Jeune & Laide. Camille Yembe

De Nederlandse popmuziek bloeit momenteel volop, maar ook bij onze zuiderburen gebeurt van alles en België heeft met Jeune & Laide, het debuutalbum van de Brusselse Camille Yembe, echt een hele bijzondere troef in handen.

Het debuutalbum van Camille Yembe pikte ik met enig geluk uit de releaselijsten, maar vervolgens had het album niet veel tijd nodig om me te overtuigen. De in Brussel geboren en getogen Camille Yembe trok in eigen land de afgelopen jaren al de aandacht, maar gaat met haar debuutalbum ook buiten de landsgrenzen de aandacht trekken. Jeune & Laide is immers een album dat er binnen de Franstalige popmuziek van het moment niet alleen wat betreft de kwaliteit uitspringt, maar het is ook een album dat grenzen verlegt. Het is een album met de moderne Franstalige popmuziek van het moment, maar het is ook een album vol echo’s uit het verleden en een album dat steeds interessanter wordt. 

Ik heb met enige regelmaat een enorm zwak voor Franstalige popmuziek, waarbij ik ook de hitgevoelige Franse popmuziek niet uit de weg ga. Het interessantst zijn natuurlijk de Franstalige albums die wel buiten de lijntjes kleuren en dat bij voorkeur flink doen. Wat dat betreft steekt La Symphonie des Éclairs van Zaho de Sagazan er voor mij de afgelopen jaren flink bovenuit. 

Ook Zaz behoort wat mij betreft al vele jaren tot de smaakmakers van de Franse popmuziek, al vind ik haar vroege albums interessanter dan haar recentere albums. Deze week is een Franstalig album verschenen dat wel eens in de voetsporen kan treden van de sensationeel goede albums van onder andere Zaz en Zaho de Sagazan. Jeune & Laide van Camille Yembe, want dat is het album waar het om gaat, kwam ik deze week tegen in een aantal lijstjes met nieuwe albums. 

Bij vluchtige beluistering van het album was mijn interesse direct gewekt, maar toen ik het hele album had gehoord was ik compleet in de ban van het debuutalbum van Camille Yembe. Sindsdien is Jeune & Laide alleen maar interessanter en indrukwekkender geworden. 

Camille Yembe werd geboren in België en heeft een Congolese vader en een Belgische moeder. Ze groeide op in het Brusselse Molenbeek, waar het gezin het niet breed had. Camille Yembe had een lastige jeugd en stond al vroeg op eigen benen, zonder een bron van inkomen. Ze kwam uiteindelijk terecht in de muziek en trok vorig jaar in België al de aandacht met haar EP, die onder andere werd aangeprezen door Stromae. 

Nu is haar debuutalbum verschenen en dat is een album dat ook buiten België de aandacht gaat trekken. Jeune & Laide is een persoonlijk album over opgroeien in armoede, volwassen worden, overleven op straat en het ontdekken van de eigen (Afrikaanse) identiteit. 

Dat het een persoonlijk album is, lees je in de teksten van de Belgische muzikante, maar je hoort het ook in haar stem, die alle songs van veel emotionele lading voorziet. Camille Yembe beschikt over een hele mooie stem, maar het is ook een stem die je keer op keer bij de strot grijpt. 

De persoonlijke songs van Camille Yembe en haar indrukwekkende stem dragen stevig bij aan de hoge kwaliteit van haar debuutalbum, maar ook in muzikaal opzicht is het een fascinerend album. Het is knap hoe de Brusselse muzikante binnen een paar noten kan schakelen van muziek die geen geheim maakt van bewondering voor het traditionele Franse chanson naar de elektronische popmuziek van het moment. 

 Jeune & Laide verschiet hierdoor continu van kleur en zit af en toe ook flink buiten mijn muzikale comfort zone, maar ook als Camille Yembe kiest voor rap en hiphop houdt ze mijn aandacht makkelijk vast. Als je vaker naar het debuutalbum van de Belgische muzikante luistert, hoor je steeds meer bijzonders.

Jeune & Laide schakelt makkelijk tussen genres, maar springt ook door de tijd met het ene moment de sfeer van Franse chansons uit de jaren 70 of pop uit de jaren 80 en het andere moment de popmuziek van deze tijd. Camille Yembe wordt in eigen land vergeleken met Stromae en zelfs met Rosalía. Dat hoor ik persoonlijk niet, maar ik hoor wel een eigenzinnige muzikante die de Franstalige popmuziek met haar debuutalbum in een net wat andere en bijzonder interessante richting duwt.

Erwin Zijleman

LUX. ROSALÍA

De Spaanse muzikante ROSALÍA slaat op haar nieuwe album LUX totaal andere wegen in dan op de vorige albums, maar maakt nog altijd diepe indruk met haar muziek, stem en songs, die ook dit keer volkomen uniek klinken.

De critici waren er gisteren heel snel uit en probeerden elkaar te overtreffen met superlatieven. Daar valt niet zo veel op af te dingen, want LUX is een adembenemend mooi album. Het is ook een bijzonder album, dat je wel even op je in moet laten werken. Het is een album dat flink afstand neemt van de elektronische popmuziek die op haar vorige twee albums was te horen. Dankzij impulsen van de London Symphony Orchestra neemt ROSALÍA de afslag richting klassieke muziek, met hier en daar invloeden uit de flamenco, precies de twee richtingen waarin ze ooit afstudeerde. Het is bij vlagen behoorlijk heftig en af en toe pompeus en pretentieus, maar wat is het ook indrukwekkend mooi. De verwachtingen waren hooggespannen, maar ROSALÍA overtreft ze met speels gemak.

In november verscheen LUX, het vierde album van ROSALÍA, de naam waaronder de Spaanse muzikante Rosalía Vila Tobella inmiddels een aantal jaren muziek maakt. De vorige twee albums van ROSALÍA , El Mal Querer uit 2018 en MOTOMAMI uit 2022 konden rekenen op zeer lovende recensies, maar wat gisteren gebeurde na de release van LUX heb ik niet vaak gezien. 

