A few good times in my life
Last year Penelope Trappes released her last album A Requiem, featuring dark, menacing avant-garde pop and ambient elements. The central themes of all the songs are death, fear, and self-destruction. Her hollow-sounding vocals, paired with a cello, take some getting used to, but they are utterly captivating. Now they've had some of their songs reworked, and Saint Etienne manages to lighten the somber mood a bit.
The new edition of songs featuring the harmonica kicks off with the wonderful Joni Mitchell. In 1974, she released *Miles of Aisles*, one of her most successful albums, recorded live in Los Angeles. It was the first time she had performed with a full backing band, which lent her songs a special depth.
Nottingham's DJ's/producers Timm Sure and Richard Hampson aka Coyote returns with a couple of new songs to disappear only to disappear back into the realm of dub. Nag Champa is a classic Indian incense scent prized for its calming, balancing, and purifying effects on the body and mind. I don’t know how many incense sticks they burned before these songs were finished, but the result is impressive. On Nag Champa they celebrate a sound that evokes the best days of Lee Perry yet remains distinct in its own right. A song destined for the year-end charts.
While doing my research for Harmonica Day, I couldn't help but listen to Bob Dylan's old songs again. “Desolation Row” was released in 1965 and once again showcases Dylan’s penchant for surreal lyrics. To this day, many have attempted to interpret it, yet no one has found the definitive explanation. For me, it is simply a description of a place where urban chaos reigns, a chaos that cannot be resolved. Lifelessness, depression, murder, and loneliness all converge there. Or simply one of his best songs.
Bob Dylan - Desolation Row
I realize that a song released a year ago can’t exactly be called new. But I only found out about Cloth—the band formed by Scottish twins Paul and Rachael Swinton—yesterday, when my youngest brother invited me to a concert at the last minute. Unfortunately, I already had other plans for the evening and missed what was probably a great show.
Golden is from their album Pink Silence released last year and sounds most like Mogwai, if they were to play indie pop. Sparkling and occasionally distorted guitar lines, harmonies, and basslines that are unobtrusive yet commanding, combined with Rachael’s whispered vocals, create a multi-layered sound that captivates the listener.
It was only a question of time until Gang Of Four will issue a statement on the current situation. Given their nationality and their own frontman, there’s obviously a certain irony in the fact that they’re now chanting No Kings Here! The song is snappy and catchy, with a strumming style that’s as energetic as it is funky, and it sets the stage for lyrics that are unambiguously direct, delivered with more fire than one would have expected from the band. Word has it that a new album is also in the works. In that sense, this song leaves you wanting more.
II can hardly believe that this Van Morrison song is already 56 years old. Moondance is from his third album and is an incredibly great blend of rhythm and blues, soul, and folk, with his voice in top form.
Even the pub rockers from Dr. Feelgood couldn't resist using the harmonica from time to time.
War was a Californian funk band that was popular in the 1970's. I first heard this song in that crazy stoner movie Up In Smoke.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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 1980, while browsing through the box of new punk and new wave releases at my favorite record store, I noticed an album whose cover I didn’t associate with that kind of music. Four students in neat collared shirts, some wearing plastic-framed glasses, look shyly into the camera, and I couldn’t imagine that they were actually influenced by punk.
Still, I gave it a chance and listened to the album, and I haven't regretted it. Still, I gave them a chance and listened to the album Crazy Rhythms and I didn’t regret it. The Feelies were influenced by punk in their early days, but on their debut album they left it far behind and replaced the distorted guitars with pure rhythm.
Million and Mercer didn’t plug their guitars into amplifiers, but directly into the mixing console. The melodies burrow straight into your ears without any detours. Many songs consist of just one or two chords and yet last over five minutes. Drummer Anton Fier almost completely forgoes cymbals and sticks to the heartbeat: bass drum, tom, snare. To balance this out, the band laid a polyrhythmic web of percussion over the songs—dozens of cowbells, claves, sticks, and shakers. An album that set new standards and, with its jangly guitars, has inspired generations.
