Light Dark, Light Again. Angie McMahon

The readers who pay close attention will have encountered the name Angie McMahon twice on this blog in the past months. Two singles preceding the release of Light Dark, Light Again were presented on the blog, so a review of the album is no big surprise. Pay attention, again, because we're going off the deep end with Ms. McMahon.

It's not that Light Dark, Light Again is a totally revolutionary album containing radically new forms of music. Anyone with some knowledge of recent music will be able to paste some names to it. No, it is the intensity that gets us to the deep end. Angie McMahon allows a lot of emotions into her music, if it is not her principle reason to start making it in the first place.

Also, she's not afraid to throw her life in the face of her listeners. Whether a true account or made up, 'Fireball Whiskey' would have the same effect on me, I'm sure. I can see her throwing up after drinking too much of the stuff. This example is most likely the most vivid image she sends us from her album.

By overdubbing her voice, several times even, she lays stress on her lyrics. They come to the listener in different layers, containing different levels of intensity and emotions. Listen on a headset and Ms. McMahon is almost everywhere. Yes, there's music but often minimal, small, allowing that voice to be everywhere without too much distraction. Light Dark, Light Again is about the singer, nothing else, really.

If anything, the way Angie McMahon sings brings to mind Dana Margolin of Porridge Radio. The way both can stress a single word, is exceptional. Where at times I fear for Margolin's sanity, I do not here. Angie McMahon's life, at least looked at from my distance, seems to be fully under control. "It's okay to make mistakes", she sings in 'Letting Go', one of the singles. Life itself is celebrated here, I think, and not utter despair. To sing this comes from a position of strength and not weakness.

The album contains a light-feeted pop song in 'Divine Fault Line'. Again, a small song where McMahon sings smaller as well, giving the song a pop feel, with very nice backing vocals. Another song that attracts me to the album more and more. Again, Angie McMahon sings with her stadium voice, think Florence Welch. This is only one aspect of what she wants us to hear. She has numerous timbres, between heavy and light and light and dark. She can move between them with ease, playing with the listener's mood.

It turns out, that I've reviewed Angie McMahon's 2019 debut album, 'Salt'. I have no recollection of it all, I have to confess. The title just now rang a bell, reading the bio. This album is the Melbourne, Australia resident's second. Reading my review of four years ago, what sticks is that Angie McMahon does not seem to be hiding behind anything. She's not on her new album too. I was impressed by 'Salt', I wrote, (and will have to give it a fresh listen), like I am by Light Dark, Light Again. This is not an album for the faint of heart, but one to enjoy tremendously none the same.

Wout de Natris

Lonely Citizen. Indian Askin

Indian Askin is no stranger to this blog. Recently the singles released to announce Lonely Citizen found their way and here's the album itself. During the pandemic the band Indian Askin fell apart, the project, luckily did not. Nelson ‘Chino’ Ayala releases his third album under the name Indian Askin.

Fans will not be disappointed. The typical alternative rock that is the trademark of the band is present in abundance on Lonely Citizen. Things start with the typical voice of Ayala. Like he took only the smallest hit of helium. It gives Indian Askin a part of its own identity and sound. The music adds to the sound. The mix of voice, experiment, psychedelia and rock creates a mix that can be called unique for this band.

Within this context a totally pop oriented song is possible like single 'Electric' and a song that drives on weird sounds and less easy sounding chords like 'Levitate'. Indian Askin excels in both. Where with 'Electric' the band presents a song that everyone ought to be able to relate to and even sing along with. A lot of people will have an issue with 'Levitate'. Of course, I agree that the former song is extremely pleasant, the contrast with the latter may be huge but it makes me work harder with a fully positive outcome. It makes Lonely Citizen a stronger and more interesting album.

The next song, 'I Like Boys', combines all three typical Indian Askin elements. Although I am not a Prince connoisseur, the song does present me a Prince like vibe. There's a funky element and a pop element that makes the song extremely pleasing.

Overseeing the whole album and the previous output, it is clear that without the band Ayala has allowed other accents to enter his work. Although it is impossible for me to know what Lonely Citizen would have sounded like in the old context, what I'm hearing today gives the impression that Nelson Ayala is freed from constraints. The sound and songs are more varied and different. Songs like 'Houdini' and 'Gloomy' are less band songs than Ayala solo songs with some accompaniment. At the same time a lot may be happening. Just listen to the second half of 'Gloomy' and noticed how varied and different the song sounds.

