Israel Nash's rain plans. Israel Nash Gripka

If I remember correctly Israel Nash Gripka was telling during the last show I saw from him in Q-Bus, Leiden, in 2012 about having moved to Texas and about living on a farm. Things with neighbours and guns and about the songs he was writing there. Here we are about a year and a half later. Israel Nash's rain plans is playing on my iPod. Whether I can credit the move to Texas for the change in music I can't tell, fact is that the songs on Rain plans are one step more subtle than on 'Barn doors & concrete floors'. It's more as if Israel Nash Gripka moved to California and became the neighbour of Old Dinosaur Sr. That he's the guy with the guns and stuff. So we have an album heavily influenced by Neil Young, but is it any good?

Gripka's previous album had some very fine tunes on it, but was not a one hundred percent convincing album. It had definitely had it's moments, while some songs showed great potential. At first listen of Rain plans this certainly has changed. Rain plans has a distinct own flavour and pace. The pace being mid-tempo and slower songs, the flavour country-rock. Rain plans takes the listener back to the 1970s, the heyday of west coast countryrock. The Eagles on its first albums, CSNY, Neil Young, etc. It is this atmosphere that Gripka is emulating successfully. So what we hear is a layer of different guitars, from the pedal steel, to acoustic, a soft riffing electric guitar and other guitars playing soft toned loose notes or a fine solo in the background or front. Of course the mouthharp is not missing here.

Israel Nash Gripka not only sings slightly like Neil Young here, the background vocals have his typical ethereal quality also. The deeper voice backed by these high, thin voices. 'Who in time' e.g. could have been on any album like the A side of 'Rust never sleeps', 'After the goldrush' or 'Harvest'. And that is meant as a complement. If someone shows to be so much influenced as Gripka is on Rain plans, then that someone better come up with the songs to boot. He does, I do not need more words. Of course the main question to be answered is: Does the world need an album like a 1970's Neil Young country(rock) album? For all I know right now, I notice this is just the record I seem to be wanting to listen to. So, yes. More generally, I could have done without it also. I have played my Neil Young albums enough and put one on every once in while for nostalgic reasons. 'On the beach' is the only album I can still listen to any time basically.

Setting the bigger questions aside, then I can state that Rain plans is a well made, well played and sung album. Israel Gripka Nash clearly shows a love for this music. It has a laidback urgency as if these are the songs that had to come out. That should make Rain plans an album that makes a difference and it does. A song like 'Myer Canyon', presents so many different fine details that it is not so difficult to set myself over my first skeptical ideas. The same goes for the title song. There are so many fine flowing guitar lines in this song that it is impossible not to take a shining to it. The song is long with these slowly shifting moods. Just very well done.

Time will tell whether Rain plans will grow on me more. It has the potential to do so as there are several very fine songs on this album. And it is not Neil Young. Strangely enough that sort of helps also. For now any one who is a fan of west coast country rock should give this album a spin. Just open yourself to something new and at the same time so familiar. You might actually be surprised in a very pleasant way.

Wo.

You can listen to 'Rain plans' here.

Snapshot. The Strypes

Whoa! Talking about a whole shot of energy in abundance. Snapshot delivers just that. A whole bunch of Nederbiet and garagerock is thrown over me at first listen. Not since the debut album of The Loved Ones, 'The price for love', have been so pleasantly surprised by an up tempo, vile and pure rocking mix of rhythm & blues, rock (and roll) and garage, combined with the energy pumped out of 'King Kong', the fantastic (blues) album of The Red Devils. The Strypes play all this in such a convincing way that rock and roll staple 'You can't judge a book by looking at the cover' is just one of the songs on Snapshot. That is probably the best compliment The Strypes can get.

The Strypes is a teenage outfit from Ireland. Formed in 2008 consisting of Ross Farrelly (lead vocals/harmonica), Josh McClorey (lead guitar/vocals), Pete O'Hanlon (bass guitar/harmonica) and Evan Walsh (drums). Judging from their reported ages, they started out as kids and still they are not allowed to buy a beer in most countries. In a day and age that kids like dance hits, I can only wonder where the love for 1950s and 60s rock and roll comes from.

Snapshot offers one thing: pure musical energy. The Strypes go for it from the very intro. The feedbacking guitars change into an up tempo rocker that sets the standard for Snapshot. The Strypes are as wild as Q65, rocks as hard as The Outsiders, riff like Them or The Yardbirds. If it takes handclaps to add to the fun, you will hear just that. 'Blue collar Jane' has them in the chorus and it's the finishing touch to a raucous song. Ross Farelly has the spunk of Wally Tax and the power of the young Roger Daltrey. The singing is so full of confidence, with the right edge to his voice, that gives the singing that extra harshness. Like proving that he means it. The job is done by the whole band so well, that I can only hope that healthwise the band escape the pitfalls many a 60s musician fell in.

