2023, week 46.2, 10 singles

Foreign trips lead to backlogs and catching up is so hard to do with new albums and singles arriving every day as well. Here I'm trying to make amends to several of the singles released recently. You will find some very familiar names for those following the blog and subscribers to the once magazine, as two bands precede that as well. You will also find new names, some with even their very first single. A nice mix, if I say so. Hopefully you will check them all out. Enjoy!

Cincinnati. Johan

Yes, it did not take more than a decade before a new Johan album is announced. In the fall of 2018 'Pull Up' was released and here is the first single from an album slated for January 2024. Johan fans of old are in for a surprise though. Cincinnatti is not a song I've expected to hear from the band. It is dark and somewhat flat where the emotions and Johan's melancholy pop feel are concerned. Listening to the intro and first verse, I get a U2 feel, without the stadium antics of The Edge's guitar effects. The classic Johan vibe comes in later on, but again the pure pop feel many of the band's choruses have, is missing. Let me call it the joy of playing is missing. What remains is beauty. Just listen to that mellotron sound coming in, followed by a beautiful guitar solo. This may be a new Johan but the essence still remains. After five albums, in 21 years, it is time from something new. No matter how incredible it sounds, it is 27 years since that debut album and first show, I saw. We have all become so much older, it is hard to grasp where all that time has gone. Yet, here is Cincinnatti for us all, perhaps to digest and, to enjoy, with more coming soon. Do give it a try or three. It's worth it.

Telephone. Cape Sleep

Kim Janssen decided to stop working under his own name, at least for now, and releases a single under the name Cape Sleep. He worked with Moss frontman Marien Dorleijn and that is clear from several angles. That typical Moss plopping bass is all over Telephone, as is the dreamy atmosphere that comes with many Moss songs. Cape Sleep has already scored on two levels. I like the drive the song has. It goes ever forward because of that rhythm that simply doesn't let go. Just like the young woman on her skates in the video goes on and on until the songs comes to an end. Telephone finds a great balance between dream and deed. The singing and atmosphere suggest a dreamy environment, sometimes underscored by interludes where the rhythm drops away for a short while. The rhythm and especially that bass guitar makes the song very real. Has Kim Janssen reinvented himself? It's too early to tell but Telephone certainly points into that direction.

Hiding. Haze

Hiding is the first single from an upcoming album by Belgian band/project Haze with principal member Mirabelle van der Put. The music is a convincing mix of analogue and digital music. My first impression is Portishead. This song has that dreamy, triphop way in which the song is presented. The style of singing is not unlike Beth Gibbons'. The bass however is very real, as are the guitars and especially that rawkish lead guitar that plays only a few notes but enough to come across like a beast. Mirabelle van de Put sings over it all with some effect on her voice, making her sound a little like a female robot impersonating a French sigh girl. The outcome is an alive version of Air's 'Moon Safari'. In other words, the best of quite a few worlds come together in Hiding. Haze's second album, 'Out Of Sight' is slated for 24 Januari. I'm game!

I Can't Get Over You. The Dogmatics

Something like 40 years ago The Dogmatics tried to conquer the world and when that failed went on to do what other people do, settle down and get a job. Since a few years the band is back at what it's good at, write, record and play good old rock and roll songs. I Can't Get You Over You is one such. Two minutes and it's all over, everything said and done. Nothing more but certainly nothing less. Jerry Lehane and band mates do what they are good at. With a chorus that begs singing along to, an effective guitar solo and some nice harmony singing, I Can't Get Over You holds it all. No more words needed.

See You Through. Ella Raphael

More dreamy sounds and a bass that reminds me a little of Air's on 'Moon Safari', which has it from many a Serge Gainsbourg production. It does go to show how influential the sound is. Ella Raphael (or Ellarae, that is not fully clear to me) is a new signee to Fire Records and this is the first single or so I understand. Her voice has a dreamy quality. Far from having a fantastic voice, she delivers See You Through just right, harmonies and all. Again today, I am reminded of French sigh girls from a long time ago. The production is almost bare. Acoustic guitar, bass, drums is all there is, except for a piano (or is it, later in the song, voices treated in a strange way?) and some kind of synth sound joining for a sparse note her and there. Less is certainly more on See You Through. Ella Raphael plays with mystery on her single. Drums start it, the bass ends it. In between this new artist shows an intriguing side of herself, not unique but certainly with her own voice and sound.

