K's Choice - Not An Addict

 #K's Choice #alternative rock #folk rock #hard rock #post-grunge #indie rock #1990s #Belgian

K's Choice is a Belgian rock band from Antwerp. The band centers on siblings Sam Bettens (formerly known as Sarah Bettens) (lead vocals, guitar) and Gert Bettens (guitar, keyboard, vocals). They are joined by Eric Grossman (bass), Jan van Sichem Jr. (guitar) and Koen Liekens (drums). Their music can be described as guitar-based singer-songwriter rock or folk-rock. It ranges from very delicate and intimate singer-songwriter songs to songs that are stronger, more active and louder. Sarah's smoky, enigmatic voice is the band's best known characteristic. In the seven years between The Great Subconscious Club and Almost Happy the music changed from raw and guitar-based to a more subtle and delicate sound. Sarah and Gert write most of the music and lyrics. Most of it is written separately. Sarah mainly tries to express ideas in her songs, and has a hand in writing silly and tongue-in-cheek songs. Gert has one big theme: losing the one you love. While most of the songs are easily accessible and open, some others are strange and incomprehensible. This led Sarah to comment: "Listening to the lyrics for the first time, you may find it hard to understand their meaning. When you listen to them a second time you may sense a basic truth in these cryptic words. If you do so, please let me know." This band appeared in an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Doppelgangland) with the song Virgin State of Mind, leading to a boost in popularity.Their most popular song 'Not an addict' can be heard in the movie 'Wild things'.  From: https://www.last.fm/music/K%27s+Choice/+wiki

It’s too easy to assume, as so many already have, that the ’90s classic anthem “Not An Addict” by Belgian rock band K’s Choice from the album Paradise in Me, is simply about the denial of drug addiction. However, according to an interview with Billboard magazine, the song’s meaning takes on a more nuanced perspective of (formerly known as Sarah), transgender lead singer Sam Bettens’ view of controlled substance dependence, and the criminality of what he considered “soft drugs” like cannabis at the time.
Even though most ’90s rock bands proudly wore their ‘sex-drugs-rock-and-roll’ personas unapologetically on their sleeves, Bettens was fairly open about having made a valiant effort to avoid “hard drugs.” He was nonetheless still forthcoming about using cannabis and experimenting with psychedelics. In his interview, Bettens fully acknowledges, “I was addicted to cigarettes really bad,” also admitting, “I’ll smoke a joint once in a while and I might try acid or mushrooms, but I’ve never done any hard drugs, and I don’t think I want to.” The reason he explained was, “I like being in control of myself, and doing certain drugs makes you lose touch. That’s what scares me.”
Bettens was also adamant about clarifying that “Not An Addict” is neither anti, nor pro-drug use, and that the song’s meaning is by no means black or white, much like competing opinions about cannabis dependence. Bettens’ perspective, and song lyrics if anything, reflect modern-day cannabis use debates, captured in the form of a hauntingly melodic internal conflict.
From: https://trauma.blog.yorku.ca/2022/08/not-an-addict/

Laboratorium Piesni - U Lisi

 #Laboratorium Piesni #world music #folk music #European folk #Eastern European folk #ethnic #traditional #polyphonic chant #Slavic folk music #a capella #white voice #Polish

Laboratorium Pieśni (Song Laboratory) is a group of female singers from Poland, created in 2013. Using traditional, polyphonic singing they perform songs from all over the world: Ukraine, Balkans, Poland, Belarus, Georgia, Scandinavia and many other places. They sing a capella as well as with shaman drums and other ethnic instruments (shruti box, kalimba, flute, gong, zaphir and koshi chimes, singing bowls, rattles etc.), creating a new space in a traditional song, adding voice improvisations, inspired by sounds of nature, often intuitive, wild and feminine.  From: http://laboratoriumpiesni.pl/en/about/

There is a song that is always waiting for you. It reminds you of the simplest things. Open your heart, expand your understanding, open yourself to the primal memory of who you really are. You are the song and the song is you. Take a deep breath and release it. It will become a wild river that will fill your life, taking you to the source. This song is your life.
Our Tribe! We invite you to the world of our newest album “Hé Oyáte”, filled with polyphonic traditional songs of different cultures, as well as original intuitive compositions in dreamed up words, melodies and stories, in the rhythm of shamanic drums, nature sounds and Earth’s pulse.  From: https://laboratoriumpiesni.bandcamp.com/album/h-oy-te-2

Author & Punisher - Night Terror

 #Author & Punisher #Tristan Shone #industrial metal #drone metal #doom metal #art metal #one man band #drone machine #dub machine

Author & Punisher is an industrial doom and drone metal one man band utilizing primarily custom fabricated machines/controllers and speakers called Drone/Dub Machines. The devices draw heavily on aspects of industrial automation, robotics and mechanical tools and devices, focusing on the eroticism of the interaction with machine.  From: https://authorandpunisher.bandcamp.com/community

