Creature Of Habit. Courtney Barnett

"Time will tell where I'm going with the new album. Sometimes these things take time". I wrote at the end of Courtney Barnett's previous album, 'Things Take Time, Take Time'. Well, I can tell you in 2026: I had completely forgotten it even existed. To be even more honest, I didn't really look forward to Creature Of Habit.

Having listened to it several times by now, I can share that I may even buy the LP. Why? Give me a few minutes to explain.

Courtney Barnett is who she is as a musician. Her voice and way of singing cannot be changed. What has changed, is her approach to her songs it seems to me. The slacker element is not here and neither is the blanket of negativity that often hung over her songs. Is it the sun of Los Angeles where she moved to?

Just listen to the upbeat way the album opens. The main riff may be dark and distorted, the song is open and inviting. The space in between the instruments lets the light in. The background vocals sparkle, making 'Stay In Your Lane' a very inviting opening song for Creature Of Habit. This is even more so in 'Site Unseen', a duet with Waxahatchee, where the two singers take each other higher and higher.

Barnett worked with Warpaint drummer Stella Mozgawa and producer John Congleton Is there anyone Congleton has not worked with over the past decades? The list is near endless. Barnett wrote the most spruced up song with Mozgawa. 'One Thing At A Time' is an alternative rocker that halfway the dirty sounding guitar solo catches fire. The intro of the song can be seen as an example of how Creature Of Habit sounds. Several of the songs our direct, alternative rock songs that make me like the album far more than the previous albums. I will even take back my comment on the work of Courtney Barnett's former partner Jen Cloher being better. Creature Of Habit competes alright.

There are a few barer songs with just Courtney Barnett and Stella Mozgawa playing instruments. They take the mood of the album in a more sober, but not a slacker direction. And this change works a miracle for this album. 'Mostly Patient' is the proof in point. Because of her way of singing this song sparkles, instead of bringing me down. Whatever caused ms. Barnett to change course, it has my blessing. This is exactly the kind of album I thought she had in her but somehow never produced. Even in the song where the influence of Warpaint comes through, 'Mantis', is absolutely top.

Summing up, Creature Of Habit is a good album where Courtney Barnett shows her more direct side and that is a side I like best. This is her best album to date.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

P.S.: Yes, I already bought the LP. 

You can listen to and order Chreature Of Habit here:

https://courtneybarnett.bandcamp.com/album/creature-of-habit 

Some Kind Of Control. Ruby Gill

Some Kind Of Control van Ruby Gill is een album dat begin vorig jaar helaas nauwelijks is opgemerkt, maar het is een album van een bijna onwerkelijke schoonheid, waar je alleen maar ademloos naar kunt luisteren.

Ruby Gill werd geboren in Zuid-Afrika, maar werkt tegenwoordig vanuit het Australische Melbourne. Daar maakte ze het ruim een jaar geleden verschenen Some Kind Of Control. Het is een indrukwekkend mooi album met vooral ingetogen songs, die worden gedragen door piano of gitaar. De muziek is sober, maar ook indringend en intens en dat geldt ook voor de zang van Ruby Gill, die beschikt over een prachtige stem. Some Kind Of Control is geen album dat via TikTok de wereld gaat veroveren, maar in andere bubbels verdient Ruby Gill echt alle aandacht. Bij eerste beluistering was ik geroerd door de intieme songs en sindsdien is Some Kind Of Control me extreem dierbaar geworden.

Ik weet niet eens meer waar ik het album precies tegen kwam, maar in een persoonlijk jaarlijstje dat ik vond op het Internet zag ik negen albums die ook hoog genoteerd staan in mijn eigen lijstje en Some Kind Of Control van Ruby Gill. Inmiddels weet ik dat het mij tot voor kort totaal onbekende album ook niet had misstaan in mijn jaarlijstje, want Ruby Gill heeft een fascinerend album gemaakt. 

Het is het tweede album van de singer-songwriter die werd geboren in het Zuid-Afrikaanse Johannesburg, maar inmiddels Melbourne in Australië als thuisbasis heeft. Some Kind Of Control is de opvolger van het in 2022 verschenen debuutalbum I'm Gonna Die With This Frown On My Face, dat alleen met de titel al de aandacht had moeten trekken. 

Die aandacht trekt Ruby Gill ook met de bijzondere titels van de songs op haar tweede album. Titels als How Chimpanzees Reassure Each Other en Room Full Of Human Male Politicians maakten me op voorhand al heel nieuwsgierig naar de muziek van Ruby Gill en ze heeft me zeker niet teleur gesteld. 

De muzikante uit Melbourne kan uit de voeten met de piano en de gitaar en dat zijn de twee instrumenten die centraal staan in de meeste songs op Some Kind Of Control. Het zijn songs die redelijk sober tot bijna minimalistisch zijn ingekleurd, wat de songs voorziet van een bijzondere sfeer. 

Het is een sfeer die niet direct is te koppelen aan een bepaald genre, want Ruby Gill slaagt er in om steeds anders te klinken. In een aantal songs maakt de Zuid-Afrikaanse muzikante folk zoals deze meerdere decennia geleden in de heuvels rond Los Angeles of in San Francisco werd gemaakt, maar Some Kind Of Control kan ook ruw en rafelig klinken, wat af en toe doet denken aan de muziek van PJ Harvey. 

De muziek op het tweede album van Ruby Gill is redelijk sober, maar met beperkte middelen wordt een maximaal effect verkregen. Zowel de piano als de gitaren kunnen donker of zelfs beklemmend klinken en voorzien de songs van Ruby Gill van een bijzondere onderhuidse spanning. 

Het kleurt prachtig bij de stem van de muzikante uit Melbourne, die ook alle kanten op kan. In de meer folky songs op het album hoor ik flarden van folkies uit de late jaren 60 en vroege jaren 70, maar de zang van Ruby Gill doet me af en toe ook denken aan Fiona Apple, wat overigens niet betekent dat de stemmen van de twee op elkaar lijken. 

De vergelijking met Fiona Apple heeft vooral te maken met het wat donkere en vooral zeer intense geluid van Ruby Gill, die direct vanaf de eerste noten van Some Kind Of Control alle aandacht opeist. De songs op het album zijn sober en intens, maar ook rauw en puur en het zijn songs die zich behoorlijk stevig opdringen. 

Bij eerste beluistering van het tweede album van Ruby Gill was ik diep onder de indruk van haar songs en inmiddels een week of twee verder is mijn liefde voor het album alleen maar gegroeid. Ruby Gill heeft een singer-songwriter album gemaakt van een soort dat tegenwoordig nauwelijks meer wordt gemaakt. 

Het is een album met een intimiteit en intensiteit die je bij de strot grijpt, maar de Zuid-Afrikaanse muzikante weet je ook steeds weer te verrassen, bijvoorbeeld met de bijzondere koortjes op het album, die af en toe herinneren aan haar geboortegrond, maar ook door binnen haar songs met grote stappen door genres en door de tijd te stappen. Luister naar Some Kind Of Control van Ruby Gill en je bent verkocht.

