From The In-Box

Two thirds of the year are over and when I look out of the window I feel like the autumn is close to us. Weather forecast tell us that it isn't this way and Indian summer is coming soon. But the bad weather makes me able to check the incoming music from last week. And something really good music arrived.

Black Eskimo is a NYC based band and published some downtempo electronic songs. Ingrid Chavez writes the lyrics to the songs composed and produced by Marco Valentine. Most songs rhythm is reduced to the minimum and Ingrid sings (or may I say talk?) her lyrics to. These songs do not let go you any more because they are familiar to you in a way at all. Listening several times to them I find some influences from early Prince and David Silvain - not a too bad choice I think.

Black Eskimo - Beautiful
Black Eskimo - My Love's A 45

Let me introduce the next band in their own words:

In an East London (England) gutter, something deep, primal and most definitely weird is stirring.

The Boy From The Crowd Cocktail: take a pinch of Delta blues, mix with some edgy surf rock, shake (don’t stir) with a hefty dose of punk attitude and some good old-fashioned rock n roll swagger. Infuse with tension, blend with menace and you're starting to get a flavour of the rich and potent firewater served up by The Boy From The Crowd. 

And indeed - it's an incredible mix: Taking some blues themes, adding some new sounds and a mean guitar. It's quiet the way The White Stripes has done before. Worth to listen to.

The Boy From The Crowd - Revilator

Newcastle upon Tyne gave us The Pete Rea Band playing classic rock. And what's bad in classic rock? Nothing if it's played in this way. Most of the songs based on a simple blues pattern but played with so much soul, style and verve. He plays a fantastic blues guitar and listening to it you know his inspirations. It sounds like this old British guitar heroes from the 60s like Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck or Peter Green. All the songs are heavy riffing with great vocal harmonies, guitar solos and sometimes with beautiful sax works.

The Pete Rea Band -  Gun To My Head

The Pete Rea Band -  I'm The Angel

The Pete Rea Band -  Line of Fools

Seems like Hippies never die - and it's good that someone keeps the tradition alive. The music is based in the tradition of Folk-Rock with heavy influence of the main leading bands of the psychedelic era. I like this song not only because it brings back some memories. No it's just a good song, well arranged, played and added with a fantastic horn part.

Jon Clark - Mr. Fix-It Man

That's What We Watched On TV Year Ago # 11

There are not many TV serials which could have reached on the one hand a cult status and be looked, on the other hand, by the whole family. One of those are The Avengers. The protagonists and their clothes as well as the stories of the single episodes were nearly revolutionary for Germany at that time.

There is the figure which embodies the typical Britain in itself. He is discreet, well dressed, is quick-fitted and from a careless sovereignty which still sticks in the face of obvious death danger iron to the habit of the Five o'clock tea. He is, very briefly, how John Steed. A cosmopolitan secret agent in the service of the Secret service. He is British so computable that it could be dull if he was not above all one: ironically. It is a play, everything is a play, this order, this series, this life. And is played it by incomparable Patrick Macnee who melted thus with the role of his life that there has been first no film life after the end of "The Avengers" for him. To him it was provided a woman who shows the crass opposite - Emma Peel., played wonderful by the amazing Diana Rigg. The film name Emma Peel is copied to the sound by "Man Appeal", an allusion on the magnetic effect of the pert lady on the man's world. The fact that this series became so quickly popular lay not least with the costumes and clothes of the series. Miss Peel had an extremely considerable slope to varnish and leather. Not without exaggerating as the German television doers found at that time and kept the ominous result 99 from the German spectators because Peel appeared as sketched) leather corsage with choke chain as sharp Domina in (itself. One still had to learn irony in this country just. Peel was self-confident, intelligent, grabbing and was equal in every regard. How generally the consciously unclear erotic status of the respect of the protagonists inspired to each other the imagination of the spectators incredibly. Generally it was in this series about accessories. Maybe above all therefore. Since the action was always a little abstruse. Cracked researchers, ghost-clouded castle owners or eccentric collectors – just a cross section of British everyday life – reached for power, for world domination even, often with means of futuristic apparatuses. The science fiction learnt here the running. There Steed and partner had to get down to it. „Miss Peel, we we're needed“. But importantly was not what they did, but how. Style hits story. This was the whole secret. And after all it was the blueprint of the upcoming movies with James Bond.

The soundtrack to the series was composed by Sir John Dankworth, a legendary English jazz composer, saxophonist, clarinetist and Big Band leader.

Enjoy and have a good weekend.