Het nieuwe album van ROSALÍA werd binnen enkele uren bedolven onder de 5-sterren recensies, waarin het aantal superlatieven steeds verder toenam. LUX is al meerdere malen uitgeroepen tot album van het jaar en dat enkele uren na de release. Het lijkt een hype van ongekende proporties, maar LUX is echt een sensationeel goed album. 

ROSALÍA debuteerde in 2017 met het album Los Ángeles, waarop ze vooral Spaanse flamenco maakte. Op de twee albums die volgden schoof ze op richting popmuziek, al was het wel popmuziek die bol stond van de bijzondere invloeden. LUX is een totaal ander album dan El Mal Querer en MOTOMAMI en de vraag of het nog wel een popalbum is lijkt me een legitieme vraag. 

Na de songs op het album meerdere keren te hebben beluisterd beantwoord ik de vraag of LUX een popalbum is met ja, maar het is wel een popalbum dat totaal anders klinkt dan alle andere popalbums die je de afgelopen jaren hebt gehoord. Dat zit hem in eerste instantie in de muziek op het album, waarvoor ROSALÍA onder andere een beroep deed op de London Symphony Orchestra. 

Zeker wanneer het orkest uitpakt met heel veel strijkers schuift LUX op richting bij vlagen behoorlijk bombastische klassieke muziek, maar de Spaanse muzikante grijpt ook terug op de flamenco muziek waarmee ze opgroeide. Het betekent niet dat ROSALÍA de popmuziek volledig achter zich heeft gelaten, want in een aantal songs hoor je ook duidelijke ingrediënten waarmee LUX weer wat dichter tegen de vorige twee albums kruipt, tot de strijkers toch weer losbarsten. \

Op LUX kruipt de Spaanse muzikante in de huid van een aantal vrouwen die een belangrijke rol speelden in de wereldgeschiedenis en dit doet ze in veertien talen, wat het bijzondere karakter van LUX nog wat verder versterkt. Zeker bij eerste beluistering is LUX een fascinerende maar ook wat overweldigende luistertrip van 15 (streaming media) of zelfs 18 (cd en LP) tracks. 

In muzikaal opzicht word je heen en weer geslingerd tussen klassieke muziek, Spaanse flamenco of toch weer pop en ook de stem van ROSALÍA schiet alle kanten op. Van fraai ingetogen tot verleidelijk zwoel tot imponerende orkaankracht. De Spaanse muzikante redde het ooit niet in een Spaanse talentenjacht omdat ze vals zong, maar op LUX is haar zang bijzonder mooi. 

Het is razendknap hoe LUX in een paar noten kan schakelen van klassieke muziek naar Flamenco of pop en weer terug. Er gebeurt op het nieuwe album van ROSALÍA zoveel dat het je bijna continu duizelt en hoewel de Spaanse muzikante op haar nieuwe album heel vaak buiten mijn muzikale comfort zone kleurt kan ik alleen maar ademloos luisteren naar het bijzondere LUX. 

Dat lukte ROSALÍA overigens ook al met haar vorige twee albums, die ik heel hoog heb zitten, maar ik vind LUX nog wat indrukwekkender. Of het nieuwe album van ROSALÍA inderdaad het album van 2025 gaat worden zal de tijd leren, maar dat het een van de meest bijzondere albums van het moment is, is voor mij zeker.

Erwin Zijleman

2025, week 5. 10 singles

Cold, snow, rain, eastern wind, grey, fog, sunshine. No day is the same these days. One thing stands out though. For the first time in years the weather comes from the (north)east in winter for a longer period of time, but the extreme temperatures coming with that when I was young, fail to arrive. Climate change? Who can say, fact is not that long ago it would have been really cold. Tell Canada and the U.S. that!

In the meantime, I forgot to mention that my previous band, Flopsband, is around for 50 years this week, with one original and one near original member in the line up. They celebrated with a great party, where several ex-members, including yours truly, played a set. From 'Sultans of Swing, to Bird Dog and 'Tell Me', it was great fun for, I assume, I final time. Let's return to the catch of this week. Enjoy!

Breakfast. Special Friend

Special Friend is a band from Paris, but the erratic song called Breakfast could have fooled me into thinking this is the effort of a post punk band from the U.K. that loves the nervous sound of the likes of Lene Lovich circa 1979. Breakfast is the kind of track where the notes and instruments seem to bounce over each other all in the desire to make an impression on the listener. The verses are drums and especially the hi-hat that comes forward, a soft and rather modest bass and a hectic rhythm guitar. In the chorus, an instrumental one, everything is let go of. Without any restraints a distorted, heavy sounding guitar comes in and a Farfisa (like) organ with its high sound. Over it all singer (and drummer) Erica keeps her cool. Guitarist, Special Friend is a French/American duo, Guillaume answers her vocals with his own vocals. The result is a top single, that is over before you know it and quite unexpected at that. An album is underway. 'Clicking' is released on 20 March.

Honey. Ora Cogan

Last Friday I reviewed the album 'To Be Continued' by ER Jurken. Listening to Honey, the single to Ora Corgan's upcoming album 'Hard Hearted Woman' (13 March), the song could have fitted right in. It has that same combination of pop, ballad, light rock and those floating, multitracked vocals. It gives Honey something mysterious, as if the music comes to you through the fog. Just listen to the strings in the intro. It is as if they come from an unknown and unseen place. All of a sudden Ora Corgan is in the middle of your ears and head. The drums are softly played but very solid, giving the song the foundation it needs. Finally, the same Midlake connotation comes to me as with ER Jurken. Honey, providing the title to the album in its lyrics, is a song that makes me curious to hear more and that more will be there in just two months.

Hurts Like Hell. Charlotte Cornfield

A new name on the blog? No, not exactly, as Erwin Zijleman reported on Charlotte Cornfield's previous album 'Could Have Done Anything' in 2023. Since then, she became a mother and this is her first outing in music since then. Buck Meek sings the harmony vocal on Hurts Like Hell and that points in the direction where I would place Charlotte Cornfield. The song is an alternative, modern country style song that bands like Big Thief/Adrianne Lenker and Wednesday also play. The relaxed vibe  of the music contradicts the lyrics, where it "hurts like hell when you're in it". The music more represents a lazy Sunday afternoon in the shade on the porch with cool, long, iced drink beside you and a book in your hand. The long helded notes of the pedal steel guitar underscoring that feeling. Give me one of these days anytime, especially now it is winter. The same titled album is there on 27 March.

