GreenWing is a band.

GreenWing is a band that I listen to.

GreenWing is a band from Saskatchewan.

GreenWing is a band that I blogged about in October of last year, October 3, 2022. https://weatheredmusic.ca/2022/10/03/greenwing/

GreenWing has a new single that is bound to get some traction on the internet of all things musical. That single is Dark.

Yeah, really. The song’s name is Dark, and they spell their band name as one word GreenWing, not Green Wing.

Here is how I recommend that you listen to Dark the first time.

I recommend finding a nice chill track and making a folder with that chill track as the opener. And without listening to it, add Dark as the second track. And then add the debut album from GreenWing, Late Bloomer. Now, sit back in a comfortable chair/sofa/whatever, and put on your earbuds. I prefer over-ear headphones, but whatever you have will work just fine. And prepare for launch. Hit play for the chill track and allow yourself to drift away with the music. 

GreenWing is announcing the release of their new single, “Dark.” It seems like just yesterday that I listened to GreenWings’ debut album, Late Bloomer, when it was actually this morning with my cup of joe.

I liked Late Bloomer. It felt very organic. Homegrown. Let’s sit on the deck out back and strum a guitar feel to it. That’s kind of how it sounded to me. GreenWing came across as a genuine, honest, down-to-earth bunch of guys. That long and winding preamble leads us to some new music from the boys of Saskatchewan—the single Dark.

Dark still sounds like Late Bloomer, but it is not a cut-and-paste track. Drummer Kolt Kimbley describes the band’s sound as “energetic with a dark but hopeful feeling.” Guitarist Anthony Allegretto aptly sums up Dark as being a song about “feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders and pushing through with a hopeful desperation.”

I know everyone hears different things in the lyrics of a song. What I hear is a person staring down the temptations of this world. These are temptations that the lyricist has given into in the past, “so we meet again.” There’s no one guilty other than the lyricist who fights against their “intrusive thoughts.” The mind is a dangerous place to be alone in.

so we meet again

intrusive thoughts 

friend of a friend

and you keep whispering

I can make it stop

if I just jump in

It would be easy to avoid the struggle and give in to the whispers that lure and tempt us. It would be oh-so-easy to make the whispers stop. We just have to jump in. Give in to the whispers. Give in to the temptations. Give in to the sirens’ song. Just jump in. You’ve been there before. You know you can make it stop.

yeah you’re calling 

come to the Dark with me 

I don’t want to die 

but I long to be free

come to the Dark with me 

I don’t want to die 

but I long to be free

There is a tug-of-war going on within us. The call to come to the Dark is pitted against the desire to live and be free. The following two verses are a litany of reasons that make going Dark a temptation.

Pop music, which is why I listen to GreenWing; intelligent lyrics and good music.

TV. I love the Groucho Marx quote: “I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.” The economy, the rich and richer and the rest of us get cable tv. “My friend shot dead.” Ouch, that is one strong reason to lean into the Dark, but the short-lived benefit could lead us down the same road, which is not cool.

I long to be free

from all the stress and anxiety 

is that too much to ask 

for me

to see a future, that’s not so goddamn bleak

just give me a chance

to catch my breath and breath 

The song ends with a glimmer of hope, “I long to be free.”There you have it: intelligent lyrics, great music, and a song that leaves me longing to hear the album and to hear them live; we only live a 6 hour’s drive apart. GreenWing is a band with a commanding knowledge of building a great piece of music that quickly becomes an earworm.

“Dark” was self-produced by the band at Rainy Day Recording Co, recorded and mixed by Matt Stinn and mastered by Trevor Case (Jon Batiste, Rita Ora, Orgy)

“GreenWing started its musical journey in 2021. GreenWing’s early days saw them living through Covid lockdowns and the harsh Saskatchewan winter while finding sanity through collaborating on a collection of songs and hoping to return to stages and touring one day. The band’s debut album “Late Bloomer,” leans heavily on driving rhythms and pop-laden hooks. Reminiscent of the punk and post-rock they grew up listening to, the band interweaves themes of self-reflection, grief, and a newfound sense of self into a crushing wall of sound.” – from the PR sheet.

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Look for GreenWing on tour across Canada in 2023 to support “Late Bloomer” and their subsequent single, “Dark.” 

As a late add-on, Joel and I went to see GreenWing live in a local coffee bar, Kaffa Roaster and Studio. Joel took some photos, and I got my groove going with the songs. It felt good to be listening live. The openers were ok, and some local bands were getting into the live music scene; Lauriers, Gratuitous Platypus, and No Such Thing As Ghost. I missed the first band, and I thought Lauriers was good. The lead singer had the energy to spare, and the rest of the band was tight.

Greenwing rocked the house and pumped up the energy. I found myself singing along; it’s a good thing I listened to them as often as I did. We met after the show for some friendly banter, and we left after buying some merch and getting the boys in the band to sign a setlist for us. Nice fellas.

Atmospheric dream-pop trio Emmecosta released their debut album ‘Overnight’ on 14th April 2023 alongside the focus single ‘Overnight.’ The album includes recently released singles’ Laek’, ‘UmaybeU’ and ‘Effort’ and is being released through boutique label Icons Creating Evil Art.

