I Do Try

 

Manchester’s music scene always seems to have a surprise up its sleeve, constantly producing new bands that know how to win people over with their unique sound. The latest ones for me were The Great Unwashed, a band whose members, as is traditional, met at university and decided to make music together; they have now released their first EP.

Musically, they have moved away from the rigid post-rock of days gone by and specialize in atmospherically dense songs featuring guitar passages that alternate between loud and soft. The guitar strings are sometimes plucked, only to be swallowed up in a crescendo of riffs. With their first recordings, they succeeded in creating a sound that sounds more American than British, yet is deeply moving.

Keeps Me Warm

 

Three years ago Jim Baron aka JIM, a Nottingham based singer/songwriter released his debut album, a collection of superb arranged songs. Tomorrow he is going to release his second album The Curious Case Of Existence. The tracks I’ve had the chance to listen to in advance confirm that he has maintained – if not actually raised – his standard. Keeps Me Warm is a raw yet delicate track featuring looped guitars, swirling electronic sound and tapped rhythms; whilst it is strongly reminiscent of the 1970's and David Crosby's West Coast sound, his blend of psychedelic pop, folktronica and indie grove lends the song a character all of their own.

He demonstrates his mastery of funk and disco grooves on this track.

Animal Wednesday

 

Today’s selection of songs with animals in their titles is a bit more subdued, but no less fascinating. Let’s start with Joni Mitchell and a song from her 1976 album Hijeira, in which she set her brief relationship with the playwright Sam Shepard to music. She clearly moves away from the folk influences of previous years and turns increasingly towards jazz. This has done the song a world of good, for Jaco Pastorius has rarely played the bass better.

A year later, Steely Dan released their jazz-rock masterpiece Aja, one of the albums that truly pushed musical boundaries. Magnificent melodies and understated funk came together to create something truly special.

According to the Chinese zodiac, 1976 was the Year of the Fire Dragon, yet Al Stewart enjoyed worldwide success with the title track from his album The Year of the Cat. He was certainly talented, but unfortunately the crowds no longer wanted to hear his songs, sung in that gentle voice.