Prins Obi & The Dream Warriors. Prins Obi & The Dream Warriors

Prins, notice the Dutch spelling, Obi and the Dream Warriors. Another band with a special name from the Greek Inner Ear Records label. Tango With Lions, The Frog Ensemble, Vagina Lips, all not your average band names.

Another resemblance is a love for music from decades back. In this case the love reaches all the way back to the late 60s, so influence from a band like The Kinks is not hard to detect as is 60s psychedelia and the postpunk/new wave from the late 70s

Still, 'Prins Obi ...' is not an easy to digest album. This is not love at first sight, but more a strained relationship that is very worthwhile maintaining, but involves dedication and work.

Prins Obi and the Dream Warriors is the solo vehicle of George Diakenesis, singer of the band Baby Guru and pharmacist in a more daily life. After 2017's 'The Age of Tourlou', he returned with a new album in November of 2018. Assisted by a host of musicians, his live band turned backing band, Diakenesis delivers a versatile album touching on several musical styles, moods and languages. His native tongue can be heard in two songs, that also have a title written in Greek.

Promo photo: Eftychia Vlachou

The start of the album knows no holding back. 'Concentration' may start with an electronic sound or two. The band kicks in and a Bowie influenced song kicks in full force. A 'Hang On To Yourself' kind of beat and staccato playing form the backbone of the song. Find Bowie again in 'Fingers' later on. 'Flower Child' is even louder, while being adorned with psych traits. Two chords just go up and down at a heavy pace. An up tempo 'Set Me Free'. A wah wah solo tops things off nicely. It is in the tightness of playing that I detect the postpunk/new wave, that will slowly disappear completely from the album.

In 'Negative People' the tempo does not so much go down, the song does provide an insight in what Prins Obi ... is capable of. The band is not afraid to strip down its sound nor of a bit weird chorus. This chorus is deep 60s shit. Something like 'Mother Nohead' by Group 1850. The combination with the tight verses and bass/drums in the chorus works well. The details in 'Negative People' show that the song is well worked out with a keen ear.

This level is kept up effortlessly in the song that follows, 'Astral Lady Blues', although it is more classic in its outcome. The surprise comes in the first Greek song. I think it says 'Divi' in my spelling and I hear the word yassou, but there my knowledge stops. A nice little organ adorns the psychedelic ballad. The bass, played by Sergios Voudris, again, is a prominent feature in this song. The second Greek song is also slower. The 60s are there again, yet in a much more poppy way. That also goes for the song that follows. 'Sally Junipero' is the kind of psych pop David Bowie was capable of in the late 60s and early 70s. In short there is a lot of variation and approaches to enjoy, making it harder for me to comment on consistency. Were it not that most songs make it to a necessary standard: quality.

Promo photo: Eftychia Vlachou

The tightness of the first bunch of songs have been left behind for a while when I get to the end of the album. In 'Guilty Pleasure Theme' the band goes off the straight path some more. Getting close to Frank Zappa's 'Freak Out' outings. Weirdness is not far away here.

Prins Obi and the Dream Warriors fall into a long line of modern bands delving musically into a time long gone. The interesting thing is that the band does not let itself be captured in one sound or style. Diakenesis is not the best singer and his songs in many ways have been heard before, but what he does right is to make intriguing music and capturing different styles in the exact right ways. When a The Kinks style ballad, 'Wide Open', ends 'Prins Obi ...' I feel fulfilled but also ready to play the album effortlessly again. Not my every day, run of the mill music this is, but, yes, simply good.

Wo.

You can listen to and buy Prins Obi & The Dream Warriors here:

https://prinsobi-innerear.bandcamp.com/album/prins-obi-the-dream-warriors


or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g

EP. Boygenius

1+1+1 is in de muziek lang niet altijd 3, maar Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers en Lucy Dacus maken er 4 of 5 van.