The Foreign Correspondent Returns - Stories About German Rock Music # 36

Post number 36 so far. I try to keep this series alive until number 50 - even if it gets more difficult to find a genre I didn't wrote about before. Anyway, I would not like to cry - I still have something in reserve to write about. Let's talk about Dissidenten (Dissidents). They are a German world music and Indie rock band and they has become known in particular by her cooperation with artists from the Middle East, North Africa and India. In the late 70s Uve Müllrich and Michael Wehmeyer played in the German Krautrock-band Embryo and got during this time their first contact with so called world music. While staying for a longer time in India they formed Embryo's Dissidenten together with Friedo Josch. Their first (in small edition) own-financed singles followed a tour through Asia till the end of 1981. If inspires by personal trips and the experiences with their former band the trio played numerous concerts in North Africa, Spain, Italy and in the whole Mediterranean area. The group could celebrate with single dance hits in discos as well as by the mostly sold off concerts to great success.

In contrast to other artists they add not only foreign sounds in her own sound picture, but were and always try hard to let participate musician from the suitable countries in her music. Thus the company list on her records reads like a Who Is Who of the world music.
Stylistically they are difficult to arrange. Beside the mentioned oriental, Indian and other ethnic sounds the good, old jazz finds entrance in the Dissident's world over and over again.
In Germany they are still a confidential tip, while they in other countries long ago than stars abgefeiert will have sold and worldwide several million records. This walks along with amusing live appearances. All the same whether this happens now in a small German club, or as in 1986 in Spain, before 250,000 people, one should have seen the dissidents once.
Their song "Fata Morgana" mutates in Spanish and Italian discotheques to the absolute chartbreaker and provides with for the fact that the tape sets up. For an other evolutionary step in the direction of club sounds provides Sven Väth who turns her midge by the Technowolf, with flat beats austattet and they so also for people makes attractive which could start with the dissidents up to now rather less.
Not only that they avoid categorization constant musical renewal also does not stop at topical trends. The metamorphosis of the hippie to the Hip Hop is not least to be heard on the 1997th album "Instinctive Traveller", and the Remixalbum "in 2001 - A Worldbeat Odyssey" shows once more that the word Electronics calls no allergic rashes with them out.

Dissidenten -
Dissidenten -

And listen to some of their edits .. they are awesome.
Have a very good weekend (and SA, all the best the Manchaster 100).

This are the originals from Dissidenten

Dissidenten - Fata Morgana
Dissidenten - Sahah Electric

The quality of their songs could be judged by the edits/remixes of their songs:


  

What Happened To Power Pop # 2

As The Motors split Peter Bramall, the vocalist and guitar player,  aka Bram Tchaikovsky formed a new band with the same name. The fact that I have heard The Moters always very much with pleasure I bought the first record from their former guitar player. It hadn't that eponymous of the first Motor's record but still enough songs on it that would be worth to listen to time by time. Girl of my dreams is close to a perfect (power)-pop song. Great harmonies and hooks. And surely not the way music was made in these days. It is still a pleasure to listen to this little gem sometimes. 

Bram Tchaikovsky - Girl Of My Dreams

Twaning Tuesday # 40

Last week Drew told how difficult it is to bring some songs to his Rockabilly series and I agree to it (although he already has fourfold in songs posted). I try to keep this series open to other genres - not especially for Rockabilly. A few days ago over at Sad Man's Tongue Freddie and The Filos was featured with an old song by Rickie Nelson. That inspired me to watch out for something else from this Spanish Rockabilly band from Sevilla. Seems like a band that can play different styles from Rockabilly to Punk. This is cover version from an old English folk song about a bitterly unrepentant criminal condemned to death. Prior to the mid-19th century it was called 'Jack Hall', after an infamous English thief, who was hanged in 1707 at Tyburn. Jack's parents sold him as an climbing boy for one guinea, which is why very most versions of the song identify Sam/Jack Hall as a chimney sweep. Many artists covered this song as well - the latest one was Johnny Cash on American Recordings IV.

Freddie and The Filos - Sam Hall

Olsen

Let's start this week slowly with another edit of a song by the Scottish electronic music duo Boards Of Canada. It's very chilling and relaxed - just the sound I use to listen on my way to work.

Have a good week!

From The In-Box

A few weeks past since I took the time to check what music arrived at my In-Box. Some of it has not necessarily met my taste or simply was not good enough or indepentently to be mentioned. Not that I would not estimate the achievements of this bands but I would like to feature some personal gems that arrived throughout the last weeks.

So let's start with a band based in New Haven, Conneticut. I don't know much about them but I have to say that their songs impressed me much. Based in the tradition of folk they added elements of classic (prog)rock to their songs. Most of them are quiet at the start and turn into a heavier sound later. All in all well arranged songs with a somber and dark tone in it. You need some time to listen to this songs - but it's worth it. I found a press release on their site that tells a lot of their music: This record sounds like the result of Aleister Crowley picking up an acoustic an sacrificing 30 virgins with the strings. That's it.

The Danbury Lie - In Time
The Danbury Lie - The Great Jester

Roger Gomez is an Australian singer-songwriter living in Perth, Australia. He's playing one of those classic rhythm and blues songs but in a different and unique style. It's just that kind of music that is made for cruising in a cabriolet on an endless highway.