Emmecosta opens their Overnight album with the track Effort. I could relate. “I need an effort on this.” I needed an effort to get writing this week, and I am starting with Emmecosta and their album, Overnight. It is not laborious to listen to this album. It is easy listening, literally. The song Effort is a smooth-as-silk effort that floats along on the synth waves that hold the lyrics up above the waves. It’s a lazy song that doesn’t get much speed up, but it is a great song to chill along with.

 The second track, Overnight, gets more energy with a ping-pong synth. Lyrically it is another broken heart song.

The third track Laek gave me an earworm that I found myself nodding my head to at various times during the day, which without saying, led to another listening session. The song starts rather pedestrian but builds up a head of steam that pushes the track forward with more and more energy. The song has an interesting pace heard in the lyrics more than the instruments. I like it.

Horsedust is a song about letting go. I believe it is about letting go of a relationship, but I heard words about letting go of whatever we were clinging to. For example: “everything I felt now, it’s gone. I’ve been faith, but I’m done.” Everything that I had faith in is gone. I have had faith in many things, but now they are done. They have turned to dust. Dust in the wind, perhaps.

The following songs are love found, love lost, love experienced. They keep the synth music going with their musical accent all through it. The album closes with the song Ghosts, which opens with a guitar, which is mainly unheard of in the other pieces. It works as a good closer, which is as essential as a good opener.

Overall this is an album that is easy to listen to. Any time of day works. Plug in the buds and go for a jog or a walk in the park with Emmacosta as the soundtrack. Put the album on as a background as you work, and it works with you. Put the buds on again at night as you read a book and drift off into the land of dreams. In short, Overnight is a solid album that works its magic anytime and anywhere.

The trio said of their debut album, “Our aim is to create an introspective and thought-provoking experience by exploring the complexities of human emotions and relationships through themes of lost love, regret, and self-discovery. We’ll delve into the nuances of each theme, examining the impact they have on our lives and relationships. Through our exploration, we hope to inspire a deeper understanding of ourselves and our connections with others.”

Hailing from the small Italian town of Positano, the post-club outfit has been based in Sweden for the past seven years. Now self-proclaimed Swedish nationals, two-thirds of the trio have followed their Italian roots back to Milan as the group discovered a newfound need to portray and develop their Swedish/Italian link through their future work. Now the trio is ready for the long-awaited release of their debut album, Overnight. 

Discover more about Emmecosta

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Once again, my friends, you find me posting a blog centred on a single. Not even a few extra songs on an EP; nope, I am doing a single today. But it is a good song. It would necessitate being a very good song for me to write a blog about it. If you follow me, you will see that most of my entries are for LPs or EPs. This one isn’t. It is for a single.

I am stumbling through this rough introduction to present a song that goes by the name Mr. King. From the first listen, this song had me in a musical headlock, pushing an earworm into my thick skull with all its might.

 Mr. King’s sound is reminiscent of The Beatles in their Abbey Road days. Reminiscent, they are not a Beatles clone. Nor are they a tribute band. They are The Bablers, and Mr. King is their brand new single.

Mr. King opens with a crescendo of piano, and this is really cool; they do the song 100% live with original instruments: upright piano, electric guitar, bass and drums. If I tried to do that in this blog, it would read like alphabet soup.

The Bablers founder, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Arto Tamminen – who’s led the band, now alongside Janne Haavisto (drums, vocals), Pekka Gröhn (bass, keyboards, vocals), and Hannu Pikkarainen (guitar, vocals) since its late ’70s genesis – tells us about the track and how it differs from the boisterous guitar pop of the two prior single. “It’s built to be a classic big piano pop ballad, the kind you’ve rarely heard since the golden days of pop.” 

Arto Tamminen lays out the backstory behind the emotive lyrics, offering insight into the choice to release the song as the English monarchy – and so much of the world – enters a new era. “It’s been a long day. A lot of public activities. Horses and soldiers. Roaring audiences. Applause. Flags. Smiling faces,” explains Arto. “Finally, at the castle, someone is knocking at the door. It’s troubadour asking permission to sing a song, crafted especially for the occasion. Permission is granted. He starts to sing, and in the chorus asks the most important question…” 

The most important question. It is relevant not only to the coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom but to everyone. The most important question is this, “How happy are you?”

I probably wouldn’t be too far from the truth if I said that many of us go about our day with faked smiles and an uneasy balance between happiness and wanting to pull a blanket over our heads and tell the world to go away. I like to quote a favourite song, “Stop The World (And Let Me Off.”

So, how happy are you? What makes you happy? Is your happiness dependent on external circumstances that you have no control over?

We have no control over other people, so why depend on them to make us happy? People will let us down. But we do not have to let them control our happiness. So, how happy are you?

Do I have enough money to keep me happy? Do I have enough drugs? Do I have enough records? The “Do I have enough” list goes on and on. Will we ever have enough things to keep us happy?

How happy are you?

That’s a good question and the crucial hinge point for the song Mr. King. Both the deft handling of the subject matter and the richness of the music marked a change of pace after the last two singles from The Bablers. That versatility won’t surprise longtime fans or anyone who’s heard the band’s thrillingly eclectic and lovingly crafted 2021 Big Stir Records album Psychadilly Circus. I highly recommend listening to this album if you haven’t already.

