Rain Dogs

 

In September 1985 Tom Waits released Rain Dogs, an album that marked a turning point in his music. He started his career as another folk singer who was inspired by the beat generation. It was a mixture mixture of Delta Blues, jazz and funk dominated by a voice seemed like be ruined by too many bars and cigarettes. The next years he turned more and more to rock music and great songs that were covered by many artists.

His musical style turned in 1984 when he released Swordfishtrombones, when he left classical instruments behind and replaced them with marimbas for example. It was a great album and got many critical acclaim but with Rain Dogs he made his masterpiece. 

'Rain Dogs is a term I coined for those poor devils who sleep in doorways without a home. Dogs in the rain lose their sense of direction because the water mercilessly washes away all their markings and scent trails. After heavy rain, you see these stranded creatures everywhere on the streets, turning their heads towards you, their pleading eyes begging you to show them the way home. It's hopeless. Just like them, all the people sung about on this album are connected to each other. Sewn together by a thread of pain and hardship.' Waits once said this lovingly and warmly about his milestone. These words run through all the songs on this album.

Anyone who listens to this record will find a colorful bundle of addictive melodies and lyrics that stand completely naked before the listener, without a safety net or double soundboard. Lyrically, he is as adventurous as Kerouac and as hopeless as Steinbeck. Musically, it sounds like a session between Howlin' Wolf and Kurt Weill. With so many good songs, the quality wasn't compromised by Keith Richards being allowed to play along and Marc Ribot having some of his finest moments.

In the early 1970's, Swedish photographer Anders Petterson hung out on Hamburg's Reeperbahn and photographed the guests of the legendary Cafe Lehmitz. This photograph perfectly captures the mood of the entire album.

Tom Waits - Singaphore

Tom Waits - Clap Hands

Tom Waits - Time

Monday's Long Song

 

In 1991 Slint, a post-rock band from Louiseville, Kentucky released their second and last album Spiderland. At the time, the album was largely ignored and threatened to gather dust in record shops. It was only through word of mouth that this little masterpiece became accessible to a wider audience. 

I came across this album on the day of my divorce, when I asked for something new and emotionally moving at my favorite record shop. Mike, the owner, who I had also played football with for a long time, recommended the Slint record to me. And I still thank him for that today. The songs are like something out of a fever dream – simultaneously brutal and fragile, explosive and hypnotic. 

Above all, Slint created a post-rock template on Spiderland with their unique, tight style that many bands should take to heart. Mogwai must have listened to the infernal finale of Washer, which unleashes a firestorm on the prevailing melancholy, because they developed the interplay of loud and soft in this form on their early albums.

Slint - Washer

New Song On Sunday

 

Today's track comes from Gardens, a new band from Vienna who released their debut album Flaws already a few months ago, but I have only just discovered it for myself. The members of the quartet come from Vorarlberg, a mountainous region in western Austria, and knew each other more or less from their youth, but only found each other in Vienna. Their music is astonishingly fresh and catchy. Luca Celine Müller's voice is vaguely reminiscent of Margo Timmins, and the songs, with their playful, psychedelic-tinged guitar playing, are reminiscent of Galaxie 500. Enough name-dropping, Gardens simply have a knack for writing good, catchy songs.

If I Had A Boat

 

Kieran Hebden is back with a new record. He is perhaps better known as the head of Four Tet, his electronic playground, and for his many remixes in recent years. Now he has teamed up with William Tyler to break new ground. At the beginning of this century, Tyler was a member of Lambchop and the Silver Jews, who reinterpreted country music at the time.

In recent years, several bands such as the Nashville Ambient Ensemble have demonstrated that country and electronic music are entirely compatible. Here, Hebden and Tyler take an old song by Lyle Lovett, break it down into its individual parts and then reassemble it as if it were a single piece.

I don't want to deprive you of the wonderful original.

Singles Released This Week Years Ago

 

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

Robert Redford

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.

Monday Song

 

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.

Monday's Long Song

 

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

New Songs On Sunday

 

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.

In His Wake

 

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.

Singles Released This Week Years Ago

 

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

Gentle Chaparone

 

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.

Monday's Long Song

 

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

New Song On Sunday

 

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

Going Down To The River To Blow My Mind

 

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.

Temptation Inside Of Your Heart

Last week Thurston Moore released a cover of Velvet Underground's Temptation Inside Of Your Heart in honor of the birthday of Sterling Morrison, former guitarist of VU. The song is from VU lost album from 1969, released decades after these songs were recorded. Moore grabs the song and makes it one of his own. His incomparable guitar playing is a perfect match for this sadly forgotten song. It is well known that Moore enjoys playing, but rarely has he been seen in such good spirits. Perhaps this is what the Velvets would sound like today.

In the original, Morrison and Tucker chat in the background before they start singing the backing vocals. Also one of the better songs from their later work and break-up in the original.

 

Singles Released This Week Years Ago

 

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

2011: Bon Iver

1194: R.E.M.

1986: Paul Simon

1966: The Supremes

1986: The Bangles

1983: The Romantics

1973: Garland Jeffreys

1968: Jimi Hendrix

Another Green World

 

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

Monday's Long Song

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)