Goldstar. The Sophs

Los Angeles band The Sophs returns to the blog with a fourth single from its upcoming debut album 'Goldstar' (13 March). The song's rhythm is not your every day's. The contrast between the more acoustic verse and the more electric chorus, if they are that, are clear and gives the song two distinct faces. That rhythm is Spanish, flamenco influenced. The intro is fully acoustic, almost classical. It sets Goldstar apart from many other songs in the alternative rock section. The hard guitar parts do sound familiar in the way they are played but that Spanish rhythm beneath it remains in place, making the song different. I'll be honest, after 'I'm Your Fiend' and now Goldstar, I still do not know really what to make of The Sophs, but the beginning is there. I'm writing, again, ain't I?

Ally Or Alibi. Melonball

With drums sounding as a dry and high strung as Therapy? at the time of 'Screamager', Melonball immediately attracted my ears. The German punk band sounds as tough as a punk band should, knows how to channel anger and/or over excitement and create a melody that makes Ally Or Alibi so good to listen to. In the first 30 seconds I thought, okay been their done that. It was the drum sound that pulled me in and then I started to notice the melodies Melonball throws into the single, the enthusiastic vocal of singer Oli and the harmony vocals of Basti and Vik. Their guitars do a lot of things that lift the songs as well and then there are that drums of Tommy again. Second album 'Take Care' will be released on 27 February.

Opening Night. Arctic Monkeys 

Is Opening Night a left over from a recording session from the 'AM' or older era or an indication that in the near future we can expect a more guitar oriented album from Arctic Monkeys? I do not have the answer but when I heard the song on the radio recently, my ears pricked themselves up immediately. "Ten years later, it's been a decade" Alex Turner sings and that will be about correct. The band took a totally different turn from its origins. Not that Opening Night is a 'Dance Floor' but it has a more rock vibe worked into the latter Arctic Monkeys. The 70s West Coast influences are still there, don't worry fans of the more modern version of the band. I find I like this combination. Opening Night is on an album called 'Help' with many other contemporary artists for the benefit of War Child.

Space. Celeste Corsano

Celeste Corsano returns to the blog with her sixth consecutive single, the fifth on the blog. Again, she shows that she not here for the quick win. Do not expect a hip pop song. Ms Corsano presents serious pop that demands serious listening. Again, I can't help to refer to Kate Bush's earlier albums, where pop met a unique entity, turning all I once knew  about music upside down. That effect is unobtainable for Celeste Corsano. Kate Bush already did that before her. A song like Space falls unto fertile ground though. Again, I am forced to truly listen. A lot is going on. In the song and in the chord changes. Celeste Corsano plays with the structure of the song with her vocal melody. The music is rich and lavish. It may well be that she is able to fill the void, now that Kate Bush seems have gone into full retirement.

bar. a.gris

With bar, a.gris returns to the blog. bar is not an easy song to digest. The rhythm is not your every day's. It is almost stop-start and its vocal melody not one to sing-along to straight away. The way it starts, just Alex Delamard, who is a.gris, with his acoustic guitar, does not really give away what is to follow. When the whole band kicks in, there is a lot of sound to digest and the first time that rhythm becomes really apparent. The two things that stand out are the beautiful riff on the acoustic guitar and the synth melody later on. Both have that stop-start effect through a short silence moment before it is repeated. Together with the previous single, 'Oblivion 2025' it does make me curious to hear the whole EP slated for March.

Calm & Delivered. Cape Crush

Cape Crush's singer Ali Lipman may not be able "to stop bleeding" as she sings in Calm & Delivered, the song bounces as if the members are at home just before they are allowed to go to the local country fair with all its attractions waiting for them. The song has an emo feel to it, but also one of the sheer joy of playing this song. Cape Crush is from Massachusetts and on route to release its album 'Place Memory' (1 May). With Calm & Delivered it released a song that ought to prick up some ears. I am faintly remembered of The Beths and its singer Elizabeth Stokes. The music is far tougher though. The rhythm guitar is far louder and the lead guitar far more present. All together it makes this single a very nice introduction to Cape Crush.

Not Enough. Daughter

If I'm correct it is ten years ago that I reviewed Daughter for the first and last time on WoNoBlog. Album 'Not to Disappear' fell on approving ears. I have no idea if the trio, Elena Tonra, Igor Haefeli and Remi Aguilella, made music since that album. Having listened to Not Enough, I knew that this is a song I wanted to write on. To my surprise I find it is released to underscore the 10 year celebration on 'Not To Disappear'. Not Enough was originally recorded in that session, but remained a demo. In November of 2025 it was finally turned into a full-fledged song and the world is a little better because of it. Reading my 2016 review, Not Enough would have fitted in nicely. The song has this sheen of a melancholy darkness over a pop feel that is quite apparent. The light and the shade, it seldom fails to work.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

2026, Week 4. 10 singles (2)

Because of the ladies' singles special edition of earlier this week, here's the second new singles edition of this week. Again, there is a very diverse set of songs and artist to explore, so enjoy!

New Leafs. The Reds, Pinks and Purples

The Reds, Pinks and Purples so far is Erwin Zijleman territory as those following this blog will recognise. Recently this single reached me and I decided to give it a chance. New Leaf is a nice indie ballad, that is built around a riff played on an acoustic guitar that just goes on and on and on. On top of it this gentle song is played with on top of that the soft, almost whispering voice of The Reds, Pinks and Purples' front man Glenn Donaldson. Despite the chords changing in the chorus, that riff does not. The other instruments do. it could be a piano playing a few notes, a raging slide guitar mixed deep into the background, like a thunderstorm in the distance, or an electric guitar. The bass and drums provide the solid ground for the others to play around that one riff. Beautifully done and full of atmosphere.