Roadrunner Vs. Your Mother. The Magic City

A new band from Boston? What's new?! I can almost hear you sigh, but wait, this single is very much worth your while. The Magic City is a new band from the city, with a sound that goes way back. More aiming for pop than rock, the band touches on early 70s Bowie and pop from the U.K. from the 60s as well as the 90s. With a clean sound The Magic City sets itself apart from almost all other bands I have gotten to know in the past years from Boston. Roadrunner Vs. Your Mother even starts a little dull at first encounter but I dare you to be patient. The Magic City does deliver. The band slowly but surely builds the song up, without a million decibels or instruments added. The song simply gets a body, while sticking to that sweet angle it has as well. Just a little emphases in the singing and a good guitar solo do it all. "Come get it" the band sings and that is exactly my advice to you: go and get it!

Drive. Other Brother Darryl

And now it's time for some nice good old fashioned country rock. Boston's Other Brother Darryl releases its second single, following 'Until I Do' from 2022. Fans of the genre will recognise everything from the Eagles to CSN(&Y) in Drive. The laidback rhythm almost conceals a great song that has that slow rock in it. Another description is a tougher version of the beautiful ballad by The Connells, '74/75'. Acoustic guitars playing around each other, strumming, some lead notes sprinkled in between. A warm Hammond adds to the fun already enjoyed. Next, the vocals set in with some great harmonising in a style that moves between the two already mentioned examples. The singers in Brother Darryl know the power and joy of singing together. I had never heard of this band but this is a tip for everyone who likes this kind of music.

I Don't Want You Anymore. Cindy Lawson

No, no Boston, Cindy Lawson is from Minneapolis but releases her records these days on Boston's Run Bar Records. Cindy Lawson was a member of The Clams in the 1980s and returned on the scene last year, also re-releasing The Clams' songs in the process. I Don't Want You Anymore, her new single, is a dirty rocker underscoring the message of the song in a perfect way. Lawson and her bandmates Jerry Lefkowitz, guitar, background vocals, Dave Randall, bass, background vocals and Mark Devaraj, drums, background vocals, helped by Steve Price here and there, play a very effective game in bringing music from a long time ago back to life. The staccato rhythm of punk rock is there in the intro, the pop and powerrock of the late 70s and early 80s is mixed into the whole and out comes the fun in abundance. Don't expect absolute brilliance nor excellent originality but do expect everything that makes the mix of punk and poprock so much fun.

Look Ma, No Brains! Green Day

Time flies, as I've already concluded somewhere above in this post. 'Basket Case' was my introduction to Green Day and that is more moons ago than I care to remember. Ever since it has been up and down with Green Day. Good records were alternated with average ones. Never write off a good band though, as The Rolling Stones proved last month. Look Ma, No Brains! is a return to form that was announced almost on Green Day's previous album, 'Father Of All Motherfuckers', released in 2020. The new single has all the energy and fun the best Green Day singles and songs have in them. Tight, the smart chord changes and a great bass part, as Mike Dirnt is the real unsung hero of Green Day. What is a good sign also, is that the band tells it all in 2.10 minutes, like a classic rock and roll and pop hit. Moving towards their fifties and the bandmember's faces show it, the band is as good as ever. Like Rancid earlier this year Green Day is in great form. "Don't panic", as Mike Dirnt sings in the background, as Look Ma, No Brains! is the real Green Day thing.

Marie De Hautefort Wants To Wear Bikinis Like The Girls In Italy (In A Major). Smudged

And here I was thinking Lana del Ray would the win the-longest-single-title-of-2023 competition. I haven't counted the letters but here's a serious competitor and from Rotterdam no less. Smudged can go out as support act to Tramhaus' first major headlining tour. There certainly is a kindred spirit here. Alternative rock, steeped in new wave and other alternative stuff from long ago, mixed with what is extremely popular these days among young musicians. Smudged catches a few moods on Marie De Hautefort Wants To Wear Bikinis Like The Girls In Italy (In A Major). Besides moving through the dark new wave period of the early 1980s, the band works with pop vocals as well and is not afraid to experiment a little with its sound along the way. Slowly but surely the single works in a little Personal Trainer influence as well, while the song starts soaring. Marie De Hautefort Wants To Wear Bikinis Like The Girls In Italy (In A Major) is not the easiest song to digest but certainly does a lot of things right. The energy level keeps rising and rising until the song can't go wrong anymore and doesn't. A nice introduction this is.

Wout de Natris

 

Ahora. Melenas

Melenas leverde in 2020 een jaarlijstjesalbum af met Dias Raros en overtreft dit album met het fantastische Ahora, waarop de muziek van de band uit Pamplona een fascinerende elektronische injectie heeft gekregen.

