Titanic Rising. Weyes Blood

Weyes Blood pakt op Titanic Rising flink of zelfs overdadig uit en levert een buitengewoon fascinerend album op dat je op verschillende manieren kunt beluisteren

Weyes Blood, het alter ego van Natalie Mering, had al een drietal fascinerende albums op haar naam staan, maar zet een volgende stap met het bijzondere en wat mij betreft wonderschone Titanic Rising. Het is een album dat je heen en weer slingert tussen Joni Mitchell, Aimee Mann, ABBA, The Beatles, Kraftwerk, John Barry, Laura Nyro, Enya, Depeche Mode, Jenny Hval en nog veel meer, maar dat uiteindelijk vooral klinkt als Weyes Blood. Het is een album vol tijdloze popliedjes, maar ondertussen gebeurt er zoveel dat het je soms duizelt en bouwt Natalie Mering bijna stiekem aan een uniek geluid.

Het is een intrigerend rijtje albums dat de Amerikaanse band Weyes Blood op haar naam heeft staan. The Outside Room, het in 2011 verschenen en slechts in kleine kring opgepikte debuut van de band rond of feitelijk het alter ego van Natalie Mering, maakte het de luisteraar nog niet makkelijk met lange tracks en muziek die in het hokje freak-folk paste.
 
Op het in 2014 uitgebrachte The Innocents vermengde Natalie Mering, die voor Weyes Blood deel uitmaakte van de band Jackie-O Motherfucker, folk en psychedelica met zowel zweverige als donkere klanken en werden haar songs net iets toegankelijker. Deze lijn werd doorgetrokken op het uit 2016 stammende Front Row Seat To Earth, dat ook nog eens invloeden van de grote vrouwelijke singer-songwriters uit de jaren 70 verwerkte en nog wat toegankelijker en bij vlagen zelfs zoet klonk.
 
En nu is er dan Titanic Rising dat op het eerste gehoor een volgende reuzenstap zet richting de singer-songwriter pop uit de jaren 70. Op het geweldige Front Row Seat To Earth koos Weyes Blood zo nu en dan voor zoete klanken en deze zijn nu zo nu en dan verruild voor honingzoete klanken. De rijkelijk met strijkers versierde instrumentatie doet zeker bij eerste beluistering wat pompeus aan en wanneer Natalie Mering op haar mooist zingt heb ik zelfs wat associaties met The Carpenters (en dat is wat mij betreft niet iets om je voor te schamen).
 
Titanic Rising bevat een aantal tijdloze popliedjes die onmiddellijk herinneren aan de muziek die door de grote singer-songwriters uit de jaren 70 werden gemaakt. Het is bij Weyes Blood meestal echter niet zo simpel als het lijkt en dat is ook dit keer het geval. De instrumentatie op Titanic Rising zit volgestopt met bijzondere klanken en is experimenteler of in ieder geval avontuurlijker dan je bij oppervlakkige beluistering hoort.
 
Bij oppervlakkige beluistering hoor je natuurlijk de prachtige stem van Natalie Mering en de stevig aangezette pianoklanken en strijkers, maar wanneer je het album met de koptelefoon beluistert hoor je ook nog een eigenzinnige elektronische onderlaag, die het geluid van Weyes Blood toch weer iets unieks geeft. Het is een elektronische onderlaag die net zo makkelijk flirt met New Age als met 80s kitsch of juist 70s elektronica pioniers, waardoor de muziek van Weyes Blood je met grote regelmaat op het verkeerde been zet.
 
Titanic Rising kun je hierdoor op twee manieren beluisteren. Je kunt jezelf compleet verliezen in de rijk georkestreerde en volstrekt tijdloze popliedjes of je kunt op zoek gaan naar alle bijzondere details die Weyes Blood heeft verstopt op haar nieuwe album. In beide gevallen valt er veel te genieten.
 
Natalie Mering zingt op Titanic Rising met nog wat meer overtuiging en is niet bang voor een suikerlaagje meer of minder. Het doet me af en toe wel wat denken aan Aimee Mann en laat dat nu net een van mijn favoriete singer-songwriters zijn. De tijdloze songs staan soms met één been in de hoogtijdagen van de Laurel Canyon Scene, maar het is wel “Joni Mitchel geproduceerd door Brian Eno”, aldus AllMusic.com.
 
