2025, week 9. 10 singles

This week is most likely the saddest in my life so far. Sad and bad news kept piling up. All this was written before it got really bad. So, enjoy it, enjoy life, family and friends!

Not Around Anymore. Broken Social Scene

With the title of its upcoming album Canadians Broken Social Scene make a jump towards a time where A.I. has replaced us. 'Remember The Humans', 8 May, points out the paradox the A.I. creators share constantly, that they are about to wipe out humanity but forge on nonetheless with developing A.I. Single Not Around Here Anymore puts the dot on the i, should we not have gotten the message. Musically, the single reminds me of the mid 80s jazzy folk episode with bands like Everything but the Girl and Working Week. What this band adds, is some more modern, albeit laidback grooves and atmospherics. The result is a pleasant single that allows Broken Social Scene to make its debut on WoNoBlog.

Might See You There. Weird Nightmare

The solo project of ex-Metz' Alex Edkins keeps putting fun singles out. The 2.02 minutes long Might See You There is no exception. It is a punkrock track with a great pop feel, as Edkins is able to put this feel into his vocal melodies, that simply invite singing along to. It is built on a pop tradition of ages. Singer Julianne Riolino adds the female voice that makes listening to Might See You There even more pleasant. Of the song Edkins says to have been listening to The Undertones a lot. Now that is a band that evolved quite a lot over its four albums (before its hiatus), but I can hear where he's coming from. Punk and pop was written all over the band's first two albums, with 'Teenage Kicks' as absolute highlight. Might See You There is not that good, but absolutely so nice. Album 'Hoopla' will be out on 1 May.

There Goes The Neighborhood EP. Steve Geraci

After releasing a few singles, here's the whole four track EP. Steve Geraci is the front man of a band called The Tear Downs but made this EP with producer Dave Westner, who plays the keys, drums and bass. Geraci himself plays guitar and bass. With the title song, the EP starts with a rock track that is a neat version of rock. Neat as in, it doesn't fly off the road nor cuts corners. Neat as in a golden melody and a lot to like. It opens the door to the EP wide. Geraci and Westner brought their scissors to 'Voice In My Head' and show they can rock a bit more dirty, with a great rhythm on the drums and stop-start guitar and bass work. As I wrote last year, the name springing up is Dan Baird and in this year it still is. I'm sorry to say, to quote Steve Geraci in 'Paradise Lost', it is not for me. The song does not come alive for me, although that sax, that could be taken from a Spandau Ballet song, does its utmost. Everything is alright again with the punky 'Save Yourself', that for me is the prize song of There Goes The Neighborhood. It rocks and is extremely sleazy. In 1977 it would have come with a free safety pin and all.

Eb en Vloed. Claude

Had ik geweten dat Cloud, wat ik verstond, Claude was dan had ik misschien niet naar dit nummer gaan luisteren. Maar het is inderdaad de nieuwe single van de man die Nederland vertegenwoordigde op het Eurovisie Songfestival in 2025. Eb en Vloed is een lekker pop nummer dat aansluit bij muziek zoals die gemaakt wordt door een Amerikaanse band als The War Against Drugs, maar dat met a) een enorm shot pop en b) de mystiek die vaak te horen is bij een band als De Toegift. Claude speelt met alle drie deze onderdelen, geassisteerd door producer/co-schrijver Jeroen van der Voort. De derde schrijver is Arno Krabman. Zoals bij The War on Drugs heeft het nummer die enorme drive voorwaarts. Het tempo is niet zo zeer enorm hoog, maar laat je de hele tijd voorwaarts denken, als het surfen op een draaikolk. Ik ben prettig verrast door dit nummer van Claude, die overigens op een enkel woord na, volledig in het Nederlands zingt. Ook dat zette mij daarom op het verkeerde been. Cloud, eh, Claude, onthoudt die naam.

Pain. Janne Schra

There is a lot to write about Pain. How short it is, 1.45 minutes. The video could have been the set up of photo shoots of which each individual photo could go into a museum. More importantly, is the conclusion that it is a beautiful, serious song. In the past I have never been attracted to Janne Schra's music. It was just not made for my ears. Today I'm writing about a second single from her upcoming album, 'Work Out'. Pain is a bittersweet song, that mixes resignation and expectation, but above all is so warm. That warmth comes for an important part from the electric piano and from Janne Schra's voice. There are also some very nice details in the arrangement. The more you listen, the more details come forward. Pain is a beautiful song. 

Victim Of Luck. Metric

Canadian band Metric is on route to the release of its tenth album, 'Romanticize The Dive', 24 April. The new single announcing the album rang a faint bell. Metric? Searching the blog I found two albums, one from 2012 and one from 2015 (and a solo album by singer Emily Haines reviewed in 2017 by Erwin Zijleman). After that silence on these pages. What to expect of a new single? In short, a pleasant pop track with an electronic angle. Singer Haines has a voice like I mentioned recently in GUNMOLL's debut album, including a reference to Danish band The Astroid Galaxy Tour. All together that makes for a pleasant listening experience. Metric does not rock the boat in any way. It wants to please and succeeds.

Planet I.C.E. Dropkick Murphys 

It took the music world a while but protest songs are totally back in fashion. Now leave it to Dropkick Murphys to lead the punk pack. No nice Irish folk punk, uilleann pipes or tin whistles here. The band around singers Al Barr, who seems to have gotten out of hiatus for this song, and Ken Casey is angry and lets the world know it is, loud and proud. There is no holding back, pointing to scumbags and all. The song is one fast flow of anger oozing out of band and record. It's time more artists start speaking their minds as to all appearances democracy in the U.S. is in peril. "May you live in interesting times", is a famous Chinese quote. Well, at times things are becoming too interesting to my taste. Dropkick Murphys, sing loud, sing proud and I'll wear my hoodie from 2001 in support.

Qualm. KANT

More noise, but this time from Germany. The Aschaffenburg band KANT puts itself in the heavy psych rock niche and I can totally live with that. It takes a few seconds before the band takes off, where the tempo of the drummer already leaves no doubt where this song is going. The rest of the band is taking its time. KANT loves punk as much as heavy psych. The difference is the psychedelic effects on the guitars. Qualm is a song that brings the two sides together. This is a song that will invite one part of the fans to get into the moshpit while the others can move their heads up and down on the side and back of the venue, move on the spot and sing along. KANT knows exactly what it is doing and what effect it wants to reach. This tastes like more, but I understand Qualm is a 7" single only.