The Feelies - The Boy With The Perpetual Nervousness
The Feelies - Fa ce-La
The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms
The Feelies - Forces At Work
The Feelies have broken up several times, but have always gotten back together, and in 2023 they paid a magnificent tribute to their idols, The Velvet Underground, with a live album.
Six Years ago Autotelia, a British musical project by Demian Castellanos and Tom Relleen, released their debut album I. It was an album I didn't expected at this time, because their a combination of A free-spirited psychedelic sound that consistently blends guitar with krautrock and ambient wasn't exactly in vogue.
The five songs are structured like suites and, depending on the track, feature a dubby bassline. Thinking Makes It uses swirling psychedelic guitar patterns before becoming heavier and more menacing toward the end.
The title is taken from a quote in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, which is quite rare in modern music. Take 13 minutes for a psychedelic journey through space and enjoy it.
Autotelia - Thinking Makes It So
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.
R.E.M. - Radio Free Europe
R.E.M. - 9-9
R.E.M. - Shaking Throug
R.E.M. - Perfect Circle
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.
Hurriganes - Get On
Hurriganes - Mister X
Hurriganes - Roadrunner
Hurriganes - Kenny At The Corner
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.
Thousand Foot Whale Claw - No Kingdom
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.
Last week I finished my series about songs with whistling in it. In the meantime, I’ve prepared a new series, but I’ve postponed it again for now, because it occurred to me once more that The Clash also used a harmonica in their songs from time to time.
The harmonica is commonly associated with traditional blues and folk music. Research has shown that there are countless songs across a wide range of genres that wouldn’t be the same without the harmonica. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring some of these songs here.
Let's start with a movie soundtrack from Once upon a time in the west, the legendary Spaghetti Western by Sergio Leone. As is so often the case, Ennio Morricone was responsible for the soundtrack, and once again he managed to score a film scene with music that is instantly recognizable. Even in the closing scene featuring the final duel, the music builds tension, orchestrates it, and then rises only to return to its starting point. Rarely has a scene been accompanied by such a long and perfectly suited musical score.
As mentioned earlier, The Clash’s Train In Vain was the inspiration for this series. Train in Vain isn’t the first song about lost love on London Calling—or, to be precise, not even the first song about the loss of one of the Slits on London Calling—but it is the most open and direct. By the time the album was being made, The Clash had already decided to ignore many of punk’s commandments, but breaking the commandment “Thou shalt not sing obvious, heart-wrenching love songs” was their boldest and most defiant move yet. Thanks to Mick Jones for that.
Another song that immediately came to mind in this context is “I Wanna Take You Higher” by Sly and the Family Stone. Released in 1969, I discovered it when I was fifteen, after a friend played me a record that belonged to his older brother. A bluesy guitar riff opens the song, and the longer it goes on, the faster the tempo gets. Sly Stone sings his heart out. From that moment on, it was clear to me what psychedelic soul and funk could be.
This series aims to highlight bands that have been around for years and take a closer look at their early days. This time we go for Yo La Tengo, an indie band formed in 1982 in Hoboken, New Jersey by Ira Kaplan and his wife Georgia Hubley. The couple are huge baseball fans and so they took the phrase 'I've got it' from a midfielder that he will get the ball. Ever since a player shouted that and bumped into his teammate—who didn’t speak English—and had to learn it in Spanish, it’s become a baseball anecdote.
From the very beginning, Yo La Tengo were hard to pin down musically, as they had a very broad musical range. Their influences span from jangly guitar rock to noise to the raw, raw sound of the Velvet Underground. But cover songs are also a regular part of their repertoire.
Since their debut album *Ride The Tiger*, they have rarely achieved commercial success, even though they have released many excellent albums over the past 40 years. I've seen them twice live in the 90's and every concert was fantastic. Rarely have I heard such a wide variety of different influences on a debut album that is, in principle, composed solely of classical instruments—influences that have lost none of their appeal even today.
