III. Elephant

Time flies when you're having fun, as a famous saying says. Elephant debuted in 2022 and already released its third album. You can find both previous albums, 'Big Thing' (2022) and 'Shooting The Moon' (2023), on this blog, so it makes sense that III is here as well.

Yet, it's less logical than you might think. Both albums have not made a lasting impression on me.They were nice to have and not must haves. It's impossible to state where III will end up but getting acquainted with the album is nice. There's no doubt there.

Elephant, Frank Schalkwijk (vocals, guitar), Michael Broekhuizen (vocals, guitar), Bas Vosselman (vocals, bass/guitar) and Kaj van Driel (drums), have been touring parts of Europe by now and spend weeks on end together in a van. They were exposed to all the up and downsides of band life. If this has led to several different vantage points in the band's music, I can't tell. Fact is that there's a more electronic song, '20k', on the album and songs with guests Sophie Winterson and producer of the album, DeWolff's Pablo van der Poel.

The basis of III is of course Elephant's soft toned indie rock. The Rotterdam band is a modest band. With singers that sing with a soft voice. Not quite the showman who jumps up and down in front of "his" band. The music is mostly modest as well but does the talking. The effect the band wants to achieve is the listener lending his/her ears to the album. Within that concept there may be a somewhat louder song with a distinct guitar solo, like on 'Real Love'. The aim remains an alternative popsong that caresses the ears of the listener.

Photo: Satellite June

Elephant succeeds with flying colours in its goal. It presents songs I want to listen to and my feeling is more so than with its previous two records. III is more diverse and perhaps more mature and stable as well. Elephant has grown as a band and its members as songwriters and musicians. In other words, it has become far more interesting to listen to. Just listen to the jazzy guitar solo in 'Tried To Sleep' to get my drift.

Based on what I hear on III, Elephant deserves to set a next step in its career on route to bigger venues around Europe. Recommended listening the album is.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

Je kunt Elephant hier bestellen:

https://excelsior-recordings.com/en/products/elephant-iii

Portrait Of My Heart. SPELLLING

SPELLLING is Chrystia Cabral from the Bay Area and with Portrait Of My Heart releases her fourth album. She assembled a live band for her previous album's tour and they continued into the studio for the latest album. Wyatt Overson (guitar), Patrick Shelley (drums), and Giulio Xavier Cetto (bass) rock alright.

The album opens with the title song and single 'Portrait Of My Heart'. Listening to what comes after the single, it is almost not representative for what follows. 'Portrait Of My Heart' is partly electronic and placed in a musical straightjacket. Listening again, I'm not surprised that I passed on the opportunity to write about it. In the context of the album it does work though. I notice how the song grows after I gave the album the chance to grow.

The second song on the album, 'Keep It Alive', starts with strings (or synths) and an empty verse. In the chorus SPELLLING starts to show her true colours. The song rocks and then some more. The distortion pedals are kicked in while the strings return in support. Chrystia Cabral brought her rocking voice to the studio as well and the album has come alive. Because of the use of dynamics the song shows different sides to a rock song, making it the more interesting.

'Alibi' rocks even more, but not without an 80s element that could have come straight out of the 1980s play book of a band like Nena or singer like Kim Wilde. European influences in the Bay Area? Why not? What comes from a far, can be just as good or better sometimes.

Portrait Of My Heart last eight more songs, but with each song SPELLLING brings you into alternative rock spheres with different influences touched upon. This approach to the music may make the album at times sound familiar but also surprising as no song is the same. Okay, one final example. The fourth song will bring you a little 80s rock like Swedish rockers Europe, while adding a touch of more modern U.S. girlpower singers.'Waterfall' the song is called. There's more for you to discover, so do not hesitate to do so.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Portrait Of My Heart here:

https://spellling.bandcamp.com/album/portrait-of-my-heart

A Little Blood. Grace Bergere

Er was de afgelopen maanden niet heel veel aandacht voor het uitstekende debuutalbum van de Amerikaanse muzikante Grace Bergere en dat is niet alleen volkomen onterecht, maar ook echt doodzonde.

Ik hou de ontwikkelingen in de popmuziek volgens mij redelijk goed bij, maar ik heb de afgelopen maanden nergens iets gelezen over A Little Blood van de New Yorkse muzikante Grace Bergere. Dat is gek, want het debuutalbum van de Amerikaanse muzikante heeft alles wat nodig is om te worden overladen met superlatieven. Grace Bergere beschikt om te beginnen over een geweldige stem, die haar songs voorziet van een eigen karakter. Het is een eigen karakter dat wordt versterkt door zeer persoonlijke songs en een veelzijdig geluid dat zowel met invloeden uit de pop en rock als met invloeden uit de folk overweg kan. Het levert wat mij betreft een van de miskende muziekparels van 2024 op.