Marathon. Maria BC

Listening to Marathon, the title track of Maria BC's upcoming third album (27-02), the sentence "I've got a good reason, for taking the easy way out", sprang into my mind. The quote from The Beatles' 'Day Tripper' is appropriate, as darkness was enveloping me from all sides. In 2023 I reviewed a previous single, called 'Amber'. It made me think of a church song. Marathon does not, the artist's name of course does. If Maria was 13 or 14 when she gave birth to Jesus, as some say, I can only hope for her that her thoughts were never a bleak as this Maria BC in 2026 portrays. Marathon is somewhere between dark sounds and song, with Maria BC singing over it with a high voice. I can't make out any words though. Dark guitar chords put themselves as a pillow over soft piano notes. They rise even more when the singing starts. Like a prisoner in a too small cell, the music wraps itself around her voice. And then I make out the word "afraid". This is some dark music, folks.

Panacea. Celine Cairo 

In September 2021 Erwin Zijleman reviewed Celine Cairo's album 'Overflow' and was obviously very enthusiastic. With Panacea she returns to the music front. Panacea is a very cool sounding song. It is as if everybody is holding back to not show too many emotions. The result of this restraint is that Celine Cairo's voice starts to glow more and more. The instruments wrap themselves around her in a very organic way. The lyrics speak of undertow and counterflow but also that her head is above water now. Luctor et emergo set to music. Although Celine Cairo is a new name to me, she has multimillion streams on Spotify and performed with the Metropole Orkest. With her new single she is announcing her upcoming album also called 'Panacea' It is scheduled for 18 June.

Dr Love. Would-be-goods

Dr. Love is a single with the length of a mid-60s pop song. It has the melancholy feel of a French sigh girl song from the age but not the poppy innocence songs of the age had. The melancholy feeling is so much deeper. This is the expression of a grown woman and Jessica Griffin is, with issues almost no 17 year old singers, nor their 27 year old songwriters experienced then. Griffin returns to the record releasing world with this second single of the Would-be-goods new album 'Tears Before Bedtime'. Dr. Love is a bittersweet song that reminds me of the time when songs were just fun, while putting my two feet firmly on the ground in the here and now. Like a wake up call pulling me back into the real world. That will not stop me from listening to Dr. Love and dream a little anyway.

Designed To Lose. The Twilight Sad

When did I listen to Big Country for the last time? A very good question that popped into my head listening to Designed To Lose for the first time. I really wouldn't know. It may well be decades. The Twilight Sad does not use that guitar as if a bag pipe sound, but the guitars do have that high sound. To add to the feel, there is the Scottish accent of the singer, even if it's light. The band produces an 80s feel on this single, including the gloom that comes with the territory. When I read that the singer of The Twilight Sad battles with mental illness, the comparison I've just made becomes rather scary. To end on a positive note, the band will release its new album on 27 March and it is called 'It's The Long Goodbye'.

I Wish You Well. Mylo Bybee

As reported late last year, Mylo Bybee is from Boise, Idaho and on route to release an EP called 'Revisions' on 20 February. After 'Time Machine' this is the second time the band finds itself on WoNoBlog. With I Wish You Well the band shows two sides to itself. Between the loud intro and second half of the song, the band shows that it is able to contain itself. The two sides make for interesting listening, like enjoying that wild bass guitar parts that go on in the background and the drummer who wants to escape the whole of the time, until he can finally lead the way in the second half. Mylo Bybee is really playing with the fabric of the song. No, this single has not succeeded to convince me for 100%, but only by trying can one become better and reach the goal. For now I Wish You Well is certainly good enough.

Second Time Around. The Spackles

Okay, Spackle McKraken will not be invited to sing in a Bach choir (sorry, if this is your ambition). His voice works like a miracle for a song like Second Time Around though. The Spackles return to the blog with a fine, up tempo garage rock song in which the guitar of Marie Slurrie plays fast chord changes and progressions. The kind of song that puts a smile on your face if you are a fan of an uncomplicated rock song like Second Time Around is. Energy is there the whole time and there is a quieter interlude, in a 2.04 minutes song, which makes for an intriguing change. A short breather for everyone, except for Ms. Slurrie who keeps the chords flying, chugging her guitar along, preparing for a fiery solo as well. Last week the band released its new EP, 'Music For Blockheads'. You can hit me with that rhythm stick alright.

Against The Dying Of The Light. José González

Sweden's José González is on route to release his fifth album, with the same name as this single. Release date, 27 March. It is possible to be extremely short on this song. González is his soft-spoken self. His music is totally unobtrusive, soft like a murmuring brook in a forest. An acoustic guitar, a bass and very soft drumming over which González sings, double tracked and harmonious. If you put the song on, you better pay attention as it is over before you know it. If you do, there's more than enough to enjoy in between all that modest playing.

 

Bored. Melanie Baker

In December Melanie Baker made her entrance on this blog for the first time with her singe 'Sad Clown' and she is here again already. With Bored she presents the same mix, alternative rock like Hole, some slacker diction, explosions in the choruses. Again, the mix works really well. Baker may be going after a married woman who is the woman of her dreams. From there the story develops, unapologetic in lyrics and music. The music has this bouncy quality that potentially may make festivals explode, if she manages to a) get there and b) finds a way for people to get to know the song before the festivals. Bored will work really well here. Two singles underway and what I'm hearing sounds great. 'Somebody Help Me, I’m Being Spontaneous!' is set for release on 10 April.

Sorry Eyes. Pictish Trail

Pictish Trail, or Johnny Lynch, can be found on this blog with three albums, the latest from 2022, but not a single single. That is taken care of today. With Sorry Eyes, Lynch presents a very electronic song, where warbling synths hurtle over each other, creating the layer that makes the song more than a man with his guitar lamenting a lost love. In fact, together with producer Mike Lindsay (Tungg, LUMP) Lynch seems to have stripped away most of the original song as it must have been conceived at home and rebuilt it into what we hear on Sorry Eyes. The result is a song with so many details, that it may well be that someone will hear an unheard detail during the 1000th listening session. The electronics give Sorry Eyes an 80s feel, the rest of the song that of a timeless ballad. An intriguing mix. Album 'Life Slime' will be released on 10 April.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

2026, week 4. 10 singles

Last Sunday we had a special edition of the weekly singles post. Today we go back to regular with a list of singles that have been mostly released this year. Already the list presented to me is so long and I like too many of them. Blue Monday is coming up. Nothing better to stop feeling blue than good music, sunny days that show that the days are already getting longer a little and okay, playing 'Blue Monday' itself. I'm lucky enough to have the original 12" for over forty years already. Enjoy this week's selection!