Erwin Zijleman

 

Je kunt Some Kind Of Control hier luisteren en bestellen:

https://rubygill.bandcamp.com/album/some-kind-of-control-2

Nusantara Beat. Nusantara Beat

Looking in from the outside, I can't help but wonder what the added value is of singing in Indonesian (bahasa Indonesia) for a band from The Netherlands releasing its debut album in 2025. Listening to the album, I can only state how beautiful the album is and that the language barrier simply disappears after a few minutes.

Nusantara Beat is a relatively new band but can be called a Dutch supergroup, as all members play or have played in other bands. All members are, at least in past of Indonesian descent and have been playing together for a few years. It is their Indonesian heritage they are honouring with Nusantara Beat. Nusantara means unity and was the name of Indonesia in a long ago era, when several kings tried to make the many islands and kingdoms into one nation.

The beat stands for the history of "Indorock" and krontjong bands, made up of youngster who had emigrated from the new Indonesian state to the former colonist country circa 1950. Expecting to leave soon, but that never happened for most. This is for a different kind of blog, one on history. With ex-EUT singer Megan de Klerk the band has enlisted a singer with a dreamy voice, bringing in a dreampop influence to the whole. She dared to sing in a language she didn't master at the time. With her, the band was complete. All these influences from the past were blended by the band with indie, alternative pop and rock from this century. The result is the album Nusantara Beat and it's very convincing.

The band further consists of guitarist Jordy Sanger, guitarist/keyboardist Rouzy Portier, drummer Sonny Groeneveld, percussionist Gino Groeneveld and bassist Michael Joshua. The latter is the only one born in Indonesia. Together they produce music that is extremely slick, there's no other word for it. From there the band is able to show its teeth in the right places, so that when it bites, it has the effect like running into a tiger in the jungle.

My experience with Indonesian music does not go much further than the singles my late aunt had of Anneke Grönloh full of nostalgia for the emerald isles (and some gamalan music). And yet, there are faint resemblances in the way Megan de Klerk constructed her vocal melodies. I'm not saying there is a direct link between songs like 'Paradiso' or 'Soerabaja' and Nusantara Beat's. What connects them is a feeling and a kind of longing for things not here. Guitarist Jordy Sanger brings out a twangy surf sound to the mix, what will be the link to the indorock that I'm simply too young for, believe it or not.

As I started, I'm not certain who this album is for, but I for one sure don't mind listening to it. The nostalgia works for 100%.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can order Nusantara Beat here:

https://excelsior-recordings.com/en 

2025, five EPs

Listening to ten singles sometimes does not allow me enough time to listen to full EPs and mini albums as well, while they are of a quality that does allow for a spot on this blog. So, instead of a full album, today we present five shorter albums by a very diverse set of artists. So, enjoy!

No Heavy Goodbyes EP. Scarlet Rae 

Based on the two singles having been released before the release of No Heavy Goodbyes, my best guess was the EP would be an ink black affair. It is not totally so, as Scarlet Rae does supply us with a ray of light here and there. Allow me to start with the fourth song, 'Light Dose'. It is not an easy song, nor has it an easy rhythm, but the acoustic guitars starting the song and her soft way of singing allow the sun in. The piano "solo" has the same effect. Slowly but surely some darkness creeps in and then the distorted guitars take over the song and black paint is smeared on the walls and windows in thick blobs, shutting all light out, no matter how hard that piano roots for another result. 'Light Dose' does show the world how Scarlet Rae can play with moods extremely successfully. Although I like the EP as a whole this song is the beacon of the EP. The contrast between her soft voice and guitars that can cut like a sword from 'Kill Bill' are so huge. Scarlet Rae has a voice for the sweetest pop songs, where innocence and fantasy for teenage girls would ooze from the record (or stream of course). Pop and teen fantasies are as far removed from her mind as possible, leading to dark and brooding, but above all rocking songs. A song can be moderately loud like opening song 'A World Where She Left Me Out' to a trailblazer like the final song 'Call Off The Day' is. Ms Rae gives this EP her all. Don't forget to check it out. 

Till The Well Runs Dry EP.  Nate Perry & Ragged Company

Another debut on this blog. With its second EP Boston outfit Nate Perry & Ragged Company finds itself for the first time here. There's no denying, that this music sounds familiar to anyone with some musical bagage from the past decades. Nate Perry C.S. combine rock and Americana in a way a band like Gin Blossoms was so good at circa thirty years ago or Dan Baird, etc., etc. The surprise is how fresh the songs on Till The Well Runs Dry sound. It's quite clear that it may be a while before this music will. There are bands that play roots music and there are bands that take that music to the same or next level like their heroes played it and then add their own originals to the existing pile. Nate Perry & Ragged Company band did exactly that. With its tough sound, joined by a warm Hammond organ and a singer with exactly the right tough edge to his voice, Till The Well Runs Dry hits the nail on the head. I simply love listening to this EP.

Inauguration EP. Proles

With Inauguration this post moves once again towards the dark side of music. Proles loves to dwell in the dark recesses of 1980s postpunk. Where I found the early Simple Minds and bands like it always far too mechanical sounding, let alone The Gang of Four and is ilk, Proles is not afraid of playing organic sounding music throughout that darkness. Where the opening song, 'Inaugural', on the one hand is meant as the most open sounding song, it also is the most scary, with the screaming background vocals, mixed "softly" into the whole. Later on on this seven song mini album, Proles gets more into its stride and mixes the postpunk with the sound of bands like Killing Joke and The Cult. By now that music is circa forty years old. It keeps attracting many young musicians and musicians who are still inspired by the music and went back to it after life caught up with them somewhere in the past thirty years. The result is a strong EP like Inauguration. The music may be dark but the fun of playing it shines through the whole of the seven songs. Just listen how 'The Slumber' plays out. A little Tubeway Army synths has the lead but with a lead guitar accompanying it in a way Gary Newman would have abhorred. Boston's Proles, Gretchen Shae vocals, synths, Jason O'Blivion vocals, guitar, Daniel Denied bass and Nikki Severen drums, have found their stride together and deserve this debut on WoNoBlog fully, completely.