Camp Song. Lucky Break

What to make if 'Camp Song', one half of the single with 'City Lights' that both announce Lucky Break's debut album 'Made It' (8 May)? It is a short song, like the big hits around 1965, 2.30 minutes. The U.S. singer-songwriter, presents a song that can be played with an acoustic guitar around the campfire in the woods of Michigan where she wrote the song. What I hear, is a track that has a modern drumbeat and a wide arrangement in which a lot of things happen, especially in the choruses. Some sounds are easy to determine, others a bit harder. The combination makes for a song that has something of a singer-songwriter country song and an alternative twist. Believe it or not, I can, as it were, hear Tammy Wynette sing Camp Song, but also R.E.M. Now that is what I call a hybrid.

Deathwish feat. Mark Fry. The Haunted Youth

In 1979 The Cure released it's first album and one of the tracks, later re-released as single, is 'Boys Don't Cry'. 47 Years down the line the band gets an answer from a Belgium band correcting them. 'Boys Cry Too', is the name of The Haunted Youth's upcoming album (8 May). The single of the album has the uplifting title Deathwish. The music does not give that impression, unless its tempo suggests the equivalent of driving a car at full speed into a wall. It just may, listening to the chaotic end. The Haunted Youth goes at it like the siren rock of Big Country's signature song 'In A Big Country' and adds a relentless pace. The Belgian band sounds familiar because of this but because of the power it has put into Deathwish totally convinces. What the role of Mark Fry is in this song, I don't know. I do know this is not the Mark Fry who featured on this blog last year with 'Not On The Radar. The Demos'.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

2025, week 23. 10 singles

Summer of 2025 is near and a tremendous lot has happened around the world. For me personally that all of a sudden Covid is there again. So far a heavy cold and the feeling that comes with it. I had managed to forget all about it until a colleague said my wife has it and I decided to test. And summer? Outside it's cold, wet and gloomy more a premature fall at the moment  No reason to not listen to new singles though or practice for a gig in Haarlem and Oslo soon. Here are another ten recent ones. Enjoy!

Manhood. Girljockey

Strap yourself to your chair, tie your headphones to your head so it doesn't run off and then quietly undergo the varied and extremely different sides of Girljockey's debut single Manhood. From a voice accompanied by an electric guitar, not necessarily playing an average chord with a sound somewhere between clean and dirty, with a little sloppiness as a bonus and a cello, to an eruption the Etna would be proud of. Gillian Chamberlin, who formed the band last year, really is letting herself, her voice and the band rip it up and even more than that in the solo section. My ears have barely escaped catching fire. If anything Manhood reminds me of Hole but then even more extreme. The bio says PJ Harvey but I'll have to take its word for that. I could not get through her in the 90s, later music somewhat. My advise? Just dive into Manhood head first and let yourself be surprised. I have and lived to tell.

Swallowing Your Pride. CIEL

Where in 2023 I wrote about CIEL that it would follow into the Brighton shoes of former local band Blood Red Shoes, in 2025 there's little left of that reference. At least in Swallowing Your Pride. Another name I mentioned at the time was Kim Wilde. That early 80s vibe is what can be heard on CIEL's new single. But more like a tea bag that has been reused again and again. At least compared to the sound of e.g. 'Kids In America'. Swallowing Your Pride does offer a naive kind of new wave pop that makes for dancing and singing. In 2025 CIEL is a duo, singer-songwriter Michelle Hindriks and drummer Tim Spencer. Producer, and now it becomes interesting remembering the first sentence of this review, is Steven Ansell of Blood Red Shoes. Together they have set this song apart, not only from his own band but also from the old days, while providing it with an energy that does make it stick out. We have some time to go before the album is released late in October.

Magic Of The Sale. Teethe

The second new name this week is the Southern slowcore band Teethe. Working towards the release of the same titled album on 8 August, the band introduces itself to me with a track that is as solid as it is mysterious. This has everything to do with the atmosphere of the song. There are clear and present instruments and there's vaguer ones and then atmospheric ones. Add a singer that seems to simply float on the music and you get the picture. Teethe is or used to be from Denton, Texas and released an eponymous album in 2020. The members, who all write songs, collaborated with a host of other musicians of whom MJ Lenderman and his Wednesday colleague Xandy Chelmis are known to me. Magic Of The Sale, not to mix up with 'The Art Of The Deal' and for a good reason, takes the listener on a musical trip that brings him/her to a few unexpected destinations. Intriguing single, with more to come soon.

Laugh So Loud. Duncan Lloyd

Pop aficionados will recognise the name Duncan Lloyd immediately. As guitarist of Mäximo Park he has made my life a lot more pleasant and with 'Apply Some Pressure' co-wrote one of the ultimate singles of the 00s decade. A lot of that energy and freedom of expression, as in no rules, can be heard on his solo single Laugh So Loud. In fact, I think it a better song than most I've heard from his mothership for some years now. No, he's not the best singer, but his soft voice works quite well on his own single. The layers of guitars do the main work, also played by Cloud Nothing's Joe Boyer, not in a little supported by a great rhythm section. Bass and drums are very drivingly present. Above all Laugh So Loud is an adventurous song, that wants to take the listener along. In that it is quite steering. The quality makes you go along for the ride without protest.

Bookends. U.S. Girls

The good thing about the singles blog post is that they are so diverse (besides that I seldom have an idea what to expect next on this endless list of singles). With Bookends I enter a totally different sort of music. U.S. Girls, the moniker of singer-songwriter Meg Remy, presents a ballad tempo song that is as U.S. as it comes. I think some people call this roots music, let me just pose that it's going a long way towards beauty. Remy has a voice that is well-worn in. It has plenty of mileage on it and she doesn't mind showing it to the world. Charlie McCoy's harmonica gives the song even more desolation the Springsteen's 'The River'. The way it interacts with the Hammond organ gives Bookends an almost desolate feel. One big question remains, can you call a 12 minutes something long song a single? The change later on in the song comes as a huge surprise. It is pure funky. I will let you find out for yourself. Album 'Scratch It' is released on 20 June.