If you or I wanted to mess with the pitch of an electronic bass signal, we’d probably plug in the nearest $50.00 MIDI controller and have at it. But we are not Author & Punisher. When Tristan Shone, who has made music under that justly severe moniker since 2005, wants to mess with such a pitch, he gears two high-torque motors to a pair of throttles, giving them autopilot and force-feedback functions. When he performs, it looks like he’s trying to fly an X-Wing with a bad steering rack into the Death Star.
Though he had already issued a few albums of moody industrial music before 2010, those throttles were the first “drone machines” the San Diego-based robotics engineer with a master’s degree in sculpture designed and fabricated. Shone literalized the idea of sonic sculpture, fusing the ethereal and the physical into an industrial metal vision. This tension characterizes Shone’s cursed soundscapes, too, which rampage between rhythm and randomness, melody and mayhem, infernal depths and screaming heights.
Eight years and a half-dozen releases later, Shone has released his Relapse Records debut, Beastland. His arsenal has grown to include so many forbidding prosthetics and devices he’s like a Rube Goldberg war machine stamping out arty Godflesh songs in stainless steel, his industrial core sprouting tumors of doom, drone, noise, and, covertly, pop. Metal vocals are recessed inside demonic sub-bass, concussive percussion, and skirling frequencies. Whether simmering or exploding, these eight three-to-six-minute tracks are exercises in perpetual combustion, a burning darkness expending some unnaturally limitless fuel.
Most of Shone’s creations are not instruments, per se. Some merely capture vocals in the most ominous sense of the verb, portending torture to follow - his elephantine drone mask, his fetish-y trachea mic, his Bane-style headgear. Others control electronic sounds. His “Linear Actuator” is visually suggestive of both a railgun and a tank tread, while “Rails” looks like some cruel factory press poised to remove a machine worker’s arm. These devices are not just for show; they meaningfully shape the sounds Shone makes. Instead of being designed for ease, his controllers fight back, offering physical resistance and semi-predictable outcomes, sewing chaos instead of order.
From: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/author-and-publisher-beastland/

Cellar Darling - The Prophet's Song

 #Cellar Darling #progressive metal #folk metal #folk rock #doom metal #Swiss #Queen cover

Cellar Darling are a three-piece Swiss progressive metal band from Winterthur and Lucerne, founded in 2016. The group was formed by Anna Murphy (vocals, hurdy-gurdy, flute), Merlin Sutter (drums) and Ivo Henzi (guitars and bass). Cellar Darling incorporates heavy metal, folk, classical, and progressive influences. Notably, the band uses a hurdy-gurdy and a transverse flute. The trio were previously part of the Swiss metal band Eluveitie.   From: https://musicbrainz.org/artist/8291df18-f05a-46ea-93dd-64f55d976ff2 

We want to unleash feelings and experiences by telling stories and drawing symbols, in the way mankind has done since its existence: through legends, folk tales, theatre, drama, spirituality - and through songs. We reinvent folk tales for our age as the very essence of what they once were: stories of everyday life. We may sing about the future, we may sing about the past - for essentially, they are the same. If you come to experience our show, you will not know what to expect. If days are bright, our performance shall be bright. If they are dark, it will be dark. In any case, we will tell you stories: those you’ve missed in a world where no bed time stories are told anymore, or those which have never been told before.

Cellar Darling was formed by Anna Murphy (vocals, hurdy-gurdy), Merlin Sutter (drums) and Ivo Henzi (guitars & bass) in the summer of 2016. The trio has previously been part of the core of Switzerland's most successful metal band to date, Eluveitie, touring the world in 45+ countries on 6 continents for over a decade, and forming a bond that could overcome any adversity.
Anna, Ivo & Merlin have turned the departure from their old band into a new beginning, and have moved on to make their own music, while continuing the spirit of musical innovation they have become known for. Cellar Darling’s music is an epic, theatric combination of Ivo’s grand, heavy riffs, Merlin’s energetic drumming, and Anna’s unique, both powerful and fragile voice. Their sound is shaped by the hurdy-gurdy, with its signature folky, earthy tones, and their lyrics tell stories and tales both old and new, true to the band's stated mission: the reinvention of folk tales for our modern age as the very essence of what they once were.   

From: https://www.heavymetal.ch/artists/3676/cellar-darling

Tenebra - Moon Maiden

#Tenebra #stoner rock #psychedelic rock #blues rock #hard rock #hard psych #heavy metal #punk metal #occult rock #doom metal #noise rock #Italian

Tenebra are an Italian quartet offering Stoner and Psychedelic Blues sounds with retro references and a modern twist. Formed in October 2017, Claudio (bass), Emilio (guitar) and Mesca (drums) come from the hardcore and post-hardcore scene in Bologna, whereas vocalist Silvia is steeped in the underground rock of the ’60s and’ 70s. Together they create music that is not only the sum of their influences but pushes those influences outwards, adding odd tempo changes and nods towards Misfits, June of 44 and Love Battery into their strange brew.  From: https://maximumvolumemusic.com/band-of-the-day-tenebra/

The city of Bologna in Italy has around 400,000 inhabitants with 150 different nationalities. In 2019, out of this melting pot rose Tenebra, who are now releasing their new album Moongazer. Their music is an instant throwback, while being securely rooted in the here and now. Mesca’s accomplished drumming is garnished by Claudio Troise’s booming bass and Emilio Toreggiani’s filthy, smoky guitar. And then, on top of this deadly but sexy sonic concoction, come raspy incantations from Silvia Fennino. Sylvia Fennino’s voice is something to behold. It’s almost an event all by itself. She sounds as if she has just finished a pack of cigarettes while drinking straight scotch and gargling gravel. All while being able to sing VERY well. I could just imagine the 3 guys having a totally different sound – until they heard Sylvia sing. Then the lightbulb went on above their heads - “Stoner Rock. Definitely Bluesy Stoner Rock!” Her singing sounds effortless, while at the same time sounding like it takes all the power she possesses to wail her siren song.
I couldn’t imagine watching this band in the modern age. Their brand of melodious noise invokes a bygone era of smoke-filled bars filled with people whose wardrobe primarily consists of leather, and have a penchant for vehicles with two wheels rather than four. You could imagine them playing a set and then hanging out backstage with the likes of Jim Morrison or Marc Bolan.
From: https://www.metalepidemic.com/tenebra-moongazer/

Beck - Devil's Haircut

 #Beck #alternative rock #folk rock #anti-folk #psychedelia #lo-fi #art rock #indie rock #underground rock #experimental #electronic rock #1990s

