The best albums 2000 - 2024, 2 of 10

We're getting there, slowly but surely. In fact, the top 10 may be a lot more boring, where variety is concerned, than the 10 albums presented here. These albums are not my absolute favourites though.

 

20. El Camino. The Black Keys (2011)

An album containing songs like 'Lonely Boy', 'Gold On The Ceiling' and 'Little Black Submarines' simply has to end way up high on this list and with the consistent quality of the rest of the album it does. All albums that followed, and I have them all, cannot match the quality of El Camino. The Black Keys found its greatest form here and found themselves in the bigger venues. The duo, that on record and live has not been a duo for a while, found its true qualities here in a set of superb songs that together make a great album. Especially those first two mentioned songs are of an exceptional quality. The best two the band ever made.

19. Letter To Self. Sprints (2024)

My favourite album of this year finds itself back at number 19. Released in the first week of 2024, it remained my favourite all through the year. Live the band performed on the same height. Starting with the single 'Literary Mind' the Irish band found itself in my good graces immediately. Enter a song like 'Up And Comer' and  the band can't do no wrong any more. Both song are in the second half of the album, even near the end and they are bangers. The rest of the album certainly is of very consistent quality. I have played it so much this year. The band has been touring relentlessly ever since the release, so I can only hope they still like to be musicians and find the inspiration to come up with an even better album soon. They have a quality that deserves to be heard more and more. Discoveries can be made later on in life with ease. It only takes an open ear.

18. Tim Christensen and the Damn Crystals. Tim Christensen and the Damn Crystals (2011)

The album starts with an eleven minutes long song named after Tim Christensen's support band band, 'The Damn Crystals'. Whatever comes after it, doesn't matter. This is the song of songs where Tim Christensen is concerned. Of course the album is good, all his albums are, but 'The Damn Crystals' is simply top. Call it alternative rock or progrock, I don't care, the song rocks and takes the listener through several moods, speeds and musical genres. Next up is the first single of the album called 'Surprise Me' a clear and strong rock song. Live the band convinced totally. This was a machine and then it all stopped. With 'Tim Christensen and the Damn Crystals' we at least still have the memories.

17. You Could Have It So Much Better. Franz Ferdinand (2005)

And once again here is the band that I thought would be my band of the 00s. It turned out to be John the Baptist which is almost as good, isn't it? You Could Have It So Much Better was my album of 2005 and not even the best album by FraFer, as I call them. Fact is, the band never disappointed and with the first single of You Could Have It So Much Better, 'Do You Want To', delivered one of my absolute favourites by the band. In 2004 the band came into my life with a bang and consolidated this position with its second album only a year later. Since then things went slow. In January 2025 the new album is due. I'm looking forward anxiously, just like you can look upward in this list for more to come.

 

 

16. Pergola. Johan (2001)

Had you asked me circa five years back how many Johan albums would be in this list I would have said three, but I've turned a bit off the band. Not from Pergola though. This remains my favourite and the title song remains its best song to date. The alternative pop and rock found on the album is the best it ever played. Add a single like 'Tumble And Fall' or a sensitive ballad like 'Day Is Done' and a short but oh so fine song like 'I Feel Fine' and you'll understand why this is the best album coming out of Hoorn and Amsterdam in this first quarter of the century. And, not to forget, the best album coming out of The Netherlands in this period.

15. Supermoon. Sophie Hunger (2015)

Here is record 1.a of 2015. You have already read about Broeder Dieleman, here is Sophie Hunger's finest to date, by far. On Supermoon everything Hunger had been working on for a decade came together. Assisted by her fantastic band and super guitarist and Belgian Geoffrey Burton she brought together different genres of music and different languages. The Swiss singer showcases several languages but mostly English. Supermoon is the more surprising as what came before did not really give something away on what to expect. The albums that followed were good as well, but not good enough for this list. I just love the musicality of Sophie Hunger (Émilie Jeanne-Sophie Welti) and live she's nothing but a sensation.

Fun fact, I work regularly with a former colleague of her father, both former Swiss diplomats.

14. Employment. Kaiser Chiefs (2005)

Although 'Ruby' became Kaiser Chiefs' signature song for posterity, the band never bettered its debut album Employment. The songs with which the band entered the stage were so incredibly strong. Just look at the songs opening the album. 'Everyday I Love You Less And Less' 'I Predict A Riot', 'Modern Way' and 'Na Na Na Na Naa' and you have four winners in a row. Take later on a song like 'Caroline No' and you have a winning album. True, it's been a while since I played the album last, but whenever one of these songs come by I know again how good the album is. The one after is nice also, with 'Ruby' on it but after that only 'Education' etc. was worthwhile. Since then the band has totally lost it way imho. With Employment it has a claim to eternity.

13. This Is All Yours. Alt-J (2014)

The band I wasn't interested in, until I read early in 2015 that it was the best selling album on vinyl. Don't ask me why, but I decided to buy it. The first new album on vinyl I bought in something like 26 years and the start of a new collection. I simply loved it and played it over and over and over. This Is All Yours is strange collection of songs. From a folk tune on a recorder to complex electronic tracks, Alt-J is not a band that digests easily. And yet the album got to me like a knife through butter. The weird voice of singer Joe Newman, the electronics of Gus Unger-Hamilton and all the sounds and tricks together make for very interesting listening. There's not a vinyl album I've played more in the past ten years.

