It was a long way Ry Cuming aka Ry X took to release this song. From his native East-cost in Australia over Costa Rica and Los Angeles he joined into a collaboration with Berlin's producer Claptone who is well known for laying some smooth beats under almost every song he can remix. The result is well worth to listen if you have a bit of interest in today's dance music.
Today P.P. Arnold released a new album after ages. I didn't expected to hear anything new from her and I have to admit that I believed that she got retired from music business. The more I was surprised that a new album is out. I don't know much more than this song and that it was a collaboration between Arnold and Ocean Colour Scene's mastermind Steve Cradock. Of course it is nothing groundbreaking but I had always a favor for her voice. It seem like she made a little masterpiece in the winter of her life and it reminds me a bit of Tina Turner's comeback in the 90's. A well arranged song full of soul, horns, strings and background vocals. Not too bad to finish a working week and a good song for mainstream radios.
Washington D.C. post-punk band PRIESTS released their second album a few months ago and I have to say that I missed this. It is a bit of early 80's American garage music with a dominant bass, a lot of DIY-style, a good guitar and great vocals. All in all on of those surprises in this genre I didn't expected. Got myself a ticket for their gig in our town (one day before Detroit Cobras coming to my place).
In the late 60's Deke Leonard and and Micky Jones formed Man, a Welsh based band who played the best Westcoast, progressive and psychedelic sound in Great Britain (just for me). Man got a big name during their live adventures playing long improvisations and sessions of their songs. Many of them crossed the border of 10 minutes and I always had a big spot on them because their sound made me feel very happy in the early 70's before the great culture clash started with punk. Spunk Rock is one of Man's anthems during the last decades and I heard it many times during the last ages. This version might be one of their best. Sadly this Welsh rockers didn't got the acclaim they should have.
It was back in 2003 when four brothers from Nashville released their first album Youth & Young Manhood. I expected by Kings of Leon nothing more than some country-rock stuff. But what they brought to us was nothing more or less the return southern rock with massive guitars. Many of my friends could agree to this record and their songs were played at many parties at my place. Listening to this songs after a long time I have to admit that they still sound fresh and their guitars were on fire sometimes. Probably another band that got their little success and vanished after they reached their peak. But it's good to remember them from time to time.
A few days ago I noticed that a music magazine had a free CD inside with artists and songs from an era long gone by. And it made me smile to got remembered to this music that was played in my very younger days. Some of those artists are forgotten or didn't got the critical acclaim that they should have got. Here are two of them I would like to bring to your attention. First one was Quintessence, a band from London that made a unique sound in the late 60's/early 70's. Their style was a crossover from progressive rock, psychedelic and jazz with influences of music from India. Hippie-sound of course but far better than the average of this genre.
The other one is from an artist I featured several times during the last years and I can't stop doing it further. John Cale is one of those artists I follow from the beginnings of his career and his music has the perfect balance of testing noisy borders in music and peaceful and relaxed piano sounds.
One of my favorite new tracks this week comes from Leeds based DJ and house producer Dave Padley better known from his stage name Hot Since 82. You Are The Light is from his last release 8-track. I found these words on their bandcamp site and they explain exactly almost everything about this superb tech house track
... the track is an uplifting tour-de-force, clocking in at over eight minutes. Cooke’s voice is muddled and pitched down, conveying an androgynous timbre, while the lyrics “You are not your body” chanted repeatedly, work as an incantation. We can read it as getting lost in music through a communal, out-of-body experience, but these lyrics also carry a secondary meaning, expressing a much-needed sense of inclusivity in their push against gender norms.
