Whistling Thursday

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.

 The Lovin' Spoonful were an American band from the 60's and got great success with their country influenced pop songs. I'm not a big fan of their music but it is always nice to listen to them from time to time because I grew up with their sound.

The next song is by Sananda Maitreya. The name is new to you? I think you will know him as Terrence Trent D'Arby, an American singer. He was very popular with his debut, a reinterpretation of soul music. His star rose as quickly as it fell, possibly due to his overconfidence in placing his records above those of The Beatles. 

That's How It Sounded In The Beginning

 

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

Tears Are

 

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. 

Monday's Long Song

 

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)

New Song On Sunday

 

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.

Move On Up

 

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.

Whistling Thursday

 

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.

This song was very high in the charts back in 2006. It's from Peter, Björn and John an indie-pop band from Stockholm, Sweden. A classic trio with a short-term talent to deliver concise hooks.

At last a classic from The Clash's London Calling album, where you have to listen carefully at the end of the song to hear the whistling.

That's How It Sounded In The Beginning

 

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

Rose

 

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. 

Monday's Long Song

 

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

Old Songs On Sunday

 

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.

He was very famous in the seventies as a actor in B-movies at the side of Ornella Muti, but also as a singer when he occasionally denounced political conditions such as corruption in Italy.

God's Lonely Man

 

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. 

Whistling Thursday

 

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.

That's How It Sounded In The Beginning

 

The Sea And Cake is a Chicago-based band whose music can be described as jazz-influenced post-rock that incorporates electronic elements into its arrangements. Singer and guitarist Sam Prekop and bassist Eric Claridge start a new musical project together after their band Shrimp Boat breaks up, bringing in Tortoise drummer John McEntire to join them.

And in the broadest sense, their music follows in their footsteps. Jazz-influenced post-rock with a healthy dose of pop. Floating guitars dominate the elaborate compositions, which always sound extremely relaxed and unexcited. With their debut, The Sea and the Cake recorded a powerful debut album that set a milestone for this type of music, which still sounds fresh even after several decades.

The Sea And The Cake - Polio 

The Sea And The Cake - Flat Lay The Water

The Sea And The Cake - Showboat Angel

The Sea And The Cake - Choice Blanket

Variation And More

 

Last Friday, I announced Variations For The Weekend, a possible new series. In the meantime, I've thought about it and will continue it as a loose series based on cover versions. The intention is that when I come across a cover version, I listen to the original and, if necessary, the entire album again and write a few words about it. JC was concerned that there might not be too many cheerful songs in the series—I can disagree with that.

Last week LA's Flying Mojito Bros, a couple of DJ's who regularly take on classics of the West Coast sound and transform them into funky dance numbers in a grandiose way released an old number by Tony Joe White.

Tony Joe White was an American guitarist and singer and was considered a typical representative of swamp rock. Although he came from a blues background, his music also had plenty of soul. His plucked guitar and mid-tempo songs, which he sang with a powerful baritone voice, were characteristic of his style. His fame remained limited, and until his death a few years ago, he was known more as a musician's musician. 

I only have one album of his on my hard drive. The Real Thang was his attempt in 1980 to latch onto the popular, or rather already declining, disco genre. Despite everything, it features some of his best-known songs, which have lost none of their brilliance.

Tony Joe White - Alligator Swamp

Tony Joe White - Polk Salad Annie

Tony Joe White - Swamp Rap

Monday's Long Song

 

At this point, I usually present extended songs that I have dug out of my archive. It is rather unusual for a new song to appear here, but in the case of Midding, I am very happy to make an exception. Midding is a five-piece band from Cardiff who released their first EP last Friday. On the five tracks, they celebrate a feverish brew of echoing guitars, their own interpretation of psych and noise rock. The fact that their dark sound still leaves room for melodies is all the better. A new band whose progress you should definitely follow. 

New Song On Sunday

 

Today's song comes once again from our neighbors in Austria. Cousins like Shit essentially consist of two cousins in real life, Hannah and Laura Breitfuß, who have been touring with their avant-trash music for several years now. On their new single, they don't break new ground with their stomping rhythms, indie riffs, and restrained vocals, but they have written another song about lost love that becomes more enjoyable with every listen. Indie pop as it should be.