The extra weapon of The Strypes is a mean harmonica played as a lead instrument or accompaniment. The harmonica is played in a great, wild style. Sucking all the air in and spatting it out again. The guitar playing of Josh McClorey is nearing the style of Dave Gonzales of The Paladins. With the songs to boot, something which is not always the case with The Paladins. A trick that singer Farelly does a few times on Snapshot, holding the notes, creating this little tension between singing and playing, is done so well. Just this makes listening to Snapshot so much fun.

A last weapon The Strypes have is punk. 'Heart of the city' could have been played in 1977, if McClorey cut down a bit on the solos. The two guitar chords responding to each last word of a sentence emulate everything punk was at its best. Everyone who listens well knows that 1977 punk was nothing else then rock and roll played faster, louder, with a sloppy form of tightness.

Snapshot has me dancing through the kitchen while cooking. Makes me nod my head on an unexpected busride and makes my fingers dance this keyboard. Snapshot is as pure a shot of adrenaline as possible from a digital machine. Snapshot is balled energy. An album that makes it impossible to say that the band's energy on stage was not captured. To all appearances producer Chris Thomas managed to do just that. Roll on, brothers!

Wo.

You can listen here to 'Blue collar Jane' here.

Bliss avenue. Dana Fuchs

De Amerikaanse zangeres Dana Fuchs werd na de release van haar debuut Lonely For A Lifetime, inmiddels al weer tien jaar geleden, zo vaak vergeleken met Janis Joplin, dat ze zelf ook bijna ging geloven dat ze de reïncarnatie van deze legendarische zangeres was (Fuchs werd zes jaar na het overlijden van Janis Joplin geboren dus het is in theorie mogelijk). Lange tijd richtte Fuchs zich niet op het maken van nieuwe platen, maar speelde ze de hoofdrol in een aantal musicals, waaronder een musical over het leven van, je raadt het al, Janis Joplin. Met het twee jaar geleden verschenen Love To Beg keerde Dana Fuchs na een afwezigheid van acht jaar terug, maar buiten Nederland werd de plaat eigenlijk nauwelijks opgemerkt. Helemaal onlogisch was dat overigens niet, want in plaats van Love To Beg kon je ook Pearl van Janis Joplin opzetten en als ik tussen deze twee platen moet kiezen weet ik het ook wel, waardoor ik Pearl nog steeds met enige regelmaat beluister en me van Love To Beg eerlijk gezegd maar heel weinig kan herinneren. Met Bliss Avenue zet Dana Fuchs een volgende stap in haar carrière en dit keer geef ik, de vooral in Nederland populaire, Amerikaanse zangeres wel een goede kans. Net als op haar vorige platen is ook Bliss Avenue in vocaal opzicht weer een buitengewoon indrukwekkende plaat, maar op haar nieuwe plaat weet Dana Fuchs ook in muzikaal opzicht meer te overtuigen. Bliss Avenue is veel meer dan de rauwe bluesy rock ’n roll van haar vorige platen, waardoor de vergelijking met Janis Joplin in lang niet alle tracks meer relevant is. Bliss Avenue begeeft zich ook op het terrein van soul, gospel, pop en zelfs country en dat zijn terreinen waarop Dana Fuchs uitstekend uit de voeten kan. Bliss Avenue is niet alleen qua zang en repertoire een veelzijdige plaat, maar klinkt ook fantastisch. Met name het gitaarwerk op de plaat is om je vingers bij af te likken en klinkt fantastisch in gevecht met de rauwe strot van Dana Fuchs, met een fraaie bijrol voor het ouderwets klinkende orgeltje. Net als bijvoorbeeld Beth Hart heeft Dana Fuchs geen makkelijk leven achter de rug en dat uit zich in een even doorleefde als emotievolle strot. In tegenstelling tot Beth Hart wist Dana Fuchs tot dusver niet te overtuigen met eigen songs die zich weten te onderscheiden van die van andere zangeressen in het genre, maar met Bliss Avenue lukt dit opeens wel. Op basis van haar stem verdient Dana Fuchs inmiddels al een jaar of tien heel veel respect, maar met Bliss Avenue dwingt ze het ook op andere terreinen af. Laten we eerlijk zijn. Dana Fuchs was altijd al veel te goed voor musicals, zelfs als die over het leven van legendes als Janis Joplin gaan. Bliss Avenue is de eerste plaat van haar hand die veel te goed is om te laten liggen. Doe dat dan ook niet, want daar krijg je echt een keer spijt van.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt hier naar 'Bliss avenue' luisteren.