Slechts in één jaarlijstje kwam ik het album A Little Blood van Grace Bergere tegen, maar gezien de andere albums in dit lijstje, grotendeels persoonlijke favorieten, was het mij direct duidelijk dat ik op zijn minst naar het album moest luisteren. Het debuutalbum van de muzikante uit New York bleek vervolgens een enorme verrassing en bovendien zo’n albums dat het had gerechtvaardigd om nog even te wachten met mijn eigen jaarlijstje.

Ik kan nauwelijks iets vinden over de muziek van Grace Bergere en dat is niet alleen onbegrijpelijk, maar ook heel jammer, want A Little Blood weet zich wat mij betreft makkelijk te onderscheiden van de meeste albums die in 2024 zijn verschenen. Zeker bij eerste beluistering van de eerste tracks op A Little Blood deed de muziek van Grace Bergere me wel wat denken aan de albums die PJ Harvey in haar jonge jaren maakte, maar het album laat meerdere andere kanten van de muzikante uit New York horen.

In een aantal songs neemt de Amerikaanse muzikante je mee terug naar het New York van de tweede helft van de jaren 70, maar A Little Blood bevat ook een aantal folky songs die zowel uit het verleden als het heden kunnen stammen. Het album laat flarden van muziek van anderen horen, maar bij eerste beluistering van het album valt vooral de bijzondere of zelfs unieke stem van Grace Bergere op.

Het is een stem waar ik de eerste paar minuten wat aan moest wennen, maar sinds die eerste paar minuten vind ik de stem van de New Yorkse muzikante alleen maar heel erg mooi. Grace Bergere zingt op haar debuutalbum met veel gevoel, wat een serie intense en intieme songs oplevert. Het zijn songs waarin de Amerikaanse muzikante de persoonlijke thema’s niet schuwt, wat de zeggingskracht en de urgentie van haar songs verder vergroot.

Grave Bergere maakte haar debuutalbum met een beperkt aantal muzikanten en werkte bovendien samen met producer Richard Dev Greene, die een enkeling zal kennen van de New Yorkse band Pale Moon Gang. Gitaren staan centraal op A Little Blood en het zijn met enige regelmaat gitaren met lekker veel galm, wat het rock ’n roll karakter van het album versterkt, maar Grace Bergere heeft ook een folky kant, die ze verrijkt met akoestische gitaren en stemmige strijkers.

Veel songs van Grace Bergere zijn wat donkerder getint, wat perfect werkt in combinatie met de wat ruwere of juist sfeervolle klanken en de bijzondere stem van de New Yorkse muzikante, die zich moeiteloos aanpast aan de verschillende stijlen op het album. A Little Blood is een persoonlijk album met veel ruwe randjes, maar Grace Bergere laat op haar debuutalbum ook horen dat ze zeer bedreven is in het schrijven van aansprekende songs.

A Little Blood stijgt hierdoor ver boven het gemiddelde debuutalbum uit, wat het extra bijzonder maakt dat het debuutalbum van Grace Bergere het de afgelopen maanden moest doen met slechts zeer bescheiden aandacht. Grace Bergere heeft in New York de grootste moeite om de eindjes aan elkaar te knopen, wat het nog wat vervelender maakt dat haar zo goede debuutalbum niet wat meer aandacht heeft gekregen de afgelopen maanden. Ik kwam haar debuutalbum zoals gezegd maar in één jaarlijstje tegen, maar wat heeft dit lijstje het bij het juiste eind. Wat een prachtalbum!

Erwin Zijleman

Pushed To The Edge. Don Airey

Don Airey joined Deep Purple after the late Jon Lord retired from the band in the early 00. That makes him a member fro nearly a quarter of a century. Of all the members he's the most granddad looking of the bunch. Standing behind a battery of keyboards he produces the classical side of Deep Purple as introduced by Jon Lord. Including fast paced Hammond B3 solos, at a speed as if there's no tomorrow.

Airey has had a long career, that professionally started as a member of Cozy Powell's Hammer and then Colosseum II and Rainbow. Followed by a long list of sessions and bands, until 2002 when he joined Deep Purple.

