The last single from London based singer/songwriter Dexy was the seasonal ‘Xmas Lights’ in 2018, an affecting meditation on love and loss with bittersweet lyrics such as ‘….I can’t stand another Christmas alone…’ or ‘….I’m blowing out all the candles…pushed your presents back under the bed….’. That may seem a bit downbeat but it is strangely uplifting especially when the full band sound kicks in.
Now new release ‘Drop Your Hand’ arrives, a precursor to his second long-player in early 2021. This is more up-tempo, driven along by rhythm guitar and featuring Hammond organ textures and a persistent drum pulse from collaborator Steve.
Dexy’s vocal delivery has a purity that is laced with tension and reflection ‘…..getting older takes no effort at all….but getting kinder?…that’s a task too tall…’. It is appropriate to the dismissive tone of some of the words, describing that the only way out of the difficult situation is just ‘moving on’. This is summarised concisely in the final stanza ‘……tried to walk together….but you’ve got some way to go…and we could talk forever….and you’d still say you don’t know….so drop your hand, I’ll burn this bridge alone…’.
The metre of the final phrase could be a musical nod to ‘I’ll Sail My Ship Alone’ made popular by Hank Williams or the similarly titled hit by The Beautiful South. As in those songs, the reluctant optimism in ‘Drop Your Hand’ is underpinned by melancholy and a memorable melody; this would make a strong opening track for the forthcoming album…?
A compilation of cover versions of James Bond film themes, with all the artists connected in some way to punk-pop legends The Wedding Present, raising money for charityThe Campaign Against Living Miserably (see link below).
1. James Bond Theme – The Sleazoids. Amiable workout of that most recognizable entry theme for a film character, a flute adds to the feedback and fuzz before the distinctive final chord.
2. You Only Live Twice – The Wedding Present. One of the finest melodies, interweaved with that distinctive John Barry counterpoint figure. David Gedge delivers the words with relaxed gravitas.
3. Goldfinger – Simone White. The bombast of the original is stripped away for a beguiling vocal over a guitar that emphasises all the beauty of the jazzy chords.
4. Goldeneye – Follow The Moths. A lesser theme to start with but full of sinister intrigue building up to the big chorus.
5. The Man With The Golden Gun – Jetstream Pony. One of my favourites of the collection, pacy and punchy with time for a dreamy interlude in the two minutes.
6. Live And Let Die – The Donalds. The highly regarded multi-sectioned source material is treated with fun and reverence, the semi-spoken vocal imbues some tongue in cheek drama.
7. The World Is Not Enough – Maria Scaroni. This torch song lends itself to the 1920s Berlin nightclub atmosphere and the piano and sensuous voice sound like they are in the room with you.
8. Diamonds Are Forever – Cinerama. Full of atmosphere, emphasising the stealthy smooth melodic allure.
9. Tomorrow Never Dies – Danielle Wadey & Charles Layton. Another favourite of mine, with the descending echoing piano intro and arpeggios, full Spector-ish chorus and soaring but vulnerable vocal. Sensational.
10. All Time High – Minitel. Experimental electronica which builds layers of complexity, the song is in there somewhere (but at the time it was never the most memorable?)
11. Nobody Does It Better – Samuel Beer-Pearce. Slowed down version with sliding acapella harmonies turn this into a late night interlude.
12. For Your Eyes Only – Klee. Developing the 80s synth tones of the original, this is a sensuous, immersive electronic journey driven by a strong vocal performance.
13. Thunderball – The Legendary Len Liggins. Spiky guitar and super deep bass underpins this summation of the Bond character before Len deconstructs the myth in a surprise spoken passage…
14. Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – Sleeper featuring David Lewis Gedge. The proposed theme for Thunderball but then instead used in the film soundtrack, it is full of energy with great lines ‘…like a shark he looks for trouble ..that’s why the zeroes double…’
15. From Russia With Love – Graeme Ramsay. Languorous and echoing, dark and sinister, this is another melodic highlight from the Bond canon.
16. View To A Kill – Terry de Castro. Sixties retro vibe with lounge music overtones gives subtle drama to one of the most commercially successful themes.
17. Die Another Day – The Ukrainians. The band are supreme masters of unexpected covers and as usual this one has all of their excellent musical trademarks. And it speeds up halfway through too….
18. Skyfall – Such Small Hands. The award winning original is turned inside out with hypnotic electronics, percussion and keys and a brilliant, haunting vocal.
19. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – Shaun Charman. John Barry’s descending bass sequence sounds as foreboding as ever, with a classy guitar solo over the top in this cinematic instrumental.
20. We Have All The Time In The World – David Lewis Gedge. As in the film, appearing at the finale and here sounding especially poignant with an unadorned classical piano accompaniment. A fitting end to this rich mix.
This is the third single from London four-piece RAMES; a likeable blend of jangly guitar pop tempered with US influenced rock and a determination to lift the mood.
Their debut track ‘Easy For You’ with its joyous Cure/Byrds introduction was a fine welcome to the band, with an intense vocal, roving bass line, room for the guitars to breathe and a winning chorus. Follow-up ‘She’s Gold’ was more densely layered and driven by a recurring instrumental top line and pulsing drums duelling with the echoing vocal.
Now their new release ‘Won’t Be Long’ shows a band building confidence in their sound. This is also evident in the accompanying video showcasing the quartet visiting a variety of London sights, playing celebratory football and setting up to perform in the shadow of some railway arches. It is a punchy, catchy pop song with all the elements of their sound firmly in place, featuring a neat middle eight and bold chorus. In the strange unpredictable music future it would make it strong opener to their live performances…
A new EP from Manchester indie quartet Diving Station, evoking time, season and nature.
1.Joanna. The opening track is mysterious and claustrophobic, with the band inhabiting a recurring pattern of bass, subtle guitar and brushed drums with occasional extra layers from their distinctive Celtic harp (Clàrsach). As on the whole EP the instrumentation is restrained, untreated and perfectly complements the ambience of the songs. The lyric is intense and impressionistic as it portrays the title character ‘…..I dissociate and I put off, Joanna sings of silks and cloth…..she weaves a string, across the sheet, she sends my blood, back to my feet…’, as the words and music circle around in an atmosphere of relaxed dissonance.
2. Fruit Flies. A sensuous evocation of summer warmth and storms, it reads well as a poem but when delivered by the relaxed voice of singer Anna McLuckie the picture is fully painted. ‘….there’s an August shower, that’s unwinding foxtails in the grass……fruit flies on fruit….’.
As the time gently spirals there is plenty more imagery weaving through the track ‘…..air thick, cornflour, clouds swell with dew…..’ . Again the production leaves plenty of space in between the carefully placed notes, creating an optimistic, living and breathing song.
3. June Damp. There is an older alternative version of this track on YouTube, a tour de force performance played on solo harp accompanied by real birdsong, which has a haunting beauty of its own.
This full band recording takes the structure and adds subtly crafted embellishment that gives the track a pulsing heartbeat to drive it along. It is another warm, summery song that seems to follow a natural cycle with repetition and shifting variation, expressed in the lyric ‘……heatwaves on heatwaves……long days on long days….’ expertly blended with the pastoral yearning of the melody.
At last a new single from Los Angeles four-piece The Paranoyds; a previous version was recorded during the sessions for their debut long player (reviewed here), but as a staple crowd-pleaser of their live shows it finally has an official release.
With a knowing nod to the unusually spelled Stephen King novel title and a carefully constructed comedy-horror model for the cover artwork, it is all mischief and frolics in amongst the doomy headstone chords and noise.
It starts off with a walking zombie pace introduction featuring searing guitar, martial drumming and a reassuring thundering bass figure before the double voices quickly conclude that ‘…lets get buried…’ is the loving answer in this gothic reanimated relationship. After all, ‘…when we come back love’s twice as strong….’
The guitar explosively follows its own course and battles with powerhouse drums and an organ that takes on the twisted grandeur of a Hammer Horror film soundtrack, before it all ends up in a pile-up in the last few bars. It is all good fun and is a contrasting heavy track to accompany the quartet’s other fastpunk recordings.
London four-piece Bleach Lab inhabit a world of beautiful dreampop where the instruments and voice meld together and seem to slow down the passing of time. From earlier this year, ‘Burnt Orange’ featured intricate guitar work, changes of pace and a killer chorus. ‘Sleep’ was even more laid back, had the inviting opening line ‘…it was late and my head hurt….’ and a tour de force lead vocal.
Now new single release ‘Never Be’ is a thoughtful meditation on break-up and the uncertainty of moving on. Like the hinterland between sleeping and becoming aware, the track unusually fades into being, establishing a leisurely pace and production lustre that sustains throughout.
Again, vocalist Jenna Kyle makes every word count as the guitar gently soars and bends notes, creating an impression of being becalmed on a lake as the current nearly stops. In the end it does, not quite resolved musically and emotionally – which is part of the magic of this track.
Combining a pure folk voice with the lustre of electronic layers and a pulsing rhythm underlay, composer and singer/instrumentalist Jackie Beverly released ‘Sweet Goodbye’ earlier this year. This continued to build her reputation on the Irish music scene after the soulful tones of 2019’s ‘Someone Else’ (showcased to perfection on a live YouTube version).
