A Golden State. Luke Sital-Singh

The album art looks so familiar to a Dutch person living in the west of the country, with one notable exception: those palm trees. Another issue is that over here usually there are boats moored everywhere so people can step into their boats right from their respective backyards.

The opening of A Golden State has the same laidback feeling the cover art suggests. The song is slow, mellow, certainly a dash of melancholy is added. With the song I'm stepping straight into Ryan Adams territory. (Yes, I mention the unmentionable. There's music and personal behaviour.) Another strong reference is The War On Drugs on an acoustic guitar. This instrument is where A Golden State starts. All the rest follows from there.

Luke Sital-Singh presents his music in what I would call the singer-songwriter segment of Americana. The most prominent instrument on this album is the voice of Sital-Singh. He sings us stories, perhaps personal, perhaps observations. This is an album for listening intently. There's is not much other use for A Golden State. With songs as vulnerable as 'The Last Day' there's no alternative but to listen to what is sung.

Promo photo: Hattie Ellis

Sital-Singh until early this year lived in Bristol, but moved to Los Angeles. The album's title and cover art reflect that. The music and songs could do with a little sunshine. Pain and loss are a huge part of this album. From a car breaking down, to nothing left behind but a silhouette, there is a tremendous sense of loss permeating this album. It can be a chore listening to A Golden State because of this, but also a joy to wallow in the gloom. Simply because Sital-Singh is able to write beautiful songs. Yes, he has his influences, there's no denying, but who cares when a song like 'Almost Gone' has the subtle yet so effective changes? With a minimum of effects this singer-songwriter achieves a maximum effect. And that Americana? It moves further and further to the background as A Golden State progresses to just singer-songwriter in optima forma.

There's no need for more words. My effects can be just as minimal, as the conclusion reached can be summed up by one word: beauty.

Wo.

You can buy A Golden State here:

https://www.lukesitalsingh.com/#shopsection


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

The Family. Timber

Platen die in december worden uitgebracht worden meestal snel vergeten, maar dat geldt hopelijk niet voor het bescheiden meesterwerk van Timber.

Will Stewart en Janet Simpson hadden wat tijd over en besloten om in Alabama een plaat op te nemen. Die plaat is het debuut van het gelegenheidsduo Timber en het is een prachtplaat. The Family klinkt als de combinatie van het beste van Cowboy Junkies en Mazzy Star en voegt hier vervolgens nog veel ander moois aan toe. The Family is een stemmige plaat vol fraaie gitaarlijnen en bedwelmende vocalen, maar het tweetal kleurt ook met enige regelmaat buiten de lijntjes en flirt hierbij afwisselend met Americana, rock en pop. Absoluut een plaat om te omarmen en steeds weer wat verliefder op te worden.

Het aantal nieuwe releases is in december heel beperkt, maar zo af en toe verschijnt er toch nog een plaat die veel te mooi is om over het hoofd te zien. The Family van Timber is absoluut zo’n plaat.
 
Timber is een gelegenheidsduo uit Birmingham, Alabama, dat bestaat uit Will Stewart en Janet Simpson. Will Stewart voerde tot voor kort vanuit Nashville, Tennessee, zijn band Willie and the Giant aan, terwijl Janet Simpson deel uit maakte van Delicate Cutters en momenteel toert met Wooden Wand. De twee vonden in Alabama een gaatje in het tourschema en namen als Timber een werkelijk wonderschone plaat op.
 
In de openingstrack van The Family neemt Will Stewart de lead vocalen voor zijn rekening, maar zorgt Janet Simpson al voor bedwelmende achtergrondzang. De muziek van Timber zoekt in de openingstrack de grenzen van de Americana op en overtuigt direct met fraaie gitaarlijnen, prima zang en een melodie die je bij blijft. De muziek van Timber is stemmig en donker, wat fraai kleurt bij het huidige jaargetijde, maar de muziek van het gelegenheidsduo is ook ruw en stekelig, waarmee Timber zich vrij makkelijk weet te onderscheiden van de concurrentie in het genre.
 
Ik heb zelf een zwak voor vrouwenstemmen en mijn enthousiasme over de muziek van Timber groeide dan ook flink toen Janet Simpson in de tweede track de lead vocalen overnam. Het zijn vocalen die prachtig kleuren bij het ingetogen instrumentarium op het debuut van Timber, waarin fraaie gitaarlijnen de hoofdrol spelen. Wanneer Janet Simpson zingt, klinkt Timber als het perfecte huwelijk van Mazzy Star en Cowboy Junkies en dat zijn twee van mijn favoriete bands aller tijden.
 