Titanic Rising zit vol echo’s uit het verleden (en sleept er ook nog eens Beatlesque of Abbaesque klanken en refreinen bij), maar iedere keer wanneer Weyes Blood het avontuur opzoekt ben je onmiddellijk weer in het heden. Ik kan me voorstellen dat er muziekliefhebbers zijn die het net wat te veel of zelfs flink “over the top” vinden, maar ik ben zelf steeds meer onder de indruk van het grootse en meeslepende album dat Weyes Blood heeft afgeleverd en dat ook bij de zoveelste beluistering weer nieuwe dingen laat horen.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt Titanic Rising hier kopen:

https://weyesblood.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

Can't Stop The Bleeding. Mono in Stereo

It is not a pretty sight to the left of these words. The last drops have been wrong out of the beer cans and out of Mono in Stereo it seems. If the band has gone all the way in writing and recording these five songs they ought to be great, right?

Fact is that Mono in Stereo provides its listeners with a lot of energy. There may only be five songs but they are totally fulfilling if not satisfying.

It all starts off with 'The Conversation'. A song that almost sounds familiar. It took me a few sessions to realise what I was reminded of; Foo Fighters of course. With minor differences in the details. The sound is more down to earth. This is not an overblown production but a song made by mere humans with a talent for alternative and garage rock. A song I could imagine (in a wild dream, true) playing and making myself. The faint traces to Gin Blossoms' hits of the early 90s are also pleasing.

The surprise comes in song 2. After a strong guitar riffing intro a warm organ joins the whole and immediately changes the texture of the album. 'Different Kind Of Man' scores immediately with me because of this. Mono in Stereo shows it is able to look behind the wall of guitars and provide the world this little extra. Sometimes a small thing like that is enough to make my moments of enjoying new music.

Promo photo

Mono in Stereo is a band from Rockford, Illinois. Billy Maynard, Kevin Kalen, Tim Spinler and Mike Melenas are responsible for capturing all this energy on record. Men that have been active in punkrock music for over twenty years and now play together in a new band. After releasing 'Long For Yesterday' in 2015, Can't Stop The Bleeding is the band's second effort. As long as it keeps haemorrhaging songs like the ones on this EP, my advice is not to staunch that stream of inspiration too much. It is, unfortunately, the title song that I like less, but then four out of five is a great score in my book.

No, Mono in Stereo is not a band that plays original music. For that there are too many references to bands like the ones already mentioned and e.g. The Hold Steady. The fact that the music is good and I am enjoying myself here, is far more important. I listen to music primarily to be entertained and let that feature obviously be one of the strongest traits of Mono in Stereo.

Wo.

You can buy Can't Stop The Bleeding here:

https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/cant-stop-the-bleeding


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 Sparkling Black. Aura Blaze

Can a band surprise? Oh, yes. Can a band give me a fright? Sure it can. Can a band land on its feet any way? Hell, yes. That is about the process I went through listening to Aura Blaze's new album The Sparkling Black a few times.

My first listening session with The Sparkling Black was plainly disappointing. I was not hearing what I was expecting to hear. Where did that enormous, huge sound go? Where was the psychedelic hardrock I liked so much? What I was hearing could not be further removed from 'Aura Blaze'. What I was hearing instead was sixties pop with a weird little edge here and there.

So it took me a while before I put on The Sparkling Black once again. It was on route to the gym and I remember thinking this is actually quite fun and so I delved into the album some more. Slowly it opened itself to me, showing all the different layers Rhode Rachel put into his new album. The 60s are all over it for sure, but not the most obvious part of the 60s. Yes, there are loads of harmonies, in fact so many fine ones, but don't expect The Beatles or The Beach Boys. What I hear is more in line with a band like The Move, the little weirdness in the details, but with much better songs. Listen to how free flowing 'Good While It Lasted' is. There seem enough ideas in this single song to fill a whole record by a more average band. 'Good While It lasted' is a pop gem with so many details (and a classic 60s fast fade out), it is almost impossible to keep up with all of them.

Listening to the song I am reminded of how my mind works, its expectations, its longing for familiarity and more of the same. Not being complacent nor satisfied with my first impression is what gets me to my second or even third thoughts, to lend a little something from Terry Pratchett, a writer I've spent many a pleasant hour with through the year. The result often is the discovery of fine aspects in songs I did not hear before. And thus The Sparkling Black opened itself to me by the song and by the spin.

With 'Eyes Of The Rising Sun' a little early Pink Floyd enters the album. Again the song has this little extra and totally unexpectedly Aura Blaze's rock guitar erupts for a few bars, escaped and kicked back into the cupboard where it was locked up. The song does not need it, but it was nice while it lasted. The song in general reminds me of The Hague band The Stangs and its mini album 'Parable'. (Where are they now?)

