Let's shine a light on Manfred Mann

There's a whole stack of MP3 album collection cds in my home, with hundreds of not thousands of hardly or never played records on them. Let's say that the source in part is disreputable, but at the time the day my government stated that is was legal to download, so I did for a few years and stopped when that interpretation of law was revoked. Downloading didn't stop me from buying records. I even bought several albums I never would have otherwise.

All these unplayed digital records. I decided a while back to start playing these cds in the car and see what comes by. One of those cds opened with music that sounded faintly familiar, not known. After I stopped, I had the opportunity to check what I was hearing and it turned out to be '2006', a solo album by Manfred Mann from 2004. I know the band still existed, as I see them come by on live adds every few years. The music even sounded quite o.k.

When did I stop listening to Manfred Mann's Earth Band? Probably in the first half of the 80s. 'Watch' may be my last album. I would have to check.

It brought me into thinking what a fairly strange career Manfred Mann has had. Born in 1940 in Johannesburg in South Africa as Manfred Lubowitz, he turned 79 in October. In the early 60s he started the band Manfred Mann. The first noticeable thing is that the band is named after Mann, while he is not the singer, nor does he write the songs. Yet all his bands carry his name. It's not unique, as Spencer Davies was around as well, but who has heard anything from him since 1967?

Coming from the same London rhythm & blues scene as most London based bands from the early 60s, the band started scoring hits with lightweight pop songs like 'Doo Wah Diddy' and 'Pretty Flamingo'. In the second half of the 60s the songs became more serious and the band discovered Bob Dylan's treasure trove of the Basement Tapes, then songs on offer for covering. The NL 1967 number one hit 'Ha! Ha! Said The Clown' was the band's biggest hit over here, but 1968s 'Mighty Quinn' scored big as well. There were a few more minor hits and that was the end of Manfred Mann.

Looking back over 50 years 'Ha! Ha! Said The Clown' was a strange hit in those days where hippies and psychedelia ruled. On the other hand it stands out as the music sets it totally apart from other bands and hits of the day. Being very small at the time I remember thinking that "Said" was the name of the clown and the slight feeling of disappointment when I found out what "said" means. 'Mighty Quinn' is one of my first 45s. I can't remember when and where I bought it, but it must have been a discount somewhere in the earliest 70s.

In the mid 70s Manfred Manns Earth Band surfaced as a minor but regular hit machine. Most noticeably with Bruce Springsteen songs, 'Blinded By The Light' and 'Spirits In The Night'. My favourite remains 'Davy's On The Road Again' and its b-side 'Bouillabaisse'. The albums coming with them all found there way into my home in the early 80s. The hits ended with 'Lies (All Through The 80s)' in 1980. Like my interest in the band stopped with the album 'Chance'.

Currently I am happy hearing one of the singles on the radio every once in a while. I bought a compilation album of the second Manfred Mann iteration circa 15 years, so with Mike d'Abo as singer, replacing Paul Jones, but I have to say the music of the band not truly stood the test of time. It is dated and in part fine as a memory but not more. I won't even go into the first singles of the band. Teenybopper music at best. The more symphonic Earth Band fairs better here. Coincidentally 'Blinded By The Light' came by on the radio today and it holds its ground easily. There's so much power in the song mixed with a little mystery. The song stands out in between what is considered pop music today. The same goes for the already mentioned 'Davy's On The Road Again', arguably the band's best song.

It is the change in music Manfred Mann made that makes his career remarkable. Not many artists go through such profound changes. Mann and his, ever changing, bandmates did. The prolific output of albums in the 60s and 70s was standard those days, only matched by the likes of Ty Segall today. The difference is Manfred Mann('s Earth Band) was a semi-top band in the 60s to early 80s, where Segall is active in the margins of rock music.

So come '2006'. After some googling, it proves to be his second solo album. As I said, I knew nothing of the album, except that the music sounded sort of familiar and was appealing enough to wonder who this is. (I often have no clue at all when playing these self-burned cds.) So if you once were a fan of Manfred Mann and have lost sight of his career, like I have, checking out '2006' can be worth your while. A lot of the music can be called progrock and yes, is dated in sound. Yet, the album has an urgency that surprises me in part. The progrock part may have been done before, Mann is not afraid to experiment as well. The result is a mix bunch of songs of which some are remarkably strong, just like I would expect from an artist who always found his rightful place in the semi-top of pop and symphonic rock of his day. Steadily plodding on, never disappointing. The opening song 'Demons and Dragons' pulled me into '2006' immediately and the rest does not let go. Exactly what music on an album should do.

