Northern Songs

California based psyche-rockers The Asteroid No. 4 will release another album during this summer. The first two appetizers were released a few days ago and it curious for their new album Northern Songs. They are true to their sound with languorous guitar loops, sonic excursions, drone effects and chilled vocals. Or just music to relax after a hard days work.

Purchased (Not Only) Because Of The Cover

Punk was always radical but less bands were more radical on their first album than Wire. They released their debut in 1977 when almost everything changed in music. The cover of the album is also radical showing just a Pink Flag and the name of the band. 21 songs in 35 minutes and some of them less than one minute is almost impossible to beat. Their songs has everything that turned my musical taste into a new direction: they were fast but also melodic, full of harmony but dark and always with a massive guitar sound. A true milestone that is still surpassing.

Wire - Reuters
Wire - Strange
Wire - 1 2 X U
Wire - The Commercial
Wire - Ex Lion Tamer

Monday's Long Song

Kurt Hauenstein was an Austrian musician who died nine years ago. As a well known session musician he formed Supermax as a studio and live project. His song Love Machine reached a high position in the charts in 1977. I have to admit that I wasn't firm with this kind of music at these times but I really liked this song because of the bass and its groove. A real highlight in these days and sadly forgotten. At the beginning of the 80's I saw them live and was astonished that I they played pure rock music with a massive touch of reggae. He was also one of the first first artist who refused to play in South Africa and one of the less artists that was invited to play live on Reggae Sunsplash in Montego Bay.

Supermax - Love Machine (Ultra Traxx Extended Remix)

Twinkle Twinkle

It is a difficult time to continue the blog as I used to do during the last months. Just because there was a lot of work to do in my office in the daytime and some friends from Sri Lanka came to spent their holidays at my place. So I seldom find the time to write something on this pages. Anyway, there is a album out right now I listened often the recent days. Not the music I listen often to but this kind of country is the right thing for me. Margo Price is a Nashville based singer songwriter and she released her latest album That's How The Rumors Get Started a few days ago. Her songs are not stamped by the usual Nashville sound because she had much more influences in the music. Sometimes I can hear accords similar to Led Zeppelin. What makes her far better than others is her voice embossed by life and songs you only could write after hard times in your life. No wonder that John Prine recorded several duets with her.

Monday's Long Song

I found today's song the recent days while making a back-up from my notebook to an external drive. Alone In Fear was featured on this pages almost two years ago during the release of The Lucid Dream's album Actualisation. It is still a pleasure listening to this Carlile based band. Their style is stamped by Acid House, psychedelic rock, krautrock and dub. A weird mixture but one of the best sounding new bands I used to listen to.

The Lucid Dream - Alone In Fear

Closer

40 years ago Joy Division released their second and last album Closer. When Unknown Pleasures were straight in it's darkness and sound Closer was more chaotic explosion in different kind of styles kept together by Peter Hook's bass and the voice of Ian Curtis

Joy Division - Isolation
Joy Division - Twenty Four Hours
Joy Division - Decades

Purchased Because Of The Cover

In 1971 The Who released their their fifth studio album Who's Next and it was their second album I purchased after Live At Leeds. I was fascinated by the cover showing the band after urinating at a block of stone. I still don't know if the name of the album means that it is the next album of The Who or if they meant who is the next one to be peed. Anyway, the album was in is a milestone in their music. After they were established as a guitar based band with the best drum sound in these days they tried as one of the first bands embedding synthesizers into their own sound. And to my surprise - it fits to their sound.

The Who - Baba O'Riley
The Who - Behind Blue Eyes
The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again

Monday's Long Song

One of the first albums I owned was 4 Way Street, the live double album by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. I purchased the album on recommendation of some older friends because they told me it ought to be a must have. It was pure West Coast sound from the early 1970's but I learned to love it because of the voices were singing in perfect harmony and it led me towards to Neil Young and the way he played his guitar. Even if this record is almost 50 years old it sounds fresh to me.

CSN&Y - Carry On

Sometimes Covers Are Better Than The Originals

I have to admit that I never came close to the songs and music by Daniel Johnston a musician and painter who died last year. He made records for more than 20 years He suffered for a long time on a bipolar symptom and I couldn't get into the world of his songs. A few weeks ago, indie-rock veterans released an album with covers of his songs. They accompanied him live before he died and you can hear that they are very familiar with his songs. Now when I hear this songs with some indie guitars I can see the beauty in them. It is an album that only makes fun listening to.

Another Forgotten Indie-Band

In the mid-1980's Martin and Paul Kelly, two brothers from a small town close to London, formed East Village a band that never had the luck to release a full album before they split. Influenced by American guitar bands like Buffalo Springfield and Scottish bands like Aztec Camera they were far better than  many other band from the post C-86 era. With their songs full of jangling guitars, 12-string acoustics, superb melodies and harmonies they created songs that came close to perfect indie-pops songs. Sadly they only released two EP's and a handful of singles because their record label busted. Posthumous two compilations was released after their split. The second one Hod Rod Hotel from 1994 was now re-released and another chance to rediscover one of the most underrated guitar-pop bands.

Purchased (Nor Only) By The Cover

In 1979 Marianne Faithful returned with an epic album Broken English. An album that was different to all we listened to in these days. Filled with songs partly from her own and others she covered. It was an album a lot of people could agree with because Marianne's voice touched the soul of many people. I still love this album not only because it's cover where she was hidden behind her arm and smoking a cigarette. Her broken and drugs used voice where one of the soundtracks in summer of 79. In this days I didn't understood the lyrics very well but years later I got familiar to her words. Listening to her words 40 years ago I don't know any artist that could sing this words right now.

Marianne Faithful - Why Did Ya Do It
Marianne Faithful - Broken English
Marianne Faithful - Working Class Hero