American musician Beck is a difficult artist to define. With a career that spans four decades, Beck’s music has encompassed every genre imaginable, including folk, funk, soul, hip-hop, electronic, alt-rock, country, and psychedelia. Unhindered by the expectations set upon him by previous releases, Beck has released 14 studio albums, each showcasing a distinct crevice of his creative identity.  From: https://happymag.tv/best-of-beck/

Beck himself has talked about the meaning of "Devils Haircut" on a few occasions. In one interview, he claimed that it was "a really simplistic metaphor for the evil of vanity". He said of the song: I don't know if I ever had any youthful purity, but I can understand that you might be tempted to make commercial shit and compromise to do it. I try not to compromise on anything. I think we associate becoming an adult with compromise. Maybe that's what the devil is. In "Devils Haircut", that was the scenario. I imagined Stagger Lee... I thought, what if this guy showed up now in 1996... I thought of using him as a Rumpelstiltskin figure, this Lazarus figure to comment on where we've ended up as people. What would he make of materialism and greed and ideals of beauty and perfection? His reaction would be, "Whoa, this is disturbing shit".  From: https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/9579/

Aman Aman - Sien Drahmas Al Dia

 #Aman Aman #world music #folk music #Sephardic music #Mediterranian music #Greek folk #Turkish folk #traditional #neo-medieval #Ladino

Aman Aman are a group of skilled world musicians and ethnomusicologists who came together to explore the traditional music of the Sephardi, the Jewish people of Spain. This mixture of Jewish heritage with Spanish language, customs, and music created a fascinating culture that is seldom recognized. With a wealth of knowledge between them (many of the band members teach music at the university level), the ensemble reproduces music from many Mediterranean countries, including Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, and Spain.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/aman-aman-mn0001533419/biography

We are used to hearing the Sephardic repertoire interpreted from the perspective of the world of classical musicians, with all its tics: fake voices, musicians playing with sheet music and no room for improvisation. Aman Aman prefers to approach it from the perspective of the traditional music of those countries that welcomed the Sephardim, which is, after all, the source from which they drank when they arrived from their diaspora. In some cases, we have even dared to mix the music of the Sephardim with Turkish or Greek pieces, with which they are very similar.
The sound of Aman Aman is based, as can be heard in various field recordings, on the sound of strings, winds and percussion from the Middle East, with the more "current" contribution of the cello, although played as in the modern orchestras of the Maghreb, Turkey or Egypt.
The ensemble is made up of Aziz Samsaoui (qanun), Diego López (bendir, darbuka, zarb, doira and riq), Efrén López (ud, bağlama, lavta, cümbüs and tanbur), Eleni Kallimopoulou (politiki lyra), Hristos Barbas (ney and kaval), Mara Aranda (voice and bendir) and Matthieu Saglio (cello).
In the year 1492 the Christian kings Fernando de Aragón and Isabel de Castilla decreed the expulsion or conversion of all Spanish Jews who had inhabited the peninsula since the first century AD. In a few months, more than 160,000 Jews left for the Ottoman Empire, Provence, North Africa, the Balkan states, and also Italy and the Netherlands. Diaspora Jews passed on their medieval Spanish past to their children: customs, music and language, and thus, from generation to generation, these elements were preserved to this day.
The traditional songs of the Sephardic Jews were, and continue to be, the romances in the Judeo-Spanish language (judezmo or haketía), which is currently incorrectly called “ladino”. There are no written examples of this popular music, but a large part of this wealth has come to us by oral transmission. In the interpretation of traditional Sephardic music, the female voice predominates. Men who knew Hebrew participated in the synagogal liturgy. The women generally did not know Hebrew writing and they sang in Jewish-Spanish, which is the daily language, the songs that refer to the cycle of life: birth, growth, marriage and death. The Sephardic lifestyle was merging with that of those places where they lived. And thus they integrated new melodies, rhythms, instruments, cadential formulas and ornaments to their repertoire. Also words from these new languages and any element that served the purpose of the song.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the Sephardic colonies of the western and eastern Mediterranean constituted two clearly distinct and independent cultures: that of the eastern Mediterranean (Turkey, Greece, the former Yugoslavia and Bulgaria) and that of the western Mediterranean (clearly influenced by Moroccan elements, and Spanish). Currently the Jewish community of the Spanish State is about 15,000 members. In addition, there are thousands of descendants of converted Jews who do not know their ancestry. Knowing and spreading these songs is knowing a part of the history of the place where we live and enriching our own human and cultural identity.
From: https://www.womex.com/virtual/aman_aman

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Manic Depression

 #The Jimi Hendrix Experience #hard rock #psychedelic rock #blues rock #R&B #heavy metal #British psychedelia #acid rock #1960s Mitch Mitchell #Noel Redding

There has been a lot of speculation that Hendrix had bipolar disorder based on some erratic behavior and mood swings he had. A big part of this, I think, is because he wrote a song called “manic depression” (an older term for bipolar disorder) with some assuming it was based on personal experience. My answer to this is that so far as I know Hendrix was never diagnosed with that disorder during his lifetime. I’ve never heard of him having either characteristic manic or depressive episodes, either. There are potentially other explanations for his behavior (including more mundane substance abuse). The description of “Manic depression” in his song of the same name doesn’t really correlate well with current understanding of that disorder. So my answer is that absent a contemporary psychiatric evaluation, I don’t think anyone can say for sure that he did or didn’t have bipolar disorder, but I think evidence for it is pretty thin.

I believe he did in fact suffer from Bipolar Disorder Through his lyrics, his drug/alcohol addiction, his mannerisms, the depression that he suffered from and from his clothing. Mental illnesses including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder gives away physical symptoms, such as the sufferers wearing bright colors and strange patterns. On top of that, there’s a significant loss in his weight from the time he entered the military and the time that he was discovered. This disorder makes them unable to even get out of bed to eat. Then again, this could have been caused by the lack of money he had at the time, when he was traveling in the chitlin circuit. But, his weight got even lower and according to his close friends, not the hanger-ons, they stated that he hardly ate. Another concern would be his sleeping pattern. He often said that he had trouble sleeping and that he either slept too little or slept too much. Sometimes he would go days without sleeping. There was even an incident where he was scheduled to appear on the Dick Cavett show the day after Woodstock, I believe. But, he ended up missing. It probably had something to do with exhaustion because he had to be carried back to his dressing room. Dick asked about Jimi about twice during the interview, it was poignant and kind of creepy.

From: https://www.quora.com/Did-Jimi-Hendrix-have-bipolar-disorder

The Jimi Hendrix Experience was an English-American rock band that came together in London, in 1966. Composed of singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist and backing vocalist Noel Redding, and drummer Mitch Mitchell, the band was active until 1969. During this time they released three successful studio albums. After Redding left the band in mid-1969, Hendrix and Mitchell continued to work together on other projects. The Experience reunited in 1970, with Billy Cox on bass, until Hendrix's death in September. Widely recognized as hugely influential in the development of the hard rock and heavy metal music genres during the late-1960s and beyond, The Jimi Hendrix Experience was best known for the skill, style and charisma of their frontman, Hendrix, who has since been called one of the greatest guitarists of all time by various music publications and writers. In his brief four-year reign as a superstar, Jimi Hendrix expanded the vocabulary of the electric rock guitar more than anyone before or since. Hendrix was a master at coaxing all manner of unforeseen sonics from his instrument, often with innovative amplification experiments that produced astral-quality feedback and roaring distortion. His frequent hurricane blasts of noise and dazzling showmanship - he could and would play behind his back and with his teeth and set his guitar on fire - has sometimes obscured his considerable gifts as a songwriter, singer, and master of a gamut of blues, R&B, and rock styles.  From: https://rock.fandom.com/wiki/The_Jimi_Hendrix_Experience and https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-jimi-hendrix-experience-mn0000088906/biography

Reggie Watts - Fuck Shit Stack

 #Reggie Watts #comedy #comedic music #electronic music #trip-hop #soul #alternative comedy #music video

Reginald Lucien Frank Roger Watts is an American comedian, actor, beatboxer, and musician. His improvised musical sets are created using only his voice, a keyboard, and a looping machine. Watts refers to himself as a "disinformationist" who aims to disorient his audience in a comedic fashion. He appeared on the IFC series Comedy Bang! Bang! and leads the house band for The Late Late Show with James Corden.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggie_Watts

The dude is hilarious. I’ve been on this Reggie Watts kick for almost four months now, ever since my friend sent me a link to his music/comedy video, “Fuck, Shit, Stack,” parody of his view of hip-hop. Aside from the crazy hair that he said, “adds to his look,” Reggie was wearing a fitted Montana t-shirt, suspenders, and blinged out triple rings when he met me at the Ace Hotel in Manhattan last week. Watts is currently the opening act for Conan O’Brien on The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour and recently recorded material for his Comedy Central special Why Shit So Crazy? He’s most noted for his improv comedy, but has dipped and dabbled into music, theatre, and performing arts. Not only that, he’s Alice Walker’s second cousin (although he admits to never reading any of her work). Reggie’s currently in New York for a string of performances over the next several weeks, and we were lucky to catch up with him for a brief moment. Check out our exclusive interview with the man who makes profanity totally okay.

I heard you’re a fan of our site.

Yea, someone told me about the site and I like the idea of it highlighting an under represented phenomenon.

Phenomenon?

I mean, it’s just that it quantifies alternative black culture in a way where its in a place. It’s nice to pull it all together.

How do you fall into the odd mix of things?

I guess I do because I don’t carry on in my comedy and when I perform, like here is a black person. I never really think of it that way. It’s just me and I’m kind of just doing stuff. Often times, people remind me and then I’ll be like, oh yea. But I’m going to do the same thing. A Latino guy with a bandanna gets up on stage, I’m going to immediately go, okay, and then when he starts talking about particle physics, then I’m like, wow. That’s really cool. I like that getting what you don’t expect. So in essence, I like the celebration of getting things that you don’t expect when you think you know what’s about to happen.

Let’s talk comedy. What’s funny to you?

Anything absurd. That’s my favorite form of comedy. Making it irrelevant by making it silly.

Is that what your song, “Fuck Shit Stack” is all about? I know all of the dance moves.

The song developed organically because I haven’t really written anything. Sometimes things stick and I start repeating them in my routines. So I think that was over two years of development and growth. I was just fucking around with it, not really taking it seriously. Then Comedy Central wanted to put out my record so I decided to do “Fuck Shit Stack” as my single. So I had some points I wanted to hit in the video. It was awesome.

What was the meaning behind the video?

The song was me playing on the cliche of hip hop. I love the beats, but sometimes it’s just so stupid. They’re just repacking the same shit over and over again.

Is that what the fuck shit is stacking?

I’ve never really given the title a definition because everyone kind of gives it it’s own thing and I kind of like that. The tangible lyrics are pretty basic and it’s fun to use swear words.

Are there any hip-hop artists you want to share this song with?

I call it pop hop. Like Jay Z, it didn’t come from that but that’s where it is. Not saying that it’s not heart filled, but its Hollywood, its glossy, it’s lifestyle music but no one lives that lifestyle. So its catchy but its irrelevant because it’s someones ideal of what life is like which is unattainable to the masses. Its not adding to the good to life.