Wo.

You can listen to and buy 2006 and other music of the band here:

https://manfredmannsearthband.bandcamp.com/album/2006


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

Black Pumas. Black Pumas

Austin, Texas, lijkt de nieuwe hoofdstad van de soulmuziek, want na het geweldige Los Coast is hier nu het minstens even goede Black Pumas met een geweldige soulplaat.

Natuurlijk doet soulmuziek het uitstekend bij zomerse temperaturen, maar je hebt soulmuziek en soulmuziek. De spannendste soulmuziek van het moment wordt gemaakt in Austin, Texas. Net als stadgenoten Los Coast, dat recentelijk debuteerde, slaat ook Black Pumas een brug tussen verleden en heden en verrijkt het een broeierig en authentiek klinkend soulgeluid met invloeden uit flink wat omliggende genres. In muzikaal opzicht klinkt het allemaal prachtig en ook de zang op het debuut van Black Pumas is van een hoog niveau. Het levert een debuutalbum op dat bijzonder aangenaam vermaakt, maar dat je ook keer op keer weet te verrassen. 

Deze zomer besprak ik het album van de uit Austin, Texas, afkomstige band Los Coast. Op haar debuut ging Los Coast aan de haal met flink wat invloeden uit de vintage soul, maar sloeg het ook haar vleugels uit richting omliggende genres, wat een bijzonder aantrekkelijk maar ook avontuurlijk en spannend soulgeluid opleverde.
 
Het zijn woorden die ook van toepassing zijn op het titelloze debuut van de band Black Pumas. Black Pumas vist in vrijwel dezelfde vijver als Los Coast en is ook nog eens afkomstig uit dezelfde stad, de Texaanse muziekhoofdstad Austin.
 
Black Pumas bestaat uit producer en multi-instrumentalist Adrian Quesada en zanger en songwriter Eric Burton en beiden drukken op eigen wijze hun stempel op het debuut van Black Pumas.
 
Eric Burton doet dit met een soulstem die herinnert aan de groten uit het verleden, maar die ook aansluit bij de betere zangers binnen de neo-soul en R&B van het moment. Adrian Quesada heeft het geluid van Black Pumas op bijzonder aangename en subtiele wijze ingekleurd. De Texaanse muzikant en producer kent zijn klassiekers in de 60s en 70s soul, maar voorziet de muziek van zijn band ook van een aangename dosis psychedelica en een beetje jazz. Hiernaast slaat hij op knappe wijze een brug tussen soulmuziek uit het verleden en de neo-soul en R&B van het moment.
 
Het debuut van Black Pumas klinkt hierdoor even authentiek als eigentijds en overtuigt net wat makkelijker dan soulalbums die met beide benen in het verleden of in het heden staan. Het debuut van de Texaanse band is een album dat het uitstekend doet bij de zomerse temperaturen van het moment, maar het is ook een album dat veel knapper in elkaar steekt dan je zult vermoeden wanneer je het album alleen maar beluistert als zomers vermaak.
 
Zeker bij beluistering met de koptelefoon hoor je hoe mooi en veelkleurig het geluid op het album is en hoor je bovendien wat een geweldige zanger Eric Burton is. De mooi verzorgde en veelzijdige instrumentatie op het debuut van Black Pumas voorziet het album van een zwoel en laid-back geluid, maar het is ook een geluid waarin de bijzondere accenten elkaar in razendsnel tempo afwisselen.
 
Het is het broeierige soulgeluid dat we kennen uit het verleden, maar het is ook een verrassend mooi en subtiel geluid, waarin steeds weer andere instrumenten de aandacht opeisen en dat zowel elektrisch als akoestisch kan klinken. Het is een geluid dat bovendien prachtig kleurt bij de geweldige vocalen op het album, die continu soul ademen, maar die bovendien bijzonder fraai gedoseerd worden.
 