Strakke drums, mooie gitaarloopjes, diepe bassen en prima zang en koortjes bepalen voor een deel het geluid van de Spaanse band Melenas, maar het zijn op Ahora vooral de impulsen van elektronica die de aandacht trekken. Een vleugje Kraftwerk voorziet het geluid van de Spaanse band van een zeer eigenzinnig tintje, maar het pakt fantastisch uit. Melenas was op haar vorige album al van jaarlijstjesniveau, maar de band uit Pamplona doet er op Ahora nog een schepje bovenop. Ahora heeft alles dat Dias Raros in 2020 zo onweerstaanbaar maakte, maar klinkt nog wat eigenzinniger en nog wat overtuigender. De Spaanse rockmuziek floreert de afgelopen jaren, maar deze band steekt er flink bovenuit.

De Spaanse band Melenas dook in de eerste maanden van de coronapandemie op met het geweldige Dias Raros, dat uiteindelijk zelfs de top 10 van mijn jaarlijstje over 2020 zou halen. De vier vrouwen uit Pamplona deden dit met een fascinerende mix van met name postpunk en new wave, die door het veelkleurige gitaarwerk, het bijzondere gebruik van elektronica en de Spaanstalige teksten flink anders klonk dan al het andere dat in het betreffende jaar verscheen.

Dankzij de albums van onder andere Hinds, Mourn en LISASINSON floreert de door vrouwen gemaakte Spaanse rockmuziek als nooit tevoren, maar Dias Raros van Melenas stak er tot dusver wel wat bovenuit. Het album krijgt vanaf deze week echter stevige concurrentie van Ahora, het nieuwe album van Melenas. Oihana, Leire, María en Lauri gaan op het nieuwe album van Melenas verder waar Dias Raros drieënhalf jaar geleden ophield, maar hebben hun geluid op fascinerende wijze verrijkt.

Ook op Ahora maakt de band uit Pamplona muziek die zich vooral heeft laten beïnvloeden door postpunk en new wave uit de late jaren 70 en vroege jaren 80, maar de vier vrouwen maken dit keer ook geen geheim voor hun bewondering van Kraftwerk. Vergeleken met het vorige album hebben de keyboards flink aan terrein gewonnen en het zijn keyboards die afwisselend klinken als de analoge synths van de pioniers van de elektronische popmuziek en het Farfisa orgel dat in de jaren 60 zo populair was in de garagerock en de psychedelische muziek.

De batterij keyboards wordt ook dit keer gecombineerd met strakke drums, diepe bassen en heerlijk gitaarwerk, dat vergeleken met het vorige album een stapje terug heeft moeten doen, maar zeker niet helemaal is verdreven uit het geluid van Melenas. De combinatie van invloeden uit de new wave en de postpunk en de hier en daar door Kraftwerk beïnvloede elektronica is een bijzondere combinatie, maar het pakt geweldig uit.

De songs van Melenas zijn nog wat aanstekelijker dan op het vorige album van de Spaanse band, maar ze klinken ook spannender, waardoor Ahora direct vanaf de eerste noten intrigeert. Hierna is de verleiding van het album al snel meedogenloos, wat nog eens wordt versterkt door de aangename zang en de mooie koortjes op het album. Door de bijzondere klanken en de Spaanstalige teksten klinkt het anders dan je gewend bent, maar ook als je geen woord verstaat van de songs van Melenas komen de songs van de vier vrouwen uit Pamplona makkelijk binnen.

Omdat Dias Raros in 2020 zo hoog scoorde in mijn jaarlijstje kwam het album ook de afgelopen drie jaar nog met enige regelmaat voorbij en is het een album dat me inmiddels zeer dierbaar is, maar desondanks vond ik Ahora vrijwel onmiddellijk beter. Melenas kreeg de afgelopen jaren in eigen land te maken met serieuze concurrentie, maar met Ahora kan de band de nationale en internationale concurrentie met gemak aan.