From: https://afropunk.com/2010/09/fuck-shit-stack-up-with-reggie-watts/

Poco - C'mon

 #Poco #Richie Furay #Timothy Schmidt #Jim Messina #Randy Meisner #country rock #folk rock #ex-Buffalo Springfield #pre-Eagles #1960s #1970s #Beat-Club

The great Southern Californian country-rock group Poco can take a large amount of credit for forging a path through the roots and heartland of their chosen sound. Richie Furay and Jim Messina already had the reputation and the chops since they’d been fundamental to the success of Buffalo Springfield. The multi-instrumentalist Rusty Young added a flavour of pedal steel and six-string virtuosity while George Grantham’s drums and Randy Meisner’s lucid bass and distinctive harmony vocals completed a panoramic view of contemporary Troubadour era rock culture with an eye on the mythic Western past.  From: https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artist/poco/

Poco’s first two studio albums and Deliverin’, the live set from 1971, represent some of the best country-rock laid down to wax.  The tracks were taken from two recorded live shows: Boston’s Music Hall and New York City’s Felt Forum.  If you’re into this kind of music, Deliverin’ represents a kind of peak or pinnacle for the genre.  If only for the powerful playing, tight performances and Rusty Young’s brilliant, often underrated steel guitar work.  It’s easily one of the best live discs of its time; a better played and more enjoyable listening experience than say the Rolling Stones’ Get Yer Ya Ya’s Out.  Furay and Messina are in great spirits too, often lifting the mood and interplay between the musicians.  That’s what makes Deliverin’ so essential; the positive attitudes and vibrant mood of the musicians.  This music soothes the soul and lifts spirits; it’s good listening when you’re having a bad day or going through the motions.  But there’s also depth here too, these tunes will stick in your head for days.
Deliverin’ is high energy, hard hitting country music that mixes new group originals with tracks from Poco’s first two albums and a few Richie Furay penned Buffalo Springfield era gems.  “Kind Woman”, a great, great song, is given a 5 minute rendition while “A Child’s Claim To Fame” is the center of a brilliant medley which also includes “Pickin’ Up The Pieces” and the awesome “Hard Luck.”  They rock the hell out of album opener “I Guess You Made It” and nearly burst into flames on an acoustic version of “You’d Better Think Twice,” which was one of their all-time classics (a small radio hit too).  Deliverin’ ends with another great medley that is mostly comprised of songs from Poco’s superb debut. Not a wasted moment here.  This is Jim Messina’s swan song with the group as he would leave shortly after, forming the Loggins & Messina duo with Kenny Loggins of course.  Deliverin’ shows us why Poco was one of the great American bands.  From: https://therisingstorm.net/poco-deliverin/

First Aid Kit - It's a Shame

 #First Aid Kit #indie folk #Americana #country folk #folk rock #folk pop #singer-songwriter #Swedish

First Aid Kit is a Swedish folk duo consisting of the sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg.  They are from Stockholm, Sweden but their music sounds like a slice of Americana: acoustic guitar, autoharp and lots of vocal harmony. First Aid Kit is known for sweet melodies paired with lyrics that are often dark.  https://www.firstaidkitband.com/

This song was written in the car going back to our rental house in LA after spending a beautiful day at El Matador beach. It’s a song about having to get used to being on your own after being with someone for a long time. How desperately lonely you can feel. How you wish you were stronger and how ashamed you can be of the fact that you’re not. When we traveled to LA we had lots of expectations of what the trip was going to be like. It didn’t really turn out the way we had planned. We were both very sad. “It’s a Shame” came out of the frustration and guilt we felt at the time. We were listening a lot to Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours when recording this song in the studio. There’s a bouncy quality to that record that we love. We wanted the song to feel alive and upbeat, in stark contrast to the lyrical content.  From: https://genius.com/First-aid-kit-its-a-shame-lyrics

The Byrds - It Won't Be Wrong

 #The Byrds #Roger McGuinn #David Crosby #Gene Clark #Chris Hillman #folk rock #psychedelic rock #country rock #jangle pop #classic rock #1960s

Although they only attained the huge success of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Beach Boys for a short time in the mid-1960s, time has judged the Byrds to be nearly as influential as those groups in the long run. They were not solely responsible for devising folk-rock, but they were certainly more responsible than any other single act (Dylan included) for melding the innovations and energy of the British Invasion with the best lyrical and musical elements of contemporary folk music. The jangling, 12-string guitar sound of leader Roger McGuinn's Rickenbacker was permanently absorbed into the vocabulary of rock. They also played a vital role in pioneering psychedelic rock and country-rock, the unifying element being their angelic harmonies and restless eclecticism.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-byrds-mn0000631774/biography

"It Won't Be Wrong" was composed in 1964 by the Byrds lead guitarist Jim McGuinn and his friend Harvey Gerst, who was an acquaintance from McGuinn's days as a folk singer at The Troubadour folk club in West Hollywood, California. The song originally appeared with the alternate title of "Don't Be Long" on the B-side of a single that the Byrds had released on Elektra Records in October 1964, under the pseudonym the Beefeaters. By the time the song was re-recorded in September 1965, during the recording sessions for the Byrds' second Columbia Records' album, its title had been changed to "It Won't Be Wrong". Both the band and their producer Terry Melcher felt that the 1965 version included on the Turn! Turn! Turn! album was far more accomplished and exciting than the earlier Elektra recording of the song.
Lyrically, the song is a relatively simplistic appeal for a lover to submit to the singer's romantic advances. Musically, however, the guitar riff following each verse foreshadows the raga experimentation of the band's later songs "Eight Miles High" and "Why", both of which would be recorded within three months of "It Won't Be Wrong". The Byrds' biographer, Johnny Rogan, has described the difference between the earlier Beefeaters' recording of the song and The Byrds' Columbia version as remarkable. Rogan went on to state that the "lackluster Beefeaters' version was replaced by the driving beat of a Byrds rock classic, complete with strident guitars and improved harmonies, that transformed the sentiments of the song from an ineffectual statement to a passionate plea."  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Won%27t_Be_Wrong
 

