Feral Coast. Scrunchies

Feral Coast starts with the song 'The Houseplant'. It sounds as if I recorded a cassette tape of the album in 1977, put the cassette and player in the attic over 30 years ago, where I found them in 2022, connected the player and put the tape in. As you can imagine it all sounds like shit, with a lot of tones, highs and lows, simply gone, hidden behind a layer of dust. After cleaning the player's 'heads' with pure alcohol on the tip of a swab, the sounds becomes considerably better, for a cassette tape and player from 1977. As this is what the rest of the album sounds like. Feral Coast is all about energy, power and some anger. Not perfect recording.

I had forgotten about the regular cleaning, preventing the cassette player "eating" the tape, until I thought of the comparison just now. Feral Coast brought it all back. No, I'm not nostalgic for winding the tape back in with pencil or Bic pen. I am enthusiastic about Scrunchies' album. Having written on two singles already this year, this may not come as a surprise.

With Feral Coast Scrunchies have released their inner beasts alright. This is punk music as punk comes. No back in the head thoughts about scoring a major hit. Let alone minding the recording quality. What you hear is what you get. Studio meters flying into the red or deep red, while the musicians give it their all, demanding the best and better performance of the loudness on their amps.

Scrunchies is a trio from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Laura Larson, sings and plays guitar, Danielle Cusack drums and does background vocals and newest member Matt Castore plays bass. Together they cook up a storm, where enthusiasm trumps playing to a 100% perfection. At the same time Scrunchies shows that it can play. From super punk anthems to letting a song totally fall apart in a sea of noise. It all comes by.

Promo photo: Nanne Sonvold

When all is said and done tough, underneath all that noise are songs. I can imagine playing some of them at a campfire on an acoustic. Not that this would make a lot of sense, for the song or the listeners, as the essence would be totally gone of what Scrunchies stand for: energy and venting some anger here and there. The message I want to convey is that Scrunches presents good songs. They're just played loud and not to forget wild and exciting.

The two best selling punkrock bands of the past nearly 30 years now, Green Day and The Offspring, have set a sort of standard. You can find traces of their music on Feral Coast. Scrunchies decided to put more emphasis on the first word of the title and that comes across. Listen to the song 'Absolute Maximum' and you not only know what I mean, it all falls together here. The huge riff, the noise in general, the wildness and a little anger and excitement. This song deserves a huge crowd at a huge festival wanting to totally party.

I can imagine that Feral Coast is too much noise for most people. It's their loss, as this is the real thing alright. Let's party like it's 1977, folks.

Wout de Natris

Bowie for dummies #30

Once again we present you the link to an update to all things David Bowie found on the Internet. In fact, I've learned today that the first items for #31 have already been found, while #30 still needs to be published. So we already have something to look forward to! It is a never ending cataloguing that is taking place, all for your and our own enjoyment.

This year saw the official release of 'Toy', a three cd box set of re-recorded songs from the days before Bowie scored his first hit with 'Space Oddity' in 1969. Like on the album next to these words. The barrel is scraped empty, but with 'Toy' at a level that made me wonder why it wasn't released in 2001? Because of it, I may actually be enjoying it more than I would have then.

For over five years we've been able to present you these updates through the hard work of Tineke Guise, Bowie fan for at least 50 years now. So allow me to express on your behalf your gratitude here for all the work going into this post on WoNoBlog, as a thank you is due for the biggest and only post that keeps expanding.

Here's the link, leading you to the original post of 2017:

https://wonomagazine.blogspot.com/2017/01/bowie-for-dummies.html

Hits To The Head. Franz Ferdinand

In 2004-05 there was not a single issue of WoNo Magazine without a reference to Franz Ferdinand, the Glaswegian postpunkfunk band that really got to me in these two years. Albums, singles, b-sides and finally a show in the, then beer hall, in Amsterdam South-East. 18 years later the band releases its first compilation album. So how does Franz Ferdinand fare in 2022?

