I am sitting on pins and needles waiting for February 11, 2022, when Jacknife Lee and Cathal Coughlan release the 13 track album ‘a hAon’. I have sampled teasers from this much-anticipated release, Mister Imperator and We Need.
Mister Imperator, track two on the album a hAon, comes to us as an EP that includes the latest ‘Mister Imperator (Dub Mix)’, two more remixes and the original version of their recently-released ‘Mister Imperator’ single. If you have a pulse, this EP will raise it. The Maurice and Charles Remix, logging in at 8 1/2 minutes, is a standout for me; good stuff, eh.
Track three from a hAon is We Need, pre-released as a four-track EP that includes the Album Version plus three bonusremixed versions, Dub, TheFetch Remix and the Jape Remix. Hypnotic music with a beat will be great stuff to do my exercise along with; it will raise my pulse and entertain at the same time.
Anyhoo, I present these two EP’s for your listening pleasure and stay tuned for the February 11 release of the full-length album ‘a hAon’. I have provided links for you to listen to and find more information on the artists responsible for this blog post, Jacknife Lee and Cathal Coughlan.
There is an album that I have been listening to that I would like to share with you. The album is Endless From The Start, the band that made it is Union of Knives. No matter how compelling I desire to inform you, the reader, I find myself thwarted in my attempts to do so. Allow me to elaborate.
I have been listening to music for what seems like forever, and I have been writing about music in one form or another for donkey years. Within that framework, I have had dry spells where the creative juices ran dry, and no matter how often I put pen to paper, nothing issued forth.
This is not that. I feel connected to this music. It inspires me. I want to write, and I know that on some level, I can write, as you can see for yourselves since I assume you are reading this. The problem is this. I find it very difficult to describe to you what I am hearing.
This is not sugary pop music. It is so much more than that. This album is a veritable cornucopia of taste; it would launch your tastebuds into orbit if sampled on a spoon.
Well, my goodness, that passage was honest to goodness review material; let’s keep this going.
Dark industrial music elements churn and grind away, providing a template for other textures and vocals. There are layers of music on top of layers of music, and this music gets complicated, which only adds to its listenability. Listen after listen to this album offers new insights and hidden gems tucked away in recessed corners of Endless From The Start. That album title is very apt; the musical discoveries are indeed endless from the start.
The people known as Union of Knives are a Scottish trio consisting of producer and musician Chris Gordon (also known from the band Baby Chaos), programmer Dave McClean and singer Craig Grant. Perhaps it would be helpful if they told us a bit about the music rather than dithering on about what I heard.
union of knives by simon murphy
Speaking about the new offering, the band’s Anthony Thomaz said, “There’s a River is a song about going forward with clarity and pushing through the surrounding noise by simplifying the complex. A conversation to self.”
While songwriter Chris Gordon added, “If you like your dystopian soundscapes with a sprinkling of hope and a dream-like narrative, then There’s a River is the track for you.” And, I will add, Endless From The Start is an album for you.
It certainly was an album for me. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Endless From The Start, from start to finish, a strong player all the way through.
I bought my first records in 1969. The first 45 was “Crimson and Clover” by Tommy James and the Shondells. The first LP that I purchased was The Bee Gees Greatest Hits. Over the ensuing years, I have listened to these repeatedly and still enjoy them. Some recordings have that magical magnetism. There are also some albums that I fell in love with after only hearing the first couple of notes of music or lyrics. Dark Side of the Moon did that number on me in 1973. Those recordings don’t happen all that often, but when it does happen, it is golden.
It happened again this week. I was sent an email that asked me if I would consider writing a blog posting about the album Animals by Cat Dowling. I dropped the imaginary needle on the opening track. Boom! It happened. I felt the magic. I felt the music. I felt the voice of Cat Dowling telling me that this love would make my skin burn, and it nearly did. It certainly made my ears perk up. It sent a cascade of energy pulses racing through my brain cells which excited a bucket full of neurons. Yeah, this album has that power.
I have since listened to it four times, and the charm didn’t wear off; that’s a good sign. I am listening to it again as I tap away at my keyboard, and I can only marvel at how sound this recording is. Stuttering guitar chords build power in the songs. I am listening to the track Trouble at the moment. Powerful stuff. Higher and higher it goes with blistering guitar solos layered on top of some psychedelic stuff featuring manic drums, lots of cymbals and, as always, Cat Dowling’s voice. That magical, enchanting voice.