Roger Gomez - Mondays Guide
Roger Gomez - She's always landing on her feet

Doli Stepniewski created his alter ego DevilDareDale to make his own kind of Indie Pop. In tradition of his idols The Police, Steward Copeland and Stuart Adamson (who left us too early). The result were really well arranged good pop songs with catchy tunes. He is also able to change the tempo in his songs and adding a nice guitar-solo in it. You can her the darker side of him on his slower songs. If I'm able I would give this powerful, fast driving songs more airplay to the masses.

DevilDareDale - Next Big Thing
DevilDareDale - Over You

Leaving Atlanta, Georgia, southbound towards Savannah you'll pass Macon, the home of the married couple W. Ward and Trena Stookesberry aka The Doves. They combine many styles from the last 30 years into their songs. The guitars were sometimes twangy but mostly borrowed from the American alternative scene (what's not too bad). The songs are superior arranged with perfect harmonies of the couple. Most songs were lead by a forward driven guitar and I can hear some New Wave influences in in (Some more than others starts with Blondie's riff from Call Me). All in all a band their further output will be in my focus.

The DOVES - Day
The DOVES - Angeline
The DOVES - Some more than others

Stepehn Cumberbatch produced Fed-Up, an American female R&B, ElectronicDance, SoulMusic vocal group based near NYC. Nothing special but worth to listen and over the average of this kind of music. What makes this song special are the vocals of Michelle Hutcherson and her Gospel trained voice.

Fed-Up - Found What's Right For Me

Vancouver, Canada gave us Fadi Awad who is working for long years as a composer, producer and manager of Art-Projects all over the world. Sometimes he finds some time to produce and remix songs - mostly for Dance and Dancefloor. This one is not too bad and you might hear them in a discotheque one day. Good stuff.

Fadi Awad - Phoenica (Original Mix)

Next artist is the London based musician Jim Lowe aka atlantic machine. The songs will take you back to times when New Wave ruled the British music scene. If you can imagine David Bowie turning into this genre you right by atlantic machine. He don't copy him but these songs could be on a Bowie record before he went to Berlin. And this is not too bad.

atlantic machine - Never Thinking About You
atlantic machine - Runaway

And at least another band from the United States who stands in tradition of American Alternative rock. Let's describe Magnificent Birds Of Prey in their own words: Philadelphia based 4 piece band Magnificent Birds of Prey deliver a hot to the touch eclectic style EP borrowing from Alternative Rock, Punk Rock and retro Psychedelic Punk - all combined with a buzzed out indie-alt/rock aesthetic. 
What I heard was some emphatic songs with influences by Pearl Jam but you could hear some psychedelic guitars as well. Sure worth to give a listen to.

Magnificent Birds Of Prey - Co-Pilot
Magnificent Birds Of Prey - Statue

That's What We Watched On TV Year Ago # 10

In the early 1970s less people made too much thoughts about a town like San Francisco - it was away so far. Well, from the flower children, the hippies one had already heard, and also from the known bridge in it's distinctive orange, the Golden gate bridge - but, otherwise? This changed all of a sudden when in German television the series "The streets of San Francisco" was emitted. It was a typical crime film series of the past: it was shot a lot and died, but the series renounced showing off with bloody funeral parts. The series devoted itself not only to criminal aspects, also the special atmosphere which brought in bridge the 70s about the metropolis around the Golden gate, finds in the episodes his place. Karl Malden played the widowed Lieutenant which works for 23 years with the Police Department and which the work shows there as well as has made cynical. To his side they put a young detective which was known formerly only as the son of his famous father Kirk - Michael Douglas. This series with it's characters were wonderful to watch but the series has also woken up the wanderlust in me. I was astonished about all the new places that was shown to me and I knew for sure that I'll go there one day. In this connection the title theme may not remain unmentioned one. Pat Williams, an American composer, created this and it's still awesome. It starts with a little organ part and then a wah-wah guitar joined and finally some horns finished this little masterpiece of title themes.

Enjoy and have a good weekend.

The Foreign Correspondent Returns - Stories About German Rock Music # 35

The basic idea which I had with this series was to be indicated the spectrum of the German rock music. Besides, of course I have also been guided towards my personal predilections. During the past months I had been able to cover very much a large part of it. What is absent the electronic music and the scene still is itself in Germany during the last years has set up and receives bigger and bigger meaning - and even if it is for the generation that has grown in the last decades again. I'm really not the one that is in for this kind of music but the older I get the more I get into this genre - even if friends of mine ignore still this kind of music. Throughout the last weeks I searched for this music at different places and I would like to introduce you 2raumwohnung (2 space flat).2raumwohnung is a German electric pop duo which was founded about 2000 in Berlin. Members are the singer Inga Humpe and her lifelong companion Tommi Eckart. While typing this words a smile came over my face when I remember that I featured her several times in this series. She was a leading member of Neonbabies - a Berlin based band that came up with the German Punk and New Wave scene. I followed her from this time - sometimes closer and sometimes from the distant. But I always noticed her musical output. They simply did electro pop and they had good critics when they released their first record. And it looked in such a way as if they had caught with her light and a little esoteric songs the spirit of the times at that time. With a little success in their back they decided to make a remix-version of their first record where they played with other influences like Techno and House. If you have open ears for different kind of music or if you are in the mood electronic music - try them.