12. Rivers And Coastlines: The Ride. TMGS (2013)

The Moe Green Specials the band used to be called before it became TMGS and released the best album coming out of Belgium in this century. On Rivers and Coastlines: The Ride a host of musical styles come together, starting with Americana and then mix it Tex-Mex, West Coast balladry and the soft, modest voice of Peet Lodiers. The way the trumpets blow is pure mariachi coming out the Belgian heaths around Kalmthout. When I first heard 'Tell Everyone' it was as if struck by lighting. Everything stopped around me. All that followed confirmed what I was hearing: extremely sensitive and good music. TMGS is a big band with a wide sound bringing the listener to the U.S.' border regions with Mexico, coming straight out of the border region of Belgium and The Netherlands, for which my country cannot take any credit. The even made it to the top of my list in 2013. That is no longer is the case, as you will find out tomorrow. I have no clue whether the band is still around. If it is, it's time for a new record!

11. Blue Weekend. Wolf Alice (2021)

My album of 2021 is Blue Weekend. Wolf Alice, quiet now for four years, really brought everything together that it promised on its previous two records. The punk, the rock, the mystery, the atmosphere and the voice of singer Ellie Rowsell. Blue Weekend is the kind of album that puts a spell on its listeners. An album you follow without questioning it. It washes over you like a big wave, leaving you uncertain for a short while whether you will surface again but unlike the real thing, Blue Weekend does. Right up to today I love listening to the album and every time I am surprised how good it is. I saw the band live in 2017 and that was just as mesmerising. One of those shows of which you know it is special. The promise the band gave off then was delivered on by way of Blue Weekend. It's time for the next step!

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

Sinner's Shrine. Dean Owens

De samenwerking tussen de Schotse singer-songwriter Dean Owens en de twee voormannen van de Amerikaanse band Calexico levert een bijzonder klinkend album op dat makkelijk overtuigt.

Ik had echt nog nooit van de Schotse muzikant Dean Owens gehoord, maar het deze winter verschenen Sinner’s Shrine is een pareltje. Dat is voor een belangrijk deel de verdienste van de Schotse muzikant zelf, die prima songs schrijft en ze met veel gevoel vertolkt. Het is ook de verdienste van de samenwerking met Joey Burns en John Convertino van de Amerikaanse band Calexico, die het album op bijzondere wijze inkleuren. Calexico houdt de deur op haar laatste albums zelf wat dicht voor Mexicaanse invloeden, maar op Sinner’s Shrine van Dean Owens staat de deur wagenwijd open. Je waant je af en toe op de set van een spaghetti western en dat voelt in deze stormachtige dagen best lekker.

Dean Owens is een naam die bij mij geen belletje deed rinkelen, waardoor ik even uit ging van een debuutalbum, maar ik kwam er al heel snel achter dat ik kennelijk een blinde vlek heb voor de Schotse muzikant. Dean Owens is immers zeker geen debutant. Hij maakte een aantal albums met Schotse countryrock band The Felsons en heeft inmiddels tien (!) soloalbums op zijn naam staan, waarvan er drie in eigen beheer zijn uitgebracht. 

De Schotse muzikant verhuisde een jaar of vijftien geleden al eens naar Nashville, waar hij een aantal prima albums maakte. Een jaar of drie geleden toog hij naar Tuscon, Arizona, waar hij de samenwerking zocht met een aantal leden van de Amerikaanse band Calexico. Het leverde een serie van drie EP’s op, die de gezamenlijke titel The Desert Trilogy mee hebben gekregen. Ik heb het allemaal gemist, maar gelukkig kan ik de schade inhalen met het prachtige Sinner’s Shrine, dat al in 2020 en eveneens in Tucson, Arizona, werd opgenomen. 

In de studio in Tucson kreeg Dean Owens gezelschap van de twee voormannen van Calexico, Joey Burns en John Convertino, en werd de basis gelegd voor een prachtig klinkend album dat de Schotse wortels van Dean Owens verbindt met de Mariachi trompetten uit de woestijn van Arizona. Door de toevoeging van de Mexicaans aandoende trompetten en strijkers en een hier en daar opduikende pedal steel neemt Sinner’s Shrine je zo nu en dan mee naar de set van een ouderwetse spaghetti western, maar Dean Owens is ook nog altijd een Schotse troubadour, die zijn songs met veel gevoel vertolkt. 

Het zijn twee werelden die samenkomen op Sinner’s Shrine en dat pakt perfect uit. In muzikaal klinkt het fantastisch, zeker wanneer de muziek op het album zo weids en beeldend mogelijk is. De combinatie van redelijk intieme en folky songs en de breed uitwaaiende instrumentatie is een bijzondere en het is er bovendien een die faliekant had kunnen mislukken, maar op Sinner’s Shrine is 1+1 minstens 3. 

De Schotse muzikant en de leden van Calexico voelen elkaar op het nieuwe soloalbum van Dean Owens perfect aan, waardoor de songs op het album overlopen van de muzikale chemie. Zeker door de Mexicaanse invloeden in de muziek op het album, klinkt Sinner’s Shrine op het eerste gehoor vooral zomers, maar in de tekst komt ook de nodige melancholie voorbij en wordt de maatschappij hier en daar flink kritisch bekeken. 

Calexico bleef in muzikaal opzicht de afgelopen jaren vooral binnen de Amerikaanse landsgrenzen, maar Dean Owens sleurt Joey Burns en John Convertino met enige regelmaat de Mexicaanse grens over, bijvoorbeeld in het fraaie duet met uit Guatemala afkomstige zangeres Gaby Moreno. Ook Grant-Lee Phillips schuift aan voor een mooi duet, maar ondanks de prominente gastbijdragen is Sinner’s Shrine toch vooral een Dean Owens album. 