New Threats From The Soul, featuring Catherine Irwin. Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band

This is more straight forward country. It may be a song filled with other elements, the way of singing, the pedal steel and structure all spell country, somewhere between tradition and a band like Slobberbone. That is a nice mix to listen to. With Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band we have another debut artist on this blog and well deserved. Davis and band know how to play on a thin line and keeping a perfect balance. The intro is already so nice, with a few unusual instruments joining in. Again, like 'Bookends' right above here, Ryan Davis presents himself with a long song. This one well over nine minutes. And I do not mind one second of it. The addition of Catherine Irwin as guest vocalist works really well. Beauty and the beast duets often do. Album 'New Threats From the Soul' will be released on 25 July.

Jamie C'Mon [Andy Lewis Remix] + Hey Sah-Lo-Ney. The Chelsea Curve

It's three years ago that The Chelsea Curve from Boston was on this blog with the album 'All The Things'. Before that the band debuted with a string of singles, one a month of which several made the cut. Today the band returns with the digital version of what will be a 7" single somewhere in the summer. Listening to the b-side, a cover version of Mickey Lee Lane’s Northern Soul track Hey Sah-Lo-Ney from 1965, it will be well worth the buy. The Chelsea Curve is on fire here, leaning into the rock and moving with the roll just it is meant to be. It's all but unbelievable this song used to be a soul track. The a-side is a remix of the lead single from the afore mentioned album from 2022. Hear the horns and all and Northern Soul is far closer than on Hey Sah-Lo-Nay. Together the two songs make a golden, if not pure steaming combination. The Chelsea Curve is back alright.

Illinois. Joe Bourdet

Dan Fogelberg? I faintly remember an advert for several album on the inner sleeve of 1970s albums, perhaps even my favourite Zappa album, 'One Size Fits All', promoting a Fogelberg album. A man with a blow wave in his hair and a moustache? I will have to check. Perhaps I even know a single that was played on the radio somewhere in the latter half of the 70s. That's as far as my knowledge goes. Why is all this relevant? Because Illinois is a cover of the Dan Fogelberg song. Joe Bourdet takes the man out of obscurity and judging by this version, rightly so. It's a true country song, the kind that makes me imagine riding though the desert somewhere, with an endless stretch of road ahead of me and dust all around me. The flavour of the song is enhanced by the pedal steel sound played by "Catfish" Connor Gallaher. The song could have been on an earlier Eagles album. The vocal harmonies are spot on. Bourdet does a really, really good job here. Fogelberg died at the age of 56 in 2007, leaving behind a long stretch of albums of which some were million sellers in the U.S. Somehow this does not surprise me but I had no idea. Also not that he has had two songs in our yearly music fest in the last week of December, the Top 2000. Not since 2014 though.

Not Broken. Alan Sparhawk With Trampled By Turtles

It's not possible to go much slower and still maintain a stable melody in a voice. Alan Sparhawk, formerly of Low and by sad necessity a solo artist since a few years, teams up with blue grass band Trampled By Turtles. You can find one album by both on this blog, written by Erwin Zijleman. Not Broken is taken on by me. The song is a duet between Sparhawk and his daughter Hollis. It is impossible to not think that the topic is about the death of their wife/mother. Instrumentation by the band is as delicate as the singing is. Together they bring each other to ever higher levels of emotions. While pretending to contain them, I should add. It is almost painful to listen to Sparhawk singing, where daughter Hollis continuously tries to bring it all back to earthly proportions. When her father joins her for the chorus, things do land back on solid ground. In the end, when all has been said and done, things remain in one piece.

Born At Night. Pile

We end with another new name, the band Pile from Boston, working towards the release of its ninth album. A band from Boston that was never brought to my attention? I'd have thought that to be impossible but here I am. Born At Night is a single with a few faces that all together make for very interesting listening. Pile is advertised as a DIY band, that for its upcoming album 'Sunshine And Balance Beams', 15 August, called in the assistance of some technical support in the after recording process. (DIY? That explains me not having heard of Pile before.) I can not compare, but Born At Night has a mighty sound as soon as the band lets go of the reigns it has put itself in at the start of the song. Two guitars playing arpeggios respectively two notes from a chord over which Rick Maguire sings. When the band joins in, also a few violins join. and Maguire builds up the tension and start to vent some anger as well. When the song truly explodes Pile takes no prisoners, this is full out musical war. In a phenomenal way. The whole is brought down for a short rest, before we go off again for the second half of the rollercoaster Born At Night is. What an introduction to a band this single is.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

2025, week 16. 10 singles

Easter weekend. I made a typo typing eater weekend. It can be called that of course. A few days with the family, food, drinks, Easter eggs and most likely less time to read a blog or listen to new music. Here are ten new songs anyway, so enjoy! And, Happy Easter!

Throw A Fist. The Northern Line

Just listen how Throw A Fist starts. The Northern Line lays down an irresistible groove. I won't say it's like The Stone Roses but the concept certainly is. Drums and at least two percussive instruments play for 10 seconds, bar two short bursts on a Hammond organ. Then the bass joins in and  the organ starts playing a melody. Guitar one joins the rhythm and then guitar two starts playing the main riff over that strong groove. Only at 40 seconds the singer joins with "I never felt so low". That may be, by after that 40 seconds I'm in high spirits. What a great groove and what an upbeat song Throw A Fist is. The Massachusetts band relive the Britpop days of the mid 90s, with a band like The Charlatans in mind, think its album 'Up To Here' e.g. It seems like I did not judge so positively on The Northern Line's debut single 'Lightning Strikes', as you cannot find it on this blog. Throw A Fist is and rightly so. What a groove!

Nothing. Sex Scenes

Nothing starts with a groove as well, but here we are in punk territory immediately. Sex Scenes is from Milwaukee and is the kind of band that does not hold back. Not in its music nor in its artwork. The blood vomiting skull on its album's sleeve is somewhere between a joke and serious. The music is all seriousness though. In just 2.14 minutes Sex Scenes tells and plays all. Nothing is the band's first single from the first album 'Everything Makes Me Sick', and it comes with a bang. Sex Scenes is around since 2016 but it's singer, Sarah Turbo, joined in 2021. She sounds like Amy Taylor of Amyl and The Sniffers in an angry mood. Behind her the band rages with a distorted bass guitar and guitars that play a great hook or two during the song. Nothing is quite the introduction to the upcoming album, to be released on 8 May.

