These days I was diving back into the late 70s/early 80s and I asked myself how these songs would sound in a remix. While I was searching I found a few pieces of songs long gone by in versions that were worth to listen to. But none of them could replace the originals because they were partners when we grew up.
Dan Bejar aka Destroyer and former member of the Canadian band The New Pornographers released his second album a few days ago. A friend recommended it as a wonderful album so I gave a listen to it. And I've to admit that it got something beautiful in it. Bejar is rooted in the 70s and you can hear this on my favorite song of the record Forces from above. Listening to this song I have to think of 80s bands like Talk Talk or Scritti Politti and that so called Nu-yorican beat. The songs are arranged superb with a lot of saxophones and strings. The more I listen to this record I find more good songs on it than fillers.
For the start into the weekend, today a song by Courtney Barnett. She's an Australian based musician and released this year her first album Sometimes I sit and think, and sometimes I just sit. It is one of these new records I grab when I don't know what kind of music I'm in the mood for. I like this record and the songs on it. Barnett, looking like a full member of skater gang plays songs that sound like a perfect mixture of grunge and folk. Sometimes her attitude reminds me to Patti Smith and the way she sings to Lou Reed but always in her very own style. Bluesy, surf-style bad-guitar folk.
It was a long time since I featured A.R.Kane, a British musical duo formed almost 30 years ago. Their forgotten album 69 is still a favorite of mine.I found it in my collection a few days ago and I listened to it from the start to the end. It's like a spacey trip to another planet. Influenced by various artists like Miles Davis, Velvet Underground and a bit of Cocteau Twins they made a record that is still worth to listen.
Don't be surprised when you take a click on this video. It is nothing but silence. Why and what is the reason I post this? It is a statement by Raoul Haspel, an Austrian artist who is selling a one minute of silence to remind what is happening to the refugees that come from distant places to Europe to escape from physical torture, poverty and war from their home countries. He did this when he recognized what happened in the Austrian refugee camp Traiskirchen. It's the biggest Austrian refugee camp and it is overfilled with more than 3.500 refugees. A lot of them have to camp without a tent - even pregnant people.
Not only this touches me right now. It's also about the upcoming idiots in Germany following some right wing lead ideas, burning refugees camps and raising their right hand like 80 years ago. It makes me angry about what happens in my country right now and I can't stop to talk about this shameful behavior to a lot of people. But I don't lose hope that our humanity education will win at least.
I don't know if you're in to this kind of music but right now it is something special to me. Neu! was one of those Krautrock-bands which had a heavy influence into modern electric music. I listened to their music for decades and it still didn't lost it's attraction to me. It's the sound for late music to come down after a hard working day with a glass of wine in your hand and drifting into the music. This is the full length version of their third record - and maybe their best. Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother were not better than on this record.
I think it's time for another song by The Cramps, the one and only psychobilly, swamp, dirty low down band in Rockabilly. I still love their raw and mean sound. It's one of their less played songs and it's a a classic (even if you know Bettie Page - the former pin-up queen).
A few days ago JC over an The (new) Vinyl Villian featured a new band - Dead Hope. Going to their facebook-site I saw that they featured Sonia Stein as their song of the week. Listening to it I was completely surprised about what I've heard. Not another post-punk or guitar influenced music but a great new voice.
Sonia Stein is a 22 year young singer. Born in Berlin, grew up in Warsaw, New York and Boston and now living in London. She released her first EP these days. I am fascinated by her deep and soulful voice and her spartan arranged songs. So you can concentrate to her voice. Maybe these are the songs other artists try their lifetime to do. Watching her videos I think Amy Whinehouse is reborn after rehab.
These days I found a new song by The Editors from their upcoming new album. The Editors were put in the basket as another post-punk/post-New Wave band that tried to reanimate the genre almost 10 years ago. But I always liked their songs, especially the baritone of singer Tom Smith maybe because it reminds me sometimes to the inaccessible voice of Ian Curtis. Life Is A Fear is sudden not too deeply based in guitar sound and more dominated by a strictly keyboard rhythm added with some piano parts and dark guitars in the background.
