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Half In, Half Out

Posted on September 12, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

I am stuck in a rut. Being stuck in a rut is not where I want to be. It is not where I want to be. It is, however, where I find myself, and I need to address that.

Where is the rut, you may ask? The rut in question emerged from the nether regions of Glasgow. I have never been to Glasgow, so it may sound like a stretch to blame Glasgow for my predicament. I do not hold a grudge against the city of Glasgow. I am sure it is as good of a place as anywhere. The fact remains that the rut started there and is now accosting me.

The rut in question has travelled across the Atlantic Ocean and then across 3/4’s of North America. It is an impressive rut by any standard.

So here I sit with this groove from Glasgow tormenting me. It has been growing in my office for three days now. And I don’t know what to do with it. I suppose I could start by telling you the driving force behind this unusual predicament that I find myself in.

It all started with half a dozen Glaswegians getting together making some music and got a groove going on. The groove in question is the fifth full-length album from The Kundalini Genie.

You too? Yeah, I had to go and look up what the hell a Kundalini is. Apparently it is some spiritual force in Hindu, Yogic and Buddhist teachings. There is more than one way to practice the Kundalini spirituality, but I wager that listening to good music is one path.

Today we will focus on the Genie method of Kundalini. The Kundalini Genie involves singer-songwriter Robbie Wilson, on sitar, guitar, and vocals.

We also have Jason Houston on guitar and more vocals.

Melissa Rennie plays guitar, keys and adds her vocals.

Lloyd Ledingham contributes bass and vocals.

Louis Martin plays guitar and, yes, more vocals.

My goodness, they are competing against the Mormon Tabernacle Choir with everybody singing. Everyone except the drummer, Grant Robertson. I bet he sings, but they don’t mic it. Maybe he is more of the shower stall singer variety. Nothing wrong with that. Heck, I even sound better singing in the shower, and I can’t carry a song in a bucket.

Now that everyone is accounted for let’s talk about the music that dug a trench from Glasgow to my office in Canada’s hinterlands. Scottish psychedelic rock’n’roll outfit The Kundalini Genie has announced they will release their fifth studio album ‘Half In, Half Out’ by the end of 2021, following up their ’11:11′ album via Space Ranch Records (Europe) and Little Cloud Records (USA) in 2020. Ahead of this, they present the title track ‘Half In, Half Out,’ a robust offering to whet our appetites for the long-player.

“This song is about assholes, really. People who aren’t nice. People who think they’re better than you, or too cool for you, or higher and mightier than you, it’s also about when those people inevitably fall short of their own high opinion of themselves and make themselves look a fool, in a nutshell,” says Robbie Wilson.

What can I say? That is straight from the horse’s mouth. A song about assholes. That got real super fast, I can’t wait to know what the remainder of the album sounds like with the opener blasting out of the studio with a song about buttholes.

It doesn’t matter much what the song is about, the simple fact remains that I can’t stop listening to this offering from Glasgow, The Kundalini Genii and the single Half In, Half Out.

What makes this so attractive to me? It could be intelligent lyrics, good writing scores big marks with me. It is beyond doubt within the music. They channel so many bands and music styles that I could keep writing all day about The Kundalini Genie’s sound. The psychedelic rock, smooth retro pop, amazing vocals, they check all the boxes, all of them. But I can not put The Kundalini Genie in a box. They need to be set free, and that is what happened. Someone in Glasgow, it is highly probable that all of the members of The Kundalini Genie were involved, and they started digging a groove of their own. Geography could not contain that groove, and it found its way to my listening post, and here I am, in a rut.

I sincerely hope the same thing happens to you when you hear what this band has going on. It is magical. Now quit reading and listen to The Kundalini Genie and the single Half In, Half Out. While you are doing that I am going to start plotting how I can get across the pond and hear this band live.

Freedom

Posted on September 5, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

It is early September, and the crisp winds and cooler temperatures tell us that autumn isn’t far away. It arrives on September 22nd this year. Growing up, this meant that we were going back to school after the Freedom of the summer holidays.