The Sparkling Dark does not let itself be caught in one single hole. The album is diverse and ever stronger. Also less subtle by the song. With 'Manipulation' another and louder song is presented. Still there is this flavour of the 60s but more in a way Electric Light Orchestra was 60s or even the loudest side of The Moody Blues in the 70s was 60s. The guitar is let loose for the first time for real so we do move into 70s rock for sure, just listen to the harmonies at the end. The Sparkling Dark scores another point here with an extremely strong song. Notice I haven't even mentioned the strong voice of Björn Strid here, who adds some extra pepper to 'Manipulation'.

By then I'm totally convinced that The Sparkling Dark is one of the great releases of 2019 so far. This album is so diverse, ever surprising and not just because of how I opened this post, to the contrary. Listening to it presents the listener with so much different sides to hippie music, etched with more modern influences, that there are new details to discover with each spin. This makes The Sparkling Dark an intriguing album as well.

All the songs on this album show that Rhode Rachel is not just a good songwriter, but also a great arranger, singer and producer. And an art lover, as the artwork in itself shows. The Bosch figures in there are too cute in a cover that is simply intriguing. This is an album very much worth while to get acquainted with, deeply. So let me leave you today with giving the advice to start doing so here:

https://aurablaze.bandcamp.com/album/the-sparkling-black-2

and buy the album while you're there anyway.

Wo.


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

A Fireproof House Of Sunshine. The Hackensaw Boys

With A Fireproof House Of Sunshine The Hackensaw Boys return to these pages with its new five song EP. The first release since 'Charismo' in 2016. Since then the band has had an almost complete overhaul. Ever since I have ran into the band in 2004 band members have come and gone and sometimes return and leave again. Never as radically as in 2019 though. Only David Sickmen remains of the 2016 (and original) line up. The other members now are Caleb Powers (fiddle), Beau Dodson (drums/charismo) and Chris Stevens (upright bass).

There is another change as well, as all the songs in 2019 come from one person, instead of the many as in 2004's 'Keep It Simple'. David Sickmen is responsible for all five songs. That makes A Fireproof House Of Sunshine a far more one dimensional album than ever before. Gone are the fiddle powered country songs of Ferd Moyse. That fact makes The Hackensaw Boys a totally different band. Is that a bad thing?

No, it is not. In fact I hold David Sickmen in high esteem as a songwriter. The five songs on the new EP are heartfelt songs, where Sickmen soothes the person he is singing to and tries to make life easier all around. In 'Factory Blues' it is he himself who needs help. Personally and as a community member. 'Factory Blues' is a great song and an example how Sickmen is able to diversify his songwriting. Where the first three songs are classic David Sickmen balladry, 'Factory Blues' delves into country a little deeper, while working on the blues in an uptempo kind of way. Caleb Powers' fiddle sounds very traditional. The punky attack of the strings that Ferd Moyse brought to the band is certainly gone.

How this works out live, I can not tell as I missed the band last year when it played here for the first time in the new line up. A first hand account was extremely enthusiastic though. On record I can only say that I'm happy with The Hackensaw Boys' new record. David Sickmen has written five songs that are all interesting in their own right. The power comes into 'Late Night Kitchen' slowly giving the song a spark that makes it a song by this particular band.

It was only after listening to A Fireproof House Of Sunshine once again it dawned on me that I would not call the music on this album bluegrass, let alone the punk element that was an integral element in this band's universe. The Hackensaw Boys have become a more traditional band with this EP. Yes, there's a fiddle, but gone are the banjo, the mandolin and the three, four, five, six voiced harmonies. It is only in the final song that the memory of things gone are touched upon in 'You Act Like My Friend', with a great slide guitar solo as a bonus. A nice ending to the EP.

So wrapping up, yes, this is a totally different band with five new, interesting and good songs. I'm not complaining. Time to see the band live once more.

Wo.

You can buy A Fireproof House Of Sunshine here:

https://hackensawboys.bandcamp.com/album/a-fireproof-house-of-sunshine


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

Artists' fees in 1969. A conversation

Today another conversation between Gary, Mark and Wout. It started with a photocopy of a document that does make one wonder what happened to prices in the past 50 years and whether price correction has kept up for us ordinary citizens.... 

Gary, 7-5:
Had this photo of a document sent to me by a friend….. 

Wout, 7-5:
This is quite a price, Gary. Would love to put that on the blog. Can you ask your friend? It would be nice to know what the same bands (that still exist) cost today.