Mr. King added a touch of extra happiness to my already happy day. Mr. King will be released and streaming everywhere worldwide on May 5, just one day before the coronation of King Charles in the UK. Mr. King is now up for pre-order/pre-save at bigstirrecords.bandcamp.com and all major streaming platforms. It follows the hits “You Are The One For Me” (which reigned as The Coolest Song In The World on Little Steven’s Underground Garage last year) and “Holding You Tight Tonight” as the latest track to hit the international airwaves from the out-of-print album Like The First Time, previously released to great acclaim only in Japan and slated for international reissue by Big Stir.

I hope you will be happier after listening to Mr. King. I was.

BIG STIR RECORDS 

2140 N. Hollywood Way #6607, Burbank CA 91505 bigstrrecords@gmail.com – rexbroome@gmail.com http://www.bigstrrecords.com 

When I blog for a band/artist I am unfamiliar with, I will do some backpedalling to hear where they are coming from to inform me better where they are today. The Flowers Of Hell hit that nail on the head because they are issuing the first vinyl pressing of their cult classic ‘Odes’ album from 2012 and an album of new material, Keshakhtaran.

Lou Reed began the final episode of his BBC6 / Sirius-XM New York Shuffle radio show in 2012, premiering three tracks from Odes, declaring the release to be “An amazing, amazing album” and praising it as “So beautiful and great” and “Exquisite.” 

On ‘Odes,’ The Flowers Of Hell pays tribute to some of their favourite songs and influences, creating covers of works by Bob Dylan, Klaatu, Stereolab, Laurie Anderson, The Velvet Underground, Siouxsie & the Banshees and Neutral Milk Hotel, among others.

Let’s get back to the music, shall we? Odes is a decent album. As is the case in 90% of all albums, there are some excellent songs, some OK songs and some that you question why they were ever recorded in the first place, let alone covered. Here is the tracklist. I wish I had it on vinyl so I could physically flip it over at the end of side one. Alas, I am poor, and steaming will suffice.

TRACKLIST – SIDE A

1. Avery Island / Neutral Milk Hotel cover)

2. Atmosphere (Joy Division cover)

3. Muchomůrky Bílé (Plastic People Of The Universe)

4. Walk On The Wild Side (Lou Reed cover)

5. Run Run Run (Velvet Underground cover)

6. The Last Beat Of My Heart (Siouxsie & The Banshees cover)

TRACKLIST – SIDE B

7. Mr. Tambourine Man (Bob Dylan cover)

8. Super-Electric (Stereolab cover)

9. O Superheroin (Laurie Anderson/Velvet Underground cover)

10. Over & Over (Fleetwood Mac cover)

11. Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft (Klaatu cover)

Let’s take it from the top and move our listening down the list. Avery Island is OK; I am only a casual listener to Neutral Milk Hotel, so I listened to the original and the cover back to back. I like the original more. Better bass throughout, plus an emotional connection and energy without words, but you will know it when you hear it.

Atmosphere, the Joy Divison cover, didn’t do anything for me. I like Joy Division, but The Flowers Of Hell version left me wanting to listen to more Joy Division. 

Muchomůrky Bílé (Plastic People Of The Universe cover) is quite good, and it restored my faith in the music of TFOH. Muchomůrky Bílé translates as “toadstools white.”

“A man of despair, You easily lose your mind. White toadstools I will collect them in Dmléta.

Toadstools are white, Whiter than snow. I dream them to satisfy my needs in Dmléta.

I will not wake up here, Except in another world, White toadstools, I will collect in Dmléta.” – Egon Bondy.

“I’d go in and test the mixes while over-micro dosing on mushrooms for a truly immersive experience that transported me from the bleak times.” – Greg Jarvis.

The best I could find about Dmléta is a small shopping mall on the outskirts of Prague. I do not know if they have mushrooms on sale there, perhaps at the back of the stalls.

Toadstools or mushrooms? There isn’t much of a difference.

Smoking weed and using shooms do not magically infer quality to anything. I can attest to that from experience. Trust me on this one. There is also the risk of picking the wrong mushroom. I can’t help but use a favourite quote of mine. “All mushrooms are edible, but there are some that you can only eat once.”

Run Run Run (Velvet Underground, I am going to take a wild swing in the dark, but I think The Flowers Of Hell are fond of Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground. I’m OK with that, and their cover of Run Run Run is quite good. I am going to upvote Run Run Run, it is my favourite on this album.

The Last Beat Of My Heart (Siouxsie & The Banshees cover) IMHO is great. The Last Beat Of My Heart is one of those rare occasions when I like the cover more than the original. Why do I like it more? I don’t know. I was never big on Siouxsie & The Banshees, so the bar starts low but goes up for this cover.

Mr. Tamborine Man is a song that has been covered so many times that if each cover were a blanket, Mr. Tamborine Man could survive a winter at -40. The original was good, which is why it was covered so often. And some of those covers were good, but I’m not overly fond of this effort.

I will skip over some tracks in the E for effort category and land squarely on the second to last track, a cover of a song I feel was done right the first time and can not be improved. Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft.