Julien Baker en Phoebe Bridgers maakten voor mij de beste twee platen van 2017, terwijl Lucy Dacus in 2018 zeker mee deed in mijn jaarlijstje over 2018 met het fraaie Historian. Als Boygenius bundelen de drie de krachten en combineren ze op fraaie wijze hun bijzondere stemmen, veelkleurige gitaarspel en songwriting skills. De zes songs op Boygenius beginnen bij de individuele talenten van de drie, maar de talenten grijpen al snel in elkaar en tillen de songs op EP vervolgens naar een hoger plan. Ik kijk nu al uit naar de nieuwe platen van de drie, maar ook deze samenwerking smaakt naar veel meer. 

Julien Baker en Phoebe Bridgers bereikten vorig jaar de eerste twee posities van mijn jaarlijstje met hun albums Turn Out The Lights en Stranger In The Alps. Lucy Dacus leverde eerder dit jaar met Historian een van de betere platen van 2018 af.

Hoe mooi zou het zijn als deze drie dames hun krachten zouden bundelen en dat is precies wat Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers en Lucy Dacus hebben gedaan. Als Boygenius zijn ze al een tijdje aan het toeren en nu ligt er dan ook een EP, die wat eerder opduikt dan eerder werd aangekondigd.

De EP die voor het gemak de titel EP heeft gekregen bevat zes songs en 21 minuten muziek. Het is een EP die gezien de voorgeschiedenis alleen maar prachtig kan zijn en dat is hij dan ook.

De jonge muzikanten (Phoebe Bridgers is 24, Julien Baker en Lucy Dacus zijn 23) nemen afwisselend het voortouw en drukken voorzichtig hun eigen stempel op de songs waarin de eigen rol net wat groter is. Phoebe Bridgers excelleert in akoestische songs vol melancholie, Julie Baker kan fluisterzachte zang in een paar noten laten uitbarsten in een passionele schreeuw en Lucy Dacus combineert haar prachtige stem bij voorkeur met een licht explosieve en veelkleurige instrumentatie.

De drie leden van Boygenius beschikken alle drie over een stem waar ik van hou, maar het zijn ook nog eens stemmen die prachtig bij elkaar kleuren en die elkaar weten te versterken wanneer wordt gekozen voor harmonieën, wat op EP met enige regelmaat zorgt voor kippenvel.

Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers en Lucy Dacus zijn niet alleen zangeressen die me raken, maar het zijn ook prima gitaristen. Phoebe Bridgers strooit op EP met bezwerende gitaarlijnen, Julien Baker zorgt voor de ruimte en de dynamiek, terwijl Lucy Dacus vooral prachtig buiten de lijntjes kleurt.

In vocaal en muzikaal opzicht overtuigt de eerste EP van Boygenius vrij makkelijk, maar ook de songs van het drietal vallen zeker niet tegen. In vocaal en muzikaal opzicht vloeien de talenten van Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers en Lucy Dacus prachtig samen en dat doen ze ook in de songs, al hoor je goed wie het voortouw neemt en is niet moeilijk om te bepalen welke songs hadden gepast op Turn Out The Lights, welke op Stranger In The Alps en welke op Historian.

Zeker wanneer de drie kiezen voor fraaie harmonieën, schuift Boygenius voorzichtig op richting de Amerikaanse rootsmuziek, wat de rocksongs van het drietal van nog wat extra diepte voorziet en de muziek van Boygenius nog wat extra meerwaarde geeft. 21 minuten zijn snel om wanneer muziek je zo weet te raken als de muziek van Boygenius doet, maar de songs zijn zo goed dat je de EP best twee of drie keer na elkaar kunt beluisteren.

Op voorhand hoopte ik natuurlijk dat Boygenius het beste van de drie platen die ik zo koester zou verenigen, maar 1+1+1 is in de muziek lang niet altijd 3. EP van Boygenius begon bij mij echter direct bij ruim 3, maar de 4 of zelfs de 5 zijn inmiddels binnen handbereik. Natuurlijk moeten Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers en Lucy Dacus hun eigen platen blijven maken, maar dat Boygenius levensvatbaar is lijkt me duidelijk. Laat maar snel komen dat volwaardige debuut.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt de EP hier beluisteren en kopen:

https://xboygeniusx.bandcamp.com/



or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g

Taïfun - Holden Goldmund split 12"

"Two bands, two countries, three labels and one love for Motorpsycho". That in ultimate shortness sums up the release of this split album by the Belgian band Taïfun and Dutch band Holden Goldmund. (And as a historian I can't help to add that both bands come from a former bishopric principality Liège and Utrecht.)

