A few good times in my life
This week's compilation consists mainly of releases from 1982. I can't say why, but perhaps it's simply because only good songs were released that week.
1967: Kaleidoscope
1987: Pink Floyd
1971: Chicago
1979: Sugerhill Gang
1982: George Thorogood
1982: The Clash
1982: The Pretenders
1982: John Cougar
1967: Bee Gees
1980: The Police
1963: Marvin Gaye
1982: Tears For Fears
1979: Chic
The news just arrived that actor, producer and director Robert Redford passed away last night at the age of 89. Throughout my life, he has always been present in films for me. Some of them were great, others just good. He worked with Sidney Pollak throughout his life, and Dave Grusin wrote the soundtrack for many of his films.
If I had to pick one, it would be the soundtrack to Three Days of the Condor (alongside The Fabulous Baker Boys). His compositions are modelled on the soundtracks of many blaxploitation films. A dominant yet restrained funky bass and subtly interspersed brass instruments create a sound that is impossible to resist.
Rest in peace, Mr Redford.
Last weekend, while searching for something on my hard drive, I came across a disc that I had completely forgotten about. In spring this year, The Ex, an underground/punk band from the Netherlands, released their latest album, If Your Mirror Breaks.
The Ex started in 1979 as part of the punk movement and were inspired by The Fall and The Mekons. What set them apart from the crowd was their anger and determination not to rest on their laurels with just three chords. The Ex were also politically active and campaigned for social justice and squatting.
Their latest album is bursting with musical ideas, taking a more relaxed approach alongside aggressive punk and noise. In this respect, it is a good introduction to their world for those who are not yet familiar with this band.
In 1975 Patti Smith released her debut Horses, an album that changed a lot. Mainstream music was mostly on his deathbed and punk wasn't there yet. At that point, she appeared with her band and made an impact with her expansive lyrics and exuberant garage sound, which at its best was reminiscent of Velvet Underground. This may also have been due to John Cale, who produced her debut album.
Horses shows all the power with which she impressed me back then and still does today. Angry guitars push Patti Smith forward, her voice occasionally breaks and reflects the musical departure into new realms that was to come in the following years. It is still an album that captivates and is almost perfect. What else can one say about an album that has accompanied me throughout my life?
Patti Smith - Horses
Last week saw the release of Gruff Rhys' latest album Dim Probs. The album shows once again that Rhys is consistently pursuing his own unique path. The man sings entirely in Welsh, which means that those who do not speak the language can concentrate fully on the music and immerse themselves in it.
Most of the songs exude a relaxed atmosphere, as if they had been recorded in a living room with a few friends. But on closer listening, you notice so many facets, such as piano, a few synths and even the occasional trumpet. An album that grows on me with every listen.
Earlier this month Richard Norris his latest collaboration Pines. It was the result of a chance encounter when Norris and Josh Hight met and realized that they lived not far from each other. What could be more natural than for them to meet in his studio to finish an EP?
The four songs deal with grief and disillusionment without veering into darkness, instead carrying a quiet intensity. Last but not least, Andy Bell, as a guest artist, has succeeded in combining shoegaze, slow-burn Americana and dreamy psychedelia. A more than remarkable EP.
Another week, another journey through the decades with songs that became hits and others that didn't make it, but are still worth listening to again.
1967: The Box Tops
1972: T. Rex
1978: Buzzcocks
1978: Rick James
1994: Stone Temple Pilots
1991: Nirvana
1969: Dusty Springfield
1980: Stevie Wonder
1981: J. Geils Band
1970: Quicksilver Messenger Service
1979: XTC
When I recently tidied up my digital mailbox again, I came across a band I had never heard of before. Jesse Sykes And The Sweet Hereafter have been making music since the beginning of this century and are about to release their fifth album. Their music is a mixture of folk and Americana with a slightly psychedelic touch. A plucked electric guitar opens the song and Sykes' voice joins in with various string instruments, before the guitars start wailing towards the end. It's an atmospheric song that has stayed with me – certainly also in connection with the video.