I am a Klaatu fan. I have all their albums and listen to them frequently. I didn’t care for the Carpenters‘ cover and don’t know why it was a commercial success. I like this cover even less than the Carpenters‘ cover.

The album closes with an original song by Greg Jarvis that has no connection to the cover songs. It is a lonely orphan that should have been given a home elsewhere.

Well, that turned out to be a lot longer than I anticipated. The good thing is that Keshakhtaran only has two tracks and a short radio edit that I will completely ignore. Once again, if this were a perfect world, I would listen to Keshakhtaran via vinyl, and the two tracks would neatly fit with one on each side. I am streaming this album because the world is what it is and is generally indifferent to me.

Toronto-London-based experimental group, The Flowers Of Hell, announced that they would release their new album ‘Keshakhtaran’ via UK cult label Space Age Recordings (home to Spacemen 3) and Spectrum, Chapterhouse, Acid Mothers Temple and The Telescopes) on May 12th.

Keshakhtaran? Chill? Atmospheric? Easy Listening? Background? Ambient? Drone Music? Electronica? Electro Jazz? Meditative? None Of The Above? All Of The Above? It Doesn’t matter?

Keshakhtaran is a word used to describe the situation where you reach Nirvana through primordial sound meditation. Nirvana is an ideal or idyllic state or place in Buddhism akin to Heaven in most Christian faith groups. I did not experience Keshakhtaran while listening to this album, even though I experimented by listening to it numerous times and at different times of the day. That does not make it a bad album for not taking me to Nirvana; it did take me to la-la land. It was a pleasant listening experience that helped me drift to sleep. It also functioned as excellent background music while I did other tasks.

Keshakhtaran is a like watching sand on a windy day. It shifts and swirls, lifts and falls. Ebbs and flows. That is Keshakhtaran. The music moves. It is a compilation of sounds that never stay in one place. There are sax, flugelhorn, chimes, harp, sitar and opera soprano vocals, augmented with tremolos, flutters, horns, woodwinds, strings and percussion. Keshakhtaran involves 20 artists, including Rishi Dhir (Elephant Stone, Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Black Angels, Beck) and Avant-Garde Accordion legend Angel Corpus Christi (Suicide, Spiritualized, Dean Wareham).

On May 12th, the group also releases their sixth and first studio album in six years. ‘Keshakhtaran’ is a 42-minute meditation piece in two parts. The advance taster single ‘Foray Through Keshakhtaran’ is available now across digital platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp.

Despite relative obscurity, they have been championed by music legends such as Lou Reed, Sonic Boom, Kevin Shields and members of The Legendary Pink Dots, Death In Vegas, The Wedding Present, The Fugs and The Plastic People Of The Universe, not to mention support from NASA’s mission control team and the Tate Gallery with an album installation and concert just a fortnight before London locked down.

“Keshakhtaran began as a 40 minute ‘space guitar’ piece I’d done out of bits and bobs I’d been playing in my home studio for a girlfriend to meditate to in the months before Covid. During the pandemic, I found I couldn’t write anything new (nothing in, nothing out), but I pulled out the guitar track and started sending it to caged up band members and friends to add layers to, and soon I was mixing and editing away, creating a sonic world to escape off into,” – Greg Jarvis.

“With massages being some of the only human contact allowed in Toronto at the time and with one of my bandmates being a masseuse, I’d go in and test the mixes while over-micro dosing on mushrooms for a truly immersive experience that transported me from the bleak times. I’d then play the work-in-progress for bandmates in my ‘semi outdoor contact’ garage that I’d converted into a psychedelic shack with a lightshow and a fog machine, tweaking things until it reached its final form that you’ll hear”.- Greg Jarvis.

Keep up with The Flowers Of Hell

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Keep up with Space Age Recordings

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‘Foray Through Keshakhtaran’ https://youtu.be/XnCDPsgydic

Soundcloud  https://soundcloud.com/foh-advance/foray-through-kesh

Bandcamp https://flowersofhell.bandcamp.com 

Spotify  https://open.spotify.com/artist/6Ep01Wd5Hb6G77ciGyRZRW

‘Odes’ LP  https://flowersofhell.bandcamp.com/album/odes

Hailing from Chicago. The Bellwether Syndicate has released the single ‘Golden Age, as a teaser for their anticipated album, ‘Vigil & Vestige (album out April 28).

The Bellwether Syndicate is William Faith (vox, guitars), Sarah Rose Faith (vox, guitars), Philly Peroxide (keyboards, percussion), Stevyn Grey (drums), and Corey Gorey (guitars).

Six years in the making, the ‘Vestige & Vigil‘ LP comes nine years after their debut EP, “The Night Watch.”

“Golden Age‘ is a rare gift in that I received nearly the entire song in a dream… the beat, the guitar and bass melody, and the chorus lyric were all just there in my head when I woke up and, without saying a word to Sarah, I ran down to the studio to capture it before I lost it,” explains William Faith.

“It has a haunting quality which felt very nostalgic to me, so the lyric is really about the danger of getting lost in nostalgia and losing the present as a result. This is a conversation we have a lot, as so many people seem to stop looking ahead, content to rummage through the past. I’ve always said that tomorrow is way more interesting to me than yesterday, so this song warns about getting stuck there. As for the chorus, it’s anyone’s guess what it means, as it’s all a dream!” 

