A few good times in my life
Last year Penelope Trappes released her last album A Requiem, featuring dark, menacing avant-garde pop and ambient elements. The central themes of all the songs are death, fear, and self-destruction. Her hollow-sounding vocals, paired with a cello, take some getting used to, but they are utterly captivating. Now they've had some of their songs reworked, and Saint Etienne manages to lighten the somber mood a bit.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