Being a musician in the first quarter of the 21st century is not easy. If any message stuck from his his duo acoustic show on Record Store Day, it was that. This country will never have a Golden Earring(s) again, as all bands will have dropped out of the game long before it can even get close to the status, let alone longevity. It is all the more admirable that Indian Askin is still here, showing the quality it is capable of. My promise: I will buy the album very soon and keep my Indian Askin collection complete.

One question remains. How does the band sound live in 2023? I hope to find out very soon.

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order Lonely Citizen here:

https://indianaskin.bandcamp.com/album/lonely-citizen

Ao Mar. Ão

De Belgische band Ão laat op haar tweede album Ao Mar een buitengewoon fascinerend geluid horen, dat zich niet laat vergelijken met de muziek van anderen en dat steeds meer fraaie en exotische geheimen prijs geeft,.

Ão is een band uit Brussel, maar de band klinkt alsof ze lange tijd aan een Braziliaans palmenstrand heeft vertoefd. De muziek van de Belgische band is zwoel met invloeden uit de Portugese en de Braziliaanse muziek, maar Ao Mar is ook een verrassend avontuurlijk album, dat zich niet laat vergelijken met andere albums van het moment. In muzikaal opzicht klinkt het heerlijk, maar ook de warme en emotievolle zang van Brenda Corijn tilt de muziek van Ão op tot grote hoogten. Het is absoluut even wennen aan de bijzondere klanken en songstructuren, maar als je eenmaal gewend bent aan het unieke geluid van Ão wordt Ao Mar alleen maar aangenamer en interessanter.

Zonder enige achtergrondinformatie begon ik aan mijn eerste beluistering van het album Ao Mar van de band Ão, dat ik tegen kwam in de releaselijsten van deze week. Het bleek al snel een bijzonder fascinerende luistertrip, die geen moment leek op een van de andere nieuwe albums die ik deze week heb beluisterd en dat waren er veel.

Zonder verdere informatie zou ik er van uit zijn gegaan dat Ão een Portugese of Braziliaanse band is, maar de band komt uit België. Ao Mar is het tweede album van de band uit Brussel, die in eerste instantie bestond uit zangeres Brenda Corijn en gitarist Siebe Chau, maar die op het tweede album van de band is uitgebreid met toetsenist Jolan Decaestecker en percussionist Bert Peyffers.

Dat ik de band eerder in Portugal of Brazilië positioneerde dan in België heeft alles te maken met de teksten van de songs van Ão, die voornamelijk in het Portugees en heel af en toe in het Engels worden gezongen. De keuze voor de Portugese taal is ingegeven door de Mozambikaanse en Portugese wortels van zangeres Brenda Corijn, die beschikt over een mooie en warme stem.

Ão noemt op haar bandcamp pagina Madredeus, Lhasa De Sela, FKA Twigs, Arooj Aftab en James Blake als inspiratiebronnen, maar die hoor ik niet allemaal terug in de muziek op Ao Mar en als ik ze hoor, hoor ik ze in beperkte mate. De combinatie van het Portugees en de mooie en warme stem van Brenda Corijn, die ook nog eens met veel gevoel en precisie zingt, roept wel wat associaties op met de Portugese fado, maar in muzikaal opzicht blijft Ão redelijk ver verwijderd van de traditionele Portugese fado.

De band beschrijft haar muziek zelf als een mix van saudade, indie, elektronica en folk, waarbij saudade een mix van Portugese en Braziliaanse muziek is. Het is muziek die buitengewoon subtiel wordt uitgevoerd. In veel songs op Ao Mar vormen het bijzondere en grotendeels akoestische gitaarspel van Siebe Chau en de prachtige stem van Brenda Corijn de basis, waarna subtiele bijdragen van elektronica en percussie worden toegevoegd. In een aantal tracks zijn de elektronica en de percussie en beats net wat zwaarder aangezet en klinkt de muziek van Ão weer heel anders.

Het is muziek die ik in eerste instantie associeerde met broeierige zomeravonden, maar in de herfst doen de songs van de Belgische band het ook geweldig. Ao Mar is een album dat aan de ene kant uitnodigt tot luieren, wat uitstekend lukt bij de zwoele en wat dromerige klanken en de prachtige zang, maar beluister Ao Mar met de koptelefoon en je blijft je verbazen over alle schoonheid in de muziek van Ão. Ao Mar heeft de betoverende schoonheid en het in eerste instantie wat vervreemdende karakter dat ook de muziek van Arooj Aftab heeft, maar ook dit door de band genoemde vergelijkingsmateriaal hoor ik verder niet veel terug op Ao Mar.