Moments In The Sun EP. Dotsun Moon

From darkness to light is but a small step on WoNoBlog. After single 'Never Had A Heart', Richard Flierl, he is Dotsun Moon, finds himself once again on this blog with the EP Moments In The Sun. The Buffalo, New York based musician's output on this EP can be placed in the 1980s as well. More in the Simple Minds from 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' onwards period than in the heavy postpunk scene. The music is far smoother, more elegant and certainly more mainstream. Not that this EP contains a song of the magnitude mentioned just now. The four songs each are very much worth your while though. Flierl manages to provide his songs with so many details. Take the way the guitar solo in 'Army Of Me' is offset with the piano notes playing through the solo. This provides a great listening experience. The EP ends with 'Piano Trailer 5', which is the piano piece like it promises. Dotsun Moon's Richard Flierl may love to dwell in the musical past, like so many other artists do. He manages to step into 2025 with songs of his own that matter. Moments In The Sun brings exactly what its title promises: a moment of rest in a busy schedule to warm to and relax with.

like you used to EP. Nathalie Miller 

Through her single 'kansas', Nathalie Miller is no stranger to this blog and now her second EP, like you used to, finds itself here as well. The music is certainly identifiable as pop music, but not like what I hear occasionally on the radio my love likes to listen to. The song announced as the current number 1, was as dull as I've seldom heard them. Really nothing memorable happened during the whole song! Rest assured, you will not find anything like it on like you used to. Even the song that comes closest in my ear, 'Witches Don't Burn', has so many twists and turns, that the listener has to be on his/her toes the whole time. Nathalie Miller, living in Brooklyn but from Massachusetts, manages to sound interesting the whole time. Dynamics is a tool she and her producer Brian Charles have used to great effect. Just listen to how 'Sit And Stew' plays out. The way extra instruments come in and are added tells all. Between the five songs themselves there is more than enough diversity that makes listening to like you used to an interesting experience. The end comes as a total surprise. It's like a very old recording has been polished by digital tools and an added modern vocal was mixed in. The title song gives the EP again something extra. Nathalie Miller wants to be far more than just a pop singer. So far, she succeeded in my book.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

2025, week 9. 10 singles

The meteorological spring started yesterday and the days are slowly getting warmer as the sun is getting stronger by the day and the light is there already for hours longer. Some songs this week reflect that optimistic feeling coming with warmth and light, so enjoy our selection.

Yummy Yummy Yummy. Gene Champagne

Yummy Yummy Yummy, that spells a cover to me. When I was a very young boy a band called Ohio Express scored two hits over here of which this one was the first, the second 'Chewy Chewy'. (On checking, I found a third top 40 hitsingle, 'Pinch Me'). It turns out Ohio Express was a producers' vehicle (Kasenetz - Katz) and a live band, that still tours, believe it or not, with the original drummer still behind his kit. Gene Champagne returns to this blog with a cover version of 'Yummu x3'. It gives some oomph to the original with a tougher guitar sound and drums. While still allowing for the bubblegum poprock original to shine through. As that is what the song was at the time. Gene Champagne captures this nicely, tipping his hat to the 1968 original with respect.

Dumb Feeling. Mei Semones

You have found Mei Semones on this blog before and just like you are about to read, she surprises with her song by the second almost. Last week I reviewed a song by Black Road New Country that drove me crazy as I couldn't find my hold on the song. It kept changing. So does Dumb Feeling but if BRNC wants to learn how to convince me, it better starts listening to Dumb Feeling. You have to pay attention for the whole time, because this single is in another place if you kept your mind somewhere else for even a few seconds. The bossa nova morphs into a rock piece for about three seconds, to change into a 1950s Doris Day style string part and so on. For now I think Dumb Feeling is more surprising than utterly good. The comment after that has to be that Mei Semones' imagination and arrangement skills border on the unbelievable and is well deserved. Dumb Feeling is almost beyond comprehension and yet fully registers.

Sit Down. Chris Church

What an upbeat, clear sounding song Sit Down is. North Carolina indie-rocker Chris Church returns to the blog with his latest single announcing his upcoming album 'Obsolete Path' (28 March). It is a song that I can place in the rock side of R.E.M. with some hints at (Brit)pop for good measure. The clear guitar notes are what set Sit Down apart. They are sprinkled all over the song. In fact there are layers of guitars that Church recorded for us to enjoy. Supported by drummer Brian Beaver he plays everything else himself. As an extra is the voice of Lindsay Murray, who is sitting down constantly in the video. As an aside, my wife would so much enjoy the number of records shown in the video. Unfortunately for her I have a few (ahem) more than that. Sit Down is an extremely pleasant rock song. It doesn't alter my world but I can easily listen to it quite often. Sit Down is well made, in other words.

Te Echt. Nieuwe Gezichten

In september vorig jaar, 22 om precies te zijn, debuteerde Nieuwe Gezichten op dit blog. Zie daar voor de uitleg over dit muzikale project. De zanger van dienst is ditmaal Bo Menning. Het gejaagde van 'Ter Aarde' is heel ver naar de achtergrond geduwd. Je kunt het er bij denken als het ware. Te Echt is dromerig, met veel uitwaaierende geluiden, maar ook een banjo. Dit is een uitzonderlijk gelaagde single. Van overal en nergens komen geluiden, die het nummer een onderhuidse spanning geven, die uiteindelijk op de luisteraar wordt los gelaten. Het een solo noemen voert te ver. Een instrumentaal intermezzo is beter, ware het niet dat het uiteindelijk ook naar het einde van het nummer voert. Onderweg verliest Nieuwe Gezichten wat instrumenten hier en daar, instrumenten die er overigens ook aan het begin van het nummer niet zijn. Kortom, er valt muzikaal veel te ontdekken in dit nummer.

Haunting. The Awakening

There are more South Africans who moved to the U.S.A. then the one who is constantly in the news in the past months. Luckily we also have Ashton Nyte, once dubbed "the Johannesburg Bowie". The singer can be found a while back on this blog both as a contributor to the Beauty in Chaos project as with The Awakening. Here he lends his deep voice to his own band, The Awakening, operating from the U.S. these days. Dark wave melts with heavy guitars and goth rock, this describes Haunting quite well. The single actually combines several subgenres within it, making it almost a musical pubquiz. Upfront it is the dark rock sound that paves the way, with Nyte singing not like Bowie but more like 80s singers from bands like Killing Joke and The Sister of Mercy. Darkness envelopes the listener, as undoubtedly other songs on the album, 'The Awakening', will. It is out there already for you to check out.

Whole Lotta Stars. Shane Alexander

On route to the release of his new album, 'Forever Songs' on 4 April, Los Angeles singer-songwriter-producer Shane Alexander releases a new single. Expect to hear his beautiful voice, but less so his familiar sounding singer-songwriter/folk/americana. Whole Lotta Stars may have a country tinge with the pedal steel guitar in the background, the flavour of the song is more pop oriented than ever before. The rhythm is very prominent and that makes this single different, for Shane Alexander. It is in the accents of the production. It may well be the result of writing with Clayton Joseph Scott, who he recently produced. Writing with someone else gives a different perspective. In the previous song he worked with Dutch singer-songwriter Judy Blank. What will the album bring? If more collaborations, we may actually be very surprised. 4 April is getting closer luckily.

