. This was as punk as punk came, despite the fact the punk thing was over by that time. The album is full of punk energy that still is easy to feel and undergo in 2019. Fans all around me were singing along like there is no tomorrow for us all.

Photo: Wo.

This show to me proved a few things. How smart Joe Jackson was to pursue his own musical desires. Had he stuck with what he did in 1979-1980, we might have gone to a reunion tour of 40 years 'Look Sharp' yesterday, but not to the musical richness we were in witness of now. With 'Jumping Jive' Joe Jackson had said goodbye to his band and music, allowing him to produce 'Night & Day', Body & Soul' and everything that followed. Yes, he lost me from circa 1991 to 2016, with the exception of 'IV'. Listening now I wonder why. 'Rain' is a fine album I found out this week and I am about to catch up with some of the albums I skipped, until I put on 'Fast Forward' any way a couple of months after its release in 2015. An album that should have scored high in my top 10 of the year but did not due to my Joe Jackson prejudice and so undeserved I'm finding out.

Quite often on these pages I'm attesting to my, in general, abhorrence of 80s music. I am going to make an exception here for two albums, 'Night & Day' and 'Body & Soul'. I remember hearing 'Cha Cha Loco' for the first time or 'The Verdict' and thinking what is Joe Jackson doing now?, yet noticing how incredibly clear the music sounded. Having digested 'Night & Day' by then. These both were defining albums, in sound, in mood, in boldness. If I am singing a Joe Jackson song in the house, it is always 'You Can't Get What You Want, 'Till You Know What You Want'. Another truth as a cow. And, yes, he played it in the closing medley. The start of the medley was the only song that did not really come across fully. The Steely Dan cover worked perfectly on the bonus single that came with the 'Fool' LP, but less on stage. All the other songs were perfect. From the first beats to the last, as the band left the stage in reversed order, again playing 'Alchemy' with the drums moving from real to tape as effortlessly as when picked up at the start.

Photo: Wo.

Compliments to the fabulous drummer, Doug Yowell, the too big, but great guitar player, Teddy Kumpel, Graham Maby the bass palyer who can play anything and sing great as well. Together they make Joe Jackson's music come totally alive. And there's that old drum computer from 1979, still working and so we got 'Stepping Out' in the encore, played as on the record!

The only song I missed was 'It's Different For Girls'. If only to see and hear Joe Jackson silencing the audience once more and let Graham Maby play his outro on bass again in utter silence like in 1984. We got 'I'm The Man' instead, so can live with this miss. What a show! A deep extension of gratitude is due and thus given: Thank you, gentlemen!

Wo.

Listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g

The Navigator. Hurray For The Riff Raff

Hurray For The Riff Raff is de band rond frontvrouw Alynda Lee Segarra.
 
Alynda heeft Puerto Ricaanse wortels, maar groeide op in de Bronx in New York. Op haar 17e verruilde ze het zware leven in een wat minder florissante wijk in New York voor een bestaan als muzikant in New Orleans en dit begint zo langzamerhand zijn vruchten af te werpen.
 
De platen van Hurray For The Riff Raff zijn sinds het uit 2008 stammende debuut alleen maar beter geworden en ook The Navigator is weer beter dan zijn voorganger.
 
The Navigator is een opvallend ambitieuze plaat, waarop Alynda Lee Segarra een verhaal vertelt dat lijkt op haar levensverhaal. Het is een levensverhaal dat voor een belangrijk deel wordt ingekleurd door de muziek waarmee de frontvrouw van Hurray For The Riff Raff opgroeide in New York.
 
Op Spotify heeft Alynda Lee Segarra een lijstje geplaatst met de songs die haar hebben geïnspireerd tot het maken van The Navigator en dat is een interessant lijstje. Het is een lijstje dat wordt gekleurd door haar Puerto Ricaanse afkomst en de muziekgeschiedenis van The Big Apple, maar het belangrijkst was naar eigen zeggen de eerste beluistering van David Bowie's The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust. Persoonlijk hoor ik overigens veel meer van Patti Smith, die ook vertegenwoordigd is in de playlist op Spotify.
 
Hurray For The Riff Raff opereerde tot dusver binnen de kaders van de Americana (in de breedste zin van het woord), maar op The Navigator slaat de band haar vleugels uit. In een aantal songs raakt de muziek van de band aan de Americana die het in het verleden omarmde, maar de plaat biedt ook volop ruimte aan de rockmuziek uit de grote stad.
 
Invloeden uit de rockmuziek uit de jaren 60 en 70 staan centraal op The Navigator, maar Hurray For The Riff Raff vermengt deze invloeden op bijzonder knappe wijze met uiteenlopende andere invloeden.
 
Het ene moment sluit Alynda Lee Segarra nadrukkelijk aan bij de muziek die Patti Smith in de jaren 70 maakte, maar The Navigator sluit ook net zo makkelijk aan bij de emotievolle folk van Natalie Merchant of bij de Latin die op zijn beurt weer aansluit bij de roots van de zangeres van Hurray For The Riff Raff.
 
Dit alles wordt vermengd met donkere klanken, Surf gitaren, hier en daar melancholische strijkers en altijd heel veel passie. Het levert een plaat op die zich met geen enkele andere plaat laat vergelijken. Het levert ook een plaat op die ondanks de zeer uiteenlopende invloeden klinkt als een geheel en wat is het een indrukwekkend geheel.
 
In muzikaal opzicht schiet het alle kanten op, maar in vocaal opzicht is The Navigator verrassend consistent. Alynda Lee Segarra zingt op de nieuwe plaat van Hurray For The Riff Raff met hart en ziel en maakt indruk met vocalen die haar songs tot leven brengen.
 
Bij mijn eerste beluistering van The Navigator had ik 12 songs en 40 minuten lang kippenvel en dat keert bij iedere volgende beluistering terug. Hurray For The Riff Raff heeft een hele moedige plaat gemaakt en wat is het een verschrikkelijk goede plaat.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt hier luisteren naar 'The Navigator':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcXlkjAyvl4