2025, Week 52. 10 singles

Here are 10 more singles. The huge stack is slowly emptying out. A few more Christmas songs to celebrate the time of year and for the rest the usual mix of a bit of everything. So, enjoy! 

Good For You. Plantoid

In November, I compared single 'Dozer' to the work of Ohmme/Finom. Not so Good For You, the second single working towards album 'Flair' (30 January). The mood brought me back to 'The Bleak Midwinter', see last week, only less sacral. Plantoid's new single is a song with two faces. The start is ever so constrained, reined in and modest. Chloe Spence's voice is absolutely carrying the song here. In the second part the band joins in, full force. Although Spence's voice remains totally on top in the mix, the music brings me back to the 1970s. Plantoid here becomes a 2025 version of Yes. Symphonic rock in a modern jacket  It makes for very interesting listening.

Backbreaker. Helicon X Al Lover

What will be next? Armin van Buren teaming up with The Black Angels? Something like that is happening on Backbreaker. Glaswegian psychrockers Helicon team up with Los Angeles based producer DJ AI Lover. This results in a few quite obvious results you'll hear. Although the song from itself has a dance vibe to it, everything underneath it pointing in that direction is double and triple underscored. Think Junkie XL and Elvis's 'A Little Less Conversation'. That would already have been nice, but it's far from all. AI Lover has added all sort of electronic sounds to the whole, making the track even more psychedelic than it was in the original version the band must have recorded as a starting point. More can be heard on the upcoming album, 'Arise', out on 13 February.

This Christmas. Marta Arpini

More Christmas songs. After mostly punk/rock singles last Sunday, today Marta Arpini returns to the blog with a jazzy Christmas song. A song that is mostly very relaxed and easy going. In the music though, accents are put in that never make me totally relaxed. These little jolts keep me on my toes. Everything around it is certainly Christmassy. Marta Arpini sings as if she's auditioning for the return of The Carpenters. I'm not a The Carpenters fan, but I recognise a good song when I hear one (over the years). Because of what came before, a song like This Christmas falls into a long line of music. Arpini has managed to create a rich song, with all the different instruments that come by. No matter what happens with the music, she manages to remain in a Christmas mood. The music may vary a little and sending mixed signals. As a whole This Christmas is extremely pleasant.

God's Gonna Cut You Down. Beauty in Chaos

Christmas songs come in ominous versions as well. The bio states that this is a song popularised by Johnny Cash. If it had said it to be a cover of 16 Horsepower, I would have believed it 100%. Beauty in Chaos front man Michael Ciravolo worked with producer Michael Rozon on this  track, who provides the extras where the deserving the 16 Horsepower comparison is concerned, by playing the lapsteel guitar. Things get rather dark here, as it should when living with the fear of God and/or a devil on your trail. The God here must be an Old Testament vindictive God, a God that is jealous and more made to men's likeness than vice versa. The song is impressive, the lyrics do not impress me much. In fact, I have a strong dislike of people who try to rule through fear.

Christmas With Me. Jessie Wagner

The final Christmas song this year is the exact opposite of the previous one. Jessie Wagner presents a pure pop track that implies that Christmas is nothing but fun, happiness and sharing love and presents. We all know that for a lot of people Christmas comes with a lot of stress and 'how do we make sure things remain pleasant' feelings? Let's drop that and just enjoy the optimism Christmas With Me shares. Remove the word Christmas and replace it with night of weekend, take out the Christmas bells and what is left is a purely gold pop tune. And that is just fine every once in a while. Jessie Wagner shines all through the song and the music does the rest. If we all not only believe in what she is singing but start acting on it as well, the world would be a far better place than it currently is.

oblivion 2025. a.gris

a.gris is the solo project of Alex Delamard (Hoorsees). It is introduced as a "digital glitchy folk project". Well, I do not know what Delamard (or his publicity agent) was thinking but what I'm hearing on this debut single has nothing to do with folk. Glitchy, yes, perhaps. oblivion 2025 may start with an acoustic guitar but from there it is all (distorted) guitar work, synths and, most likely, programmed drums. Delamard's voice is nice and light compared to the music, creating a contrast and keeping the track away from rock bordering on metal. There's a nice solo woven into the whole, followed by what seems an interlude, but in fact is the stepping stone for the end of oblivion 2025. a.gris will release a five song EP in 2026, so we may learn more then about the folk element then.

Murmers On The Dunes. Dreamwave

Dreamwave returns to the blog with a strong but dark psychedelic rock song. Murmers On The Dunes is a song that is completely closed where the mix in concerned. Every little hole is closed with music in the section where the band goes full out. I don't even want to know how loud the amps were cranked up in the studio. Most likely on Spinal Tap loudness. What the band does well, is create moments in which the storm it creates subsides for even more psychedelic interludes. This song is not for the faint of heart. More for bands like Frankie and The Witch Fingers. If the band plays this loud live as well, then it is advised not to tour together, ever (and then I read they already have!). Musically, it totally makes sense though and nothing that good earplugs can't weather. Dreamwave will release a new EP next year called 'Drifter'. Something to look forward to indeed. 

Barbed Wire. Cardinals

With Barbed Wire, Cardinals finds itself for the first time on this blog. The Irish band is on route to the release of its debut album in February. Barbed Wire shows two sides to the band. The single starts as a song that is closer to folk than anything else. When the drummer comes in, the rest of the band follows in a very present way. The music shows links to alternative rock and even Madness rocking harder. The volume keeps going up and Barbed Wire not only gets more present, it becomes better by the minute. The lead guitar comes in more and more, while the staccato rhythm of the band makes sure not paying attention in not an option. Welcome to the blog, Cardinals. I'm certainly curious to hear more next year.

DRAGGED UP A HILL (and thrown down the other side). Big Special

With this stand alone single Big Special shows a totally different side of itself. The right description is a ballad. Where Joseph Hicklin usually is always somewhere in between declamation of his lyrics and singing them, here he is singing, I'd almost say in a Shane McGowan way. Where there can be a lot of noise in the music, here there's just an organ with here and there some drums, accompanied by electronic processing of some sort. What DRAGGED UP A HILL (and thrown down the other side) shows is that it is possible to make a big impression with limited means. Hicklin is singing his heart out and it comes across for what it is. Authentic and heartfelt. I did not know Big Special had it in it. Surprises can be so pleasant.

Dear Anyone. The Modern Era

Time teaches that bands come and go and that some return. This is the case for The Modern Era from Minneapolis. Formed in 2013, it released some songs and drifted of. Recently, after an hiatus of nine years the band returns with a strong alternative rock track. The band found no less then Jack Endino to produce its new album, slated for 2026. It will not come as a surprise that a band like Nirvana is an influence of The Modern Era, yet I would not call The Modern Era a grunge band. For that the bright side shines through far too much. This band rocks but knows where the curtains and the light switch are located. By using dynamics Dear Anyone is a song that shows the light and the shade for most of the single and has all the elements to make large fields go apeshit in a moshpit. To all appearances, a welcome back is called for.

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

2024. Week 28, 10 singles

A little sun, a sudden rise of temperature, rain and a decline of temperature. Add some storm in there and that sums up the summer of 2024. The world is heating up but we are not contributing for once this year. All the more reason to listen to some music. Here's an overview of singles released about a month ago. Enjoy!

Moondog. Leif Vollebekk

In the fall of 2019 I saw Leif Vollebekk play a support show for Half Moon Run. The Canadian did not receive a fully complementary review. This is his first step towards a new album since the pandemic, that started less that three months after that November show. Who could have thought? Moondog is a song that falls nicely in step with fellow Canadians like Half Moon Run and Patrick Watson. Mostly though we hear an acoustic guitar with a bass drum rhythm and his voice. Only slowly other sounds are let into the song. Vollebekk builds up his song expertly, while sharing his story with the listeners. As I noticed then, he has a very pleasant voice. It has a little edge and a depth that is just right for the conversational way of singing Moondog has. If he performs alone, undoubtedly the same objections will appear with songs like this also. On record though this song wins, as it seems to have it all. Album 'Revelation' is slated for somewhere in the fall.

