In Memoriam: George, Ozzy, Flaco

During my holiday several well known and less well known musicians like Terry Reid and Bobby Whitlock, have passed away.

George Kooymans

For me the most appreciated one is George Kooymans, guitarist, singer and composer of Dutch rockers Golden Earring(s). He passed away after having been severely ill for some years, forcing him to end his career prematurely and as an effect Golden Earring's, as the band always worked from the premise that if one falls the institution falls.

For most of the world Golden Earring is at best a two hit wonder, 'Radar Love' and 'Twilight Zone'. The former is a song that can be heard all over the world and must have been a constant stream of income for the band. For us Dutchies the band is the best and best known rock band of our nation and I'm fairly certain that there will never be a band like it again. Times have changed. From the first hit single 'Please Go' early in 1965, the band has scored hits into the early 2000s, including five number one hits, all written by Kooymans. Usually the music, at times the lyrics, sometimes as lead vocalist. Songs like the one next to this post, 'She Flies On Strange Wings', 'Holy Holy Life', 'Back Home', 'Going To The Run', 'Weekend Love', 'When The Lady Smiles' are all songs anyone in the world ought to be familiar with.

When Kooymans' illness was announced I wrote a sort of obituary, which I refer to (https://wonomagazine.blogspot.com/search?q=golden+earring). After his illness he finalised the final album of Vreemde Kostgangers (strange lodgers) of which Henny Vrienten died even faster, and another duo album with Frank Carillo.

Ozzy

Ozzy Osbourne became more and more a phenomenon than a singer. I was never a Black Sabbath fan, but that one single from 1970 is one for the ages. 'Paranoid' is a fantastic hardrock song that I will always love to hear, but it never led me to wanting to hear more by the band. This one song is simply enough. It's like a slap in the face to help one focus. His farewell show in June or early July even made it to the 20 hour news here, as an important event, as Black Sabbath played its farewell show in public. This single fact shows how big a phenomenon Osbourne had become. In no other way would the farewell aspect have made the news. The show was very much on time, as Osbourne passed away just a few weeks later.

Flaco Jimenez

The Tex-Mex accordionist passed away at the age of 86. It never really was my kind of music. It fitted more with the taste of my ex-wife. However, on Ry Cooder's album 'Chicken Skin Music' things sort of fell in line for me. Cooder, always more a music historian than an original musician, dug his heels into the Tex-Mex genre and delivered my personal favourite of his oeuvre. With a great role for Jimenez, who gave the music a part of its origins and authenticity. From here he was able to start a career that brought him more into the limelight, solo and in supergroups like Texas Tornados and Los Super Seven. In The Netherlands he played with Rowwen Heze and The Cats.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

P.S. In the past few months the members of the golden Feyenoord of 1970 (at the time Feijenoord) are dying at a fast pace. That were my first live matches on radio and tv.

2025, week 14. 10 singles

Abundant sunshine is showered over us and I can walk the streets without sweater and jacket. Global warming has its upsides of course. Around 1990 I remember waking up to at least 10 centimeters of snow on the 7th of April, after which followed a gloriously sunny and relatively warm day. By the time this is released the temperature will have gone down considerably, giving you the opportunity to read and listen at will. Enjoy!

Bonnet Of Pins. Matt Berninger

With three The National albums in two years, two studio and a double live album, it was extremely busy times for the band. Despite all this singer Matt Berninger managed to record a solo album on the side. After 'Serpentine Prison', which I still play regularly, it will be his second. In fact, because of 'Serpentine Prison' I found my way into The National, finally. Although I still have to  backtrack to the albums fans of old always mention. One of these days I will. Bonnet Of Pins comes as a surprise though. A very pleasant one at that. The song is up tempo. I didn't even realise he was able to. The song has a huge arrangement and sound. A little David Bowie of the 70s. It is built from a tight but relatively empty first verse, although the intro gives a little away of what might be coming. And up and up it goes. A second influence I notice is The Walkabouts. Bonnet Of Pins has that same sort of folk and rock approach and Chris Eckman's voice easily reaches the same timbre as Berninger's. I'm totally surprised but what a great folk rock song this is. Album 'Get Sunk' will be released on 30 May.

