Monday's Long Song

Nothing has been posted here by Andy Bell for several years, and it's time to change that. 2019 saw the debut Andy Bell under his moniker GLOK, Dissident. It was an album I played often at this time because I was impressed by it's sound. Inspired by krautrock and house Bell layered guitars and synths on top of each other, letting them flow from the speakers in seemingly endless waves. It’s all so understated, and every note is perfectly placed. The songs have a hypnotic quality that draws you right into them. Yeah, it sounds corny, but I still love this album.

GLOK - Pulsing

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.

Happy Birthday King of Synthpop

 

Today Vince Clarke turns 65 and it is time to pay tribute to his work here. Born in Essex he studied violin and piano. Influenced by Sparks, Human League and Fat Gadget he formed with a schoolmate a short lived band which became Depeche Mode after Martin Gore and Dave Gahan joined the band. Clarke wrote the most of the songs for their debut album Speak & Spell, a record that changed everything in synthpop. Not only that they were an all-synthesizer band, they were clever enough to write songs with great hooks.

Shortly after this album he left the band, because the sound of them got a darker touch and he formed with Alison Moyet, another schoolmate, Yazoo. They released two albums and with Upstairs at Eric's they reached the charts. Since then, it has become clear that Clarke's songs need a great voice to come to full fruition.

As erratic as he appears, he dedicated himself to a new project after the second album and founded The Assembly. But not much more than Never, Never, in which Feargal Sharkey is allowed to sing, remained.

With his next project he found a destination for the next years. In Andy Bell, he found a voice that would shape the sound of Erasure through an advertisement in Melody Maker.

In 2003 Erasure released Other People's Songs an album with cover versions in which the cover version by Steve Harley stands out above all (because it is also a great song).

Happy birthday Vince

I'm In Love With A German Film Star

 

Another year, another new album by Andy Bell. Pinball Wanderer will be released in four weeks and he has released a cover version as an appetizer in advance. The fact that he chose a song by The Passions from 1981 may come as a surprise at first, but it makes sense, as the original's echoing guitar is very similar to the way he plays.

What's much more surprising is that the collaboration with Neu!'s Michael Rother and One Dove's Dot Allison has turned this song into a pearl.

Justin Robertson added also a few superb remixes of a song that sounds like an early highlight of the year. You can listen to them all here.

Alliance

 

As almost every year, Andy Bell presents us with a new album and a new collaboration. This time it's Timothy Clerkin, a record boss and producer who reworked a GLOK song years ago. The two allegedly first met at Andrew Weatherall's funeral and have stayed in touch ever since.

It was to be expected that an album would come out that once again shows the spectrum that Andy Bell can integrate into his music. From a tribute to Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized on The Witching Hour with fuzzbox and an acid-house-rock, this song stands out.

At the same time, he managed to record another hypnotic track on Empyrean, reminiscent of an Andrew Weatherall remix with its slow but constantly driving structure, ethereal voice and electronic modulations. An album that offers plenty of room for new discoveries even after repeated listens.

Empyrean

 

In Germany, you can buy a monthly rail ticket for 49 euros, which allows you to use regional trains without limit during this period. As I can also travel to Salzburg, Austria, with this ticket, I decided at the beginning of this week to spend what might be the last sunny days there. The fact that it is tedious and slow to get to my destination this way with several changes is one side of the coin, the other makes it possible to travel in comfort.

Salzburg lies at the foot of the Eastern Alps and impresses with its historic city center and buildings from the Middle Ages and the Baroque period, as well as the Hohensalzburg Fortress.

After a day of sightseeing, I treated myself to a beer in a pub in a neighbourhood that is mainly frequented by students. To my surprise, I realized that the music selection was pretty much the latest music from local and international bands. 

This is where I listened for the first time to the new song by GLOK. It is from the upcoming album showing the collaboration with Andy Bell and Timothy Clerkin a London based DJ. It is a seven minute downtempo song built on drone guitars and sprinkled synth melodies. 

Interplay

 

Yesterday Ride released their seventh album after a longer break. I tried not to set my expectations too high for this record, as Andy Bell's last releases were more than above average. And with this basic attitude, I was not disappointed. Certainly not a milestone in the history of music, but an album that will certainly appear in many annual best lists for this year. In their new songs, Ride move away more and more from the classic sea of guitars and reverberating sound of their earlier albums and seem to have discovered Tears For Fears and Talk Talk for themselves without losing their roots. In the case of Ride, it means that a band has brought together all their influences and experiences and packed them into varied, dense songs, so that "Interplay" adds playful aspects to the hypnotic melodies and guitars and synth elements, psychedelic folk, mystical games and electronic beats run through the songs. An album in which escapism, longing and melancholy flow just as much as perseverance, cohesion and energy swirl.