Home Song. Wild Remedy

For a second there I thought to be listening to a new song by Lauren Mann and the Odd Folks, were it not that Lauren recently released a new solo song called 'Medicine'. From there I am sucked back into the "hey-ho" or "ho-hey" music of about a decade ago. Wild Remedy opts for just "hey". In short, expect a nice folk song, with loads of acoustic instruments and joyful singing. Wild Remedy is a trio, Amy Russett, Colleen Roberston and Shay Mahoney, from Ottawa and Montreal in Canada. Home Song is the single from an EP called 'Songs From Home'. The trio is obviously influenced by anything in between The Lumineers, Of Monsters And Men and Mumford and Suns. Music that came like a comet and disappeared as one. Now, so many years later, I am glad to be remembered of it by a fresh sounding song and just as fresh sounding vocals.

Chaotic Bisexual Summer. Linnea's Garden

Welcome back to the blog, Linnea's Garden. The new single is a moderate rock song, with a lyric that will get Tipper Gore out of her retirement home to walk all the way up to the Capitol. I like the video even more though. It shows how the woman living next door can turn herself into a rock star with just a few visuals changes. Linnea shows how its done. She becomes glam all the way. The music isn't as huge as the classic glamrock from the U.K. around 1973. I associate it more with the alternative rock coming out of Boston in the first half of the 90s. The Lemonheads, Buffalo Tom, to name two. I like how the bass drives the song in the intro, together with strong, supportive drums. The strange thing to Chaotic Bisexual Summer is that I like the verse better than the chorus. This seldom happens. All in all the new single is a fine song though.

I Wanna Dance Like Professor Plumb. Boris the Sprinkler

Two questions do pop up reading the above. Who is Professor Plumb and what kind of a name is Boris the Sprinkler? No answers for now. This song is an extremely dirty kind of punk song. The sound is muddied, the tempo relentless, the stance one of get out of our way or be trampled under foot by a pogoing mob. The band is around since 1992, so after 32 years I'm catching up finally, thanks to Boston's finest, Rum Bar Records. What else? In a way I Wanna Dance Like Professor Plumb reminds me of the Toy Dolls, but the music is too serious to be associated with the punk pranksters. Just listen to how the bass of Ric Six pumps this song around. The guitar solo that peels the tips of my fingers just from imagining playing it. There actually is a Professor Plumb active in music. Whether he's any good at dancing I don't know. If he is, he better start practising some good old pogo style jumping. This is one hell of a single.

Always Forever. Romy

Will there ever be new music by U.K. trio The xx? Now all members are active as solo artists, it is a justified question to ask. With Always Forever singer Romy has released a tremendously upbeat single. In the way that 80s songs at the time could be optimistic and upbeat. They usually were not, or at best mildly so. Romy's single is though. She obviously feels loved and shouts it from the rooftops or dance floor, whatever you prefer. The pulsing synth just roll on and on taking the beat with it. The call and response way of singing underscore the upbeat feeling and the beat. It took me about a minute to get into the groove and vibe but after that I was sold.

En Slags Love Song. Slitasje

Can you sing punkrock in Swedish? I can answer that question positively as of this moment. Singer Sushila, from Sweden, fronts the Trondheim, Norway band Slitasje ("wear and rear" in Swedish) and shouts her Swedish lyrics as loud as she can. En Slags Love Song ("elskar dei", if I'm not mistaken is I love you in Swedish) is a fully charged energetic song, where the band is not holding back. Everything is rhythm about the song, until a lead guitar escapes in the outro, to lay down a nice solo. What is also very nice are the harmonies. The long-held oohs and aahs supporting the lead vocal are as nice as anything in punkrock. What is the name of that Australian punk band I went to see on a Friday evening long ago after listening to the soundcheck in Q-Bus, Leiden? Slitasje has it to. The album 'Mondag Morgon' is out since 28 June.

