Pirouette. Model/Actriz

On the basis of the singles preceding Pirouette I had not expected to write a single letter on the album, but, here I am. After a few seconds I already new enough when skimming over recent singles earlier this year. I gave the cd one chance while reading the morning paper and was too lazy to turn it off after the first two songs.

Luckily, I did not do so, as slowly but surely a musical trip unfolded itself that brought me to many places that I did not expect myself to go. Yes, there are fiendishly loud and sometimes totally ugly rhythms and sounds. But there are also melodies that seem to be lifted from the best Soft Cell songs, and then add a pure punk attitude oozing through the rhythms.

Over the din singer Cole Haden sings, shouts, smooches, whispers and what not. He's a man with a multi-coloured voice. Like Soft Cell's Mark Almond, Haden does not hide is sexual preference. E.g. in 'Diva'. The biggest surprise, after hearing Blondshell sing about the "Soprano Museum" on its new album, see yesterday, Haden sings "I'm such a Soprano" in 'Diva''.

The band, besides Cole Haden, Ruben Radlauer, drums, Jack Wetmore, guitar and Aaron Shapiro, bass, formed in 2016 in Boston, to break up a year later, to reform in 2019. Album 'Dogsbody' was released in 2023. From what I've read it more punk oriented than Pirouette. All members are credited with production for Pirouette, which I take as producing all the electronic sounds on the album. Now based in Brooklyn, a hotbed of modern bands and singers, it is ready to take on the world.

The most surprising song on the album is 'Acid Rain'. I can almost call it a ballad and compared to the rest of the album, it is. Haden sings with his softest voice and the band accompanies him accordingly, if we sort of ignore all the weird noises that jump in and out of the song for most of the time. Let's call it the weirdest solo guitar ever, as it is all effects and atmospherics.

It shows how the album attracts and pushes away, attracts and pushes away for the whole of the time. This is what the album does per song and within each song. Beauty was not the foremost thing on the four musicians' mind. To create some huge effects was and the band fully succeeded on this score. As I already said, Pirouette is a musical trip and one I am glad I've been on. And, yes, to my big surprise.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Pirouette here:

https://modelactriz.bandcamp.com/album/pirouette 

All We Need. Aerolinea

The stream of releases is slowly drying up for 2024. One of the later ones that called for my attention is the collaboration between an Atlanta musician and an Argentinian singer-songwriter. All We Need is an album that has a modern, wide sound but is well grounded into 80s and 90s style music.

Aerolinea is a duo, Victoria Real and Eric Weissinger. The latter was on this blog before as one half of the duo I Am A Rocketship. Real and Weissinger have been sharing music files since 2023, met up in between and late in 2024 the result is the album All We Need.

Musically the album is extremely rich. From French electronic pop stars Air to David Bowie, influences are found everywhere on All We Need. What strikes me, is the wide sound of the music, while at the same time it seems like both singers are standing right in front of me. The music is part digital and part electric. Both Real and Weissinger play a host of instruments and programming and sampling. Only on 'Dreamer' there is an "organic" drummer, Kellii Scott.

What I love about All We Need is the clear sound. Despite there being many and different sounds and instruments, they can all be heard. No matter how layered, the individual instruments stand out. This would all be inconsequential if the music wasn't to my liking. It is, as you will have gathered. The atmosphere on All We Need is somewhat mysterious. The contrast between the song and the presence of the rhythm and the lead guitar in 'What Is Love' is almost disconcerting. What mood to follow?, until the guitar really takes over, only to drop away bringing back the mystery.

Photo: Nico Pudia

The way Weissinger and Real sing together is another feature of the album. Real is the principle singer, but Weissinger joins regularly. And although he can be called more a whisperer than singer, it is extremely complementary. It is the starting point of the adventure Aerolinea offers its listener. Like 'Desire'. It's possible to call the song a dance track. The rhythm is quite prevalent. A heavy version of 'All I Need' or 'Sexy Boy'. Victoria Real sings just as dreamy. And to think that she was trained as a guitarist in Robert Fripp's project 'League of Crafty Guitarists'. Since she released four solo albums in Argentina. And then she met Eric Weissinger in an online festival during Covid. Since this week the rest is history.

All We Need is only eight tracks long. It has one foot in the 2020s but one foot soundly in the past. The mix works for someone my age, musically conscious of both decades, able to pick out the many references. Some more to my liking than others but overall scoring All We Want positively. This seems just the right way to bring it all together.

 (And that Air connection. Is the title All We Need a nod to Air's single 'All I Need'?)

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

You can listen to and order All We Need here:

https://aerolinea.bandcamp.com/album/all-we-need

2024, week 46. 10 singles

In front of my window it is again greyish, dry and little wind. The remaining leaves are slowly falling from the tress by their own accord as autumn storms are not here so far this year. A few more days and they will be gone and lay on the pavements and in the gardens. With all the other stuff going on in this world, the weather's greyness matches all else. It is hard to see some light these days it seems. Things are changing extremely fast and masks and gloves come of. Luckily, we still have music. It is becoming less and less a consolation or distraction though.