Lemon Sky - Ash and Bone

 #Lemon Sky #psychedelic rock #progressive rock #heavy psych #hard rock #1970s retro

Lemon Sky is a Cincinnati based psych-rock/prog-pop quintet that creates a heavy yet highly-melodic brand of psychedelic garage rock that combines the classic rock pomp and stomp of Led Zeppelin with the paisley pop melodies and modern musicality of Queens of the Stone Age for a forward-thinking sound rooted in the past.  From: https://www.bandsintown.com/a/2381083-lemon-sky 

“We’re all living in a world I dreamed,” croons Lemon Sky lead singer Aaron Madrigal in the chorus of “Dos”, which shares the same name as the latest release from the Cincinnati, Ohio quintet. The world that Lemon Sky has dreamed is one of rich harmonies, heavy guitars and hard-hitting beats that mold together to form their own brand of “citrus rock”. Pulling in influences from rock greats Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, Lemon Sky’s aptly named sophomore release, Dos, offers up phantasmagorical arrangements that take you on a psychedelic jaunt beginning with the soft chill of “Err” to the cumulative chords of the 8 minute finale, “Ash & Bone”. While it’s been five years since their debut release, Dos is worth the wait as Lemon Sky reaches for new heights in their pursuit of rock n roll.  From: https://midwestaxn.com/music/review/dos-by-lemon-sky/

Tardigrade Inferno - How Nightmares Die

 #Tardigrade Inferno #avant-garde metal #alternative metal #dark cabaret #dark circus music #Russian #animated music video

Coming from the musically rich city of St Petersburg, Russia is the extraordinarily zany and creative band Tardigrade Inferno which formed somewhere around 2016 and released one self-titled EP and has been somewhat quiet for a few years. The year 2019 has barely had time to warm up and the band finally unleash the very first debut full-length MASTERMIND which displays the band’s unique mix of alternative metal with dark cabaret circus music. Add in sprinklings of death metal, thrash and power metal and you have one of early 2019’s most promising new acts.
The word “Tardigrade” can refer to either a variety of slow-moving microscopic invertebrates or it can simply be an adjective that means slow-moving or slow in action. I have no friggin’ idea how this applies to this band since this is high energy metal and there is relatively little info about this band on the net as i can’t even find any sort of biography whatsoever, however i can say that this band has found a unique sound right off the bat. However if i had to compare Tardigrade Inferno to any other band it would definitely be Diablo Swing Orchestra as it has the same cartoonish feel and the singing style of lead vocalist Darya Pavlovich sounds a lot like both AnnLouice Lögdlund and Kristin Evegård of DSO.
Musically though, this band doesn’t break out the jazz instrumentation or even circus accordions but rather delivers a metal music heft piled on top of dark cabaret and circus melodies alongside the bouncy festive rhythms that are associated with the greatest show on Earth. The metal bombast is mostly carried out by the power chord slapping staccato style accompanied by circusy keyboard runs but different metal variations come into play however mostly in an alternative metal down-tuned power chord rampage. While Darya Pavlovich’s vocal range stays more in clean vocal cabaret mode, she occasionally screams in metal style reminding me of Arch Enemy for short stints but unfortunately not nearly enough! The circus bounces are always under the surface despite heavy metal thunder stomping fast numbers or slower subdued moments.
While i’m constantly reminded of Diablo Swing Orchestra, Tardigrade Inferno isn’t nearly as daring and out there and is rather restrained in comparison. While the music is definitely quirky and playful it doesn’t change the sound up nearly often enough although there are moments such as on the title track where death growls and guitar solos enter the picture, otherwise Darya is pretty much on cutesy Gwen Stefani mode and reminds me a bit of the 90s band No Doubt only with more metal bombast. While a band to look out for as the members become more comfortable with this stylistic fusion approach, this debut is a great start with elements of ska, gypsy swing and the dominant dark cabaret sounds keeping the album infectiously catchy and light-hearted without skimping on the metallic angst.  From: https://www.metalmusicarchives.com/artist/tardigrade-inferno

Nina Hagen - Ziggy Stardust

 #Nina Hagen #new wave #Deutschrock #post-punk #synthpop #David Bowie cover #music video

Also known as the Godmother of Punk, Nina Hagen is a German singer and actress famous for her eccentric singing style and appearance. She has experimented with a vast number of different styles and genres throughout her career including reggae, punk, gospel, big band, swing and even Hindu devotional music.  From: https://www.sputnikmusic.com/bands/Nina-Hagen/44592/

‘I never said I am doing punk music. I never said I am a punk. They said that. I wanted to do rock music since I was 12 years old. It touched my heart to hear Tina Turner, the Beatles. And they were all my singing teachers because I made cassettes. And I sang along. And I wanted to make music like that.’ Born and raised in Berlin, East Germany, CBS Records signed Hagen in 1976 when she was 21. They knew she could sing ‘like a walking volcano,’ as she says, but they wanted her to learn live performance. So they gave her a lot of time and some money to go to London. ‘I saw all the punk bands and when I came back to Berlin I cut my hair short and made black lipstick’, Hagen says. ‘And then they said I’m a punk. I am an entertainer. I sing political cabaret and spiritual cabaret and I write songs about anything concerning life. So it’s just maybe one aspect of my art, punk art.’  From: https://www.maramarietta.com/the-arts/music/neo-classical-and-contemporary/nina-hagen/

