Welcome To My Blue Sky. Momma

Momma is a band from Brooklyn, NY and excels in alternative rock somewhere between jangly pop, The Go-Go's 1980s poprock and indierock from the mid-90s. With Welcome To My Blue Sky the band settles nicely in the space where a band like La Luz is already sitting comfortably.

Founding members Etta Friedman (guitar, vocals) and Allegra Weingarten (guitar, vocals) already met in highschool and have been playing together ever since. They were joined by Aron Kobayashi Ritch (bass and producer) and Preston Fulks (drums, percussion). The first release was the mini album 'thanks come again' in 2016. So, newbys Momma are not.

The more I go into Welcome To My Blue Sky the more I'm reminded of that fantastic album from 1995, 'Eight Arms To Hold You' by Veruca Salt, only to be confronted with the fact that it's thirty years ago this year that I bought it. There's nothing like music to make me realise time is passing by. Welcome To My Blue Sky has that same optimistic view on its music while the songs themselves have that slightly downcast feel to it because of that dreamy, melancholic way of singing.

I remember a review with the two Veruca Salt ladies from that time where they lauded the producer, Bob Rock, who kept pushing them with the words: "there is another melody hidden in there" and they found it and the next one and the next one. I have no clue if  Aron Kobayashi Ritch approached his fellow band members the same way. I can imagine that he has, as Welcome To My Blue Sky is filled with golden melodies on top of one another. If he did, he deserves double compliments because as a band member it is harder to push colleagues than it is for a passer by as a producer can be.

Summing up my conclusions, Welcome To My Blue Sky is a very consistent album that brings the listener energy and the will to listen to it again. After a rather subdued beginning Mommy digs in and doesn't let go until the album is over. The album is fun, is good and memorable. End of year list material? It may very well be. Only one hurdle is left to take, longevity.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Welcome To My Blue Sky here:

https://mommaband.bandcamp.com/album/welcome-to-my-blue-sky

2025 week 13. 10 singles

Not a week, if not a day goes by that the news does not surprise me or even shocks me. Being surprised to be surprised again, to the point where I feel like not wanting to learn more. And that is when things start getting dangerous. Ignorance is far from bliss, as it will bring many very nasty surprises as many voters are starting to notice in democracies around the world. So, I keep following the news, just like I keep on the look out for new singles to point you to. Here are another ten of them. Enjoy!

Lies (Something You Can Do). The Hard Quartet

Until today I passed the option by to write on The Hard Quartet, an alternative rock supergroup consisting of  Emmett Kelly, Stephen Malkmus, Matt Sweeney, and Jim White. Lies (Something You Can Do) deserves a spot though. The song is a nice ramshackle affair, where everyone playing seems to be doing something totally on his own. Over it Emmett Kelly sings the vocal melody, keeping things together quite nicely. The further I go into the song the more it shows how it all fits together. Who keeps the rhythm in Lies (Something You Can Do)? The drums mostly roll away. The bass follows its own melody and the guitars are all over the place and yet it all fits somehow. There are even successful backing vocals doing oohs and aahs. From interesting listening slowly Lies (Something You Can Do) moves into good and that surprised me no little after the start of the song.

Hopeful. Micha

For weeks now Radio 2 dj Jan Willem Roodbeen is pushing a singer from Zwolle called Micha. And now the station has made it its song of the week. What is it all about? I come to a simple conclusion. A typical singer-songwriter song as there are many and then some more. We hear an acoustic guitar, that is subtly picked, over which a voice with a strong rasp in it sings with a melancholy tone. Done right, this is the kind of song that can touch a person's heart straight away. It must have happened to Roodbeen, not to me though. Hopeful is a beautiful song, no doubt there, but not more than that. In my ears it misses that little extra element of stardust that makes a ballad shine. You will all have your own example. In the meantime do enjoy Hopeful because it certainly is worthwhile listening to.

