New Song On Sunday

 

My inbox almost overflowed when emails arrived on bandcamp friday. I haven't yet got round to sifting through all the interesting ones and deleting the unimportant ones. One release has stood out as it's new material from John Bryden aka Eyes Of Others whose last year's album is still delighting. On closer inspection, Trust, Loss and Forever is a new album by Peter McFinn, a Berlin-based Scottish DJ who releases his work as pete.mcm.

During the pandemic, he found several cassettes with radio recordings in his late grandfather's estate and composed several instrumental pieces based on them. What they all have in common is a restrained rhythm with quiet, accentuated guitar passages. These were refined by asking Bryden to add vocal passages to some of the songs. The result is more than impressive. Dreamy, melancholic songs that are not revolutionary but more than worth listening to.

This Year In Music - Part V

 

Here comes the rest of the show of albums that impressed me very much this year. Slowdive is a band that was named together with other shoegaze bands but for me they were always Mogwai's little brother that could also play great ballads over extended guitar and synth patterns. everything is alive could be their breakthrough to a wider audience.

Konformer is a three piece band from Nuremberg, Germany that I got aware by recommendation by Adam from Bagging Area earlier this year. Five instrumentals on their self titled LP are all awesome, just because I don't know any band at this time making cosmic and dark inspired music like they do.

Kevin Rowland is back with another album I bought blind before I ever heard any song of it. Just because he can't make any worse record for me. And my high expectations were fulfilled. Northern soul inspired songs alternate with intimate ballads. Certainly a record that will be played often at my place.

 

David Holmes was very busy this year and while I prepared this list he released Blind On A Galloping Horse an album that is ahead of many others. Together with Raven Violet he showed his spectrum in electronic music. There was no filler on this record and probably a masterpiece.

From Edinburgh multi-instrumentalist John Brydon appeared as Eyes Of Other, a band many people could agree. It is impressive how many ideas he combined into a very unique sound. One of those albums you could play in a row without getting bored.

At Home I Am A Leader

 

Last week Adam told us about his life experience with Eyes Of Others amongst others. I got aware of this album by checking the mailing list from Heavenly records a label that released several albums during the last months that are far over the average of other labels. Eyes Of Ohters is John Bryden an Edinburgh based musician you can't arrange in a musical style. Like a chameleon he grabs influences like carefree electronics, dub, folk, psychedelia, acid and even 60's sound. But I think it doesn't matter where he got the inspirations as long as he makes music that sounds good and make you smile.