The Back Of The Beyond. JC Miller

To me JC Miller came out of nowhere. Yet since a couple of months he's cranking out one nice country/folk rock songs after the other and all are pretty nice and good. The Back Of The Beyond is no different. Having made a career out of writing music for commercials, he now produces music that makes more of an impression on me. Expect an acoustic guitar/dobro, a banjo, a lap or pedal steel and an easy going rhythm that does not go fast but gets rider and horse through the desert. This song is like the chugging freight train in the video, with JC Miller sounding like he's ready for a drink after a long, thirsty day. It is surprising how a song that sounds like as if there are another thousands to replace it, makes an instant impression based on that rhythm and little solo notes coming from the three, very different kind of guitars. When is the album coming? Not much more and we'll have enough singles for one.

Closing Time. Remy van Kesteren feat. Cape Sleep

Remy van Kasteren in the past years found his way into my inbox with instrumental harp, modern classical music. In other words, not exactly my cup of tea. Today you do find him on the blog, in a collaboration with Kim Janssen, a.k.a. Cape Sleep since this year. Together they work on an old track Van Kesteren was unable to finish himself. There was always something missing and that something was a lot it seems. Together they created a song in the style of Patrick Watson, where the harp is one of the instruments. Present but not overly so. Strings and percussion play a role and not to forget Kim Janssen's voice. The result is a nice alternative ballad that touches the right strings with me.

Nothing Would Change. The Linda Lindas

The Linda Linda's is a punk band from L.A. and with Nothing Would Change announced the release of its sophomore album 'No Problem', which released on 11 October. Nothing Would Change is a perfect punk pop single. The song has a golden melody and all the strength it needs. In Lucia del Garza the band has a singer that has that female innocence in her voice while not giving an inch on the punk front. The result is a song that fits in a long line of songs from The Go-Go's, The Bangles and 'Walking On Sunshine'. While at the same time running with the big boys as well. The list of the band's support slots is endless. If the other songs on 'No Problem' are as nice as Nothing Would Change, the support slots will be replaced by headlining shows pretty soon. This is good, period.

Lowdown, parts i and ii. Michael Kiwanuga

Michael Kiwanuga entered my life when I had to find a third album in those buy three for two offers. I had heard the name and read about his reputation. That was it. It turned out to be the best buy of the three. That was quite some time ago when 'Kiwanuga' entered my home. Finally, there's a new song and one that resonates immediately. Lowdown has this ultra relaxed atmosphere. Filled with a warm sound all over and that soulful voice. Lowdown has the mood that fits the title. But then, just start listening to that warm Hammond, that weird guitar solo. The song moves fairly predictably, beautiful but not surprising. That is kept for part ii, when the sound, not the mood, changes. This is pure Pink Floyd, with a guitar solo that could have been played by David Gilmour. If this is the quality of the new album, 'Small Changes', count me in, game on.

Ultra. Neànder

And another instrumental guitar band from Germany finds its way to this blog (and one without Nick DiSalvo in it). It does feature Jan Korbach, see 'Concrete Adem' on this blog in 2022. Ultra knows a few moods Neànder share with the listener. Underneath it all is a very firm rhythm section as tough as a hardrock, metal band should have. The intro doesn't give anything away though. A piano intro with keyboard (effect) underneath, giving the piano a lot of sustain. Then the band kicks in, full force with a tough chord progression. From there melody and power combat for the first position. This ends in a draw, I'd say, making the song far more interesting to listen to. The loud riff is replaced by melodic playing and shredding. No matter how tough Ultra is, there's enough going on to keep the song interesting and good. If anything, I'm interested in hearing more and that more is there already. Album 'III' was released on 9 November.

The Line (Redux) feat. Marissa Nadler. Vera Sola

Vera Sola, Dan Aykroyd's daughter, debuted on this blog this spring with thanks to Erwin Zijleman. She already is releasing a new EP called 'Ghostmaker'. The Line (Redux) is the single. The word redux made me want to check and yes, 'The Line' is a tough alternative rocker on her album 'Peacemaker'. Here it isn't. As it were, The Line (Redux) is a ghost version of the original. This version is acoustic and thanks to the singing with Marissa Nadler a modern version of The Andrew Sisters. Although it is a more serious song and the orchestra is missing, the harmony singing matches. I liked 'The Line' as it is an interesting rock song. I like the redux version better. It has more mystery and stands out far more. Vera Sola's voice stands out more as well. It is always a bit weird to hear a totally different version of a song, so soon after the original and not on the 10, 25, 50 year anniversary edition. In this case it is a good decision, as it adds to what already is. The strangest thing is, that, so I found in an old email, had I not have to rehearse with my own band due to an unexpected gig, I would have seen Vera Sola play live in 2019 together with a Dutch band. Without ever having heard of her at the time.