Variations For The Weekend

 

A few days ago, I was sitting with one of my oldest friends. As always, we talked about all sorts of things and ended up discussing the global economic situation, which is becoming increasingly unstable. The creation of a new world order by the orange-haired man on the other side of the Atlantic is bringing creeping inflation, at least here in Germany, while the erosion of social standards due to employers' demands and the increasing number of bankruptcies and unemployment are leading to ever greater poverty among the population. Finally, I asked Wolfgang what song comes to mind when he thinks of poverty and homelessness. He immediately thought of an old song from our youth by Ralph McTell.

For my part, a song by Belfast singer/songwriter David McWilliams came to mind. Both songs vividly illustrate where impoverishment can lead.

Marc Almond recorded his own version of this song in 1992. It features more orchestration and a more optimistic tune, not least because he added his own verse.

This could be the start of a new series - who knows.

Whistling Thursday

 

The second installment of this short series begins with a song that took the charts by storm 40 years ago. Jangly guitars, a great melody, and the whistling at the end of the song made this one of the best pop songs of the year.

For those who don't know, Gilbert O'Sullivan is an Irish singer/songwriter who had several hits in the early 70s. Among them is Claire, which begins with whistling. Some might say that it's light music, but I liked his voice even back then.

Finally, a one-hit wonder from 1967. Whistling Jack Smith was a singer and trumpeter from Liverpool who enjoyed brief success with his whistled song, but never achieved it again.

That's How It Sounded In The Beginning

Last week, a series that had been running for over a year came to an end here. I thought about what could come next and couldn't come up with anything for a long time, until I came across The Auteurs' debut album again last weekend. What could be more obvious than to start a series dealing with debut albums?

In the early 90s, the Britpop phenomenon emerged, a genre that marked a return to guitar-based pop. Much of it was pleasant to listen to, but only a little of it was truly great. One of these bands was The Auteurs, although strictly speaking they should be classified in this genre, as elements of glam and country also appear in their songs. 

Luke Haines founded The Auteurs in 1992 and released a milestone album, New Wave, a year later. Rarely has a debut album featured so many melodic songs in different styles, covering everything from rock to melancholy that was popular at the time. Unfortunately, The Auteurs did not achieve the same status as Oasis, for example.

The Auteurs - Junk Shop Clothes

The Auteurs - Bailed Out

The Auteurs - Early Years

After the band broke up, Haines returned a few years later with the art pop band Black Box Recorder to give us more great songs. After that, success eluded him and his subsequent releases, such as his collaboration with Peter Buck, unfortunately went unnoticed by the public.

Something More From Last Year

 

Over the past weekend, I listened more closely to some bands that inspired me last year. One of them was Deeply Armed, a new band from Dublin. They recorded a song called The Healing, which is now available in several remixes. The original is a mixture of relaxed music that could have been released 40 years ago. Psychedelic and Krautrock that could have been produced by Conny Plank.

The other band that really impressed me was Thought Leadership, a band from the greater Manchester area that has released several albums. What they all had in common was a reduction to echoing guitar sounds in the tradition of Durutti Column and David Gilmour. With III of Pentacles, they have created an album that enchants with its blend of ambient, Cocteau Twins, and Johnny Marr.

Monday's Long Song

 

In 2003 The Decline Of British Sea Power was released as the band's debut album. This album was rightly celebrated by critics. Their glam-punk-pop was something completely new at the time. Bowie-esque songwriting meets wailing guitars and dark lyrics to create an unmistakable sound. With Lately, they have created their own monument on this album. A song that starts slowly ends in an angry, distorted guitar orgy that couldn't be better. A masterpiece that should definitely be listened to again.

British Sea Power - Lately

New Song On Sunday

 

Lindsey Jordan aka Snail Mail an American guitarist and singer/songwriter released her first song of her upcoming album Dead End. A couple of years ago she released a remarkable album that featured 90's indie-rock, some heavy guitars and her unique voice. Now it seems she reduced the speed and present another song about the end of a relationship where it is unclear whether it is a friendship or actually a relationship. Ultimately, it doesn't matter, because she draws a positive conclusion. Ultimately, it's a song that captures moods and impresses with a long-forgotten retro sound.