1. CAUTION – The Killers (1)
2. LEVEL OF CONCERN – twenty one pilots (4)
3. BLINDING LIGHTS – The Weeknd (2)
4. BLACK MADONNA – Cage the Elephant (3)
5. LOST IN YESTERDAY – Tame Impala (5)
6. DELETER – Grouplove (6)
7. SHINE A LITTLE LIGHT – The Black Keys (7)
8. OH YEAH! – Green Day (8)
9. BAD DECISIONS – The Strokes (9)
10. YOUR LOVE (DÉJÀ VU) – Glass Animals (11)
11. OVER AND OVER – Amongst Liars (10)
12. MARIA – Two Feet (16)
13. LET’S FALL IN LOVE FOR THE NIGHT – FINNEAS (17)
14. ME & YOU TOGETHER SONG – The 1975 (18)
15. USED TO LIKE – Neon Trees (12) 21st week on list
16. LEMON DROP – Absofacto (19)
17. EVERYTHING I WANTED – Billie Eilish (15)
18. ADORE YOU – Harry Styles (13)
19. DON’T START NOW – Dua Lipa (14)
20. IF NOT FOR THE FIRE – The Million Reasons (22)
21. HELL N BACK – Bakar (23)
22. LONELINESS FOR LOVE – lovelytheband (24)
23. RUN – Joji (25)
24. HOW WILL I REST IN PEACE IF I’M BURIED BY A HIGHWAY?// – Kenny Hoopla (26)
25. HALF YOUR AGE – Joywave (28)
26. BEAUTIFUL FACES – Declan McKenna (21)
27. LAY YOUR HEAD ON ME – Major Lazer featuring Marcus Mumford (30)
28. HERO – Michael Kiwanuka (20)
29. SHANGRI-LA – EOB (N)
30. BLACK & WHITE LOVE – Beating Hearts Club (N)
For some reason, the Spotify playlist is not being displayed as it normally is, so click on link to open:
This past February, I introduced British rock band Amongst Liars to my readers when I reviewed their spectacular debut single “Over and Over”. The song has been streamed over 51,000 times on Spotify, and has spent more than two months on my Weekly Top 30. Based in the Brighton/Eastbourne area along the southern English coast, the band formed in September 2019 from the ashes of the bands Saint Apache and Katalina Kicks, and consists of Ian George (lead vocal, guitar), Leo Burdett (guitar, backing vocals), Ross Towner (bass, backing vocals) and Adam Oarton (drums). Drawing upon alternative rock, grunge and punk, they play a melodic and fierce style of aggressive hard rock. Now they return with their second single “Wolf Machine“, and it’s an appropriately-titled beast of a track.
While Amongst Liars don’t consider themselves a ‘political band’, they certainly don’t shy away from expressing their opinions and anxieties about what’s happening in the world. Band vocalist Ian George explains. “We’re not preaching at anyone or trying to change the world. We’re just saying these are the things that affect and concern us.” With that in mind, “Wolf Machine” speaks of “challenging those in a position of authority and power, not accepting that the hand that we’ve been dealt should define who we are, and calling out inept governments run by power-hungry politicians. The line ‘Bring down the wolf machine’ chanted throughout the song resonates with so many of our world’s population, who are tired of the ‘same old’ mentality.”
True to their hard rock roots, the guys deliver a volley of furious riffs, crushing bass and smashing drums to create a thunderous wall of sound. All experienced musicians, Amongst Liars are adept at pushing their respective instruments to their limits to achieve the heaviest sound possible, without going overboard. The result is a relentless barrage of intense, chest-thumping grooves that are the very definition of rock. Then there’s Ian’s raw and powerful vocals that perfectly fit both the hard-hitting music and song message. He sounds downright feral as he snarls the searing lyrics.
Count your blessings watch the other run
No one to listen? learn your lesson?
Blame the government
Turn the summer, to the rain and cold
Keep it close to your heart
Cash your life in before it’s sold
Just you try and stop us Time to lock and load, now we’re letting go Don’t get me wrong, I never needed you Chase your shadow They bleed and die for you
In this desert, we are the trees
I’m waiting patiently, will you take me please
I’m alive, not sad to see you go
I hope we make it back
Before it’s overgrown
Just you try and stop us Time to lock and load, now we’re letting go Don’t get me wrong, I never needed you Chase your shadow They bleed and die for you
Yeah
Bring it down Bring it down Bring it down Bring it down Bring it down
Bring down the wolf machine Bring down the wolf machine Bring down the wolf machine Bring down the wolf
The fascinating and provocative artwork for the single was created by Pierre Engelbrecht.