Er verschijnen dit jaar nogal wat goede soulalbums waardoor het lastig kiezen, maar net als het debuut van Los Coast is het debuut van Black Pumas een soulalbum dat er binnen het soul aanbod van het moment een flink stuk bovenuit steekt.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt Black Pumas hier beluisteren en kopen:

https://blackpumas.bandcamp.com/


of luister naar onze Spotify Playlist en ontdek waar we over schrijven:

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

Lantern Of Gius. Grotto

This is an add for people with clogged up ears: play Lantern Of Gius loud and I can assure you that they will be clean. The advice comes with a caveat though, beware of damage to your hearing senses as that is assured as well.

All joking aside, with Lantern of Gius Grotto has released a record that is as solid as Ayers Rock or Uluru as it is known now. This album is a monolith that only on close inspection shows that it does know minor details in the whole. Just like the famous mountain in the heart of Australia does. With a recent, but major difference, only Lantern Of Gius can be inspected up close nowadays.

Readers of this blog know in general I am not one for instrumental albums, but who can ignore a monumental album like Lantern Of Gius? I can't for one. Of course there are similarities with other bands. To mention two labelmates on Stickman, Soup and Motorpsycho e.g. Both love to create long instrumental interludes but return at some point to the song they started out with. Grotto does not. The band pounds on.

The heart of the band is the full out drumming of Arno Cottyn. There's no limit to what he can do on this album. Like the late Ginger Baker in Cream there's a whole spectrum to be filled and he does. As there's no rest for the wicked on Lantern Of Gius bass player Jeroen Moerman has the other half of the foundation of Grotto at his disposal and uses it in many ways. Just playing bass and with a truckload of pedals at his feet to become omnipresent.

Guitarist Marvin Dinneweth plays more than one guitar on the album. Playing full out chords, at times even soft notes but often shredding away like The Sweet Release of Death does on its latest album.

Promo Photo

On the two 17 minutes long compositions Grotto, from Antwerp by the way, weaves elements of shoegaze with prog rock. With that it is far more robust than Soup, but certainly steps wide into Motorpsycho territory, to next go widely beyond that band, regularly even.

The result is a monolithic record comprised of two epic compositions that take the listener on a musical rollercoaster ride of musical impressions I can only call impressive. This is not an every day, any moment kind of record. At the right moment it is nothing less that brain shaking. There is only one true surprise. You will find that at the very, very end of Lantern Of Gius. For those with patience for sure, but don't forget to enjoy that fantastic ride in the 32 minutes before it.

There's only one question left: Who is Gius? The Italian surname from the Trentino region explanation on Wikipedia seems way off explaining the title.

Wo.

You can buy Lantern Of Gius here:

https://www.stickman-records.com/shop/grotto-lantern-of-gius/


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

Wave. Patrick Watson

Patrick Watson has released a new album, its first in four years. It is an album that is warmly anticipated as, to my surprise at the time, I liked 'Love Songs For Robots' a lot. Chances are that Wave will undergo the same treatment.

Patrick Watson, the name of the singer/composer and the band, came into my life via a tip of Hans in Leiden who at the time still ran his video and cd rental store and organised shows at the Q-Bus in Leiden (and still does there). Patrick Watson left my life just as fast, as I did not like the music at all. So I did not go and see the show either, missing the chance to see the band really up close.

It wasn't until 2015 that I gave the band's music another try, resulting in me buying the aforementioned album on LP, playing it a lot. Now Wave is out and the album has that same ethereal quality. The music is so light, it almost seems to not exist. As if it is something reaching me from another world, something I am not supposed to hear, let alone enjoy.

This quality Patrick Watson shares with the world, while perfecting its trade by the album. Of course that is a dangerous thing to try, as there is a chance there will not be any music left to hear. It will be as if its music has disappeared behind that veil of mystique, no longer able to reach my wordly ears any longer.

Of course there are moments in which the music on Wave has accents that makes it fully human. A piano chord can be played with strength, a drum softly, but surely played or a bass part that takes care of the continuity of a song. Listen to 'Dream For Dreaming', the opening song, and you will hear this all. But you will also hear the soft synths, pulsing in the background, sort of flying over and through the song, just like Patrick Watson's high voice does.