Dangomushi. Mei Semones

Mei Semones debuted on this blog with (the singles of) her EP 'Kabatomushi EP'. This EP now knows a vinyl release with on the b-side her previous EP 'Tsukino'. With her new single she, again, does everything different from what the average singer-songwriter around the world does. Were it not that I recently had the pleasure of having a Japanese singer-songwriter playing in my own living room in October. It sounded different than usual as well, despite it being a girl with a guitar. Mei Semones, a Brooklyn based artist from Japanese descent, sets herself apart through on the one side the arrangement of her songs and on the other the way she uses these instruments. It sounds different. Yes, there is bossa nova in the rhythm of her song(s) but there is so much more. It's just where the story starts. Also Dangomushi holds all this adventure in the way notes glide, smooth playing ends abruptly in stop-start notes before it all starts flowing again. Next, the way instruments are played changes and so the song changes a little at the time. In my EP review I compared Semones to Steely Dan. Not the music as such but the approach to and effect of both artist's music. Dangomushi shows that I was not far of the mark.

Strand EP. Aursjoen

Ria Aursjoen made her debut on this blog as a solo artist with her single 'Nytár' in early October. Today the member of San Francisco band Octavian Winters returns with her debut EP Strand. She takes the mood of her single to greater depths. She creates atmospheric moods with the help of synthesizers making me think of the music of Clannad and Enya around 1990. Celtic in other words. Her voice is not. I place that more in a gothic sort of music. Aursjoen's music is electronic in nature and that gives it its own vibe. Everything else has to subject itself to the electronic source of the instruments. To create this sound, she worked with producer William Faith (The Bellwether Syndicate, Faith and the Muse). The result is that all songs hover somewhere between direct and mystery. From the tough guitar opening of 'Apollo' to the soft floating of 'Lilypad'. The influences here go right back to the 1980s synth bands that scored a few hits at the time, like A Flock of Seagulls, Nik Kershaw or Thomas Dolby. Ria Aursjoen has picked up what she needs to create her own musical universe that fits her voice and gives the listener an experience to slowly undergo and submerge in.

Sister. Arthur Ahbez & The Flaming Ahbez

More music from New Zealand. I had never heard of Arthur Ahbez & The Flaming Ahbez. I read that Ahbez is around musically since 1987. INXS' big year in music to name one. With Sister I get a strong Love vibe. This is very, very 60s and eclectic. Just like Arthur Lee's band from the 60s. Combine this with a Rickenbacker (then) Jim McGuinn style and you come close to what Sister sounds like. Ahbez c.s. throw in a dozen moods changes into a few minutes. It is almost too hard to follow rationally. It's best to just go with the flow and let the band take you where it wants to go. I promise you, you will get there as well. Sister has nothing to do with 2024 and everything with the second half of the 60s. There's even a little The Monkees thrown in for good measure. People used to take trips at the time that were far out and groovy, a description that does right to Sister. Album 'Arthur Ahbez & The Flaming Ahbez' is out since last week.

Big D*** Energy. Lambrini Girls

Lambrini Girls, the Brighton duo (and a mighty drummer I suppose), returns to WoNoBlog with an aggressive punk song. I'd almost say Amyl and The Sniffers on steroids. The D*** in D***Energy as the label advertises it, most likely to avoid conservative filters, stands for dick of course. Phoebe Lunny (vocals/guitar) and Lilly Macieira (bass) have a message to share and do not hesitate to do so. What an energy is unleashed in this song. I have a hard time to conceive how they cope live should all Lambini Girls' songs be like this. They do build in a musical breather into the second half of the song before it all stops. And then things go at it full force once again. There's no way this song gets played on a radio anywhere in the world is my guess. It should be played in the home of every punk rock lover though. Things do not get much closer to the real thing of nearly 50 years ago. What a storm!

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

2024. Week 14, 10 singles

Easter weekend and there's rain and more rain, grey skies, so why bother to go outside? Family business, yes. In the meantime, I've taken it on me to listen to some more singles that were released over the past weeks. Impossible to keep up but who cares when there's such nice music to discover. This week we go all over the place once again. The really loud stuff is not there though, so sit back an enjoy!