ECHOSEVEN is a heavy alternative metal rap group based in New Brunswick, Canada. After a tentative start in 2016 as a music project of drummer Allon McCall and guitarist Justin Larracey, the guys got serious about their music in 2019 and began recruiting more members to form a legitimate band. By early this year, ECHOSEVEN’s lineup was complete, and in addition to McCall and Larracey, now includes Stefanie Roy (Lead Vocals/Guitar), Darrell Vautour (Rap Vocals), Andre Leblanc (Guitar) and Jamie Warren (Bass). They’ve just released their debut single “EVERYTHING“, and it kicks!
The band wastes no time getting right down to business, as the song blasts open with jagged riffs of gnarly guitars and smashing drums, anchored by a deep, chugging bass line, all of which creates an ominous vibe. Having three guitarists gives the music greater texture and depth, and when combined with the heavy bass and intense percussion, the result is an explosive wall of sound. But what I like most about the song is the presence of both a female vocalist and male rapper. The contrast between Stefanie’s haunting vocals and Darrell’s beautiful flow as he raps his verses creates a dramatic back and forth that makes for an exciting listen.
About the song, the band explains: “EVERYTHING is about going through hard times, being broken down to ground zero and finding out who your true and real friends, family, helpers and supporters are, and confronting them on their motives and intentions. When the smokes clears, who’s left standing next to you?”
“EVERYTHING” is a fine debut by ECHOSEVEN, and I look forward to hearing more music from this dynamic collective very soon.
Strangely Alright is a five-piece band from Seattle, Washington who refer to themselves as an “Eclectic Traveling Minstrel Magic Music Medicine Show”. They’ve built a huge following not only because of their entertaining and quirky style of punk-infused psychedelic rock, but also for the strong messages of humanity, love, kindness and acceptance in their songs. The band is fronted by Regan Lane, who does much of the songwriting and sings lead vocals, Sean Van Dommelen (lead guitar, vocals), Ken Schaff (bass), Raymond Hayden (keyboards, vocals) and Jason Bair (drums). They’ve released a number of recordings over the past several years, including their terrific album The Time Machine is Broken in 2013, as well as a compilation album All of Us Are Strange (The Singles) and an EP Stuff, both of which were released in 2018. You can read my review of Stuffhere.
On the heels of their epic and mesmerizing Pink Floyd-esque single “Inside a Place”, Strangely Alright are back with a fantastic new single “Psych Film“, which I’ve chosen as my New Song of the Week. The song is about connection, trust, and valuing someone for who they are, warts and all. About their creative process, the band explains: “Part of being in a band, or relationship for that matter, is trust. Regan and Sean’s songwriting chemistry and trust are based on mutual respect and similar journeys from that darkness into the light that work for them. ‘Psych Film’ is a perfect example of one of the ways they create. [It’s] like having two painters painting on the same canvas at different times in order to create one cohesive piece of art.”
The track is melodic and trippy, with a bit of a 70s era David Bowie vibe thanks to lush psychedelic guitars and wonderfully spooky synths. The drums and percussion are flawless, and I love the deep, throbbing bass and heavy, buzzing reverb that continues throughout the song. Regan’s pleasing vocals are comforting as he croons the optimistic lyrics:
In the best of us you’re gonna find a good thing In the worst of us you’re gonna find a bad thing A different job A different life A different God A different wife In the best of us you’re gonna find a good thing
I don’t have to be alone no more Connection I don’t have to change Who I am today I am here and that’s enough to make it all ok Connection In a movie where the hero isn’t handsome He got a job but he cannot afford the ransom A different skin A beating heart A different dream A tiny spark In a movie where the hero isn’t handsome I don’t have to be afraid of me Connection There’s a tiny thread That I cannot see But I feel it when I touch it with an open mind Connection
Ooooo A sinner today a saint tomorrow A sinner today
Dizmation is the solo music project of Irish singer-songwriter and musician Joey Doyle. The talented Dubliner is also front man for the band Fiction Peaks, a wonderful alternative folk-rock group I featured on this blog a number of times in 2016 and 2017. He released his debut EP The Future is a Bubble in March, and followed a month later with the lovely piano instrumental “Paint Clouds”. Now he returns with a new three-track EP Who Are the Experts?, which dropped May 3rd. He’s also a pretty talented visual artist, and created the trippy artwork for the EP cover.