At 76 he releases another solo album, his seventh plus four live albums. If anything, Pushed To The Edge is a classic rock album, containing everything such an album should. It's almost more Deep Purple than Deep Purple itself. Having surrounded himself with a great team, this album rocks. With drummer Jon Finnigan and bassist Dave Marks.the bottom of the record is extremely solid. The latest Deep Purple member, guitarist Simon McBride, takes on all guitar duties and the two vocalists do the rest. Both Carl Sentance (Nazareth) and Mitchell Emms, who became know because of The Voice UK, have the voice to carry songs like these. If ever Ian Gillan retires with recruiting Emms the band can last into the third quarter of this century. Seeing the average age of four of the five band members retirement or worse is not too far off.

With Pushed To The Edge Don Airey has recorded an extremely potent album, where the energy simply oozes out of. The music rocks and Airey is not afraid to bring in some elements from eastern and classical music. And of course there's a ballad, which is o.k. for the balance of the album. When the band starst rocking again I'm the happier because of it.

I had not expected to write on a Don Airey solo record, but here we are. Again an ageing artist shows that age is not an impediment for writing and recording an inspired and good record. Pushed To The Edge? No, Don Airey is in extremely comfortable circumstances on his latest record.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

2025 week 13. 10 singles

Not a week, if not a day goes by that the news does not surprise me or even shocks me. Being surprised to be surprised again, to the point where I feel like not wanting to learn more. And that is when things start getting dangerous. Ignorance is far from bliss, as it will bring many very nasty surprises as many voters are starting to notice in democracies around the world. So, I keep following the news, just like I keep on the look out for new singles to point you to. Here are another ten of them. Enjoy!

Lies (Something You Can Do). The Hard Quartet

Until today I passed the option by to write on The Hard Quartet, an alternative rock supergroup consisting of  Emmett Kelly, Stephen Malkmus, Matt Sweeney, and Jim White. Lies (Something You Can Do) deserves a spot though. The song is a nice ramshackle affair, where everyone playing seems to be doing something totally on his own. Over it Emmett Kelly sings the vocal melody, keeping things together quite nicely. The further I go into the song the more it shows how it all fits together. Who keeps the rhythm in Lies (Something You Can Do)? The drums mostly roll away. The bass follows its own melody and the guitars are all over the place and yet it all fits somehow. There are even successful backing vocals doing oohs and aahs. From interesting listening slowly Lies (Something You Can Do) moves into good and that surprised me no little after the start of the song.

Hopeful. Micha

For weeks now Radio 2 dj Jan Willem Roodbeen is pushing a singer from Zwolle called Micha. And now the station has made it its song of the week. What is it all about? I come to a simple conclusion. A typical singer-songwriter song as there are many and then some more. We hear an acoustic guitar, that is subtly picked, over which a voice with a strong rasp in it sings with a melancholy tone. Done right, this is the kind of song that can touch a person's heart straight away. It must have happened to Roodbeen, not to me though. Hopeful is a beautiful song, no doubt there, but not more than that. In my ears it misses that little extra element of stardust that makes a ballad shine. You will all have your own example. In the meantime do enjoy Hopeful because it certainly is worthwhile listening to.

No Known Known. I Am Oak

I Am Oak returns to the blog with another single. Album 'Time Drifts' is just around the corner. No Known Known is a fine representative of that album, should you have a desire to learn about what to expect of I Am Oak. The single is a slow ballad, with a hint of mystery created by the way voice and instruments were recorded. There seems to be so much open space in which both categories can settle that there is more than enough space left for the mystery. The basis of this song is the acoustic guitar that is sparsely strummed. There's one section in which a keyboard and strings join the guitar, just like more voices are let in. All Thijs Kuijken it seems to my ears. The small additions are the stardust that I missed in the review right above this one. That may have to do with experience, as Kuijken is active as musician is his third decade and Micha just debuted. It could be of choice as well of course. Choose your battle, I'd say because both are beautiful songs in their own right, but I do have my preference as you've just learned.

Happy Birthday. Black Country, New Road

Just over a month ago I reviewed 'Besties', Black Country, New Road's previous single. As you may recall it was one of the weirdest musical experiences I've encountered during the days of this blog. It did not stop me from listening to Happy Birthday. Sure, the song does not take a straight line from point a to b either, as it makes a few detours here and there. Not to mention the lyrics where the singer claims to be dead already, "as you can see by the patch on my hand". Where 'Besties' totally derailed my ears and brain, Happy Birthday does the absolute opposite. The song is stimulating and invigorating. Yes, here it is easy to accept the detours, the change in tempo and some esoteric interludes. Again nothing is what it seems, but at least everything is in its place. The result is a musical adventure that is worth taking, like a hiking trail that may have some danger but also leads to the most beautiful of panoramas. Happy Birthday is that kind of song. Album 'Forever Howlong' is released on 4 April.