Ik schaam me wel een beetje dat ik de muziek van de Schot zo lang heb genegeerd, want ook mijn lijfbladen hebben regelmatig over hem geschreven, maar nadat ik wat in zijn oeuvre ben gedoken, kan ik wel concluderen dat ik op het hoogtepunt ben ingestapt. Sinner’s Shrine is een uitstekend singer-songwriter album met een zeer aangename en bijzondere zuidelijke touch.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt het album op de Bandcamp pagina van Dean Owens luisteren en bestellen:

 

https://deanowens.bandcamp.com/album/sinners-shrine

 

The Hollow Of Humdrum. Red Rum Club

Who and what is Red Rum Club? The reason I ask this question is not to provide you with a direct answer, though I may get to that later. No it is to put focus on the way this band manages to incorporate Britpop of the years 1993 to 2010 and a little in such a successful way that I am under the impression that the best songwriters of the decade got together to start a band, including their powers of songwriting skills and inspiration from their respective hey days. The Hollow Of Humdrum in that sense is a near perfect album.

Enthusiasm, exuberance, force, joy, power all ooze out of this album. For those not getting the message, there's also something totally different going on. Red Rum Club sports a high-sounding, almost mariachi trumpet to lift up its songs in a way that I haven't heard since I fell for such a trumpet in the opening song of TMGS' 'Rivers And Coastlines: The Ride', 'Tell Everyone'. The trumpet has the same exuberant effect on me in the opening songs of The Hollow Of Humdrum. Here the trumpet even has the role of the lead guitar. That and more is what is on offer.

So what is Red Rum Club? A six person band from Liverpool that has absorbed all music coming through that city for the past half a century and more. It started as a five piece and was struggling to get attention, until a chance meeting with trumpet player Joe Corby, in, almost to good to be true, Liverpool's Cavern Club. Listening to his playing on The Hollow Of Humdrum, I can imagine his sound was the missing piece of the puzzle. The band released the album 'Matador' in 2019, that passed me by at the time, but is on my list of having to hear. Red Rum Club is supposed to be a force on stage. I can only take that on their word. As soon as it's safe again and the band comes over, be sure I will be there.

Manic Street Preachers, Kaiser Chiefs, Supergrass, just to name a few bands and imagine their, best, up tempo songs, fuelled to the brim with extra energy and then a trumpet going all out over these songs. This is what Red Rum Club offers the listeners. "It's time to move your feet", Fran Doran sings in 'Ballerino'. It seems to be main message on this album. There's no need to be a ballerino to move those feet. This party music takes care of automotion of the body. I love the way the rhythm simply pulses over and over, charging the mind into movement.

Press shot

The surprise of the album is 'Favourite Record'. The mood goes down and Canadian band Half Moon Run comes into earshot. Red Rum Club shows that it is not afraid to play a slow, reflective song, including the line holding the album's title. 'Favourite Record' works.

What I will admit to, is that this level of energy is a bit much for a whole album. On the other hand a song like 'Dorado' brings such a huge smile to my face and I'm seven songs into the ten song album. Again the rhythm is so tight. Neil Dawson's drumming is high-powered and fierce. The basslines of Simon Hepworth are so much in sync that it's almost like Siamese twins are playing together. The two guitarists, Michael McDermott and Tom Williams provide the rest of the big sound 'Dorado' has. Over all this Corby's trumpet can do whatever it likes. And does, believe me.

The Hollow Of Humdrum is a perfect introduction to Red Rum Club. Looking back over time it has the same impact on me as 'Employment' by Kaiser Chiefs had on me in 2005. It is an excellent and charged album full of great songs with a second point of rest, 'Brando' at the right moment again. So there's nothing truly new going on here but the addition of that trumpet is simply stunning. (And do not forget to TMGS' excellent record from 2013.)

 Wo.

You can order The Hollow Of Humdrum here:

 https://redrumclub.tmstor.es/ 

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

 

TMGS live. Het Dokhuis, Amsterdam Thursday 18 April 2019

Photo Wo.

What to add to all the words I have already given this band from Antwerp via Kalmthout in the past years? Superlatives are simply not enough to describe the beauty of its music. Music that brings a little piece of heaven to earth. That ought to do.

Another venue in Amsterdam I had never heard of, Het Dokhuis. Looking at it from the decorations it is not very much unlike De Vondelbunker and only a little more alternative than De Nieuwe Anita. The venue held an exposition, artists were holding a meeting, people were eating and drinking and downstairs in the cellar every Thursday something musical happens. This Thursday TMGS.

At full force, so with a peddle steel guitar and two trumpet players, the band showed the unfortunately modest audience what it is capable of. It is a lot. Having eight people on the stage means that not only a lot of sounds comes from it, with TMGS it also stands for a richness in sound and the diversity coming with so many different instruments. It allows the band to create several moods within a song. A country element is easily interchanged for a rock sound or solo, while the trumpets bring a Mexican mariachi mood immediately. My first and still most favourite TMGS song 'Tell Everyone' (thank you for the mention and tribute!), holds all that. The song is just over six minutes of total bliss. Every time the trumpets kick in there's such a huge smile on my face and an inner happiness that is indescribable. And 'Tell Everyone' was only the beginning of my TMGS trip. Most of all though, the music holds this beautiful mix between melancholy and happiness, a longing for things past while looking with positive expectations to things to come, while living in the moment, this moment of sheer beauty. It is that word that really sums up what I heard, once again.

