Soft will. Smith Westerns

'Dye it blond', Smith Westerns' sophomore album, just didn't find its way with me. I gave it a few chances, but this did not make me change my mind. No matter what other people were saying. It did not have the melodies that made it stick out for me in that vast pool of new music. At first that made me shy away from Soft will, but not rightly so. Songs kept popping up when I had the old iPod on shuffle that made me look at the screen to see what it was. This included Soft will.

Smith Westerns is a indie pop band from the U.S. This is surprising listening to the sound of the band. Also with 'Dye it blond' my best guess would have been the U.K. The band plays with the sound of Travis,Teenage Fanclub, Belle and Sebastian and other softer versions of the Britpop (or should I say Glaswegian) explosion of the 90s. All leading back to that one band with four Liverpudlians that seem to have set the standard here for like forever (and a little to the four from Memphis that never broke big, but who's star still shines brightly). There is something of Fountains for Wayne in a lighter version here also. Several of the songs of Smith Westerns give the impression that spring is breaking and we have an seemingly endless summer ahead of us. Even in these days when the days are shortening fast. Not because of a one big party sound, no, because of the right tone between melancholy and gladness, the sour and the sweet.

Here we have the main difference between 'Dye it blond' and Soft will by the horns. The songs on the latter sparkle, have a certain lightness of tone, no matter the topic of the lyrics. The voice of Cullen Omori is light and sort of floats over the music. The bright guitar and keyboard layers that are spreading out over several songs give the atmosphere a full but pleasant taint. Like the effect of bright colours on the mood of a person. Sometimes a bit too much perhaps, but in general Smith Westerns seems to play all the right notes. Not unlike that very obscure, but not less brilliant album 'Whirligig' by The Caulfields. That album definitely was more outspoken, but is in the same league in intent.

Picking out one single song is no use on Soft will. The album is a stable one. Most songs do not stick out in any special way. Soft will is a beautifully crafted whole of 10 songs that do not outdo nor underscore each other. Like they are not in competition and come up to the finish line as one front. This makes Soft will so special. Not so much the individual songs, as I have heard them better before, even more outspoken. Soft will does not waver for one song, as all are at a great level. Some nudge towards 1960s pop and psychedelia, other to brilliant pop, while other have a more 70s sound. The bottomline is that for each song Smith Westerns finds a voice, a voice that fits the song and perfects the whole.

So once more I let myself be surprised by a band that I thought I could skip. Just glad that I didn't. Soft will is a gem of a record that deserves to be heard by everyone who likes soft pop, a George Harrison like guitar solo every once in a while, modest but great singing and beautiful arrangements supporting the song. Smith Westerns shows great progress with Soft will. Already looking forward to record number four today.

You can listen to '3AM spiritual' here.

No fright. Live Wire

Every once in a while I take you on a trip down my personal musical memory lane. Today to a fairly obscure album from a U.K. band that released only three records between 1979 and 1981, the others are 'Pick it up' and 'Changes made', of which the second one, No fright, is simply amazing.

No fright is one of my all time favourites, played so much through the years and still the sound of the LP is fantastic. Only a few weeks back I took it out of my stack of LPs and played it from back to end a few times straight. Looking back almost 35 years, the cynical thing to say is that Live Wire got its record contract because of Dire Straits. The record company hoping that they had the next one. There are some similarities in music and singing that can be noticed. Still, No fright has stand the test of time better than 'Dire Straits' as a whole album, I think. The new wave, post punk elements that are woven into the music of Live Wire, especially by the guitar eruptions of lead-guitarist Simon Boswell, that are very Gang of Four like, go beyond anything Mark Knopfler c.s. ever made. This is not all. The spacious mix of the music makes a nod to dub and reggae, while at the same time the band is able to rock out and play most delicately. That sounds like a lot of music that was fashionable at the time and is up to a certain extend again and might give you the impression that Live Wire were mere copycats. Far from it, I'd say. It's the mix of all this and what Live Wire did with it, that made and makes No fright stand out for 33 years and counting.

The album cover is so 1980. The fear of a nuclear explosion which was all around in combination with a conservative father figure who seems to be going about his business as usual, while being torn apart graphically. The mushroomcloud resembling his brain, blown out of his skull. Somehow it spoke volumes then. (1981's 'Red skies over paradise' anyone?)

Live Wire was a four some in 1980. Mike Edwards sang and played guitar. Simon Boswell played guitar and keyboards and did backing vocals. Jeremy Meek on bass and backing vocals and German Gonzales on drums. According to a posting on You Tube, Gonzales came from Peru as a refugee to play in a rock band. Jeremy Meek is, as far as I'm aware, the only who has surfaced regularly since Live Wire disbanded somewhere after 1981. E.g. in The The and now in Paul Carrack's band. The album was produced by Simon Boswell in a Steve Lillywhite style with loads of echo and spaciousness on the singing and instruments. A production that makes the album still sound great.

The songs on No fright are quite varied. From the new wave-funky 'Fight for your right'... to the up tempo 'No fright' or the ballad 'Castle in every Swiss cottage', Live Wire delivers. The band was able to play these different styles in a convincing way with loads of echo on everything. The up-tempo songs are in your face, punky and rioting at elders. Thrown in like a piece of meat to a tiger. This makes the impact direct and confronting. The lyrics are very direct also "Don't bite hand that feeds you, they mean", "We ain't gonna fight for your rights, hell no more". There is a hint of politics there in the early phase of the Thatcher era. 'No fright' seems more like a nightmare in which all goes wrong. Dancing on the volcano, but to a great soundtrack. By far the best song of the album. I even wonder if Franz Ferdinand's keyboard on there current fantastic single 'Love illumination' wasn't inspired by the one on 'No Fright'.

No fright is an album, not many people will remember, let alone know of. It was only one year more and Live Wire was never heard of again. They left behind one masterpiece, with a great sound, with great varied songwriting and performance. An album that deserves recognition as it was more than able to compete with Joe Jackson Band's debut album, Fischer-Z', The Police's debut album and other bands that scored hits around that day. Live Wire's songs are at least as good and deserve to be in the same league. Gang of Four with real songs! So fans of Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys and the likes, this is something to check out. I have no illusion concerning this post making a difference, but if only a few more people are to give it a try and learn about the band, that would be justice. And should you like it, don't forget to tell your friends. Spread the word!

Wo.

You can listen to studio recording (straight from record) 'First night every night' here or live recording 'No fright' here.

You belong here. Leagues

Het Amerikaanse muziektijdschrift Paste Magazine zaagt inmiddels al een aantal jaren aan de poten van de grote Amerikaanse tijdschriften als Rolling Stone en Billboard. Met succes volgens mij, want Paste weet in tegenstelling tot de grote broers steeds vaker de aandacht te trekken. Ik was onlangs bijzonder gecharmeerd van de lijst met de beste platen van de eerste helft van 2013 (waarom niet?). In deze lijst trof ik persoonlijke favorieten als Phosphorescent, Mikal Cronin, Cayucas en Kurt Vile, maar ook platen die ik nog niet heb besproken, zoals Josh Ritter, Thao, Foxygen, Deerhunter en Frightened Rabbit. (zie ook Erwin's eigen blog De krenten in de pop) en zelfs een plaat waarvan ik nog nooit gehoord had. Die laatste plaat, You Belong Here van Leagues, heb ik inmiddels stevig omarmd en reken ik tot de grote verrassingen van 2013. Leagues heeft een voorman die ik goed ken. Thad Cockrell leek een jaar of tien geleden uit te groeien tot de smaakmakers van de singer-songwriters in het alt-country segment en werd direct gezien als grote concurrent van de op dat moment nog vrijwel onaantastbare Ryan Adams. Thad Cockrell brak ondanks een geweldige plaat echter niet door naar een groot publiek en keert pas vele jaren later terug met Leagues. Alt-country liefhebbers die nu enthousiast opveren moet ik direct teleurstellen, want Leagues heeft helemaal niets te maken met het solowerk van Thad Cockrell. De eerste songs op You Belong Here vallen op door heerlijke funky gitaarloopjes en nogal hoge vocalen. Het zijn songs die me eerst aan Talking Heads deden denken en vervolgens aan Franz Ferdinand; namen waarvoor je je als band niet hoeft te schamen. Het uit Nashville afkomstige Leagues houdt niet de hele tijd vast aan funky gitaren en songs die nauwelijks te weerstaan zijn. Na een aantal tracks worden de gitaren wat steviger, winnen de keyboards aan terrein en begeeft Leagues zich op het terrein van de indie-rock. Ook dat gaat het trio uit Nashville, dat opvallend genoeg zelfs geen vleugje country in haar muziek verwerkt, behoorlijk goed af. Leagues maakt op You Belong Here muziek die bijzonder lekker in het gehoor ligt, maar het is muziek die op één of andere manier ook alternatief en interessant blijft. Leagues schuift in een aantal tracks bijna op richting de mainstream van een band als Maroon 5 (en in 1 of 2 tracks zelfs Electric Light Orchestra), maar net als het mis lijkt te gaan volgt een onverwachte wending, waardoor You Belong Here blijft overtuigen. You Belong Here van Leagues is een plaat die lastig is te plaatsen. Het is dan ook niet zo gek dat tot dusver zo ongeveer alleen Paste Magazine de plaat de hemel in heeft geprezen, maar ze hebben wel gelijk. You Belong Here is een heerlijke plaat voor de zomer, maar het is ook een plaat die genoeg te bieden heeft wanneer het buiten koud en donker is en je net wat minder vatbaar bent voor genadeloos funky gitaren.  Dan pas hoor je immers hoe knap de plaat is geproduceerd, hoe goed Cockrell zingt en hoe fraai het gitaarwerk is. Leagues is absoluut een band voor de grote festivals, maar You Belong Here is zeker ook een plaat die tot in de kleinste details moet worden beluisterd. Mijn conclusie na vele luisterbeurten? Wereldplaat. Uit dank neem ik onmiddellijk een abonnement op Paste Magazine.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt hier naar 'Spotlight' luisteren.

Yesterday. Lars Saabye Christensen

Yesterday evening I heard 'Fight for your right' by Beasty Boys, that great punk rap anthem from 1986 that shook many a one's faith in pure rock. I projected it straight away to the book I had almost finished, by Norwegian writter Lars Saabye Christensen, although it roughly plays from 1965 to 1972. With only one chapter left to go, it seemed to apply somehow, until the central character Kim Karlsen all of a sudden sells his most prized possession: his collection of The Beatles records. And completely becomes undone in the act.

Nearly three weeks ago one of my stepsons said over Sunday morning brunch, "I would have liked to have been present when The Beatles were big." As I have been present at the very end of their active career, I was in a position to tell what it was like. Knowing on which day the new single was released and waiting for it to be played on the radio, Netherlands North Sea pirate station Radio Veronica, with Morse code from fishermen's vessels and all in the mix. The excitement this caused. Does this compare to the new Play Station release or Black Ops version x in 2013? Perhaps not, as so many things leak through the internet or are instantly available through many sources. I don't know. My contribution to this brunch discussion did not really excite anyone. Too far removed from 2013, I guess, but this was what it was like.

And then I started Yesterday, in Norway released under the title 'Beatles' in 1984. I loved this book. Although the kids in this book were born around 1951, years before me, their youth was not very unlike mine. Central in the book and and lending a title to each chapter of Yesterday are releases of The Beatles records, singles and albums. With the songs the boys grow from fourteen year olds to 22 year olds. Along the line we follow the changes in their lives, the steps to adulthood, from schoolboy to student, but also we follow the changes in society that took place from the second half of the 60s. The Vietnam war that entices radical politics, upcoming consumerism, seemingly easily available drugs, rising wealth and a higher education that is within reach of most people. Spare time mostly lived outdoors, with small adventures in real time, with fights, fears, fun and discoveries and lots of sports or physical movement.