Wonder. Benét

Unwinding, the big slow down comes with Wonder by singer Benét. The song starts as a sort of 'Let Love Rule', but next reminds me more of G. Love & Special Sauce where its rhythm is concerned. Wonder slowly evolves into a dreamy song, where friends of Benét wonder about a topic that concerns them, sampled into the song. This makes Wonder a song that sets itself apart, as it is not entirely the singer's song. Musically, Wonder is a basic song. Drums, a bass guitar is enough to kick it off. Surely but slowly the song flashes out with more instruments and in the vocal arrangement. It becomes an intricate weaving of instruments and voices, that makes for interesting listening. And then other voices take over, where the melody keeps Wonder going. It all ends abruptly, with an acoustic guitar providing a short coda. Album 'Make 'm Laugh' is expected on 6 June.

Scars. After Elmer

With Scars Rotterdam band After Elmer turns the clock back for a few decades. Around the year 2000 there were bands like Creed that started to play songs like these, post grunge. But there's also some emo in Scars. After Elmer builds up the song in an excellent way. An empty beginning with strong accents from guitar and drums. Next up is the release in the chorus, where the band goes full out. It's the kind of chorus that deserves a moshpit. An audience that goes apeshit as one. No matter how forceful the chorus is, the band has taken care of a strong vocal melody. That is just one part of the song though. The dynamics work really well and the band is an ace in getting the accents in all the right moments. After Elmer may have hit its jackpot with Scars.

Low Hanging Fruit. Matt Tecu + Fernando Perdomo

An instrumental is not your every day on this blog, but we have another one with Low Hanging Fruit. I have no clue who Matt Tecu + Fernando Perdomo are. The names are totally new to me, but this single rocks in a very old-fashioned way. Low Hanging Fruit rocks to hard to be from a cheesy circa 1970 movie soundtrack but the song contains the concept of it. That organ does the trick alright. It provides this psychedelic feel to the whole. The lead guitar is somewhere between surf and rock, while the drums definitely make it a rock song. The bass on the other hand is in Serge Gainsbourg territory. It gives you an impression how diverse Low Hanging Fruit sounds. It's from an album called 'Getting Warmer' which is out already.

Before The Fall EP.  Kier Byrnes & The Kettle Burners

On Before The Fall Kier Byrnes & The Kettle Burners defy genre and time with an all-time mix of folk, Irish folk, punk and what not. Of course, rightly so you will think of The Pogues, Gogol Bordello, and even Dropkick Murphys. It's all in the opening song 'White Russians', right up to the mock Iwan Rebrow background singing. The instruments and approach are more traditional than the last two mentioned bands. That makes Kier Byrnes & The Kettle Burners a more traditional band. This shows in the songs that follow, as the punk tempo goes out of the songs. 'When The Money's All gone' even  moves into country territory. The accordeon gives the song even a French Mediterranean flavour. The lead guitar adds a Chris Isaak kind of rock and roll. 'Train's Off The Rails' moves into The Paladins style rock and roll. In the following two songs you will be surprised once again by the music on offer. Kier Byrnes & The Kettle Burners may have a hard time choosing what kind of band it wants to be, in each song the band convinces. Before The Fall is an EP that deserves attention. Party time, is another good description.

Call Out Your Name ft. Pete Townsend. Inge Lamboo

A Dutch singer working with The Who legend Pete Townsend? The answer is yes, as you can see. The result is an indie rock track with some real fiery guitar work by Townsend. What is more important, is that the track caught my attention from the very start. Call Out Your Name hovers somewhere between indie rock and a Fleetwood Mac kind of pop. Lamboo has a voice that can compete with every female singer coming out of the U.S. in indie rock/pop. Whether Alanis or Katy Perry, she's right up there. The music itself is fairly basic. She let's her voice do the talking. And then there's that lead guitar that throws "some mud against the wall in that old sixties style" as Townsend called his contribution. At 79 he has followed Inge Lamboo online and was especially caught by her mash up of Arctic Monkeys with Fleetwood Mac. The result is a nice single and a trip to London for Lamboo to see The Who and present the single to Townsend. Her second album, 'This Is How The Future Sounds' will be released on 30 May. 

The Experiment EP. Replaced By Robots

Replaced By Robots only rang a bell because of books on the fourth industrial revolution, not because of a band. That changed with the release of this five song mini album which the band released recently. The trio consists of Goolkasian, Heather Joy Morgan and Adam Wade. Morgan has a background in painting, the others have played in various bands over the past two decades. For The Experiment they worked with producer Paul Q. Kolderie. It resulted in a mini album that combines upbeat alternative rock, with some glam rock and synth things. Replaced By Robots manages to combine several decades of music in a successful way. Heather Joy Morgan even does a Nico, one who is not on the verge of moving to the other side. What gets to me, is the upbeat music that The Experiment offers. It allows for both serious listening and dancing all in one. Replaced By Robots delivers it all in one go.

SS-100-X. The Speed Of Sound

What the story is, I still have to get into. Fact is, The Speed of Sound has released three albums under the name 'A Cornucopia', with partly the same track names. One of the singles from an album titled additionally 'Minerva' is SS-100-X, I suppose a soviet Union type missile that was aimed at us in the 1970 or 80s. This song is 'I'm Waiting For My Man' by the Velvet Underground during day time. Without any trouble I'm able to sing "standing on a corner ..." over the intro. The vocal melody is it's own, making it a different song. The song has a chorus as well. SS 100 eggs, I hear, influenced by Easter? The lyrics are not on scoring heroine but on the Kennedy assassination and conspiracy theories around it. SS-100-X was the code name of the car the Kennedys were in on that fateful day in 1963. The combination of the lyrics and the music make it an interesting song to listen to. In fact it's good.

He Seems To Think That He's A King. Garret Vandermolen

Do protest songs still exist? Many people argue that they do not any more. Garret Vandermolen has decided that this has to end this situation and wrote a song against the would be (soon actually?) dictator in The White House, his oligarch friends and sycophants bowing to his every whim. The title to the song tells it all. It is not the kind of king my country has or the U.K., no a king that reigns at will, like Louis XIV, who went to war in the summer, held court in the winter and kept his potential enemies as close as possible. Raised taxes for his own whims, including hobby wars, lavish luxury, etc. It's that kind of king Vandermoolen is singing about. The song is the right mix between mocking, an upbeat beat and melancholy singing. Say Tom Petty style. The sad thing is, that everything I and many others fear, may well be reality very soon. He Seems To Think That He's A King is the kind of song that may get Garret Vandermolen into serious trouble any day soon. Hopefully, the day will come that these "mighty will fall". It will take more than this song though. Let's call it a good start and make it the anthem of resistance.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

Howl. She Drew The Gun

De muziek van She Drew The Gun was me nog niet eerder opgevallen, maar met Howl heeft het project van de Britse muzikante Louisa Roach een verrassend veelzijdig en in kwalitatief opzicht uitstekend album afgeleverd.

