Monday's Long Song

 

It’s already August and I have to move into a smaller flat in the next few weeks. I had most of my furniture moved last week. Now I just need to sort out the items that I won’t have room for in my new flat. The good thing is that my new home is just across the road; the bad thing is that I find it hard to part with things that have been with me all my life. But these are simply the challenges of life that I have to face up to.

There’s still a lot to do before the final move, time is running out, and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep updating this blog as usual over the next few weeks. But I’ll do my best.

Today’s track is taken from Michael Rohter’s first solo LP, released after he left NEU!. Flammende Herzen is a masterpiece of meditative guitar sound – warm yet ethereal. 

Michael Rother - Zyklodrom

New Song On Sunday

 

Today's song is not new, it's a contemporary interpretation of a forgotten song from 1984. The first single by David Sylvian was released on his debut album Brilliant Trees after his band split up. On this album, he turned his back on the sound of Japan and, together with the Japanese pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto, embraced a more jazzy sound without compromising his own style. The result was a veritable hit in the charts at the time.

More than 40 years later Kent's based electronic duo Puerto Montt City Orchestra transformed this song into a Balearic tune. The press release describes the song as follows: A 'Balearic Beat' that's now much more Mike Francis. The keys are rolling. The B-line roots reggae. The fretwork matching jazzy, cool and breezy electric with strummed acoustic. Sexy, spoken Spanish baritone narration countering Maya Blandy's ethereal lead vocal. It is rare enough for this description to apply.

And as a bonus the beautiful original, directed by Anton Corbijn.

Too Little, Too Late

 

To round off the month, here’s a little foray into country music. Orville Peck, the South African singer-songwriter with the fringed mask, is drawing attention to his upcoming album with his latest single. It’s not exactly classic country, but more of a mix of Buddy Holly, rockabilly and doo-wop. A driving rhythm and his distinctive baritone simply make this a track that makes you want to tap your feet. 

Clap Your Hands

 

In 1983, Katrina and the Waves released one of the best pop songs of the early 1980's. It was written and composed by Kimberley Rew, who had already shown a knack for such songs whilst with the Soft Boys, although none of them were ever as successful as this one. 

There’s not much more to be said about the Boomtown Rats’ biggest hit and what inspired it. It’s sad enough that, even nearly 50 years later, pupils are still killing people with semi-automatic weapons in American schools.

In 1978, Chic released one of the biggest disco hits of the time, featuring a sensational guitar riff. The story behind its creation is also fascinating. Wiki tells 

On 30 December 1977, the two musicians Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers received a phone call from the singer Grace Jones, who asked them if they wanted to meet her at the New Year’s Eve party at Studio 54 in New York, where Jones was performing. When the two arrived at the club’s backstage door, the bouncer didn’t believe them and turned them away, saying, ‘Fuck off.’

Annoyed, they returned to Rodgers’ flat, which was very close to Studio 54. They let off steam during an impromptu jam session, singing “Fuck off – Fuck Studio 54” over an improvised riff. As they immediately liked the sound and the melody, they changed the lyrics and turned it into “Ah, freak out – Le freak, c’est chic”. The lyrics also include the line “just come on down to 54, find a spot out on the floor” as a reference to the song’s origins.

Another Rediscovery

 

Whilst packing away my records, I came across an album by Ducks Deluxe. DD were formed in the early seventies by Sean Tyla, Nick Garvey and Martin Belmont, and were one of the last pub rock bands. Despite having many good songs, they never achieved commercial success, which was perhaps because glam rock and the relics of a bygone musical era were still calling the shots at the time. Robert Christgau once said about them The music is pure rock and roll, maybe too pure, combining the Rumour's spirited intensity and the Motors' cheerful manipulation at a more primitive stage. There is nothing more to add to that.

Ducks Deluxe - Daddy Put The Bomp

Ducks Deluxe - Here Comes The NIght

Ducks Deluxe - Coast To Coast

Monday's Long Song

 

Whilst I was packing my record collection into boxes in preparation for the upcoming move, I came across a record that I hadn’t listened to in ages. A Dead Horse is the fourth album by The Golden Palominos from 1989. They aren’t a band per se, but rather a project by Anton Fier, the former drummer of The Feelies. The only permanent members were Bill Laswell on bass and Nicky Skopelitis on guitar. Apart from that, Fier regularly brought together leading figures from the New York nu-wave/nu-jazz scene to create his own blend of alternative, country and electronic music. 

The Golden Palominos - A Letter Back

New Song On Sunday

 

This isn’t the first time that Panda Bear and Sonic Boom have been featured on these pages. The collaboration between the two Portugal-based musicians continues and reaches another high point with their recently released album, A ? Of When. With this album, they have taken a big step towards a contemporary revival of the Beach Boys. Pete Kember crafts psychedelic fragments on the guitar, and Noah Lennox harmoniously weaves them together in the studio with flutes and alarm sirens. The result is a minor masterpiece of pop history that is simply a joy to listen to, thanks to its positive vibes.