Ao Mar is een album waaraan ik zeker moest wennen. Ik was vrij snel overtuigd van de schoonheid van de muziek van de Belgische band, maar was nog wel bang dat ik de muziek van de band snel te eenvormig zou vinden, waardoor het album snel zou gaan vervelen. Dat laatste valt erg mee, al is het maar omdat de muziek van Ão helemaal niet eenvormig is. Wanneer je de muziek van de band uit Brussel met aandacht beluistert gebeurt er echt van alles op dit fascinerende album, dat totaal anders klinkt dan alles dat je tot dusver hebt gehoord dit jaar. En wat klinkt het lekker.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt Ao Mar hier luisteren en bestellen:

https://bandao.bandcamp.com/album/ao-mar

Ebony Lamb. Ebony Lamb

As Ebb & Sparrow singer-songwriter Ebony Lamb debuted on this blog in 2018. As far as I'm aware things went quiet until a few months back when two new singles made it to the weekly post on singles. Now there is her eponymous album and it is a beautiful album reaching for the depths of the listeners' soul with the intention to stick around there.

At the very start the album shares its main message, "keep me dreaming", with me. The dreamy 'My Daughter My Sister My Son' brings the listener in the mood to dream away on Ebony Lamb's music. The mellotron like sound takes the already dreamy atmosphere to the max. The mellotron allows the listener to lay her/himself down on the sound and to float away into his inner sanctum to enjoy all that follows.

Every instrument on the opening song sounds as if coming from another room while still sounding completely clear.  It is the mood that prevails, over which Ebony Lamb sings with a totally clear voice. In 'Take My Hands at Night' a guitar enters the sound of drums, bass and electric piano set to its most dreamy. The guitar adds to that state of dreaming with its vibrato and sustain. This song is a superb example of Ebony Lamb. Anyone not falling for this song, can better avoid the album it almost seems. Don't, please try again and again!

Because there certainly is enough variation. The tempo goes up, a little, in 'Salt Sand Sea when Ebony Lamb ties in with her New Zealand colleagues Reb Fountain and Aldous Harding to name two. There certainly is some cross pollination between them. With Fountain in the way of singing and Harding in the moderately tougher approach here and in e.g. 'Midnight Is My Name. The bass is more prominent and can almost be called the lead instrument where all else circles around.

In 'Swim To Me' the tempo goes down once again. The song can't be called a ballad. It doesn't qualify because the pathos associated with ballads in totally lacking. The singer almost hides behind the sparse music as it were. 'Swim To Me' is a song that is as unobtrusive as possible, before becoming something not resembling a song at all. This is compensated by the dreamy 'Drive Me Around'. Does something like a soft rocker exist? If so, 'Drive Me Around' qualifies. With a prominent drums and bass they set the basis for the other instruments and singer to play off from.

This observation is what sums up Ebony Lamb. It is an extremely strong and good album that puts Ebony Lamb right up with Reb Fountain's 'Reb Fountain' and 'Iris' in my book. All three are albums that hover between dream and deed, where reality for a change does not get in the way. Ebony Lamb can be very proud of her first solo album. "Come put a record on", she sings in the same titled song. Let that be my advise to you, so long as for now that album is called Ebony Lamb.

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order Ebony Lamb here:

https://ebonylamb.bandcamp.com/album/ebony-lamb

Week 44 2023, 10 singles

Within a few weeks and new The Rolling Stones songs and a new The Beatles song? Where is that long lost track by The Kinks? Then the world would be totally balanced, as far as my earliest favourite bands are concerned. I have to correct myself, as the Stones definitely came two years later.

Rest assured, not everything here originated in the 1960s, but there also are no new names in this post on recent singles. All acts have found themselves on these pages before, even if it was only once. Who they are? Dive in and have fun!