Mark, 7-5:

Interesting to see the relative state of play of some of the top bands shown by the fees they could command. At the top end, The Small Faces had had the most pop profile on British TV during 1968 following their string of hits culminating in Lazy Sunday. Fleetwood Mac were riding high with chart-topping Albatross in November/December. The Pink Floyd, however, were on a par with now largely forgotten Love Sculpture and at this juncture in their career were still trying to find their new direction following the departure of Syd Barrett after the second lp Saucerful of Secrets and singles such as Let There be More Light and Point me at the Sky that had fizzled in the latter part of 1968. After reaching the dizzy heights of psychedelia under Syd's charismatic but doomed leadership the band were now mainly playing the college circuit and were about to give up the pop market altogether under Roger Waters' more earnest leadership.

What else of note? The Moody Blues and Joe Cocker were now established big names but a more modest fee for Deep Purple who were just starting out really at this time and still with their original vocalist before Ian Gillan was recruited later that year to steer them in a heavier direction. Alvin Lee's Ten Years After were about the heaviest band going at this time boosted by a phenomenal performance at Woodstock later that year - so a fair price I think. Fairport Convention had just recruited their second lead vocalist, Sandy Denny, who with Richard Thompson would later that year turn them into the biggest folk-rock band of all time. Rory Gallagher was like the Fairports a stalwart of the European concert circuit for many years and here is making an early appearance in the guise of his first real blues outfit (The) Taste. Marmalade had had an enormous hit with Ob-la-di off the White Album so could command a high price but they soon fizzled out without much to offer in terms of original material. I have to confess The Bakerloo Line and Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera passed me by completely: you got me on them!

I am in Tokyo by the way - about to hit Shibuya to check out some of the best record shops in the world!

Mark, 7-5:

Info about Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera here John Peel liked them and there were links to The Strawbs after lead members shed their psychedelic colours. Timebox (sic) were another second division psychedelic singles outfit who would evolve into progressive band Patto whose l.p. Roll'em Smoke'em Put Another Line Out is highly sought after - and must hold the record for the number of explicit drug references you can cram into an album title. My brother had a copy which I regrettably sold when I was broke.

The agent is rather careless with the names of the artists he's supposed to be promoting! The father of British blues and mentor for the early Stones is Alexis Korner with a 'K' (I used to listen to his blues programmes on the BBC) and 'Easy Beat' is presumably The Easybeats - an Australian beat combo who had had a huge hit with Friday on My Mind. I see from a bit of online digging that 'Baker Loo Line' must be The Bakerloo Blues Line who according to  The Audiophile Man supported Led Zep at gigs and members jumped around various bands of that ilk like Humble Pie. The Gun led by two brothers named Gurvitz  had a hit the previous October with Race with the Devil and they later joined up with Ginger Baker after Cream split as The Baker-Gurvitz Army. Chicken Shack were another British blues staple but with a  female lead singer with the wonderful name Christine Perfect who would become more famous as Christine McVie after marrying the Fleetwood Mac member. Traffic's history is also complicated - Dave Mason, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood must have lost the rights to keep the band name after Steve Winwood left around this time to join Clapton in Blind Faith.

Early 1969 was a fascinating time in the history of British rock as out and out blues gave way to 'progressive music' as the dust settled on an uncertain phase of post-psychedelic experimentation. Some great music to come therefore but some of the fun, wit and colour went out the window in the process.

Mark, 8-5:

And if you are curious about late addition to the roster Carley Hill - another blues band but really close to the edge of obscurity! -  I found some info here  

And crikey Wikipedia tells me Eire Apparent featured Henry McCullough who was the Wings guitarist on My Love and the Red Rose Speedway album - and also that none other than Jimi Hendrix played on their l.p. Sunrise recorded and produced by him in LA after they had supported him on a US tour. One for me to look out for in Shibuya!

Alan Whitehead family photo

Gary, 8-5:
Yes of course, Wout, although I don’t think it is her property… I believe that she got this from another friend. I don’t think it will be an issue putting it on your blog, so please do!

Yes a lot of these names bring back many memories including my band Monolith once supported Chicken Shack at the Tramshed in Woolwich ( https://www.glypt.co.uk/tramshedhistory/ ) around 1980… although Christine Perfect/McVie had long left it had become a male only outfit. Also my first drum tutor was Alan Whitehead of Marmalade who used to give me lessons in 1966/67 (see photo that his Mum gave me a few years later!).

Wout, 4-6:

To return to this conversation. Coming weekend the Pinkpop festival has its 50th edition. Still under the management of the same guy, Jan Smeets. Oor Magazine, my Dutch music magazine, had an overview of all the festivals of the past years. The first festival charged 2,5 Dutch guilders as an entrance fee. Now the prices mentioned in the overview we started our conversation with are put in perspective. The same goes for some of the ticket stubs I saw from one of you a while back from early 70s shows. In the same line I was able to enter a football match between NAC Breda en Feijenoord for 1,25 guilders in 1971.