Two bands that I had never heard of and it proves inconsequential. The music the two bands presents is of the mesmerising kind. Songs that are sort of mysterious, in which a lot is happening. Liking Motorpsycho does not mean that songs have to be 10 or 20 minutes. The bands on this split album manage to make their points in a lot less, but never under three. The trick is done in the way the instruments weave in and out of each other, the layering of sounds, the attack in the songs and of the songs. The point gets made, period.

Taïfun is around since 2005 and has released several records since then. As I said there's nothing to compare for me, so I can only sing the praise of these four songs. And there is a lot to praise. Let me start with the last song of the four, 'Whales'. Here Taïfun builds a cathedral of music and breaks it down again, brick by brick. In sound the song reminds me of TMGS without the hardrocking part. The mood and build up are just like some of the loudest TMGS songs. So that is a major plus. The instrumental, long intro lets all band members go full out. Rocking, pumping, whaling, the struggle between whale and human, in the old days, may be reproduced here musically. As if when all get tired and it is unclear who's gonna win, the song collapses within it self and the singing comes in after over 4.30 minutes. The voices of Frank Malsano and Pete Marshall sing close together. The only thing lacking is a final statement. 'Whales' just peters out unexpectedly. For the rest the Liège based band created a winner here.

The fun started about 16 minutes before with the alternative rocker 'Boomerang'. With a hint at psychedelia. The singing wavers between ghosts and zombies, while the guitars play some interesting lines that move out in all sorts of directions. "We move around, around into the dark" is the final line, underscoring the mystery hanging over 'Boomerang'. Motorpsycho comes out strongest in 'Heart of Hearts'. The dark, strongly overdriven bass guitar, the wobbly lead guitar and the change within the song. Classic Motorpsycho. Taïfun shows that an inventive band can capture a lot in just 3.32".

Holden Goldmund is more of a band for the occasion. Singer/guitarist Jacco van Elst is the heart of the band, who also plays in This Leo Sunrise and The Fire Harvest. Together with bass player Matthijs Thomassen and drummer Dave Mollen he recorded four songs late spring 2018. The first gig was only in October of 2018. The contrast with a band like Taïfun is rather large. But friendship is friendship. Hence this release.

There is a contrast in music as well. Holden Goldmund is a trio and sounds like one. The mystery in the songs is the common denominator. The major difference is in the way the songs are presented. Holden Goldmund is far more subtle and less direct. The effect is not in the technical prowess of the playing and layering of songs, but in the atmosphere and openness of the songs. Something that is a result, most likely, of being able to record four songs over a period of six months and do it all in one day.

The great fun of this split album is that both bands totally succeed and convince in what they present. In Holden Goldmund all three musicians play an equal role. The drums, bass and guitar all come forward as equal partners in the songs. Every detail in the playing is audible with ease. Listen to 'Feet' and it is instantly audible what I mean. The fine drumming of Mollen shows through in every second of the song, the bass is an entity on its own and the guitar supports Van Elst's singing, until at the end it is allowed to take off in a fiery solo.

'Table Tale' is an alternative ballad. The aim is not beauty, but the effect on me is the same. Van Elst sings in a deeper register than a ballad usually holds. "I know so little of these things". The wonder of that line shows through in the whole song. It wanders on, without ever finding what it may be looking for, without knowing what it is looking for even perhaps. The result is a beautiful song that captures me instantly.

The EP ends with an alternative pop song. 'The Drunk' comes close to what a band like Maggie Brown does, but with a dangerous edge, making it just this little harder to digest, but no less so interesting.

Summing up, I hear two very different bands that somehow wanted to release music together. Does it really fit together? My primal inclination is no, yet when I turn over that 12" record, I get engrossed immediately by the other band, The final verdict has to be yes.

Wo.