No Known Known. I Am Oak

I Am Oak returns to the blog with another single. Album 'Time Drifts' is just around the corner. No Known Known is a fine representative of that album, should you have a desire to learn about what to expect of I Am Oak. The single is a slow ballad, with a hint of mystery created by the way voice and instruments were recorded. There seems to be so much open space in which both categories can settle that there is more than enough space left for the mystery. The basis of this song is the acoustic guitar that is sparsely strummed. There's one section in which a keyboard and strings join the guitar, just like more voices are let in. All Thijs Kuijken it seems to my ears. The small additions are the stardust that I missed in the review right above this one. That may have to do with experience, as Kuijken is active as musician is his third decade and Micha just debuted. It could be of choice as well of course. Choose your battle, I'd say because both are beautiful songs in their own right, but I do have my preference as you've just learned.

Happy Birthday. Black Country, New Road

Just over a month ago I reviewed 'Besties', Black Country, New Road's previous single. As you may recall it was one of the weirdest musical experiences I've encountered during the days of this blog. It did not stop me from listening to Happy Birthday. Sure, the song does not take a straight line from point a to b either, as it makes a few detours here and there. Not to mention the lyrics where the singer claims to be dead already, "as you can see by the patch on my hand". Where 'Besties' totally derailed my ears and brain, Happy Birthday does the absolute opposite. The song is stimulating and invigorating. Yes, here it is easy to accept the detours, the change in tempo and some esoteric interludes. Again nothing is what it seems, but at least everything is in its place. The result is a musical adventure that is worth taking, like a hiking trail that may have some danger but also leads to the most beautiful of panoramas. Happy Birthday is that kind of song. Album 'Forever Howlong' is released on 4 April.

Ancient Light. I'm With Her

The name I'm With Her did not ring any bells with me and cannot be found on this blog. Single Ancient Light landed well in these ears within the first seconds. Clicking on the link I read the names Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O'Donovan and Sara Watkins. Look for those names on this blog and you'll find multiple reviews. Mostly by Erwin Zijleman and where Sarah Jarosz in concerned by yours truly. The trio has already worked together, I learned and is about to release its second album, 'White And Clear And Blue' on May 9th, Judging from Ancient Light, we are bound for an acoustic folk album with acoustic guitars, a banjo and violin. Above all, the three sing together in a heavenly way. It's quite clear that you do not have to be siblings to sing together perfectly. Jarosz, O'Donovan and Watkins certainly weave in and out of each other's melody in a both charming and perfect way. A very nice song Ancient Light is.

Careful. Personality Cult

Personality Cult is from Durham in North Carolina and started when Ben Carr started to create music on his own. This led to a first, self-titled LP, but from there transitioned into a band. That band is about to release its second album, 'Dilated' (2 May), third in total. On the basis of Careful we can expect a punkrocking album filled with fast-paced songs. All but careful I'd say, as Personality Cult really goes for it with an aim to make audiences wild. The charm, in as far as a song like Careful has any of course, is that the band manages to bring in many nice and interesting twists and accents into the whole. If it wasn't so loud and fast, one could even call it subtle. Careful has some great breaks, interesting chord changes and vocal melodies. Once listening past the speed, you will hear loads of musicality the members of Personality Cult have in them.

Sangria (demo). Vera Ellen

Not all albums from 2023 come by on a regular basis any more, but 'Ideal Home Noises' is one of them. So, when Vera Ellen releases a new song, I certainly prick up my ears. The effort is paid back in full, as Sangria (demo) is one of these typical Vera Ellen songs. She is able to set the strangest of moods in her songs and is able to make the weirdest of twists in her lyrics and still I follow her any which way her wind blows me. This song does not seem to go anywhere. It's sort of slacker dragging its feet along. But just wait for it. With an apparently simple musical twist Vera Ellen changes the mood by changing her voice in the chorus. And that is where the adventure starts. I simply love how she does this and Sangria (demo) is no exception to her rule. It's a song that she already played live on her 2024 tour and may be the first of what is to come at a still unknown point in time. For one, I can't wait to hear more.