Drunk In Ojai.  Ashleigh Flynn & The Riveters

Ojai is pronounced as o-high. I would never have guessed as Dutchman. To be certain, Ashleigh Flynn is not singing about me :-). Drunk In Ojai is a country rocker that kicks off with a great guitar lick, played by Nancy Luca, who also produced the song. Ms Flynn says that the song wrote itself and is based on an experience she's had. Well, she's not telling all, but in the meantime, the song is quite nice. Yes, it all sounds very familiar but isn't that the charme of a good country rocker? The Riverters play nice and tight, to allow for the lead guitar to escape with a great lick or accent here and there and then a great solo, just like it should be. Ashleigh Flynn has a nice edge to her voice, finishing off Drunk In Ojai just nicely.

Eddy Derecho.  Evidence of a Struggle

With 'Alan's Song' Evidence of a Struggle debuted on this blog about two years ago, an instrumental track. Eddy Derecho isn't. The Rev. Billy Simmons is taking us for a sermon with this rough, a little dirty sounding voice. The single rocks, not unlike a Smashing Pumpkins alternative rock song from the 1990s. Matt Walker who joins Simmons on drums, bass and synths has played with the Pumpkins somewhere after the band's heyday. Eddy Derecho moves around a riff that is repeated over and offer. Distorted, dirty, loud and in your face. It's the mainstay of the song and the sound from which all else grows. Don't expect much subtlety here. Evidence of a Struggle rocks and keeps doing it until the almost unpleasant alarm sound at the end. Before that end, anyone who took and takes a liking to 90s rock, check it out.

Daria Featuring Kenny Beats. Toro Y Moi

Toro Y Moi is Chaz Bear and has eight albums to his name but you won't find the name here. Whether from not knowing or not liking, I can't tell. There are too many artists and bands to recollect all. Daria reminds me of a genre that was popular for just one or two years in the early 90s before Britpop broke big and wiped out bands like EMF and Jesus Jones. I certainly liked a single like 'Unbelievable' but never bought an album. Daria has that kind of upbeat rhythm, yet so undercooled in the way Toro Y Moi presents it that it is not unlike The Stone Roses' debut singles and album as well. Sure, I can dance to it but I'm not sure whether I'm allowed, it all sounds so cool and strict. But who is Chaz Bear to tell what to do to his song? In the background there are some rap elements, see EMF shouting "unbelievable" the whole time. If that is Kenny Beats' contribution, I don't know, then it is all far more restrained. In fact, the singing is an undercooled version of Fontaines DC's Grian Chatten. Daria ties together about 35 five years of music this way.

Nirvana. Glazyhaze

We end the week with a dreamy indierock track from Venice, Italy.  Irene (vocals and guitar), Lorenzo (lead guitar), Francesco (drums) and Vsevolod (bass) form the band Glazyhaze that is working towards the release of its second album, Sonic (21 March). Part of the attraction is the differences between the double tracked male voice and the female voice, creating a beauty and the beast vibe. The music is more bare when you hear the male voice. The pop side of Glazyhaze comes forth when Irene starts singing. It immediately drops away for the more indie rock side of the band when Seva takes over again. There are worse ways to make your debut on this blog than with Nirvana.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

TORSO. Soap&Skin

Soap&Skin staat inmiddels vijftien jaar garant voor uiterst donkere, indringende en dramatische, maar ook bijzonder mooie albums en ook het met louter songs van anderen gevulde TORSO is er weer een.

Albums met alleen vertolkingen van songs van anderen zijn meestal weinig opwindende tussendoortjes, maar het deze week verschenen TORSO van Soap&Skin valt in een andere categorie. Het alter ego van de Oostenrijkse muzikante Anja Plaschg maakte een aantal van de donkerste albums van de afgelopen twee decennia en ook TORSO is zeker niet gevuld met zonnestralen. Ook TORSO is een album waar je tegen moet kunnen, maar als je er tegen kunt is het een fascinerend album met prachtige orkestraties, geweldige zang en vertolkingen van songs die in de meeste gevallen in bijna niets meer doen denken aan de originelen. Het is aardedonker, maar ook bijzonder mooi. Zomaar een van de meest indrukwekkende coveralbums die ik ken.

De Oostenrijkse singer-songwriter Anja Plaschg leverde in 2009 als Soap&Skin een aardedonker album af. Het in het voorjaar van 2009 verschenen Lovetune For Vacuum verdreef in één keer alle zonnestralen en vulde de lucht met gitzwarte wolken. Het debuutalbum van Soap&Skin was niet alleen angstig donker, maar ook wonderschoon, waardoor het album de boeken in ging als een van de meest indrukwekkende albums van 2009.

Wat het album nog wat indrukwekkender maakte, maar wat ook wel enigszins zorgwekkend was, is dat Anja Plaschg het album opnam tussen haar veertiende en haar achttiende. Ook op het in 2012 verschenen Narrow was Anja Plaschg zeker geen lachebekje, maar het album klonk wat minder donker en eerlijk gezegd ook wat minder indrukwekkend dan haar debuutalbum.

Met het in 2018 verschenen From Gas To Solid/You Are My Friend overtrof Anja Plaschg, op dat moment ook een succesvolle actrice, wat mij betreft haar debuutalbum. Ook From Gas To Solid/You Are My Friend was een album met vooral donkere tinten, maar de muziek van Soap&Skin kon ook sprookjesachtig mooi klinken.

De afgelopen zes jaar was het vizier van de Oostenrijkse muzikante gericht op andere zaken, maar eind vorig jaar verscheen er eindelijk weer een nieuw album van Soap&Skin. TORSO bevat bijna een uur muziek en in dat uur muziek komen twaalf songs voorbij. Het zijn allemaal songs van anderen, waardoor het album misschien aanvoelt als een tussendoortje, maar dat is het zeker niet.

Anja Plaschg vertolkte de afgelopen 15 jaar veel vaker songs van anderen, die twee jaar geleden samen kwamen in een op een festival gespeelde set. Ze staan nu ook op TORSO, dat songs bevat van onder andere Sufjan Stevens, Lana Del Rey, Cat Power, Tom Waits, David Bowie (wat een fascinerende versie van Girl Loves Me), The Velvet Underground en The Doors.

Een aantal songs op TORSO moeten het doen met het donkere pianospel en de indringende stem van Anja Plaschg, maar de Oostenrijkse muzikante werkte ook samen met een klassiek ensemble en trekt hier en daar wat beangstigende elektronica uit de kast.

TORSO bevat misschien uitsluitend songs van anderen, maar het is desondanks een typisch Soap&Skin album geworden. Het is wederom geen album om vrolijk van te worden, want de vertolkingen van Soap&Skin zijn behoorlijk intens en indringend en vooral donker van kleur.

Achter alle donkere tinten is echter ook een hoop schoonheid te vinden. De orkestraties op het album zijn behoorlijk dramatisch, maar ook bijzonder mooi. Hetzelfde kan gezegd worden van de stem van Anja Plaschg, die in meerdere songs keihard binnen komt en die enorm is gegroeid sinds haar debuutalbum.

