Last week, I came across Pina Palau in an article about new Swiss music. The 33-year-old singer-songwriter lives in Zurich, works full-time as a resident physician in a psychiatric ward, rides a road bike, and has just released her third album, You Better Get Used To It.
Musically, there’s nothing that reminds me of Switzerland; it’s more like indie-folk. Somewhere between Waxahatchee, Courtney Barnett, and the dreamy sound of Bon Iver. Even though her voice sounds a bit thin, her song, backed by delicate guitar and steel guitar, has the potential to stick in your head.
Over the past few days, I’ve had trouble connecting to the internet and posting the articles I’d prepared. The issues on the provider’s end seem to have been resolved, and there’s nothing standing in the way of further posts.
This way, I can continue the series I recently started, featuring songs that more or less include a harmonica, without committing to a specific day.
Let's start with a song by Tom Petty from his last great album Wildflower from 1994. One of my favorite songs on this album is You Don't Know How It Feels, in which he reflects on his work and his future in a slow, unsentimental way.
My old man was born to rock
He's still trying to beat the clock
Think of me what you will
Ive got a little space to fill
In 1982, I spent six weeks traveling through the western United States in a motorhome with some friends. At a gas station, I bought a few music cassettes because I didn’t care for what the radio stations were playing. Among them was Bruce Springsteen’s newly released LP at the time, which I listened to more than once. At the moment, I can’t imagine visiting that country again.
In the early 1990s, INXS was at the height of its popularity, with several songs climbing high in the charts. One of them was Suicide Blonde. The song’s title comes from the night Hutchence and his then-girlfriend Kylie Minogue attended the premiere of the 1989 romantic drama “The Delinquents,” in which Minogue plays the lead role. For the premiere, she wore a blonde wig, the color of which she described as “Suicide Blonde.” The fact that he committed suicide four years later is a tragic footnote, but it has no connection to the song.
In the early 80's I was focused in music to anything that sounded like new wave and came from the UK or Germany. As far as I was concerned, contemporary music from the United States came from the orbit of the Minutemen, Hüsker Dü, and maybe Nu Disco.
Collage rock, as the genre was called before labels like “independent” and “alternative” became established, wasn't on my musical radar. That changed in 1983 when a band from the South released their debut album, Murmur. R.E.M. found immediate success with their fresh sound, which was described as falling somewhere between new wave and The Byrds. And rightly so. The combination of Michael Stipe’s growling vocals, Peter Buck’s folk-flavored guitar playing, Mike Mills’ rumbling bass, and Bill Barry’s powerful, aggressive drumming was simply too good to go unnoticed.
Murmer isn't for sure their best album but it showed the potential they had in these days.
The recent days I rediscovered a band I didn't listen for ages. The band is called Hurrigans (yes, it was a clerical error by printing their first record) and they were Finish Rock and Roll band. Their album Use No Hooks from 1977 is probably the last classic rock album I bought. Hurriganes were a classic three piece band and Finland's answer to pub rock and Dr. Feelgood. I was very in to it these days because the rhythm section was so awesome. Seldom heard a bass player and the drummer beating out the rhythm with such a verve and enthusiasm. If punk hadn't come along, they could have made it big with their classic rock ‘n’ roll and well-executed cover versions. Instead, they remained just another footnote in the history of forgotten bands.
In 2018 Austin, Texas, based experimental collective Thousand Foot Whale Claw released with Black Hole Party One of the most obscure and best albums of the year. An record consisting of six instrumental tracks, whose sound is almost impossible to pin down.
It is said that the band was influenced by late German krautrock. Their songs feature a dense sound and driving drums, inviting the guitars to engage in extended improvisations. Their psychedelic sound and built-in loops leave a lasting impression. Classifying TFWC as an instrumental psych band is only partially accurate, yet there are no suitable terms to fully capture the band’s broad scope.
A few weeks ago Swedish singer Lykke Li announced the release of her last album for next May. Li came to my ears 15 years ago with her single I Follow Rivers. It was a dark indie-pop track with a fine combination of pounding drums and her twee voice. The drums are still present but now she integrated Antonio Vivaldi and his 4 Seasons into her sound. The result is another fine indie-pop song. Let's enjoy her new sound as long as she continues to release new music.
Yesterday Dirt Bogarde, a DJ and producer from the midlands, released a new song. I followed him since a couple of years because he released some outstanding dark Balearic songs. Now he's back with a powerful chugging song. Faster than before but still with superb cosmic adventures.