Loss & Loneliness. Seb Zukini

Looking back on past posts, I saw that Seb Zukini was first on this blog almost four years ago, together what would become Tramhaus' first 7" single, 'Karen Was A Punk". From that moment onwards the band's lines diverged considerably. Where the Rotterdam band toured around the world a few times, Seb Zukini remained fairly obscure. Listening to Loss & Loneliness the Groningen band certainly deserves more attention. The band's latest song is so full of power. The song has a brilliant build up. The way the bass comes in simply sets the song on fire. That is how to play with dynamics in a song!  At the same time this is a different Seb Zukini from before. Frontman Sebastiaan Kusters is surrounded by a new line up, but shines like ever and maybe even a little more. Loss & Loneliness is a very good, 90s influenced rock song.

Let's Be Loving. Beth Wimmer 

Usually I don't review singles that are released after the record they are on has been reviewed. To make room for new singles and give them the attention they deserve. There's a special reason, that I do anyway here, besides the fact that an artist making a sympathetic song like Let's Be Loving deserves attention always. It is exactly what this single is. Beth Wimmer has written a warm song about love, "time is precious, so let's be loving now". Beth Wimmer can be as direct as this in her songs, as fans have learned through the past years and this song is no different. Country tinged, thanks to the warm tones of her partner Mike Bischof, the song shows that Beth Wimmer is a singer-songwriter that ought to far better known than she is. This is a great song in its genre. Now, about that good cause. Beth's cat needs a medical treatment and she asks for your support. You can do so here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/bethwimmer.

Tripping Out On Love/Let's Kiss And Makeup Tonight. Muck and the Mires

A 7" single by Boston garage rockers Muck and the Mires. Always in fear of becoming a pastiche, the band never does. For that the band takes it music to serious. Even if there's a musical quote hidden somewhere in a song, it is the sound of the band. This single shows two sides of the same coin. Tripping Out On Love represents the rock side of the band. The band rocks like it is the second half of the 60s and sounds like no band could at the time. Little heart shaped pills are all over the video, a nice entendre to another love pill. Let's Kiss And Makeup Tonight shows the other side of a relationship and of Muck and the Mires. This is the more poppy side of the 60s, like 'Glad All Over' was for example. Tough, but pure pop. Muck and the Mires show that it is a band at the top of its game. It always delivers.

Live 2024 - 2025. And They Spoke In Anthems 

Last spring a car stopped in front of our house and from it more instruments, gear and cables were schlept than I ever could imagine one artist to bring with him. After a few hours of putting it all together, a living room show was presented that those present will not easily forget. Arne Leurentop, as the artist behind And They Spoke In Anthems is called in daily life, mesmerised the circa 20 people (and sold many a record afterwards). Recently, he released a mini live album from a benefit show played in 2024. Without the intention to record it. The sound man had any way. You can listen to it for free but are requested to donate to a good cause. This cause closed at the end of last year (I now read), but I'm sure you can think of another good cause. Listening to a recording is not the same as experiencing Arne Leurentop playing up as close as I were lucky to see/hear, but it is definitely second best, because his songs are so beautiful and mesmerising.

Excuse Me. Heavenly 

 '74/75' and Excuse Me are both songs that look back with loads of nostalgia to a time that is long gone. Twenty years for the former, maybe 40 years for the latter. I am not a nostalgic person. Yes, it was fun but it still is today, only different, even doing things I was not able to do, like playing music myself. So, sometimes even better in several ways. Heavenly has reformed and will release an album 'Highway To Heavenly' on 27 February and do an extensive tour. Four original members have come back on board with a new drummer. What I have heard so far, makes me pine for what I may have missed at the time and look forward to what I am about to hear. Excuse Me is a track that is very much alive with a punky attitude and an alternative pop feel. Heavenly compares Excuse Me to the first The Undertones album. I can understand why but have to point out that the age difference is apparent, but that is perfectly okay. Excuse Me is a strong track, with a great beat and feeling for things that came and went. We're all still here and that is something to rejoice for certain.

Artificial Stars. Ultrabomb

Made up out of former members of Hüsker Dü, Soul Asylum and Social Distortion, it makes it a good guess what the average age of the Ultrabomb members is? It will not be 20, 30 or 40 and most likely not even 50. Whatever the average is exactly, the outcome is an energetic powerpoprock song that lights up these artificial stars the band sings about no little. The band has released a few albums this decennium and will release its new album 'The Bridges That We Burn' in April. Ultrabomb is a trio, Greg Norton, Derek O’Brien and Ryan Smith. You will hear that Smith overdubbed some guitars, but the basis is a powertrio that goes for it in the way powertrios should. Drums and bass are very present and the guitars are everywhere. I always perceive a difference between U.K. and U.S. trios, the latter are somewhat smoother in sound, no matter how much noise they produce. Ultrabomb is no different.

Cut Glass Hammer. Memorials

A song named after an artwork by Yoko Ono? Now that is intriguing. I never got further than seeing the outside ad on a museum wall in Frankfurt when driving by in a tram from the train station on route to a project kick off near the old harbour, with no time to have a visit. What I'm listening to is an electronic pop track, that makes me think of 'Are Friends Electric' or 'Cars' by Tubeway Army/Gary Newman. Cut Glass Hammer is only slightly less straitjacketed. The vocals are a little more frivolous or loose, however you prefer to describe it. Memorials, previously members of Electrelane and WIRE, consists of Verity Susman and Matthew Simms and wil release its album ‘All Clouds Bring Not Rain’ on 27 March. It is announced as as a very experimental album, so it must get a lot wilder/weirder than this single. This is gefundenes fressen for lovers of circa 1980 electropop. You are allowed to think The Human League as well.