De Oostenrijkse muzikante is er in geslaagd om van alle songs op het album Soap&Skin songs te maken. Het levert een serie songs op die soms zo donker en intens zijn dat je er bijna bang van wordt, maar het is ook razend knap hoe de muzikante uit Wenen de songs zo heeft verbouwd dat ze nauwelijks meer te herkennen zijn.

Ik ben echt niet altijd in de stemming voor dit album, maar dat was niet anders bij Lovetune For Vacuum, Narrow en From Gas To Solid/You Are My Friend. Als ik er wel voor in de stemming ben grijpt TORSO me een uur lang op ongekende wijze bij de strot en worden de vertolkingen van Anja Plaschg alleen maar mooier, bijzonderder en indrukwekkender.

Erwin Zijleman

The best albums 2000 - 2024, 10 of 10

Incredible, but the first quarter of the 21 century is nearly over.. Yes, yes, I know officially the 21st century started on 1 January 2001 but doesn't that look strange? So, I chose to run a list of the 100 best albums, in my humble opinion, of the years 2000 - 2024. It may be that I have missed some, as I never kept true score of albums. However, there is a huge archive to fall back on: my end of year lists on this blog and in WoNo Magazine before that, starting all the way back in 2001. That gives a very solid basis. So, yes, there may be an album I got acquainted to in the year(s) after its release and subsequently forgot about. So be it.

There are albums in this list that I remember as very good but haven't played for years, but put it in anyway. More recent years are more at the front of my memory. It is a fair question whether these albums would still be in here, had they been ten or more years old. There's no way of telling. All in all, it is a good cross section for most years. Only 2006 is not represented I noticed.

100 Albums. That is a lot. Can any of these albums match the impact the albums that I got to know in puberty? The albums that are a true part of me? Most likely not, but that said, some of them certainly come close. Even in the past few years a few albums have. I will have to wait a while before I know for certain. What I know with almost certainty, a list for the next 25 years seems highly unlikely.  Let's start this adventure with:

100. Ten Aarzel. Krang (2000)

Krang is the band of, also, comedian André Manuel, a man who got fined for baring his bottom to the (to be) king and (to be) queen. He sings in the local dialect of eastern The Netherlands, with his loud but raspy voice. Musically, Krang is somewhere between De Kift, Tom Waits and Kaisers Orchestra, lyrically he is everywhere, even on a bicycle with Herman Brood and Marco Pantani, the former Tour de France winner or lauding the beauty of a field full of leek. Krang released several nice albums in the first years of the zeros. This was my first one and deserves a spot on this list. Not in the least because of the great live shows I went to in those years. A great title as well. It translates into something like forward, hesitating.

99. Working Man's Cafe. Ray Davies (2007)

The former The Kinks frontman Ray Davies, released five albums this century, if I include one with choir versions of his old The Kinks hits. All are good but this one is simply better. The songs are almost as good as his old hits and stick to the mind like glue. In the year Davies turned 80 years, I celebrate his great career with a spot in this list.

98. Bang The Drum. The Maureens (2015)

Former Utrecht band The Maureens released four albums in the past 12 years. They were all on my longlist. But life is hard, choices need to be made. The Maureens' mix of pop, California's west Coast muiss and The Beatles, is nearly irresistible. Its songwriter Hendrik-Jan de Wolff is able to find the extra melodies in all his songs. His band members are very capable of playing and not to forget singing them. On record and on stage the band always delivers. With a song like 'September' on this album, it scores the extra points to make it here with ease.

97. Riding With The King. Eric Clapton and BB King (2000)

The owner of an American grill restaurant in Matsumoto, Japan, can claim to be the reason why this album is in this list. He played it all evening long while frying delicious American chicken wings, slices of beef and what not for us. In a further totally empty place full of U.S. memorabilia, while not speaking more than five words English. Clapton and King were going through their set of blues songs where all the danger has been taken out, yet play with so much joy and obvious respect for one another. Once home I bought the album immediately and have played it many times, but not as often as that Japanese gentleman, bar owner and cook.

 96. Everything Now. Arcade Fire (2017)

I'm following Arcade Fire since the first album, 'Funeral', but never became a true fan. In fact, I do not own any of the albums between 'Funeral' and Everything Now. The upbeat songs really got to me and the mood changes are simply superb. I played my LP version a lot. and was totally surprised to find out that it is already seven years old.

95. Songs Of Praise. Shame (2018)

The first post punk album by the latest generation post punkers from Ireland and the U.K. on the list. Shame never really delivered on its promise. Songs Of Praise is an album that is charged with the energy of a young, new band that went into its hobby in the hope of turning it into a career. It has it all and the band does not hold back for one second. Especially the second album seemed far more calculated, the third somewhere in between (With fantastic artwork though. I wear the touring t-shirt proudly.) Songs Of Praise is the Shame album to really check out, but do take it from there.

94. The First Exit. Tramhaus (2024)

The first really new album. It is hard to really judge the mettle of albums so new in the years to come. I am quite convinced though that The First Exit, Tramhaus' debut album, will be one that stays. The post punk band is extremely inventive in finding the more awkward melodies and yet make them work with such ease. Now touring extensively through Europe with undoubtedly more to come, this band will grow and become bigger and bigger and will be able to compete with the best of them. Tramhaus truly is a young band worthwhile following and live close to a sensation. At number 94, it is conservatively scored for now.

93. Oh, Mayhem. Bettie Serveert (2013)

Bettie Serveert, over thirty years ago, was the indie darlings of The Netherlands and far beyond. Now the band is in semi-retirement, has not released a new album for eight years and its members have regular jobs. Only recently they started to play some shows together again. Oh, Mayhem is the example of the albums of this quarter century. 'Log 22', 'Pharmacy Of Love', 'Damaged Good' all could have taken Oh, Mayhem's place. All the albums are more than just good. The world is a little less good because Bettie Serveert is not releasing new albums any more.

92. The Hazards Of Love. The Decemberists (2009)

A rock opera, no less by The Decemberists. I loved the album from the moment I found out about it, shortly after its release in 2009. Together with its 2024 album, my favourite. I decided against featuring 'As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again' at the very final decision point of this list. It is too new to make a truly correct decision on the final 100. The Hazards Of Love truly takes the listener up and down like a rollercoaster. Fire and brimstone, hell and damnation versus ferry-like love. It all comes by, in abundance. The Decemberist make music at a very consistent level but this one sticks out just this little more.

91. Mesmerize. System of a Down (2005)

Speaking of musical rollercoaster.s The four Californians of Armenian decent take their listeners through all sorts of emotions. Where singer Serj Tankian may sound crazy, when Daron Malakian takes over craziness is but a metaphor. Gotham's Arkham seems like a funfare. In my opinion the band never made a better album then Mesmerize. All the inventions and inspiration, twist and turns that can come out of and into a single song were blended superbly. (And then there's the hit single 'Chop Suey' of course.) Mesmerize rocks in abundance but don't throw out opera, reggae and so much more. The album has it all and then some. 