Christensen portrays all this very well. Along the lines of songs. Not only The Beatles'. As the boys discover other bands in the 60s, their lives take turns too. Adultery in the love of music and sometimes friends. The story takes several twists, but I did not see the end coming in the way it did. It took me totally by surprise, but in hindsight this could be an outcome, but not necessarily so. Still, Christensen wrote a fine coming of age novel, that portrays the time he grew up in in fine detail as well as in lush broad strokes. And every true The Beatles fan of that day and age will recognise him or herself immediately in described scenes around the record player with the new single or album.

Concluding I can add that also in this book 'Abbey road' is considered the best album of The Beatles, a conclusion I can only adhere to. Despite the fact that I hated it when I was hearing it for the first time as a nine years old. "But I do not know a single song", I remember thinking and lost interest quite fast at this listen session at a friend's house. Like all boys my age present there, while the elder brothers were in rapture It took me ten years, but my opinion never wavered since.

Wo.

Paracosm. Washed Out

One of my favourite paracosms of all times is Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld', a fantasy world, flat, born on the shoulders of four elephants standing on the back of the Great A'Tuin, the cosmic turtle, flapping though space. A world full of semi-Medieval humans, trolls, dwarves, werewolves, imps and what not's. Another Paracosm I started warming to, is the second album of Washed Out.

Washed Out is Ernest Green, a chill wave artist, singer-songwriter and record producer, from Perry, Georgia. After releasing a few EPs, Washed Out debuted with the album 'Within and without', a title reminiscent of George Harrison's contribution to The Beatles' seminal album 'Sgt. Pepper's lonely hearts club band'. Listening to Paracosm, this reference is not so strange as it may seem. The songs on Paracosm all have a spiritual and slightly psychedelic undertone. They seem to float on the everlasting waves travelling through deep space. Just like the elusive singing floats on the music in a form of oneness. Something that always seems to have been there.

The laidback character of Paracosm brings with it that I have to be in the mood to listen to the album. The layers and layers of keyboard sounds and mechanical percussion put the singer in a trance, singing his lyrics in a permanently undercooled style and performance.

The first real surprise of the album comes with 'All I know', an 80s hit if I ever heard one. The best pop elements of Nik Kershaw, Howard Jones and Thomas Dolby come by and are mixed with the power of 'Working with fire and steel', one of China Crisis' best songs. This way Paracosm holds on to its coolness but adds tempo to the album. 'All I know' is one of those songs that surprises, because it comes from a form of music that I do not like, but is too good to resist. Like 'Wouldn't it be good' is the only Nik Kershaw song I could ever really listen to.

It means that Washed Out is walking a fine line with me. The music has a dance or even hip hop beats undertone, but built up with melody and layers of sound. The sort of music I usually do not really go for. This goes to show on the one hand that there always are surprises, but also that Paracosm is not an album that I can listen to every single day. I enjoy it sparingly in mellow moments. Getting mesmerised by the harplike sounds in the title song, but mostly relaxing on most of the sounds of the album.

A last influence that I notice is that of The Moody Blues. The music of Washed Out also has, although more hidden. symphonic elements in it, but mostly that sort of compact sound that is a staple in the sound of The Moody Blues. A sort of musical carpet that last from start to finish of a song, where all else that is going on there, is carried and comforted on. A technique Midlake is also capable of creating. All this goes for the style of singing as well. It is very similar.

Washed Out is the product of Ernest Green's mind but one other person deserves a mention. Ben H. Allen was involved on all tracks in one form or another. Whether as co-musician, as in "real" instruments, production or mixing, his hand was fairly big on this album.

Towards the end 'Falling back' is another more up-tempo 80s track of the very much better sort that wins me over to this album even more. A guitar and bass intro, a golden melody, so much fun to listen to. It adds flavour to Paracosm, the necessary variation every good album needs. I wouldn't be surprised if this Paracosm would someday turn up in that other one as some sort of future music.

Wo.

You can listen to 'It feels alright' here.