Undertow Afterglow. Kurt Baker

To think that I, Dutchman, was on the guestlist of Kurt Baker in Tokio in the fall of 2023 by way of Geoff Palmer who than played guitar in Baker's band. Alas, the confirmation never reached me because for some reason I was unable to acces my WoNo account. in Japan. It just wouldn't open, until I got home. I would not have heard this extremely pleasant poprock track, as it didn't exist yet. Undertow Afterglow, besides making me think "undertoad" immediately thanks to 'The World According To Garp', is such a nice song. The positive riffs fly into my ears, not ever wanting to leave again. The vocal melody is totally upbeat. Baker gives me the idea that we are all back in high school pining for our first love, that for some have and for others did not happen. Bittersweet is the right word, were it not that decades later it is taken in as great fun. That is exactly what Undertow Afterglow is. And, mr. Baker, my apologies for not showing up. I would have loved to be there.

Rainbow Cardigan. The Corner Laughers

A new name to the blog, The Corner Laughers is. Had I been asked to say where the band comes from, I would have said the U.K./England. Wrong, the band is from northern-California. On Rainbow Cardigan it weaves pop with folk and indie. It is totally upbeat from the get go and grabs the listener by way of positive vibes and this positivity shines through for the whole of the musical ride. Although the song has a melancholy side to it, it looks back to a time in the past, it makes the sun come out and puts a pleasant tan on our skin and warms our bones. I had never heard of The Corner Laughers before, but I can assure you more is welcome in the future. Patience until March is called for when 'Concerns Of Wasp and Willow' will be released on Big Stir Records.

In Your Ocean. Iron & Wine

Iron & Wine, aka as Sam Bean, is an act that I have passed up on quite often in the past few decades. Bean's music somehow most of the time is just outside of my interest, while his music is quite close to musicians that I do like. Today it's different. In Your Ocean is a positive sounding pop track that appeals to me. Please do not ask why, as it just is. The vocal melody brings U.K. vibes to me, think The Hollies of the 1960s. Iron & Wine has really tapped into a musical vein from long, long ago. With an organ as on 'Marrakesh Express', there is Graham Nash again, and vocals that bring to mind a myriad of bands from long ago. That is more than enough for me to like In Your Ocean, a lot.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

2026, week 3. 10 singles: Ladies Day

Today, I am doing something very different. With one exception, none of these singles were sent to me in one way or another. Today's items are written from a thought that occurred to me somewhere before Christmas and stuck in my head. Here I'm testing that idea a little.

But, before going into details. Yes, I'm an older male, listening today to music that was not made with someone like me in mind, but that every once in a while I am exposed to. Mostly through the morning show on Radio 2, that my wife likes to listen to before leaving for work and some other odd times when I come down from working upstairs. At Radio 2 they play mostly older music, but with sometimes something new thrown in. Quite often we are looking to each other and wondering, so this is the number 1 record at this moment, but when is this song finally starting? And then one song came by and I knew instantly why this was a hit (read the tenth post). Hence, this week's singles post focuses on young(er) female singers that are popular at this point in time, starting with the current number 1 over here. Let me apologies to fans, that not all I write may be to your liking, but, hey, even in 2026 tastes are allowed to differ.

The Fate Of Ophelia. Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift is one of the biggest if not the biggest artist(s) at the moment. And still, she never scored that BIG hit in The Netherlands. I always wondered how that is possible. In 2025-26 that has changed. She has her first number 1 hit. Now, I do not know a lot of Swift songs, so can't really compare. When listening to The Fate Of Ophelia, what I'm hearing is a decent pop track, one that sort of does everything right. It shows a lot of restraint as well, right up to the point that it has me wishing that it would go off at some point. The video clip starts with the recreation of a painting that apparently makes young women and girls go to the museum where the original hangs. Besides that, it recreates show movies that I saw on TV when I was young, Marilyn, Esther Williams, etc. Movies I did not really like, but nostalgia does a lot when watching the video in 2026. The Fate Of Ophelia is a nice track, no doubts there, but, The Netherlands, is this her best track yet or is it finally a recognition of her overall popularity?

Man I Need. Olivia Dean

Already 19 weeks on the charts and still at number 2 and nine weeks at number one in 2025 before Ms. Swift. This is the song that triggered my thoughts, "So this is number 1"? What I'm hearing, is a song with something of a soul vibe to it, but to my ears it has absolutely nothing going for it. The melody is bland, the singer has no vim in her. It sounds to me as if Man I Need is the result of a few students who had to stay late because they flunked their assignment. A have-to instead of want-to. I know, all is taste, but quite often I can not particularly like a song but hear what makes it good and liked, e.g. Miley Cyrus' 'Flowers'. This song totally passes me by here, even baffles me.

So Easy (To Fall In Love). Olivia Dean

In life all needs to be fair. Olivia Dean is found twice in the chart of week 2, so let me give her a second chance. With So Easy (To Fall In Love) at number 9, she has two big hits at the same time. And if I had to choose, the choice would be obvious. This one is a genuine soul ballad. A song that could have been sung by both Aretha and Dusty. The bossa nova elements and the trumpet give the song a fresh vibe and even Herb Alpert would have fallen in love with Olivia singing this song. Here the relaxed vibe totally works in favour of the song. The heart and soul is in the singer and the musicians. To my ears So Easy (To Fall In Love) is totally anachronistic in 2026, but then I see young men and women dancing to the same tunes as I was as a student. So why should they not like a jazzy soul song like this?

Messy. Lola Young

Somewhat older, but a song that totally passed me by, I think. All of a sudden Lola Young was an item in my music magazine, 'Oor'. THE song was Messy, so I decided to give it a chance. The song came to number 2 in 2024 and stayed no less than 34 weeks in the charts. I find that I like the song. It has this slow drive that keeps it going at its own near slacker pace. Lola Young sing-talks in the verse and then sings in the chorus. In the lyrics she does not mince her words and whoever she's singing to must be either deaf or a total asshole. The chorus is not so much unlike what Taylor Swift does, but far rougher. More U.K. I'd say, direct and in your face. This is far from punk but the vibe of Messy is as direct as The Jam's 'A Town Called Malice'.