Timber kleurt, nog meer dan deze twee bands, graag buiten de lijntjes en voorziet haar muziek van bijzondere accenten. Hier en daar klinkt de muziek van Timber fraai psychedelisch, maar het tweetal is ook niet vies van gruizige accenten die The Family weer richting The Velvet Underground duwen, al hoor ik de stemmen van Will Stewart en Janet Simpson liever dan die van Lou Reed en Nico.
 
Will Stewart en Janet Simpson nemen afwisselend de lead vocalen voor hun rekening en het zijn vocalen die alleen maar mooier worden, al is het maar omdat de muziek van Timber alleen maar indringender en bedwelmender wordt. The Family is hoorbaar gemaakt met bescheiden middelen, maar dat maakt de muziek van het tweetal alleen maar urgenter en intenser.
 
Ondanks de bescheiden middelen en een niet heel erg gevarieerde instrumentatie zijn de songs op The Family afwisselend, bijvoorbeeld omdat het duo in iedere songs weer een net wat andere weg in slaat en hierbij soms heel ver verwijderd raakt van het hokje Americana, waarin de plaat toch vooral geduwd zal worden. In de zich langzaam voortslepende songs hoor ik raakvlakken met Low, maar dit is nog lang niet het eindstation in de uitstapjes van Timber, dat ook zomaar kan klinken als een ruwe outtake van Fleetwood Mac in haar beste jaren.

Ik heb absoluut een voorkeur voor de songs waarin Janet Simpson het voortouw neemt, maar ook de songs waarin ze genoegen moet nemen met een rol op de achtergrond winnen aan kracht bij herhaalde beluistering. Ik heb The Family van Timber inmiddels een handvol keren gehoord en het is een plaat die me nu al dierbaar is. Het is een plaat die zomaar uit zou kunnen groeien tot een jaarlijstjesplaat, al maakt een release in december dit vrijwel onmogelijk. Alle reden dus om de plaat in 2019 nog een tweede kans te geven, want dit is een obscure parel die echt alle aandacht verdient.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt The Family hier kopen:

https://timber.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

.NoWordsNeedeD, 03-04-2019

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hncRENW3gxk

.No

Wingman Returns. Nomden

It is about four years ago I met Diederik Nomden for the first time when he played a support show for The Maureens. One man, a guitar or electric piano. Immediately I liked his voice and his songs. Unbeknownst, perhaps to us both even, I had no idea what direction his career would take. Being a part of The Analogues and later Her Majesty his own music was put on the back-burner, he but rose to national, even international fame and became a regular on TV programs and in documentaries.

Come 2019 and here is his second solo album after releasing 'Royal Parks' in 2012. A little but oh so nice surprise released in March. The first listening session wasn't an easy one, I noticed. Wingman Returns is so serious and stylised. In that it reminded me of 70s singer-songwriter albums like James Taylor and Christopher Cross. Also Diederik Nomden's voice has clearly some more mileage on it than in 2015.

Of course this is not the whole story. Being a fan, I took a second helping and a third. All sorts of influences started to reveal itself. The bottom line is, Diederik Nomden is a songsmith. Nothing is left to chance here. The songs are meticulously worked out in every detail. Song by song Wingman Returns reveals the beauty contained on it. By then it became clear why it is harder to immediately like Wingman Returns. 'Royal Parks' contained several true pop songs, sparkling and easy to sing along to. (With a lot of electric guitar and loud drums.) That album was much closer to his alternative rock roots while playing e.g. in Johan.

Not so Nomden's new album. He delves deeper and certainly has become less predictable. Paul McCartney as in his 'Eleanor Rigby' side or 'My Love' is in here, but also Paul Simon in his 70s songs. Even some Elton John like e.g. 'Your Song'. Many songs have a piano as a starting point, making the sound of a song and a lot of the album different. So there's no instant hit like 'She' here. 'I Do' comes closest, I guess. (Besides being the new song Tim Christensen is not releasing since 2012.) Instead we are presented 'Carolina'. Piano and strings, a soft, bittersweet song, oh so serious. "I'm sure relief is coming soon", but not just yet and that can be heard in the vocal melody and tone expression.

Opening the album with 'Swim ashore' Nomden sets the mood in a beautiful way. The song is serious, has a serious topic, but is a pop gem. The first real highlight is 'Not The Only One'. The kind of melancholy that can be found in several The Beatles songs. Nomden captures that, strings and all, without having to overdo anything. All is underscored and under cooled, yet so perfect. In 'Motel Blues' a pedal steel guitar enters the sound, giving the song a country flavour. It is this variety that gives Wingman Returns its little extras. Like the honky tonk piano solo. The sparks that make the album fly.

Wingman Returns is not a happy album. I can imagine Diederik Nomden working on it with a tear in his eye every once in a while. Going the whole way and drawing the best out of himself, seeking the path towards redemption. Mission succeeded.