From here to now to you. Jack Johnson

It must be close to 10 years now that I came home with Jack Johnson's debut album, with these songs that were a perfect mix between relaxed aloofness and melancholy seriousness. Jack Johnson the surfer dude from Hawaii made an impression straight away. Since then Johnson went in and out of favour of the larger audience, especially through his hitsingle, 'Sitting, waiting, wishing'. What followed was an album for kids and a few albums that were somewhat more serious of tone, as if clouds had found Hawaii or Johnson. Perhaps both. In 2013 comes a new album, his sixth regular studio album, his tenth not counting live albums but do count filmscores.

From here to now to you is vintage Jack Johnson. The album has all the ingredients that made me listen to him in the first place. The relaxed mood, the clear sound, the percussive from of playing the rhythm and his fine voice, that's including the harmonies. I knew enough just by listening to album opener 'I got you'. This is going to be just fine. The song is slow, sort of dragging behind the beat and the harmonies are in all the right places. The more up tempo 'Washing dishes' gives the listener not only variation straight away but also a great song. Johnson wrote another very smooth going song, that sort of always seems to have been there.

No, there is not one single new point of view or clear development in sight on From here to now to you. As long as the songs are as pleasant as the twelve songs on From here ... who cares? I rather have twelve songs that are very pleasant additions to Jack Johnson's oeuvre then twelve forced tries at doing something different or radically new in an unsuccessful way. This would only be different if the current songs on display would be weak or totally uninteresting. The collection on From here to now to you is all but that.

Something that also does not change is the accompaniment of Jack Johnson's band. Adam Topol is on bass and Merlo Podlewski is on drums. "New" addition Zach Gill is there delivering everything with keys and harmony vocals. His part to the sound of From here ... is a bit more modest as the album is somewhat bare, but as always very clearly produced. Every guitar note is prominently heard, as is Jack Johnson's voice. All else is background and supplemental to Jack Johnson. At the same time there is this balance that makes all Jack Johnson does shine just a bit brighter. The accents going on in the background from his rhythm section may be soft and subtle, they are where they should be.

Another great song is 'As I was saying'. It is a song that has that Jack Johnson dichotomy in optima forma. The song is clear sounding, suggesting happiness and tranquillity. The melody and singing suggest concern and doubt. 'As I was saying' is so subtle. The steel stringed acoustic guitar that has a few playful, extra strokes here and there. The sparse, single piano or melodica notes of Zach Gill. The rolling drum fills. Together it makes a beautiful song. When all this happens again on 'Ones and zeroes', the album only grows and grows.

From here to now to you is a return to form is my opinion. Not that I disliked 'Sleep through the static' or 'To the sea', I just did not think the albums special enough to truly like them. From here to now to you does have that quality. It's always nice when one of the artist I like delivers. Jack Johnson does just that here.

Wo.

You can listen to 'I got you' here.

AAAH. Taymir

Every once in a while a song comes by that makes me prick up my ears straight away. It happened last Sunday in the car. The song the radio played made me go all gooey. The 'Aaa aaa' parts were utterly brilliant. The way the melody goes down instead of up in the middle, makes it even more special. One that Kaiser Chiefs could suck a point to, as we say in Holland. Something that needed checking out. A song also that wasn't announced and another song played after straight away. What is it? Tell me, DJ, please, please tell me now!! The song, that inspired me to write on 'The right side won' by What Fun! first, turned out to be by a band called Taymir from The Hague.

AAAH has everything that makes a hit. The combination of urgency, the possibility to sing along, more than easy lyrics where it counts, a great guitar hook and it's over before you realise it. In short an instant classic. Taymir did a great job in this song. The song starts with just hand claps, drawing attention and creating a sense of urgency. What's going on here? Followed by the aaah part without giving it all away. The tight drums and bass lay the foundation over which singer Bas Prins leads us into the song. Guitarist Mikkie B. Wessels comes in sparingly, all accents, while bass player Quinten Meiresonne and drummer Harrie Roelse keep it together. In the chorus the band let's it all rip.

If I understand things correctly, the band started only this year and already there is a whole album, so I just found out, doing some researching into the band. The band is not waiting and has the songs to kickstart its career. Believe me, there is more to write on soon, so I learned from the first spin on the 3voor12 "Luisterpaal". Taymir makes great 60s influenced poprock with loads of energy, with harmony singing worthwhile listening to.

AAAH is the introduction to more. For now let's celebrate the power of AAAH, the debut single of Taymir that is very much worth listening to. Is The Hague taking back the moniker Holland's rock city number 1? It's starting to look like it. About time too. Taymir is a band to watch.

Wo.

You can listen to AAAH here.