Howl van She Drew The Gun is een album dat vaker van kleur verschiet dan de gemiddelde kameleon en als het even kan doet het project van de Britse muzikante Louisa Roach dat niet alleen tussen songs maar ook binnen songs. Het zijn songs die direct aanspreken, maar die in muzikaal opzicht ook knap in elkaar steken. Het combineert mooi met de al even veelzijdige stem van Louisa Roach, die de kwaliteit van haar songs nog wat verder optilt. She Drew The Gun gaat al vier albums mee, maar met Howl moet de Britse muzikante toch echt gaan doorbreken naar een groter publiek. Ik had nog nooit van She Drew The Gun gehoord, maar wat is Howl een goed album.

Howl, het vierde album van She Drew The Gun, kwam ik alleen in de nieuwsbrief van de Britse muziekwinkel Rough Trade tegen. Ondanks de opvallende naam kan ik me ook niet herinneren dat ik eerder van She Drew The Gun had gehoord, maar Howl is een opvallend album. She Drew The Gun is een project van de Britse muzikante Louisa Roach uit Liverpool, die inmiddels dus vier albums op haar naam heeft staan. De vorige drie moet ik nog beluisteren, maar ik ben inmiddels behoorlijk verslingerd geraakt aan Howl.

Het is een album waarop Louisa Roach laat horen dat ze zich met geen mogelijk in een hokje laat duwen. Howl is een album dat continu van kleur verschiet en meerdere genres bestrijkt. Het album opent met een track die in eerste instantie neigt naar indierock, maar uiteindelijk omslaat richting synthpop, terwijl de in eerste instantie wat ruwe zang van Louisa Roach langzaam maar zeker transformeert in bijna gesproken tekst. Ik heb het alleen nog maar over de openingstrack van Howl, maar hierin gebeurt al meer dan op het gemiddelde album.

Het is een openingstrack die niet alleen laat horen dat Louisa Roach qua invloeden verrassende keuzes maakt, maar bovendien duidelijk maakt dat de Britse muzikante een uitstekende zangeres is en in muzikaal en productioneel opzicht (waarvoor de van Christine & The Queens bekende Ash Workman tekende) een eigen geluid laat horen. Na de openingstrack schiet Howl nog veel meer kanten op. She Drew The Gun kan uit de voeten met 80s pop, met naar glamrock neigende songs, met triphop, met hiphop, met R&B en met nog veel meer. Het zorgt er voor dat je track na track wordt verrast door de Britse muzikante.

She Drew The Gun heeft niet alleen een album gemaakt dat verrast, maar het is ook een album dat imponeert. De kwaliteit van de uitvoering heb ik al benoemd, maar ook de kwaliteit van de songs op Howl is hoog. Het grappige van het vierde album van She Drew The Gun is dat het een album is dat op een of andere manier de hele tijd bekend klinkt, maar dat op hetzelfde moment totaal anders klinkt dan andere albums. Wanneer Howl bekend klinkt hoor ik vooral het invloeden uit het verleden, waardoor het album klinkt als een omgevallen platenkast, maar She Drew The Gun heeft ook een album gemaakt dat met beide benen in het heden staat.

Ik heb niet zo heel veel informatie over de muzikanten die hebben meegewerkt aan het album, maar in muzikaal opzicht houdt Howl je op het puntje van de stoel, waarbij ik voor de afwisseling eerst eens de ritmesectie in het zonnetje wil zetten. De stevig aangezette baslijnen en de inventieve ritmes geven de songs op het vierde album van She Drew The Gun veel energie, waarna gitaren en synths het geluid vrijwel volledig vullen, maar ook nog wat ruimte houden voor uiteenlopende accenten, waaronder een fraai psychedelische fluit.

De zang is al even divers, want Louisa Rouch is een prima popzangeres met een soulvol geluid, maar ze kan ook verdienstelijk rappen, iets waar ik niet gek op ben, maar op Howl klinkt het allemaal geweldig. Heel af en toe doet het me denken aan Raw Like Sushi, het geweldige debuutalbum van Neneh Cherry, maar She Drew The Gun laat wel horen dat het inmiddels 2024 is in plaats van 1989. En iedere keer als je naar het album van She Drew The Gun luistert hoor je weer nieuwe dingen. Een zeer aangename ontdekking.

Erwin Zijleman

2024. Week 39, 10 singles

"There are so many singles and so many songs", I can hear Sting sing in my head in a variation of his lyrics in 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free'. Recently I took out the album once again, enjoyed it tremendously and sincw heard the single a few times since on different occasions. And it's true, it's fun to listen to albums and fun to listen to a host of new singles. For now, I try to keep up with the latter a bit, so here are two sets of singles in two days. Enjoy!

Mirror Midnight. The Awakening

"Johannesburg's Bowie", that was the nickname Ashton Nyte had when he started his act The Awakening there in the 90s. Working towards the release of the band's 12th album, 'The Awakening', on 18 October, here's the single. The music is described as gothic and dark wave. I can live with that. The inspiration for Mirror Midnight is found in the 1980s with bands like Killing Joke and The Sisters of Mercy. With his dark voice Nyte sets the tone for the song. It does not allow for a lot of variation and emotions, giving the song ghostlike qualities. Around him the sound is huge. Starting with the drums, that bring to mind Cottbus' Para Lia immediately. Dark bass, guitar and synths do the rest. The Awakening sets the tone of the song in a great way. A wobbly effect on the guitar makes the song sound surreal, where nothing is like it seems. Rock Mirror Midnight does though, making me instantly like the song. And Bowie? Mwah, not much in 2024.