September also meant the arrival of the Christmas wish books from Sears and Eaton’s. We were not rich, but through the magic of wishing, we experienced the freedom of making any object in the catalogue come to life and be our plaything for as long as we could keep the catalogue away from our siblings.

Dublin-based Kilkenny-born indie-pop artist Cat Dowling will release an album this fall via FIFA Records. While we wait for the album, we have the freedom to explore Cat Dowling’s new single, Freedom and let our imaginations take us to beautiful places where we can run and laugh and dance and be free.

Dowling also presents the video for ‘Freedom,’ created by Alba Lahoz. When Covid restrictions were momentarily lifted in Ireland, Cat’s three free-spirited tearaway children do their thing, showing that Freedom is a space inside us that can never be tamed.

“Sometimes we think big. Sometimes we think small. Sometimes we think with all we have got. When we have limited access to other humans, the humans closest to us are the most important humans of all,” says Cat Dowling.

“This video was filmed on a bitingly cold December afternoon when the light was sparse, winds howled, and the skies randomly opened. We managed to find the sun, fell in love with the wind and forgot about the camera. It was mainly filmed on Donabate beach and Dollymount Strand in Dublin. Freedom is best explained and expressed in childhood when there are no limitations, everything is possible, and we are free to be truly ourselves”.

Freedom’s out now, available everywhere digitally, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. Fans can expect Cat Dowling‘s next long-player to be released in November of this year.

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Thawing Permafrost

Posted on September 5, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

The loss of permafrost will have drastic long-term effects on our planet.

The addition of Permafrost is having a dramatic impact on my Apple Music Library. I have put the single, Restore Us, from the band Permafrost, on an endless loop as I write. The single Restore Us is from the soon-to-be-announced album Fear of Music, which is the title of one of my all-time favourite albums. It is, of course, the Talking Heads that I allude to, and Permafrost have cited the Talking Heads as an influencer for their music.

Permafrost is making a comeback after a hiatus. Formed in Norway in 1982, they were active during the first post-punk wave and finally, we can all join them in this exciting new wave. The band has also grown to include British keyboardist Daryl Bamonte, who took the video footage for their new single ‘Restore Us’ while on the road with Depeche Mode for their Music For The Masses tour.

The single, Restore Us was released on September 3 and is available everywhere online via the Fear of Music label with distribution by Secretly Noord. We can also find the single on Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. It can be pre-saved on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/Permafrost-RestoreUs

The video is available right now:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfB3e-ToRlk

I await the album, Fear of Music, and re-listen to the single over and over and over as I wait.

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Posted on September 3, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

Harry Stafford and Marco Butcher have never actually met in the flesh. But they are punk soul brothers from the same muddy musical pond. Connecting with one another during a year of ‘lockdown hell,’ their exchange of ideas and talk of musical influences inadvertently led to their collaboration.

As innovative juices began to boil, the frantic exchange of digital files culminated in ‘Bone Architecture,’ a 12-track album that both had been itching to make. This superb collection includes reworked older material, brand-new compositions and even a dirty blues version of the Pink Floyd classic ‘Arnold Layne.’

‘Bone Architecture‘ is a raw and, at times, unforgiving forage into urban punk blues with fuzzed-up jazz and garage trash rock. Here, Harry and Marco’s styles have clashed magnificently into a powerful record that crosses many genres but with a dirty blues makeover.

“There’s something about collaborating that is pure magic to me, ’cause you’re not sharing ideas at the same time and you’re in the moment. There’s something about the not knowing what the other will bring. The surprise factor. The fact that music is very elastic and not always the way you listen to it in your mind but something else, something cooler, greater,” says Marco Butcher.

“I guess mutual respect has a lot to do it too, sharing the same type of ideas about music and life… For some time, Inca Babies ‘This Train’ was my bandstand music when I was crossing a very dark and dangerous lifestyle, when I decided NOT to die. This album was the one I listened to the most.”

Marco’s tracks were recorded at his Boombox Studio in Winston Salem, then shipped to Manchester, where Harry laid down vocals, piano and any instrumental tomfoolery he saw fit at Black Lagoon Records. The files also flew to London for trumpet player Kevin Davy to blend some jazz tones.