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

2024, week 48. 10 singles

We are looking December in the eye at the time of writing. Outside the sun shines but it's cold alright. Greatest hits albums and their alternative, a live album have been released. The slew of releases is slowly drying up. In the singles section we are still about a month behind and as always quite diverse. Believe it or not but several acts make their debut on the blog this week. Enough to explore in other words.

Son Of The Rambling Dawn. Mondaze

Italian band Mondaze makes its debut on this blog with a single of its recently released album 'Linger'. Expect to hear some shoegazing with the band laying down a wall of (guitar) sound over which a singer whisper-sings his lyrics and the lead guitar takes the lead for 100%. I expect all members to have very long hair that hangs in front of their eyes, while staring at the floor when playing. The band formed in 2018 and with 'Linger' released its second album. Although the band members' influences range from a lot to metal, the latter is not very recognisable on Son Of The Rambling Dawn. The band calls Swervedriver and Ride, both from the 1990s, as inspiration but there's enough 2020s psychedelic influenced bands that come to mind as well. Like DIIV or Beach Fossils for example. The single is convincing, so it's time to put on 'Linger'.

Babylon. Tamino

The second artist to make his debut today is Belgian-Egyptian singer-songwriter Tamino. Although he is working towards the release of his third album in March, he was not considered before. Babylon in a mid tempo song, based on an acoustic guitar and can be called a ballad in the style of, ultimately, Jeff Buckley. Tamino is not scared to sore to those heights with his voice and getting there with ease. The single explores the composition in a few ways. By starting extremely small, just an acoustic guitar, with some atmospheric sounds in the background, Tamino gives himself the opportunity to slowly flash out the song in the five minutes that follow. More instruments are let in one by one, bringing out the inner force of the composition. The arrangement slowly gets more width and breadth. Go over and listen for yourself, as this song is truly worth it. What have I missed in the past? I don't know. It's impossible to listen to everything, but if I'm not mistaken this song can be as impressive as I expect the songs of Michael Kiwanuka's new album to be.

About Time. The Coo

And here's debut number three and, believe it or not, it's all purely coincidental. The Coo is a London - Amsterdam duo that came together at a chance meeting during an open mike evening somewhere in Amsterdam, pre-Covid. Matt Arthur (UK) and Jara Holdert (NL) started to make music together and now have presented their debut album 'a different life' to the world. About Time is one of the singles and it is an alternative folk ballad, not unlike Adrianne Lenker could write and sing with or without Big Thief. Above all the mood of the song is ultra relaxed. The music moves ever so slowly towards dissonance without ever becoming so. It scales its edges though. Arthur and Holdert sing together, with her voice taking on the Lenker role. At the same time The Coo attempts to reach for beauty and finds it with ease. About Time slowly but surely becomes more present by playing and singing louder and adding an organ. When it all fades away, the two oohs take the song to musical heaven. A very nice introduction About Time is.

Holden Miller vs The State of California EP. Holden Miller

"Holden Miller is a professional singer/songwriter, dancer, friend and human. He’s like soo smart and funny and not like other guys. Holden makes music that ranges from folk to pop and everything in between...". O.k., what else can a reviewer add?, you might ask. Nothing on Holden Miller, as I do not know the guy. On his music a little bit more. When someone sings "and the stones keep on rolling, tumbling dice are thrown ..." my brain responds immediately. 'Cool' is a song that could have been by The Black Keys but is, at least for the first part, far lighter. Holden Miller doesn't mind to play songs that sounds familiar but have a quality that deserve listening to them. Yes, it's pop and folk with some rock, Jack Johnson and Mika all thrown into the mix. It makes this EP the more fun. At the same time because of the beats the songs have a more modern sound. In other words, more than enough to discover.

Snake Oil Salvation EP. Diablogato

And now for a dose of some good old rock and roll. Not the 1950s one but a mix of punk rock and classic rock singing from the 80s. Just listen to the whoa, whoas in 'Fire And Powder' and tell me that you are not waiving a fist in the air and shouting along at the top of your voice. Boston's Diablogato is on fire here alright and doesn't need any other powder to ignite itself. Drew Indingaro, vocals & guitar, Charlie MacSteven, guitar & backing vocals, Jesse Von Kenmore, drums and Johnny Custom, upright bass have released a six song mini album containing their songs of the past few years. 'Jet Black Heart' for example can be found here already in 2022. It does not make the collection less welcome. The way the band weaves different influences, like the surf guitar in 'Wandering Hearts' or the heavy organ in 'Jet Black Night, into its music makes each song a surprise' and the EP very diverse. The latter song's groove is simply great. "This song sounds like Deep Purple and Uriah Heep were put in a blender with Lynyrd Skynyrd", I wrote in 2022 and I'm still convinced it is. The diversity makes Diablogato a modern jukebox filled with originals, leaving listeners wondering who they are listening to. Let me make that clear for you: DIABLOGATO!

Girl Loves Me. Soap & Skin

Yes, it's over six years ago I went to the Concertgebouw (or Concertgebow, as Paul McCartney pronounces it in 1975's 'Rock Show'. What comes close is (to) bow and wow) to see Stargaze. The orchestra played David Bowie's 'Black Star' album integrally with a host of guest singers of which Anja Plaschg, as Soap  & Skin is known to her family and friends, was one. She has now released a new single and it is her cover of Black Star's 'Girl Loves Me'. The arrangement of strings gives 'Girl Loves Me' an even darker vibe, as the cello is allowed to go really deep. As such the song is strange, the rhythm, the mood, the question asked in it. It is the mystery, that hangs over most of 'Black Star' that makes 'Girl Loves Me' so intriguing and then good. Anja Plaschg voice in the verses makes the song come across somewhat lighter and that element makes this release worthwhile and stand on its own, despite following the original quite closely. Soap & Skin's new album, 'Torso', has been released recently.

Ghosts Of A Different Dream. Guided by Choices

Guided by who? Indeed, Guided by Choices is a tribute band, releasing an album with sixteen tracks by Guided by Voices. Now that band has never attracted me for reasons not entirely clear to me. Oddly enough Ghosts Of A Different Dream is a song that immediately appealed to me. So explain that. It's a nice pop-rock track somewhere between The Knack and The Romantics I'd opt to point out. The kind of song that is alternative enough to be credible, with a nice surprising instrumental interlude and a chord strummed solo/outro. With a vocal melody that is not run of the mill but still easy enough to grasp. Guided by Voices was once known for its ultra short songs. With 2.41 this one is quite long. Guided by Choices was formed by Garret Vandermolen, to be found as Speedfossils on this blog. He was joined by some friends and other Speedfossils members. Together they recorded 'WATCH OUT FOR JOKER BOB: A Birthday Tribute to Robert Pollard', that was released on the man's 67th birthday, 31 October.