El Pantalon Blue Jean. The Mexican Standoff

Tex-Mex came to my ears for the first time with 'Mendocino', Sir Douglas Quintet's second and last hit in NL. I had no clue as a young boy, I only noticed that typical and upbeat organ sound. Next, I heard a few songs of Ry Cooder's 'Chicken Skin Music', with the top 40 hit 'He'll Have To Go'. On the album the accordionist was Flaco Jimenez. He may be 86 now but you can hear him on this song by the all female band The Mexican Standoff. Pantalon Blue Jean has everything the typical tex-mex song takes to be one. The traditional instruments, Flaco's accordeon, polka and the Spanish language. It's the kind of song that puts a smile on my face immediately. The lyrics may be sad, I have no clue, the music certainly is not. This is another kind of dancing music that is impossible to stand still to. A nice detail, the song was written in the 1950s by Flaco's father! It still works in the 2020s alright.

Previous Life. Messiness

Psychedelic pop-rock comes from all around the world these days. Messiness, the band around Max Raffa, is from Sicily. Messiness manages to find a near perfect mix between pop and rock, as well as between music from a long time ago and more more modern psych bands like Elephant Stone. Previous Life has a nice hook that comes back all through the song. It makes up an important part of the single. Raffa's way of singing brings together the voices of Liam Gallagher and Gaz Coombes. He's listened quite well to the Britpop singers and then put it on top of this psychedelic pop song. It all sounds very familiar but also tasty. Messiness may be from Milan, it's Sicilian singer leads the way quite convincingly. By the way, this single is the band's debut one. I'm already longing for more.

Love's About Taking The Fall. Emily Zuzik

Alright, okay, I surrender. This is one tough single. Emily Zuzik decided to rock out on 'Love's About Taking The Fall. Written during the first family outing after Covid's first bout, the song shows in music how the singer finally feeling released again. Together with Ted Russell Kamp she created a song that strains the leash no little. The song starts with a tough rhythm and a nice, effective riff. From there more and more instruments are added. An organ, horns, more guitars. Over it all is a voice that has seen some mileage. Emily Zuzik has a rough edge to her voice that makes her sound like she means it. This is a woman that is on the prowl and she's about to get what she wants. Who cares whether his mother likes her or not. This is about the here and now. This is one heck of a rock song.

Destroy. Kikker

Welsh punks that play grunge/alt-rock? What to make of that? But first, Kikker, that's the Dutch word for frog. I wonder if the band knows? Let's revert to the music. Destroy is a pretty cool song actually. The band manages to keep up a great pace, while at the same time injecting some great melody into it all. At the same time Kikker throws in some anarchy for good measure: "I wanna kill everyone that I know". I was writing about the weird guitar noises in the intro, when nihilistic anarchy came in from a different angle as well. But Kikker is far more. This band knows how to write and arrange a song. Listen to what the bass guitarist is doing all through the song. He's playing some great melodies, while the guitarists know how to write a riff or two as well. Kikker is a new name for me, but I'm a fan already.

Krater (acoustic). Neánder

Neánder can be found on this blog since  the fall of 2024. Lastly a review of the band's live show in Haarlem. To celebrate the next leg of its tour, the band released an acoustic version of Krater. That Jan Korbach can play some great acoustic guitar we know since the release of his acoustic album under the name of Atem. Together with Patrick Zahn he recorded this version. While playing the main riff on the acoustic guitar Zahn added strings recorded in his own studio making Krater a different kind of song. The metal has been taken out of it. What Krater (acoustic) shows is that a good melody is a good melody no matter how it is played. In a next level arrangement it can become a piece for a classical orchestra, with a lead acoustic guitar. Beautiful is the right word here.