In fact each time I listen I'm surprised how many human elements Wave contains. I'm surprised because each time I have finished the album the element most sticking in my mind is the otherworldly quality of Patrick Watson's music. The Montreal based band manages to impress both ways. Having recently played 'Love Songs For Robots' again, it is easy to spot that Wave is the more direct album, in Patrick Watson's universe that is.

The result to me is an intriguing album, an album that I want to get better acquainted to, one to delve into and discover the secrets that make it tick the way it does. What makes 'Broken' such a beautiful song? The basis is a piano that plays the same notes over and over. Piano chords are added and a multitude of Patrick Watson's voice, some synths and loads of atmospherics. The song in the end flashes out as more and more is added. Impressive but it also comes dangerously close to Coldplay of the last 14 years. It is the first part that intrigues me most. The atmosphere that holds all somehow together. Mystical and not wordly this mystery part in 'Broken' is.

Wave is full of these moments, making it impossible to truly rate this album on the fly. It will take me months to get to know Wave truly and deeply. Too long, far too long for the writer of reviews on a blog, like me and not something to come back to, as the next album always awaits. Privately there are albums that I come back to and I can assure you Wave is one of them. LP quality the album is.

Wo.

You can listen to and buy Wave here:

https://patrickwatson.bandcamp.com/album/wave


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 Blemish In The Great Light. Half Moon Run

Half Moon Run slowly crept up on me to become one of my favourite bands of the 10s. The band takes its time to release a new album but when it does it is exactly right it seems.

It may be four years since 'Sun Leads Me On', the album is not forgotten. In fact, the vinyl version regularly has a spin in my home; to the great enjoyment of Mrs. Wo'. as well. The past week it was replaced by A Blemish In The Great Light. Half Moon Run has outdone itself it seems. Undoubtedly I am cursing in church to some writing the following, but the intricate (vocal) melodies remind me of The Beach Boys, so Brian Wilson.

Half Moon Run has worked out so many fine details, found melodies within melodies and stacked them in three and four minute pop songs like it is an extremely easy thing to do. It must be something in the Montreal water I guess. This week I listened to the new Patrick Watson, this spring to the new Jesse Mac Cormack, last year to the latest Arcade Fire. All albums have what A Blemish In The Great Light also has, an abundant pop feel, while doing everything, except taking the easy way out. Of the four, Half Moon Run may sound the most down to earth, there is no mistaking the complexity in its easy sounding songs. Call it the paradox contained within Half Moon Run.

All four members, Devon Portielje, Connor Molander, Dylan Phillips and Isaac Symonds, sing and are multi-instrumentalist, giving the band endless options that are fully used. Languorous piano playing inviting contemplation, heavenly harmonising and, every once in a while, a, piano or guitar, sting to keep the wordly qualities around. Add the quality of the songs and I present you one hell of a pop band.

Promo Photo: Yani Clarke

Being three albums into its career, 'Dark Eyes' was released first in 2012 and 2013, the band has found a level of songwriting that only shows so much promise. The other fact is of course that The Beatles recording career was over in the same time span. Is that a good or a bad thing where the development of the songwriting of Half Moon Run is concerned? We will never know. The other side to that story is the sheer quality and the modest though clear urgency of this album.

With The Beatles one of the major influences of Half Moon Run is mentioned. The Canadians are not as eclectic as the Fab Four could be in their songwriting, but certainly as dedicated as James Mercer of The Shins is to his music. This band does not need to dress up like Englishmen dressing up as Arabs or pirates and can certainly do without any disco or jungle beat effects. Still it is is hopelessly romantic. A mix of melancholy sadness and bright hope for the future moves between the songs bringing the best of The Moody Blues, The Little River Band, The Shins and everything in between these bands together in the sound of this album.

The opening songs of A Blemish In The Great Light are so incredibly good that they leave me reeling. The small changes in 'Flesh And Blood' and especially when in the fourth song, 'Natural Disaster', the beautiful aahs comes in, turning the whole song around, I'm simply floored. It hardly ever comes better than this. In the second half Half Moon Run comes a little bit closer to the world yet remains so good.

Only two weeks to go and the band plays Amsterdam's Paradiso twice. Can it be this good live? It seems hard to believe.

Wo.


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

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