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The Fight. Cold Expectations
In the past few years Cold Expectations has become a regular feature in the singles sections. Brought to my attention by the late Justine Covault, as many bands from the Boston area were. Today for Cold Expectations that role has been taken over by The Sound Cove's (and Superfossils) Garret Vandermolen. With The Fight the band delivers a song that I would link to the 1980s where the mood is concerned. The way the band rocks out makes The Fight fit in anywhere, right up to today, including a link to the alternative folkrock side of The Walkabouts. All these musical memories make this song stronger. Yet, all this does not make me forget how good The Fight is in its own right. The lyrics put focus of the fight for survival and ordeal singer Steve Prygoda's ancestral country Ukraine is going through: "We can’t… we won’t…. WE MUST FIGHT!". Should you want to help out, you can donate here: https://help.rescue.org/donate.
I had already expressed my surprise of the combination of Algiers and Howard Johnson in one song in my review of the single 'Howard Johnson' recently. Here is the six song EP, more mini album, Jessie Kilguss recently released. On the record she mixes pop, roots and country rock in the right doses to stand out. That single already is an example of how good her mix of these genres is. The roots element is pumped up with enough rock to sound tougher, while Kilguss' voice has an edge that blends pop with tougher genres. You will also find singer-songwriter songs, with at heart Jessie Kilguss' voice accompanied by a guitar. You will find religion, with Saint Teresa and Jesus himself in the role of crossmaker, a cover version of Judee Sill's famous song. The combination of styles make this mini album a very pleasant one to listen to. Jessie Kilguss' voice is one of a mature woman and extremely pleasant to listen to. A woman that is truly singing and not somewhere between whispering and dreaming out loud, is quite nice for a change. Just listen to songs like 'Chasing Down A Ghost' and 'Lost Causes' and you'll know enough.
Pop rock comes in many guises. Even one of men of a certain age, far removed from their youth and youthful looks. At the same time they can still so easily tap into their youth's musical experiences, influences and above all enthusiasm and energy. All this results in a bouncing powerpop single called Turn To Gold. Everything a band like Boston brought to music circa 1977 can be found in this song. Soaring guitars, double guitar lines, distortion and a chorus as easy to sing along to like 'More Than A Feeling's. The U.K. band The Gold Needles offers it all. We still have a few months to go before the album is released, but based on the two singles, 'Supernature' was on the blog in May, it ought to be a nice one.
Library Card may make its debut on this blog, its guest singer does not. Axender or Marnix Visscher as he is better known can be found with both his bands, Korfbal and Price, on this blog. Together they bring a postpunk track that moves from the very empty to explosions of sounds. From just drums and a soft playing bass the band works itself towards the moment Axender starts singing accompanied by an electric guitar playing in a clean mode. The melody and the singing between Axander and Lot van Teylingen remind me of the best songs of The LVE from Antwerp. The explosions do not. They set Days of Clay apart from a song like 'Milky Sea'. The five minutes plus song ends with a confusing phone call between the two, more as if they are not really talking to each other. It makes Days Of Clay a disconcerting experience. As a song it works, totally.
One Hand Free. Ezra Furman
Ezra Furman has a rough voice for a female. It could double for one of a male with a highish, yet rough voice. This is not the reason why I decided to write One Hand Free. That is the relaxed atmosphere of the song, that faintly reminds me of Four Non Blondes' 'What's Going On'. The lyrics are far darker though, as it is all about extinction and "seeing you in hell". Ezra Furman moves somewhere in between Bob Dylan, singer-songwriter and a protest song, while bringing in a pop element by way of that moody piano part that meanders through her dirge for a relationship, including a metaphor for it as the end of the human race. Ezra Furman does not use small talk nor small words in One Hand Free. And, how many songs contain the word 'lizard'? Here were two in a row for you.
In August, I wrote on Stone's previous single 'Never Again': "STONE's single is loud, huge in sound, wild but without forgetting that a song needs a few hooks to stick in the mind". These words suffice for the latest single, Monkey See Monkey Do. Liverpool's Stone just goes for it and well with two minutes has said it all. The song is urgent, in your face and full of energy. Punk rock like they used to make it, with enough energy displayed to believe it all, and yet make it good time fun and pleasant on the side as well. Stone did it again. The album, 'Autonomy', is slated for 20 February.
Leatherette is an Italian indie band that with its single Hey There comes close to a slacker song. A little like I remember Pavement to sound. The bass plops as if it is detuned at least two whole notes, giving Hey There its distinct sound. Hey There is not a song to enjoy in the classical sense, for that it is too darkish and sounding too disinterested to entertain. Beware, that is different from there not being anything to enjoy. The song contains a lot of interesting details, starting with that bass. Next there is a guitar riff reminding me of the intro of Steve Harley's 'Make Me Smile'. And, there's a saxophone part that brings David Bowie to mind. The combination of it all makes Hey There a song worth while checking out. Should you want to hear more new work by the band, you have to be patient for two more weeks. On 28 November 'Ritmo Lento' will be released.
Life in the city and life in a small town, is the topic of choice. I know all about it, except that a city was where I grew up first and then was taken to a small town to grow up, part 2. Personally, I was so relieved to be back in a city. Dirt Road Souls' Davis Black was torn between two places so to say for quite some time. He shares his experience with the world in Hold On Soul, "you're almost home". The music he sets his experience to is indie rock with some country/roots influences worked into it, blending the two pretty perfectly. The best versions of this music come of course from the U.S. Hold On Soul is the proof and the pudding in one. Dirt Road Souls do a lot of things right here.
With several singles and one EP on this blog already, Dreamwave is no stranger to it. With Moon Buggy the Bristol band wants to renew my and your, dear reader, acquaintance. The band does so with a very uptempo psychedelic track. The vocals sound as tinny as can be allowed for, making them sound estranged from the real world. But then both singers have the key to the moon buggy, so their vocals come from across the universe to the earth. Everything seems to be coming to my ears from a long distance, distorting and fuzzing all sounds. What remains is the energy and enthusiasm. This shines through in abundance. Dreamwave will have had a lot of fun making the song. With finding all the little blips in the song, putting them in the right places, while trying out extreme settings on the available effect pedals. The result is an exhilarating single.
Bau Cat is a trio from North Wales combining a lot of influences into its music, even from well before the members were born. Abby Butler (lead vocals & bass), Jim Davies (guitar & vocals) and Jack Wells (drums & vocals) form Bau Cat and know how to make a song work. That starts with how the three are able to sing together. This makes Silver Bangle a very rich song vocally. Butler's voice is over the two male ones, that support hers in two ways. As a call response and as harmonies. The driving bass Abby Butler plays gives Silver Bangle its drive, added to by the drums. This allows guitarist Jim Davies to go off exploring some nice lead lines here and there. Look at the video and you see the bangle on Abby's right wrist, a piece of jewellery her mother passed on to her after a live show. That gift was the inspiration for Silver Bangle. The present led to a great song. Thank you, Abby's mother!
Wout de Natris - van der Borght