catch these fists. Wet Leg

And there it is, the first sign of life from Wet Leg, as far as I'm concerned the band of 2022. It's debut album is one of the best of this decade so far. Album number 2 is slated for 11 July and will be called 'Moisturizer'. The difficult second album? Judging catch these fists, the answer could be yes. Wet Leg has become a five piece band and that is noticeable in the sound. It's so much bigger. catch these fists revolves around this one riff that is repeated over and over and I can't say I'm very warm to it. Rhian Teasdale's voice is the same as ever, but the fun and joy appears to have gone out of it. "I don't want your love, I just wanna fight", is the main message of the single. Is this the result of touring the world and Wet Leg's bout with success? It's too early to tell which way we are going but if you'd asked me whether I'm a bit disappointed, I'd have to answer you yes. catch these fists sounds a bit like what I was afraid of and at that even a little bit darker.

Stones. Free Dust

Welcome Free Dust. With Stones the band from Mariahout enters the musical world and this blog. It is a bit confusing as singer and guitarist Niek Leenders very recently was on the blog with his band Nouveau Vélo's new album, 'Fruit'. Today it is Stones on which he plays with his brother Tim on bass and wife Inge on drums. Stones is a delightful jingle jangle song that combines a few decades. From Roger McGuinn's guitar playing in The Byrds to Johnny Marr's in The Smiths and dozens of others following them. In as far music needs justification, I imagine it is justified that Stones is released under a different name. Free Dust sounds different, is more direct and has a touch of 60s dark psychedelia around it. It's the kind of song that makes me curious of what is to come.

Shadows. Goddess

Goddess is a project of Savages drummer Fay Milton. She will release an album filled with collaborations. The first single is Shadows with singer Elena Tonra (Ex:Re / Daughter). Besides the prominent drumming, expect a song that explores its limits far and wide. It starts like a triphop track mixed with a dollop of dreampop in the way Elena Tonra is singing. At the same time there is this dark undertone in the intro. You can expect that to come back, moving Shadows into industrial territory. A dream that turns into a nightmare it seems. Quite a turn for a song that at first made me think of Goldfrapp's debut album. In other words, Shadows is not your average song and has a firm shadow hanging over it. 'Goddess' will be released on 30 May. 

Speaker's Corner. Suzanne Vega 

What is Suzanne Vega's (née Peck) age, I just wondered listening to Speaker's Corner? 65, Wikipedia tells me. That sort of figures of course as the singer-songwriter entered my life, just like she will have done for many people of my generation, in the 1980s with her song about child abuse, 'Luka'. In October last year she made an entrance on this blog with the single 'Rats', a "postpunk rock song" as I labelled it . Speaker's Corner, a single from her upcoming album 'Flying With Angles', is a far more traditional singer-songwriter song. That aside, Speaker's Corner is a song with a tough body. Drums and bass with assistance of the acoustic rhythm guitar drive the song onwards. At least four electric guitars fill in nice licks, riffs and tough strums. It makes the ode to the spot in London's Hyde Park spot where anybody can have his or her say, a most attractive song. (As traditions are something that is never let go of in the U.K., I take it it will still be there after I visited it in the 1970s, long before 'Luka' was even thought of.)

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

2024. Week 39, 10 singles 2

Still catching up, here's another batch of recent singles and EPs for you. We are going around the globe alright once again. You will find a few countries of origin that are quite exceptional on this blog. Curious? Go on and enjoy the selection.

Doggerland EP. Office Dog

New Zealand is at the other end of the world from me. I feel privileged to have heard so many good records coming out of the country in the past years. All thanks to that record shop cum record label, Flying Nun. Recently the roster was expanded with the band Office Dog. After two singles, reviewed in 2023 and 2024, the band returns with its EP Doggerland. It turns out that the name refers to what is now called the Doggerbank in the North Sea, a place where fishermen at times bring up the bones of mammoths and other extinct animals that lived there, when the North Sea's waterlevel was far lower and Britain was attached to the mainland of Europe. Most likely how it got populated in the first place. So much for the history lesson.