Golden Age is indeed a rare gift, and we, the listeners, are the beneficiaries of that rare gift. The lyrics tell us about the golden age of information where the internet spreads “the truth” far and wide, and I am prone to “follow every echo I hear.”

I love this line from Golden Age; “The truth of what is remembered is yours and yours alone.” We take in the information from all around us, but in the end, we each have our take on history; it is yours and yours alone. “Steal every second and all it brings my friend.” There is no “alternative history” but I see the history as uniquely mine.

However, we all must “rise up from the ashes” of “the great and unwashed masses.” Have the courage to “swim against the tide,” to reject the narrative,” and “to break convention.”

Being retired and spending the vast majority of my time listening to music, the song “Dystopian Mirror” resonated with me. “Hiding out in this space,” “when every day is the same.”

In the end, “All Is Forgiven.”

As I listened to Vestige & Vigil again while writing, I felt an echo of Black Sabbath running through this album. Perhaps it is from “poisoning their brainwashed minds” or “Generals gathered in the masses.” Not plagiarism, just an influence, maybe, in my opinion. I could be wrong.

Whether Black Sabbath influenced The Bellwether Syndicate or not is of little import. The important thing is this, The Bellweather Syndicate rock, and they rock it hard. If you want hardcore metal music, I recommend the album Vestige & Vigil.

The full ‘Vestige & Vigil‘ album will be released on April 28.

Keep up with The Bellwether Syndicate

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http://www.thebellwethersyndicate.com https://www.facebook.com/thebellwethersyndicate https://www.instagram.com/thebellwethersyndicate https://www.youtube.com/user/BellwetherSyndicate https://twitter.com/BellwetherSyn 

https://thebellwethersyndicate.bandcamp.com https://open.spotify.com/artist/3B9I7zOlLeuj02Pft3B2nN https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-bellwether-syndicate/598396813 

You can order the ‘Vestige & Vigil’ LP @ https://orcd.co/thebellwethersyndicate

Golden Age https://youtu.be/x-3FAOhTHPU

Order the single @ https://withkoji.com/@thebellwethersyndicate

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/0eKLrQ3YhvDf6h9CT9arv3 

Bandcamp: https://thebellwethersyndicate.bandcamp.com

 ‘We All Rise’ https://youtu.be/30soKS_iTt8

 ‘Beacons’ https://youtu.be/CRNdc-XJIMI

 ‘Dystopian Mirror’ https://youtu.be/c2MPiPgEHs4

Sett Records / Nexilis Records / Schubert Music Europe. ‘Vigil & Vestige’ LP out April 28

Keep up with William Faith 

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Keep up with Sett Records

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CREDITS

Written and performed by The Bellwether Syndicate

Produced by William Faith & Chad Blinman

Recorded by William Faith at 13 Studio in Chicago

Mixed by Chad Blinman at The Eye Socket

Additional programming and treatments by Chad Blinman

Mastered by Josh Sebek

William Faith – Vox and guitars

Sarah Rose Faith – Vox and guitars

Corey Gorey – Guitars (live)

Philly Peroxide – Keyboards and percussion (live)

Stevyn Grey – Drums (live)

‘Dystopian Mirror’ video filmed by William Faith & David Staudacher

‘Beacons’ video filmed by William Faith & Sarah Rose Faith

‘We All Rise’ video filmed by Sidney Strong

All videos directed by William Faith

For the last ten days I have been listening to a new album from the Finnish band Captain Cougar, the album name is Bonnie. I like the album, it is a great easy listening album. They don’t crank up the volume much, they just add some extra juice in all the right place, but that can be a good thing when it is done well. And Captain Cougar do it well.. This is an album that I can put on, sit back and let the music wash over me. All good, right?

No, it isn’t all right. Captain Cougar have given me an album that is so good, I am left wordless. I literally do not know what to say.

This band is good?

This album is good?

The recording is sonically good?

The lyrics are good?

Yes, to all of the above! But what is left to say?

Give them a listen and see if you like them as much as I do. Bonnie is a well composed album that walks between folk music with more than one stringed instrument. I think I can hear mandolin on the song Liquid Helping Hand. There are some more progressive sounds here and there and some gentle pop sensibilities. Fortunately for us, Captain Cougar bring it all together seamlessly on the album Bonnie. Their music is hard to categorise, I suggest giving them a listen you can decide what to call them.

In the place of pages of rhetoric and platitudes about how this should be on everyone’s best of the year charts and so forth, instead of me posting empty content about how much I like this album, I thought I would have a bit of fun with it. I made a crossword puzzle using song titles, some of them are broken down into two parts.

Enjoy the music, that’s it. Enjoy Captain Cougar, they are good.

