Nightmares and Daydreams. MJT

A mini album by a band that could be members of 'the sons of the black rock coalition', together with their contemporaries The Radkeys. Where Living Colour and Fishbone had to fight for their right to rock, no one seems to care in 2016. Or at least, I don't. But then, I didn't in 1989 either, being a Hendrix fan since the 70s. Music has nothing to do with whatever, it has to do with whether I like it or not.

Nightmares And Daydreams fell into my email account a while back and at first listen I instantly liked it. Not that I was convinced for 100% straightaway, but I certainly heard the fun, the drive, the songs and the potential of MJT. Those facts drew me back to the band regularly and in the end convinced me that I need to start typing.

Up front. Don't expect an original album. For that MJT echoes some of its heroes too much. The already mentioned Living Colour, grunge, classic hardrock, it's all there on Nightmares And Daydreams. The good news is that MJT doesn't let itself be caught in one corner. By adding some sympho accents the mini album changes tone and I'm transported back to the time that Bill Bruford played the drums in UK. In other words, yes, there are hints at the jazz rock from the late 70s a well in this music, without going that way predominantly. The focus is on rock.

MJT is a band from Central Islip, NY. There is another comparison with the Radke brothers of Radkey. MJT are also brothers. Matthew on keyboards, David sings and plays guitar and other instruments. Jo Jo Godfrey on drums. Aged between 21 and 15 the band with Nightmares And Daydreams have released its second EP, after releasing Hour Glass before.

MJT promo photo

The potential of MJT shows through in the way the mini album develops itself. From more standard rock and grunge, far wilder elements are infused into the rock, giving the music a dreamy quality that is irresistible. 'Best Of Our Days' knows ever better harmonies and despite the fact that a band like Pearl Jam comes close here, the organ makes the song a true original. The floating chorus is a delight. Age is no issue if something is good and 'Best Of Our Days' is just that, with a promise of better that is.

If someone would tell me after reading this, 'but this band still has a lot to learn", I would certainly agree, but in answer I'd also point out to where they are already. Nightmares And Daydreams holds some nice melodies, fun harmonies and some great solos on guitar and organ. The drumming in the background is potent and at 15 Jo Jo can only grow. In short MJT is a band to watch.

Wo.

You can listen to and buy Nightmares And Dreams on the Bandcamp site of MJT

https://mjttheband.bandcamp.com/

American Dreamer. Frankie Lee

Je hebt van die platen die je talloze keren moet horen voordat het kwartje valt, maar er zijn ook platen die al na een paar akkoorden een onuitwisbare indruk hebben gemaakt. American Dreamer van ene Frankie Lee valt in deze laatste categorie.
 
Openingstrack High And Dry was pas een paar seconden onderweg toen ik het al voor de eeuwigheid had opgeslagen. En wat voor de openingstrack geldt, geldt voor heel veel songs op American Dreamer.
 
Frankie Lee werd geboren aan de oevers van de Mississippi, maar groeide op in Minneapolis. Na een aantal jaren in Austin gewerkt te hebbe, keerde Frankie Lee voor het maken van zijn debuut terug naar Minnesota. Het had wat voeten in de aarde voordat het debuut er ook echt was, maar wat is het een prachtplaat geworden.
 
Frankie Lee serveert op American Dreamer een rootsy cocktail die bestaat uit twee delen Bob Dylan, een deel Bruce Springsteen, een deel Ryan Adams en een deel Frankie Lee. Door de invloeden uit de muziek van groten als Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen en Ryan Adams klinkt American Dreamer bekend en aangenaam in de oren, maar het zijn de eigen invloeden van Frankie Lee die het debuut van de Amerikaan memorabel maken.
 
Frankie Lee heeft een stem die zijn gelijke niet kent en het is een stem om zielsveel van te houden. Het vormt de basis voor subtiel geïnstrumenteerde en stuk voor stuk direct memorabele songs.
 
Frankie Lee slaagt er in om vrijwel onmiddellijk te verleiden met zijn songs, maar het zijn ook songs die over meer diepte beschikken dan je op het eerste gehoor zult vermoeden. Frankie Lee kiest maar zelden voor het grote gebaar, maar bouwt zijn songs op subtiele wijze op, wat zorgt voor meeslepende songs die een steeds diepere indruk maken.
 
Het is een week of drie geleden dat ik het debuut van Frankie Lee in handen kreeg en ik ben inmiddels compleet verslingerd aan dit debuut. Wanneer we aan het eind van 2015 de balans opmaken zou dit wel eens een van de meest memorabele debuten van het jaar kunnen zijn. Alle reden dus om deze Frankie Lee en zijn prachtdebuut met zijn allen te omarmen.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt hier luisteren naar 'American Dreamer':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cyRlxArdCo

of kopen op Bol.Com

Sheep For Fiber. Elenne May

Every once in a while an email reaches the editors of this blog in which a band introduces itself. With this band from the Netherlands it was no different. A great way to get to know new music from bands that otherwise I may never have been exposed to.