Everywhere I Go. Earth Quake

Speaking of music that has gone out of style. Earth Quake's Everywhere I Go certainly qualifies playing music in the style of (Jefferson) Starship (mach 2), Whitesnake and such. The band has a right to do so, as most members were around themselves at the time. Robbie Dunbar revived his band with Larry Lynch, Jimmy 'Jet' Spalding and new singer Jesse Bradman. Bradman has the voice to nail it, powerful and sailing ever higher when the song calls for it. Everywhere I Go has the power a classic rock song from the 80s should have. I'm sure it would have been noticed at the time as well. Out of style it may be, there are still fans. "We built this city on rock and roll", did we not?

Going In Circles. GIFT

"At our shows from the Momentary Presence tour, people would stand in the crowd wide-eyed without moving. We wanted to get people moving with the new album", says singer/guitarist TJ Freda on the music on GIFT's upcoming album 'Illuminator' (23 August). Whether the music qualifies or the audience obliges, there's is no way of telling yet. If Going In Circles is any indication they might just do so. Going In Circles has that early The Cure kind of drive, vibe and rhythm, think 'A Forest'. I do not think of dance music but certainly of moving while listening. GIFT thinks more of 1990s Madchester kind of music. I\m probably just considerably older with my association. The way the chorus explodes in a joyous way certainly is not The Cure any more. GIFT reminds me of a lot of things I liked in the past and do not mind hearing again in this enthusiastic way.

Chasing Echoes EP. Bird Language

And once again another band from Boston making its debut on this blog. On Bird Language's Bandcamp page there are recordings going back to 2015 though, all beyond my reach at the time. Not the four song EP Chasing Echoes though. This EP rocks no little. An instrumental song 'Full Voltron' is mixed with a classic 1990s kind of rock song influenced by the 1980s like 'Heartbreak Summertime'. Big vocals, big sound, huge guitars all come by. The band, Andrew Doherty - Guitar, Jeff Nicolai - Vocals, keyboards, piano, Dave Norton - Drums, Pat Piasecki - Bass, Neil Simmons - Guitar, consists of members who have been around and play the music they like best. That is music from the past but sounding tremendously fresh. Just listen how Bird Language's ballad 'Perfido' jumps out of the speakers. The band just does everything right here. With not falling into the mellow trap for one. With 'Slow Shove' as the closest song to the 1980s rock era, see Earth Quake above here. But also listen to how much more power Bird Language puts into Slow Shove and then that ending. The four songs together make for a pretty good EP. Keep me posted please.

Any Day Now. Kate Bollinger

After GIFT, see above, another song that brings me back a few decades. My first thought is to put on a few nice The Kinks singles from the 1960s. Not that Any Day Now is a clone of 'Waterloo Sunset' or 'Mr. Pleasant', it has that same kind of warm vibe. Kate Bollinger sings with a hoarse, French sigh girl kind of voice over a song that is a mix of positive and melancholy feelings. The mix really works and makes Any Day Now a song I want to listen to over and over. She is a new name on the blog and working towards the release of her debut album, 'Songs From A Thousand Frames Of Mind', due on September 27th. Summer (what summer?) over, in other words. Based on this single, it should be worth the wait though. The song is slowly built up, From two acoustic guitars to a full band sound, including an erratic tambourine, filled with all sort of nice little extras. Another big name that comes to mind, George Harrison. Any Day Now would not have looked out of place on one of George's later 70s albums. Perhaps even have stood out there. Any Day Now is a very nice introduction to Kate Bollinger's music. The end, except for the pet, could have been better though.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

Two earwurms: Miley and Joost

Last summer took me on a long drive. Through Italy on to a boat to northern Greece, Albania and from there slowly north through the Balkans. A region I had never travelled through before. The beauty of the countries and culture surprised me and the friendliness of the people really warmed me. There was one constant though, wherever we were, except for Bosnia, we heard 'Flowers' by Miley Cyrus, multiple times a day. To all likelihood 'Flowers' was the biggest hit of 2023 globally.