Flotsam EP. Quiz Show

Quiz Show's Chris Matthews and bassist Jesse Krakow played in a band called Shudder To Think in the 1980s and have pursued a career in music through the decades and now return in a new band with a three song maxi single called Flotsam. Together with drummer Joe Billy they form Quiz Show. The trio plays what I opt to call alternative 80s rock. The music that influenced the likes of Billy Corgan when he started Smashing Pumpkins. With a long curve of time this music comes back in 2024 in the form of especially 'Packing 'Em In'. Who influenced who is a question that can be asked today. Quiz Show has a little bit of a playful element in its music and the harmony vocals. This makes all three songs come totally alive. I have played Flotsam several times through the past weeks and can't find fault with it. Quiz Show goes at it as if this is truly the musicians' first step into releasing music and not decades of being active in music. As a trio they may still have enough to prove to the world. With Flotsam that is now behind them.

A Way To Remember. Stars Like Ours

Album 'Better Every Day' did not make it to these pages and listening to A Way To Remember I can only wonder why? My guess is Japan 2023. There's a big gap in new music for about a month because of that (work) trip. Michelle Paulhus and her two colleagues show again how "simple" a great punk rock single can sound and be totally convincing. Paulhus has the right voice for the genre. She sings somewhere between tough and nice. The trio lays down rock in the form of loud guitars, a great driving bass and tough, dry drums in the Therapy? style of the mid 1990s. Add a melody that is easy to remember and again "simply" great. After the also very positive review of a previous single, 'High', in week 40 of 2022 and the album 'Stars Like Ours' soon after, it may be time to check out 'Better Every Day' anyway.

Dollar Slice. Bloomsday

Iris James Garrison (they/them) returns to this blog under the name Bloomsday. Working towards the release of their first full length album, 'Heart Of The Artichoke' (7 June). Dollar Slice is a big song, in a very modest way. Modest because Bloomsday keeps the song relatively small compared to what it could have been. I'm thinking Sinead's 'Troy' here, as that is what Dollar Slice does remind me of. That is exactly the reason why I call the song big. Bloomsday may have written the biggest thing of their relatively young career. Big also because Garrison shows more of their selves than on the debut mini album 'Place To Land' (2022). This is called growth and that is what a career should show for an artist to grow a fan base. In short, I can end my review of Dollar Slice in the same way as I ended ' Where I End And You Begin' at the start of this year: Dollar Slice "is better than all the songs on the debut mini album".

Big Swimmer. King Hannah feat. Sharon van Etten

King Hannah returns to the blog with an indierock kind of ballad. Just two chords are strummed over and over in the beginning. Chords that have been played in that order a million times by now and still singer Hannah Merrick found a new melody over them. A good swimmer can take on anything. The song has three parts. The soft intro lasting circa two minutes. Then an electric guitar comes in and the guest vocalist Sharon van Etten sings her part. The third part starts with a Big Muff pedal (in the video) and a second electric guitar playing a solo and lead guitar over the remainder of the song, that puffs itself up successfully more and more. The album with the same name will be released on 31 May. In the meantime I'll swim along for awhile.

Letter To Myself. The Wandering Hearts

Two singles I've found on this blog by The Wandering Hearts. Letter To Myself reminds me of having to listen the new album by The Secret Sisters that was released this week. (Note to self, indeed.) The Wandering Hearts has released a fantastic, beautiful single. I now read that there is an album already for a week called 'Mother'. Based on what I'm hearing here, it could well be musical haven on earth. The trio sings like a choir of angels over its renditions of CSN-style music. Letter To Myself is somewhere between pop, country, singer-songwriter and West Coast folk. It's a little of everything together and then the trio starts singing. The kind that makes me very quiet and a bit jealous of not having such a fine voice. The work put into finding the harmonies in the song obviously paid off very well. Letter To Myself is pure musical heaven.

Haircut. Finom

Ohmme is no more, welcome Finom. Do not ask me why, because Haircut would have been welcome under the name Ohmme as far as I'm concerned. Finom is Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart (with drummer Matt Carroll). Like the music on 'Fantasize Your Ghost' Haircut is up beat, jumpy, adding a bit of nerves caught in a straitjacket rhythm. The rhythm makes Haircut a danceable song but one where the dancer has to keep track of the rhythm for the whole of the time because of that jumpiness. In that sense this song is rather weird, also because of the high voices with which it is sung. Estranging solo's make the song more detached from traditional dance songs. It only makes Haircut more attractive to listen to though. Ohmme may be no more, Finom is here, in that same sort of musical mix between eclectic and scientific and somewhere between seriousness and irony. On 24 May the album 'Not God' sees the light of day. In the meantime I may have to acquaint myself with the album 'Ohmme' from 2023 that I seem to have missed.

Euphoria. Boeckner

With all the post-post punkwave bands around in super abundant numbers, one would almost forget how popular the 1980s are in general. Canadian Daniel Boeckner on his debut solo album explores the bigger bands' sound of the time like Simple Minds et al. And very successfully at that. The song starts small with the synth sounds of The Human League or Heaven 17. His singing matches the way some singers at the time sang as well. The electronic undertow brings the 80s in even more significantly. It almost makes me forget to listen what a song is really about: the melodies and the vocal delivery. Daniel Boeckner sounds like a young Chuck Prophet, while Euphoria explodes moving into the stratosphere. Drummer Matt Chamberlain takes a bigger and bigger role for himself. The drums almost become the lead instrument with all the rolls and fills going around. Euphoria has two sides to itself, showing different angles of 1980s music, the more wave one and the big stadiumrocking songs. Both halves work though. Album 'Boeckner' is around for two weeks already.