Patch EP. Robin Kester

Last year Robin Kester's debut album 'Honeycomb Shade' caused quite a stir in NL and fairly rightly so. A year later she returns to this blog with a new EP called Patch. The five song EP contains two super short songs. The first is more atmosphere than song. 'Birds In D Minor' contains some bird song and synth sounds, perhaps a treated voice, piano noodling and some sounds that make up a rhythm of some sort. An intro but not more than that. Single 'Shape Memory' has already been reviewed, positively, and may even be better during the re-acquaintance today than I thought last May. The dreampop continues even more hazy in the next song. 'Long Dark Sleep' is caught in music beautifully. The electronic drums and the bass keep the song on track. Otherwise it would simply drift away into a dream, that Kester has no memory of, as she's in bed for a long dark sleep. I love how the little extras come in from the keyboards/synths. 'Long Dark Sleep' is a well produced and arranged song, beautifully layered and structured. It's even better than the single. 'Reversed Shimmers' is exactly that. A synth and an electric guitar playing together in a short instrumental, atmospheric song. More an idea for a song that did not go anywhere but was too nice to leave behind. The final song has a mysterious title, 'Something In My Room'. That situation is caught in a dreamy song. Nothing seems certain, somewhere between suspense and normal. The song reminds me of Norwegian singer Susanna, who can be just as mysterious. The two have quality in common. Patch may be an in between EP, it may also be better than the songs on 'Honeycomb Shades'. Time will tell.

I do have a serious question. Why does a serious artist like Robin Kester release this EP with herself half undressed on the front? If anything, an EP with the quality Patch contains doesn't need it.

Unt. Pinhead Gunpowder

Who needs Green Day when you have Pinhead Gunpowder? Well, I do. Green Day is ten times if not more bigger than this band, but Billie Joe Armstrong is a member, since 1990. On and off the members Aaron Cometbus, Jason White and Bill Schneider have been playing together and are about to release their fifth album together. This single is the album title as well. It is an extremely pleasant punk rock song with strongly muted guitars laying down the right accents, like a good up tempo punk rock song has. Unt is the kind of song that allows for singing, dancing and joy. It's up to you to enjoy this first recording since 2010. It's my first, and I am.

Dyra. SHHE

Yes, I have a digital download but no idea who sent it to me. So, I do not know who is behind the name SHHE. What I do know, it is 100% pure Kairos music. I haven't written about Wino Penris' programme for quite some time. It can still be heard once a month on Concertzender. So go and check it out. Dyrá is an, I thought EP, but is an album I now find, filled with swaths of music. Long, long held notes that swell and subside, over a drone that continues. It is also minimal music, as slowly but surely changes take place. One has to have patience to notice them though, given the length of the compositions. Dyrá's lucky that I put it away as an EP as it never would have made the long play section. For that it is too esoteric. Of course having no information is not good enough. On Bandcamp I found that SHHE is Scottish-Portuguese artist and producer Su Shaw. Dyrá is her debut album. Wino, here's a tip for you.

Better Than God. Rhea

Better Than God? or does zero equal zero here? A true existential question pops to mind based on the title of this single (and album) of the Belgian band Rhea. Luckily for the band we still have the music. Better Than God is a great rock track and like the better Belgian bands Rhea plays a little with different genres. Yes, it's rock but you will also find some nice pop elements in the melody of the main riff and the vocal harmonies. At the same time there are some metal elements when that lead guitar toughens up. Next, listen to the one note on the keyboard that keeps returning a little in the background. The singer likes to liken himself to the likes of Joey Tempest (Europe). Rhea in other words plays with the mind of its listeners a little and that is quite alright. It makes Better Than God fun to listen to, with a superb end.

Gold. The Vices

After two albums The Vices have left Rotterdam label Mattan Records and seems ready for a big next step in its career. On these album 'Looking For Faces' (2021) and 'Unknown Affairs' both were more than average for certain, but I kept wondering who The Vices really were musically, because the band did not seem to make that choice for itself. Perhaps that the new and bigger label will assist here. Gold is an up tempo alternative pop track. The tempo is vast, driven by drums and bass. The music reminding me of Go Back To The Zoo in its better songs, like 'Electric'. The Vices play with a difference in dynamics in Gold. And does so superbly. The dreamy 'ah ah' is another very nice feature. Gold is the kind of song that allows festival fields to explode. Effect and quality go hand in hand here. 'Before It Might Be Gone' is going to be the band's third album. The question is who is going to send it to me now?

The Mirror. Bongloard

Yes, Bongloard can be found on this blog with an album and a single. Sorry for not having much of a recollection. That is no reason for not letting the band come back two years later with its new single The Mirror. The Utrecht based trio rocks no little. By far the hardest of the previous two bands. The singer has a rough voice making it impossible for him to impersonate as a pop singer. It gives Bongloard a true rock edge. The music above all is tough and yet the song has a golden melody. The kind that shines in between all that toughness. The same goes for the fine background vocals and the keyboard/organ that creeps from behind all that loudness every once in a while. I do remember liking Bongloard's album 'People Overreacting To My Behaviour'. It just sort of disappeared in that load of albums that come by each year. On 4 October 'DYTYR?' is released. We will have to see how the album fares. The single is simply great.

E Corp. Cosmic Room 99

Cosmic Room 99 returns to the blog after its debut with 'Plastic Venus'. Listening to E Corp, I can't help associating it with 'Venus In Furs', as Cosmic Room 99 works hard at recreating The Velvet Underground. Even the video could have been made by Andy Warhol! I have to admit that I had to get into the groove of E Corp first but once I did I was pulled into it s rabbit's hole totally. The song is in its way ugly, as it is relentless and disturbing. Cosmic Room 99 has made not a single effort to make the song prettier. There's no compromise. Most importantly, it works. The bass drum rhythm kicks in the pace of the song, while over it slowly but surely more and more instruments and melodies are added. And then listen to how the vocal melody changes, lifting the song up no little. The Italian psychedelic rockers seem to know exactly what they are doing here. The band's self-titled album is released on 11 October.

I Can See. Waltzburg

In 2018 Nijmegen band Waltzburg debuted on this blog with an EP. After that the band's music did not really agree with me but see, here's the nicely upbeat and up tempo new single I Can See. The song is carried by a nice synth and keyboard under which the rhythm section can keep the tempo up in a great and fun way. The band, Joost Klapmuts (bass/keyboards), Jesse Smits (guitar/keyboards), Luuk Gerards (drums), Nicole Jansen (vocals/keyboards) and Menno Krivokutya (vocals/guitar), release this single working towards the release of its new album 'Black Cat On Your Doormat', on 11 October. I Can See is one of the first songs Krivokutya wrote and has gone through a host of versions before it gelled into this elementary synth rocker. Somewhat undercooled with frivolities in the synth sounds that pop up all through the song. It makes for fun listening.