No One Like You. Girl With A Hawk 

Although Girl With A Hawk is only on this blog for a few years, the Boston band is there very regularly and No One Like You is no exception. It sounds a lot like many songs that I've heard ever since the late 70s and yet it immediately touches the right musical strings in my brain. Linda Viens' voice does that Blondie thing, although she has a far better voice than Debbie Harry. At the same time No One Like You is a streamlined song. Nothing jumps across the fence. It's like the perfect guy with all his hair's in place, not a single one sticking out. The band is a tight unit, playing almost like a monolith, tightly sealed in the song's context. Not even the warm organ or the guitar solo escapes it. And yet it totally works. The melody is so compelling. It's the kind of song I want to put on again and again.

Calliope. The Underground Youth

Calliope is a daughter of Zeus and one of the muses, of eloquence and epic poetry. (Thank you Wikipedia.) Coincidentally, I read today an interview with Stephen Fry because of his new book 'Odyssey', in which he states that Homer's epic novel announced the end of the Gods in ancient Greece. There was no need for them any longer. The Underground Youth finds itself on WoNoBlog for the second time with a slow, bare and empty song from its upcoming album 'Décollage', released on 4 April. Calliope is present in the female voice that meanders in the background almost throughout the song in a heavenly way. Décollage is as much song as atmosphere. The singer sings with a dark voice, taking his time in his phrasing, as the song gives him all the time he needs. The band's "explosion" comes as a surprise but takes the song to the next level. Calliope is as interesting as it is good.

Hamelin. King Garcia

Instrumental post rock/metal band King Garcia is on the blog for the second time as well, see The Underground Youth above. After 'Sweat', that surprised me no little with a saxophone as a lead instrument, it's Hamelin's turn, the title track of the upcoming album, released on 18 April. Again, there are many familiar elements in the song's structure and approach, in the metal sense. There's is nothing like it though because of Alex Orfanos' contributions on trumpet and clarinet. This makes for such a surprising band sound. It brings in immediate references to traditional Greek folk music, regardless of the onslaught of the metal style playing guitar, bass and drums. It works for me though. If the lead instrument had been another guitar or voice, the effect would not have been half of what it is now. Where usually I am quite soon fed up with instrumental music, I would be surprised if 'Hamelin' will not go down well.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

Phonetics On And On. Horsegirl

Horsegirl is a New York-via-Chicago trio of best friends Nora Cheng, Penelope Lowenstein, and Gigi Reece. The trio formed in 2019 and released its first EP 'Horsegirl: Ballroom Dance Scene et cetera' one year later, followed by debut LP 'Versions of Modern Performance' in 2022. We're three years later and Phonetic On And On is upon us.

I have missed the two previous efforts of Horsegirl. Single 'Switch Over' was my introduction to the band. It made me curious to hear more and what I'm hearing is leaving me somewhat undecided but with an inclination towards the favourable. Phonetics On And On is a wobbly record. Ramshackle indie rock that can go either way. The band Magnapop for example was totally unlistenable to me. Horsegirl is and reminds me faintly of bands like The Beths and Wet Leg, except for that wobbly demeanour in singing and musicianship.

The basis of this band is sparse use of drums, bass and guitar, even of the voice(s). Just listen to 'In Twos', there's even a cello involved, playing the same note over and over. When all is said and done very little happens here, without giving the impression that something will at some point. The musicians appear to have just learned to play their instruments (it is rather confusing that in the song '2468' Horsegirl is singing 'In Twos' a hundred times) while I hear this obviously is not true. It's the impression they give.

This may be the case, fact is that the three Horsegirls know how to write a song and have the skills to arrange them as well, even in keeping things bare. In how far producer Cate le Bon played a role here, I can't tell. That depends on her approach to producing. The band itself stated that it strove to keep things bare and not fill songs with distorted guitars. As I wrote, I can't compare, but fact is that the emptiness in several songs works quite well. In that not unlike The Velvet Underground on its eponymous album. 'Julie' is a good example of this. 'Pale Blue Eyes' or 'Jesus' are songs I'm thinking of here. The switch to single 'Switch Over' and in comes 'What Goes On'. Point proven.