Yes, I had heard the song before I left home, but it had not made an impression on me of any kind. It was just one of those modern songs that do not really register with me and I do not have a particular liking for. On holiday it was more the surprise of hearing it again than it brought me musical joy. This was a big hit alright, I was thinking. This was different with the one I love though.

And then something strange happened after the summer holiday. The band I'm in, I'm not allowed to say my band, Sweetwood, had to select some new songs once again. My girlfriend brought in 'Flowers', with me thinking sure, that will never make it to our blues and rock band. By lo and behold, it did make it through the selection. About a month ago we started practising it. And then something even stranger happened, the song won't leave my head for a single day.

I learned of the strange timing of the song. Everything of consequence for a musician starts on the two. I don't think I ever encountered that and it takes counting, believe me, to start on the two, as it goes against all my, and my fellow musicians' instincts. While Miley stops singing on three, leaving an extra count, again against all conventions.

Above all, 'Flowers' won't escape me. My head is filled with the song and I hear the exact same from all the other four members. It just keep going round and round. Sometimes I fall asleep with it and my head is literally playing it still or again when I wake up. I have honestly never had that this intense and for so long ever before. And that spells only one thing: 'Flowers' is a big hit.

In a few weeks we will be going on a spring tour" with four shows in six weeks. An absolute records. Be sure we will be playing 'Flowers' for very diverse audiences, while counting one, two, three, four, one, "I can buy myself flowers"...

The second earworm is even weirder. Where Miley Cyrus' song has some resemblance to what I might listen to, Joost's Eurovision Contest 2024 contribution does not. 'Europapa' has nothing to do with what I like and yet I find my head singing the song every once in a while. In fact, he will score very high with the song is my guess.

'Europapa' is dance, gabber, and whatever it is called. There's rap and some singing and playing with vocoders and voice pitching. All the things happening on dance records and yet it's in my head. The song was at the number 1 spot for weeks here, so that probably explains it. I'm just glad I do not hear most number 1s these days any more. Let me listen to the new Brume album instead, to mention an example, like I'm doing right now. Nice, dark and heavy rock. In the meantime, go for it Joost. May the best one win.

Wout de Natris

2024. Week 7, 10 singles

Nancy & Lee still record and release new songs, folks. Granted, under a different name. Yet such a beautiful song it is. The first song here is not the only one deserving the moniker beautiful you'll find. There's quite a few of them. In fact, the noisy stuff is the exception this week. Week 7's singles overview is one to relax and just listen to what is on offer, so, enjoy!

Aphrodite. Donna Blue

Yes, Donna Blue has done it once again. Aphrodite is a strong song of romance and beauty. I do not have to beat around the bush. Aphrodite is 2024's 'Some Velvet Morning' with Phaedra replaced by the goddess Aphrodite. Danique and Bart are Nancy and Lee more then ever before. Musically the song is totally psychedelic and 1960s. The twang guitar is propelling the song forward and the farfisa organ is totally out there. What is noticeable as well is the lush arrangement of the song. The usually rather straightforward production is certainly left behind here. This brings Donna Blue extremely close to the original if not on par. As far as I'm concerned the duo has a classic on its hands.

Blijf Voor Goed Bij Mij. Winston

Met Blijf Voor Goed Bij Mij geeft Winston, oftewel Simon Alice René, zichzelf helemaal bloot en komt, jaren na het schoolplein van zijn jeugd, uit de kast als Queen-fan. Raar om te bedenken dat het in de jaren 70 heel cool was om Queen fan te zijn. Toch is Blijf Voor Goed Bij Mij een raar geval. Het begint als een nummer dat ik eerder aan Will Tura of Clouseau zou toeschrijven dan aan Winston, of Queen wat dat betreft, maar dat verandert zeker. Van Vlaams naar Engels en later terug. De Bryan May stijl gitaar komt er bij en een enorme gelaagdheid aan samenzang. Het intro heeft dat al weggegeven natuurlijk. Dieper luisteren dan de eerste indruk, maakt meer duidelijk. Langzaam maar zeker komt het beeld naar voren van een grootse song, van een zanger die ver boven zijn league speelt en slaagt, zoals soms een sporter of muzikant op latere leeftijd toch doorbreekt. Welbeschouwd blijft dit een raar nummer, maar zo ontzettend goed om naar te luisteren. De samenzang is zonder meer prachtig. Queen, 'God Only Knows' en 'Because' all in one. Goed gedaan, Winston!