Office Dog is Kane Strang, already on the blog in 2016, with drummer Mitchell Innes and bassist Rassani Tolovaa. The trio releases an EP somewhere between alternative pop and dreampop with a fuzzy edge here and there, making the songs just this little rougher than what the two descriptions merit. The songs were produced by De Stevens (Marlin’s Dreaming), which makes sense listening to Doggerland, as Marlin's Dreaming is another band walking the thin line between those types of music. The song with the biggest inner contrast is 'Dump No Waste, Floats To The Sea'. The soft, dreamy opening stands in sharp contrast with the sound explosion near the end. It's the kind of inner anger I feel when a minister says we need another commission to investigate how bad pollution really is, in the meanwhile kicking the can down the road some more, making things worse. Office Dog captured that feeling quite well. With seven songs, I'd say Doggerland is more a mini album than an EP, but who cares. Its place in this post is well deserved either way.

Sooner Or Later. Soft Skies Inc

By the time I started to wonder whether I was listening to an instrumental track, the singer kicks in, with a double tracked, husky vocal. The rock song has a strong foundation but with recognisable pop overtones. There's an 80s vibe that has me singing 'Love Will Tear Me Apart' in Paul Young's version in my mind. That synth plays a nice variation on the melody for the whole of the song. Ryan and Martin Rex played together in the band Lockgroove in the 90s and make a comeback under the name Soft Skies Inc. The combination of dreamy singing and that stark groove works quite well. That rhythm just goes on and on, with no rest for the listener. No, Sooner Or Later is not an earth-shattering experience but fans of this music at the time will find a nice addition to their private discotheque or, to put it in a more modern way, playlist.

Bad Xerox. Cheap Cassettes

Beware, people. Listening to Bad Xerox means listening to some good old-fashioned rock like they used to play it a long time ago. Looking at a picture of Cheap Cassettes they were around at the time of cassettes and old-fashioned rock when it was very new. Bad Xerox is the kind of song that starts to rock in second 1 and only stops in the final second, at 2 minutes and 27 seconds in this particular case. Drums, bass, two guitars and two lead vocals do the trick. The vocal melody is golden and instantly singable. The guitar solo to the point and so nice. The Seattle band does everything right in Bad Xerox. That copy must really have been bad to inspire such a good song. Rock and roll!

Mistakes Become You. Night Court

Do coincidences exist or is it fate? Fact is that Cheap Cassettes and Night Court figured in a singles post together before, on 21 April 2022 with 'Malnutrition' and 'Titanic'. The Vancouver band returns with the single Mistakes Become You. Emilor (drums and vocals), Dave-O (guitar/vocals) and Jiffy (bass/vocals) return to the blog with a pop oriented alternative rock song. The band really focused on the melodies, without dropping the punk attitude in its approach. It is not afraid to bring some volume, while at the same time putting effort into the arrangement of Mistakes Become You. I'm reminded of The Beths a few times, while Night Court keeps its own fully. There's a nice keyboard entering the mix here and there, adding an extra sound and layer to the song. This is the first of seventeen songs to be released later this year under the title $hit Machine.

Knots E.P. W.Y. Huang

In April 2012, during the first months of this blog, I reviewed a mini album called 'Mannequins' by the band Monstercat from Singapore. The mini album made a great impression on me. An album followed but after that silence and Monstercat receded into memories. Until I received a message from Bandcamp. The website has an everlasting memory it seems, as 12 years later it alerted me to an album by W.Y. Huang. Who? W.Y. Huang is one of Monstercat's former members, who released an EP called Knots. Of course I gave it a listen and here we are in 2024. Gone is the rock, revealing the dreamy ballads that were caught within Monstercat's music as well. The album opens with a few soft piano chords, followed by multitracked oohs. W.Y. Huang shows himself from a very vulnerable position, changing to a gospel choir responding him in the very short, introductory song 'No Answers'. It does set the mood for Knots in the right way. 'Life Just Lately' has this great laidback feeling. The kind of song that can put everybody at rest for a short while. With his soft voice Huang sings in a whispery way. All the instruments honour his voice. If you like 'Life Just Lately', this mini album is right for you alright.