Across			Down
3	Large north American cat	1	Forlorn and broken hearted
6	Rhymic movers	2	Skipper of a ship
9	Rise and shine	4	Make one’s exit
10	I’ve been to many	5	Assistant
11	Her and Clyde	7	Between words
13	Fluid that pours	8	Lighter than air
14	Cold-hearted and pale	12	A nun is one of these

Lyrics written by Jussi Petäjä

Captain Cougar are:

Juha Kujanpää: keyboards

Laura Lehtola: vocals

Jussi Petäjä: guitars, stringed instruments

Juha-Matti Rautiainen: bass, synths

Janne Torvikoski: drums, percussion

Julia Vuorinen: vocals

http://www.captaincougar.net

http://www.instagram.com/captaincougar

contact:

Jussi Petäjä

jussi.petaja@gmail.com

Pinetree Records

Captain A skipper of a ship *

Cougar Large north American cat *

Bonnie Her and Clyde *

Dancers Rhythmic movers *

Liquid Fluid that pours *

Helping Hand Assistant *

Places I’ve been to many*

Sister A nun is one of these *

Spaces Between words *

Wakeup Rise and shine *

Walk away Make one’s exit *

Weightless. Lighter than air *

Loveless Forlorn, and broken-hearted *

Bloodless. Cold-hearted and pale *

The press release:

NYC funk-art collective Loud Apartment presents ‘Technology,’ the lead track from their ‘New Future’ album. Produced by the legendary Bill Laswell, this album also features three dub remixes he created. Their third long-player also features a vocal contribution by Garrison Hawk, a long-term collaborator of Tricky and Sly & Robbie, among other notable artists. 

Loud Apartment is the sound of New York Fusion – a blend of sounds with Funk as a core ingredient. As the lyrics read, “technological revolution can bring solutions/innovation creation no degradation no pollution / too much exploitation from the governments and corporations/privacy invasion intrusion and manipulation.” Technology is a brilliant song – a clever protest song.

Norman’s notes:

I can’t separate the song Technology from the album New Future. There is a flow to the music that creates something more extensive, more expansive, than the song. The song is good, but I think it is better when listened to within the album’s context.

New Future gives us the optimism that a new future is possible. A better future, perhaps. Loud Apartment is not blind to the condition of the world. Loud Apartment is hopeful that a better future is possible.

“The album looks to the future with hope but not in a naive way. There’s a lot of trouble in the world right now, especially regarding the environment and human rights. It’s an urgent plea for radical change and a different world. A new future,” says Nevaris A.C.

Rhythm and Rhyme is the lead track, and it hooked me with its opening samples from DJ Logic on turntables. The lyrics extol the virtues of the miracle of music.

“The miracle of time is in the rhythm of the Rhyme

 The rhythm of the Rhyme one two the rhythm of the Rhyme.”

New Future jump into a groove on Rhythm and Rhyme and carry that energy through the rest of this album. I usually shy away from posting long lists of who appeared on albums. For most bands, there might only be two or three names. This album has a long list, but I think it is essential because of the quality that each person brought to this recording.

ALBUM CREDITS

Nevaris A.C.: voice, electric piano, Hammond organ, congas, percussion

Bill Laswell: bass

DJ Logic: turntables

Lockatron: drums

Will Bernard: guitar

Peter Apfelbaum: tenor saxophone, flute, melodica

Garrison Hawk: vocals on ‘Rebellion’ and ‘Dub Rebellion.’

Produced by Bill Laswell

Created at Orange Music, West Orange, NJ

Engineered by James Dellatacoma

Mastered by Michael Fossenkemper at Turtletone Studio, NYC

Cover Illustration by José Ortiz

All songs were written by Nevaris and Bill Laswell except ‘Rebellion’ and ‘Dub Rebellion.’

by Nevaris, Bill Laswell, and Garrison Hawk

Horn arrangements by Peter Apfelbaum.

This album is impressive; the groove Loud Apartments talented folks brought to the table is a cornucopia of sound. I listen to this repeatedly and find new tidbits of exquisite sounds I didn’t hear before. New Future more effortlessly from funk to techno to reggae to jazz, creating a fusion of fresh sounds and refreshing music.

Outdoor photos by Tyler McGackin. Indoor photos by Michael Black

Bandcamp https://loudapartment.bandcamp.com/album/new-future

Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/loudapartment

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/35agCFwnA3mZzpwhy0f90j

‘System Breakdown’ LP (2020) https://loudapartment.bandcamp.com/album/system-breakdown

Shameless Promotion PR
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud | Instagram | Spotify | LinkedIn | Email

Aiming the energy of punk and the lyrical substance of the new wave scene Quiz Show hit all the correct answers. Opening with the hot single “Sound Of Kissing,” Quiz Show comes charging at us with power and passion.

This trio knows their chops. American indie rock trio Quiz Show has members of alternative rock bands Shudder To Think, Guided By Voices and The Dambuilders on their eponymous debut album, released via Montclair, NJ-based Magic Door Record Label. This electrifying collection of 12 tracks involves Chris Matthews (Shudder To Think), Jesse Krakow, and drummer Kevin March (Guided By Voices, The Dambuilders). Earlier, bassist Jesse Krakow had taken over from the original bassist Frank Gibbons and, more recently, Joe Billy has replaced Kevin March, whose drumming features throughout this album.

Photo Credit: Paul Haley

Recorded with award-winning producer Ray Ketchem (Guided By Voices, Luna, Versus, Elk City, Gramercy Arms) at his Magic Door Recording Studio in Montclair, The ‘Quiz Show‘ LP is full of protest, friendship and frustration. Diving into the energy of punk rock mosh pits and the grunge sound of their guitars and driving rhythms. All the while, the vocals strive to capture the emotional fervour of punky garage rock. I think they nailed it!