Here for comparison there is the original and in each case a Remix

After Dark

In 1996 Robert Rodriguez released a movie starring George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino and Harvey Keitel called From Dusk Till Dawn. It was an action horror thriller and Tarantino made the screenplay. The story is easily told: Two outlaws crossed the Mexican border after robbing a bank and burning down a gas station. On their way to Mexico they kidnap Harvey Keitel and his kids to take them across the border in his RV. After crossing the border they stop at the 'Titty Twister', an all night strip club/brothel in a desolate part of Mexico. Not knowing that almost everyone of the visitors transform into bloody vampires when they see blood. The house band in 'Titty Twister' was Tito and Tarantula. They played an awesome blues in the movie. That's why I watched out for the soundtrack (like many others from Quentin Tarantino). This song was a true follower throughout the last decades and I seldom get bored to it. It's one of these simple songs you make a band maybe only once in a life. The song is stripped to the bones. Just a riff and a few chords added with a good voice - you don't need more to make a classic record.

Tito and Tarantula - After Dark

Shamrocks And Shanenigans

In 1990 one of the first white rap bands appeared in the international music circus. Three white guys rapped with a very black attitude and showed us that it's possible that white guys can rap as good as many other black ones can. It was a record that opened my ears to another kind of genre that I knew that it exists bur I ignored for years. This version of a classical song means a lot to me. Just a great song mixed by Butch Vic in a very heavy version. This song was a very good one in it's original version and on the next level in it's mix.

Give yourself a try to this if yo're able to listen loud to it.

House Of Pain - Shamrocks and Shenanigans

Twanging Tuesday # 39

Today's twanging sound comes from a band I've featured a several times over the last years. The Flamin' Groovies were an American rock band which reached it's peak in the seventies when they were named as a band that made punk and new wave possible. I think this is too much honor for them. They were just a regular rock 'n' roll band who are able to play in various kinds of genres. Not too bad, but their influence in modern music was taken too high. Anyway, they were a band that played some real great guitar-heavy songs. This one is one of their songs I like much because it's just reduced to some simple riffs on the guitar. Lyrics and the rest doesn't mean much. It's just the sound of the guitar - and it's worth in my opinion to be featured in this series.

Flamin' Groovies - High Flyin' Baby

What's The Colour Of Money

Another working week ahead after a weekend that was really relaxed and peaceful. Football season started with the German football cup - and our team lost against a team from the second league. Seems like we have to suffer like last season. Anyway, let's start with a song from the 80s. It's a superior pop single and a one hit wonder by Birmingham's Mark Rogers aka Hollywood Beyond. It was an almost perfect song these days and I didn't listen to it for long time. And it still has some skills.

Enjoy and have a good week.

That's What We Watched On TV Years Ago # 9

On the last Monday Robin William has committed suicide in the age of 63 years. I really don't planed to feature him in this series but his sudden death made me think in another way.

The series trades from an extraterrestrial with the name Mork of the planet Ork which should observe the people and report about that to his superior Orson. For this purpose he flew with his colossal space egg to the earth. He used as a greeting "Na-Nu-Na-Nu", he could drink with the fingers and demonstrate tele-kinetic art pieces. Mork also said KO in stead of OK. He did not use power. The jokes were based as a rule on the fact that Mork had acquired comprehensive knowledge about the earthly civilisation, here in particular the US-American society though already before his arrival thanks to the television, however, this could not arrange correctly. Storylines usually center on Mork's attempts to understand human behavior and American culture as Mindy helps him to adjust to life on Earth. It usually ends up frustrating Mindy, as Mork can only do things according to Orkan customs. For example, lying to someone, or not informing them it will rain is considered a practical joke (called "splinking") on Ork. At the end of each episode, Mork reports back to Orson on what he has learned about Earth. These end-of-show summaries allow Mork to comment humorously on social norms.

RIP Robin Williams

The Foreign Correspondent Returns - Stories About German Rock Music # 34

Way back in the times where all the new music and sounds came out an fossil of rock history produced a record that was far away of mainstream. Achim Reichel was lead guitarist of the 60s beat band The Rattles which had a veritable hit single with The Witch. And in 1976 he surprised us with a record of shanties played in rock-style. I know well that I was fascinated of this kind of music but it wasn't opportune to agree with it to many other folks because it was for them old style northern German folk music. Anyway, this record made fun to me and I still listen to it from time to time. Also just in fact that these songs are part of our marine tradition.