Loser. Roxy Dekker

And what about The Netherlands? Well, here's Roxy Dekker. Last spring she drew so many people that it was near impossible to get on the 'Bevrijdingspop' terrain in Haarlem. I can be extremely short about Loser, which is despite the title a Dutch language song. This is bubblegumpop for the 2020s. Autotune, pop without any form of bite. It can't even come close to a song like 'Messy'. Why is this a hit (at number 15)?

 

 

Wacht Op Mij. Hannah Mae

Hannah Mae is a name I know, because of the tv series "Beste Zangers" where she participated. Wacht Op Mij ('Wait For Me') is a song that I hadn't heard before. It is number 26 this week. Hannah Mae presents a serious track, a true ballad, but not a love song. This is about mental illness and its consequences, but also the help that is offered. In her way of singing, she is an exponent of how several young female singers sing recently, a little breathy and hesitantly. In my ears this is a courageous single, not one that can be expected to become a hit. She chose to release it any way. This song is not for me, but I hear the love with which it was made and the vulnerability she shows through strength. Hannah Mae presents Wacht Op Mij with the exact right tone.

Hoogtevrees. Bente

At number 34 comes Bente's new single. Vocally, she resembles Hannah Mae but also, lyrically and musically. Hoogtevrees ('vertigo') goes from brittle to huge during the course of the song. The theme is just as serious. Bente featured in the same show, 'Beste Zangers', but one season later. So, I knew her and knew she could really sing. The style of singing is not totally my thing, but lets say that after a few years I'm getting a little used to it. Hoogtevrees is an interesting track, as it manages to present a few different moods. Bente invites herself and everyone who tends to look to his/her feet to start looking up. The music invites her to do the exact same thing and becomes a positive storm, to end in a very small way. Again, a very serious theme for a single, but one that takes the listener along. It may not be an 'Eloise' or 'Just A Little Bit Of Peace In My Heart' to my ears, but for someone young in 2026 it may well, perhaps deserves to become so.

Undone. Heidi Curtis

This debut single was pushed on that Radio 2 morning show I already mentioned, this week as new music on "Jan Willem's radar". Heidi Curtis takes us on board of a good and tight rock song. It takes me back circa 30 years when the likes of Alanis Morissette and all the female singers who followed her for a short period of time, most never heard from again, became popular. Listening to Undone, I can only say that I've heard this all before. Been there, done that, some passages even sound too familiar. Especially Florence + Machine comes to mind. That out of the way, Heidi Curtis rocks and quite enthusiastically. She goes for it and it is easy to hear she is serious about her first single. That makes the song a winner and this being a first single, gives Ms. Curtis hopefully ample time to find her own voice as well.

The Subway. Chappell Roan

Back to abroad. Another name impossible to escape in the past year was Chappell Roan. To my surprise, she has not scored a really big hit. This is the last of her three chart entries. Listening to The Subway I can only barely suppress a yawn. When will this song get going? Okay, Ms. Roan can sing, that is obvious, but everything I'm hearing has been done before and a lot better. Perhaps I'm listening to the wrong song, but this is not for me.

 

 

Where Is My Husband! Raye

And here, finally, you might say, is the cause of all the above. The reason why I wanted to write this specific post. This song is an instant banger. It sounds like something that I might have heard before, but never in this way. This went straight into my ears and set of fireworks there. This song has so much energy. I could also call it an ADHD track as it keeps bouncing around without a single pauze. The singing is all over the place. The horns keep blasting into my ears, at full blast at that, without mercy. The message is really hit home. To my surprise Raye already had seven previous hits to her name, but always with someone else. This is her first solo hit over here and for now stuck at number 3. How can the other two, see above, top this song? There's something wrong in this world and unfortunately not just this chart position. Where Is My Husband? does put a mind on more positive thoughts though. Something to escape the rest with for a short period of time.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

2026, week 2. 10 singles

It has been snowing for days on end and the whole country sort of has come to a stand still. Musically, things are relatively quiet as well. There are not too many releases in the coming two weeks. Below you find the first single released in 2026 reviewed on WoNoBlog. The year has started and I feel fine. Enjoy!

Blow Your Mind. Strawberry Alarm Clock

When the original "Nuggets" album was released in 1972 I was too young to notice. However, when the four cd box was released in 1998, I made  sure to buy and enjoy it. One of the songs, not on the original LP, was 'Incense & Peppermint' by Strawberry Alarm Clock. It went to number 1 in the U.S. and Canada in 1967, but did not chart over here. In 2025 the band returned to the recording studio and features for the second time on WoNoBlog. Blow Your Mind does not literally have that effect on me. It is a nice single though that has a bite thanks to the wildish guitar riff and the rhythm that propels the song ever forward. The style reminds of the songs on Frank Zappa/The Mothers of Invention's debut album, 'Freak Out'. That is not a bad place to be in. 

Echo Park Donut. Luke Temple and The Cascading Moms

I've never been to Echo Park, but it must be a nice place seeing how many songs/albums have it in their title. The latest edition is this single. Singer/songwriter/producer Luke Temple together with Doug Stuart (bass) and Kosta Galanopoulos (drums) present a very relaxed song that moves in a way that seems lighter than a feather and just floats on the wind. That gives it a late seventies, West-Coast vibe, reminiscent of the likes of Christopher Cross. Add the background vocals and it goes for very pleasant and relaxed listening. When the song at the end gets a more percussive edge, the song almost gets a bite. The trio releases its album 'Hungry Animal' on 13 February.

My Mind's Got A Mind Of It's Own. The Lemon Drop Gang

How far back can a band put the hands of the clock? In the case of The Lemon Drop Gang it is about sixty years. On its latest single it is like a gang of youngsters is playing in the garage of one of their parents. Dad having left the car out on the drive just for them. The result is something the dad, despite holding his hands over his ears, could have been proud of: My Mind's Got A Mind Of It's Own. The Lemon Drop Gang recorded in 2025 though and has done a thorough job of it. The sound of its new single simply can't be more authentic, louder and wilder. Steph O'Halloran - Vocals, Johnny O'Halloran - Guitars, Saw, D. Walker - Bass and Matt Rendon - Drums have found the mustard source of all the teenagers in the mid-60s and turned it into a sensational sound for the 2020s.