“This is our first album! Quiz Show has been making music since 2017 and put out most of the songs on this release as singles between 2017 and 2020. We are releasing them now after remixing and remastering all of the songs to freshen them up, and so they can document the origin story of Quiz Show in a single package. This release also brings these songs under the amazing umbrella of the Magic Door record label,” says Chris Matthews.

“Quiz Show songs come together when ideas voiced through the guitars are set to rhythms constructed on the bass and drums. Lyrics emerge after the melodies, which often emerge while Chris (Matthew) drives around. These songs were created in the in-between spaces of complicated lives. We cherish this work and the feelings it describes. Sound of Kissing was built this way and, like most of our songs, it uses lyrics to reflect a dissatisfaction with the limits on love, money, and time.”

Quiz Show’ LP / Bandcamp  https://quizshow.bandcamp.com/album/quiz-show
‘Almost Famous’  https://quizshow.bandcamp.com/track/almost-famous
‘Sound of Kissing’  https://quizshow.bandcamp.com/track/sound-of-kissing
Spotify  https://open.spotify.com/track/2o5bspNEAO6Mfr7esIQCMT
YouTube  https://youtu.be/N7F3Xie69Fs
Soundcloud  https://on.soundcloud.com/wzoUF
‘Quiz Show’ LP / Bandcamp  https://quizshow.bandcamp.com/album/quiz-show

CREDITS
Written by Chris Matthews, Kevin March and Frank Gibbons
Chris Matthews – guitar, vocals
Kevin March – drums, vocals
Frank Gibbons – bass
Recorded, mixed  & mastered by Ray Ketchem at Magic Door Recording (Montclair, NJ)
‘Quiz Show’ album cover art – ‘Moving Day’ by Renee LoBue
‘Sound of Kissing’ cover art – ‘Hey Moon’ by Renee LoBue
Cover design by Ray Ketchem

If you have any questions, contact Shauna McLarnon from Shameless Promotion PR at contact@shamelesspromotionpr.com.

Librarians With Hickeys called their album, Handclaps & Tambourines, “the perfect album for your next rock-and-roll book club meeting with the band’s melodic muscular indie pop (coffee and snacks not included).” The Librarians With Hickeys have just released a video to highlight a song from their Handclaps & Tambourines album which I blogged way back in September of 2022. This is an update and re-review. I like checking out albums and seeing how they age. Handclaps & Tambourines has aged very well.

I have a love/hate relationship with music books. I’ve read my fair share of them, and when I was much younger than now, I had a sound mind for remembering much of what I read. The song “When We Were Young” captures some of that. A broad appreciation of all kinds of music gave me a solid foundation to build my music kingdom. I loved the knowledge the music books gave me, but I have found that the books tend to become dust collectors after the first read, with only a few exceptions. Now I find myself “Stumbling Down Memory Lane.” an excellent tune for a melancholic glance over our shoulder looking back to where we have been.

I think a music book club would be an exciting gathering of music lovers. Of course, we would have to play music while discussing what we were reading. My music book of the month is Vinyl Cafe Turns The Page; I have read Stuart McLean‘s Vinyl Cafe books voraciously.

Putting the book aside, let’s talk about what is on the virtual turntable. Let’s get to the elephant in the room right from the start. Librarians With Hickeys. What’s up with the name? I couldn’t find an answer to that question, but it caught my attention, which is what a band wants. Well, they caught my attention, and I listened to them, got past the name and fell in love with the music that Librarians With Hickeys were making on their second album, Handclaps & Tambourines.

The lads in Librarians With Hickeys have done their fair share of listening to music over the years. Singer/guitarist Ray Carmen, lead guitarist/vocalist Mike Crooker, bassist Andrew Wilco and drummer Rob Crossley — write, play, sing and record like they have shelf upon shelf of music books and records. Their music sparkles with the best of 60’s sugar-coated pop, as heard on “Me And My Big Mouth,” inspired by singer/guitarist Ray Carmen’s obsession with the Monkees. “Fairground” is a fun summer listen. At the same time, we wait for “The Last Days Of Summer,” which features the haunting viola of Larysa Bulbenko (The Armoires). The opening barnstormer “I Better Get Home” rocks a 60’s Hammond organ, which never gets old.

Glam rock from the ’70s can be heard rising to the occasion on the song “Lady Overdrive.” Lead guitarist Mike Crooker dials in his wah pedal on that track and then makes his lead singing debut of the equally glitter-filled tune “Over You.”

’80s college rock? Check got that on the track “Can’t Wait ‘Till Summer” with its ringing harmonics and 2021’s hit “I Can’t Stop Thinking About You.” 

’90s indie rock gets checked out on tracks like the instantly memorable lead single “Ghost Singer” (with Christina Bulbenko and Rex Broome of The Armoires joining Crooker as the ethereal Greek chorus) and “I See You.” 

Back to the present day, Librarians With Hickeys have crafted a very listenable album that would be perfect for a summer drive with the windows down and the volume up. It Handclaps & Tambourines was released on October 14th through Big Stir Records. It aged very well.