Elenne May is a four piece band that is on route towards a triptych of EPs. With one album, 'Misleadingly Soft' (2012) and a few singles to its name Sheep For Fiber is the first EP of the triptych. As such not unusual. It allows a band a few consecutive moments of attention, before the three EPs become one album.

A few noticeable things present themselves listening to Sheep For Fiber. This is a band for people who like to listen to music, truly listen. The music is beautifully layered, breathes space as well as atmosphere, with enough left to discover. The music reminds me of The Future's Dust's first and so far only EP, but also Maggie Brown and I Am Oak come to mind. Like all these bands there is something dreamy, otherworldly in the music they play.

The next distinctive feature is the slightly mysterious voice of singer Elenne Klok. Soft, broken and hinting at unknown things, perhaps even the mystery beyond what we can hear. There is no reason for Klok to raise her voice to impress the listener. As soon as the harmonies kick in it even becomes more pleasant to listen to.

Finally there's the fact that I believe that Elenne May is a talented band. They are not yet at that level, but I'm certainly remembered of Sophie Hunger. The songs on this EP could reach that level through a higher production level in combination with the completely vulnerable beauty that is on display on Sheep For Fiber. Elenne May holds that promise within it. Just listen to 'Ducked Taped Toy Soldier'. It has the sort of atmosphere that graces 'Supermoon', barring the "madness" of Geoffrey Burton.

Besides singer Elenne Klok, who also plays synthesizer, there is Roeland Scherff on guitar and piano, Eveline Ypma, bass and Eddie Jensen, drums. Together they create atmospheres that hint at the XX without the (hints at) dance rhythms that graces this U.K. band. The strangely titled 'The Mistress And The Pictory Camel' is a good example. The dry sounding drums are mixed right in the middle and up front. The bass softly does its things with an incidental one note outburst. The guitar has a lot of echo on it, creating a desolate atmosphere over which Klok whisper-sings. The piano led ending is eerie, ghost like. As if from another world. There's a lot of music, but also a lot which is not there. Left empty. Spaces that are part of this music.

In the final song the band finally lets it rip for just a few moments, which turns the whole EP upside down for a few minutes; "a thorny devil" can be spotted. 'Winter To Winter' is the busiest song by far with its funky guitar and deep bass notes. A sign that Elenne May can go many places in a convincing way, given half the chance.

Finally a compliment for the picture of Frank Wiersema on the cover of the EP is due. He catches the mystery of the music in combination with the obvious fun the members of Elenne May have in creating this music. Exploring without rules up front? It may well be the symbolism shown here. Elenne May obviously has fun and is daring in the approach to its songs. Much seems to have been let out, instead of let into a song. All this is easy to catch when listening to Sheep For Fiber.

Bring on EP number 2 and 3 Elenne May. I can't wait to hear more.

Wo.

You can listen to Sheep For Fiber here on the band's Bandcamp page:

https://elennemay.bandcamp.com/

Fast Forward. Joe Jackson

It was somewhere late summer that a song entered my head that I couldn't get rid off for a while. So much so that after coming home I put on the old LP and played the song (and the rest of the album) exceedingly loud. 'You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)' is exemplary for the Joe Jackson that I like most, 'Night And Day' and 'Body And Soul'. After which I sort of lost track of the man. Much like most of the world. Somewhere earlier this century I saw him play with his Band after releasing 'Volume IV' and lost track again. I faintly remembering myself listening to 'Rain' his previously album and not liking it a lot. It seemed over again.

Then Fast Forward was delivered in my inbox. Something stirred within me. Joe Jackson! I put on 'Body and Soul' instead, but now it's time to make amends. Fast Forward shows that the man is in great form here and adds several very interesting songs to his oeuvre that easily compare to some of the ones of his golden age.

Joe Jackson by now is 61, but I only need to look into the mirror to understand that that has to be inevitable. Time flies when you're having fun.

For Fast Forward Jackson took a different approach to making an album, albeit not unique. The album was recorded in four cities, with four sets of musicians. New York, Berlin, Amsterdam and New Orleans. Graham Maby plays the bass in the New York sessions, but not in the others. The sessions all hold four songs each and were once intended to be released as EPs. I'm glad Jackson didn't, as the impact is so much larger now.

For what the New York sessions are concerned they are stunningly good. Catching everything from Joe Jackson style rock to Sinatra style jazz in a modern coating. They sound familiar, they touch my Joe Jackson strings in the right places, they are good. The good thing is that Fast Forward doesn't stop there. The quality is completely kept up throughout the album. Even when a boy singer (Mitchell Sink) moves in, a symphony orchestra or a Caro Emerald like background played by (the Germans of) Dutch band Zuco 103. It fits the melancholy music that Jackson has written for this session. 'Far Away' about leaving England and ghosts underneath a bed. 'So You Say' is another absolute total beauty of a song. One of those songs to fall in love with. 'Poor Thing' is another mid tempo song but the punky sneer shows through in some spots faintly bringing the first incarnation Joe Jackson to mind.