He presented with Dat Shanty Albm for the first time an album with sailor's songs. Not only the style changed away from experimental admissions to popular sounds was amazing, but also the fact that Achim Reichel sang in future predominantly German. In 1976 he lined up with the demand: „Folk music must live, and this is able to do them only if one lifts them in the sound picture of the time.“ In his songs the navigation remained from then on a frequent subject. Also classical German and above all North German lyric was set to music by him.

For me this was songs I used to know since my youngest days and sometimes I fall in  love again to this traditional ones again.

Enjoy!

And as a bonus a cover from a song by Elvis Presley that was covered by many artists. For me there a two really good versions. The first was by Nick Cave, the other by Achim Reichel who translated the lyrics in the spirit of the so called king.

Inflammable Material - First Records That Impressed Me Much # 5

It was 1979 when everything in music was possible. You could choose to reggae, punk, new wave or what ever. Then an artist appeared on the scene who combined the best of this genres in it's own kind of music. Look Sharp was not only the title of the first record of Joe Jackson, but also the motto of man from England. Sharp dresses, sharp appearances, sharp sound and pin sharp texts completely acerbity and cynicism. On the first hearing the fantastic new wave rock; just the sound of the hour ; unrestrained guitar reef, quickly massive percussion beat, impetuous melodies and the whole album then also still puts through inexpensive with reggae and Ska loans - at that time every New Wave acts belonged to the basic equipment. There are fantastic songs in this time, but less of them had that piano parts in it. On this record wee many magnificent, dirty small songs about the demented grannies who stagnate in her apartments (Sunday Papers), shy men at the window (Is She Really Going Out With Him), simple couples (Happily Loving Couples) and everything what offers the life so. There was much pun by their raw and direct kind.  There were only a few artists at this time that are able to combine music and words he did on this record - I just want to name The Clash and Elvis Costello. I played this record so many times that I had to buy it on vinyl again. And the greatest compliment I can give to this record is, that the songs on it stood the test of time and sound fresh like on the first day. And even when  he drifted to another musical genres I followed him as well. I saw him several times live and was astonished how good the band played their songs. Awesome concerts I remember so well.

Joe Jackson - One More Time
Joe Jackson - Sunday Papers
Joe Jackson - Is She Really Going Out With Him
Joe Jackson - Fools In Love

A Dub Transmission

Found this little masterpiece from Bill Laswell a few days ago. It's one of the collaborations with another bass players. Here is a fine laid back tune with another hero of bass and dub: Jah Wobble. Music for later evenings when you sit relaxed with a good glass of red vine and you can get lost in music. I think that I should hear The Golden Palominos again.

Enjoy!!

Twanging Tuesday # 37

I would like to feature The Silver Shrines again. It's a psychobilly punk band from Budapest, Hungary. They perform the true spirit of this kind of music. I like them playing that simple but fantastic kind of music.

Angel Echos

Found this fantastic piece of music throughout the last weekend. A high quality can be already expected, if Jon Hopkins remixes a song from Four Tet. And he fulfilled this expectations with a little gem. There is a simple piano theme added together with a steady blubbering beat and breathy vocals. It has something meditative.

Have a good week people.

From The In-Box

During the last weeks so much music of so many artists has come again in my post office box that I have needed again some hours around everything to sight and to evaluate. So finally I am again surprised what kind of good music in different genres was produced right now. So give them a chance and listen to this without prejudice.

The first one I would like to feature is SRJ. I don't know much about the person that stands behind this production company that is located in London. The first song is by Dragon, a singer-songwriter called Odette Nicole Beris. She' the composer, lyricist and performer. This is just a remix from the original ballad. Everything I found was a notice on his website that it's a production company specializing in funky, electro house dance music. Anyway, here are two tracks that shows his ability in creating some good mid-tempo grooving house tracks.

SRJ - Dragon By No Other Name (Red Dragon Club Mix)
SRJ - When The Floor Comes Alive

The next artist works on electronic sounds as well. He's Danish and he calls his project Organic Device. Let him introduce in his own words: Organic Device is an independent solo artist, wondering if we are only organic devices. Are we only chemicals doing what we do, because of the compounds we consist of? If so, how can chemicals feel and express feelings in music? Music that lives apart from the chemicals constructing it, giving reactions in other organic devices at great distances. Everything changes. When do we? He was inspired by Pink Floyd and the result was a fantastic little track that. It's an easy bubbling ambient trance/house tune. Good one.

Organic Device - Waiting

Now we move to Down Under to a band that's formed by Creswick. Their musical background and influences in their own words: Sighting influences such as Paul Kelly, The Eagles, Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler, Bob Dylan and The Police, ‘Froy’ may exhibit shades of all of these but at the same time may not be immediately identified as being influenced overly by any of them.

Originally intended as a solo project by songwriter musician Scott Creswick, the very enjoyable recording collaboration with long time friend and former band mate Glen King, proved to be a union worth celebrating by making ‘Froy’ a duo.

