Harmonica Day

 

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. 

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard are an Australian psych-rock band that isn't afraid to incorporate folk, garage and surf rock into their sound.

Finally, some Maori pop from 1996. OMC had only become famous for their global hit before fading back into obscurity.

Nag Champa

 

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.

Monday's Long Song

 

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

New Song On Sunday

 

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.

No Kings Here

 

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.

Harmonica Day

 

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.

That's How It Sounded In The Beginning

 

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