A few good times in my life
London based indie-pop band Chorusgirl is back with a new song from their upcoming album Colapso Calypso. Leading guitarist and singer Silvi Wersing moved back to Germany and during these days she got the inspiration for a new album. And it is still what I expected. This beautiful indie song with a jangly guitar, perfect reduced beat and her clear voice makes me curious for the whole album. Good to have them back.
It is still summer and we will have many very hot days ahead here in Southern Germany. I am still off for another day with my colleagues from our workers council for an education in social payment. It is in a small hotel close to my living place so that we have time enough to sit together and talk about many things we haven't the time for during regular working days. Even if it is summer more and more bands sent announcements for their upcoming records. There are so many that I can't listen to all of them but there are some pearls I found. One of them is the new album by British musician, songwriter and producer Mark Peters. I got aware of his music when he released several albums with electronic artist Ulrich Schnauss during the last years. For Red Sunset Dreams he collaborated with Dot Allison for a few songs - the rest will be instrumentals inspired by old Western movies. This song is a perfect symbiosis of Dot's clear voice and Mark's psychedelic guitar sound.
It was in 1990 when brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll released their first recordings under their stage name Orbital. Influenced by early electronic and punk they created their very own kind of dancefloor music. They were one of those who brought this kind of music to our ears. Hypnotic beats with bleeps and vocals from somewhere in space. Pioneers in this genre that should be reminded at this place.
Orbital - Deeper
Stephen Mallinder was one of the founding members of Sheffield's industrial pioneers Cabaret Voltaire. The influenced many bands playing a new kind of electronic music. Mallinder released in 1982 his first and almost forgotten solo album Pow Wow where he moved away from CV's sound. Inspired by krautrock and bands like Neu! and Eno he worked on an extraordinary sound including fragments of Giorgio Moroder sounds. I rediscovered this record while I got the news of his new album and I still like the music he made. Timeless bass-driven an motorik sounds that combined perfectly post-punk, disco and krautrock.
Stephen Mallinder - Cool Down
And I can't resist to feature his dubby experience at this place.
Stephen Mallinder - Temperature Drop
The other day I heard Emily by C Turtle for the first time and since then this song came back for several times. It is just a short work on semi-acoustic guitar with sparkling chords. A wonderful sound for a hot day in July. The internet couldn't give me more information that C Turtle is the stage name by Cole Flynn Qurike a London based photographer from Brighton. But it seems that he released various records during the last years.
On his latest EP This Is Not Karate he gave us some more relaxed and longer songs that reminds me to J.J. Cale and worth to be listened.
In the late 80's Terence Trent D'Arby's released his first album Introducing The Hardline According To... and this record reached the highest regions of the charts mostly all over Europe. He gave us a mass compatible album with roots in rhythm and blues that satisfied many people around me at this time. It was an album many could agree to but I lost my attention to him because everywhere his songs were played. In 1995 he released his fourth album Vibrator and this one hit me because he lost his high chart positions during the years and turned his music into the way he wanted it. The result was an album that is timeless and filled with highly great arranged songs far away from mainstream. I found this CD a few days ago after a long time and was surprised that this album is still relevant today. On this album he showed us a spectrum of sounds that was a blueprint for many other R&B artists that came the next decades. Once someone said it is too rock for R&B and too R&B for rock - and this might be true
A few weeks ago a sampler compiled by Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley was released bringing us back the sound of the 90's where a lot of DJ's worked on a new sound. Andrew Weatherall worked with Primal Scream and One Dove and also others created chilled, floaty mid-tempo songs banning often guitars out of their sound. Fell From The Sun could get a record for the upcoming hot days for me and bringing back memories of a sound that I fell for decades ago.
The Aloof - Never Get Out Of The Boat
A few weeks ago Liverpool based musician and singer/songwriter Michael Head released his latest album Dear Scott after a break of five years. Adios Senior Pussycat the album before was during the last years one of those that was played at my home regular. He was a favorite of mine from his early days with Pale Fountains and Shack and I am sure he never can make a record that fits well to me. For me he is one of those artists today that is able to write the most beautiful songs with hooks and great arrangements. And so it is his latest release - a bundle of songs a lot of musicians would die for and for me always a record that will satisfy my soul.
A few weeks ago Yo La Tengo released Prisoners Of Love, a tripple album filled with goodies of their long going career from 1985 to 2003 plus some outtakes and different versions. I really loved this indie-rock band from Hoboken, New Jersey and the cover versions Ira Kaplan selected. Not many of my friends agreed with my choice and told me that this was just another band from across the ocean playing a guitar sound recorded directly from their exercise room. And yes, there is truth in their words but for me they were authentic and their songs often far over the average and I still listen to their very own guitar sound. I saw them live several times during the last decades and every time I saw a great gig.
Yo La Tengo - I Heard You Looking
Another time I return an old series where I feature three songs that appeared one after another when I listened to the music on my mobile phone when I was on my way to the office the other day. Still I am fascinated to those thousand songs on my phone and mostly they make a good start into usual business.
Johnny Cash recorded an old classic by Bob Nolan during his American Recordings. The song tells of a man traveling with his donkey named Dan in the desert and suffering from thirst. I first heard this song when Leo Kottke played this on one his early recordings and still grabs me in mostly any version.
In 1991 Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine appeared with their second album and created one of the sound of this summer. I was lucky enough to watch them live in a small venue in the university close to my hometown. It was legendary when Jim Bob and Fruitbat were on the stage with just samples and guitar performing like I have never seen before and after. A classic album that stood the test of time.
A few weeks ago Rude Audio released Big Heat another EP for summer. Since the release it was on heavy rotation at my place and it will be one of the sounds of this summer. I think it was featured by Adam when the record was released but it is worth to feature this song in this series.
Yesterday my former wife and her husband arrived for their annual attendance at my place. This time it is different because the took the chance to escape from Sri Lanka because there are horrible times down there. Political corruption and mismanagement were the main reasons that this beautiful country is going to be bankrupt. The inflation is rising in a tempo I never expected. The people aren't able to pay the basic services. Petrol is almost sold out so that no fisher boat can get out for fishing and many factories are going to close for a while. The government has no money to support the people and the world wide crisis based on the useless Russian war will hit them in a special way. A few weeks ago students went out on the streets demanding that the government that was ruled by one family over the last decades for retirement. A few ministers made their withdrawal real but for the IWF it is not enough to get some fresh money to rebuild the economic system. Looking at this scene I am afraid what can happen to us by the upcoming circumstances.
Today's song is from the upcoming album by Benjamin Harris aka Yarni, a Sheffield based electronic musician making his very unique sound between electronics and different influences from funk, afrobeat and jazzy motives. All together he created a warm and sonic treasure - more here