Appearing together in Australian independent outfit ‘Lynchpin’ in the early 1990’s, Creswick (bass) and King (drums) had an immediate connection as a rhythm section that gelled and grooved naturally.

After a 5 track EP independent release, Creswick left ‘Lynchpin’ to concentrate on other things.

After 10 or 15 years in the musical wilderness Creswick invested his own funds and decided to commit some tunes he penned over the past 5 years ‘when music kept rearing its head and reappearing in his body and soul’… ‘as any musician will tell, it never really ever goes away or leaves you, it’s a part of you…always’.

Thus ‘Froy’ was born and this self-titled debut EP and collection of songs followed, we hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed recording them. Nothing spectacular but great songs far over the average. It's that kind of music I would like to listen in a pub with a glass of beer or cruising in a topless car.

froy - Tears In My Coffee

froy - Keeping Up With the Johnses

Over the Atlantic Ocean singer/songwriter Craig Huston founded a one man indie/electronica project under the name of SPIDERintheHALL. His music ranges in style from harsh, industrial work to electronic drum and bass, hard rocking indie anthems and even chilling examples of dark ambiance. With a wide range of influences and a keen eye for sounds that will keep you humming, SPIDERintheHALL is taking the indie world by storm, one fan at a time. Fist is one of those songs that can reach to your personal top-ten. Economically produced with an easy however perfectly functioning beat. Over and over again small pieces are integrated in the form of a guitar, a clarinet or a piano into the song.

SPIDERintheHALL - Fist

From Albuquerque, New Mexico, comes another great female voice. Trisha O'Keefe is working for a long time in music business. Her songs are based on country roots added with a big shot of rhythm and blues and dominated by her majestic voice. Great songs at all and an artist worth searching for more.

Trisha O'Keefe - Cute

That's What We Watched On TV Years Ago # 8

It was back in 1975 when a new serial started on German television. From the first episode I was a huge fan of it. The series met obviously the spirit of the times. In this time a lot of (mostly young male teenagers) went to the movies to watch the films of Bruce Lee. Also I could not avoid the fascination of Far Eastern fight art - even if the actions of most films were quite poor.

The TV serial Kung Fu acts from the adventures of a (half) Chinese Shaolin monk called Kwai Chang Caine in the second half of the 19th century. Caine killed during a discussion not caused by him in the fight a member of the imperial family and, therefore, is made leave China. He goes to the west of the United States to escape his seizure and to search there his half-brother, and, besides, roves through only the wild west. Besides, he always tries to bring the rough, western way of life meeting him of the cowboys with the values inward-looking in the Buddhist cloister of placidness and nonviolence in harmony. An essential component of every episode are Caine's in flashbacks shown recollections of his childhood in a Buddhist temple in China.


To the Chinese immigrants in the western federal states of the USA brought open hostility is subject of many episodes. Thus Caine succeeds once in clearing up a covered up murder of a Chinese in a provincial town, while he is put in another result in spite of thin proof situation even under murder accusation.

With the embodiment of Caine the main actor David Carradine attained worldwide fame. In many episodes other parts of his family (like his father and brother) had guest appearances. The series became a firm component of our regular TV behavor at that time and I have missed almost no result. Looking back looked has impressed me mostly the Coolness and placidness of the principal character. On every movie David Carradine acted in I always remembered his acting in Kung Fu. At last he has taken over in his last big movie success also again this role - with the difference that in this time he wasn't the good Caine and appeared as the evil Bill.

I can't resist in this connection to present a song which was stamped by the Sound of Philadelphia and was reduced to the hip Kung Fu theme.

The Foreign Correspondent Returns - Stories About German Rock Music # 33

The correspondent is again back with a new story about a German rock band. One of the internationally most successful however also most controversial groups of the last decade from Germany came were with certainty Rammstein. Successful because of the wall of sound they made. Heavy guitars, some great riffs and a singer with a voice that might came out straight from hell. From their early days - and sometimes today as well - they had to deal wit the reproach of the right-wing extremism. On account of the ambiguous texts and the hard style the volume was often accused in the early days on the part of the media of following radically right-wing trends. The criticism increased, after in 1998 the video to the cover song Stripped – the original is from Depeche Mode – appeared, the film material of the Summer Olympics in 1936 from Leni Riefenstahl included. In spite of the distance of anti-constitutional symbols from the video material the volume the spreading of fascistic body of thought and the unthinking idealisation of national-socialist aesthetics was accused. A ban of the radiation of the music video for transmitting times before 22 o'clock was the result. Singer Till Lindemann explained later, one has crossed a border with this provocation what he would do not once again.

The tape members of Rammstein call their music style "dance metal"; other ones call it New German Hardness. Typically for the music the volume it are of guitar reef which are played by distorted E guitars, and easy percussion rhythms. Often the pieces are built up on easy, continuous patterns. Music differs Rammstein from classical Heavy Metal type, as for example Iron Maiden, by the massive application of electronic sounds – as for example electronically to simulated piano or violins voices with quiet ballads, or techno sound– as well as by the rarer application of percussion breaks. Though also guitars and keyboard sound seem, however, are rarer and as a rule are held easier.