I was not familiar with Cat Dowling, so I had to do some research. She is from Dublin, Ireland and released her debut album, The Believer, in 2013. She seems to have flown under the radar because I can find precious little about her or her music. That is odd because her music should be played from the rooftops; she is that good, in my opinion.
Before she started her solo career, she was a member of two other bands, Babelfish and Alphastates. Two bands that I can’t find much information about. Regardless of where she came from, I have a good feeling about where she could very well be heading, that is, to the top of the charts.
I’ll let Cat Dowling tell us a bit about this album. “I wrote Animals during a busy period of my life when to find those rare moments to write music meant I had to be a thief elsewhere. But it was these stolen moments that gave me oxygen and a beautiful, almost supernatural energy. ‘Animals’ was written when everyone was sleeping. It started with the driving, repetitive rhythm, which had to be restrained so as not to wake a soul. It thus became hypnotic. It starts as minor and ends up major. It’s about the major and minor of life and of love and the constant pull in everything between major and minor and the light and the dark. It’s a song ultimately of passion, wildness, sensuality and love,”
Irish artist, illustrator, and animator, Marc Corrigan, created a stunning video for Animals. I’m not big on videos, but this one is a beauty. “Animals’ is a wild song. It never stops moving. When I first heard it, I could picture the ending straight away – a constant flow of wild animals morphing and twisting into each other. Once I knew that I just had to build up to it, set up a surreal morphing world. The imagery had to move constantly to keep pace with the music. It had to suggest animal instincts in a beautiful way. It had to be a constant high-energy piece that never let up and built to a crescendo. So I just kept drawing,” says Marc Corrigan.
The ‘Animals’ single is now available everywhere, includingSpotify, Apple Music andBandcamp. As of November 12, the full ‘Animals‘ LP will be released on CD, limited-edition cassette and digitally on Bandcamp, where it is available for pre-order. via Forever In Financial Arrears Records (FIFA Records).
I have been deeply entrenched in a new album by an artist that is also new, new to me, that is. The artist is Jonny Woolnough, and the album is his solo effort, ‘Mayurqa,’ released November 19th via Mönch Records
The vast majority of albums that I blog about are of a type that allows me to write about them as I listen to the songs. There are a few lovely exceptions to this pattern, such as the blog previous to this one, “Travelling With Alexander Hulme.” You ought to listen to that one as well as this album from Jonny Woolnough.
Jonny took an indefinite break from making music after forming the critically acclaimed bands Tomartyrs and The Bazaars and touring guitarist for Finley Quaye. He and his girlfriend had quit their jobs and moved to Mallorca for family reasons, and it had been a few years since he’d left the world of music. In Mallorca, all he had was his Martin 000-18 acoustic guitar, a mac laptop, and a couple of mics.
Jonny tells us, “I would look after my son for most of the day, and in the evenings, when I had put him to sleep, I would sit and craft the songs, recording demos as I went. Lyrics would drip through from long walks along the Paseo Maritimo overlooking the choppy Winter Balearic seas or climbing the Tramontana mountains high above the island. At times, I became so close to its nature and heartbeat that I almost saw it as a living, breathing being. My imaginary friend, Mallorca.”
I feel that this album captures a great deal of that magical inspiration and translates it through his trusty guitar, voice and various inspired musical elements.
Jonny Woolnough sings in a smooth, controlled manner that exudes confidence and passion. The time he spent away from the hustle and bustle of the primal big music environment gave him a fresh approach to how he created and delivered the words and music that tell us about the people and places that inspired him.
Is that not the nature of songs and music? They convey to others what we have seen, heard and felt. Jonny Woolnough has taken that inspiration, and he has created a beautiful piece of art. We do not hang this piece of art on a wall in our homes or set it on an end table for others to view unless you are particularly enamoured with the album artwork. It is pretty lovely.
The art that I speak of is to be played and heard. It should be allowed to soak into our brains and savour like a fine wine; this is not fast food or elevator music. Mayurqa is an album that needs the time and space to unfurl and display the inner beauty at its heart.
Listen to the words of Mayurqa with intent. Try to hear what Jonny Woolnough is telling us through the lyrics of his songs. These musical pieces of art will hang on the walls of a room created in our souls. There will be a sign on the door that says, “Welcome to Mayurqa, my friends, come in and sit a spell.” We shall have an enjoyable time together, Jonny Woolnough and I, with perhaps a person of significance that we can share a bottle of wine and our journey to Mayurqa.