Yo La Tengo - The Cone Of Silence
Yo La Tengo - The Forrest Green
Yo La Tengo - Alrock's Bell
Yo La Tengo - The Evil That Men Do
Today they play some of the best psychedelic-influenced indie rock.
Last week WarChild Records, a British benefit NGO, Help(2), their second charity album that supports children in war zones. The first “Help” compilation, released in 1995 in the wake of the civil war in the former Yugoslavia, raised approximately 1.25 million pounds for the children.
Once again, this album features well-known artists who have recorded their own songs or cover versions for this project. Since this is a social project, I will refrain from providing a detailed review of the individual tracks.
For this irregular series on cover versions, I’ve chosen Fontaines D.C.’s version of a song by Sinéad O’Connor (who also appeared on the first compilation with an excellent version of “Ode to Billy Joe”).
You could hear what happens when Steve Davis, a six-time former world snooker champion, and Kavus Torabi, a member of the prog rock band Gong, join forces on The Utopia Strong’s 2019 debut album. Nothing more and nothing less than an album featuring songs rooted in krautrock and brimming with modular improvisations.
The centerpiece of the album, however, is the 10-minute track Brainsurgeons 3, which builds on a simple techno beat and minimal bass, featuring a crescendo of tambourines, bagpipes, and what sounds like a soprano saxophone, inviting listeners on a journey into space. This is what it might sound like when prog rock and electronic music meet in a recording studio.
I’m back in the blogsphere after taking a short break. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been feeling a bit listless and lacked the inspiration to write anything worthwhile. Whether that’s because I’m starting to feel the effects of spring fatigue as I get older, I’ll leave that open to interpretation.
Anyway, a new pop song by Meek got me back on the track. "I jumped up on the bar and started lip-syncing along… everyone in the bar was screaming, ‚I’m so fucking fabulous" is the song’s anthemic core, which transforms heartbreak, therapy, and financial worries into a self-deprecating statement.
The friendly folks at Austrian radio station fm4 described the song as follows: “Fabulous” is a self-empowerment anthem that blends glam rock and pop opera. In the verses, Meek laments the pitfalls of everyday life and the pain of unrequited love. Deep in her heart, however, she feels: “I am fucking fabulous!” The catchphrase, initially delivered on the back burner, becomes a beacon halfway through the song. The driving force behind it is a guitar riff inspired by the rock band Queen and their singer Freddie Mercury. Added to this is a Bohemian Rhapsody-style stereo effect during the chorus.
There’s nothing more to add to that, except that we’re going to be hearing the phrase “I am fucking fabulous” even more often.
It looks like there is a vibrant music scene in Vienna. During the last years I became aware of some very good music, whether indie rock or soulful new rhythm and blues. The last one was sanna frankie, a singer/songwriter from Vienna who recently released their debut album cerberus. In Greek mythology, Cerberus is the three-headed, snake-haired dog that guards the entrance to the underworld. He ensures that the living cannot enter and the dead cannot escape. In her own words, he is not a monster to her, but a guardian who helps her keep her thoughts about inner turmoil and emotions under control while she writes. Whether that is necessary remains to be seen. The result is a great indie pop song with a catchy melody that sticks in your head.
After several weeks of whistling, I'm now running out of breath. One last time with artists who have incorporated whistling into their songs.
Let's start with the most famous song by the great Otis Redding, which is actually a demo and was only recorded on a trial basis. He filled in the missing lines of lyrics with whistling. A final version was never produced because he died in a plane crash.
Paul Simon released this song on his second album and it has roots in his own childhood days in Queens. One of my all time favorites from him.
In 1979 Stiff Little Fingers, a four piece Northern Irish Punk band released their debut album Inflammable Material. And rarely has the title of an LP been more apt. The songs express the inflammatory energy of punk, which changed a lot, even if only by burning many people's previous listening habits. Fast-paced chords combine with reliable hooks, and most of the lyrics are based on experiences from the Troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1970's. Of course, no decent punk record at that time would be complete without a reggae song. And with their cover of Bob Marley's Johnny Was, they more than succeeded in this endeavor. Inflammable Material is one of those albums that, even after almost 50 years, has lost none of its fascination.