Lessons. David Luning

What stands out most on Lessons for me are two things: David Luning's rough voice and a great harmonica solo played by bassist Ben Dubin. With a whole bathroom of reverb on it, the instrument sounds so nice on Luning's single, that announced his already released same titled album. The song falls into a singer-songwriter and country rock combination category. The electric guitar plays a supportive role with a nice riff that is played over all chords. I believe that's called ostinato. David Luning and band set a great mood in the song. It has a hint of darkness and desolation. I can hear the wind sweeping through some isolated desert town where usually things do not turn out well. With that lone harmonica coming from somewhere in the town. Lessons is a strong song by a singer with a great voice for this genre.

Marisol. John Surge & The Haymakers

Listening to Marisol a few little hatches in my brain opened. Where had I heard this sound before? It has been a while, that much was for sure. The first thing coming to mind was Flaco Jimenez' accordion playing, but there was more. In the rhythm it was when a song title came to me 'Mendocino' and then Sir Douglas Quintet. One of two hits the band had here in NL. Then I recognised the organ, that's Augie Myers style of course. Reading the bio on Marisol it was all explained. While recording the song John Surge & the Haymakers kept asking themselves "what would Doug Sahm have done"? Well, recording Marisol like this, may well have been the right answer. Marisol plays Sahm's Tex-Mex style music to a t. It is so positive in sound and rocks in all the right places, with that Mexican vibe for the whole of the way. I had nearly forgotten about this kind of music, so thank you for putting it back in my mind.

Playboy. The Roamers

With Playboy we remain in country rock territory. A little tougher and more direct than both previous songs. The Roamers are rocking with the country element more in the style of singing than in the way the music is presented. The Roamers are a new band filled with veterans of the L.A. music scene. Singer and bassist Matt Rice had written Playboy a decade ago but only now had the right circumstance to record it. The guitars around him are nice and dirty in one. They are everywhere. There's at least two rhythm parts and one soloing. Brian Whelan plays them all and all other instruments you're hearing on Playboy, with the exception of the drums, played by Luke Adams and bass. The self-titled album is out since 20 September, so if you like this kind of music, I'd check it out.

Mystery Of Love. Soap & Skin

Soap & Skin is Austrian artist Anja Plaschg. Her forthcoming album 'Torso' is her fourth with a host of EPs and singles on the side. Yet, you will not find her on this blog, except in a review of a David Bowie tribute review from 2018. With Mystery Of  Love her place here is well deserved. Soap & Skin has released a beautiful and slightly sad ballad. Anja Plaschg plays the piano and sings with a lot of space on her voice. The clear piano notes find their way to my heart quite fast. In the first chorus strings come in, a cello and violin, in a short instrumental interlude following it there are even horns to be heard. Slowly but surely an intricate arrangement unfolds itself. Agnes Obel may be a reference for this music, but I have the impression Soap & Skin reaches far deeper. There's a lot going on here but mainly below the surface. The mystery of the title is caught in the music as well. The ending of Mystery Of Love is as refined as it is clear. Sheer beauty it is.

Burned To The Ground. Tides From Nebula

Set the clock to rock, hard. Tides From Nebula is a Polish post rock band that is on route to release its new and self-produced album, 'Instant Rewards', on 8 November. As this is a new band for this blog, some extra information is justified. The band formed in 2008 in Warsaw and consists of Maciej Karbowski (guitar and keyboards), Przemek Węgłowski (bass and keyboards) and Tomasz Stołowski (drums). 'Instant Rewards' is the first self-produced album and recorded in the bands own studio. The result is a monumental single of over seven minutes. The song has two faces. One a softer and electronic side, led by keyboards. It is quite dreamy in the intro. Slowly Tides From Nebula lets electronic pulses come in that play the same sequence, over and over, over the lead melody. When the band comes in, it is pounding, as if battering the gates of a Medieval castle. The lead guitar shreds everything to pieces. The sound is huge but there's still room for a melody in all the onslaught of rock. This sequence is departed for another softer part, repeating the atmosphere of the start but in a far more nervous way. The wolves are lurking around the battered gate it seems. I am usually not one for instrumental tracks but Burned To The Ground is monumental, as I already wrote. What a song!