Alle songs op het nieuwe album van Melenas strelen intens het oor, maar ze prikkelen minstens net zo hevig de fantasie. Toetseniste María gaat flink los op haar keyboards, maar van overdaad is geen sprake, al is het maar omdat haar drie bandgenoten een stapje terug doen wanneer dat nodig is. Melenas is nog niet heel bekend helaas, maar Ahora is echt in alle opzichten een jaarlijstjesalbum en bovendien een van de meest aansprekende van het muziekjaar tot dusver.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt Ahora luisteren en bestellen op Bandcamp:

https://melenas.bandcamp.com/album/ahora

Mirrors. Linnea's Garden

With Mirrors, Linnea's Garden has thrown overboard all inhibitions, all pretending, all ways of trying to please. On Mirrors the world finally gets the real thing, without holding back. Singer, guitarist and songwriter Linnea Herzog has released her inner punkrocker and lays it at the feet of the listener and the world has become an incredibly better place because of it.

Linnea's Garden has featured regularly on this blog over the past few years. Her previous songs were nice and I've played them quite a bit. With Mirrors the band moves into another league. It is louder, tougher, rougher, and simply better. The trio, besides Herzog, bassist Hands and drummer Ray Clough, rocks the whole time, even when holding back a little, as in 'Seeds'.

The album opens with the single 'Pathological Liar'. I have already lauded that single recently, but nothing's keeping me from doing so again. Just listen to the way the song begins. It's a statement, a declaration of intent. As loud as 'In Utero' opens, just not as dissonant. 'Pathological Liar' is a great punkrock song, one of the best I've heard this year. Up there with the best of Iggy's latest record, with Rancid's single 'Tomorrow Never Comes'  and Green Day's new single, Look Ma, No Brains!'. The energy Linnea's Garden managed to capture in the New Alliance Audio studio! I can only imagine the smiles on the trio's faces when they were getting this together, let alone when hearing the end result.

No, this level of punkrock heaven is not matched again on Mirrors. Mind though, even if I would end my review here, buying Mirrors would still be recommended, as 'Pathological Liar' is a must have.

The rest of the album is very good. 'Big Mirrors' intro comes close and again the energy captured is phenomenal. Clough pounds away, while keeping the rhythm nice and tight. The dirty bass underneath gives the song a rawkish foundation. The two guitars, one dirty, one nice, do the rest. A Ronny Wood style solo from his The Faces time ends 'Big Mirrors' in a way it deserves.

'DB3', a David Bowie dancing party, is cleaner in sound. Again that energy comes across. The lyrics do not leave a lot to imagine about what the end of the party could be like. Go for it, Linnea! The song is tightness itself. There's no polishing, this is the real thing.

What I also like about Mirrors. I've got the impression that Linnea Herzog stopped trying to sing "pretty". We hear her natural voice on Mirrors and she sounds totally convincing because of it. I can name hundreds of singers who can sing better, but not on these songs. Again this is the real thing.

The five song mini album ends with another punkrocker called 'Comeback'. More in the style of New Zealand band The Beths, the song comes across as an urgent message to someone. A message we are all allowed to hear, luckily.

The album ends in a sonic storm of guitar noise but by then Linnea's Garden has made its point. Mirrors is an album of urgency shared with all who want to hear it and because of the quality on hand ought to become an album of importance as well. Yes, I've heard better over the years but not that much better and seldom matching quality with this level of urgency. By the way, 'Pathological Liar' should lead any punkrock chart around the world, says,

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order Mirrors here:

https://linneasgarden.bandcamp.com/album/mirrors

Not Your Cupid. Erny Belle

Baby, it's in the water", Erny Belle sings in the beginning of 'Unchained', one of the singles preceding Not Your Cupid. A single that made me so curious to hear her upcoming album. That is finally an option and since I've played it many, many times enjoying every minute of it.

The word water surfaced a few times in my posts over the years where music from New Zealand, and especially from its female artists, was concerned. Erny Belle brought it up herself, so perhaps she knows what it is in the water that makes herself and these artists write and record music at this high a level. New Zealand is, at a minimum percentage wise if not absolutely, outperforming other countries with ease.

Not Your Cupid has that same laidback kind of music that colleagues like Aldous Harding, Ebony Lamb and Reb Fountain play and are so successful with. Erny Belle manages to create this dreamy atmosphere in her songs through which she seems glide, not touching the ground, not held back by anything. She offers this atmosphere to her listeners, who can leave behind all sorrows, concerns and other negativity, to become one with Not Your Cupid.

Erny Belle, or Aimee Renata, debuted in 2022 with 'Venus Is Home'. The album was reviewed by Erwin Zijleman, who praised the Flying Nun record store newsletter in the totally right way. Because of it, we both have found our way to a number of beautiful records from New Zealand. As far as I know Not Your Cupid has not been released over here (yet?), so I would never have know about it.