All in Good Time (feat. Fiona Apple). Iron & Wine

In the old days a duet was credited to who were singing it. Nowadays it is called featuring. In my view this is wrong for All In Good Time. This is a real duet and not a guest appearance. Sam Beam and Fiona Apple both have equal parts here in the call and response style of old. Irony has it that I'm not a fan of either artist. And now they sing together in this country style ballad and everything seems to fall into place. I will even go as far as to call this an alternative 'Islands In The Stream', the famous Kenny Rodgers - Dolly Parton duet from the 1980s. Strings come in, just like a grand piano, all underscoring the mood of soft resignation to whatever has come before, the good, the bad and the storms. The two lay down a perfect delivery of a song that is not even that special melodically but made special by the interaction of the voices of Sam Beam and Fiona Apple.

Wild God. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

Having come late to Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, although by now over 10 years, I have gone through a period of grief and sadness with him. This is behind him now for some years. We know the pain never truly goes away but that life does move on. So what to expect after 'Ghosteen'? The answer comes with Wild God the first single from the same titled album. And it is all that I did not expect. What to call this music? Gospel for the non-believer? Cave is singing differently, behind him the band has a full role, as has a (gospel?) choir. The song starts much smaller though. I do not mind hearing a full band, after the synth intro, guitar, bass, drums, keys. All playing in service of Cave who is telling his story. "Jubilee Street" returns to his vocal, but only to mention a girl who had died there in 1993. Slowly but surely the song grows and expands, to fall back into itself. After 'Ghosteen' I had the feeling that, no matter how impressive the album was (is), Cave had reached the end of this musical road withWarren Ellis and needed to reinvent himself to remain as relevant as he had become in the 10s. If Wild God is anything to go by, I'd say mission accomplished. We will know more at the end of the summer.

Some Don't Dance. Why Bother?

Anyone remember 'The Safety Dance', that fairly obscure song by Men Without Hats? Some Don't Dance could be the answer to that song. Why Bother? makes it easy for those who don't, as this is not an easy song to dance to. With elements of post new wave and punk and some extra weirdness thrown in there. Why Bother? lives up to its band name. Some Don't Dance doesn't directly please. Look through it all and you may discover a lot you might find interesting anyway. Singer Terry has that kind of voice that postpunk bands used to have, reflected in the well let's call it chaos that is created within the confines of the song. Guitarist Speck has that Gang of Four dry sound, while the bass puts on an effect making it sound really dirty. It's the drums that keep it all together. Towards the end the band really lets it all hang down and chaos ensues. It appears fun was had by all, including me listening. Album 'Serenading Unwanted Ballads' is out already and is available for "name your price" on Why Bother?'s Bandcamp page.

Wout de Natris

Singles, Week 23

From soft ballads, to loud rock and from folk to spiced up blues, you can find it all in this week's overview. There's even a Dutch language single in between it all. In other words, there's more than enough to discover this week.

In Your House There. Jane Willow

In April Jane Willow travelled to Montreal and came back with a beautiful video for her latest single, In Your House There, her tribute to her musical hero Leonard Cohen. In Your House There is a duet with Pat Byrne. Look on the Internet and you can find a few versions of this song. It is one of the kind that is easy to step over and simply not notice. It is so modest, so soft, "so simple and sweet", as Jane Willow sings herself here, that to not hear it, is the biggest risk to the song and to you, potential listener. Pay attention and a song of pure beauty unfolds itself in your ears. A song so filled with emotions but all almost hidden, giving the song the touch of exceptionality. The spark that sets it apart. Releasing it as a single is totally correct, as on her beautiful album, 'Burn So Bright', it even falls away against all the more solid songs on it. In Your House There is a song very much deserving to be heard.

Nothing But Trouble. Kid Gulliver

That age is relative is shown by the members of Kid Gulliver. Like me, people of a certain age, who still like to rock out, but unlike me able to expand the pop-punk collection no little with a bunch of great originals. Nothing But Trouble is the latest single by the Boston band. It comes with a great central riff and a keen understanding how to build a song. Even when the topic of the song is far from fun, it doesn't keep Kid Gulliver from writing a fun rock song. Super tight, like I already wrote a great riff, a short, flashy guitar solo and an unhappy, almost beyond caring sounding lead vocal by Simone Berk, Nothing But Trouble has it all. Let the fun times begin for everyone concerned, trouble or not.