On September 3, ‘Bone Architecture‘ will be released on CD and available everywhere online, including Spotify and Apple Music. Both formats can be ordered via Bandcamp and the Louder than War shop.

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Ghosts of New York State

Posted on September 1, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

I drove through New York state and loved every kilometre of the journey. There were scenic and historical rest areas all along the highways and byways. However, we didn’t stop for a proper visit in New York, city or state. That leaves the door open for us to return and take in at least some of what we missed driving through New York.

We didn’t encounter any Ghosts of New York State. On the other hand, I enjoy listening to Ghosts of New York State, the new single released today by Will Graefe and Jeremy Gustin, who make beautiful music under the nom de plume Star Rover.

“The seed of ‘Ghosts of New York State‘ began with the fingerpicked riff, which alternates between 6/4 and 7/4 meters throughout. We wanted this song to communicate the numb and dislocated feeling of the words while maintaining a propulsive groove and nervous energy. The burst of colour in the middle represents a kind of blinding epiphany. This song is about family and the weight we carry, sometimes unknowingly and unconsciously. The end mantra is ” The ghost, the host. The ghost, my host,” says Will Graefe.

There is also an excellent video based on the song Ghosts of New York State:

I will give a broader account of Star Rover on October 15, when the LP will be released. As of August 31, ‘Ghosts of New York State‘ will be available across digital platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. The ‘Star Rover‘ LP will be released on October 15 and pre-ordered via Bandcamp.

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Jupiter Hollow

Posted on August 27, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

I do not remember when I first encountered the music of the young lads known collectively as Jupiter Hollow. The thank-you paragraph at the end of the insert in the CD case tells us that Jupiter Hollow started as two young musicians, Grant and Kenny, who began jamming in their basements back in 2015.

I’m glad that their parents granted their blessing on the noise that at times must have sounded like it emanated from the bowels of the earth itself or at least the region where “Hades Heart” resides. That is the second track on a rather expansive album titled AHDOMN. I will take a wild guess that AHDOMN is pronounced Adam.

The style of music presented to us on AHDOMN is most certainly prog, and I like prog, so that is most likely what attracted me to this album. It isn’t a new album; they released it in 2018, or at least that is the copyright date on the back panel. However, it is new to me, so I dropped a few bucks to cover shipping, and they mailed their free CD to me.

As I said previously, it has prog slapped all over the place, but other styles of music are woven into the album’s fabric, giving it a rather expansive feel. There is some metal music with screaming vocals and distorted guitar work. A melodic keyboard is also tastefully planted throughout the album, closing it out with some pleasant chill moments.

The musicianship is rather good for what I think is their first album if I read the insert correctly. It is a robust and ambitious album full of twists and turns that kept my ear engaged from start to finish.

The lyrics follow as many stylistic meanderings as the music. The story of those words is another thing altogether. I think there should be a storyline, but I couldn’t pull it out for the life of me. I tried; honestly, I tried. After multiple listens and reading the lyrics through the album, I am no closer to knowing the overarching story. I’m sorry, guys. I imagine I am overlooking some simple leap of logic. I’ll keep trying even though I don’t need an excuse to listen to this most listenable album.

I give it a nine out of a possible ten for the simple reason that I completely missed the storyline. A good listen just the same, pop it in your car, and you have some cruising tunes.

The Insecurities of Summer Heart

Posted on August 26, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

Insecurities is the title of the new EP from the Swedish musician who goes by the moniker of Summer Heart. My brain keeps telling me to type Summer Heat because we had a hot, dry summer in my pin drop on Google Maps.

So, let us dive into what I hear happening in the music and lyrics of this EP which follows on the heels of his late 2020 EP Ambitions, which received a favourable review from WeatheredMusic, https://weatheredmusic.ca/2020/11/13/a-summer-heart-with-ambitions/

The opening track of the EP is also the title track, Insecurities, and it introduces us to the narrator. He is running away from something. In some form of transportation in which he is playing the radio too loud. Possibly in an attempt to overrun the memories on loop in his brain. Memories have taken him 90 miles or 144 kilometres to a lake where he has some pleasant memories of what used to be.