Not Your Cupid is another highlight where music from New Zealand is concerned. Just listen to a song like 'Inertia'. A soft acoustic guitar is the backbone of the song. Behind it a softly played bass and brushed drums offer support. The intro is fully acoustic with a bass. When Aimee Renata starts singing, she opens the song like a flower reaching for the sun. In comes a violin and later a piano. First hesitantly playing a single note, before a cascade of slow notes, as it defying gravity, come in to accompany and expand the mood of 'Inertia'. The result is a undercooled form of beauty. Totally laidback, there isn't a hurry nor worry in the world of Erny Belle. The slowest day on the beach imaginable, not having to go anywhere else.

There is no need to expand any further. 'Inertia' captures the essence of Not Your Cupid. It is an album to fully relax with and leave the world behind for half an hour. What more can a person wish for every once in a while?

Wout de Natris

You can order and listen to Not Your Cupid here:

https://ernybelle.bandcamp.com/album/not-your-cupid

2023, week 46, 10 singles

This week you will find a few new bands on the blog, which is a good thing, as music evolves ever further and new names beg listening. We also remember Justine Covoult one more time, as bands from Boston remember her, see also Jay and the Archcriminals e.g., and a band from her label Red on Red Records surfaces on that other rock and roll label from Boston, Rum Bar Records. In fact, Boston musicians are dominating this weekly post on recent singles. So, enjoy!

(I Live With) Ghosts. Cold Expectations

When Justine Covoult passed away in the spring, I was shocked, as you could have read on this blog. I also wondered what would happen with all the releases that had been announced on her Red on Red Records label. One answer has been provided recently. Where else to go but Boston's Rum Bar Records? Cold Expectations have done so and release this blistering rock song called (I Live With) Ghosts. In the intro a surf guitar plays the lead licks, introducing a perfect mix of pop and rock. I have reviewed a few of the band's singles but none as good as this one. Cold Expectations rock as hard and good as Cottbus, Germany's Para Lia and then add a shot of pop melody that simply is stunning. Energy combined with joy (I Live With) Ghosts is and definitely not exclusive for under 30s!

Hanging. Marika Hackman

Marika Hackman can be found on this blog but both reviews were by Erwin Zijleman. There is a new album coming up, 'Big Sigh, 12 January, and Hanging is one of the singles released to draw attention to the album. Hanging does just that, as it is a song with two distinct sides to it. It starts totally subdued with a somewhat muffled piano and Marika Hackman singing over it. The contrast between her clean voice and the piano "under a blanket" is earcatching. A little electronic percussion is added and a synth playing long held, sweeping notes. Yet, it's no giveaway for what is to come. First comes an even softer part of the song, before Marika Hackman lets go and presents a full band sound with voices coming from all sides, creating a vocal wall of sound. If this is meant to be a teaser, it certainly worked for me.

Pathological Liar. Linnea's Garden

Linnea's Garden returns to this blog with a punkrocker of some urgency. The sound is dirty, almost sleezy, with a far cleaner interlude that even has a CCR vibe. Everything around it is rock around the clock. Linnea's Garden is rocking hard. The song starts as loud as it can. Pathological Liar is in your face (and brain) even before Linnea Herzog sings "I'm not a pathological liar", although she was "full of shit when she was 26", as she reveals later in the song. The start is so convincing, even if she's singing at the "breaking point" of her voice. This is the real thing musically and emotionally. It includes an important confession if not declaration "I've got the life I wanted". How many people are able to share this in all honesty? Pathological Liar is a punkrock song of importance, as it is one of the better ones I know. There's an EP out already, 'Mirrors' but I'm so far behind, desperate to catch up with the best releases.

The Spark. Elephant Stone

With The Spark Elephant Stone releases a Beatlesque, dreamy track on route to its upcoming album 'Back Into The Dream (23-02-24). The psychedelic influences are mild. A Rickenbacker guitar sound and Indian tabla(?) percussion, not unlike can be heard in George Harrison's songs of the 60s and The Byrds first singles. The combination spells pop from a long time ago. Elephant Stone always had one musical foot firmly in the past but with The Spark aims for pop heaven and getting close in reaching it. This song is well thought out and balanced. Only the small coda seems superfluous. The song is over, yet continues, as if the album track is cut off at the wrong point. A minor point as The Spark is a beautiful song with multilayered guitars that play nice melodies over each other. The dreamy singing by Rishi Dhir does the rest. Point scored.