I have done a good deal of travelling throughout my life. Once it is safe to do so, I fully intend to do more travelling, there are some places I haven’t scratched off my bucket list, and there are places that I want to revisit.
A singer/songwriter from the UK, Alexander Hulme, has also done his fair share of travelling, and, like me, he also has wanderlust.
“So much of this world to touch
I can never get enough.”
He also looks forward to travelling again while staying grounded when he gets tired, as he laments.
“tired, oh so tired, leave this all behind.”
I get the impression that he can also conjure the ability to travel while going nowhere—an armchair traveller. Through the magic of the internet and good books, I have fed my urge to wander without leaving home—a handy trick in the era of Covid.
I have spun that last bit of writing while listening to Alexander Hulme and his new EP, Slow Down, out 12th November, and specifically the track Travelling, a magical bit of music that I get lost in my brain while listening to it. It’s not just the words; the music surrounding the words takes my breath away. I’ll let Alexander tell you a bit about it himself.
“Travelling was written in 2019, back when I took being able to leave the country and explore some of the magic that is out there on this rock in space for granted. Myself and my partner have always been quite restless, always looking on the horizon for the next great adventure; we really find it hard to put down roots. I think it’s a side effect of university, if I’m honest. We got used to moving house every year, and then after uni, we hopped around our parent’s houses, rented accommodation and places all across the country, so we both find it quite hard to stand still at times.
Travelling was written just before my holiday to Thailand back in 2019 and was all about finally being able to scratch that itch. Since the pandemic days, myself and Gemma have really had to come to terms with putting down roots and finding some sort of peace whilst stationary. I think in hindsight, it was actually really good for us!
However, Travelling is all about the adventure, the excitement and wonder that comes from throwing off the every day for a life more exciting.
Written entirely by the artist himself and produced by David Alexander Lomelino, Alexander’s EP ‘Slow Down‘ marks the next vital stage in his growing and fledgling career. Showcasing his breadth for smooth and enticing songwriting, the new four-track EP makes for an embracing, and organic listen that will see him capture the hearts of thousands, if not millions.
This EP, Slow Down, was the first time I engaged with the music of Alexander Hulme. I certainly hope it is not the last.
“Where Is My Muse” is my 95th blog post in this calendar year, Twenty Twenty-one. It has been a very productive year with a tonne of great music that inspired me to write and hopefully leads others to enjoy this music as much as I have.
Today is October 28, and my Muse has abandoned me! Where, oh where, can my Muse be hiding. I have been listening to wonderful music that lifts my spirits and riding in that heady atmosphere; I sit at my keyboard and …nothing.
My Muse has abandoned me. I sit alone at the keyboard with fantastic music and scintillating lyrics that lift me and cause my spirit to soar, but my fingers are sitting idle. What has happened? I love the music that has landed in my inbox with the intent of my writing about it. But nothing arrives beyond my good intentions.
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Cat Dowling
Dubliner CAT DOWLING also presents her ‘Animals’ single ahead of her new album (by the same name), released on November 12 via FIFA Records– this is a song about that beautiful part inside the human make-up that can’t ever and should never be tamed. The accompanying animated video by MARC CORRIGAN brilliantly reflects this song of movement, sensuality, wildness, love and freedom.
flora cash have released their third album, our generation. The lyrics are rooted in the promise each generation makes to the next that incredible things are possible.
our generation is a message by and for a generation of kids who know what it means
to be a refugee.
to grow up with a dad in prison.
to struggle with mental health
to experience heartbreak
to hide their true identity from the world
to seek adventure and self-realization
to meet their soul mate
to believe in a potential few yet see
and in the final analysis, our generation is a record for all those who know what it means to pursue a dream even when the world tells them no.
‘our generation,’ out October 22 via Flower Money Records
Manchester indie rock postpunk outfit INCA BABIES will release their 8th studio album’ Swamp Street Soul,’ produced by SIMON ‘DING’ ARCHER(The Fall, PJ Harvey), on November 23. Today they present the lead track ‘Walk In The Park.’ Since 1983, they’ve been a vibrant part of Britain’s post-punk/deathrock scene, touring and releasing many albums, ranking in the UK Indie Charts and recording four sessions for BBC’s John Peel show before splitting up. Now reformed, today Inca Babies comprises HARRY STAFFORD, bassist VINCE HUNT (A Witness, Blue Orchids) and ROB HAYNES (The Membranes, Goldblade).