Taking the album as a whole I'm still not totally convinced but far more that after the first listening session. Horsegirl can thank 'Switch Over' for me wanting to listen more often, as it is the song that drew me into Phonetics On And On. I'm glad I did, as things seem to come out alright.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Phonetics On And On here:

https://thisishorsegirl.bandcamp.com/album/phonetics-on-and-on

2025, week 6. 10 singles

Is it possible to miss several records of an artist only then to discover them and like what you hear? Yes, it is as this week proves once again. There are a few bands and artists making their debut here today who have all released records before. Together with a few familiar names on this blog they make up this week's ten singles. Enjoy!

Evil People. Mien

Mien is a Dutch female name and the name of an American - Canadian psychrock supergroup. It host a member of The Black Angels, Elephant Stone, The Earlies and Golden Dawn Arkestra. Mien will release its first record since 2018, it's second, self-named album in April. Single Evil Music does not come as a surprise musically. The psych part is taken care of extremely well. Synths are pulsing all over and Alex Maas' voice is one in a million. What sticks out more is how fast the pace of Evil People is. Until the interlude that takes the mood totally down, it is running in a full sprint. Although I have heard better songs in this genre, Evil People certainly has a right to exist. Go, Mien.

Switch Over. Horsegirl

Paardenmeisje is the Dutch word for Horsegirl. It is used for young girls that dote on horses. So, today Horsegirl the band makes its debut on this blog or so I thought. It's not the case though, as Erwin Zijleman wrote a review on the album 'Versions Of Modern Performance ' in 2022. I'm not familiar with the album but what I'm hearing on this single is a nice ramshackle kind of indierock that plays out as a The Velvet Underground light. A 2025 variation on 'What Goes On', something like that. Horsegirl is a New York-via-Chicago trio, Nora Cheng, Penelope Lowenstein, and Gigi Reece. With Cate le Bon in the producer's chair the band sounds as hesitatingly as it is confident. It results in a single that is very straightforward. Horsegirl does not beat around the bush with Switch Over. I wonder whether this will be the same on ' Phonetics On and On'. The album releases on 14 February.

Wet Faced & Ugly. Mood Bored

Mood Bored returns to the blog with its most atmospheric single to date. Wolf Alice, Porridge Radio, fans of bands like these should be running for the search function on Spotify. Mood Bored hits the jackpot here. I have certainly been positive on the band but Wet Faced & Ugly is next level. The use of reverb on the guitar makes the song sound great. The relaxed pace in combination with the tension within the song from beginning to end makes it irresistible. Singer Myrthe is all over the song, showing all the different voices she commands. It is here that Dana Margolin comes to my mind and not just because of the repeated line at the end of the song. She is everywhere if you listen on your headset. Wet Faced & Ugly is a little bit off the beaten path, as far as I can say that for such a young band, but it makes the band even more attractive to listen to. I simply love this single.

The Haunting Thoughts. The Delines

Looking at the back pages of WoNoBlog, The Delines is Erwin Zijleman territory. He covered three albums over the past 11 eleven years. I found that Chris Eckman tours with The Delines in April, so I thought I better start listening. On the basis of The Haunting Thoughts I perfectly understand the combination. The Haunting Thoughts is an extremely slow, jazzy song. The kind you could have heard in a jazz cellar way after hours, just before everyone goes home and the band can play what it likes to play itself. A last, real drink, a final smoke. Reading on the band, I'm surprised to find Willy Vlautin on guitar. A long time ago I saw him play in Leiden's Q-Bus with his former band Richmond Fontaine. Now he has teamed up with singer Amy Boone, who graces The Delines with a mature, smoky voice. Her singing is far removed from the standard pop voice. It is both mysterious and mature in sound. This may turn out to be a very pleasant evening in April. The Delines album 'Mr. Luck & Ms. Doom' is out on 14 February.

Wide Shooter. Dreamwave

'Hidden Sun' and 'Mindcave' were the singles I reviewed last year. Reading back, I notice they were musically quite different. The U.K. band returns with another uptempo song. At first I have the idea to listen to a new single of The B-52s latching on to the post punk revival bands. It has the same jumpiness of the U.S. band of old. Moving into Wide Shooter things change as Tramhaus' forté makes an entrance here as well when things go into total overdrive. This combination of old and new works really, really well. The Farfisa organ (sound) gives the song a psychedelic 60s sound on top of it all. There's so much energy oozing out of Dreamwave's single that it is almost too hard to keep up. It is not just about energy but also the so many different sounds, voices and ways of singing. The Automatic's 'Monster' is nothing compared with what is happening here. We will have to remain patient as there is no album announced. I'm totally happy for now with Wide Shooter though.