For A Friend. Elephant

Rotterdam band Elephant is in a hurry. With For A Friend it sets its first step towards its third album. The song is like the husky male voice in a bourbon add from long ago saying while savouring the drink: "Nothing's changed really", while the whole world around him changed beyond recognition. Currently I feel the same about my country, things have changed beyond recognition, but not Elephant's songs. For A Friend has that same dreamy quality, reaching beyond space and time to something eternal. The dreaming is mostly in the singing. Who of the three described as singer is singing here, I don't know. It doesn't matter. Fans of a voice like this will recognise their favourites caught in this voice. Musically, the music matches this dreaminess only in part. The drums and guitars especially make their points here and are not afraid to toughen up, providing the spice the song deserves. Elephant is rocking here at times and that is something I previously did not associate with the band. Although my mind may be wrong of course, it is my overall impression of the band, so I'm quite pleasantly surprised.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

Strange Discipline. Nation of Language

Er verschenen in 2023 flink wat synthpop albums, maar Strange Disciple van het Amerikaanse drietal Nation Of Language springt er voor mij uit vanwege het aangename retro geluid uit de jaren 80 en vooral de prima songs.

Strange Disciple, het derde album van de uit Brooklyn afkomstige band Nation Of Language, kwam ik tegen in meerdere jaarlijstjes. Ik begrijp inmiddels waarom, want betere vintage synthpop werd er in 2023 niet gemaakt. Luister naar Strange Disciple en je bent terug in de jaren 80, met het beste werk van Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark als ijkpunt. Nation Of Language is gek op kille elektronische klanken met zowel invloeden van Kraftwerk als uit de 80s synthpop en postpunk, maar de songs van de band klinken op een of andere manier ook warm. Het zijn uitstekende songs, waarmee het drietal uit New York zich makkelijk weet te onderscheiden van de concurrentie.

Ik luister niet heel veel naar synthpop, maar de synthpop albums die ik het afgelopen jaar wel heb beluisterd vielen me vrijwel zonder uitzondering wat tegen, ook als ze afkomstig waren van oude helden uit het genre. Grote uitzondering is Memento Mori van Depeche Mode, al vind ik dat persoonlijk veel meer dan een synthpop album.

Wanneer ik kijk naar de jaarlijstjes lijkt het er op dat ik het beste echte synthpop album van het jaar heb gemist, want ik heb afgelopen herfst niet geluisterd naar Strange Disciple van Nation Of Language. Het is het derde album van het drietal uit Brooklyn, New York, maar mijn eerste kennismaking met de muziek van Nation Of Language.

Het is muziek die het etiket synthpop absoluut verdiend, want wanneer Strange Disciple uit de speakers komt ben je direct terug in de eerste helft van de jaren 80. Nation Of Language maakt op haar derde album geen geheim van haar bewondering voor de muziek die aan het begin van de jaren 80 werd gemaakt door onder andere Depeche Mode, Human League, Yazoo, New Order en vooral Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark.

Het is de laatste band die Nation Of Language voorman Ian Devaney inspireerde tot een bestaan als muzikant en hij is zijn jeugdhelden absoluut trouw gebleven. Strange Disciple klinkt zelfs meer als O.M.D. dan het recent verschenen nieuwe album van het Britse duo, dat ik een stuk minder vind dan het album van het Amerikaanse drietal.

Net als O.M.D. in haar beginjaren laat Nation Of Language zich op Strange Disciple stevig beïnvloeden door het pionierswerk van Kraftwerk uit de jaren 70, maar verwerkt het de wat kille elektronische klanken in warmbloedige popsongs. Alles op het album doet denken aan de synthpop uit de jaren 80, want zowel de batterij synths als de zang hebben een aangenaam vintage 80s karakter. Het is synthpop van het donkere en onderkoelde soort, met hier en daar een vleugje postpunk, maar dat vind ik persoonlijk de meest interessante en aangename synthpop variant.

Ian Devaney, Alex MacKay en Aidan Noell vertrouwen op het derde album van Nation Of Language vrijwel volledig op een batterij synths, maar hier en daar werd wel een echte ritmesectie toegevoegd. Het synthesizer geluid van het drietal uit New York klinkt heerlijk vintage, maar is wel een stuk gevarieerder dan op het gemiddelde synthpop album, waardoor ik de songs op Strange Disciple zeker niet eenvormig vind.

Het is een fraai klinkend album dat mijn aandacht in ieder geval makkelijk weet vast te houden, wat bij synthpop albums wel eens anders is. Het heeft deels te maken met het nostalgische jaren 80 tintje, dat goed is voor veel mooie herinneringen, maar Nation Of Language maakt misschien nog wel meer indruk met haar songs. Het zijn met name die songs die me tegen vielen op veel synthpop albums uit 2023, maar de songs van de band uit Brooklyn zijn verrassend sterk.

Nation Of Language is niet vies van lekker in het gehoor liggende popsongs, maar verstopt ook altijd wel wat muzikaal avontuur in de tracks op Strange Disciple. Het derde album van de band uit New York had ook best in de jaren 80 gemaakt kunnen worden en was dan absoluut uitgegroeid tot een van mijn favoriete albums van het decennium. Mijn muzieksmaak is sindsdien wel flink veranderd, maar Strange Disciple gaat er bij mij echt in als koek

 Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt Strange Discipline hier luisteren en bestellen:

https://nationoflanguage.bandcamp.com/album/strange-disciple

2024. Week 1, ten singles

And here we are in the new year, with a bunch of singles from 2023. Due to Covid I did not feel like listening and writing, so you found a lot of Erwin Zijleman reviews on the blog instead of a final single section and some albums that were lingering on the shelf for a while. I may get to a few in the coming days anyway. There's not a big name among the ten, so there's a lot to explore and hopefully enjoy. Most are new to the blog. I would only dare to call one artist a WoNoBlog veteran by now. It's 2024, I hope you will keep on discoving some nice artists and bands this way.