 

Now And Then. The Beatles

For me this song came as a total surprise. Anyone with even the slightest of interest in things Beatles will have learned on the now and then of the release. Having heard the song a few times now, I can only say wow! Of the three revived John Lennon demos, this is the one that surpasses a lot, including many real The Beatles songs. I simply love this song. It contains so much kindness, so much class and so much love. Purists will say that it isn't a real Beatles song, as it was not intended to be one and maybe did not even qualify for a release by John, had he lived longer. The three remaining Beatles decided to work on it around 1995 for the 'Anthology' series but couldn't finish it. In 2023 the remaining two have. George's slide guitar solo from 1995 is there and Paul and Ringo did the rest with help from Giles Martin. Add all this up and out comes a result that is the closest to a real new Beatles song it is possible to come. The arrangement is so lush, so melancholy, so good. The rhythm guitar part is very un-Beatles like, modern and totally befitting the song. The solo itself is superb, like George Harrison at his very best. Not the quantity of notes, purely aimed at quality. The backing vocals of two 80 somethings with the late 30s John Lennon works in an endearing way. The Beatles ending of Now And Then is exactly as it should be. Are The Beatles my one and only, true band? In the last six, seven years I've come to that conclusion and with Now And Then the band underscores its position. No matter how could 'Hackney Diamonds' is, even this revived John Lennon toss away is of a level that is unobtainable to the competition. With Now And Then The Beatles have reached the end of their career where new music is concerned, 61 years after 'Love Me Do'. What an ending it is. Hearing it for the first time brought all but tears to my eyes. I love it and would not be surprised if time will show it to be the final masterpiece as well.

The final comment is on the video. Should you not have seen it yet, do so. Peter Jackson has made a great one in which the now and then and even older then blends into a whole, in which the past 61 years come truly alive.

Fantasy Girl. Donna Blue

With the first single of the upcoming album scheduled for next year Donna Blue is back on this blog. Again, the band brings us back to the 1960s, French sigh girls and Sean Connery James Bond chic. The bass is straight out of the Serge Gainsbourg cum Air school. It has that suave plopping sound. Danique van Kesteren moves between French and English the whole  song and in her singing moves even closer to the Gainsbourg-Birkin offspring. Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon both could have found their way on Fantasy Girl. The paradox of Donna Blue is that the band is far from original and yet is almost unique in the 20s of this century. There is Austrian Cari Cari but this duo rocks so much harder. The combination of the twangy, extremely slow surf guitar and sigh girl style of singing puts Donna Blue out of competition from others who usually do not combine the two. Th mix remains terribly attractive.

Get Back. Pip Blom

'Bobbie', Pip Blom's third album, is out for two weeks but I haven't had the time to listen yet. Chances are I do not have the time to catch up. So here's Get Back. You may have noticed that the two previous singles did not make it to these pages. Somehow I could not get my head around the new style of the band. With Get Back this isn't hard to do at all. It is an alternative pop song, with dark undertones. The synth, better synths, dominates Get Back. The chorus is not exactly the most fascinating lyric, yet the forever repetition of the two words of the title does work. The synth melody and the loud guitar and rhythm section underneath it, gives the song a huge punch. The song is alternative enough to be credible and has a pop feel that should appeal to those loving less obvious pop music.

Talk. Ciel

Ciel enters this blog for the third time. Talk was released in time for the band's support tour with Blood Red Shoes in September. The link is understandable, as I have the impression to be listening to an incarnation of that band, also from Brighton. Talk has a groove, has power and is very much alive. Led by Dutch singer Michelle Hindriks the band really goes for it and is not afraid of making its point. In essence a guitar-bass-drums band, you will find some synths in Talk, presenting the more melodic side of the band. Five notes is enough to stand out. The less is more principle used to great effect. No, Talk is not an original single in sound, for that too much is familiar in sound and approach. All this is compensated by what I just summed up. Talk is a banger.

Bigger. Fazerdaze

Another extremely intriguing single from Fazerdaze. The New Zealand singer dreams in her singing puts synths right in your face and rocks all at the same time. It's hard to understand that so many, mostly female singers come out of this small country on the edge of the world. Fazerdaze ads herself to this long line of singers making a difference in my life. Bigger is a song that confronts. The contrast between Amelia Murray's singing and the instrumentation is so stark. This sets her apart from Jen Cloher, Ebony Lamb, Vera Ellen, Reb Fountain and other favourites from Down Under. Bigger sort of brings it all together, yet has its own unique sound. It is a song that makes me take of my hat and make a deep bow. Very well done, Fazerdaze.