Ancient Light. I'm With Her

The name I'm With Her did not ring any bells with me and cannot be found on this blog. Single Ancient Light landed well in these ears within the first seconds. Clicking on the link I read the names Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O'Donovan and Sara Watkins. Look for those names on this blog and you'll find multiple reviews. Mostly by Erwin Zijleman and where Sarah Jarosz in concerned by yours truly. The trio has already worked together, I learned and is about to release its second album, 'White And Clear And Blue' on May 9th, Judging from Ancient Light, we are bound for an acoustic folk album with acoustic guitars, a banjo and violin. Above all, the three sing together in a heavenly way. It's quite clear that you do not have to be siblings to sing together perfectly. Jarosz, O'Donovan and Watkins certainly weave in and out of each other's melody in a both charming and perfect way. A very nice song Ancient Light is.

Careful. Personality Cult

Personality Cult is from Durham in North Carolina and started when Ben Carr started to create music on his own. This led to a first, self-titled LP, but from there transitioned into a band. That band is about to release its second album, 'Dilated' (2 May), third in total. On the basis of Careful we can expect a punkrocking album filled with fast-paced songs. All but careful I'd say, as Personality Cult really goes for it with an aim to make audiences wild. The charm, in as far as a song like Careful has any of course, is that the band manages to bring in many nice and interesting twists and accents into the whole. If it wasn't so loud and fast, one could even call it subtle. Careful has some great breaks, interesting chord changes and vocal melodies. Once listening past the speed, you will hear loads of musicality the members of Personality Cult have in them.

Sangria (demo). Vera Ellen

Not all albums from 2023 come by on a regular basis any more, but 'Ideal Home Noises' is one of them. So, when Vera Ellen releases a new song, I certainly prick up my ears. The effort is paid back in full, as Sangria (demo) is one of these typical Vera Ellen songs. She is able to set the strangest of moods in her songs and is able to make the weirdest of twists in her lyrics and still I follow her any which way her wind blows me. This song does not seem to go anywhere. It's sort of slacker dragging its feet along. But just wait for it. With an apparently simple musical twist Vera Ellen changes the mood by changing her voice in the chorus. And that is where the adventure starts. I simply love how she does this and Sangria (demo) is no exception to her rule. It's a song that she already played live on her 2024 tour and may be the first of what is to come at a still unknown point in time. For one, I can't wait to hear more.

No One Like You. Girl With A Hawk 

Although Girl With A Hawk is only on this blog for a few years, the Boston band is there very regularly and No One Like You is no exception. It sounds a lot like many songs that I've heard ever since the late 70s and yet it immediately touches the right musical strings in my brain. Linda Viens' voice does that Blondie thing, although she has a far better voice than Debbie Harry. At the same time No One Like You is a streamlined song. Nothing jumps across the fence. It's like the perfect guy with all his hair's in place, not a single one sticking out. The band is a tight unit, playing almost like a monolith, tightly sealed in the song's context. Not even the warm organ or the guitar solo escapes it. And yet it totally works. The melody is so compelling. It's the kind of song I want to put on again and again.

Calliope. The Underground Youth

Calliope is a daughter of Zeus and one of the muses, of eloquence and epic poetry. (Thank you Wikipedia.) Coincidentally, I read today an interview with Stephen Fry because of his new book 'Odyssey', in which he states that Homer's epic novel announced the end of the Gods in ancient Greece. There was no need for them any longer. The Underground Youth finds itself on WoNoBlog for the second time with a slow, bare and empty song from its upcoming album 'Décollage', released on 4 April. Calliope is present in the female voice that meanders in the background almost throughout the song in a heavenly way. Décollage is as much song as atmosphere. The singer sings with a dark voice, taking his time in his phrasing, as the song gives him all the time he needs. The band's "explosion" comes as a surprise but takes the song to the next level. Calliope is as interesting as it is good.

Hamelin. King Garcia

Instrumental post rock/metal band King Garcia is on the blog for the second time as well, see The Underground Youth above. After 'Sweat', that surprised me no little with a saxophone as a lead instrument, it's Hamelin's turn, the title track of the upcoming album, released on 18 April. Again, there are many familiar elements in the song's structure and approach, in the metal sense. There's is nothing like it though because of Alex Orfanos' contributions on trumpet and clarinet. This makes for such a surprising band sound. It brings in immediate references to traditional Greek folk music, regardless of the onslaught of the metal style playing guitar, bass and drums. It works for me though. If the lead instrument had been another guitar or voice, the effect would not have been half of what it is now. Where usually I am quite soon fed up with instrumental music, I would be surprised if 'Hamelin' will not go down well.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght