Monday's Long Song

 

Sonic Youth announced the release of In/Out/In in March this year. It a collection of five songs recorded in the first ten years of this century. As an appetizer they released In & Out a song they recorded during a soundcheck in 2010 and in their home in Hoboken. The song subtly resembles Can playing in a cave, with dripping stalactites from Kim's wordless buzzing tone. This song shows the potential they had before they have dissolved one year later. A little masterpiece and already at the beginning of the year a highlight.

No More War

 

To name a nee album Never No More War is in times in which in Eastern Europe warlike clashes threaten foreseeing or even just a platitude depending on the point of view. Not, however for Tocotronic a band from Hamburg which is active since almost 30 years and they have been always a political band. I always liked their music that was torn between guitar based indie-rock and lyrical ballads. And with their new album they returned to their roots again. On Nachtflug old school guitars wafting through the song, a good bassline prepares the ground for Dirk von Lowtzow cryptic lyrics. Good to have them back

Revolt! This Is An Ecological Crisis

 

With Hurry Up, Brothers a new band released their first album All Is Beautiful, I'm Okay To Be Alive. I'm Okay To Die a few weeks ago. They established in Des Moines, Iowa and you can file them as another post-rock band. Of course it is nothing really new but the way they play their often long and instrumental songs makes a unique atmosphere and sometimes I felt like I am on an endless trip on a boat sailing the ocean. A kind of music you can get rid of everything that your occupied with or bothers you. 

Where Indie-Pop Started

 

Part three of this little series about early 80's indie-pop. I have to admit that before I discovered this compilation I didn't listen to artists/songs from this era for a very long time. It might be sentimental to come back to this kind of music but it was a kind of music that accompanied me through various summers long time ago. When I listen to this songs again I was surprised about the abilities of the bands about songwriting. Of course the instrumentation is often the same: some guitar chords, a soft and emotional voice over a well arranged sound. But these songs, often one of the first recordings of the bands, were high class and I ask myself how they could sound like if some new bands will cover them. Certainly they can't destroy them.

From Glasgow Del Amitiri, a Glaswegian rock band appeared at the beginning of the 80's on the scene and had big success with their debut album. Their songs had a free and unfolded sound over a basic of jangly guitars. Best shown on the flip-side of their 12-inch Sticks and Stone Girl.

Del Amitiri - The Difference Is

Kitchenware records was one of the homes of pure indie-pop in the beginning of the early 80's. One of the first bands they signed were The Daintees which became later big recommendations when they appeared as Martin Stephenson and The Daintees. Their first album Boat To Bolivia was an album that I played often at these days because they had a very unique mixture of various influences of rockabilly, slow tunes and straight rock.

The Daintees - Involved With Love

The Gift were a British indie band and you can find less in the internet about them. They didn't had great success or a hit single but they also had the jangle guitar sound like many others in this era. Listening to them again it sounds like The Smiths were playing some early demos or The Cure replaced Robert Smith with Morrissey.

The Gift - Crashing Down

Dust In Time

Hawkwind were the link between space rock and hard rock in the early 70's by all time member singer and guitarist Dave Brock. Formed in Notting Hill, London a lot of musicians played in this band during they existed. They were probably the first that combined repetitive rock-riffs with synths and futuristic sound patterns. Many of their songs were too long for a single format, except their veritable hit single Silver Machine. During the last years many compilations of their songs were released at least Dust In Time a few weeks ago. I grew up with their sound, not understanding what it was in my very young days but later in my musical education I learned to estimate the beauty of their sound. 

Hawkwind - Brainstorm

I'm Your Fan

 

I am not a huge fan of tribute albums because many of them are well-intentioned but seldom better that the originals. One of those which are worth to be listened was the 1991 compilation I Am Your Fan where various artists covered the songs of Leonard Cohen. He was a Canadian singer-songwriter and he was famous in the late 60's/early 70's. In his musical work, existential questions about love, friendship, sense of life, human suffering, death and spirituality are addressed. Most of the songs were meagerly instrumented with acoustic guitars and lead by his somber voice. On this tribute a lot of artists showed their tributes in the way they used to write their songs. And this showed how great this songs were because they work even in the style the artists wrote songs in their very own style.

James - So Long Marianne

Lloyd Cole - Chelsea Hotel

The House of Love - Who By Fire

REM - First We Take Manhattan

Monday's Long Song

 

One of those albums I missed when it was released last year was Boro by Sheffield's Yarni. It is an album that nearly blasts from ideas that were hardly to combine. The music stretches from electronic house to balearic influenced sounds and this makes it worth to be listen to it in a row.