Big Love. Camera Obscura

"It was a big love she said. That's why it took her ten years to get her out off your head", singer Tracyanne Campbell sings at the start of the first song her band Camera Obscura released in over ten years. The song has a country flavour, some pop and some indie overtones. It's a kind of song that makes a person feel good, nearly instantly. It is in the positive way of singing, the great keyboard part, the pedal steel guitar and that little ah ha sequence near the end. Sometimes life itself is caught in a single of three minutes and Big Love is one of those songs. Although the song is about having to say goodbye, for good, it has caught the positive side of a new start and not the sad ending. There is some melancholy in the singing, surely, but what remains for the listener is a feeling of joy. I had never heard of this band before, as far as I'm aware, but this introduction certainly tastes like more. That more is released on 3 May, and is called 'Look to the East, Look to the West'.

Gadfly Groove. James Clarke Five

James Clarke Five is a solo project and surely a pun on 60s hitmakers Dave Clark Five. Musically the two have nothing in common. Gadfly Groove is an outing in the Madchester sound from around 1990. The rhythm is Rani all over. The music is less exciting but surely groovy. James Hughes, who makes up James Clarke Five, is from a generation of U.K. musicians before Madchester. He was in a Liverpool band called The Cherry Boys in the early 80s as keyboardist and singer at the time of bands like Echo and the Bunnymen. This dark doomladen music is not exactly missing on Gadfly Groove but not dominant. The groove reminds me of the Rolling Stones' 'Shattered' and as said the 1990 bands. In his aloof way of singing and that rhythm a little psychedelia slips in. This puts Gadfly Groove in a musical format that is from the past and that is exactly what James Hughes intends. At least, that is my best guest.

Hideous EP. Hideous

"Hideous Hideous Hideous" singer Guillaume Lamont signs underscoring the fact that his band put itself in a list of acts the managed to name a song, album and band name identically. The title song is the kind that is like a peat fire. It may seem to be extinguished but underground it can continue unnoticed, to surface somewhere else. That guitar is there as a bellwether playing its simple riff and rhythm. It lays down a mysterious groove that does not give anything away of what could happen further on. Except for the tempo that is. That under the surface tension explodes right in the face of the curious onlooker. All sorts of mysterious sounds move in and out during the song. This makes Hideous an extremely exciting song, no matter how hideous the person sung about may be. The changes give the alternative rocker a sympho/prog vibe, until we return to that ominous guitar. Hideous, the band, is a four piece of members who, of course, this is Belgium, play in at least two other bands. On this blog you may have encountered Tim Leyman of Ramkot. There are four more songs on this EP. Based on the opening song it must be worthwhile to continue listening.

The French Major. Broken Hearts Are Blue

Formed in Kalamazoo in 1995, disbanded somewhere and regrouped in 2018 as an online band, Broken Hearts Are Blue will release its third record since then soon, making up for lost time fast. The French Major is a dark and sluggish song. Every next beat seems to be made only after a major effort. The result is a song that is interesting to follow. Rocking loud it gives time for pause anyway. Ryan Gage sings just as slow, making up words, even individual syllables, no longer than strictly needed. The result is a massive song. The drums, bass and guitar all are spot on, but above all loud, with a lead guitar that can be placed in the Dinosaur Jr heritage. I do not need an album like this but as single, thank you!