My Band On Her T-shirt. Stop Calling Me Frank

Boston's Stop Calling Me Frank recorded an ode to Justin Covoult that does her totally right. They sing about a situation that undoubtedly comes from real life that Justine wore that t-shirt and draw the eyes of everyone towards her. Covoult is know on this blog for her great albums with Justine and the Unclean and all those records she released on her label in the past three years. From my Dutch distance I got it how much loved she was around Boston and its vibrant rock and roll scene. Filled with bands that still make music despite their youth has gone by a long time ago. What surprised me how good many of these bands are. Her own band is one of them, Stop Calling Me Frank another, with its characteristic saxophone in the rock and roll mix. I can only imagine how pleased the band must have been that Justine Covoult walked into the room or stood on stage wearing its t-shirt for all to see. This song shows just how pleased.

Vampire Empire/Born for Loving You. Big Thief

Big Thief has become more than just a band to watch. In the past few years it became a popular band with the music press and the public but without big hits and playing arenas. However, when the band releases two songs as a 7" single, it's news. Vampire Empire seems a bit like a leftover, inspired by Neil Young's 'Vampire Blues', but that may have more to do with the title than the music. The song does show another side of Big Thief as Vampire Empire is a dirty song, almost punky in its attitude. There's some anger here, steam vented. The song does work, but different from what I've expected. Born For Loving You is the second song. Again a dirty guitar in the intro, to disappear when Adrianne Lenker starts singing. The song has a country feel to it but is too raw to qualify here. Again, I have the feeling this song is one that was never completely finished by the band. Played in the studio but discarded. If it is true, then it only shows how good the band is, because both songs are fine additions to the oeuvre.

Moan. Sekushi

Moan is a dreamy, light form of psychedelic song from the until today totally unknown, at least for me, Belgian band Sekushi. A louder version of one of my favourite bands from Belgium, TMGS, so it's no surprise that Moan lands well with me. The more surprising that the song expands into a large finale, with a huge guitar solo. The intro is somewhere between "the chances of anything coming from Mars" and 'Kayleigh'. This intriguing mix is followed by an oh so nice guitar solo, repeating the intro. The singing has that dreamy quality of Peter Lodiers of TMGS. The outro is almost otherworldly. The soft sung ahhs are repeated over and over, while the guitarist is allowed to soar into the stratosphere with enough oxygen on him to not have to return anytime soon. Great ending to a nice song. There's an EP to follow soon.

The Man With The X-Ray Eyes. The Spackles

"I am the man with the x-ray eyes and I can see through you". The Spackles debut on Rum Bar with its first single. The trio, Marie Slurrie, guitar, vocals; Phil McKraken, drums and Brian "Spackle" McKraken, bass, vocals, rock out on this single. The sound is dirty, yet recognisable. There's no denying an earlier Bowie sound in the song, like there are references to a lot of music from a long time ago. The trio plays it as rough as it sings, yet holds a firm hold on the pop element in the licks and vocal melody. Because of it the music hovers between punkrock and 70s glam in a successful way. The Spackles knows how to tickle the fancy of memories from a long time ago, hidden somewhere within the brain of the older music fan. The Man With The X-Ray Eyes does a lot of things just right.

Baby, I'm There. Lee Gallagher & The Hallelujah

Time for some good old-fashioned country and rock inspired music from the U.S.A. Lee Gallagher & The Hallelujah presents just that. The mix between the two is nearing perfection. The rock guitars and above all the warm sounds of the Hammond organ put a rock layer over a country song. I must not forget to mention the piano that is hammering away all throughout the song as well. Lee Gallagher lives in Nashville, where he located to during the pandemic from San Francisco where he set his first serious steps in music with his band The Hallelujah. In Baby, I'm There everything may sound extremely familiar, it's simply so well done. Everything falls into the right place supporting the warm vocals. Nothing was left to chance and that is exactly what shows through most. Keep a look out for the album, 'The Falcon Ate The Flower' that was released last week.

Fathers. The Golden Glows

The Golden Glows is a trio from Belgium. Recently it decided to approach its music in a different way and now sings three part harmonies over one acoustic guitar. The decision and the quality of its music led to a contract with the Excelsior label from Amsterdam. Fathers, "here's a lonesome song", was released as a single for 'Sunrise' (24-11). The slow song underscored The Golden Glows' decision perfectly. The music is laidback, the singing underscoring the mood, the lyrics reflective and serious, like the trio sings. This is not a debut album. Look at the Music Meter website and you find four albums and three EPs there since 2007. Fathers is a modest song. To notice it you have to truly listen and when you do, you will be captured by it. So, let me leave it there and leave you with the song.

Wout de Natris