Sanctuary feat. Mitski. Tamino

Tamino releases his third album in March, but he sort of passed me by until his previous single 'Babylon'. Such things happen. With Sanctuary the Belgian singer caught my attention once again. This single is something like beauty incorporated. If there's one thing I do not like, it is the ending. Too unexpected and sudden. For the rest everything sounds pleasantly familiar, warm and soothing. He is joined by American singer-songwriter Mitski for a duet that works really well. They both have warm voices that circle around each other. Their singing almost makes me forget the beautiful music that is made behind and around their voices. Sanctuary is a ballad and a very rich one at that. I love the way how the pace is kept up by the band, allowing both singers to shine totally. Two singles into the future release, I can't but say that I'm in anxious anticipation of 'Every Dawn’s A Mountain'. The release date is set for 21 March.

The Fall. The Murder Capital

A few singles into the soon release of new album 'Blindness' (21 February), my mind has been made up: The Murder Capital steps into the large postpunk shoes that its compatriots Fontaines DC have left at the ferry or airport when it moved to London. The Fall has that eclectic energy most Irish and U.K. postpunk bands of the past years have. The Murder Capital combines musical relentlessness with melody and unexpected moments that all these bands have or had. The band masters dynamics perfectly in The Fall before the lid is blown off completely by the band going full out. From zero to hundred in a few seconds. Again, I have the impression that the new album may be the band's best to date. We will soon know more.

Please. cleopatrick

A new name on the blog cleopatrick is. The Canadian duo Luke Gruntz and Ian Fraser are introduced as a rock duo. Well, this is not a jazz standard, but Please at best is a ramshackle, indie rock song. Filled with sounds and white noise over which the song unfolds. And in a very interesting way at that. The duo released and album and an EP before its upcoming album 'Fake Moon'. It all passed me by, but that may have been a shame based on what I'm hearing today. Every time I listen to Please, another detail presents itself. There is a drums and an acoustic guitar, which I will present as the basis of Please. But it's only where the aural adventure starts. There are sounds and noises everywhere and sounds that can be a keyboard or a weirdly treated guitar, I simply can't tell. It is all the more intriguing.

One More Trip Around The Sun. Cari Cari

The title track of the upcoming album is released as third single. It starts with a very characteristic mouth harp and the didgeridoo Stephanie Widmer plays in Cari Cari. It is the first step into a very psychedelic track sung mostly by Alexander Kock. Years and years ago I read a book about a trip around the sun. I could feel the heat of the almost melting rocket ship while reading. Of course, all turned out all. So does this single. Cari Cari shows a different side of itself. Where I doubted the previous single somewhat, I have no doubts here. One More Trip Around The Sun is a trip of a song. It is totally psychedelic, as only hippies in the 60s could foresee. The characteristic riffing of Kock is here but without the layers of reverb and echo over it. The atmospherics added to this song do it all. How to recreate this live, I have no idea. On record I love it.

The Drought. Joshua Finsel

Josua Finsel has a decades long history in music. From a rocker to bluegrass, but now he releases a single as a solo folk artist. The Drought is lofted off 'No Honey' that was released this week. The single is almost tempoless. A number 1 hit in tortoise country The Drought is. It has so much atmosphere though and has so many layers of instruments to enjoy. He sings the song with his daughter Ada, who provides the song with a level of vulnerability that makes me want to protect The Drought. The combination of Joshua Finsel's rough voice and Ada Finsel's clear voice makes the song very special. Musically the song is extremely rich, with a host of instruments and a harmonica taking an occasional lead. Together with producer D Patrick Finsel has created a beautiful song that is very much worthwhile getting to know.

 Wout de Natris - van der Borght