American soul-heavy duo GNARLS BARKLEY got their name cemented
for eternity with their gigantic 2006 hit Crazy (more than 1,45 billion
streams on Spotify).
But they are/were quite lazy. They just launched only
their 3rd and, yes, already final LP in 20 years, baptized Atlanta.
A soul-gospel colored record featuring several highlights. One of my favs is I AMNESIA. A sing-along/foottapping/clap-along chant flavored with spiritual
vocals.
BILL CALLAHAN, the high-quality singer-songwriter from Maryland (US)
who first earned many accolades with his band Smog, between 1990 and
2005, just released his 8th solo full-length, named MY DAYS OF 58.
Callahan: “I usually just sing a melody to a horn player or let them try a few takes
and go from there. This time I thought, why not get some of the record charted out.
There’s always room for spontaneity on top of that. And we did indeed throw some off
the cuff stuff on top of the charted horns in a couple cases where they weren’t fully doing
what I wanted.
With this record I kept thinking of it as a ‘living room record.’ I’m not talking about fidelity
at all here. Living room attitude. Living room vibe. Not too loud, not otherworldly. I asked for the horns to be relaxed like someone on the couch playing, not a blast from heaven or hell.”
Lazy? Need for some quiet moments? Wanna relax? Here’s a fitting soundtrack. Here’s seasoned storyteller Mister Callahan blessed with a tranquilizing voice. Days of 58 feels
like a soothing ear massage. It feels good, really good.
TUTV: Expect an emotive lullaby driven by saddening vocals,
a slow burning torch, about a perfect pair of human monsters.
Confusing story, puzzling performance.
I am the bride, of Frankenstein
My hair shocked through with, that crazy line
Eyes wide and mouth crying
‘Better to be dead than dying’
But that wasn’t my own thought first
It just kept me from my own hurt
We are monsters, a perfect pair
You make me crazy, I make you scared
Is it the city, is it the things we chose
Was it the plague, the way the whole world froze
How do we change, how do we become real
Reanimation is a rotten deal
Artist: RYAN THOMAS SMELLE Who: Canadian singer/songwriter with an acoustic approach to storytelling, using
hook-laden songs in the areas of folk, alternative, North Americana and pop. His use of heartfelt lyrics and emotional undertones allow his music to be relatable and identifiable by intertwining his songs with everyday personal experiences.
RTS: “Some songs are stories of moments from our life. As a songwriter, this short
and sweet lyrical tale is a snapshot of a love’s farewell and how we can stew in the
feelings.
Every once in a while I’ll dive into an old song book to see if I could retool a song, and I found this gem. Simple yet visual in its story. The bones were tracked in my own studio and when I shared them with Johnny Dee at Highfield Studios, another vision was unleashed and produced with more swagger. The final product runs parallel to my normal folk singer-songwriter flair with an element of alt pop.”
TUTV: Vocally Ryan Thomas Smelle reminds me of The National’s Matt Berninger‘s tranquillising hush-hush timbre, which benefits the heartrending emotions and
the saddening nature of NothingLeft Of My Heart downright.
Acoustic and electric guitar sparks, think Mark Knopfler, paint cloudy images.
This is a melancholic reverie for silent pondering and soul-searching reflection.
A touching and moving ballad.
Verstegen: “As a songwriter, I have a love-hate relationship with the “blank page.”
As long as I don’t put anything on it, anything is still possible. It’s a promise of everything
song could ever be. But I also find that emptiness intimidating. What if I mess it up?
What if I have nothing meaningful to say?
That uncertainty and doubt reminded me of how I feel after a broken relationship.
You suddenly have to turn the page and write a new chapter. A head full of doubts
and a heart full of hope. And before I knew it, I had a page full of sentences about…
a blank page.”
TUTV: Dim the lights, sit down, relax, and let your thoughts run free. Verstegen will soundtrack it all with this new restful reverie. His near-whispering vocals and acoustic, sepia-colored sonority echo Matt Berninger‘s soft, romantic touch. Candelight music for relaxing moments. Wonderful.
Never thought that a clean page could sound so enchanting.
In the 90s, he still had some good moments, but it wasn’t the imposing Belfast Cowboy (nicknamed that by the late Robbie Robertson of The Band) of the early days anymore.
He started to play the same songs over and over again.
Artist: BLACK VIIOLET Who: Alter-ego of American garage punk ‘n’ roll
turbo The Darts‘ front Amazon Nicole Laurenne.
Track: DARK BLUE
First single and title track of her upcoming
new full-length, 2nd in 2 years. Pre-orders
from January 29th on.
TUTV: I’m sure bootylicious Nicole Laurenne‘s days count 48 instead of 24 hours.
Only last week she announced the 4th LP in 4 years from her riff-racing band The Darts, and shared the first taster, Midnight Creep. Now comes the news of her 2nd Black Viiolet full-length following last year’s debut After You (part of TUTV’s best albums of 2025).
Oh, let’s not forget the endless touring with her gang and now with her alter-ego too.
That said, BV’s lead single Dark Blue echoes the overall flirtatious ambiance of After You. Jazzy and trippy-hoppy vibes in slow mo. Her slightly hoarse, whispering vocals fit the nightclub’s contra-bass/trumpet/drum melodiousness like a glove. Music for the midnight hours, away from the brutal reality we have to endure.
GORILLAZ, the brainchild of Blur’s Damon Albarn and comic book artist Jamie Hewlett,
have been writing/releasing reggae-infused pop tunes since 1988. They have their 9th longplayer, named The Mountain, out on March 20th.
They just added 2 new songs to the previously 3 shared ones.
It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon shanty featuring Bizarrap, Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar. You can whistle along, or if you are more of hummer,
just hum along.
Artist: IRON & WINE Who: Seasoned singer-songwriter Samuel Beam from North Carolina.
Track: IN YOUR OCEAN
New piece from his forthcoming 9th LP, titled Hen’s Teeth, which will arrive on February 27th.
Hen’s Teeth and his previous album, Light Verse, are siblings of a sort.
They were recorded during the same sessions after a year-long dry spell.
New album artwork
I&W about the album: “I’ve always wanted to use that title. I just love it. To me it
suggests the impossible. Hen’s teeth do not exist. And that’s what this record felt like
a gift that shouldn’t be there but it is. An impossible thing but it’s real.”
“When I’ve been on a writing kick, and the band can meet me where I’m at, they push me into something I hadn’t imagined. I’m at a point in my life where spontaneity is a lot more important to me. I don’t have as much to prove as I used to. I’m a lot freer and I love making music more than ever. There are no right or wrong answers. You just pray for your luck and try your best.”
Artist: WINONA OAK Who: The musical moniker of engrossing Swedish songstress Johanna Ewana Ekmark.
Track: HORSES
The 2nd single from her upcoming,
sophomore album (details TBA).
TUTV: Oak‘s starry-eyed voice makes me think of superstars Lana Del Rey and Billie
Eilish‘s heartfelt tenderness. Melancholic reverie Horses is a nostalgic lullaby. She revisits childhood memories of riding, a time when she felt safe, free, and deeply connected
to the natural world. Embrace this sepia-colored performance. Beautiful, just beautiful.