For one, I hardly ever play the band's records any more. The only song that comes by spontaneously, like on the radio or something, is 'Take Me Out'. And even that not often. In that sense the band never broke big in my country, which is weird. For the simple reason that the band made five more than decent albums in the past 18 years. They all delivered on consistency and quality. The only odd one out, is 'FFS' with Sparks. It also is no part of Hits To The Head. The second observation is that none of the band's singles charted in the Top 40, my country's oldest chart (A.D. 1965). Not one single single. Which is weird as well, as the band has a consistent level of singles through the years. The albums were all top 20 (2), some even top 10 (3).

What stands out on the album immediately, is the artwork. A clear call to the band's start. The cover is a mix of 'Franz Ferdinand' (2004) and 'You Could Have It So Much Better' (2005). It brings to mind the band's love for Russian art of the first half of the 20th century. Musically the momentum tilts towards the first two albums too, with nine songs out of twenty. What also stands out, like a sore thumb as far as I'm concerned, is the omission of one of its greatest songs: 'Bullet' from the album 'Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action'. That is a true omission, as the song is so much better than some of the singles that are on Hits To The Head.

The band has not managed to remain intact as well. Only Alex Kapranos and Bob Hardy are still members from the beginning. Guitarist/keyboardist Nick McCarthy left in 2016 before work started on 'Always Ascending'. Drummer Paul Thompson left in 2021. Of course, it is fairly unique when a band remains in the same line up for decades, on the other hand it is a sign that not all is well. Now a five piece, the band is releasing a compilation album and not a new one, despite Hits To The Head containing two new songs, 'Billy Goodbye' and 'Curious', that have come by in the singles overview of the past few months. To summarise, the former is a good addition to the oeuvre of Franz Ferdinand, the latter a so so left over. 'Always Ascending' is from the winter of 2018, so four year old. There should have been a new album. On the other hand a compilation could breathe new life into the band of course.

As far as I'm concerned, I will not buy Hits To The Head. Not for the two songs added to it. I have all the albums and a whole stack of cd singles and a few 7"s as well and not playing them anymore. So, I turned to Spotify to listen to the compilation and got cheered up and warmed immediately. From the moment I heard 'Darts Of Pleasure' the band's first single and the only one I had missed at the time, as I'm on board since 'Take Me Out', as most of the world, I guess, I was back on board with Franz Ferdinand. The song remains so good, so full of energy, so danceable, so listenable, so intelligent and so much fun all in one. A standard of quality the band kept as its benchmark. A mix where artrock, punkfunk and disco meet in the most perfect of ways.

In 2004 there all of a sudden was a host of bands put in the same punkfunk basket, with comparisons to a host of bands from the early 1980s that served as inspiration. Not one, young and old, came close to Franz Ferdinand though. The band was on a plane of its own. Highly elevated above everything and everybody. Until Arctic Monkeys came along, incomparable but so more powerful even. Where the class of 2004 was concerned, one band did come close, Dogs Die in Hot Cars. Also from Glasgow the band kept a level of music up for the first seven songs of its debut album, and final album, Please Describe Yourself, that was Franz Ferdinand worthy. Franz Ferdinand was the band that remained, though never on the level of its first two albums. The big breakthrough remained an illusion, and I wonder why?

Not that I have an answer. Listening to the singles, with minor exceptions I hear one great song after another. Too difficult for most people? Too much of a mix to appeal to the fans of the individual components? Too arty? Let me know what you think, if you like. What I hear is party time music as well as ear candy.

If Hits To The Head does anything, it is making me want to play my CDs/LP of the band once again. As they have been gathering dust for far too long. "Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action", if one title sums up the band's music its this one. It says it all, in fact.

Wout de Natris

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You. Big Thief

Big Thief steeg in 2019 al twee keer tot grote hoogten, maar doet er nog een schepje bovenop op het veelzijdige maar van de eerste tot en met de laatste noot geweldige nieuwe album, dat de band definitief schaart onder de grote bands.

