Band: THE BAND WHO Who: Indie rockers from Toronto, Canada.
They took their name from a quote by American
essayist/abolitionist/poet Ralph Waldo Emerson : “The world makes way for the man who knows where he’s going.”
“Nothing’s better than hanging out with some friends and letting the night take you
on a ride. The inspiration for our energizing song “Lose My Mind” was wanting to let
loose and have a great time. The verses touch on the hangover brain fog, the next
day’s souvenir. But a little hair of the dog never hurt anyone.”
TUTV: Expect a stupendous bass-driven foot-stomper full of burning passion and
zippy zeal. A bit like Eels when he’s on a roll. Beat-heavy and boogielicious all the way.
Have it on repeat and lose your mind, for a while. Why not, it feels liberating.
The late, incomparable MARK E. SMITH about I’m not just The Fall, the music industry,
his own world, taking a walk before a concert, books and much more in a 1990 interview with MTV.
Toronto-based songstress SAM CASEY had a couple of soulful singles out
last year –New Company andGood Fight – and a magnificent goosebumps
cover of Etta James’ heartbreaking classic I’d Rather Go Blind and now she
dives into 2023 with a whole different piece.
Casey about new single I’M FUCKING SAM“It talks about the pressures of any young
adult who has recently left their safety net. It’s about dating the wrong guy, choosing the
wrong friends, and learning about yourself through these negative experiences. It illustrates
the experience of being wanted/adored for what you can do for someone rather than who
you really are. It also discusses the vices that we may fall back on when discovering these
ugly realities for the first time.”
It’s a sharp-tongued and guitar-tingling hip-pop tune. “I Never been so happy with
myself / I know who I am” she sings, after past mistakes when it came to boyfriends
and companions, and she damn sounds confident. She’s done with wrong decisions.
She’s fucking SAM. Deal with it!
The accompanying video is directed by Agata Waclawska.
DIY Magazine: “This self-titled debut from the pairing of Blur guitarist Graham Coxon and journeywoman songwriter Rose Elinor Dougall is a curious collection of contrasts. Most notably, that between the protagonists’ own voices; Rose’s a strong, smooth and often deep one with an almost RP accent; Graham’s his signature twang, faltering and vulnerable. The rough and the smooth rub up against each other – the squall of Graham’s guitar juxtaposed against slick brass, soaring strings or appearing just as the lyrical content threatens to veer into soppy territory… Cinematic in scope, often luscious in its arrangements, it’s a singular gem.”
Score: 4/5.
TUTV: Several tracks bring the thought to mind of Coxon-Dougall being a modern
day Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood. As romantic, dreamy, and moony as the glam
stars were, but The Waeve explore other places too (alone or together), where it’s
rather darksome, misty and not glamorous at all.
Coxon‘s bedazzling saxophone play is everywhere. It creates a jazzy and smoky
night-bar coziness on the lullabies (Drowning / Over and Over / Undine), it glows on
the groovy hauntingness of Kill Me Again (one of the best singles of 2022 on Turn Up
The Volume‘s list), Sleepwalking and Someone Up There, and it goes over the top on the head-spinning psych pace of Something Pretty and on the ballad Can I Call You that
turns into a prog-rock jam midway.
Different moods, different sonic textures, with matching vocal performances.
Back now to another couple of spins, to get even deeper into the versatile
layers at play here. Join me, it’s a riveting ride.
Key singles/clips: Kill Me Again / Drowning / Over and Over
It seems like megastar/songwriter and flamboyant personality/performer ELTON JOHN (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight 75 years ago) is around like
forever.
Well, it is when you have a look at his catalog. 31 albums (so far) in 52 years
plus 5 collaborative LPs and 10 movie soundtracks. But also a countless series
of hit singles, including the flaming classicCROCODILE ROCKfrom his 1973 LP Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player.
The single went to the top of the UK Singles Chart 50 years ago today, on 3 February 1973.
Band: REFLECTION BACK Who: The manifestation of mastermind’s Elis Alex musical visions, originating
from the urban landscapes of Athens, Greece. The band aims at delivering melodic Goth Rock and Post-Punk with a modern 21st-century edge and the darkest imagery, infused by Alex’s Black Metal past. The result is dark, fast, and polished striking the
perfect balance between dreamy synth lines, crystalline guitars, and infectious vocal hooks.
New singleNO STARS IN THE SKY
The first piece from the upcoming debut album
Last Stop to Nowhere, out on 3 March in collaboration
with Swiss Dark Nights.
Following the 2022 debut EP Entering DreamtimeReflection Back
returns with this scintillating synth symphony from their upcoming
album. It resonates trancy and sticky, frisky and twisty. Even without
stars, the sky can look bright.