Back to the present and we learn that the author is very insecure and can’t make any sense of what his world has become. The song ends with him crashing into the car of the person that he is obsessed with and cutting down the flowers that that person loved. A violent end to a journey of discovery. A journey in search of meaning for the life that he has left for living.

The song Inside Out gets real for the author of the piece. He tells us this.

“I have a tendency to

say I’m getting better

but really I’m a quitter

quitting under pressure”

It takes intestinal fortitude to admit out falts. Step 4 of the 12 step program tells us to make a searching and fearless moral inventory. Saying that he is a quitter is a small step, but an important one, towards a complete inventory.

Next up, the centrepiece of this EP is the song Wash You Off, another small step towards that inventory with the confession that he struggles with being prideful. Unfortunately, that is a short-lived victory. The ink is barely dry on that page before he dives back into wobbling between telling his lover that the affair is over and then saying that he doesn’t “wanna stop.” He ends the song by throwing the responsibility to her when he is confused and messed up, not her. You gotta own it, bro.

I’m not sure, but song four, Clean, could work as an anthem to an addiction treatment plan.

“I can keep it clean.”

Alternatively, it comes off as the plaintive cry of a broken man.

“nothing kinda turned out as I planned.” Man up because “Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans.”

The EP closes with the song Too Many Miles, which has some good confessional or step 4 material.

“We don’t talk anymore.”

“I’ve been running way too many miles.”

“I’ve been fighting way too many fights.”

Unfortunately, he then starts to tentatively say that he “kind of wanna start over again.”

At the start of the last refrain of the song Too Many Miles, the author states they “don’t fight anymore.” A wise person once told me that if a couple isn’t fighting, they aren’t communicating. They let everything bottle up inside, which usually leads to an explosion of messy results. So, if you don’t even fight anymore, I kind of think this event is over.

“You swipe right like a sport.” Now ring the final bell.

I enjoyed this adventure in music, but I think it just falls short of its full potential. Put some edge on those synths. Don’t pull the punches. Put some darkness in there, make the vocals cry, shout and even wail when appropriate. Let us, the listeners, really hear the pain. All I hear now are some lovely songs. These lyrics demand more than pleasant. They need some real emotion thrown in.

Take a look at the photo below. Is this man bubbling over with sweet happy thoughts?

No. He is pensive. He looks confused. Perhaps a bit lonely. Pained perhaps but not bubbling over with happiness and I think the music and vocal delivery should support this photo with all the emotional rawness that it projects.

Exemplary musicianship and good storytelling for this EP, I give it a thumbs up and anticipate more from Summer Heart. The potential is there for more excellent music from this emerging artist.

Summer Heart’s new EP ‘Insecurities’ is out on the 3rd September via Icons Creating Evil Art.

D I S C O V E R

For Press enquiries please contact james@mysticsons.com

Weather Vane

Posted on August 24, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

Ireland’s Emperor of Ice Cream has released their new ‘Weather Vane’ single via FIFA Records. Moods, motives and expectations can sometimes make us feel like we are caught up in a tornado of emotions when a relationship hits a rocky patch. This song about the hope that remains even when things are falling apart.

Mixed and produced by Graham Finn, this single was mastered by Tom Volpicelli (The Who, Iggy Pop, The Alarm, Pat Benatar, The Bloodhound Gang) at The Mastering House in New Jersey.

They have also done a second vinyl pressing of their debut album ‘No Sound Ever Dies’ LP, which had sold out but is now available on white vinyl, CD, cassette and digital download. It will ship out August 27, the day before its first birthday.

Garnering a new legion of supporters around the globe, renewed demand for the band’s back catalogue resulted in the release of a compilation album of their three early Sony-backed EPs (‘Overflow’, ‘William’ and ‘Know Me’), having sold out in the pre-digital 90’s. Reaching number 21 in the official album charts, the album also rose to number 3 in the independent charts. While the limited-edition physical copies were sold out on release day, it is still available as a digital download.

Since re-emerging on the scene in May 2020, Emperor of Ice Cream have embarked on a chapter few anticipated would be written. Their debut record’s first anniversary is marked by a second pressing on vinyl and CD. Entering the official Irish album charts at number 35, the LP topped the independent charts and was among the top 20 best-selling Irish releases of 2020.

‘Weather Vane’ is out now on Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, where the second pressing of ‘No Sound Ever Dies’ LP is also available.

‘Weather Vane’ is out now on Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, where the second pressing of ‘No Sound Ever Dies’ LP is also available.

It’s Okay

Posted on August 22, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

It’s okay that I am doing a short shoutout about this single, It’s Okay, by Cravism and Maya Diegel. The single is an excellent little package that only hints at what is to come. What is to come is a single released every three weeks and culminating the release of the Caryatid EP, which will celebrate all the singles coming together and forming an EP bigger than the sum of each part.

Exciting, right! I am marking my calendar for each release date and then on the big reveal of the EP on October 22, 2021, via UK-French label Komplex Recordings.

‘It’s Okay’ video https://youtu.be/LXdhRxMLeuQ
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/3hzkGIJ8l5mkn2L7XhSCxW
Apple Musichttps://music.apple.com/ca/artist/cravism/1306853326

I will do a more substantial write-up on that day, but a few introductory remarks will suffice for now.

Hailing from Paris and initially trained as a jazz singer, Maya Diegel‘s trajectory would take a big turn upon meeting Singaporean producer Cravism several years ago in Cornwall after his performance at the local university, Maya fell in love with Cravism’s set and sought to collaborate. Impressed by Maya’s capacity for writing high-level melodies, harmonies and lyrics, their fateful meeting ultimately brought the 2019 release of their first collaborative album ‘Vibes, vol. 2’, which resulted in ample playlisting and radio interviews and ultimately secured them a record deal with Komplex Recordings. I recommend ‘Vibes, vol. 2’, it is a lovely listening experience.

Back to the present, as of August 20, Its’s Okay became available via online stores such as Apple Music and Spotify. Accompanied by a film by Parisien video director Stewart Livinec, this is the first taste of their sophomore project ‘Caryatid EP’, entailing a series of songs and films. With smooth jazz textures laid over lush mellow jazz hip hop beats, the listener is transported into a chilled relaxing realm.

Dive into this music, enjoy the video, and join me looking forward to the next track being released.

When This Gets Out

Posted on August 19, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

When this gets out, you will have some fantastic music for your listening pleasure. When This Gets Out is the lead single from The Persian Leaps new recording Drone Etiquette, a 6-track recording arriving on October 1 via Land Ski Records. I had a nice trip down memory lane while listening to When This Gets Out, it was an enchanting journey. It triggered memories of music that came and went many moons ago. I won’t bother you with a long boring reading list, but trust me, this hit excited neurons that had been dormant for years.

From the distorted guitar that opens, When This Gets Out, the music is catchy and mesmerizing. Drew Forsberg, the face of The Persian Leaps, has crafted a master class of music that weaves down the lane with images of days gone past. From the jangling guitar sound of the ’60s to the distortion of the post-punk bands of the ’90s. This album has it all. Plenty of top ten to satisfy anyone’s taste.

Lyrics? You bet. There are downright intelligent lyrics. I’ll let Drew Forsberg tell you about them:

“Each week, it seemed there was a new Trump-related scandal that by rights should have sunk him. However, instead of consequences, the scandal would be eclipsed the next week by something even more appalling. After a while, people didn’t even bother to pay attention. ‘When This Gets Out‘ imagines something big enough to cut through the apathy, alienate the enablers and apologists, and finally make a difference. Also, starting the EP with the song seemed very appropriate. “When this gets out, the shit will hit the fans.”

‘When This Gets Out’ will be available today, August 19, 2021, exclusively via Bandcamp. On October 1, the full ‘Drone Etiquette‘ album will be released on CD and online platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify. It is already available for pre-order via Bandcamp. I will do a complete album review On or about October 1 if the good lord is willing and the creek don’t rise.

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About normanweatheredmusic

Half In, Half Out

Freedom

Thawing Permafrost

Ghosts of New York State

Jupiter Hollow

The Insecurities of Summer Heart

Weather Vane

It’s Okay

When This Gets Out