Day Job. Soft Plastics

New Zealand trio Soft Plastics returns to this blog with another alternative rock song. It must be all that clean air blowing in from the arctic and the ocean that makes so many people in New Zealand create and play alternative rock, and so good. Day Job is a gravelly monster of a song. Dark, muddy, charged with energy Day Job is. Sophie Scott-Maunder's voice makes clear she is not kidding. A serious version of Wet Leg. She's also responsible for that dirty bass underneath the song. Day Job starts like a landslide. A mudslide of sound cascades over the listener. Slowly but surely the song emerges. With ears already more than pricked, it is easy to get into the pace of Day Job. Soft Plastics is obviously inspired by at least thirty years of (garage)rock and comes up with its own version. Believe me Day Job is a fantastic single. One to check out fast.

The Foundations Of Decay. My Chemical Romance

There are bands that are huge, without me having any clue. My Chemical Romance is one of them. They played Ahoy this week, the second biggest arena in The Netherlands. For me the band is one single and I notice that I've truly forgotten it. Title, melody, when? gone. I'll look it up. Enter The Foundations Of My Decay. My Chemical Romance really goes of in all sorts of rock and emo directions. And they all work. This 6 minute single covers a lot of ground and does not relent for one second. Pain, despair, screams, it all comes out. That is only one side, as the band shows itself in more traditional rock as well. Not to forget the great bombastic beats and just plain noise. From a soft intro to a noisy ending, everything in between is simply good. I'm surprised by My Chemical Romance for the second time.

Thinking Back. Gildor

With Thinking Back we all take a huge step back. Gildor is working his way towards his debut album, 'Silent River', out on 4 November. The singer-songwriter has listened to Jack Johnson (is he still active?). Thinking Back has that same relaxed vibe as the Hawaiian singer. There's not a lot of surfing in Utrecht where Gildor lives though. Baking banana pancakes is doable though. It comes totally through in his first single. With a pleasant, slightly deep voice, Gildor presents himself to an unsuspecting audience. An acoustic guitar lays down the ground work, an electric guitar plays a lead melody all through the song. Soft drums and a bass do their thing in the background. Add it all up and hear a song that is so pleasant to listen to. Don't expect Gildor to move mountains, expect the perfect soundtrack for a lazy, sunny day in the park. Any singer-songwriter wanting to present himself musically, can do a lot worse than releasing a song like Thinking Back.

Lucky Me. Phoebe Green

Phoebe Green plays totally different music. Ultra modern sounds and beats, that at the same time would have been impossible to imagine hadn't bands like Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys pioneered combining pop with electronic beats. Phoebe Green takes these electronics and beats into the third decade of the 21st century. Lucky Me manages to be totally in my face, while Phoebe Green's singing in a totally dreamy way about what a lucky girl she is. The result is an almost mysterious mix. She sounds like someone who is not at her own dance party because she's dreaming in her bedroom at home. And here I come to the reason that I like Lucky Me. Both sides of the song work totally. I'm internally dancing and dreaming all at once. That may be a first. Well done, Phoebe Green.

Bad Spell. Larking Poe

Don't expect the new Larkin Poe album before half November. To ease the wait the duo released this single and it is sort of exploding out of my speakers. It is as if The White Stipes are back from indefinite leave and The Black Keys were fed some red peppers instead of Cuban cigars. The sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell from Atlanta, Georgia brought a southern rock boogie with them that is more dirty than the local tip. Guitar and slide guitar are distorted and producing riffs as if there's no tomorrow. All sung with a rough, tough voice. One that can sing about a bad spell very, very convincingly. In fact this is the toughest female rock voice I've heard in a while. It's an impact like Ann Wilson had on me a long time ago, when I heard 'Magic Man' for the first time. Bad Spell does about the same in 2022.

I Don't Know You. Thundermother

A song starting like a classic The Who track from around 1971 does catch my attention quite easily. That accented way of playing the guitar, creating a stop start effect, is classic Pete Townsend. Swedish rock chicks Thundermother present a song ready for arenas with the whoah-whoah shouting over the intro, but takes a turn when the song properly starts. Singer Guernica Mancini knows how to convince as a female rock singer, while the band plays classic rock rock rhythms. It's in the lead guitar that things get truly interesting. Fillipa Nässil plays with a punky attitude and has the right notes in all the right places. The song is about people who are able to bring out the worst in each other and the music assists in getting that message across. The desperation can be heard in the notes that come by. Classic rock still works, especially when infused with some more modern elements. There's more to come in August.

De Woonwijk. De Toegift

Met De Woonwijk is er alweer een nieuwe single van De Toegift. Sentimenteel als De Breek en semi-fragmentarisch als Spinvis kan zijn. De single kijkt terug op de tijd van een onbezorgde jeugd, die van voordat de wereld groter en groter werd, bekeken en bezongen vanuit een tijd waarin de wereld op een bepaalde manier ten einde leek te komen. En sindsdien alleen maar ergen lijkt te worden, ook al mogen we, op eigen risico, weer naar buiten.