I listened to this record over and over, and each listen provided me with fresh sounds. I kept thinking I could hear bits and bites of other bands, but it never coalesced into a name, so I came away feeling like I had listened to a breath of fresh air.
If you have any questions, contact Shauna from Shameless Promotion PR at contact@shamelesspromotionpr.com
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The Kundalini Genie released their album Half In, Half Out on November 12 via OX4 Sound.
Emerging from the nether regions of Glasgow, The Kundalini Genie has been blowing minds globally with music characterized by droning hypnotic fuzz rock, 60’s British Invasion-inspired melodies, transcendental sitar, and dreamy, spaced-out soundscapes.
Their sonic journey ranges across the spectrum of their musical influences – The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Spiritualized, The Dandy Warhols, The Warlocks, The Beatles, The 13th Floor Elevators, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Black Ryder and Black Market Karma.
I would add Lou Reid and The Velvet Underground. This band blazes with old-school psychedelic rock and roll. A must-listen for year-end best-of lists.
There we are then, a brief snapshot of some of the music that has been in heavy rotation in my office. Stay tuned, I am sure there is more to come, in fact have a new one that just landed in my inbox. Happy listening and play safe.
I Am A Rocketship. My oh my, you most certainly are. You are a rocketship and so much more. You are Eric Weissinger and L E Kippner, a pair of musicians working out of Atlanta, Georgia.
Eric Weissinger used to back up various artists, all the while watching and learning. Learning skills that he put to good use as a rocketship co-pilot. Or, to be precise, one-half of I Am A Rocketship. Eric is a player of guitars and a programmer of electronics.
The other half of I Am A Rocketship is L E Kippner, co-pilot of everything Eric Weissinger isn’t doing.She is a cellist, scientist, radio DJ and previously a singer for the Swedish synth-pop duo Neobox.
Together they are a formidable duo who recorded this album on a notebook computer in the opening months of 2021, a productive year cumulating with the release of their album Lie and Legends on November 11, a day to remember.
Late 2020 closed with their ‘oRAnGE’ EP, a release laced with frustration, sadness and rage over the rise of authoritarianism and accelerating environmental collapse.
Earlier, I Am a Rocketship released their ‘Ghost Stories’ LP (April 2020), ‘Mind Grafitti’ (2019) and debut offering ‘Mission Control’ (2016).
The new ‘Lies and Legends‘ album is their most ambitious collection to date. These ten songs are about the appeal, in trying times, of lies and legends over reason and love. They give people hope, a feeling of belonging, and frequently, a license to do terrible things in the name of their belief.
“When facts are scary, people turn to belief. I guess these are songs about faith, how it can be comforting but blinding,” says Eric Weissinger.
Lies and Legends is full of guitar hooks covering an impressive distortion range from clean acoustic to dirty dregs. Eric Weissinger works his axes to good effect. I am guessing that is why they are called guitar chops. He also weaves synth sounds and drum programs that move the songs from pop to power ballads. Check out the track On Poppy Hill for an excellent example of this. A perfect bit of music to listen to on November 11 when this album officially gets released.
L E Kippner has a mesmerizing voice that she uses to good effect, all the while showcasing her versatility as a songstress and cellist. She delivers some great lines, such as “don’t give me all the answers when I haven’t asked the questions.” That profound line is off the song Ignorance, a clever bit of writing on that one.
Lies and Legends has a pop-rock feel with dark overtones that it has picked up living through the confusion and fear of the Covid pandemic.
Despite all that, Lies and Legends is an immensely enjoyable listen.
Legendary Scottish music-sculptor Robin Guthrie has released a beautiful new 4-track EP, called ‘Mockingbird Love’, via Soleil Après Minuit with distribution in North America via Darla and Europe covered by Cargo.
The first in a series of releases that Guthrie will be releasing this year, ‘Mockingbird Love’ is the first new music from Guthrie since the ‘Another Flower’ album with the late Harold Budd, released just days before Budd’s passing in December 2020. Brooklyn Vegan says that this music is “typically gorgeous instrumental, drenched in Guthrie’s signature shimmery layers”.
“Of late I’ve been very focused on my instrumental music, which is increasingly an intense endeavour, all the more so as I don’t really share it with anyone. So here I am, finally, with some words about my next releases. ‘Mockingbird Love’, a four track EP, is the first small collection of music that I have felt comfortable to release for a while. This is my October,” says Robin Guthrie.