Eternity

 

These days I was introduced to Georgia Ochoa aka Seagoth, a 19 years old British producer and singer/songwriter by a link from my inbox. Not knowing what expected me I switched to their bandacmp site and found a remix by GLOK/Andy Bell. Further investigations named their sound bedroom-pop and I couldn't find a song that I can assign to this genre. This remix is a wistful affair, long-drawn sounds are picked up by a soft drum machine and Ochoa's warm voice gliding over them. And Andy Bell fulfilled this song with a superb remix. Of course not the next big thing but a song that will be played at my place more than once in the next days.

Monday's Long Song

 Another long song Monday with a new release by Andy Bell/GLOK. I really don't want to get on someone's nerves featuring this artist but his output is always on a high level and I still can't get enough of it. This live experience is the result of a session by Norwich's Electronic Sound magazine where he was invited to rework songs from Dissident and Pattern Recognition. Most of these songs were played often at my place and it is great to see what Bell can do with these songs. He lifted these songs into another dimension while he was using a feedbacked, psychedelic guitar. Surely another album for a years end list.

Hallogallo

Many of of the usual visitors of this little part of the internet know that I have a huge affection to Andy Bell and his output during the last years. I always thought nothing of his releases can surprise me but with the one he released during the week he made me smile. He went back to one of his and many others artists influences. He recorded a song by Neu! first released back centuries ago. Hallogallo is one of the most influential songs by German electronic pioneers and it works very well in this new outfit. Based on a remarkable theme Bell uses riffs and wha-wha sounds to transport krautrock into the 20s. Never thought that this could happen but it seems that this song is one of those that should appear on a years end list. Just beautiful.

Unchanged

The first half of the year is over and I got a few days off work. Later this afternoon we will fly to Brittany, France to visit a few good friends for almost a week. I am so happy to see some different places and cultures instead of a desk full of work. At the end of last month Dot Allison released a remix by GLOK/Andy Bell. It is a collaboration I waited a long time for and for me a highlight this year. Dot's volatile woice meet guitar, loops and feedback. Kind of magic.

Consciousology

 

There are some musicians who have to do a lot to disappoint me with a new single or album. My affection is too great not to forgive weaker songs. One of them is Dot Allison, whose voice always captures me. A few days ago she announced the release of her next solo album for the end of July and released the lead single Consciousology. It is once again a dreamy piece of pop music, enhanced by the guitar of her label mate Andy Bell. It looks like Dot is moving in the direction of established songwriters like Tim Hardin and Mercury Rev with her new songs. This is certainly not the wrong road to take.

Monday's Long Song On Tuesday Or The End Of Blogging

Last week Andy Bell released a new EP with a new collaboration with Masal. Once again Bell walked on a new street. Now he included a harp into his sound. When I first got the news I couldn't imagine where this new way will guide me because the last hype with Californian harpist Joanna Newsom didn't touch my soul. But I tried to listen to it and have to say that a harp fits to the sound we know by him. The way he plays his guitar style is in a perfect harmony to the harp. Surly not groundbreaking or the next big thing but a fresh, vital and relaxed sound that allows you to drift away into other spheres.

 

Last week I installed an update of my new browsers and on each one included a link to an AI program. That's why I took the pleasure of getting a review of Andy Bell's new album. The result is disillusioned. As a result, it should be noted that only a compilation of facts is left, which is composed of various advertising communications. No personal words or thoughts can be found in the AI. Can we no longer rely on the author to think about the product himself? I hope that our circle does not need to do so and still puts its own thoughts on paper. But we should be aware that many contributions could be staggered. Then I prefer to continue publishing my posts in my own words (and also with all simantic errors).

Hey there, music lovers! Today I want to share with you a new album that I've been listening to non-stop lately. It's called Tidal Love Numbers and it's a collaboration between Andy Bell, the guitarist and songwriter of Ride, and Masal, a duo of harpist Ozlem Simsek and electronic musician Alastair Johnson. This album is a beautiful blend of ambient, astral jazz and shoegaze, with four long instrumental tracks that take you on a journey of emotions and sensations.

The album was inspired by the spiritual jazz of Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, as well as the minimalism of Harold Budd and William Basinski. The musicians met when they played a show together in 2022 and decided to work on this project after being moved by Sanders and Floating Points' album Promises. The result is a stunning piece of art that showcases their talents and chemistry.

The tracks have long and poetic titles, such as "Murmuration Of Warm Dappled Light On Her Back After Swimming" or "The Slight Unease Of Seeing A Crescent Moon In Blue Midday Sky". These titles hint at the mood and atmosphere of each song, but they also leave room for interpretation and imagination. The songs are composed of layers of guitar loops, synth pads, harp plucks and occasional beats, creating a rich and dynamic sound that evolves and changes over time.