De Toegift doet een aantal dingen erg goed op De Woonwijk. De combinatie van dromerig en stevig valt heel goed. De gedempte gitaarnoten in het intro, de stevige, maar zacht gespeelde drums laten de dromerige keyboards en zang prima uitkomen. De samenzang maakt het nummer spannender op een subtiele manier en het nummer neemt je mee naar die andere tijd, naar de eigen herinneringen aan de die tijd en de omslagpunten in mijn leven. De Toegift mag gaan spelen in de Popronde dit jaar. Dat gaat de band live laten groeien. In de studio heeft de band zijn weg al goed gevonden. Dit is een heel interessante nieuwe band op het Snowstar label.

Lost in Time. Ditches

Released on May 27 Ditches' new single has 25 views on You Tube, so can use some extra attention (hint). According to the bio, the band consumed quite some alcoholic beverages before writing, arranging and recording the two songs on the 7" single. This may explain the loose atmosphere I'm hearing on Lost In Time. Ditches is a band from Stockholm in Sweden, inspired by punk bands of the 70s. Think early The Clash, The Ramones, bands that no matter the leather jackets and what nots, knew how to write a song and what to lend from things that came before. Ditches follows this line perfectly. This band knows how to write a song, how to present it in the most exciting way and lends from what came before, as it's far from afraid to throw in a great guitar solo, entering the song on a bit of feedback, like a rock band would. True 7" singles are a thing of the past (and extremely expensive to buy these days), as things come however, this is one very much worthwhile having, if your into punkrock that is.

Wout de Natris

Singles, Week 20

There's some loudness involved this week. A couple of the bands really rock. Of course there's enough to compensate. You can find out for yourself in this week's overview of recent singles.

Ain't No Thief. Viagra Boys

Viagra Boys is from Sweden but easily fits in with the new bands coming out of Ireland and the U.K. for the past circa 4 years. In other words, expect energy, excitement and that somehow perfect mix of pop and rock. All breathes alternative rock in Ain't No Thief but beware of the melodies, which make the song so good to listen to. In 'Ain't No Thief' some mad-chester rhythms are thrown in for good measure and second or third generation mad-chester descendents like Kasabian excitement. This makes the song so danceable. The beat just keeps on going and going. The fun cannot be much bigger here.

There Are Good Times. Sinead O'Brien

Another alternative dancetrack. Sinead O'Brien's track There Are Good Times Coming is far more modern than Viagra Boys'. But not a lot less exciting, certainly more stylised. The drums and bass are far more contained, as are the guitars. Sinead O'Brien's voice is leading on this track. She is on top of her single. Her vocal delivery is erratic and allowed to spread out all over the track. The words are placed where necessary and not within the format. Although she's singing, there is a similarity to rap in her delivery. In a way this sets her apart from the musicians behind her, while creating a, if not perfect then certainly close to it, fit. Where the music is concerned Wet Leg comes to mind in the way There Are Good Times is presented as a whole. The single is very 2022 while having one feet firmly in the past. There's so much energy. It makes me curious to learn more.

Catch Me EP. The Mochines

U.S. - Spanish band The Mochines releases its EP having released the title song as a single earlier this year. For once I can quote myself from Rum Bar Records' promotions, as there is not much I can add here: "The combo plays that dirty kind of rock and roll that verges on punk and garage rock, with a strong shuffle being kept up alternating with distinctive accents and riffing, while the drums and bass keeps pounding the listener into moving. A dirty sounding voice and a couple of fiery guitar solos to put a nice finish on the whole. Catch Me rocks, but you got that message already I hope". The Mochines take it from there on Catch Me. There's nothing clean about this music. This is the kind of music that is made after a long hard-working and greasy day, underneath an American classic car, keeping it up and perfectly running. What other music can you then make but classic punk & roll? The Mochines do just that and along the way make the roof leave the ceiling, as there's not enough room underneath it to contain all this energy. In the past month the band toured all over Spain and France. What fun that must have been.

Starting Without U. Wytiki

Starting Without U is the debut single of Wytiki. She is a musician having earned her place by supporting artists like DeWolff and Eefje de Visser with her background vocals. Recently she stepped to the foreground, wanting to start her own career as a singer and songwriter. Wytiki in daily life is called Wieteke Wijte. I couldn't make anything of this artist's name until I read her real name and understood the pun, that all English speaking people will not get just like that.

Starting Without U is a song with a nice suspension bow building up all over the song. Fully electronic, including on her voice, the song at first did not seem to be for me, but slowly but surely the vibe of the song got to me. Without any extreme effort the song can bring the listener into a trance and finally make him/her dance like there's no tomorrow. At heart it remains the same song, the created beat underneath it does the rest. The psychedelic and acoustic ending in the video makes the song even more intriguing. It shows what an inventive artist can do within the same confines.

