Sometimes it only takes a little note to remember a band that you have already forgotten. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart have reunited and will be playing several concerts in Spain and Portugal early next year.
TPOBPAH released their debut album in 2009 and set new standards with their version of indie-pop. Although they are from New York, they sound very British. On the one hand, they fuse the melancholy lyricism of The Smiths with the pop of My Bloody Valentine hidden behind powerful walls of guitars.
What remains of them are softly noisy, incredibly catchy three-minute songs with their boy-girl vocals about the worries of young people. And still worth playing again from time to time.
Since yesterday it was verified that I was infected by Covid 19 and that I have to stay isolated for the next ten days. I was vaccinated three times and I really don't know where I was attached with. Probably on my daily way to work in public transport system or at the office. I am as well as I could be and I really feel not much achiness except being tired all day and an oppressive feeling in my chest. So I think I will get out of these troubles with no aftermath. Thinking positive, one of the good things about isolation will be that I can read the books I wanted read since a long time and finally can clean my inbox from promotion mails. One of those mails I didn't open for a long time was the announcement of Tones Of The Sparrow the new album by California's The Asteroid No. 4. I featured them several times during the last years because they hold up the flag of UK shoegaze scene in the tradition of My Bloody Valentine, Ride and early Verve but with a more psychedelic side of this sound. Still worth to listen.
There are bands you can trust to their sound for years. One of those are Bardo Pond, a psychedelic rock band from Philadelphia in 1991. Their earliest root lay with avant-garde noisemakers and New York's no wave movement. During the years they developed their sound into space rock but added their Hawkwind inspired sound with early krautrock like Amon Düül and experimental giants like My Bloody Valentine and Spaceman 3. Since 2000 they've released a numerically titled series of improvisation sessions in addition to their studio albums. Before is from their album Volume 1 and this song could be played on every live show by Mogwai.
Last Monday I wrote about noisy music that came from over the Atlantic ocean. But also Great Britain had in its music history many periods of bands that made loud music that had great influence to many other artists. Best example for me is Spacemen 3 as one of the most revolutionary UK guitar bands. Revolution marks it at the best. A few chords, feedback and it's psychedelic mood makes this song in this genre.
From many other bands that made wonderful noise only a few examples for today. One of those who should be named here is Dublin's My Bloody Valentine with a superb example how to create explosive soundscapes with guitars.
Another one are Oxford's Ride, a band that is with various breaks active from the early 90's on and still good for surprises in new sounds but still on a great rhythm ground. Still and always a pleasure to listen to them.
Something new arrived from Down Under. Tame Impala released her new single. It's hard to type their sound. Main member and founder is Keven Parker. He is heavenly influenced by late 60s/early 70s psychedelic rock and electronic music. If you listen to their earlier songs you can hear that he borrowed a lot from My Bloody Valentines by the way he uses fuzz, feedback and pedals to create his sound. 'Let it Happen' is a psychic pop song with full of harmonies, disco-grooves that turns into a synthie space-boogie. Like someone said: Space is the place.
Normally I am not the type who publishes or comments lists. Of course I read very much with pleasure which music and albums were important for others last year. The first reason why I, nevertheless, publish a list is to be given my brother an overview what kind of music impressed me much and was essential for me last year. The second reason is why not doing things you haven't done before.
I enjoyed Swiss Adam's idea to number 13 records for this year. So thank you mate to use your idea for this post.
13. Boards of Canada - Tomorrows Harvest: Timeless electronic music inspired by soundtracks; good to have them back after 8 years.
12. Midlake - Antiphon: Folksongs meet Psychedelic . Simple melodies compared with a little darkness and melancholic attitudes and leading keybords. Listen to It's going down.
11. David Bowie - The next day: Suddenly he's back with a very good record with one of his best songs in the last ten years on it: Where are we now
10. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Push the sky away: Reduced to something new for the band. Now trusting more in simple melodies and forms than before.
09. The Pastels - Slow Summits: Another record from the kings of quiet guitar pop added with a little electronic sounds and a bit soul.
08. My Bloody Valentine - mbv: Why did we have to wait 23 years for this album. It's just the sound, the sound and the sound that makes you addicted to.
07. Die Toten Hosen - Tage wie dieser: Released a year before but this song accompanied me all year round.
06. Daniel Avery - Drone Logic: Sensational debut record with massive feedback. Sometimes I think he finished what Andrew Weatherall started with The Sabres of Paradise.
05. London Grammar - If you want: Electronic minimalism with a great sopran by Hanna Reid and cautiously guitar and piano. Beautiful.
04. Jon Hopkins - Immunity: Fantastic mixture of techno, ambient and a little krautrock. The whole record seems like a sound collage after leafing the club.
03. Steve Mason - Monkey Minds in Devil's Time: Another great record from the former member of the Beta Band. A very own mixture of country, folk, dub and rap with lyrics that puts the finger in our nowadays wounds.
02. Dexys - One Day I'm Going To Soar: Released in 2012 it was one of the best records in this year. But I played it so often last year. It grew more and more by listening to it. If it was a very good record the first time I heard it I have to admit that it is a masterpiece. Fantastic songs with so many lyrics that I can agree with.
01. The Asphodells - Ruled By Passion Destroyed By Lust: Andrew Weaterall made a perfect record. Hypnotic songs that snake one into another. Played it so often last year and enjoyed it at each time.
Because I'm off working this week, I had some time to surf some paintings in the web. And there I found again the works of Malcolm Morley. He was born in 1931 in London and now living in the United States. He often used a grid to transfer photographic images from a variety of sources to transfer to canvas as accurately as possible and became one of the most named photorealists. Laater his works turned more and more expressionist and joined collages into his works.
As already in different blogs posted My Bloody Valentine have published during these days after 21 years, finally, a new album. Because they are my heroes of the past, I have got myself a copy although I was not sure whether they could hold her class. But I didn't have to worry - they held their quality. It was on heavy rotation on my way to and from work. This was for me an occasion to look in my collection for music which is similar of those of MBV and which I have heard at that time in the same context. Then an album fell to me in the hands which has become a classic for me: The Jesus and the Mary Chain - Psycho Candy. I still love their fuzzy feedback sound combined with great harmonies. Here's a track that shows their genius.