You can listen to and buy the 12" split album here:

https://tinyroomrecords.bandcamp.com/album/split-12


or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g

C'Mon C'Mon C'Mon. Brad Marino

This may be the shortest song reviewed on this blog to date. The new single by Brad Marino shoots out of the starting block like a 100 meter runner, who manages to continue at that pace over 20 fold the distance before he collapses at the finish line.

It is not that C'Mon C'Mon C'Mon is that fast, no, it is delightfully tempoed, melodically strong and captures the poppy side of The Ramones and mixes it with the strongest songs by Blondie. Brad Marino recreates the singing of Joey Ramone as if he's his long lost twin brother.

At 2.06 this single has the length of an early 60s hitsingle. And at heart that is what this sped up and pumped song is. Within it it holds all that made 60s singles so delightful to listen to right up to this day. Whether the early Beach Boys, the Beatles and the Stones and all those other heroes, like the Golden Earrings, yes, with an 's' in those days, Q65, Shocking Blue or the Outsiders in this country. Pure pop with an ever sharper edge. Brad Marino mixes this pop feel with a second half of the 70s pop as that is what the Ramones et al produced at the time; when all is said and done. Listening in 2019 it is easy to discern those deep pop influences, just like they are in C'Mon C'Mon C'Mon.

No matter how short, this single is perfect. Including two different guitar solos for the aficionados and, yes, I am one. So, in all sorts of ways this is the kind of song that makes me happy: from start to finish. Brad Marino and band simply do everything right here.

Whatever else one can write about music that has been played over and over through the past decades, this single is simply a stellar release. It holds it all and then some more.

Wo.

You can listen to and buy C'Mon C'Mon C'Mon here:

https://bradmarino.bandcamp.com/track/cmon-cmon-cmon


or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g

Ataraxia. Matteo Myderwyk

Matteo Myderwyk is someone who does not have the brakes on where his music is concerned. This is his third album in 18 months. I never got around reviewing one of them, although his music has come by in 'Kairos', a program on Concertzender reviewed or better discussed once a month on this blog. And Ataraxia is a contender for a spot on the show. (Are you paying attention, .No?)

Early January is an easy going time for a reviewer. Hell will break loose soon, but not yet. In other words, Myderwyk's release is well-timed for a rockloving reviewer as I am. At the same time this music, one man, one piano, touches me. The atmosphere is utterly relaxed, laidback. Myderwyk tingles his keys in a slow way, seemingly searching for the right notes to play, sometimes as if hesitating ever so slightly what choice to make.

The album is called Ataraxia. Looking the term up on Wikipedia, the following definition is given: "Ataraxia (ἀταραξία, literally, "unperturbedness", generally translated as "imperturbability", "equanimity", or "tranquillity") is a Greek philosophical term for a lucid state of robust equanimity that was characterized by ongoing freedom from distress and worry". Listening to the music I can totally understand the title.

Things become slightly more difficult when all the tracks in Ataraxia are called Axioma (I - XIII). Again thank you Wikipedia: "An axiom or postulate is a statement that is taken to be true, to serve as a premise or starting point for further reasoning and arguments. The word comes from the Greek axíōma (ἀξίωμα) 'that which is thought worthy or fit' or 'that which commends itself as evident".

Now an axiom could provide a peace of mind leading to ataraxia, yet could also lead to discussion, debate, anxiety. So what is it to be? Let me return to the music Matteo Myderwyk plays. The slow notes played here give me the idea Myderwyk knows an inner peace of mind that he is able to translate into his playing and more importantly his composing. On Ataraxia there seems nothing that can disturb him in any way. The great thing is that he shares this inner ease with all his listeners. Listening to the first axiomas brings me into a peaceful state of mind as well. Soon there's nothing in this world except for the slow moving chords and notes of the composition. In that the difference with another album released on 11 January, Spidergawd's 'V', could hardly be more extreme.

Yes, Ataraxia is very far from my bed of (indie)rock, Americana and such, yet this is an album that is totally worth while listening to and to enjoy, rock addict or not.

Wo.

You can buy Ataraxia here:

https://shop.excelsior-recordings.com/products/matteo-myderwyk-ataraxia


or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g