Stiff Little Fingers - Suspect Device
Stiff Little Fingers - Barb Wire Love
Stiff Little Fingers - Johnny Was
Stiff Little Fingers - Alternative Ulster
Another band left the Sonora desert to give us their interpretion of what they call music for goblins, wizards, and dungeon masters. They may well be right, given that they play a mixture of post-punk with influences from The Stooges. A rolling bass provides the framework for the sometimes sawing guitars, which haven't been heard in a long time. Overall, the four-piece band creates a psychedelic sound that also contains elements of gothic, reminiscent of the good old Sisters of Mercy.
In the early 1980's, SST Records was the American label that had the best bands of the time under contract. I could name a lot (or will do it in another series) but I'll settle for just one today, namely Sonic Youth.
SY were formed in 1981 by founding members Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon and I got aware of them by their third album EVOL. For their groundbreaking album Daydream Nation they were signed by SST and it is still a masterpiece of guitar and noise rock featuring great melodies. On this record they moved away from their punk/garage roots and defined guitar playing new. Over all, Kim Gordon's crystal clear voice is the perfect contrast to Moore's guitar excursions.
Sonic Youth - The Sprawl
Sonic Youth - 'Cross The Breeze
Another band from my neighboring country Austria caught my attention this week. There isn't much information about the members of this trio online called delicate strangers. They describe themselves as an indie pop band and confirm this on their new single. Jangly guitars and perfect harmonies are reminiscent of the best bands on the Postcard label. It's actually one of the most beautiful indie pop songs I've heard this year and makes me look forward to the release of their EP in the coming weeks.
Their first releases from previous years show that delicate strangers are also very good at quiet songs.
When I started this series our friend Ernie told me that Roger Whittaker was a favorite of his father. My dad also liked him and in the 70's he appeared in many TV shows in Germany. So it is only right that he should have his place here in honor of our fathers.
In the late 80's singer/songwriter David Freel met drummer Sean Kirkpatrick in San Francisco and formed Swell, a band that was sadly overlooked. Their debut has nothing to do with the sunny sound of the Bay area because it is darker than many other bands in this decade. The sound is raw and has a bit of lo-fi sound. A drum that sounds like it comes from another room and a guitar many of the grunge bands would die for.
Neither her debut album nor the one that followed were commercially successful. Then Rick Rubin noticed Swell and signed her. Although 41 was technically and in term of sound better than its predecessors, it was still too dark for the masses. It is impressive in its simplicity and the songwriting is excellent. When I listen to this music, I imagine a man entering the room, picking up an electric guitar, and playing endless chords. But it is neither noise nor grunge, but another masterpiece in dark indie sound, and if they were English, they would certainly have attracted more attention.
Swell - Forget About Jesus
Swell - Is That Important
Swell - Here It Is
Manchester's The Orielles announced the release of their fourth album Only You Left in mid March via Heavenly Recordings. Since the release of their debut in 2018 I enjoyed their music where post-punk guitars met catchy / dreamy harmonies came together. And they continue with the same ingredients.
Khurangbin is a Texas based three piece band who became known to a wider audience with their album last year. It is less well known that this band has been making phenomenal music for quite some time. In 2021, they released their third album, Mordechai, on which they showcase everything that makes them special to me. Psychedelic-tinged funk with wonderful bass lines and a Balearic guitar. One year later they released a remix album of Mordechai on which they have often sent a very relaxed Balearic sound out into the world.
Khurngbin - Shida (Bella Suite Remix)
Metric, a Canadian band, formed more than 20 years ago in Toronto, are back with a new single from their upcoming new album. To be honest I only know a few songs from their early albums when they played a kind of post new wave with rattling drums, sharp guitars and Emily Haines great voice. Now they return a bit softer with sweet old school indie guitars. Not that this is something to complain about, but in terms of potential, they can do better than just making a catchy indie pop song.