One of my favorite tracks is "Tidal Love Conversation In That Familiar Golden Orchard", which starts with a gentle harp melody and then builds up with guitar feedback and synth drones, creating a contrast between softness and noise. The song then shifts into a more rhythmic section, with a pulsing bass line and a catchy synth lead that reminds me of Ashra or Tangerine Dream. The song ends with a return to the harp motif, bringing a sense of closure and harmony.

If you're looking for some music that will soothe your soul and stimulate your mind, I highly recommend you check out Tidal Love Numbers by Andy Bell and Masal. It's available for pre-order on Bandcamp and it will be released on May 19th, 2023. Trust me, you won't regret it!

Tidal Love Numbers

 

Andy Bell, Ride guitarist and songwriter, has taken another musical journey with Essex-based duo Masal and is going to release another new album next month. As far as I know it will be an instrumental album with four meandering tracks that combines Andy's guitar with analogue synths and harp. Almost everything from him is worth to listen to but with this songs he adds to his musical influences the way Vini Reilly used to play his guitar. A perfect combination what was and what could be. 

Dirty Hugs

 

Yesterday a few remixes of songs from GLOK's album Pattern Recognition were released and all of them were fantastic. Regular visitors of this pages will know that I am a fan of Andy Bell and I featured his work and remixes during the last years. Richard Sen's remix of Dirty Hugs shows another time how great Bell's song were. As he did a great work on his version of Dissident he didn't disappoint the second time. He took the original 20 minutes long song and added a hypnotic krautrock inspired groove to Bell's guitar licks. A perfect start into the weekend.

2022 Long Part III

 

Let's finish my musical review of this year's music. The collaboration of Sonic Boom and Panda Bear came unexpected but gave us a lot of great songs with great harmonies, melodies and a massive retro-charm.

The Pink Album by Unloved was one of highlights this year. A psychedelic synthesis of dark pop, 60's girl group sounds, ambient patterns and dance floor undertones makes this album remarkable.

Danish producer Andres Trentemoller made an album that was especially for me because I love the way he can create electronic sounds. Many songs have a somber aura but listening more than one time you can see the magic of his musical cosmos in Memoria.

One of the best albums of this year came out early this year. Flicker by Andy Bell conglomeration of very different sounds from the last decades and full of ideas, melodies, hooks and great songs. Always a pleasure to come back to this great album.

Spiritualized came back with Everything Was Beautiful an album that shows everything I expected form the Jason Pierce' beginnings over his krautrock phase to his last album. Nothing more or less a great album.

Every year is a good year, when Michael Head releases a new album. Dear Scott is more than I expected. Still on a high level with his distinctive voice and a lot of great songs he returned as my favorite solo artist.

One Way To Go

It's December and Christmas is not far away. The cities are lit up and many people meet at Christmas markets to drink mulled wine after doing their Christmas shopping. Personally, I don't have much to do with the pre-Christmas season and don't immerse myself in consumerism. That's why it's all the nicer that Jesse Fahnestock aka 10:40 has a present ready for us. Since the beginning of the month, he has had an Advent calendar on his Bandcamp homepage in which he gives us an insight into his musical cosmos every day. One Way To Go is a shoegaze based excursion to cosmic sounds that could be a highlight on every record by Andy Bell. This song and four more you can get as a free download here. Have a contemplative second Advent

Damascene

 

Another superb remix by GLOK was released a few days ago. Damascene is originally just another good ballad by Do No Harm, a band to be frankly I've never heard before. Any Bell succeeds again to remix a good song to an excellent song. A perfect start into the weekend.

Ride

 

In 1990 Ride appeared on the music scene as the new hot thing. Formed by vocalists and guitarists Andy Bell and Mark Gardener in Oxford they really made the sound of the year as they released during January and September 1990 three EP's in row. Soon they were filed under shoegaze a genre I didn't really understood what it should mean if I am honest. Now these EP's are going to be released again and you can get these masterpieces once again. Ride was a band I always agreed with even even though the musical minds of this band have increasingly disputed in their musical orientation. Starting with an untypical upbeat song like Chelsea Girl further songs like Close My Eyes show what potential Andy Bell has and that this was the basis of fantastic albums he gave us during the last years.

I Am A Strange Loop

 

Earlier this year Andy Bell released his last album Flicker one of the best albums released this year. It was on heavy rotation at my place since I fought this record and now he released an EP of remixes from a couple of songs. DJ's like David Holmes and Richard Norris took over the controls and reworked one of the finest songs. The result was a new interpretation of Andy's songs and always a great work. You can hear more of this reworks here. I think that this record will be played more than once at my place.