The Pinkpop festival for years is a multi million dollar affair and sometimes no money in the world can seduce a band to come. The entrance fee now is something in the order of €225. For three days, where the original festival was 6 acts on one stage. Traditionally there was one Dutch band, always the opener. That changed but only quite late on in the editions.

Were shows at the time a way to sell more units, where everyone profited more from than the artists. Sure they got rich, at least the top segment was, but most of the money of one album goes to everybody except the artist. So low entry prices were a double setback. Nowadays the album is an excuse to tour, where older big bands even tour without them as people will show up. New songs are seen as a nuisance stopping them from hearing their old favourites. Something stopping me from going sometimes truth be told. How many times do I need to hear 'Satisfaction' live?, just to mention an example. Yes, I did go two years ago. My girlfriend had never seen them and I shared the experience. In quality there's no comparing to Rotterdam 1990. Band and audience were ablaze that evening in May.

I have never been to Pinkpop by the way. Somehow festivals are not really my thing. Although I have been to a few through the decades. Always one day affairs. That's more than enough. Highlights from Pinkpop are shown on television. That's enough for me.

Mark, 4-6:

I remember Pinkpop from my time working in Rotterdam in the mid-seventies. I went to one festival near Amsterdam but can't remember anything about it other than sitting in the sun - not even who played - so I must have had a good time!  I may have a note somewhere in my ramshackle archives.

I remember by the way Boudewijn de Groot from that time as a Dutch Dylan. As Trump overwhelms us with his visit to the UK this week, perhaps we can dig out  Welterusten Meneer de President . Did he sing in English at all?

Times have indeed changed. Concert tours and festivals used to be loss-makers for the artists but were crucial in helping to sell records in those days of very few media channels. Now the situation seems to be reversed: artists make more money out of performing live including festivals which have proliferated and become big business while sales of physical recordings have collapsed in the digital age.

Are you following the Morrissey saga at all? He seems now to be supporting right wing politics and his once fond twists in English nostalgia have evolved into unhealthy nationalistic arrogance. Bona drag indeed. Very strange it's turned out this way but we can still enjoy The Smiths and his early solo albums with a clear conscience though. 

Wout, 4-6:

Boudewijn de Groot's famous 1966 protest song may be very relevant indeed. I'll refrain from further comment. Let's suffice with noting there seems to be no end to how a politician can surprise me nearly every day. Probably because he isn't a politician.

De Groot always kept to his native language, with one exception. Late in 1968 he recorded the song 'In Your Life' under the name Tower. I am proud to say that I have the single in my possession since somewhere in the very early 70s. It was only a mild chart success. Years later I found out that there was a second single, but I never heard it. De Groot remained silent for over three years to return with a fabulous single called 'Jimmy' named after one of his sons. Although he scored two minor hits in between because of lp tracks turned single at a later date.

Looking it up, 'In Your Life' is on Spotify and the name of the second single is 'Captain Decker' and yes I did know that. 'In Your Life' is dated, but still has some great features in the music that I can still appreciate. It is one of those songs from the months that I truly started to discover music and not as something that came by or not because others played it for me. My all time favourite De Groot song is 'Prikkebeen'. Perhaps the best Dutch language song ever.

Last Friday a Dutch band called The Kik released a double live album. A recreation of Boudewijn de Groot's two most famous albums of the 60s. See my review last week and certainly worth a listen.

Morrissey is someone who is not so well known here as in the U.K.. The Smiths never were big here and Morrissey solo certainly not. They both have fans for sure. I am not one of them. I like some songs but that is it. So his "messages" do not reach these climes.

Wout, 12-6:
As an annex. First The Marmalade. The band actually scored a few hits here after the 'Ob-la-di - Ob-la-da' cover hit. They scored a hit first, late 1968, perhaps inspiring The Beatles to release a single from the White Album any way, entering the Dutch charts early in 1969. In 1970 and 1971 the band scored hits with 'Reflections Of My Life', a song I rather liked at the time but for the life of me can't get into my head without a prompt, 'Rainbow', 'My Little One' and 'Cousin Norman'. Of the original band singer Dean Ford (Thomas McAleese) is not around any more. Alan Whitehead turns 72 next month.

Pinkpop was last weekend. According to my newspaper it was The Cure who was the real big star of the festival. The band played for 2,5 hours with a long list of hits and seemed to have surprised the reporter of duty in a major way. There is a lot more of Robert Smith these days I noticed, but then, so is there of me.

Gary
Mark
Wout