I never understood the hype surrounding the britpop rivalry between Blur and Oasis. For me, both bands wrote great songs in the beginning, until Oasis took off and became more about themselves than their music. During this time, Blur continued to evolve and add new facets to their music. Shortly before the end of the last century, Blur released their sixth album, 13, which marked a step away from the Britpop bubble. First, they release the single ‘Tender’, a magnificent, slow and undanceable anthem accompanied by a gospel choir, which is unlike anything Blur has done before. In fact, the whole album is a cornucopia of unusual influences: Kraut-inspired space effects, dubby passages, bluesy patterns and psychedelic swathes have found their way into the Blur cosmos without the whole thing slipping into overly obscure territory. Maybe one of the best opening songs from an album from the end of the century.
Blur - Tender
I must admit that I like the idea and execution of Flying Mojito Bros. Take a piece that's already 50 years old and turn it into a contemporary piece that would look good on any dance floor. A few weeks ago, they tackled Spanish Moon by Little Feat. The bass was mixed to the foreground, synths and guitar licks set the tone and transformed the old blues number into a stomper.
Little Feat were for me one of this old time bands that had their greatest time before punk and new wave took over the control. For me they were one of the few bands I could listen with joy although new great music appeared. For those who didn't know them here is the original from their 1977 live album Waiting For Columbus.
Little Feat - Spanish Moon
A few weeks ago, Peter Buck and Luke Haines released their third joint work, and I've only just got round to listening to it properly. Haines is probably best known for his work with The Auteurs and Black Box Recorder in the 1990`'s, while Peter Buck needs no introduction. I have listened to the first two albums from their collaboration, but they did not leave a lasting impression on me.
With this album, they have succeeded in writing proper songs, some of which feature mystical lyrics or ironically address the inflationary increase in guest appearances. Peter Buck's guitar can be heard throughout. Whether he's unleashing his signature jangle sound or simply letting rip, he elevates the songs to a higher level. All in all, a highly entertaining record that will be listened to many times over.
Like the weeks before another eclectic mix of hits, failures and simply songs that should be heard again.
Enjoy
1964: The Zombies
1973: Elton John
1982: Culture Club
1966: The Byrds
1994: Weezer
50 years ago Brian Eno released Another Green World, another step away from what Roxy Music made famous. Legend has it that he had to go to hospital and his girlfriend at the time played him harp music, which combined with the raindrops on the window to create a sound that left a lasting impression on him.
With Another Green World, he also took his final step into ambient music, creating soundscapes that later artists still draw on today. These compositions were interrupted by John Cale's viola and Robert Fripp's superb guitar playing.
For me it is a record that still sounds fresh after all these years and the more I listen to it I discover new fascinating ideas in these songs.
Brian Eno - Everything Merges With The Night
Brian Eno - Sky Saw
Brian Eno - I'll Come Running
Brian Eno - In Dark Trees
Today's song is from a record I found in the back of my library a few days ago. It was 1978 and a lot of new music appeared and made my listen to them with joy. I mostly ignored the classic rock music and turned into the new bands that changed everything. One of the few exceptions was Tonio K., the band of Steven M. Krikorian, an American singer/songwriter who released his debut album at that time.
I was never a fan of Californian hard rock but I bought this record by recommendation of my local music dealer. But after listening to this outstanding record I was surprised that good music could be made by old men. Imagine Bruce Springsteen made a session with Meat Loaf, Alice Cooper, Bob Dylan, J. Geils Band and The Tubes and you know what you get. Too good to be mainstream and not enough for punk/new wave is what Tonio K. deserved. And the lyrics were somewhere between Dylan and Kafka, so they couldn't be clearly assigned to one meaning. All in all probably the last of the classic rock albums.
Tonio K. - The Ballad Of The Night The Clocks All Quit (And The Government Failed)
Florence Welsh returns with a new single from her upcoming album Everybody Scream. It is a mystical song, and Welsh plays with hints and references to witchcraft. Her distinctive voice guides us through the song, which is staged accordingly mystically and witchy, with screaming choirs and driving rhythms. It's clever that the album is set to be released on Halloween. Halloween and the Celtic holiday Samhain focus on the dead and the supernatural, with the latter marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of a “darker” season. The last words here belong to her:
The witchcraft, the medicine, the spells and the injections
The harvest, the needle protect me from evil
The magic and the misery, madness and the mystery
Oh, what has it done to me?
Everybody scream
This week saw the release of a new album by Bristol's post-punk band Glaxo Babies via Bristol Archive Records. It is the the bands first release after decades and Men Of Stone shows that they haven't forgotten anything and have gained something new. Their sound has become denser, the guitars are in the foreground and, at least on this song, they have dispensed with the punk saxophone and funk that characterized their style at the time. On I Don't Wanna Be Loved, which was also released, they impressively prove that they still have what it takes.
In their early days, the Glaxo Babies were another angry band that punk brought to the fore. Unfortunately, they did not achieve the success they deserved and have broken up several times since the 1980s. I only found a few of their early tracks on my hard drive, but I don't want to keep them from you.
Glaxo Babies - It's Irrational (Peel Session)
Glaxo Babies - Christine Keeler
This week are less songs to remember but those who appear today are still worth a listen.
1975: Bruce Springsteen
1979: The Jam
1986: Bruce Hornsby T The Range
1968: Mary Hopkin
1967: The Who
1969: Elvis Presley
1996: Sublime
1959: Buddy Holly
1975: Aerosmith (I prefer the version by Run DMC)
1964: The Supremes
1990: Cocteau Twins
1964: Roy Orbison
There are song I love but I can't listen to them everyday. One of those is Frankie Teardrop the centerpiece of Suicide's debut album from 1977. At this time Alan Vega and Martin Rev worked in New York on a new electronic proto-punk sound. Minimal synths, a Farfisa organ, a simple drum-kit and the crazy voice of Alan Vega were enough to inspire a lot of bands from the new wave era.
Their debut combines strange noises, eerie howls, erratic moans and Frankie Teardrops a song that brought together madness in absolute perfection. At the height of a seemingly endless terror of hammering rhythms and sawing monotony, the singer let out blood-curdling screams: a gunshot, a child's death, then the limbo where suicides dwell. I was impressed that a song whose lyrics I hardly understood at the time and whose musical elements I couldn't decipher could cause me so much discomfort.
Suicide - Frankie Teardrop
This week saw the release of two new albums by Jim Bob, the voice of Carter USM via Cherry Red. Automatic is a record with his current band, with whom he has been touring for the last few years. With Stick, on the other hand, he takes on a more punk style and celebrates once again how great Carter USM were and still could be today.
Song By Me is a song many today's band would die for. A rolling bass and a clattering drum opens the song, Jim Bob speaks his words and later a punky guitar completes the song. Nothing more than a modern classic and more than the single of the week.
And as a bonus another guitar dominated song that could be which could also be by Half Man Half Biscuit.
Regular visitors to these pages will probably know that I am a big fan of Kerala Dust's music. Yesterday, the British band, which is mainly based in the German capital, released a new album. Like their previous albums, these songs have a hypnotic pull on me. They consistently mix Americana with desert blues, electronica, and dance floor-ready elements in the broadest sense. Always accompanied by the sonorous voice of Edmund Kenny. Once again, they have succeeded in producing an album that is sure to feature in my annual charts. More here.
Now that summer is coming to an end, Gulp are releasing Wildflower, a song that is perfect for warm summer evenings. To be honest, I had never heard of this band before today, even though they released their first album seven years ago. Gulp are a Scottish/Welsh band consisting mainly of Lindsey Leven and Super Furry Animals' Guto Pryce, who deliver wonderful psych-pop here. The track combines airy basslines with sparkling synthesizers, restrained guitars, and melodies that you want to hear again and again. Musically, the band moves between Saint Etienne's sweet charm and Gemma Ray's pop-noir and turning it into weightless pop.
Another week another journey through decades of music. Today some well known and some tracks we might have forgotten.
1966: The Four Tops
1968: The Rascals
1997: Foo Fighters
1983: The Motels
1965: The McCoys
1965: The Barbarians
1965: Barry McGuire
1971: The Doors
1979: Bob Dylan
1982: Africa Bambaataa and The Soul Sonic Force
1984: Depeche Mode
´1961: The Dovells
1967: Sam and Dave
1971: Janis Joplin
1976: The Stills-Young Band
1984: Sade
1978: The Jam
Everything comes to an end, and this little series is no exception. Before I find even more obscure songs that have the colors mentioned in their titles, I will stop here. Finally, here are a few bands that have red, blue or hot in their names.
Red Rockers were a former punk band from New Orleans but turned into pure twangy power pop guitar sound.
In recent weeks, the number of noteworthy new releases on the record market has decreased significantly, which is probably due to the fact that artists have agreed to release their new material in the autumn. So it stands to reason that I have focused more on “old” releases that have been on my hard drive for a long time and haven't been listened to in ages.
I recently came across an album that has been overlooked for a long time and has not been given enough recognition on these pages. Grin by the English band TRAAMS from 2013 is one such album. I came across this band on the recommendation of a friend who has since passed away. TRAAMS are a three-piece band who consistently play a mixture of punk rock and Krautrock, but were also heavily influenced by Television.
A House On Fire was released 2016 as a single and shows the greatness of the band. A high-strung beat and a pounding bass-line are the basis until fury vocals and a crashing guitar joins them. A nearly nine minute tour-de-force of a great song.
TRAAMS - A House On Fire
Warmduscher are a London based post-punk and formed by members of Fat White Family and electronic collective Paranoid London. Noise rock collides with garage post-punk, distorted blues and lo-fi funk with broken synth sprinklings. The motto seems to be deconstruction instead of composition – but with groove, please.
Last week, they released a new single featuring a remix by David Holmes. Holmes transforms the short original, which lasts just under two minutes, into a club-ready electronic anthem whose pull never lets up.
It seems inevitable that TikTok will increasingly become the distribution platform for new music for young people. I don't use this platform myself, but I have read that a young American musician is currently racking up huge numbers of clicks.
Shane Boose, alias Sombr, belongs to a generation of young acts who operate in the borderland between DIY sensibility and the global pop machine. Musically, he moves between bedroom pop, a little indie rock and TikTok-compatible melancholy, somewhere between MGMT and Bon Iver.
Not really great, but by no means bad either. Perhaps this is the future of pop music.
A few days ago, Swiss sound artists Dub Spencer & Trance Hill released a new single. Here, too, they combine instrumental psychedelic dub reggae with rock and trance influences. The basic sound is carried by guitar, bass and drums and embellished with synth sounds.
I first became aware of this band when they released The Clashification Of Dub in 2011, adding a new dimension to the songs of The Clash.
Just how extraordinary their ideas are became clear in 2016 when they took the spoken word performances of William S. Burroughs, one of the last great poets of the Beat Generation, as their basis and gave them a reggae twist. His deep, nasal voice would have been a great fit for many Jamaican reggae productions (and not just because he knew a lot about drugs).
I was really surprised when I read about a new release from Galaxie 500 one of my favorite bands from this era. After the release of their debut they played a concert in New York's famous club together with Sonic Youth and others. This gig was recorded an was long time only available as a bootleg.
Now it was remastered and released on vinyl. It shows how great this band were. Their drawn-out, sometimes somewhat amateurish post-Velvet Underground guitar sound, accompanied by the delicate whispering of singer/guitarist Dean Wareham, is certainly not to everyone's taste but hit me from the first time I listened to their songs. It's a musical document of a time long gone by. For me just superb.
Another journey through various decades of music.
1985: David Bowie and Mick Jagger
1971: Joni Mitchell
1976: Steve Miller Band
1962: The Crystals
1976: Nick Lowe
1977: Steely Dan
1978: The Police
1981: The Go-Go's
1965: Donovan
1975: Bad Company
1966: The Monkees
1963: The Ronettes
1981: Devo
1998: The Rolling Stones (the remix version)
This weeks journey through the colors starts with Reverend Horten Heat, a psychobilly band form Dallas, Texas. Formed in 1986 by guitarist James C. Heath he became the godfather of modern rockabilly/psychobilly. He has been stoically playing his sound for decades, always loud and aggressive, and is a force to be reckoned with live.
Reverend Horten Heat - Big Red Rocket Of Love
I think I don't have to say much about The Who, except that this ballad is untypical for their sound.
The Who - Behind Blue Eyes
I don't know if someone remembers Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen but this series gives me the chance to do it. I liked their interpretation of country music, knowing were they came from and willing to break the circle. This cover version by an old song from Charlie Ryan is probably their well know song and this is good this way.
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen - Hot Red Lincoln
More and more Brighton's Higher Love Records get's the home of (new) Balearic music. Last week they released a new song by Kent's duo Puerto Montt City Orchestra and it is the perfect soundtrack for maybe the last hot summer days this year.
Tim Salter and Angus Murray still walk on the Balearic street but now they use real instruments. On this mid-tempo song a catchy bassline leads us through the song, a warm guitar takes over the melody and congas and bongos join in. Salter's daughter adds some spoken words about a family trip to the seaside. PMCO are getting better by any release. Looking forward what the future will bring.