Sweet Light. The Hanging Girls

I have no clue who The Hanging Stars are, nor how they made it to this list but here they are and sound like a million acts somewhere in between country, Americana, light rock and singer-songwriter. In the video we see a pub scene with the band playing to an uninterested but not unpleasant audience. A band that is invited to play on a Sunday afternoon while the visitors do their thing in the pub. In the meantime, almost sneaky, The Hanging Girls (all men) play the stars out of heaven. Sweet Light is a beautiful song, where the softly played instruments all go for pop perfection without being obtrusive and the singing certainly matches the best harmonies The Jayhawks went for on 'Hollywood Town Hall'. In short, this band knows exactly what it is doing, defying the easy-going circumstances of the video. The Hanging Girls will be able to fill venues with people who will listen with ease.

Jimmy. Brume

People from all around the world move to San Francisco and the Bay Area to work. (Where have all the flowers gone? Long time passing alright.) Some meet there and start making music. This is the story of Brume that started in 2014 when guitarist Jamie McCathie met bass player and vocalist Susie McMullan. Soon drummer Jordan Perkins-Lewis joined and the trio went on to record two records. For album number three, 'Marten' out on 3 May, Jackie Perez Gratz on cello and vocals was added to the trio and this changed the sound of the doom goths no little. Jimmy is a fairly slow song that changes between soft, almost power ballad vibes to a huge sound where all are pounding away on their instruments. Beware, in a melodic way, from a melody. McMullan lays down a big vocal over it all, sharing her anguish with the world. In the outro it is Perez Gratz who gets the spotlight on her playing, ending the song in sheer melancholy and perhaps even shock of what came before.

Gypsy Girl. Other Brother Darryl

You have just heard (or read about) The Hanging Girls. Other Brother Darryl from Boston is in that league. The band may have a warm Hammond organ instead of a pedal steel guitar in its line up, the idea and mood is certainly akin. In the fall of last year the band debuted on this blog with the beautiful single 'Drive'. And now there's an album in the making as well, called 'Roll Shine Roll'. Anyone loving songs like 'One Of These Nights' or 'Our House' will find their way to this song and band. There's no hurry of any kind. The band takes its time to make its point musically and vocally. The duo vocals are laid on even thicker in the places where extra points for vocality are found in the song. The same goes for an extra note on the instruments. Just listen to that acoustic slide part! Other Brother Darryl's music has nothing to do with 2024 but everything with the 1970s. We need new bands that continue and create new music at that level. Other Brother Darryl does, so cherish it.

Same Water. The Secret Sisters

I had all but forgotten The Secret Sisters. Somewhere before the pandemic I saw them play a nice and intimate show at the top floor venue of Paradiso in Amsterdam and certainly enjoyed their album 'Saturn Returns'. And then they disappeared in that huge vault of music from the past. On 29 March the sisters, Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle, will release their new album 'Mind, Man, Medicine'. And judging Same Water it will be worthwhile to check it out. Same Water is the kind of singer-songwriter ballad that envelopes the listener like a bath filled with just right warmed water. Their voices weave themselves around each other, where Laura is in the lead and Lydia supporting. Around them a great band is playing that knows exactly how to create this mood, creating a song that is in essence a song that we have heard thousands of times and yet, this extra one is the one the world needs right now. Like I wrote, a warm bath this Same Water is.

Wout de Natris

 

Time Bend And Break The Bounder. Sinead O’Brien

Time Bend And Break The Bounder van Sinead O’Brien is even wennen voor een ieder niet gek is op “spoken word” albums, maar wat valt er uiteindelijk veel moois te ontdekken op dit fascinerende album.

Popdichters waren de afgelopen decennia wat uit de tijd, maar het gesproken woord is weer helemaal terug in de popmuziek. Met name in de postpunk duiken de praatzangers en praatzangeressen momenteel veelvuldig op, maar er zijn ook echte dichters als de Ierse Sinead O’Brien. Ze heeft met Time Bend And Break The Bounder een album gemaakt dat in muzikaal opzicht imponeert. De Ierse muzikante is niet vies van postpunk, maar kan ook de kant van avant garde op of sleept je de dansvloer op. De songs op Time Bend And Break The Bounder zijn spannend en lopen over van urgentie, wat wordt onderstreept door de prachtig gesproken teksten van Sinead O’Brien . Niet te snel opzij leggen dit album.