Na U.F.O.F. en Two Hands waren de verwachtingen met betrekking tot het vijfde album van Big Thief hooggespannen, maar de band uit Brooklyn, New York, overtreft ze op alle fronten. De band schuift flink op richting Amerikaanse rootsmuziek, maar de muziek van Big Thief kan gelukkig ook nog altijd ontsporen en het experiment opzoeken. In muzikaal opzicht zijn flinke stappen gezet en ook in vocaal opzicht is Big Thief gegroeid, maar de meeste groei zit in de songs, die vaak ontspannen klinken, maar ook vol onderhuidse spanning zitten. Na de albums uit 2019 is Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You het laatste dat ik van Big Thief had verwacht, maar wat is het mooi, 80 minuten lang.

De Amerikaanse band Big Thief leverde in 2019 met U.F.O.F. en Two Hands twee onbetwiste jaarlijstjesalbums af, waarna we het in 2020 en 2021 moesten doen met overigens ook prima soloalbums van respectievelijk Adrianne Lenker en Buck Meek. Nu keert Big Thief terug met een nieuw album, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You. 

Naast de lange titel valt in eerste instantie de lange speelduur op, want Big Thief komt op de proppen met een heus dubbelalbum met maar liefst twintig songs, die samen goed zijn voor 80 minuten muziek. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You werd opgenomen in vier sessies, waarbij de band achtereenvolgens neerstreek in upstate New York, Topanga Canyon, de Colorado Rockies en Tucson, Arizona. De band deed dat dit keer zonder producer Andrew Sarlo, die de vorige vier albums van de band produceerde, maar nu zijn plek af heeft moeten staan aan James Krivchenia, de drummer van de band. 

Op Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You experimenteert Big Thief met meerdere nieuwe invalshoeken, maar de meeste songs op het album zijn voornamelijk beïnvloed door en passen in het hokje Amerikaanse rootsmuziek. In deze songs domineren invloeden uit de folk en de countryrock en neemt Big Thief afstand van de indierock die het op haar eerste vier albums maakte. 

De band uit Brooklyn, New York, heeft de tijd genomen voor haar vijfde album en dat hoor je. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You is een ontspannen klinkend album waarop vooral ingetogen wordt gemusiceerd. Zeker vergeleken met de eerste twee albums valt op dat de muzikanten van de band veel beter zijn gaan spelen en ook binnen de Amerikaanse rootsmuziek prima uit de verf komen. Dat hoor je overigens vooral in het geweldige gitaarspel van Buck Meek, die song na song imponeert met zijn gitaarwerk. Ook de viool eist overigens meerdere keren in positieve zin de aandacht op. 

Het nieuwe album van Big Thief klinkt hier en daar bijna als een traditioneel rootsalbum, maar een bijzondere twist is nooit ver weg. Die twist komt soms van subtiele accenten van onder andere elektronica, maar Big Thief kan het pad van de Amerikaanse rootsmuziek ook zomaar verlaten, als in het springerige en weer richting indiepop en indierock opschuivende Time Escaping, dat in vrijwel niets lijkt op de meer roots georiënteerde songs waartussen het is ingeklemd. Songs waarin Big Thief het experiment zoekt zijn in de minderheid, maar ze vormen op knappe wijze het cement tussen de wat meer ingetogen en richting Amerikaanse rootsmuziek opgeschoven songs. 

Wat voor de instrumentatie op het album geldt, geldt ook voor de zang . Adrianne Lenker kon in het verleden nog wel eens erg onvast zingen, maar haar zo karakteristieke zang is op Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You prachtig en maakt van alles songs op het album Big Thief songs. De zang van Adrianne Lenker is niet alleen mooi, maar loopt ook dit keer over van melancholie en emotie, wat de songs op het album voorziet van een bijzondere lading. 

Zeker op de in 2019 verschenen albums was de rol van producer Andrew Sarlo groot, maar ook het wat meer ingetogen en wat intiemere geluid van James Krivchenia mag er zijn en zorgt er in ieder geval voor dat het vijfde album van Big Thief weer anders klinkt dan zijn voorgangers. 