The Jayhawks - Nothing Left To Borrow

#The Jayhawks #Gary Louris #Mark Olson #alternative rock #country rock #alt-country #folk rock #Americana #roots rock #1990s

Led by the gifted songwriting, impeccable playing, and honeyed harmonies of vocalists/guitarists Mark Olson and Gary Louris, the Jayhawks' shimmering blend of country, folk, and bar band rock made them one of the most widely acclaimed artists to emerge from the 1980s alternative country scene.  From: https://www.iheart.com/artist/the-jayhawks-56757/

Occasionally, just occasionally, an album lies dormant in my collection waiting to be rediscovered. More likely, as my albums increase to ever more unmanageable levels, I won't have the time to devote to each to really appreciate the depth of the music and quality of the songs involved. Even after replaying Tomorrow The Green Grass by The Jayhawks I still don't think I've fully grasped how good this really is. The problem is there's nothing too prominent. Instead there is a sparse but beautiful feel which, after giving the album a dozen listens, may fall into place but, life is proving so busy and there's so much I want to listen to, I might never realize what I have. Indeed one of the liner notes states "these songs aren't as simple as they might seem at first glance" and that is bang on the money. Tomorrow The Green Grass is one of those rare albums that proves equally rewarding as mere background music or as something to dive right into and explore its dark corners and insightful nooks and crannies.
Playing harmonic country rock which can be traced all the way back to The Byrds, The Jayhawks strength is their strong song-writing as opposed to the trendy posturing of the day. In effect, this is loud folk music that weaves a tapestry of heartache and whimsy, innocence and angst – it could never be accused of being groundbreaking but the band takes pleasure in taking something familiar and performing it really, really well. The vocal harmonies of Gary Louris and Mark Olsen, whose final album with the band this would be, are an absolute joy. There is something of The Everly Brothers in there but it's more of an amalgam of different vocal styles: The Byrds, The Eagles, Buffalo Springfield, there's even something of Tom Petty in the mix and "Bad Time" boasts Beatlelesque vocal harmonies which include a contribution from Sharleen Spiteri taking time out from her band Texas. The best tracks on Tomorrow The Green Grass are some of the best the whole of the alt country genre has to offer. "Blue", "Two Hearts", "Bad Time", "Over My Shoulder" and "Nothing Left To Borrow" are all lovely in their simplicity and breathtaking in their execution.  From: https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-jayhawks/tomorrow-the-green-grass/

Renaissance - Mother Russia

 

#Renaissance #Annie Haslam #progressive rock #British progressive rock #symphonic prog #classical #orchestral #1970s

 

Renaissance were an English progressive rock band who developed a unique sound, combining a female lead vocal with a fusion of classical, folk, rock, and jazz influences. Characteristic elements of the Renaissance sound are Annie Haslam's wide vocal range, prominent piano accompaniment, orchestral arrangements, vocal harmonies, acoustic guitar, synthesiser, and versatile drum work.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_(band)

 

"Mother Russia" is a tribute to dissident Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. His well-known novel about Soviet oppression, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, inspired the lyrics. Clocking in at nine-and-a-half minutes, "Mother Russia" opens with a string-led introduction featuring intermittent piano accents. Annie Haslam's vocals enter about two minutes into the song, and the next three minutes contain four verses that detail Solzhenitsyn's struggles, interspersed with short string and acoustic guitar interludes. The song concludes with a five-minute section comprising a three-minute instrumental interlude with wordless vocals by Haslam, followed by a repetition of the final two verses.
Like many Renaissance songs, Cornish poet Betty Thatcher wrote the lyrics and the band's guitarist, Michael Dunford, composed the music. "Mother Russia" is the closing song on Turn of the Cards, which Renaissance released in July 1974. Five months earlier, the authorities had arrested and deported Solzhenitsyn from the Soviet Union after the publication of his book, The Gulag Archipelago.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was a Russian novelist, historian, and critic of Soviet totalitarianism. In 1962, with the approval of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, he published his first novel, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, which depicted Stalinist repressions. Solzhenitsyn was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature eight years later "for the ethical force with which he has pursued the indispensable traditions of Russian literature."
From: https://www.songfacts.com/facts/renaissance/mother-russia

 

Contraband - The Devil's Fiddle

#Contraband #folk rock #Irish folk #Scottish folk #traditional #contemporary folk

Contraband was a Scottish folk rock band playing an exciting mixture of Irish and Scots traditional tunes, dramatic folk-rock arrangements of classical ballads and contemporary songs.  From: https://www.last.fm/music/Contraband/+wiki

To say musicians like to use contraband could easily be interpreted as an attempt to malign the world's most important profession. To say they like to use Contraband is another story, or better yet another band and another and another. Unlike the band name Joker, which seems to be the exclusive domain of hard rock and country rock bar bands, Contraband has had dealings as a moniker in genres ranging from fusion jazz to heavy metal to, in this case, the traditional Celtic scene. Featuring, among others, the brothers George and Billy Jackson, this Contraband gets its musical fix from a stash of Irish and Scottish folk music.  Band member Mae McKenna claimed in one interview that the group was so enthusiastic about its music that the members sang and played together in the van on the way to and from gigs as well as on-stage. This might be a trifle exaggerated, but the band certainly could never have been faulted for a lack of energy, an aspect made apparent on their self-titled debut in 1974. The group's sound was seen as innovative in the spread of folk-rock ideology, one of the earliest bands to wear the Celtic rock kilt.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/contraband-mn0002793647/biography