Ik heb een moeizame relatie met albums waarop zang is vervangen door het gesproken woord. In de meeste gevallen hou ik het met “spoken word” albums maar een paar tracks vol en daarom laat ik ze ook meestal liggen. Dat deed ik ook met Time Bend And Break The Bounder van de Ierse muzikante Sinead O'Brien. Het is een album dat uitstekende recensies kreeg en dat opdook in meerdere jaarlijstjes, maar dankzij de gesproken teksten van de tegenwoordig vanuit Londen opererende muzikante liet ik het album liggen. 

Nu is mijn relatie met “spoken word” albums de afgelopen maanden wel wat verbeterd, onder andere door de prima albums van Dry Cleaning en The Bullfight, waardoor ik het debuutalbum van Sinead O'Brien er toch maar weer eens bij heb gepakt. Er is de afgelopen maanden kennelijk echt iets veranderd aan mijn smaak, want waar ik eerder vooral weerstand voelde bij Time Bend And Break The Bounder, vind ik het album nu echt geweldig. 

Dat heeft voor een belangrijk deel te maken met het feit dat de voordracht van Sinead O'Brien me nu veel beter bevalt. De Ierse muzikante draagt haar teksten vooral voor, maar het klinkt niet zo monotoon als op veel albums met gesproken woord en bovendien zit de voordacht van de Ierse muzikante vaak dicht tegen zang aan. Sinead O'Brien beschikt ook nog eens over een mooie stem en ze draagt haar bijzondere en poëtische teksten bovendien met veel gevoel en expressie voor. 

Time Bend And Break The Bounder overtuigt me nu in vocaal opzicht redelijk makkelijk, maar in muzikaal opzicht vind ik het album echt fantastisch. Sinead O’Brien verwerkt in een flink deel van de songs op haar debuutalbum vooral invloeden uit de postpunk, maar Time Bend And Break The Bounder kiest nergens voor een standaard postpunk geluid. De Ierse muzikante laat zich vooral begeleiden door een gitarist en een drummer en beiden spelen geweldig. 

Het levert een spannend geluid op, dat af en toe vaag herinnert aan PJ Harvey en vooral Patti Smith, maar het is ook een nieuw en eigenzinnig geluid dat de fantasie stevig prikkelt. In een aantal songs voegt de muzikante meer elektronica toe aan haar muziek en klinken haar songs weer anders, tot hier en daar zelfs dansbaar. In muzikaal opzicht houdt het debuutalbum van Sinead O’Brien je elf songs lang op het puntje van je stoel, wat ook de verdienste is van de fraaie productie van Dan Carey, die het vorig jaar ook al jaarlijstjesalbums afleverde met Fontaines DC, Wet Leg, Black Midi en Kae Tempest. 

Ik begrijp eerlijk gezegd niet waarom ik het debuutalbum van Sinead O’Brien eerder niet heb besproken, want ik blijf er momenteel naar luisteren en vind het album mooier en mooier worden en ook nog net wat interessanter en overtuigender dan de “spoken word” albums die ik wel heb besproken. Zoals gezegd dook het album op in meerdere, en voornamelijk Britse, jaarlijstjes en daar valt wat mij betreft niets op af te dingen. Sinead O’Brien levert met Time Bend And Break The Bounder immers een album af dat zowel in muzikaal als in vocaal opzicht intrigeert en dat ook nog eens vol staat met prachtige teksten en met songs die beginnen als ruwe stenen, maar stuk voor stuk uitgroeien tot fonkelende diamanten.

Erwin Zijleman

 

Je kunt Time Bend And Break The Bounder hier luisteren en bestellen:

https://sineadobrienpoetry.bandcamp.com/album/time-bend-and-break-the-bower