80 minuten is echt een hele lange zit en er zijn maar weinig bands die er in slagen om de aandacht zo lang vast te houden, maar Big Thief slaagt er wat mij betreft glansrijk in, want de band boeit van begin tot eind. Natuurlijk is het veel te vroeg om het over jaarlijstjes gaan hebben, maar dat Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You van Big Thief gaat behoren tot de grote albums van 2022 lijkt me 100% zeker.

Erwin Zijleman

Fashion Show. Linnea's Garden

Linnea's Garden featured on this blog several times since about a year ago. Singles and an EP came by. All nice but they did not prepare me for what came next. Fashion Show is a blast from the past, present and future. From the past, as it brings together a lot of things in music that were so good decades ago. The present because Fashion Show provides an energy jolt everybody can use and goodtime music that makes you smile is always welcome. The future as this album should resonate for quite some time as, of course I have to be cautious with an album that on the time of writing still has to see the light of day, may be a classic in the making. There's no doubt that Charles Dickens did not have Fashion Show in mind when he wrote 'A Christmas Carol' but if this is the outcome of the three tenses then the world is the better for it, by a lot.

With Fashion Show Linnea's Garden releases its debut album. Based in the Boston area, it is a part of a, seen from a distance, huge scene of alternative rockers of a certain age, who decided either to finally start rocking out seriously or to do so once again. In the case of Linnea's Garden this certainly is an extremely good choice.

Linnea's Garden is a fully DIY trio consisting of Linnea Herzog, vocals - guitar and songwriting, Amy Galavits on bass and Hands on drums. The trio recorded and produced, Hands is responsible for the cover photograph. Only the mixing and mastering was handed over to producer Tom O'Donnell. The album is released by Boston label, Red on Red Records. So young and already with a few great records to its name. As you've surmised, another is added.

It's time to explain why I think it is. First off, there is the exuberance of the album. The enthusiasm is so catching. As if a bunch of kids is let out of school and bursts into the playground without having expected it. The result is bouncy punkrock, Avicii style guitar playing, serious playing, unexpected shouts for joy and what not. Fashion Show holds it all and then some. In this the album can compete with the best of them and my best in this basket is 'Eight Arms To Hold You', Veruca Salt's album of nearly 30 years ago. The only difference is that the latter is a huge, big production alternative rock album, and Fashion Show is not. It's kept smaller but works at least as well. That one is in Linnea's Garden's basket.

Secondly, the album or better Linnea Herzog surprised me. Her voice is far richer than I'd suspected from what I'd heard before. She's able to play with her voice and share different moods with the listener. It makes her songs richer by far. From a girly style singing, she can bring in a punky sneer or make things very serious. She's also able to sound light-hearted and darker. Over it all there's some pride as well, as she's clearly very happy with her songs and performance.

Thirdly, the fun of making the album comes through most of all. Fun is an important part of this music. Don't get me wrong. This is a serious album, in several ways, but the fun of having been able to make it shines through and adds an extra layer to Fashion Show.

Finally, the diversity of Fashion Show is a plus. A punky, alternative rock would suffice as a description. Within it I find that there's so much variation in its boundaries. Linnea's Garden is not stuck in one hole but jumps from one to another with ease and quality, but never gets stuck on repeat, making the album a rich listening experience.

Linnea Herzog the rocker meets Linnea Herzog the academian in 'School', one of the most punky songs on the album. "I don't wanna go to school", she sings, perhaps looking back on the herself from a while back. 'College is more fun than working in the real world, but rocking is more fun than working". She's on a stage now with her band and living the dream anyway. If she's able to bring the energy of her album to the stage, playing a few bigger venues should be a serious option. Just think of hearing the blistering solo in 'School' live! Talking about musical adventures.

Like I wrote, her previous songs were nice, nearly all songs on Fashion Show are good, better or best. I honestly did not see this album coming and am so pleasantly surprised. Another favourite album in 2022 has landed already. I'm almost not able to keep up with them. Fashion Show, please go and listen now.

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order Fashion Show on Linnea's Garden Bandcamp page:

https://linneasgarden.bandcamp.com/album/fashion-show