Wolf Alice are an English indie-rock band formed in 2010 as an acoustic duo by singer Ellie Rowsell and guitarist Joff Oddie. After a few years with less success they decided to perform as a real band. Since that time they got a lot of critical acclaim for their sound somewhere between indie-rock, folk, pop and shoegaze.
This week they released the third single form their upcoming album The Clearing. And it seems that they developed their sound into another dimension. Drummer Joel Amey took over the lead vocals and Rowsell soprano is the backing voice. The song is built on an krautrock beat, 70's rock guitars and a little psychedelic touch. Sounds unbelievable but it works as a great single.
Sean Johnson is a phenomenon and a workhorse. When he's not busy DJing, he always finds time to work on new material in the studio. A few weeks ago, he released an EP under his moniker Hardway Bros.
Three new tracks and a remix fit seamlessly into ALFOS' musical concept. He creates an organic rave synth sound with pumping rhythms and basslines that sound like whip cracks. A short but intense and magnificent pleasure.
Another eclectic journey through music history with chart breakers and simply great songs.
1964: The Kinks
1967: The Small Faces
1986: The Pretenders
1971: James Taylor
1983: Stray Cats
1970: Bobby Bloom
1981: Greg Kihn
1968: The Band
1969: Creedence Clearwater Revival
1980: David Bowie
1980: The Clash
1994: Everything But The Girl
1983: The Fixx
1987: Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield
We start this week with a band I didn't expected to appear on this pages. The War On Drugs is an American rock band formed in Philadelphia 20 years ago. I know that they got lots of critical acclaim but every time I listen to them I have the feeling that they have no own sound. Most of the songs show different influences and sound like their role models. Best example is Red Eyes that sounds like another song by Bruce Springsteen.
The War On Drugs - Red Eyes
There are few artists who survived the disco era and can still be listened to today without feeling embarrassed. Donna Summer is definitely one of them. Hot Stuff from 1979 is the crowning collaboration with Georgio Moroder and a highlight of this genre.
Donna Summer - Hot Stuff
I first became aware of Julian Casablancas when The Strokes released their album, which many people agreed on at the time. In 2009, he released his solo debut, and this album also exudes the same enthusiasm and energy that his main band had.
Julian Casablancas Out Of The Blue
Almost exactly 36 years ago, Joe Strummer released his debut single with the Mescaleros. This song, written together with David Holmes after Strummer left The Clash, clearly shows where he wanted to see his musical home in the future.
Joe's debut album Rock Art and the Y-Ray Style reflects the spectrum of his musical influences, including African rhythms, folk, electronic club music, reggae and a little rock. To be honest, I didn't understand the lyrics to this song, but I assume it's about his favorite topic – freedom. In that respect, Yalla Yalla is a terrific song. Let's go.
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - Yalla Yalla
Today's song comes from Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson aka CMAT, an Irish singer, songwriter and musician. As far as I know she is successful in making music since a couple of years. I got aware of her when she released EURO-COUNTRY the lead single from her upcoming new album.
It is a kind of country-pop, with percussive beat and remarkable melodies. What makes the song extraordinary is that she denounces the injustices in Ireland in the early 2000s with her sweet voice. The boom in Ireland burst, houses stood empty, the economy collapsed and the number of suicides rose significantly.
Packaging complex topics and socio-political discourse in such a way that they still sound extremely catchy and easy to digest. That's pop at its best.
Earlier this week the news arrived that a new album by John McKay was released, McKay was the leading figure behind Siouxsie and the Banshees and co-author of most of their songs. He was responsible for the band's dark and dangerous guitar sound.
He left the band in 1979 after their second album in order to focus on his own music. During the following years he recorded various songs but he never released an album. The tapes were stored at his home until they were retrieved and remixed last year.
The result is a journey through time that catapults you back to the late 1970's. The music is a logical progression from The Scream, the masterpiece by Siouxsie and the Banshees. He has a talent of playing the guitar like no one else. Not a guitar slinger like many others because he brought chords and rhythm to a unique sound that influenced many other band in the following years.
This week, we take another look back at the 70's, plus a few older and newer songs.
1965: Bob Dylan
1972: Uriah Heep
1972: Mott The Hoople
1972: Randy Newman
1977: Thin Lizzy
1991: Metallica
1971: Rod Stewart
1964: Martha and the Vandellas
1970: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
1989: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
1980: David Bowie
1959: The Coasters
1971: Cher
1973: The Velvet Underground
1987: M|A|R|R|S