Elephant. Jasmine.4.t

"The Elephant is in the room", Jasmine.4.t sings in her single. Elephant is a strong single, more from the power and presence it shares with the listener than strong melodic prowess. It's not bad, don't get me wrong, it's repetitive. She just starts with her voice and an acoustic guitar. It's not long before a second joins, some percussion joins and thus slowly but surely the song becomes bigger and bigger. There's a whole story on who the singer-songwriter was, now is and the struggle how she got here, but in my humble opinion that takes away from the single and how strong it is. Let it tell its own story. Jasmine.4.t. was the first signing on Phoebe Bridgers' label and could record with her and the other boygeniuses. The result is Elephant the lead single of 'You Are The Morning' that will be released on January 17. If the songs on the album are this strong, it is something to be on the look out for.

Share It All. Girl with a Hawk

Search the blog and you find that Girl with a Hawk has become a regular on WoNoBlog. Share It All is no exception. The band around Linda Viers takes a country holiday on its new single. Not the traditional Tammy Wynette sort but somewhere between pop, mild rock and country. You can hear the clear lead guitar playing warm country notes, while a Hammond B3 (sound) provides Share It All with a warmth a person needs on a stormy, rainy day in late fall. There's almost nothing that makes Share It All stand out from thousands of songs like this that came before it and yet it does everything right. In other words, it soothes the ears and mind. Just what one needs every once in a while.

People Watching. Sam Fender

Sam Fender? He seems to be quite big, but totally past me by. HareD reported on an AFAS live show in 2022. And then I heard a song on the radio, as "new music on the DJ's radar". It sounded like either Bruce Springsteen or The War on Drugs to me and then Shazam told me it was Sam Fender. So I decided to write about it, as the song as such has a very nice drive. But, heaving listened to Sam Fender's latest single a few times, and I know I will be offending some fans, who needs this? We already have a Springsteen and The War on Drugs. Heck, we even have (far too many) songs by The Killers. People Watching does not add anything to what came before. Even Sam Fender's voice is interchangeable. What remains, is a powerful single and for someone who is not familiar with what came before probably a good act to follow. Writes someone who is not a big fan of all the other artists mentioned.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

Not God. Finom

A band (duo) that keeps changing its name will have a hard time to build a great career. I would never have guessed that I was about to listen to the new album of Ohmme, when I put Not God on for the first time. When I listened, the voices certainly rang a bell, but which one? All became clear after reading the bio. Finom is the new name under which Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart make their music together. Listening closely to Not God I realised that Ohmme must have been one of the bands that influenced one of my absolute favourite new bands, Wet Leg.

Checking on the blog, I was surprised to find that I had not written the review. Erwin Zijleman wrote about 'Fantasize Your Ghost' in 2020. I'll admit, it is not often that I truly like the artists he writes about, with Ohmme it was love at first hear.

That love is continued with Not God. The album went down well immediately and from there only kept growing. Finom is able to provide its songs with a mysterious sheen. Where nothing is what it appears to be. The two voices and the way the two women use their voices is the first explanation for that mystery. It is almost as if the voices float over the music, detached from earth and everything coming with living on our planet. The music underscores this with ease. Take the song 'Naked'. Finom does everything to make the song appear as strange as possible, without resorting to psychedelia. This is a "normal" song and yet it isn't. Everything and everybody is making sure to play their parts and make them sound as good as they can, while the flow of the song is, albeit in a strange way, great, and yet the effect is estranging.

Opening song 'Haircut' is totally upbeat. Again, you will hear how the style of singing of Cunningham and Stewart is clipped. Here you have a part of the explanation why Finom's music has a mysterious and somewhat estranging effect. The music has a tight drums and bass but over it you will hear all sorts of sound clips coming in and going out of the music, while some remain. The result is a very danceable song that is as weird as it it is upbeat. Before you get the wrong idea, I love it. It only shows how hard it is to describe Finom's music and doing it right. It deserves loads of praise.

I am going to mention the second song of the album as well. 'Dirt' is a dreamy ballad and so different from song one and three. 'Dirt' may even be better. It brings me into another world. A world where I can leave the daily trouble and strive behind and just lay myself down on the song and let me carry myself away by it. Put it on repeat endlessly and I may never return from where 'Dirt' takes me. It's beautifully dreamy with soft floating synth sounds and all it takes to have an uninterrupted dream. Until the very end of 'Dirt', where minor hiccups are built in, causing minor ripples in that soft flowing song, providing for a safe escape, so wished.

Not God continues between these two sort of songs. Every songs has something extra and a special feature or more than one, with the title song as an absolute, almost epic, highlight. I haven't played 'Fantasize Your Ghost' for about one year, I think. Still, I'm nearly sure that this album is so much better. Yesterday 'News Of The Universe' by La Luz was lauded on the blog as a so much better album that its previous already very good album. Today that happens to Finom (Ohmme). This is an album that everyone should undergo and emerge victoriously. Not God is a great album, period!

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order Not God here:

https://finom.bandcamp.com/album/not-god

2024. Week 6, 10 singles

In the Carnival weekend, which I haven't celebrated for a long time now, having "emigrated" from that part of the country, WoNoBlog presents 10 recent singles. It includes new music by two older artists that I hadn't heard new music from for decades. One because he didn't release anything, the other because I lost all interest decades ago. To compensate there are several artists on the blog for the first time, of which one exist for over 40 years this year! Curious? Let me release you to enjoy this week's selection.

Do You See Me Differently? gglum (with Kamal)

"Did I make it out alive, 'cause sometimes it feels like I didn't", sings Ella Smoker a.k.a. gglum in the single for her upcoming debut album, 'The Garden Dream', out on 29 March. The single sounds as glum as the lyric promises and the band name underscores. What the listener can expect is a soft song with a modest singer with a husky element to her voice. The song starts with an acoustic guitar strumming the same pattern, with Ella Smoker singing. The contrast with Kamal's voice further on in the song is a nice addition, making the song grow. Slowly but surely other instruments join but also atmospherics. On the few piano notes gracing Do You See Me Differently? a host of effects are put leading to otherworldly sound effects, usually found in an obscure composition on the radio show 'Kairos' on Concertzender. Although gglum has released music before, my introduction is one that wants me to hear more. To answer her question that started this review, to all appearances I'd suggest to answer yes, you did.

Cod Fishing. Habitants

More mystery comes with the next single this week. Cod Fishing is another song simply shrouded in mystery. Habitants' singer Anne van den Hoogen 's voice floats all by itself on the basis of its qualities but is also softly carried by the synth sounds underneath her singing. Habitants is a new name to me but its founder is not. René Rutten was the guitarist of symphonic rockband The Gathering and although I have to admit not having played them for quite some time, there are cds of the band in the house. Habitants sounds like where The Gathering left off, for me at least, somewhere in the 00s. Built around softly played guitar notes, the rest of the band slowly but surely gains power and Van den Hoogen changes the way she uses her voice. Together they slowly turn from fragility to power, ending up between a soft version of metal and symphonic rock. No one will ever catch me cod fishing but listening to Cod Fishing is definitely a pleasure.