Yesterday, I received the news that the apartment I have been living in for 13 years has been sold. My landlord informed me 16 months ago that it was going to be sold. Since then, I have been hoping that an investor would be found who would allow me to continue living here as a tenant. However, this is no longer possible, and I will have to find new accommodation in the course of this year.
I'm far from complaining about this, but over the next few months I'll be looking around the competitive housing market and hoping to find an affordable apartment. I remain optimistic that I'll succeed. Until then, here are a few songs with moving or relocating in the title.
The first song of this weeks edition is a cover version of a song by John Lennon. I thought about presenting the original but for me the best version is by RoxyMusic. Recorded during their Avalon tour in 1982 in Glasgow it shows how good they were at these days. It was shown also when they covered Neil Young's Like A Hurricane.
In November 2019, I was in Munich for a training course and took the opportunity to see Calexico live. It was a joint tour with Iron & Wine, and my younger brother had already introduced me to Sam Bean, the man behind Iron & Wine, years ago. I have to admit that when I first heard his songs, I wasn't really that impressed. Live, however, his songs have a completely different intensity, which is best heard on his 2002 debut album The Creek Drank the Cradle.
The debut is simply instrumented with guitar and banjo, which, however, provide an excellent foundation for his deep and soft voice. Musically, he is influenced by early Neil Young, when he picked up the acoustic guitar. In the second part, clear references to Nick Drake can be heard. For me, this is his most coherent album, as he has become increasingly drawn to jazz over time and does not shy away from electronic means.
Iron & Wine - An Angry Blade
Iron & Wine - Faded From The Winter
Iron & Wine - Weary Memory
This little indie-pop gem arrived these days via the mailing list of London's Heavenly Recordings. Marsy is also a London based band led by Hannah Rogers a singer/songwriter who is also responsible for most of the songs. As far as I know they released only two double A-singles and this one grabbed me because of Hannah's voice and the subtle but effective use of guitars.
From time to time I feel like I need to listen to something by Ed Kuepper again. Kuepper is a German-born Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. Some of you will know him as a co-founder of The Saints. Less well known is the music of the successor band, The Laughing Clowns. With her, he explored the tension between proto-punk, jazz, and soul. It was a big risk, as a completely different style of music was dominating the global scene when their debut album was released. So it's no surprise that their record received little attention.
Consequently, he began releasing solo albums in the mid-1980s, with his debut Electrical Storm being the best, combining the power of punk with great guitar sound. Blind Girl Stripper was released in 1992 on his sixth album Black Ticket Day and it is a tour de force of classic guitar based rock with strings. One of the latest masterpieces of Australian's finest guitar players.
Ed Kuepper - Blind Girl Stripper
The recent days I found an article over an Austrian radio station fm4.orf featuring an more than 50 years old song by Adriano Celentano, probably the best Italian singer in these days. A stomper with a crazy background you can read on their page.
Anna Calvi continues her collaboration with various artists. After releasing her highly successful collaboration with Perfume Genius some time ago, it was obviously inevitable that she would team up with Iggy Pop for a song.
The result sounds more perfect than one could have imagined. Iggy conducts a destructive inner monologue in the background, while nervous guitars, driving drums, and Calvi's raw presence provide a counterpoint in the foreground. Well done.
This week's edition is stamped by songs that climbed high in the charts during the 80's in Germany. The first one is by Peter Gabriel from his debut album after he left Genesis. I've always liked his early songs, especially when Kate Bush sings the backing vocals.
Centerfold by J. Geils Band is as far as I know the only big hit in the.ir career and played in every suburban disco in these days
Supertramp were one of those bands in the 80's I couldn't listen any more. They were so rooted in the past musically that, despite some good hooks and because they were played to death on the radio at the time, I couldn't listen to them anymore.