Just A Shadow. A.A. Williams

A.A. Williams signed last year to the Reigning Phoenix Music label and is releasing a single to celebrate it. Just A Shadow is a song with at least two sides. The song starts almost like a ballad, turns into a gothic rock songs and later receives a guitar contribution bordering on metal. My mind flashed the lights The Gathering and Within Temptation, to mention two bands from my home country, immediately. The combination works though. Williams obviously is the master of her song. She rides it confidently like Anky van Grunsven rode Bonfire to an Olympic gold medal. All else present in Just A Shadow is there to serve William's darkish voice. She is no Floor Jansen but convinces with her performance. Just A Shadow is the kind of song that makes me want to hear more, despite it is just outside of my musical comfort zone.

The Backrooms. Proton Packs

With 'Visions From The Void', Proton Packs' new and fifth album, coming up, the band released a single that is quite attractive. The band from the Italian town, where horse racing in the city centre is one of its highlights, Siena, is around for over twenty years. Proton Packs has listened to American examples like The Offspring and comes up with an enthusiastic song of the kind Dexter Holland c.s. used to make quite some time ago. Punk rock is combined with a strong melody and some nice lead guitar lines. The combination makes for a song that shines, bounces up and down and makes me want to dance. Exactly like how I want my punk rock songs to be.

Baseball. Dirt Buyer

Alternative rocker Dirt Buyer, aka Joe Sutkowski, returns to the blog with the single Baseball. Working towards the release of his new album 'Dirt Buyer III', release 6 February, Dirt Buyer gives off a good taste of what his fans can expect and others can newly discover. Baseball is an alternative rock track that has a long tradition in the U.S. It may well be that my introduction was with the single 'Tail Lights' by Buffalo Tom in 1992? 1993?. Since, I never looked back. Baseball falls nicely into that tradition. Tough sounding guitars, interspersed with a sparse keyboard note. The use of dynamics accent the light and the shade in the song. Over it Sutkowski sings with a dreamy voice that is not overly joyful nor depressed. Again allowing the light and shade in. In other words, there's nothing new here, but just so well done.

I Want To Go To Space (Closing Credits). Carol Cleveland Sings

 'Effervescent Lure', Carol Cleveland Sings' 2016 album, is the album that got to me by the longest route by far of all my albums. Ordered in the U.S., shipped to San Francisco to a friend, who brought it to Guadalajara in Mexico, where he gave it to me there at a conference, from where I brought it home, saving circa $20 shipping costs. After an EP, 'Wishing Well', I lost track of the duo Thomas Hughes and Gretchen Lohse, until a recent email announced a new album, 'Darla In Space'. It is a movie soundtrack, a musical art form that I do not always appreciate, as it is so fragmented and joined to movie scenes which are not there. As I'm very sympathetic to CCS, I've listened to the composition supporting the movie's closing credits. In general this is where they show "the little letters" as we call them, with the gaffer, hairdresser, dolly grip, carpenter, etc., while everyone puts on their coats to leave. I Want To Go To Space is just the right music for it. Unobtrusive, yet it is totally CCS. It is not for nothing that every time I write about New Zealand act Pickle Darling, that I mention CCS. Although, this track is more organic, the little elements that make it a CCS track are all there, with the exception of Gretchen Lohse not singing lyrics. Here it is just oohs and aahs, but that's okay. I Want To Go To Space is a nice and relaxed exit to a record and movie. 

Lit. Jaguero

More punk from Italy this week. Jaguero formed in 2021 out of several other bands and has released two EPs so far. There will be an album later this year. First there is the first single, Lit. Starting with a huge guitar riff, enhanced by a little lick that comes by a few times. The vocals are double tracked, at least double that is, with one mixed a little into the background where the lyrics are shouted out loud with even more emotion. The result is that besides punk rock the song borders towards emo. With Lit, Jaguero takes you down a well trodden path but with a lot of enthusiasm and power. It is certainly worth checking out.

 

Three Friends Of Winter. Three Friends Of Winter

The day Stefan Breuer sent me the link to this song, he could not foresee that just over a week later he could eat his heart out as a friend of winter. The world turned white for days on end with perhaps the end not yet in sight. The band Three Friends Of Winter is a collaboration between the bands/projects Hako, I Am Oak and The World of Dust. Of course that rubs off, although I can't judge for Hako. Emiko Hachiki (Hako), Stefan Breuer (The World of Dust) en Thijs Kuijken (I am Oak) met in Osaka when the two Dutch men toured there in 2019 and after that started trading snippets of music online. This is the first result and it surely wets my appetite to hear more. Where the song seems fairly straightforward, listen more closely and you will hear an instrument that is not like anything that is heard in western music, as well as atmospherics that weave  in and out throughout the song. Like waves from space. It is a beautiful contrast to the soft song. The music gets a nice kick here and there because of the use of an electric guitar. Thijs Kuijken, being, well, Thijs Kuijken, he sings like he always does and sets a relaxed meditating mood. All these extra's make the song different from the two acts I do know well, making this a different act. The way the three blend their music, calls for more in the future.

Burn The Time Away. Wanted Noise

There's only one place in the world where I swam in the Pacific ocean. It was in the city where beach punks Wanted Noise comes from, San Diego. I remember a stark descent down a cliff (and going back up), loads of sun and illegal nudity, an older guy (listen to me today) with a far too young female companion. Yes, you're right, all this has nothing to do with Burn The Time Away. With this review, the blog leaves 2025 releases behind it. The single starts with a few guitars weaving in interesting patterns, not giving anything away about what is to come: a quite standard punk track, with huge drums. Cudos to Taylor Wagner are due, wow! He brings so much energy to Burn The Time Away, making so many sparks fly, that he only thing the band has to do, is follow. The double guitars and bass do just that. The call-response vocals are an asset setting the song apart from most punk tracks. There's an album coming up called 'Easy Listening'. Yeah, sure!

Wout de Natris - van der Borght