The Band: Twisted Rose

The song: Watch The Stars

Why it is important: Suicide

It has taken me over a week to put this blog together. Why? You may ask, was it because the song talked about suicide? Yes, not because it is a complex topic. It was because I had too much to listen to, read and write about and had trouble keeping the blog and list of songs brief. List of songs? I wanted to do a B-side about suicide. And that list of songs ended up long, so I had to do some pruning.

I finally have the listening together, and I am ready to do some writing so you will have some listening. Twisted Rose was a new band in my listening sphere. This song dropped out of the internet ether into my inbox. So I listened to it.

Info und Bookinganfragen: info@twisted-rose.de http://www.twisted-rose.de

From the press release that came with the song:

With their new single “Watch The Stars,” Twisted Rose is again addressing suicide. The song was composed and written by Chris Bones. In it, he describes his feelings when he lost someone very close to him through suicide and how he had to stand by and could do nothing. Here are some thoughts on the other songs on this playlist.

I used Music Grotto as a source for some of this list and will try to annotate where I used their material. YouTube didn’t cooperate with posting links for some songs so you will have to do it manually do it yourself.

Side “A”

Watch The Stars by Twisted Rose

Watch The Stars explores suicide through the perspective of a person who has lost someone close to them and the pain that they are feeling. It is important to acknowledge our pain from losing someone. That could be the loss of a family member, a friend, a coworker, or someone who touched your life, like a musician, an actor or another social media person.

Everybody Hurts by R.E M.

This song comes with several good performances on YouTube that I would encourage you to watch as you listen to this amazingly moving song.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rOiW_xY-kc

Every aspect of Everybody Hurts talks about helping stop teenagers from committing suicide.

Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones.

YouTube: Rolling Stones – Paint it Black 2006 Live Video HD

Paint It Black is written from the point of view of a depressed person who wants everything to turn black because that is how they view everything in their life.

‘I look inside myself and see my heart is black / I see my red door and must have it painted black / maybe then I’ll fade away and not have to face the facts / it’s not easy facing up when your whole world is black.’

Don’t Try Suicide by Queen

Don’t Try Suicide is an anthem about why committing suicide is wrong. A grand anthem to ‘don’t do it, don’t you try it.”

A Little More by Machine Gun Kelly Ft. Victoria Monet

YouTube: Machine Gun Kelly – A Little More (Explicit) ft. Victoria Monet

Machine Gun Kelly rattles off a list of things wrong in the world that he witnesses and concludes that “all we need is a little more love.” This track turned me into a fan of MGK.

The Outsider by A Perfect Circle

YouTube: A Perfect Circle – Outsider (Director’s Cut)

The Outsider is one song off an album that deals with the theme of addiction and how suicide is never far away from that life.

I have a long list of songs and albums about addiction that I will make a separate blog to explore.

Side “B”

Heaven by Nanci Griffith https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQXfj5hK9BQ

I shift gears, move away from rock and roll, and explore Country/Western and folk music for their rich history of hurtin’ songs.

Heaven, the singer, wants to escape the pain of their life and go to Heaven.

Hell No (I’m Not Alright) by Nanci Griffith

I love this track on several levels. For one, this song explores the feeling of not being alright and that our lives are not all fun and games. We need to be honest and tell people how we feel. And they need to be patient and listen to us without pushing solutions, just listen. It is OK to talk about feeling suicidal. For two, she growls, Hell No (I’m Not Alright).

Drunken Angel by Lucinda Williams

This song is about This song is a tribute to (and accusation against) fellow singer-songwriter and beautiful loser Blaze Foley. I recommend you do a little internet searching and discover the music of Blaze Foley and Lucinda Williams.

How Do You Get That Lonely by Blaine Larsen

YouTube: Blaine Larsen – How Do You Get That Lonely (Official Video)

Blaine has the perfect C/W voice to ask the question, How Do You Get That Lonely? A friend once commented that he didn’t know how anyone could get so desperate that ending their life was the best answer.

Whiskey Lullaby by Alison Krauss and Brad Paisley

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZbN_nmxAGk

Alcohol is often hand in hand with suicide. It is often a slow death, drinking their lives away. Sometimes it comes quickly at the pull of a drunken finger on a trigger.

Fire and Rain by James Taylor

While browsing tracks dealing with suicide, I was surprised to see this one on a list from Music Grotto. I will add their take on the topic.

“The classic number was released in 1970 and is one of Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 greatest songs of all time. The song talks about the suicide death of Suzanne Schnerr – James Taylor’s childhood friend. In the song, James also opens up about his struggles with depression and drug addiction.

When dealing with depression, most people want to find a way out, so mental illness and substance addiction are closely associated. However, drugs offer temporary numbness to the situation but do more harm than good in the long run.”

Alone Again (Naturally) by Gilbert O’Sullivan

A long-time favourite song of mine and one that I didn’t think of as being tied to suicide, but it is—an even better song now.

There we have it, 14 songs, seven a side. A full album of songs that explore the topic of suicide. All thanks to the seed from Watch The Stars by Twisted Rose and the contributions of others. If you have a favourite song about suicide that is not on this list, please leave a note in the comments and thank you.