Paradise. Dartz

Back to New Zealand and the Flying Nun label. Its most exuberant artist called Dartz to be more precise. The punkers really go for it with a song that Dropkick Murphys definitely would have been pleased with to have on its roster. With a chorus to yell along to "I'm a piece of shit (short pause) in paradise" and a golden guitar riff Paradise is a winner and should be heard all over the world. I have reviewed several Dartz singles before, but this definitely is the best one so far. The pub brawling chorus is simply so good. The song is the perfect mix between rash enthusiasm and tradition. Dartz has taken the best of what came before and built it into its own hitsingle. The interlude, the guitar solo, the melody and the chorus all have the punkrock it factor. Frankly, I'm surprised this single is so good. It surpasses all that came from Dartz before.

Airhead. KMFDM

KMFDM is around for 40 years and has recently released its 23rd record, 'Letting Go'. Yet, I'm very much convinced that Airhead is my initiation into the band's music. And I like my first KLFDM song. But to explain you why is hard. Looking at Airhead from a rational level, the song is more or less the same for almost 4.30 minutes. Nothing much changes. Singer Lucia Cefarelli even repeats most of the lyrics once again after the interlude halfway the single. Even the sound is familiarly 1980s rock, 'Love Like Blood' style. Yet, I'm writing. Airhead has this pulse that makes me want to follow the song ever further. The band rocks, while Cefarelli remains as undercooled as the 1980s were. This combination simply sounds very attractive for a while. 40 Years, stuck in the 1980s, rocking for the 2020s. People visiting the shows in the upcoming, extensive U.S. tour will have fun, is my guess.

Turn The Lights Back On. Billy Joel

No, I never was a Billy Joel fan and sort of forgot his music, except that it is everywhere. It was a tribute band in a programme called 'The Battle of the Bands' that reminded me that even the man's ballads had quality. Part because they are great and partly because memories bring nostalgic feelings where music is concerned. It has become a part of you whether you like it or not. For over 30 years Billy Joel has not released new music, yet does play shows regularly. And out of the blue there's a new song. Time has done its thing. The song instantly resonates in me. It is a true Billy Joel kind of ballad. Half of the song is Joel and his piano and clearly at the top of his abilities. The backing band joins later but it would not have been necessary. Of course, it enriches the song, especially the melancholy cello. Now well into his 70s, Billy Joel has not lost his tricks. If this single announces a new album, I have every faith in it the fact that this will please his fans no little and who knows, even me.

Walking, Flying. Whispering Sons

What do I know about Whispering Sons. A band from Belgium and when they released an album some years ago I went home with an album of the Belgian band Sons. So here you have it. In 2024 Whispering Sons releases a single to announce a new album called 'The Great Calm', out on 23 February. I would not opt to call Walking, Flying anything resembling great calm. The song has two distinct sides. The verses that are tight and powerful. The rhythm is extremely driving. The bass guitar is the driving instrument backed by a drums pattern that does not leave any room for anything. A short keyboard surge, a few isolated notes on the guitar or just one strummed chord. In the chorus, be patient for it though, the whole band goes full out. No one holds back and creates a great alternative rocker. Over it all Fenne Kuppens is somewhere between singing and declaiming. Yes, impressive Walking, Flying is. I wonder today what I missed in the band's previous music.

I Just Want To See You. Ella Ronen and Sam Cohen

I Just Want To See You is an oh so slow song. In the music there is nothing extra, nothing the song does not need to shine. And shine Ella Ronen and her producer Sam Cohen do in this duet. A slow piano and a softly strummed acoustic guitar form the basis of the song. Add a bass playing very sparse notes and a drums and with the reverb the mood is created. You will find more sounds here and there, but you get what the song presents. Total relaxation set to music this single is. Ella Rosen was looking for a producer and the one she selected decided to work with her on the basis of her lyrics. The music that followed is exceptional. A modern equivalent of 1986's 'Don't Give Up' by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush. There's a whole album to come, 'The Girl With No Skin', 8 March.

In Poor Taste EP. Grazia

Only three weeks ago Grazia debuted on this blog with the single 'Cheap', the opening song of the EP. The song remains the same great punkrocker it was three weeks ago. Duo Heather Dunlop and Lindsay Corstorphine manages to emulate The Bangles as much as Wet Leg. Inspirations abound on a song like 'Speed Freak'. Again there's this riff that goes on and on, with some great drumming behind it. But that is just the start of 'Speed Freak'. Grazia knows how to flesh out a song and make it sound good. Dunlop overdubs her voice and harmonises with herself, making herself five fold as big. Musically again Wet Leg is what I hear but Grazia blends this with decades of female punkrock and The Undertones. The result is extremely attractive. This four song EP is a total success, there's no other word for it. In Poor Taste is an EP to watch out for folks!

Ahead Of The Game. Mark Knopfler

Who is this old man?, I asked myself when I saw a short clip come by announcing a new single by legend Mark Knopfler. I hadn't seen a picture of him for many years, so the sight was rather shocking. Knopfler is of course the former singer and songwriter of Dire Straits, a band that folded circa 30 years ago. When I heard 'Sultans Of Swing' for the first time and the album a little later, I was totally blown away. In 2023 he releases a calm track based around a nice, easygoing riff. His clear style of guitar playing is totally there, while the song is very pleasant to listen to. Don't expect any fireworks. His band accompanies him in a dignified way, leaving all the room for THE guitar master to do his thing. They all play for him, that much is clear. Ahead Of The Game is a nice song, but don't expect me to rush to the store to get it. Those days are over. That live version of 'Sultans Of Swing' I heard on the radio recently, now that did blow my mind. The single is good enough to honour Mark Knopfler on this blog for the first time.

Summer. Mary Timony

Mary Timony is going to release her first album in 15 years, but despite her having played in a host of bands before that year, they all passed me by. On Summer, the third single from her upcoming album 'Untame The Tiger', 23 February, she plays somewhere between The Kinks, powerpop and elementary, well-thought out punkrock. The riff is almost as if she's too lazy to really go for it, yet very effective. Musically Mary Timony is close to what Linnea's Garden is producing in Boston for the past few years. In other words, rock out and go for it. Summer is certainly not brilliant but it has spunk and attitude. The outgoing double solo is well-done and makes the song even better no little. And it stops abruptedly at a moment when I certainly wanted to hear some more of it. A good sign, following up the famous Goethe quote exactly the right way. If 'Untame The Tiger' is this good, I don't mind taking a listen soon.

Wout de Natris