Dope Lemon - Honey Bones

 #Dope Lemon #Angus Stone #psychedelic rock #neo-psychedelia #pop rock #psychedelic pop  #psychedelic folk #dream pop #singer-songwriter #Australian #music video

Dope Lemon is the latest musical project from Angus Stone. After he was already established internationally as one-half of the sibling indie pop duo Angus & Julia Stone, the Australian singer/songwriter switched gears with his work under the pseudonym Dope Lemon, embracing more of a woozy, electric, '90s slacker rock sound than his other projects. Slick guitar playing, summery grooves, and dreamy-eyed vocal performances decorate Stone's highly stylized songwriting. From: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dope-lemon-mn0003490717/biography

Angus Stone (sans sister Julia), and his good friends have dropped the debut album for their side project Dope Lemon, ‘Honey Bones’. Unlike what comes from when you and your friends get together to jam in a basement, ‘Honey Bones’ is a beautiful psychedelic-folk album that brings so many different ideas together seamlessly in one release. The album takes you on a psychedelic journey, working you through so many different effects and layers that at times it can be a struggle to be entirely sure what you’re hearing and how it was created. The album is best experienced with headphones on, as the mixing definitely plays with your perceptions as sounds move around your ears and you’re caught in the swirling maelstrom of effects.
Title track Honey Bones takes an exotic excursion, employing a tabla drum beat and constantly jangling sitar in the background to paint a meditative backdrop, which is only further layered by long, drawn out bass notes, and repeating guitar lines. Almost inaudible vocal harmonies add a psychedelic texture to this track in the chorus.
‘Honey Bones’ is at its best when it totally throws your expectations out of the door. Initially, you’re led to believe that it would be a throw back to one of the earlier Bob Dylan albums that first used electric guitar work. However, four songs in you’re taking a psychedelic journey thanks to unadulterated guitar effects and fun layering. At times it sounds like a young guitarist who has tried to apply every guitar effect in his arsenal, but with a beautiful polish and direction that comes with an experienced songwriter like Angus Stone.

From: https://aaabackstage.com/album-review-dope-lemons-debut-album-honey-bones/

Gentle Giant - His Last Voyage

 #Gentle Giant #Shulman brothers #progressive rock #British prog #eclectic prog #classic prog #hard rock #experimental rock #jazz rock #neoclassical #medieval  #1970s #music video

Prog legends Gentle Giant have released a mind-warping visualizer video for His Last Voyage which you can watch above. The track is taken from the new Steven Wilson remix of the band’s 1975 album Free Hand, which is out now. “The video uses a unique AI software algorithm to create a set of abstract visuals,” the band explain of the video, which has appeared on the Gentle Giant YouTube channel. Free Hand was Gentle Giant’s seventh album, originally released in July 1975. It was the most commercially successful of the band’s career reaching the Top 40 album chart in Billboard Magazine. It stands as the culmination of the band’s maturity, following the successes of In A Glass House and The Power And The Glory.  From: https://blog.eil.com/2021/08/22/gentle-giant-release-mind-warping-ai-video-for-his-last-voyage/

It’s likely that many readers will be completely unaware of Gentle Giant. It’s also likely that many readers would baulk at this album. It’s certainly ahead its time. ‘Free Hand’ is the seventh album by Gentle Giant, who were active between 1970 and 1980, and who have doggedly refused to reunite ever since. Comprised of multi-instrumentalists, the band was initially formed by the Shulman brothers, Derek, Ray and Phil although Phil had departed way before Free Hand was released in 1975.
The latest progressive rock outfit to have been given the Steven Wilson remix once over, ‘Free Hand’ was the most commercially successful of the band’s albums, which is astonishing when you listen to it today. Comprising high alto and baritone vocal harmonies, recorder, whistles, fiddles as well as the more standard keyboards, bass, drums and piano, there’s such a myriad of styles in their progressive and complex music that one wonders how it gained any kind of commercial success.
The track ‘On Reflection’ is the obvious example, blending baroque, medieval and chamber music styles with classical and folk, there’s hardly a sniff of guitar for much of the song. By all accounts, that was one of the main attractions of the band, their sheer complexity in song writing. Take a listen to the soulful funk groove of the title track, a song of sheer indulgence and multiple time signatures. It’s simply incredible in its changes, feel and overall delivery. Something that today would be so far out of the mainstream most couldn’t even contemplate it.
There are more medieval flavours on ‘Talybont’, with prominent use of the harpsichord and recorders giving the track a 16th century feel whilst ‘Time to Kill’ reverberates to a jazz rock feel, Derek Shulman’s high vocals assisted by backing vocals from the rest of the band. ‘His Last Voyage’ sees the use of Glockenspiel, harpsichord and electric guitar – it’s an almighty complex and somewhat bemusing amalgamation which is likely to be dismissed by many as twee and over progressive. It certainly is an acquired taste.
From: https://therazorsedge.rocks/2021-06-album-review-gentle-giant-free-hand/

Gentle Giant were a British progressive rock band active between 1970 and 1980. The band were known for the complexity and sophistication of their music and for the varied musical skills of their members. All of the band members were multi-instrumentalists. Although not commercially successful, they did achieve a cult following. The band stated that their aim was to "expand the frontiers of contemporary popular music at the risk of becoming very unpopular” although this stance was to alter significantly with time. Gentle Giant's music was considered complex even by progressive rock standards, drawing on a broad swathe of music including folk, soul, jazz, and classical music. Unlike many of their progressive rock contemporaries, their "classical" influences ranged beyond the Romantic and incorporated medieval, baroque, and modernist chamber music elements. The band also had a taste for broad themes for their lyrics, drawing inspiration not only from personal experiences but from philosophy and the works of Francois Rabelais and R. D. Laing.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentle_Giant