Houses

 

I took some time off over the last few days and went to a skat tournament in Ingolstadt with a friend. My father taught me this card game decades ago, and I played it often in my younger years. But it's a huge difference when I, as an amateur, want to compete with professionals. Fortunately, I hadn't forgotten everything, and the lessons I had to learn the hard way were kept to a minimum.

Back to blogging reality and a short series about songs that have houses in their titles. Let's start with X, a band from Los Angeles. They were filed under punk-rock but they included more stiles like rockabilly in their sound. In This House That I Call Home is from their second album and one of my favorites from 1981.

The House Of The Rising Sun is a classic recorded by innumerable artists. I prefer the version by Sinead O'Conner from 1995.

Let's finish today with a classic by Blur without any further words.

Is This Really Necessary?

 

It's always the same with bands that release an album again after several decades: I wonder whether there's still a need for it or whether they still have the magic they had back then.

Manchester's Chameleons (they left out the “The” and Mark Burgess now calls himself Vox) were iconic in the early 80's and their debut is still on rotation at my place. For me, the impression is ambivalent. It's a contemporary development of their guitar sound, although some songs have clear weaknesses, are too sprawling, and on some songs the drummer can neither keep nor find the beat.

Take this two songs and probably one more and you will be pleased. There will be no memory of the rest at the end of the year.

Monday's Long Song

 

In 2003 German musician and composer Ulrich Schnauss released his second album A Strangely Isolated Place. He was a long time member of Tangerine Dream, a late krautrock band making experimental electronic sound for which the time was not yet ripe.

At the beginning of the new century he moved to London and was inspired by the first shoegaze movement and has incorporated them into this album. The result was an overlooked album with a lot of ambient combined with some guitars ans sometimes influences of trip-hop and worth to give them a listen.

Ulrich Schnauss - Monday - Paracetamol

New Song On Sunday

 

Various music magazines are currently hyping Geese, a band from Brooklyn, New York as the latest discovery. I couldn't help but listen to their latest album, Getting Killed.

From the very first song, it becomes clear who is supposed to be the focus here. Namely, the voice of singer Cameron Winter, which ranges from nasal pleading to clownish bellowing and thunderous force. It's so disturbing that you have to pull yourself together to get into the music. It's so diverse that it can't really be classified into any genre. Sometimes it's a simple blues riff, sometimes 60's soul, 80's guitars, or a sampled choir.

Once you get used to the voice, you realize that this record has a lot to offer.

Maman Brigitte

 

Since a couple of months Sean Johnson released as Hardway Bros a series of EP's called Outre-Mer. The last one came out a couple of days ago and it is great as ever. Once again sunny ambient disco with a little touch of voodoo. It is a kind of music I seldom get tired of.

Singles Released This Week Years Ago

 

October continues with an eclectic selection of chart singles, forgotten and remarkable songs that were released this week years ago.

1967: Jefferson Airplane

1973: David Essex

1968: Desmond Dekker & the Aces

1971: Isaac Hayes

1982: Marvin Gaye

1974: Harry Chapin

1988: Tracy Chapman

1969: Shocking Blue

1970: T. Rex

1977: Richard Hell & The Voidoids

1987: George Harrison

1963: Gerry and The Pacemakers (Apologies to everyone who can't stand LFC)

1981: U2 (from the time before Bono declared himself a saint)

The New Eve Is Rising

 

A few days ago I got aware of a The New Eves, an all girl quartet from Brighton and their first album. I have to admit, that I was surprised of their sound, a mixture of early British folk music, Velvet Underground (especially when they play the cello that reminds me on John Cale's viola), Patti Smith and The Fall. Alright it is namedroping but this album is so complex with all its influences, yet still something entirely unique.

Lyrically, they evoke old myths and stories from the past century, albeit somewhat cryptically, as we have come to expect from Patti Smith. But still with plenty of punk energy an lots of rough edges.

The New Eve is of earth

Granite, ochre, magma, dirt

All the bones in her body are holy

All the stones in her pockets are homely

She is an animal among animals

A human among humans

Wild and full or purpose

Tender and ferocious

Limbs and loins burning of lust

And the New Eve fucks

The New Eve fucks if she wants to

The New Eve says "no" if she doesn't want to

And there is no God to save you if you fail to listen

The New Eve has autonomy over her soul and her body

The New Eve has learned to scream

To strand straight

To sing

To speak