I followed the discussion about Rammstein in their early days and sometimes I stood alone when I told some folks that I like theirs sound and their songs. Many have rejected the group, even if it was a matter for them only of being politically correct and music in connection with the third empire could be basically to decline. I'm really not much into Heavy Metal but I love sometimes the bombastic sound of Rammstein. A few years ago I saw them live in Stuttgart and first it was a phenomenal performance with all the pyrotechnics and second it was maybe the most powerful Heavy Metal concert I've seen (except Motörhead). It's great when you sit in the train to work and you can hear the full loud sound of this music.

Rammstein - Kokain
Rammstein - Engel
Rammstein - Du hast
Rammstein - Ich tu dir weh
Rammstein - Du riechst so gut

Flamingos

Found this little beautiful song a few minutes ago over on ACID TED. Slow grooving rhythmic Afrobeat at it's best from the new Mawa-EP. Enjoy.

What Happened To Power Pop # 1

Last week Adam over at Bagging Area posted a song by The Posies. It is a great song and it's typed by journalism as power pop. There is no legal definition about what is power pop. For me the definition is something like this: It distinguishes itself by short '3 1/2 minutes of pop songs', easy arrangements, strong melodies and striking riffs. If I look back to songs that are close to power pop there are so many songs that come up to me. Therefore it might be a good idea to start a little series of songs that I would call power pop-like or that I would think that they are close to this genre (even if they are famous a lot of years ago). So look forward to what will appear in this series.

As I finished my little series about pub rock a few weeks ago and as I decided to let it follow by a journey through power pop I asked myself which song I should feature to the start of this new series. I came to the decision that I should start with a band that had it's roots in pub rock and then landed in the genre of power pop. The Kursaal Flyers were a band that had a lot of great songs with marvelous melodies backed up with great harmonies. So it is no chance that the leading members Will Birch and John Wicks formed another band after The Kursaals fall apart. The Records released their first record in Shades in Bed in 1979 and showed their quality in songwriting. They made with this record a pure pop masterpiece and the songs Starry Eyes and Teenarama come very close to the perfect pop song (Allmusic described it as a the main example of British power pop of the 70s). I love this record since I bought it on vinyl added with a 12´-inch with cover versions as a bonus. What more do you need sometimes than a song composed and arranged that is nearly perfect. If you listen to Starry Eyes you think this song is well knows to you. Will Birch itself calls him on the website of  The Records an „audaciously circumscribed‚ Do  ,Anything You Wanna Do‘ from Eddie & the Hot Rods“. It's certainty no disgrace to loans from another splendidly song to make it even better. By the way it was a fantastic cover art. A couple lying in black silk bedclothes - she's sleeping in he's wearing sun glasses and smoking a cigarette (after??).

The Records - Starry Eyes

Telephone Calls # 2

Derry, North Ireland, a town to us till then only by her political riots has struck gave us a treasure: The Undertones. They started as an semi-acoustic band but turned into electric music when punk rock appeared. They played that real three-chord pop punk and got success with the support of our beloved DJ John Peel. Beside the guitar-heavy garage rock sound the volume lent before all singer Feargal Sharkey with his striking tenor her unique character. I can listen to them songs anywhere at any time. Songs like Teenage Kicks, My Perfect Cousin, Get Over You, Here Comes The Summer are unbeatable in it's way. I like this band not only because of her music, but they also had the gift to express all essentials in short words in her songs. Also in this song that could be reduced to one sentence: You've got my number - why don't you use it? Seldom heard about another teenage drama reduced to this few words.

The Undertones - You've Got My Number (Why Don't You Use It)

Beat Club Classics

I took me a few days off the road and the bars and I had the time to search for some old music. While I was searching the Internet for the old bands of the 60s I got a link to an old series in German television. You might know Top of the Pops and  we tried to make the same thing on our TV. The monthly series was called Beat Club and they had a mixture of chart music but they always tried to go their own way in presenting some new music. What I found was a special they made. They rented the Marquee Club in London, invited some artists and let them play live. It was a very raw sound it it brought me back to the basics of rock music. Listen to this raw and intensive versions of songs by Geno Washington, Clive Bennet, Jimi Hendrix, The Smoke and The Who. For me it was 30 minutes of pleasure. Sadly that they don't do it in this way today.

Enjoy and have a good week folks.

PS: I found some really good episodes of this series that I would like to introduce to you throughout the next weeks. Most of them played live. It's not only a sentimental journey to a time long gone by but it made fun to me to see this series again I grew up with it and what made me open for a lot of music I didn't knew before.