Photo Wo.

Peter Lodiers is a fantastic songwriter and has people around him that are able to arrange songs in excellent ways. Songs that stand out immediately. Songs that deserve to be heard the world over. Unfortunately this is all I can do to contribute. In a small circle of friends the band is known and appreciated over the past years, so there is hope.

Playing for so little people (hey, Dokhuis, if you have a band playing a mention on the website is a sort of minimum) the show becomes a public rehearsal. The TMGS members showed the fun they have in playing their songs and the focus to make this show work. They have every right to be proud of their songs and TMGS let the tiny spec of the world called Het Dokhuis know it.

Wo.

You can buy TMGS' music here:

https://tmgs.bandcamp.com/


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

Echo Chamber. The Strange

Sometimes it happens. A record gets lost in the digital pile of upcoming albums and finds its way to my ears by accident. I was riding my bike, hit a bump and suddenly heard a voice and thought 'this guy sounds like Chris Eckman, followed by, it can't be him as I hadn't noticed the music switching nor that an album had been released by him. It turns out he also sings in The Strange, a collaboration with The Bambi Molesters, a band from Zagreb in Croatia. Echo Chamber is the band's second album after 2004's Nights Of Forgotten Films'.

Again Chris Eckman manages to do something that I had not heard from him before. There's no use comparing here to his previous work, as it doesn't have much to do with it. Yes, the voice is unmistakable. The music is much different. The Calexico side of Americana, mixed with mariachi violins, 60s film music and a deep longing mysticism. Now the soft flowing opening song 'Lonely Rider' is only one side of what happens on Echo Chamber. The title song that follows is a fierce rocksong, with a weird edge in the instrumental parts. This is The Walkabouts territory except that The Strange refuses to fit that mould and is itself.

The Bambi Molesters are, according to Wikipedia were, an instrumental surf rock band that released several albums until 2010 and toured e.g. with R.E.M. through Europe. The songs on Echo Chamber are a collaboration between guitarist Dalibor Pavičić and Chris Eckman. Yes, there are hints at the twangy surf guitars, this music however goes way beyond the genre. Bar the alternative rock side of Belgian (former spaghetti western) band TMGS the way this band mixes influences in the 10s comes close to The Strange. Doing a gig together in Belgium would be an exceptionally good idea and when we're at it, one or more here in NL as well.

Promo Photo: Mare Milin

The Strange manages to mix several musical styles in an appealing way. The band manages to rock out just as successful as it is suave. 'Dime A Dozen' certainly is my favourite rock song on Echo Chamber. The surf guitar plays some nice lead notes, a warm Hammond sound gives the song something mysterious and the horns just splatter here and there making the song come alive like there's no tomorrow. Yes, this song could easily have been on a The Walkabouts album like 'Setting The Woods On Fire'.

Where The Strange scores is in the diversity. The next song is a jazzy song called 'Broken Down Blues'. The band obviously needs no excuse to play what it feels like. The result is a very varied album. It is able to do so successfully and totally convincing. The muted trumpet and the twangy guitar play the right notes to suggest a dark bar room podium, smoke everywhere and just a single spotlight lightning up the musicians. Late night drinkers not being bothered, the musicians playing for themselves yet giving it all.

All through the album The Strange manages to capture different moods in a captivating way. Clean, dirty, Americana, jazz, rock, it's all here and more. I got onto the album by accident, the stumbling into shuffle mode of my iPod. I stayed on the album ever since. This is a tip for 2019 folks.

After releasing a beautiful album with Distance, Light & Sky (read on here: http://wonomagazine.blogspot.com/2018/11/gold-coast-distance-light-sky.html) Chris Eckman presents yet another side to himself with The Strange, another great combination.

Wo.

You can listen to and buy Echo Chamber here:

https://thestrange.info/album/echo-chamber


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

Mexico, a big thank you

Time flies. Around 6 December I spent a week in Mexico. Well, including all the travelling, I was around 1 week from home. The time was spent in Guadalajara at the Internet Governance Forum. Although most was work, there was music everywhere and most of the time. The Mexican government put on Mariachi bands during the opening and closing ceremonies and not simple ones either. Next to that there was music and traditional dancing over the lunches, at the socials and at restaurants where we had dinner. Mariachi is a trademark and we were indulged the whole way with the traditional music.

Photo: Wo.

I discovered that there are two forms. One is the first we encountered. Any instrument could be added to the line up that could easily run up to 15 members or more. The main ingredient that set this Mariachi form aside were three trumpets that make a lot of noise compared to the different string instrument. The second distinction is that most bandmembers sing together before the copper is let lose again.

The other form is more traditional, at least that is my guess. A smaller band, no copper, just strings and one leadsinger, joined in the harmonies by the others. This is much more heartfelt music. It goes straight to the marrow. (The copper fuelled mariachi is melancholic by nature as well, but in a very different, exuberant way.) This was the mariachi played over the lunches. The longer the conference lasted, the more time there was to enjoy the music as well.

Photo: Wo.

Last year in Brazil, the music was everywhere on the beaches, but nowhere else. Here it was everywhere. Just like Tequila, that, I'm sorry to say, horrid distilled drink that comes from a town just a 45 minutes ride from Guadalajara, called, well you've guessed that I hope.

And thus the 11th IGF became a musical show of major proportions next to a serious conference. The people of Guadalajara are proud of their Mariachi and shared their musical world with us. So a big thank you is in place. No, I will not play this music at home, but enjoyed it thoroughly while there. Feeling it, being touched by it. And I totally know where TMGS gets its horns from on that great album 'Rivers and Coastlines: The Ride'.

Now how can Geneva, where the IGF will be next year, top this? Impossible, I'm afraid. Not for all the cheese fondues in the world.

Wo.

Ways and Needs of a Night Horse. Point Quiet

In de categorie minder bekend talent in het rootssegment zoek ik het deze week heel dicht bij huis. Point Quiet is een Nederlandse band, maar klinkt op haar nieuwe plaat eigenlijk geen noot Nederlands.
 
Op Ways And Needs Of A Night Horse sleept de band je de woestijnen van het Zuiden van de Verenigde Staten in, zoals tot voor kort alleen bands uit de muziek scene van Tucson, Arizona, dat konden.
 
In de openingstrack en titeltrack van Ways And Needs Of A Night Horse verrast Point Quiet met donkere en intieme klanken die via uiteenlopende instrumenten associaties oproepen met donkere Americana, Tex Mex en Mexicaanse muziek en dan zijn er ook nog eens de strijkers die Ways And Needs Of A Night Horse een weer net wat andere kant op sleuren.
 
Het is een buitengewoon indrukwekkende openingstrack van een plaat die vervolgens maar blijft imponeren. Point Quiet maakt donkere en bijna verstilde muziek die vooral leunt op mooie, donkere vocalen, maar kleurt deze muziek vervolgens op bijzonder fraaie wijze in. Point Quiet gebruikt hiervoor strijkers en blazers, maar zet ook veelvuldig de pedal steel, mandoline en accordeon in. Het doet allemaal wel wat denken aan het veelkleurige geluid van Calexico, maar Point Quiet klinkt toch net wat anders en wanneer hebben we Calexico voor het laatst zo goed gehoord als Point Quiet op Ways And Needs Of A Night Horse? Dat is behoorlijk lang geleden als je het mij vraagt.
 
Net als stadgenoten Smutfish slaagt Point Quiet er in om Amerikaanse rootsmuziek te maken die compleet is ontdaan van Nederlandse spruitjesgeur, maar toch maakt het wel degelijk Amerikaanse rootsmuziek met een eigen gezicht. Het is muziek die haar kracht voor een belangrijk deel ontleend aan de prachtige instrumentatie, maar ook de zang op de plaat is van een bijzonder hoog niveau.
 
Zanger Pascal Hallibert, die naast Haagse overigens ook Franse roots heeft, klinkt meer dan eens als Chris Rea en dat is een groot compliment. Door de mooie en warme vocalen kan Point Quiet met enige regelmaat ontsnappen aan de Americana Noir die het maakt en begeeft het zich zo nu en dan op het terrein van een band als Tindersticks. Hiernaast vindt de band zoals gezegd aansluiting bij bands als Calexico en Giant Sand en doet het wat mij betreft niet onder voor deze bands.
 
De zich over het algemeen langzaam voortslepende songs op Ways And Needs Of A Night Horse klinken steeds net weer iets anders en zijn zonder uitzondering wonderschoon. Het zijn songs die zich in de meeste gevallen langzaam opdringen, maar als de muziek van Point Quiet onder je huid kruipt is de impact ook maximaal.
 
Een beetje bijzonder is het natuurlijk wel. Twee van de beste zwaar Amerikaans klinkende rootsplaten van het moment komen gewoon uit Den Haag. Het zal er voor zorgen dat beide platen in rootskringen niet zo breed omarmd worden als ze verdienen, maar ze zijn er niet minder mooi om. Trouble van Smutfish beschouw ik inmiddels al meerdere weken als één van de beste rootsplaten van het moment, maar Ways And Needs Of A Night Horse van Point Quiet mag er absoluut naast staan. Prachtplaat.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt hier luisteren naar 'Ways and Needs of a Night Horse':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdLo0yUXH4k

of kopen bij Bol.com

Someday, the moon will be gold. Kalle Mattson

Voor minder bekend of zelfs miskend talent in het rootssegment reizen we deze week af naar het hoge noorden. Kalle Wainio is afkomstig uit het Canadese Sault Ste. Marie, maar opereert al een aantal jaren vanuit Ottawa. Vanuit de Canadese hoofdstad maakt hij al een aantal jaren platen onder de naam Kalle Mattson, maar deze zijn me eerlijk gezegd allemaal ontgaan. Zijn laatste plaat, Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold is me zeker niet ontgaan. Nadat ik hooguit een minuut van de plaat had gehoord, wist ik dat dit zo’n zeldzame plaat is waarvoor een BLOG als de krenten uit de pop/WoNo Magazine bestaat. Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold opent groots en meeslepend en klinkt alsof Springsteen en zijn E-Street band de Mariachi trompetten van Calexico hebben ingehuurd. An American Dream is zo’n song waar je onmiddellijk verliefd op wordt, maar Kalle Mattson weet ook direct te verrassen door moeiteloos te schakelen tussen bombast en intimiteit en overtuigt bovendien met een stem die in het begin op van alles, maar uiteindelijk op niets lijkt. Na zo’n geweldige openingstrack kan de rest van de plaat eigenlijk alleen maar tegenvallen, maar dit gaat niet op voor Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold. Na de grootse opener keert Kalle Mattson terug met een uiterst ingetogen folksong die imponeert, ruimschoots voordat de fraaie gitaarlijnen en de intense zang gezelschap krijgen van blazers (trompet en de fameuze flügelhorn) en andere instrumenten. Ook in de tracks die volgen combineert Kalle Mattson ingetogen songs met een fascinerende en vrijwel zonder uitzondering wonderschone instrumentatie. Hierin kunnen de opvallende blazers een hoofdrol opeisen, maar Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold valt ook op door bijna hypnotiserend drumwerk (dat doet denken aan de platen en producties van Daniel Lanois) en door bijzonder fraai gitaarwerk dat varieert van sober en ingetogen tot vol en uitbundig. Door de hele bijzondere instrumentatie en het gemak waarmee Kalle Mattson schakelt tussen genres, is Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold geen typische rootsplaat. In een aantal tracks doet de muziek van de Canadees nadrukkelijk denken aan een band als Beirut, maar Kalle Mattson is ook niet vies van pure powerpop of stevige rock en schuurt vanwege de dynamiek en de experimenten ook tegen een band als Wilco aan, terwijl de songs waarin de wolkeloze blauwe lucht domineert juist weer wat hebben van Fleet Foxes. Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold volgt op het overlijden van de moeder van Kalle Mattson, waardoor de plaat een melancholische ondertoon heeft. Desondanks word ik iedere keer weer heel vrolijk van een plaat die eigenlijk alleen maar beter wordt. Het blijft tot dusver redelijk stil rond Kalle Mattson, maar een ieder die naar Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold luistert, kan alleen maar concluderen dat we hier te maken hebben met een groot talent en een plaat van een bijna zeldzame kwaliteit en schoonheid.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt hier naar 'A love song to the city' luisteren

Royal Street. Amanda Pearcy

Recently I was surprised by a great show at Q-Bus Leiden that Amanda Pearcy gave together with her sidekick Matt Giles. As I wrote, mileage in life just dripped from her voice and oozed out of her ongs. Live Pearcy was completely convincing. Erwin Zijleman, who regularly features in this blog, wrote highly of Royal Street. So I guess it's my turn. How does Royal Street hold up at home?

That one is so easy to answer. Great, just great! Strangely enough I had listened to Royal Street on Spotify the day before the Q-Bus show, at least I think I did now that I have listened again, and thought it not much. Switched it off after the third song, but went to the show anyway, with very little expectations. That made the surprise the bigger. Two ways too: live and on record.

Hearing a singer-songwriter play alone or together with a lead guitarist (or any other (lead) instrument) always raises the question what happens on the record. Sometimes that is a real bummer. Those records on which not much remains from the intense solo versions in the hands of the producer who just adds and adds instruments and emotions are left out, forgotten. There's no worry of that on Royal Street, named after a street in the centre of New Orleans. Of course the songs are neater, but I have the strong impression that the songs get the treatment that they deserve and most importantly, enhances them with something extra, all meant to make the voice of Amanda Pearcy shine.

Writing about this album starts with her voice, as it is not an average voice. It has a rough edge, but contains sweetness and compassion as well, with an ability to change to a deeper register. A fascinating voice that is extremely pleasant to listen to. Even in songs which are too country to my taste, Amanda Pearcy's voice makes them interesting to listen to.

Royal Street is at heart a country album, what we call alt-americana today. From country, there are outings into folk, roots and even traditional blues. Many sorts of music come together in the deep south of the U.S. and blend well in Austin, Texas, where Mexico is fairly close too. These elements make Royal Street a varied album. Like on the album of another favourite U.S. singer-songwriter of mine, Beth Wimmer's 'Ghosts and men', the songs on Royal Street get a special treatment, that make them stand out among each other and in general as well. From a lone violin in the title song 'Royal Street' or an accordion in 'The story of my heart' something extra is happening. Producer Tim Lorsch clearly put his stamp on Royal Street, but never takes anything away from Amanda Pearcy.

As I already wrote, Royal Street is a varied album. The Tex-Mex-mariachi-country mix in 'Barking dogs' works very well. 'Royal Street' is a beautiful ballad. 'Better on my own' a bluesy song with some nice slide work, that is accompanying. No antics here. 'Better on my own' doesn't need it. It's beautiful as it is. Near the end Amanda Pearcy covers The Rolling Stones' 'No expectations'. (Side B of my first Stones single 'Street fighting man'.) It is in this version that it becomes clear how good a country blues the song is. I always thought it a good Stones song, Amanda Pearcy made it something else: A good song. And she has her own version as well. 'A thousand tender recollections' is her combination of 'No expectations' and 'Forever young'. Great organ and harmonies as well.

Taking Royal Street all in, I do not see any reason why Amanda Pearcy can not be as big as Lucinda Williams. In my humble opinion her album is more consistent in quality than any of Williams' albums. Live I was impressed, on record Amanda Pearcy has convinced me as well. From ballads, to country songs and from folk to roots rock, the great, great 'Come on sugar', Amanda Pearcy is like a fish in water in all genres. A star ought to be born sometime soon. Does the cover show just that? Her bandwagon coming down the street?

Wo.

You can listen to 'Royal Street' here.

P.S. Amanda Pearcy reached out to us and tipped this video where she plays with Matt Giles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTvOj2RZ-e8

Roots in heaven: TMGS, 13 September 2013 Q-Bus

Soundcheck TMGS, photo Wo.

One of the best albums of 2013 and one of the best read articles on this blog (here) in 2013, is 'Rivers and coastlines: the ride', the latest album of Antwerpen based band TMGS (formerly The Moe Green Specials). The mix of pop, surf, desert Tex-Mex and alt.Americana makes for a special ultra melodic delight that I've not heard and experienced many times before. How would this transpose live?

