Whistling Thursday

 

After several weeks of whistling, I'm now running out of breath. One last time with artists who have incorporated whistling into their songs. 

Let's start with the most famous song by the great Otis Redding, which is actually a demo and was only recorded on a trial basis. He filled in the missing lines of lyrics with whistling. A final version was never produced because he died in a plane crash.

Paul Simon released this song on his second album and it has roots in his own childhood days in Queens. One of my all time favorites from him.

Professor Longhair is a legend in New Orleans. He played the piano in included many styles in his music that was based on boogie. This is one of his trademarks.

Almost exactly 50 years ago, David Bowie released Golden Years on Station to Station and, sadly, played it far too rarely. 

That's How It Sounded In The Beginning

 

In 1979 Stiff Little Fingers, a four piece Northern Irish Punk band released their debut album Inflammable Material. And rarely has the title of an LP been more apt. The songs express the inflammatory energy of punk, which changed a lot, even if only by burning many people's previous listening habits. Fast-paced chords combine with reliable hooks, and most of the lyrics are based on experiences from the Troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1970's. Of course, no decent punk record at that time would be complete without a reggae song. And with their cover of Bob Marley's Johnny Was, they more than succeeded in this endeavor. Inflammable Material is one of those albums that, even after almost 50 years, has lost none of its fascination.

Stiff Little Fingers - Suspect Device

Stiff Little Fingers - Barb Wire Love

Stiff Little Fingers - Johnny Was

Stiff Little Fingers - Alternative Ulster

The Plague

 

Another band left the Sonora desert to give us their interpretion of what they call music for goblins, wizards, and dungeon masters. They may well be right, given that they play a mixture of post-punk with influences from The Stooges. A rolling bass provides the framework for the sometimes sawing guitars, which haven't been heard in a long time. Overall, the four-piece band creates a psychedelic sound that also contains elements of gothic, reminiscent of the good old Sisters of Mercy.

Justin Robertson's Five Green Moons Dub shows that her music can also be interpreted in a completely different way. He gives the song a soft reggae touch based on a great bass line, which is given a special groove by jazzy guitar passages, vibraphone, and echoing voices.

Monday's Long Songs

 

In the early 1980's, SST Records was the American label that had the best bands of the time under contract. I could name a lot (or will do it in another series) but I'll settle for just one today, namely Sonic Youth.

SY were formed in 1981 by founding members Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon and I got aware of them by their third album EVOL. For their groundbreaking album Daydream Nation they were signed by SST and it is still a masterpiece of guitar and noise rock featuring great melodies. On this record they moved away from their punk/garage roots and defined guitar playing new. Over all, Kim Gordon's crystal clear voice is the perfect contrast to Moore's guitar excursions. 

Sonic Youth - The Sprawl

Sonic Youth - 'Cross The Breeze

New Song On Sunday

Another band from my neighboring country Austria caught my attention this week. There isn't much information about the members of this trio online called delicate strangers. They describe themselves as an indie pop band and confirm this on their new single. Jangly guitars and perfect harmonies are reminiscent of the best bands on the Postcard label. It's actually one of the most beautiful indie pop songs I've heard this year and makes me look forward to the release of their EP in the coming weeks. 

Their first releases from previous years show that delicate strangers are also very good at quiet songs.

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