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

Lola. Carrie Rodriguez and the Sacred Hearts

Carrie Rodriquez is een singer-songwriter uit Austin, Texas, die vooral bekend is van de uitstekende platen die ze de afgelopen 15 jaar maakte met singer-songwriter Chip Taylor.
 
Ook de soloplaten van Carrie Rodriguez zijn echter zeer de moeite waard en deze krijgen nu gezelschap van het ijzersterke Lola.
 
Op Lola eert Carrie Rodriguez haar Zuidelijke roots in het algemeen en het werk van haar tante Eva Garza, die in de jaren 40 van de vorige eeuw naar verluidt met heel veel succes aan de weg timmerde, in het bijzonder.
 
Ik zeg bewust Zuidelijke roots en niet Mexicaanse roots, want Carrie Rodriquez is een kind van het zuiden van de Verenigde Staten en de muziek die hier wordt gemaakt. Lola bevat een aantal Spaanstalige tracks, maar ook flink wat Engelstalige tracks en tracks waarin Engels en Spaans samenvloeien tot ‘Spanglish’.
 
Lola werd opgenomen in Austin samen met topproducer Lee Townsend en de band van Carrie Rodriguez, The Sacred Hearts. Dat is niet zomaar een band, want als je gitarist Bill Frisell weet te strikken heb je iets in je mars. Ook de andere muzikanten in The Sacred Hearts kunnen overigens een aardig potje spelen (de ritmesectie is een voorbeeld voor velen), waardoor Lola werkelijk fantastisch klinkt.
 
Een deel van de songs begeeft zich op Mexicaans muzikaal grondgebied, maar in de meeste tracks domineert de rootsmuziek zoals deze vooral in Texas wordt gemaakt. Lola is voorzien van een prachtig broeierig geluid, waarin de krachtige en warmbloedige stem van Carrie Rodriguez en haar incidenteel opduikende viool uitstekend gedijen.
 
Minstens even belangrijk is het schitterende gitaarspel van Bill Frisell, die prachtig kan ondersteunen, maar ook op fascinerende wijze op de voorgrond kan treden met gitaarspel dat zijn gelijke niet kent.
 
In veel recensies lees ik dat het jammer is dat Carrie Rodriguez op Lola niet uitsluitend voor Spaanstalige tracks heeft gekozen, maar daar ben ik het niet mee eens. De afwisseling tussen Spaans en Engels draagt wat mij betreft juist bij aan de kracht van het album en geeft bovendien uiting aan de muzikant die Carrie Rodriguez is.
 
Haar solowerk is zoals gezegd zeer de moeite waard, net als de platen met Chip Taylor, maar het prachtige Lola steekt er net wat bovenuit. Geweldige plaat, die ook in Nederland alle aandacht verdient.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt hier luisteren naar 'Lola':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvkhre2OOPY

Heartbreak Pass. Giant Sand

Giant Sand maakte in de tweede helft van de jaren 80 en in de eerste helft van de jaren 90 aan de lopende band geweldige platen en stond aan de basis van de zogenaamde Tucson Americana, maar sindsdien staat de band rond de eigenzinnige Howe Gelb vooral op een laag pitje en is het feitelijk meer een project dan een band.
 
Wanneer Howe Gelb weer eens een plaat wil maken onder de naam Giant Sand, trommelt hij flink wat bevriende muzikanten op, om vervolgens bijna achteloos een prachtplaat te maken.
 