“‘Mockingbird Love’ is concise, to the point, with a big sound and baritone guitars. But it’s just an appetizer as my November release and subsequent December releases will show. I have everything in production now and, hmmm, what could go wrong?”
39 years on from Cocteau Twins‘ debut release ‘Garlands’, Robin Guthrie has certainly been the most prolific member and remains the grand master of soundscapes, offering a steady and stellar stream of material over the years. Having formed Violet Indiana with Siobhan de Maré (formerly of Mono) following Cocteau Twins’ dissolution, he has since strongly focused on creating instrumental music, while also releasing collaborative albums with Harold Budd, John Foxx (Ultravox) and Mark Gardener (Ride).
Apart from the film scores for Gregg Araki’s ‘Mysterious Skin’ and ‘White Bird In a Blizzard’, which were co-written with Harold Budd, Guthrie has also scored the film ‘3:19’, Kaboom and the TV series ‘Now Apocalypse’…
More recently, Robin produced and mixed the new Heligoland album ‘This Quiet Fire’, as well as creating remixes for artists such as Hatchie, Fawns of Love, Resplandor, Ummagma, Ulrich Schnauss and Tamaryn at his studio in France.
‘Mockingbird Love’ is out now on CD, as well as digitally, on all major platforms. it can be obtained directly from the artist via Bandcamp.
Simon Bromide has launched an album of music that shot me over the moon. The album is Following the Moon, and I enjoyed following the story songs that Simon Bromide crafts ever so well. I’m an avid reader of short stories, which Following the Moon has in abundance for my listening pleasure. These three or four-minute narratives showcase situations and puzzles that I could listen to over and over again, which I did.
‘The Waiting Room’ is the lead track from Simon Bromide’s solo album ‘Following The Moon,’ which will be released on November 19 on vinyl and digitally via Scratchy Records with distribution by Cargo Records. There is a bonus in the form of an animated video, cleverly crafted using plasticine figures and model train sets. I found the representations of humans somewhat disconcerting, which could be the intent of Ben Pollard, who created the models, animated them, shot the film and then edited the whole thing. I am sure it was a lot of work, but an excellent animated story is a result, and I applaud Ben Pollard for a job well done.
“The song is about the things that didn’t happen for one reason or another—simple twists of fate or just stepping back from the edge. In particular, the lyrics refer to a letter proposing marriage sent to my mother many years ago. The letter never arrived, and the sender presumed the lack of a reply was his answer. Things were different back then, as it says in the song ‘The Postal Service Saved My Life,'” says Simon Bromide.
I get lost in the music that Simon Bromidewraps around his stories. I often found myself nodding along unconsciously and swinging to the ebbs and flows that move from the opening notes of acoustic folk-rock on The Waiting Room to a mariachi band on The Argument.
As is expected due to the Covid world that we live in, this is essentially a solo album. Simon is a master of acoustic guitar and a damn fine vocalist, and he has surrounded himself with a myriad of talent who contributed to this album. It was recorded at Bark Studios in Walthamstow by Brian O’Shaughnessy (Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, Beth Orton), who had worked with Berridge on the last two Bromide albums. The album features drummer Fells Guilherme (Children of The Pope), bassist Ed ‘Cosmo’ Wright, multi-instrumentalists Dave Hale, Dimitri Ntontis and Stephen Elwell, and as folk-pop chanteuse Katy Carr on piano and Terry Edwards (Nick Cave, Tom Waits, P.J.Harvey) on trumpet. Scottish singer Julie Anne McCambridge joins Simon on the closing track; the William Blake penned ‘Earth’s Answer.’
This is insanity. I am listening to this record repeatedly and expecting a bolt of lightning to strike me and provoke my fingers to type out a wise and insightful blog about this outstanding recording. But that hasn’t happened. Since the first paragraph started, I have listened to this album two more times. Two more above and beyond the ten previous times I listened to it. And all I do is sit and get lost in the music and stories. Dang it all, just go and listen to this for your selves. You will get more enjoyment from listening to it than you will get from me typing about it. That’s a guarantee.
I don’t usually post video’s, they just aren’t my medium of choice for listening to music. However, I enjoy the music that Jupiter Hollow make so I am sharing a video that they just released. It is a live performance of the song Scarden Valley, a track from their new release Bereavement, their newest album. This track combines a rock ballad feel with some good prog and it all comes out good. I hope you enjoy the music, I do.
If you liked that Jupiter Hollow are offering the CD for free.
Weathered Music 