Cousin. Wilco

In the comments around an interview with Jeff Tweedy in 'Oor' on the release of 'Cousin' it was mentioned that 'Cousin' was an attempt to break out of the Wilco mould used in the past decade. The band hired an external producer, Cate le Bon, to do so. The reporter stated mission accomplished. For now, I have to do with the single. Like with Pip Blom, I haven't had the time to catch up (yet?). Had I heard Cousin blindfolded would I have recognised it as a Wilco song? Chances are no. Cousin definitely sounds different. Perhaps Tweedy's voice would have given it away but even that sounds different, I'd venture. All this is theory. What do I think of Cousin? What I like from the start, is the drive of the song. It gives it an urgency and an amount of energy that is often lacking in a Wilco song. Listen to how the electric guitar is strummed, full of accents and the percussive sound all throughout the song. It propels Cousin forward, almost hurtling, almost losing balance while stumbling forward. The purpose of a single is to make me curious for the album. Mission accomplished also.

Fireball Whiskey. Angie McMahon

How to describe Fireball Whiskey, beyond Angie McMahon drinking too much of it and throwing it back up? A difficult question to answer. Why? An answer starts with the conclusion that Fireball Whiskey is not your everyday song. It tells a story filled with unexpected rhyme. Musically there is a lead piano that seems to have a life of its own playing over an intense atmosphere, part supporting Angie McMahone's singing, part soundscapes. Musically, Porridge Radio is about the only reference I can think of, but Fireball Whiskey musically is far more complex, not necessarily more intense. The U.K. band will win on that score. Fireball Whiskey is a song that demands some serious listening. Anyone willing to provide the time will discover a lot to enjoy.

The Rest EP. boygenius

With a very successful and acclaimed eponymous debut album under its belt, boygenius returns with four songs remaining from the session that did not find their way to the album. A first and easy impression is that they were not on the album for a good reason. Some re-listening makes clear that conclusion is, indeed, too easy. The trio manages to get the best out of each composition. Baker-Bridgers-Dakus blend their voices in that superb way they are able of. The result is vocal magic. In a song like 'Afraid Of Heights', perhaps not more than an enriched demo, the three come together in the chorus and lift the song up beyond recognition. 'Voyager' is even more bare. A voice, an acoustic guitar and only oohs by all. It is enough to come across. My current lifespan makes it possible to oversee circa 80 years of popular music, including the generation before mine's favourites. 'Voyager' is the kind of song that Doris Day could have sung in the early 1950s, with an orchestra behind her filling the song up with violins and horns. It shows how boygenius' music fits into a long tradition. The final song is my favourite. 'Powers' is a dreamy song that has two feet firmly on the ground thanks to the tightly strummed acoustic guitar. A pair of trumpets play the, slow, solo, where the tempo falls away completely. The atmospheric sounds accompanying the whole song are still there. The end comes somewhat unexpected, as I would have wanted to hear a final verse and chorus. That is not to be. boygenius shares the odds and ends of their session(s) on The Rest and is more than justified to do so. The Rest is a nice addition to what we already have and again makes clear to me how the trio's sum is bigger than the parts, even in a more bare musical environment.

Man Of The Hour. Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes

Okay, this is something completely different from what I had expected. Frank Carter the angry man of modern U.K. punk has changed into a crooner. Sticky in a totally different way. Man Of The Hour is a rock ballad, if anything showing what a good voice Carter has. He gets away totally with this musical change, simply because the man can sing. The Rattlesnakes produce everything between a dirty rock guitar to a smooth synth and a piano ballad. It all moves somewhere between Billy Joel and Suede, an interesting mix, if anything. Where I easily sit through an album like 'Sticky', I have no way of knowing what to expect from 'Dark Rainbow', the upcoming album. I do think 10 or 11 Man Of The Hours will be a bit overdoing it, but I will wait patiently and let the band surprise me.

Love Is A Slowburn Sting. Garlands

Scottish Garlands has released a new single and almost as if it is the most normal thing in the world, makes it to WoNoBlog. Love Is A Slowburn Sting holds element of early Bowie and a lot more things late 60s, early 70s poprock. Gordon Harrow and bandmates do a lot right on the new single. If anything, the fun of playing this song shines through like the sun on the brightest of summer days. The pop element in the song is so joyous. The enthusiasm simply bounces through my speakers. The song is not extremely fast, it's the pace of singing that makes it seem faster than it is. There is a lot of text and yet it all fits. Harrow doesn't have to exert himself to get it in the metrum. Did I mention that Love Is A Slowburn Sting is a great song. No? Let me correct this then here and now.

Wout de Natris