Swiss Adam did a little series inspired by the fantastic Ode to Anthony H. Wilson and mentioned in his yesterday's post Voodoo Ray by A Guy Called Gerard and the compilation North - The Sound of Dance Underground. I've to admit that this was my first record in this style. I came to this record when I first heard Voodoo Ray on another indie compilation I got from a friend to my 30th birthday. I was fascinated by this strange sound that was so different to other things I used to listen. This song and the compilation was my door-opener (British-)house music. A song for eternity.
Nils Frahm is a Berlin based German pianist and composer. He released several records during the last years and I love the way he combines classical songs with a heavy influence of modern music. Most of the songs I like when he plays his piano solos. It's a wonderful music for late at night or finishing the day. I know, it's not everybody's cup of tea but it was worth to try it.
Dirk posted some Peel tapes a few days ago. As I listened to some other music the recent days he took me back to the days long gone by. I think it's time to feature a few bands from this era in the forthcoming weeks that impressed me much at these days or I still like to listen to right now.
Let's start with The Piranhas, a Brighton based punk/new wave band formed in 1977 with heavy influences from Ska, 2-Tone, Mod and reggae. It was the the sound a lot of people at my place could agree with. Listening to their songs makes me often smile and feel happy.
Enjoy.
And here's their appearance at the Peel session back in 1979
Today an accumulation of a song by Eddie Cochran. Something Else was covered during the last 50 years by a lot of bands and artists and became a standard for a lot of band playing Rock 'n' Roll. Here are few versions by a couple of bands that played this song in their very own way.
Dirk posted this weekend some John Peel-tapes and it was a real pleasure to listen to the song and getting memories of times long gone by. There was one that reminds me to one of the best independent albums ever. Sonic Youth made with Daydream Nation the soundtrack of the late 1980s. Even before Nirvana and all the slackers showed up at the scene they made a monument of a record. It is still worth to be played - even in times right now.
Now it is another mellow Sunday and I can sum up the last few days which was filled up with work and several appointments. Like every year my bosses at work cleaned up their desks and gave works and duties to their employees before they start their summer vacations. Not that I am the one to complain but at this time they told me a lot of new things to do until they come back. There are some laws and guidelines in banking to be prepared. A lot of documents to read and making plans how to fix in the operational procedure. The next thing is that I have a lot of problems with my shoulder during the last months. The physicians diagnose was a heavy arthrosis and they told me to go to a gym to build up some muscles especially around my shoulder. So I checked out a gym near my place and made a first date. I have never been in a gym before and so all the equipment was new to me and they had to introduce me to all of them. For the best result I should go two or three times a week to the gym. Because I had to work during the day I fixed the dates after work. Coming home I was often too tired to start my laptop writing some posts. But I think I will get the balance of all in the future.
This song is by IAMX, the musical project of Chris Conor, formerly the founding member of Sneaker Pimps. IAMX spans multiple genres from electronic rock, dark disco to burlesque influenced songs and emotional ballads. His new single is one of these tracks that starts slowly with an acoustic guitar to get replaced by an electronic beat where the lead vocals can flow over it.
Chelsea Wolfe, the American singer/songwriter appeared with a new LP called Abyss on the scene. I think it's her best output right now and she found her style. She's got now the balance between the tribute to Curt Cobain, black metal, doom, gothic rock and Scandinavian influenced folk. Her songs are dark and euphoric. A record in the tradition of the early 1980s played in a contemporary sound. The music is different but if you take the time to listen you will see the beauty in these songs.
One of the oldest psychobilly bands were based in Cardiff. Demented Are Go played on of the roughest and straightest rockabilly in the late 80/early 90s. Their music is what it should be - wild, direct and enthusiastic.
London based indie band The Maccabees released their new record these days and it's worth to take a listen to. As the name of the band remains on Jewish rebels the sound remains to second-wave indie bands. I was really surprised about what I've heard on this bacchanal and brilliant composed little masterpiece. The title track starts as another britpop guitar based song to drift away in different kind of directions. Or Spit it out with its forced urgency. Starting with a soft piano intro to end in infinity.