Schlangenmann. Trixsi

More punkrock from Germany. Trixsi returns to the blog with its new single Schlangenmann. The song is extremely fast, there's no holding back for anyone in the band, except for singer Jörkk Mechenbier. In the verses he takes his time, comparatively, to follow the pace totally in the choruses. In the segment of German punky rock I'm currently listening to, I have always had one favourite: Spider Murphy Gang's 'Skandal Im Sperrbezirk'. And here, what is it, 35, 40 years later?, Schlangenmann presents itself to me and my German punkrocking universe is shaking on its foundations. Schlangenmann really, truly rocks, with a chorus of pure gold. From the very first minute the song went straight into my heart and mind. It's one of the best songs I've heard this year.

Heart Attack. editors

Whatever comes after Schlangenmann will always have a very hard time to compete. What comes after heaven? The question has to be asked whether heaven even exists. That said, Schlangenmann must be part of it. editors returns to the scene, after the, in my ears, in the end somewhat disappointing album 'Violence' of 2018. Of course Heart Attack's mood remains somewhat dark. It comes with Tom Smith's postpunk voice. The outset of the song is the 00s postpunk revival editors once started in, about 20 years ago already. Once I shook of Trixsi's memory, I notice the groove editors has given Heart Attack and the pop feel accompanying this groove. It makes the song extremely danceable and singable. The light synths accentuate the 80s feel as much as Rammstein's pop metal. The vocal melody contains a Bowieesque element as well. In short, editors manages to introduce its upcoming album in no little way. The beat just keeps pulsing thanks to the synth. The lead guitar puts the icing on the cake. Simply among its best singles Heart Attack is.

There's So Many People That Want To Be Loved. Sorry

Sorry? I had to look up when I reviewed '925', Sorry's debut album. Only just over two years ago, I found. A bit surprised at that. It felt at least a year longer. '925' was played regularly for a while but inevitably landed in that huge reservoir of music from the past. With There's So Many People That Want To Be Loved the duo plots the next step in its career. What I hear is a alternative pop song. It starts fully hesitant, as if Sorry is not sure it wants to continue its career. On the new single it's Asha Lorenz taking the lead. Looking things up in Wikipedia to refresh my memory, I found that Sorry is not a duo at all, it is a five piece band. In the meantime There's So Many People That Want To Be Loved slowly fleshes out into an ever nicer track. Sorry truly fills in the song making it very attractive to listen to. It was about time for a reintroduction and it goes down really well.

Preacher. Dead City Ruins

Not the best name for a band in 2022 to have, looking at the images coming out of Ukraine. Australia is far away and the band is around since 2010. With a new singer Dead City Ruins is ready to take on the world. The children of Guns 'N' Roses are all grown up, take a riff from Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' and off the band goes with this hardrock track. Hardrock can be full of nostalgia as well for things that once were, Huge guitars that play huge riffs, hair everywhere and a high soaring singer. The only ingredient needed is a good song and with Preacher Dead City Ruins delivers it. Yes, we veterans have heard it all before, but a good new song is always welcome.

How Much More. The Short Fuses

Miss Georgia Peach must be living in a record studio. She's cranking out more records then I can keep up with. With her band The Short Fuses she has contributed to a The Go-Go's tribute album, recording the song How Much More in tribute to the all girl punkrock, pop, powerpop of old. As that band never did much over here, this is a song I've never heard before. The Short Fuses really lay it down here. The tempo is so fast, the melody so fine, in short rock and roll to the max. Miss Georgia Peach makes the song totally her own, with some nice harmonies supporting and enlarging her voice. The interplay between the two guitarists, Justin Staggs and Travis Ramin is great. Miss Peach takes care of that tough bass racing throughout the song. Chris Audette drums the song home in a great way. With 'Dawn Of The Deaf' the band entered my life last year. It seems as though its here to stay, to quote a famous singer.

Total Noise. Iron Lamb

We're going out this week with another batch of noise. Sweden's Iron Lamb has a singer that doesn't mind to exert his vocal chords a little and then some. This is a true rock singer alright. Behind him the band provides the huge riffs. Dirty, as if they have not washed and shaved themselves for weeks on end. Total Noise holds a good melody and Iron Lamb has put painstaking work into the details of its new single. Where Dead City Ruins make tough music but wants to look and sound nice, Iron Lamb goes the whole way. Everything around this song is tougher and yes, dirtier. It is some way to announce a new album alright. At face value this song is so tight. The guitar solo is raging. "Whoa", shouts the singer before he starts. The right way and the right statement to start Total Noise. Expect just that, but brought by a band that does not forget that a song needs to be what it is: a song.

Wout de Natris