Unfortunately the gig was ill-fated from the start. No soundcheck and a seven piece band is asking for disaster. Still, when in the second song TMGS played, album opener 'Tell everyone', the trumpets kicked in, the Roots of Heaven were reached, as far as I was concerned. Despite the fact that the drums were too loud, the guitars and vocals too soft, not mentioning that something on stage was feedbacking in a horrible way through four or five songs.

Despite all that TMGS showed the too less people in Q-Bus that it makes beautiful music. Great melodies, cascading and flowing in beautiful ways, surprising interludes, harmonies and two guitars that weave notes around each other. On top of that all are warm keyboard sounds as well, with the two trumpets as icing on the cake. A surprising mix of music that has everything on board from The Beatles to Wilco and from surf guitar to Calexico and 'Once upon a time in the west'. There's only one reason that only pictures are shown here from the soundcheck: I forgot to take others due to the power of the music.

TMGS is another band that deserves a much wider audience. However, an important note has to be stated here, there has to be some interaction with the audience. The two trumpet players could play a role in this also. The stage presence could be better, as musically everything is there to stand out.

The band parted with a promise that it could come back soon to do the gig again with a proper

Peter Lodiers, photo Wo.

soundcheck. This seems like the smartest thing to do and then make a real assessment of TMGS live. As far as I was concerned I had heard enough, but that was not the case for some of the people present as the troubles with the sound took out a lot of the energy and interaction, all aimed in the wrong direction and places.

Next time revenge, TMGS. In the mean time I keep playing 'Rivers and coastlines: the ride', which still gives me great pleasure everytime I hear it. The circa a half year since my first listen has not changed anything there. A new classic is born!

Wo.

You can listen to 'Rivers and coastlines: the ride' here (and then buy it on this website!)

The interview with Kristof Janssens is here.

Interview with TMGS’ Stof Janssens for WoNo Magazine’s blogpost

By Wout de Natris

© WoNo Magazine 2013 

You can listen to Rivers & Coastlines: the ride and buy the album here.

Just a few months back Erwin Zijleman tipped the world on the band TMGS from Belgium. After listening to Rivers & Coastlines: the ride the album developed itself into one of my favourite albums of the past years in a very short time. (Click here for the review.)  The unique mix of musical styles, the refined melodies and intricate instrumentations spoke to me in volumes. Enough reason to find out more about the band. Here's the result.

Most readers may not be familiar with TMGS. How would you like to introduce yourself and the band?

Well hello there, we are TMGS. A seven piece band from Antwerp, Belgium. Over the years we had several line up changes, but we’ve been playing more or less with the same line up for 5 years now. We don’t want to pin ourselves down to a specific genre, but in a ‘name it or die’ situation, we ‘d probably go for alternative country rock with horns. Or something like that.

The band evolved from instrumental surf and spaghetti western music to this blend of pure pop. This is quite a transition. In how far was this an organic transition?

Pretty organic really. We never thought about it, it all just went naturally. We listen to a lot of music, so there are always changing influences around. We started out as an instrumental surfband, playing old tunes from the sixties, but when we started making our own songs, it all changed quickly. An album we listened to a lot back then, was The Black Light by Calexico, so that obviously was a big influence when we recorded our first album. And from Calexico we got into related bands like the whole Howe Gelb/Giant Sand world. But also Wilco, Magnolia, the Sadies and Richmond Fontaine. We were lucky enough to play a few shows with Fontaine and really related with them. Willy Vlautin was an influence when we started to sing. None of us really wanted to be a singer, but we felt we had to do it for the sake of the songs we were making. And now that I think of it, every TMGS album was made with a different line up. So every time when a new member joins the band, dynamics change and new influences are brought in.

Is this transition also the reason you changed the band name into TMGS?

Yes, that’s the main reason. When we felt we had a definite line up with Dirk and Yves joining on drums and keyboards, we wanted to make a new start, but not turn away completely from what we had done so far. Another reason is that our first name ‘the moe greene specials’ got spelled wrong so many times, we got fed up with it. TMGS only got spelled wrong once (TGMS) so far, so that seems to work alright.

There are still hints of surf guitar and the twang of the spaghetti western. Who were your main influences and what attracted you to this music?

The movie Pulp Fiction and its soundtrack had started a surf revival that lasted quite a while with bands like Fifty foot combo and the Revelaires in Belgium and the Treble Spankers in Holland. That got us started. We played songs by sixties bands like the Bel-Airs, the Pyramids, the Lively Ones and so on. And when we started using a spanish guitar, we added a more western/mariachi feel to it that we picked up from Ennio Morricone and Calexico.

On ‘Rivers and coastlines: The ride’ many influences can be heard. From The Posies, Teenage Fanclub, Big Star to The Beatles. Were you exposed to this music along the way or were these (sort of) influences always there?

We grew up in the nineties listening to bands like the Posies, Buffalo Tom and Teenage Fanclub. So I guess they were always there, inspiring us indirectly. Through them, we discovered Big Star and the Byrds/Parsons who were hugely influential on the nineties guitarbands. The Big Star reference is quite new and surprising to us. But we don’t mind. We like the Big Star records a lot, so it’s a huge compliment.

There is also the desert connection of Calexico/mariachi trumpets. Together with the influences above it makes a mix that is special. Who were there first, the band members with trumpets or the concept for this mix?

