That's How It Sounded In The Beginning

 

Flashback: London in the mid-1970s. Studded leather jackets and mohawks, Doc Martens boots and ripped jeans, safety pins and canned beer push the Empire to the brink of a national crisis. It all started with punk and the Sex Pistols, in whose orbit Susan Ballion—aka Siouxsie Sioux—also moved. And as was common back then, she, too, was convinced that she could make music with very little money. 

And indeed, in 1978 they released the single Hong Kong Garden, which immediately caused a stir. Not only did they slow down the tempo of punk, but they also gave it a much darker edge, which caught people’s attention.

That same year, they released their debut album, The Scream, which further explored this dark side. John McKay’s razor-sharp guitar, Budgie’s voodoo drums, and Siouxsie Sioux’s echoing vocals made this album a blueprint for many post-punk bands.

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Suburban Relaps

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Metal Postcard (Mittageisen)

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Nicotine Stain

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Jigsaw Feeling

You Bliss vs. You Wish

 

Does anyone else remember Nightmares On Wax's masterpiece Inner Space Outta Sound? If not, you should catch up on it or at least listen to its newer versions. 

Adrian Sherwood was commissioned to create a dub version to mark the 20th anniversary of the track's release. Sherwood's version reminds me much to the collaboration between Massive Attack and Mad Professor, which I used to play a lot back then.

While the original album was a carefree, soul-soaked masterpiece that defined the chill-out era, Sherwood takes these tracks and sends them hurtling through the reverb chamber.

For comparison, here is the original.

Monday's Long Song

 

Last year Red Snapper, a London based instrumental band, returned after a hiatus with Barb And Feather, an album I listened often. I played it during the eastern time and returned once again to their essential compilation of EP's and reworks Reeled And Skinned from 1995. 

Formed in 1993 by drummer Richard Thair and Ali Friend on double bass. Shortly later David Ayers joined on guitar. On their early recordings their music was a mixture of a rough mix of jazz, breakbeats,  rockabilly bass, country, surf punk, and early techno. For a few songs Beth Orton joined the trio which imbues the soundscape of In Deep with a dark, chanteuse-like charm. For me it is an another overlooked gem.

Reed Snapper - In Deep

New Song On Sunday

 

Yes, I do it again. I feature Lindsay Jordan aka Snail Mail again. A few weeks ago I featured her with Dead End, an appetizer of her upcoming album Ricochet. Now it was released and more of her indie-rock song are available. It seems that since her last album, she has developed a fondness for string instruments that complement her distorted guitar. After an extensive tour, she had to undergo vocal cord surgery. Otherwise, that would have been it. As you can hear, the surgery went well, because her voice is clearer and softer than before.

Under African Skies

 

Yes, as the headline suggests, I’m going to say a few words today about Paul Simon’s album Graceland. In 1986 he had clearly passed his musical peak and had already recorded another successful live album with Art Garfunkel. So it was all the more surprising when, 40 years ago, he took everyone by surprise with an album. He completely turned his style on its head. Inspired by street music from Johannesburg, he set out to record an album with South African musicians.

With this album, he pioneered world music before the term even existed. It’s a complete album that blends pop/rock with African rhythms. Even decades later, the African tribal beats, strummed guitar chords, and harmonized vocals are still well worth listening to. If Simon managed to get even a few listeners to explore African music, such as King Sunny Ade, he achieved more than many others before and after him.

Engage

 

Paisley Dark Records from Leeds is always a good place for electronic music in all variations. Today they released a new song by Krabberz, a British producer whose name I hadn't heard of until then. The song operates within the broad scope of ALFOS, featuring a laid-back, rolling groove that flows warmly and hypnotically throughout the entire track. The highlights of this song are the remixes by 10:40 and Jay-Son. 

Harmonica Day

 

Dear Mister Fantasy is a song by Traffic and released 1967. Traffic was in tIn hese days very successful with their psychedelia blues rock. This song is not my favorite of this album but shows how great Steve Winwood's voice was and Dave Mason played a fine guitar.

The Pretenders were always a band I could listen to and this song is from their third album Learning To Crawl. Another example for their sound when Chrissie Hynde's vocals meet classic rock music.

In 793, the Vikings raided Lindisfarne Monastery in northeastern England, looting it and murdering the monks. I can’t say for certain whether Newcastle’s Lindisfarne took their name from this event. What I can say is that in the late 1960's, they played some very good and successful folk rock.