It's four years ago Diederik told me he was working on new songs. Whether any of those songs made it to Wingman Returns, I have no way of knowing. What I do know, is that Wingman Returns is an album very much worthwhile listening to. Yes, later this year I will be at the Ziggo Dome again, somewhere high up, enjoying every note of 'Abbey Road'. In the meantime this is an album that I will be playing regularly. It is beauty. Wingman Returns is an album's album full of songs that make an album a potential classic. Just listen to 'For Your Sundays', this is a song containing it all. It is not an easy song, yet it seems to flow so effortlessly. There are no instant sparkles, yet look for them and you will find them in abundance. A beautiful ending to a beautiful album.

Wo.

You can buy Wingman Returns here:

https://www.diederiknomden.com/shop


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

Waterline. Nobody's Girl

Through the years Hans of the Q-Bus in Leiden has staged many artists in the Americana corner of music in, of course, Q-Bus but also in an old school building in Warmond. In the former I saw Rebecca Loebe play (at least once), in the latter I saw Betty Soo. The common denominator, Amanda Pearcy, is not a member of a new all ladies Americana power trio. Loebe and Sue are joined by Grace Pettis, who I have not encountered as far as I am aware.

The trio from Austin releases a mini album and embarks on a tour of Europe in April. All the more reason to dedicate some space to Nobody's Girl on this blog.

What got to me first is the huge sound of Waterline. A huge surprise and nothing like I expected. The album kicks off with a rocking kind of song called 'What I'll Do'. The ladies make a distinct statement: Here we are and are not holding back. Three layered harmonies, the singing of choice on this album and a huge part of its success, are intense and direct. The voices of Loebe, Pettis and Soo are all over me and do not leave me behind until the very last notes of the album. The title song is another absolute winner. The bluesy, jazzy 'Queen City' reminds of The Secret Sisters. 'Blue Bonnet' is a ballad and probably the most traditional in sound. It is here I'm reminded of Amanda Pearcy, so the circle of this post is rounded, I'm glad to write.

The album contains one cover, 'Call Me' of Blondie fame. Despite the fact that Blondie did a Giorgio Moroder disco track at the time, I always thought it extremely good. This fact is underscored by how good it sounds in the version of Nobody's Girl. Rocking in a mild way it comes across totally. A good song is a good song. A surprising choice it is though.

The bonus track on Waterline is probably a disclosure of what audiences can expect during the tour. Three strong voices and an acoustic guitar. The acoustic version of 'What I'll Do' knows a strong vocal performance, laying bare the essence of the song. The contrast with the power in the music in the opening song could hardly be any larger.

Promo photo: Valerie Fremin

Yes, this is very American music. It is part of a long string of U.S. musicians from the mid 70s onwards. So, yes, granted, it does not exactly colour outside of the firmly set lines. But when the colours within those lines are as beautiful as these, who can complain? What takes me in, as not all the artists in this long string have done in the past, is the combination of the great rocking music and the full-blown vocals in many of the songs. The melodies do the rest. Where the album succeeds is the edge the music contains, a little raunchy in sound, in contrast with the sweet sounding vocals, kicking up a storm when necessary.

The final comment is the fact that the songs between them sound very differently and have a different approach, most likely underscoring the individual singer behind the trio form. Especially Rebecca Loebe surprises me most here. She stands her ground in a band setting easily. All songs have a firm ground of bass and drums and go from there whether more delicate or in full blown rock. They all sound so well. A thing not so strange reading that the backing band played with a host of U.S. rockers through the years. Where the storm resides, the songs are simply so good, like 'Blue Bonnets' and 'Riding Out The Storm'.

A new trio with veterans of the Austin Americana circuit begs attention and deservedly so. It would surprise me tremendously if the shows this month will not prove to be a whooping success. There's a list below should you care to go.

Wo.

You can buy the album here:

https://nobodysgirlstore.bigcartel.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


The agenda:

04 April: Limerick, IRE @ Irish World Academy of Music and Dance

05 April: Cork, IRE @ University College Cork

10 April: Dublin, IRE @ The International Bar

12 April: Steendham, NL @ Podium Cafe

13 April: Duisburg, DE @ Where the Birds Fly

14 April: Zwolle, NL @ Cultuurschip Thor

16 April: Nijmegen, NL @ Ramble on Tuesday, Trianon

18 April: Den Haag, NL @ Diamant Theater

19 April: Stadskanaal, NL @ Radio Blueprint

19 April: Oldeberkoop, NL @ Cafe ’t Keerunt

20 April: Leusden, NL @ In the Woods

21 April: Haarlem, NL @ Taverne de Waag

22 April: Eindhoven, NL @ Meneer Fritz