Starting with acoustic guitar and vocal, new single ‘Sea Glass’ is a creative weaving together of timeless imagery ‘……. separate the sea glass from the sand….but the waves are strong….’, elegiac reflection (including a poignant sample of Marilyn Monroe ‘….I could easily be alone it doesn’t bother me to be alone….’) and attractive instrumentation. This includes the richness of a cello, echoing acoustic piano and some unhurried and sensitive percussion.
The video carries on the sense of melancholy but tempered with macabre fun as Jackie’s band and friends appear as ghost-sheeted figures in the background. They gradually multiply and take over until they are chasing Jackie down the road in Dublin’s Portobello as the repeated line ‘…..no-one ever told me that the days and nights would feel the same….’ brings this attractive but thoughtful track to an end.
There are two versions of this song from CARRON. The original track released last month is a mellow and soothing electropop track full of rippling arpeggios weaved through ethereal vocals from multi-instrumentalist sisters Méabh & Mella Carron. The keyboards have a significant but not dominant presence, especially when dancing around the bass pedalled notes during the chorus and the key lines ‘…..if I borrowed a life would I question myself….would it change what I felt…’ . There is even a bit of gentle synth soloing before the multi-layer harmonies bring the song to a close.
Now CARRON have re-interpreted their own song for a ‘Live in Lockdown’ alternative. Beginning with a repeated figure like autumnal birdsong the unadorned folk-based combination of violin and piano carries the backing with the subtlest of electric guitar enhancement. The sisters draw true beauty from the melody when singing solo, in unison or with harmonies.
The stripped-back and slowed down mix emphasises the wintery cadences of the arrangement, performed in a candlelit setting it is a gorgeous combination of voices and music.
This may be the perfect antidote to the maelstrom of uncertainty and contradiction of current everything; London four-piece Tugboat Captain have fashioned a complex and upbeat compendium of rewarding sounds.
Like many of the tracks opener ‘Check Ur Health’ draws on a range of sixties sources with a touch of prog-folk detachment in the lyrical delivery and the unpredictable instrumentation. There are later Beatles influences too, emphasised by the band’s insistence that the disc was recorded secretly at Abbey Road when there was spare time available.
The prescient ‘No Plans (For This Year)’ was finished a while ago, bringing in brass and strings to add emphasis to the vocal lines, driven by a neat piano break. ‘C’mon! Haribo?’ is frenetic fun while ‘Downward Slope’ is a punchy minute and a half. ‘Come Dig Me Out’ lopes along with extra acoustic guitar flourishes before diverting into many different sections and a steadily building entourage of extra instruments and voices (the LP credits 35+ players, singers and helpers…).
And there is much much more to hear as the later tracks open up the studio opportunities with brass, strings, woodwind and ever-changing musical dynamics.
It is an album of depth and colour, every track immaculately constructed but still retaining an underlying anarchy and looseness that create welcome undulations in the polished veneer.
This debut long-player is summed up by Tugboat Captain themselves, ‘….the band have now pushed on, beyond being solely a DIY indie-pop band, leaving lo-fi behind in search of transcendence through pure pop…..’
‘Versailles’ is the latest in a string of quality singles from London trio Gold Baby, each one a self-contained epic of careful musical crafting and inventive lyrics. Highlights have included ‘500/1’, a wistful time-spanning reflection where the delicate backing builds into a dense unforgiving repeated conclusion ‘…..bad dream, bad dream, this is just a bad dream…’. ‘Philadelphia’ has a restrained road movie pace, full of atmospheric words and including a catchy chorus featuring a name check for Jesús Vidaña (found adrift in 2006 having survived lost at sea for nine months).
‘Dogbone’ is an angry but honest dismissal at the end of a relationship acknowledging that ‘…..not the draw or the cut or the bruise in my gut….you’re no-one….’ over a constantly varying and dysfunctional guitar riff. As on all of these songs singer/songwriter Siân Alex twists the words and emotions inside out, pulling the listener into a vortex of imagery and juxtaposition, used to great effect in most recent track ‘Japanese Racehorse’. Here the music and words embrace each other in subtle low key verses and a stately anthemic chorus. If read as a poem it works very well, the music raises it to another level.
Now new track ‘Versailles’ is a pensive and mellow piece, with a part-acoustic backing competing to be quieter than the voice. The lyric of disconnection and regret is painfully drawn ‘……there’s barbed wire between us whenever we speak….we used to talk the stars out of the sky….and now I’m nervous about a few hours passing by….’ to contrast yet complement the sheer beauty of the music where the dreamy guitars drift in and out, surprisingly bursting into an almost solo near the end. I enjoy the lyrical games of ‘…..what are we but strangers now forcing conversation? what are we but strangers now forcing conservation of our little Versailles?….’ and overall the song lures, beguiles and completely wins you over.
Hopefully a full EP will be released in early 2021…
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