Here Comes Your Ghost. Vinyl Station

Here Comes Your Ghost starts with the drums and the bass guitar that is playing the central melody of the Phoenix band's latest single. All else in the song plays around the rhythm and the bass melody. It would be easy to write that I've heard it all before, which in a certain way is true. There are dozens of bands playing this music, starting with Coldplay and work down from there. Leaving it at that insight, would also mean that you miss out on a nice and sympathetic song. Vinyl Station does play the mood it creates right. Over that surprisingly present bass guitar, the embellishments adorn the song. In the form of a guitar melody or a church organ. Singer Matthew Thornton has that melancholy sound in his voice that makes Here Comes Your Ghost a convincing song. Vinyl Stations puts itself in a long line of existing bands but that is no reason to ignore it. In music it's not that hard to skip spots in that line, fast. EP 'Enter Slow', to be released this winter, will tell us more.

Tonight's The Night. Jittery Jack with Amy Griffin on Guitar

Step back well over 60 years in time and pretend you're listening to the support act of Buddy Holly or Gene Vincent. That is the kind of music Jittery Jack present, with one line straight out of 'I'm-a Gonna Love You To', to cap it off. Amy Griffin knows all the licks from the day and plays them with panache. This is big nostalgic fun. Don't expect anything more but certainly nothing less.

 

 

Forged By Fire. Leaves' Eyes

Metal is not music to be found every day on WoNoBlog. For Leaves' Eyes we make an exception. With a video filled of the forging of a sword and Viking battles the mood is set by the Viking, yet German metallers. The sound is amazingly huge, with a big shout out for the double bass drums of Joris Nijenhuis. At the end of this song his legs must be severed from his body. With two singers, Elina Siirala and grunter Alexander Krull (who also directed the video), the band has a different than usual line up, with also two guitarists and no bass player. At least as a member of the band. I'm not a metal fan but can certainly enjoy this mix of symphonic rock, metal and wintertime fairytales. The deep end is certainly taken care of but also the melodic side. The combination is certainly alluring.

Leave (Leave Leave). And They Spoke In Anthems

From metal, to a soft ballad is but one step in this blog's weekly singles overview. And They Spoke In Anthems will release its third album, 'Still', on 24 February. Music is not silent, it can't be, yet if Leave (Leave Leave) is anything to go by, 'Still' is the right title for the album. Leave (Leave Leave) is the musical equivalent of a 17th century still life picture. The fruit, fish, cheese, wild life, is all present, unmoving yet so determinately present. Singer and songwriter Arne Leurentop wrote the album in New Zealand but returned to Belgium to record and release it. Fans of singer-songwriters like Novastar will certainly find their way into this beautiful song.

Happy Xmas (War Is Over). Reb Fountain

Happy Xmas (War Is Over) is, in my opinion, one of the most iconic Christmas songs ever. So not a song to tamper with at will. Reb Fountain is one of my favourite singers of this decade. This gives her the benefit of the doubt. She doesn't disappoint. In fact, the restrained way in which she approaches the song, gives it a fresh sound. Only violins and backing vocals is enough to bring the song across in a successful and extremely tasty way. Reb Fountain brought the song down to its bare essence and shows the world how good John and Yoko's composition is. Not that I doubted that, it does show the sheer quality of the melody. This version is simply very, very well done.

Een Reden. Guusje Walstra

Nederland komt om in jonge zangeressen, maar met Guusje Walstra is er een nieuw talent aan toegevoegd, die het verdient om meer aandacht te krijgen. Een Reden combineert synthpop met een prachtige dromerige sfeer en een randje duisternis die het nummer ook nog een spannende ondertoon geeft. Iedere keer dat ik het nummer luister, blijft er een gevoel over bij mij van naar het licht reiken. Guusje Walstra slaagt daar heel goed in om dat gevoel over te brengen. Haar stem zweeft over de synthklanken die breed uitwaaieren over de zachte elektronische beats. Zoeken en vinden. Waar het een publiek betreft, lijkt mij een eerste, succesvolle stap gezet.

Christmas Star. Abbie Barrett

With thanks to another bout of Covid, the last singles collection of 2023 is only written and published early this year. Hence the two Christmas songs in this edition. I do not know who Abbie Barrett is but she has released a beautiful Christmas song. I would almost say in the style of The Carpenters. Now I would never write this out aloud but of course this duo has released a few beautiful songs, that just come by all through life and will be sung along to. Abbie Barrett presents a song that is as sweet and sugarcoated as 'Close To You' is. A piano tinkles slow notes away until an electric guitar comes in. Not as tough as Morgan McCaskey once uprooted an 18th century carol but a hardrock worthy one still. Christmas Star is a beautiful song presenting the best of the festive season. I could listen to it all day long.

Where I End And You Begin. Bloomsday

Bloomsday debuted on this blog during the pandemic. Now we are in the endemic phase a first new single is released and it shows the growth Iris James Garrison has gone though as an artist. Where I End And You Begin as it were shows this change. It starts tranquil, a bit dark and hesitant. Slowly it grows and turns into a modest, alternative rock ballad. Garrison certainly has listened to Big Thief and took the best elements to deliver their own song in the best way possible. The dark guitar solo shows the change into the you, to return to the I in the final measures. In between Bloomsday is trying to find its way and succeeding. Where I End And You Begin is better than all the songs on the debut mini album.

I Ain't The Only One. Tylor & the Train Robbers

"Like a river to my liver", it said on a can of beer Tylor Ketchum was enjoying before a show in Jackson, Wyoming. This line started him going towards the song I'm listening to now. It's a nice country, rocking song. The kind with a nice twang on the lead guitar, a pedal steel for the country flavour and enough power to be rocking too. There's nothing dangerous in sight and pleasure to be had by all. I Ain't The Only One is that kind of song. In its defence, it is all a song like this need to work and be successful. Anyone who likes songs like these, and I certainly do, will have a good time listening to it. Nothing more is needed.

 

We Don't Care. Voom

The second review from Down Under this year is from a band that is in existence for a few decades and has promised to release a new album soon. Its first since 2006. Voom to me is a totally new name. The New Zealand band has released an alternatively rocking single containing some shoegazing sounds. All in moderation. Singer and songwriter Buzz Muller says she had the songs in her head for a few decades, patiently waiting for them to come out. For We Don't Care that moment is here. Don't expect an exiting song, expect one that is pleasant to follow, to step on the wave in time to glide with its flow. All these melodies that pop up enriching the song are so nice to follow. Voom is a name to be on the lookout for in 2024.

Wout de Natris