Gelb heeft dat ook dit keer gedaan en heeft voor Heartbreak Pass een uit de kluiten gewassen en opvallend bont gezelschap aan gastmuzikanten verzameld. Wat te denken van Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley, Grandaddy’s Jason Lytle, de pedal steel van Maggie Björklund, topproducer John Parish (PJ Harvey) en voormalig Grant Lee Buffalo voorman Grant Lee Phillips. Heartbreak Pass heeft ook nog een Nederlands tintje, want in één van de songs duiken Ilse DeLange en JB Meijers, oftewel The Common Linnets 2.0 op.
 
Naast deze prachtige line-up is er natuurlijk ook nog Howe Gelb zelf, die de plaat van flink wat extra instrumenten, doorleefde vocalen en uiteraard een flinke dosis eigenzinnigheid heeft voorzien.
 
Heartbreak Pass werd opgenomen in een aantal Europese steden en in de thuisbasis Tucson, Arizona, en is, mede door de grote verscheidenheid aan gastmuzikanten, één van de meest veelzijdige platen die Giant Sand tot dusver heeft uitgebracht.
 
De plaat opent prachtig ingetogen met een akoestische gitaar en de unieke voordracht van Howe Gelb, maar vervolgens schiet de plaat alle kanten op. Alle gastmuzikanten mogen hierbij hun steentje bijdragen, waardoor Giant Sand het ene moment net zo rauw klinkt als Sonic Youth, om vervolgens de Americana te verruilen voor de indie-rock die raakt aan de muziek waarmee Grandaddy ooit zoveel roem wist te vergaren. Het is nog maar het topje van de ijsberg. 

Het is knap dat Heartbreak Pass ondanks alle invloeden klinkt als een echte Giant Sand plaat. Dat ligt voor een deel aan de herkenbare zang van Howe Gelb, maar ook de fraaie productie van John Parish heeft ervoor gezorgd dat de diverse genres die Howe Gelb op Heartbreak Pass aan zijn zegekar bindt, worden ingepast in het typische en mij inmiddels zo dierbare Giant Sand geluid.
 
Natuurlijk maakt Howe Gelb het de luisteraar weer niet makkelijk, bijvoorbeeld door het ene moment te betoveren met heerlijk gitaarwerk, maar niet veel later uit te pakken met vervreemdende elektronica, maar bij Howe Gelb heb ook altijd het idee dat overal over is nagedacht en uiteindelijk werkt ook vrijwel alles. 

Mede door de wel erg eigenzinnige wijze waarop Howe Gelb muziek maakt, waren de laatste platen van Giant Sand wat mij betreft toch wel wat minder dan de platen die de band, destijds nog met Joey Burns en John Convertino (nu de basis van Calexico) in de gelederen, in het verre verleden maakte, maar Heartbreak Pass bevalt me ouderwets goed.
 
Howe Gelb is uitstekend op dreef met een aantal donkere en broeierige Americana songs, maar hij slaat ook op geslaagde wijze zijn vleugels uit in een aantal songs waarvoor Lou Reed in zijn beste dagen zich niet zou hebben geschaamd.
 
Heartbreak Pass is in eerste instantie een veelkleurige puzzel waarin de aanknopingspunten wel eens ontbreken, maar uiteindelijk valt alles op zijn plaats en dragen ook de impulsen van de elektronica van Jason Lytle, die ik in eerste instantie wat minder geslaagd vond, nadrukkelijk bij aan het bijzondere resultaat. Ook het Nederlandse tintje valt overigens niet tegen, want Ilse DeLange schuurt heerlijk tegen de vocalen van Howe Gelb aan en tekent voor één van de hoogtepunten op de plaat.
 
Het uit 15 songs bestaande Heartbreak Pass telt uiteindelijk vele hoogtepunten en is niet alleen één van de betere platen van Giant Sand, maar ook één van de betere platen van het moment.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt hier luisteren naar 'Heavenly':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akZWdz7RgEE&list=PLRtKqBQosbm2ufnvoHQNtogFw9MBuvDT7

of kopen op Bol.com

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