The Austrian producer Christian Finsterwalder aka Shroomtune shows up with a swinging pop song deeply based in a trip-hop mood (but played a bit faster). Of course not the next big thing - only another catchy song for Sunday morning.
Another hot day ahead at my place. No chance to go out of your house later than 11 a.m. if you don't want to sweat and get your clothes wet in a few minutes. So the best thing is to stay at home where it is much cooler than outside. Leyya is a new Austrian electronic pop duo. I got into this song a few month earlier and it still didn't lost it's fascination. Fantastic hooks and a voice that is more whispering than singing.
It's the last day of the working week and a massive heatwave will arrive today. So what to play on a day like this? I think it's time to play another power-pop band that is forgotten nowadays. The Records were formed by Will Birch by the ashes of the Kursaal Flyers. Their 1979 record Shades In Bed was one of my favorite albums in these days long gone by. Based in the tradition of The Kinks they wrote a couple of great power-pop songs that stood the test of time. Sadly they didn't got the success they should have.
One more new sound from Glasgow! Chrvrches gave us a new single from their forthcoming album. The advance single "Leave a Trace" is chilly once again enchanted and it's a bit of in indulged, this time, however, comparatively, reserved, minimally. Singer Lauren Mayberry feels that the respect is at the end. I need to feel released. Great (pop) song.
Thousand Foot Whale Claw is a band based in Austin, Texas. For me they are true heroes of modern played Electro-Kraut-Psyche. If you admit to their music you could get an experience in some cosmic instrumental experiences. Far away from any other sound that is made today. Give yourself a try and listen to this spaced out sound.
In the early 1980s the American band Stray Cats appeared on the scene and brought us back Rockabilly with a heavy influence of New Wave and Punk. Close to their idols Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent they played a new style of Rockabilly, produced by Dave Edmunds who is also based in this genre. It was the hippiest sound of this summer and still a band I like to listen to after all these years.
Generally Chris Baio plays bass by Vampire Weekend. If not playing with the band he's working as a DJ and making his own thing playing some Neo-Disco. This is his first release from his upcoming album and it is a wonderful pop song with references to the early Roxy Music (which made a song called Mother of Pearl) and also his voice is close to Brian Ferry.
During the last weeks a lot of new stuff arrived to review and to listen to. Most of them are either terrible or heard the same way other bands played. Technically correct but without any inspiration or soul. A few of them I would like to listen a second time but only these two band grabbed my attention and are worth to be featured here.
the British IBM is a band from Cambridge, UK, and they will release their second album 'Psychopaths Dream In Black and White' in early September. As far as I know it is a project by singer/songwriter Adrian Killens who was supported live with percussion and bass. They offer a few downtempo and melancholic songs in the tradition of Lambchop added with the sound of Scottish bands like Belle and Sebastian and sometimes they remind me to Matthew Sweet . The songs are well arranged and Adrian's voice fits to them very well. But what makes these songs different to many others is the appearance of Anna Scott. She plays a wonderful cello on these songs and I can't get them out of my mind. Well done.
The other band calls oneself The Graceland Conspiracy. The two members, Crooksy and Wilki, formed the band back in 2012 in Belfast, NI. Their philosophy is simple - using old tunes found lying around their heads, they have forged together a handful of musical pieces, guitar riffs, piano fragments, bass lines, fx pedals , old microphones, gaffer tape and trumpet stabs. A mixture of gothic tones and sparkling pop, sun drenched despair to joyous thunderstorms.Influenced by different artists like Sparklehorse, Mark Lanegan, Sigur Ros and The Doors they the result is worth to listen. It is a little psychedelic, fuzzy song.
During the last two days I was off to a further training. The education was called 'Improved Reading' and I expected nothing special than another tool for my daily work in the office. But I was surprised about the result. Not only that they showed us some techniques about better reading, our reading rate was more than double after these two days. The main propositions were: reading in a steady flow and no regressions while you are reading. I will check out next week if it works in the daily business as well.
Here are some songs for the weekend by a four piece band from Northern London. Genghar has very own sound with picking the guitar and a remarkable voice. Sometimes I think the took the best of the late 90s funk, soul and independent singer/songwriter/bands to create a very own sound.