The idea of having horns in the band was there from the very beginning. Koen is one of the original members. Though he didn’t have a trumpet yet, he always showed up at rehearsals and just sat around. We also had a saxophone player back then who didn’t have his own sax. They both joined the local fanfare to get instruments and learn how to play for free. A saxophone was used in a lot of those old surf songs, and we liked the idea of having a small horn section, but when he left the band we decided to go with a second trumpet instead of the saxophone. Because it worked better with our own songs. When Bart joined on trumpet, he was the first one in the band with sort of a musical education bringing in a more technical style which defines the TMGS sound up till today.

In my review I wrote that TMGS tries to make the perfect pop song. Do you think it’s possible to write one and if so what should such a song contain?

We’re not really trying to make perfect pop songs, in fact we like to play around with alternative structures and basically try to avoid typical songwriting. Then again, sometimes it’s good to just go for a basic structure. A good song writes itself for the most part. When there’s a lot of struggling to get it right, that’s usually not a good sign. But yeah, on Rivers & coastlines, most of the songs seem to have a basic pop structure. We are just trying to make the songs as good as possible, but not in terms of a perfect pop song. That sounds a little boring to be honest. I guess over the years, musicians created sort of a template structure for the perfect pop song, but the emotional element that makes a song genuinely good is still a mystery. And that’s a good thing too.

The music has a hint of melancholy and sadness. Do you feel more comfortable musically in these moods?

We use a lot of minor chords, so that defines the atmosphere quite a bit. But it’s never all sad. There’s always beauty and hope to it. Probably that’s what melancholy is all about. We like to put some contrast in the songs, like combining moody lyrics with happy musical arrangements or vice versa. For some reason, it seems easier to write a sad song than a happy one. Don’t know why, it just is.

The songs are arranged in a lush and warm way. How are the songs conceived, from a total upfront concept or organically together as a band?

Most of the time Peet (and sometimes Yves) comes up with the chords and a basic idea, and then we play around with it for a while, adding words and changing parts. Sometimes the basic ideas are more or less the finished song, other times it gets turned upside down and changes quite a lot. In that case, it really becomes an organic band process with everyone throwing in ideas.

Who is responsible for what in the band?

I play guitar and do some singing and since I started the band, I guess I’m considered to be sort of the leader in terms of making decisions and generally keep things going. I also provide the artwork and most of the lyrics. Peet plays guitar and does most of the singing lately. Musically, he is definitely the main man writing 80% of the songs. Yves also delivers songs, he sings and plays keyboards and brings in some unexpected elements since he listens mainly to hiphop and dub records. Dirk adds a lot of ideas in singing harmonies and his distinctive drumming style adds a lot to our sound. He could be considered being the counter weight in the band. When we’re down about something, he always tries to get us up, and at times when we’re flying high, he easily brings us down again. Then there‘s Bart and Koen playing trumpet & percussion, and recently, Roeland joined us on bass and backing vocals. And that’s TMGS right there.

Where does “The ride” in the title lead us to?

Everywhere and nowhere particular. We like to invite listeners to fill in the missing data themselves. It’s fun to play around with the idea of a concept album, although it isn’t one. We vaguely tell a story, with the music, artwork and the tracklisting. It’s more about feeling that there’s a story and things are falling into place, rather than getting all the info straight. I like to think of it as a David Lynch movie, where you get the feeling you know what’s going on, but you can’t tell exactly what. The combination of all those things is very important, we spent a lot of time getting the songs in the right order, even though we know people will shuffle the hell out of it on their iPods.

Are the references to Rivers and coastlines a reflection of the part of the country you live in?

Not really, it’s a line from ‘Tell Everyone’, the first song on the album. The idea of a ride along raging coastlines was very appealing and romantic in a way. And it matched perfectly with the backcover photo I took on a trip with Koen way back in 2002. I think it’s taken in Big Sur, California. That last verse pretty much sums up the whole idea of the album. So it became the title.

In the song(title)s there’s travelling, riding, coming and going, change and continuum in life mentioned. What is your message here?

The TMGS music has always been very cinematic. We like to call it ‘landscape music’. It seems to be working best while travelling. In a car or on a train with landscapes passing by. (Maybe that’s your ride, right there.) But it can also be a period in life you go through, emotionally or whatever. We don’t want to send out a message or anything. Except maybe from the fact that sometimes you need to go a long way to end up exactly where you started from. There’s always the need of getting away from something. It’s like the great Ronan Keating said: ‘life‘s a rollercoaster, you just gotta ride it’.

Is the grass greener over there or is coming home preferred?

Yes, but coming home is needed to see the bigger picture.

How does coming from Kalmthout influence the music TMGS makes?

We’re pretty relaxed and we’re just going our own way, trying to make music that’s timeless, not following latest hypes or trends which only sounds like an exhausting thing to do. Maybe that’s a countryside thing.

In Belgium bands band members seem to play in endless other bands. Is this the case for TMGS as well?

We do play in other bands or make music at home, apart from TMGS. Bands and projects like The Incredible Sucking Spongies, Mount Venus, Tim Boston, Tortilla Kid, Superette Rita, The Heavy Machinery and Boutros Boutros Ghali. But none of that is related to each other. So there’s no scene or anything like that. TMGS is our main thing.

What can we expect from TMGS in the near future?

More albums, more evolution & hopefully a lot more live shows, (which are hard to find because we don’t have a booking agent or management or whatever). We started working on new songs, so hopefully soon, new stuff gets recorded. As long as we have fun doing it, we’ll just keep going.