Twanging Tuesday # 36

 Richard Monsour aka Dick Dale is an US-American musician and pioneer of the surfing music. Dale was one of the most high-powered guitarists of the early 1960s years. Together with Link Wray he is valid as style-pedagogic for guitarist like Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend and Eddie van Halen. He uses especially made fender's guitars and fender's amplifiers and experimented with echo effects. Dale is a very expressive guitarist. He always claims to be no good guitarist in the classical sense. With his experimental play technology he developed his quite own, unmistakeable sound. Dales brand name is the quick Staccato poster of the guitar strings (for example, with Misirlou). Besides, he made the excessive use of sound in the instrumental surfing music popularly. His song Misrilou was featured on the soundtrack of Quentin Tarantino's movie Pulp Fiction.

So enjoy some surf punk at this moment and have a good week all you out there.

Dick Dale and his Deltones - Miserlou

No Other Way

It was a horrible weather yesterday. It turned from heavy rain showers into a sunny part and than back to rain again. Me, my brother, his wife and my niece took the chance to walk around a beautiful garden close to the place we live. We had a few hours that made us feel save in our family spending our time at a tiny little beer garden. So now I want to introduce you to a female singer which was located in greater London. She got some collaborations with Disclosure and Rudimental throughout the last years. And on Soundcloud she offered her new song No Other Way. Mrs. Harnett has a beautiful voice that spreads over many genres. This edit dress up the laid-back, soulful schmooze of her original cut and cloak it in fidgety micro-house beats that delicately contract and expand. Give her a chance to listen - I'm sure you'll like it.

Eurodance

Last week a cultural broadcasting station started like every summer a series about the decades in popular music. In several episodes is tried to catch the spirit of the times of this decade. It is also lighted up which influence this decade had for the following years. Besides, it is not exclusively about music, but also about fashion and the cultural life. This season they arrived in the 90s. I watched a documentary about Eurodance last weekend. Eurodance calls a style direction within the electronic dance music which was very popular beginning in the 1990s above all in Europe and produced numerous charter result. A combination of dance rhythm, pop refrain and rap stanza is typical. Later other, more body-stressing styles like Techno and House became in the discos increasingly more popular. I remember most of these popular songs very well even though this kinda music wasn't compatible for the rock purists. You may like this music or not but it was essential for the upcoming electronic music as we know it today. Here are some songs that I think are typical for this music.

That's What We Watched On TV Years Ago # 7

Today compared to the possibilities, the television offers the 70s was the purest Stone Age. Today you can easily choose between hundreds of TV-channels. 40 years ago we were happy that we got our third channel. At that time of course garbage was also produced and emitted. This may be maybe due to the fact that many broadcastings were produced for the generation of my parents and grandparents. During the 70s English and American series were bought by the television companies increasingly, were translated in our language and emitted on television. Because the offer of really good series was easy to grasp, we have kept ourselves free the appointments for our favorite series if at all as possible.

One of those series was M*A*S*H based on a same titled movie from Robert Altman we saw in the early 70s. We was fascinated about the freaked out story about a mobile hospital during the Korean war. It was the first time actors like Donald Sutherland, Elliot Gould and Robert Duvall came into my field of vision and surely not the last time. Besides, in the centre stand two surgeons who put outside the anti-warlike intention of the series particularly by her sarcastic remarks and position towards the military management. M*A*S*H is in the real sense no comedy, but a bitter tragedy. The characters which were put on in the first relays still slapstick-like disappear in the later relays or are exchanged for more serious ones or appear as only rare . However, the superficial humor never misleads about the deeply serious discussion with the facets of the war and his justification. Besides, the rather low detailed degree what concerns the real medical work of the protagonists supports this statement. This was one reason me and my mates loved this series. Unfortunately, we could see the series only in the early 80s, because the German television has recognized the quality of this series only too late and again at a very late transmitting time in the third channels. So If you have the chance to see this series take a short time out and watch the episode.

The Foreign Correspondent Returns - Stories About German Rock Music # 32

Throughout the last months I introduced you to many bands with very different kind of genres. Today I come back to an musician who plays nothing more than a good guitar and a wonderful voice. Wolf Maahn is a musician who worked from the late 70s until now. He's known as a singer/songwriter throughout the years. He got his first success with the Food Band when they played an arty kind of rhythm and blues. His main success was in the 80s when he released a few records with a kind of music that I would describe as powerful R'n'B sung in German language. I like him since this time because he did his very own thing, not looking too much which style could be the most successful. All over his career he was at his highest level when he played live. None of his studio records (allthough they was produced on a high level) had the vibes he spread in his concerts. I am still happy that I had the chance to see him live in my hometown three years ago in a very small club. Filled with 150 people the club nearly burst and it was a wonderful experience to see Wolf Maahn alone with his guitar playing to us. The videos were recorded on this concert - maybe you can understand why I like him.

Wolf Maahn - Ich Wart auf Dich
Wolf Maahn - Uhh, Mädchen
Wolf Maahn - Wenn Der Regen Kommt