What strikes me (again) is what good a singer Joe Jackson is. And that I love to hear him sing in the right songs. That includes 'San Francisco Fan', e.g. Though he mostly sings in one timbre, he is able to use that timbre in several ways. From a soothing swooning to a punky gnarl, frightening nearly all who listen. I'm not going to claim that Joe Jackson's voice hasn't aged. It has, in a great way, but listening to that beautiful ballad 'The Blue Time' I can hear that his voice reaches a limit in a way that just is different from 1980. The fact that Jackson comes up with a song that is as beautiful as 'Breaking Us In Two', just to give an example, is the fun fact here. Whoever plays that trumpet, it just is so beautiful. Not to forget the interplay with electric guitar and Jackson's piano. High class.

The New Orleans section kicks off like it 1978 all over. Fast, urgent, without returning to punk with a reggae sauce for one second. A top heavy song, without dozens of instruments. The reggae rhythm does return in the second song, 'Satellite'. ("Gravity is going to get you some day", smart.) Again there is a looseness that could not have been on 'Look Sharp' and 'I'm The Man'. A true mix of 1978 with 1982.

For four such different settings Fast Forward is a consistent album. If no one had written about it, would anyone truly have noticed differences? Perhaps in the moods, but even then. The common denominator is quality. All four sessions have yielded great songs. I can't hear a single lapse, with the possible exception of the German cover song, but that is because I don't like that Interbellum sort of music.

Over the years Joe Jackson stepped out in so many directions that I just couldn't follow him. Some of the things he has done are just not the sort of music I enjoy. This daring most certainly has my respect as he followed his heart and mind. Late in 2015 another re-connection took place. Wo. and Joe both in the right position. The songs on Fast Forward have that Joe Jackson class in combination with the intriguing melodies that make me want to listen. This album reaches a level of sophistication which is exceptional, without losing that pop feeling for a second. Fast Forward is Joe Jackson at his very best as far as I'm concerned. A five star album, but my 2015 album list has already been published.

Wo.

You can listen to 'A Little Smile' here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeeVP4a10vE

or buy on Bol.Com

Alone In The Universe. Jeff Lynne's ELO

Bij Electric Light Orchestra denk ik onmiddellijk aan de Jaren 70. Natuurlijk maakte de band ook in de jaren 80 en 90 nog platen en zelfs in 2001 verscheen er nog een plaat van de band rond Jeff Lynne, maar voor de hoogtijdagen van E.L.O. moeten we toch echt terug naar de periode 1973-1977.
 
Ik had dan ook geen hele hoge verwachtingen van Alone In The Universe, dat deze week is verschenen en is uitgebracht onder de naam Jeff Lynne’s ELO.
 
Op hetzelfde moment heb ik Jeff Lynne heel hoog zitten. De man heeft minstens een dozijn briljante singles op zijn naam staan, deed hele mooie dingen als producer en wierp zich op indrukwekkende wijze op als conservator van het werk van The Beatles.
 
De diepe bewondering voor het werk van The Beatles hoor je direct terug in de openingstrack van Alone In The Universe. When I Was A Boy klinkt als een vergeten Beatles klassieker en laat direct horen dat de terugkeer van Jeff Lynne’s ELO een terugkeer is die er toe doet.
 
Invloeden van The Beatles zijn veel vaker te horen op Alone In The Universe. Jeff Lynne beschikt net als Paul McCartney over het vermogen om volstrekt tijdloze popsongs te schrijven en eert in muzikaal opzicht vooral George Harrison. Smullen dus voor liefhebbers van The Beatles, maar er is meer.

Aan het einde van de openingstrack hoor je voor het eerst invloeden uit de hoogtijdagen van Electric Light Orchestra. Deze invloeden zijn op de hele plaat hoorbaar, maar worden nergens fantasieloos uitgemolken. Waar E.L.O. in het verleden vooral vertrouwde op de zwaar aangezette strijkers, is Alone In The Universe vooral een gitaarplaat, waarop met name de uit duizenden herkenbare vocalen aan E.L.O. doen denken.
 
Jeff Lynne verrast op de comeback plaat van zijn voormalige band met een serie ijzersterkte songs vol referenties naar het verleden. Het zijn songs die onmiddellijk klinken als klassiekers en dat is bijzonder. Het zijn songs die stuk voor stuk bijzonder makkelijk in het gehoor liggen, maar het zijn ook songs die lang blijven groeien en ontzettend knap in elkaar steken. 

Het levert een verrassend sterke plaat op, die laat horen dat we in 2015 nog volop rekening moeten houden met Jeff Lynne en zijn ELO. Geldt overigens ook voor 2016, want dan staat de band in de Ziggo Dome.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt hier luisteren naar 'One Step At A Time':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy0oWuhTzh8

of kopen op Bol.com