On his Instagram page, Dizmation offers a hint as to the meaning of the songs: “These are our identities being swallowed up by algorithms, to be homogenised.” Each of the three tracks has a completely different music style and sound. The first track “Render” features an urgent piano-driven melody, accompanied by soaring orchestral strings and pulsating waves of distorted synth bass that give the song a beautiful but rather unsettling vibe. Doyle has a lovely voice, which here sounds plaintive and somewhat distant as he sings: “No sense in making sense now / The time awaits all fools / That deeper stain behind us / The truth’s no longer the truth / But sail away so far away / For truth and darkness lies in the light.”
“Shadow Band” is an unusual instrumental track with a fascinating mix of scratchy, undulating lo-fi industrial synths, sharp percussive beats and somber piano keys, punctuated by brief moments of delicate glittery synths. The lovely but rather haunting echoed chorale vocals lend a mystical air to the song.
“Where Life Awaits” is a pleasing folk-style song that starts off with a strummed acoustic guitar and bold hand claps. The music expands to include moody horns and string synths that give the song a poignant feel. Dizmation softly croons the lyrics that seem to speak of trying to break through to someone he cares deeply about: “I tried to know you, to see inside. To light the path where the darkness lies.But every time I’m getting close, all I see is closing doors. But it’s not too far, And it’s not too late. We’re dying to be where, to be where life awaits.”
Who Are the Experts? is a fine little EP that provides a glimpse of Dizmation’s creative imagination and songwriting skills, as well as his strong musicianship.
Update: Dizmation subsequently deleted this music that I spent time reviewing.
Bristol, England-based hard rock band Mallavora are making a big splash on the British music scene with their exciting and hard-hitting sound, with features on BBC Introducing and airplay on UK radio station Planet Rock. Hot on the heels of the late March release of their spectacular single “Ego” (you can read my review here), on April 26th they dropped their latest single “Deceiver“, and now follow up with an exciting new video of them performing the song. “Deceiver” is the second single from their forthcoming Paradise EP, due out later this year, and it another winning tune.
Strongly influenced by progressive rock, groove and doom metal elements from some of their favorite bands like KoЯn, Mastodon, Muse and Alter Bridge, Mallavora create melodic hard rock songs characterized by thunderous riffs, driving rhythms, intelligent lyrics and the incredible sparks that come from having both female and male vocalists with great singing voices. The current lineup consists of Larry Sobieraj (guitar), Ellis James (bass/vocals), Jessica Douek (vocals) and Jack Pedersen (drums).
“Deceiver”explores the theme of domestic abuse, with lyrics describing someone trapped in a toxic relationship. She yearns to break free, but his recurring promises of love, combined with her weakness and lack of self-esteem, prevent her from leaving him. Mallavora skillfully expresses the darkness of the subject matter with an aggressive barrage of Larry’s chugging gnarly riffs, Jack’s pummeling drums and Ellis’ heavy, grinding bass that together sound downright diabolical. Larry’s an amazing guitarist, and his wailing guitar solo in the bridge is a highlight for me. Then there’s Jessica’s powerful, soaring vocals, which beautifully convey the intense emotion and despair described in the lyrics.
Look in his eyes Love is a lie
She can’t hear anything Her heads still ringing The tears on her face The last result of his embrace
And she can hear him calling Feels her heart start stalling She lets her life stay falling down Without a sound
So wash away the truth Except the one he told you Give him your hand to hold And let the fear within take control Look in his eyes Love is a lie She can’t feel anything Her heart’s still beating The rings round her eyes Revealing how she spent last night
Goes to where she was lying To find her phone still dialing But no one’s replying how Is she gonna leave him now?
You’ve gotta tell the truth Accept the things he’s done to you Break free from his hold It’s your life babe, regain control
From the moment we first hear the sounds of someone sniffing a bottle, dropping ice cubes and pouring liquor into a glass, then taking a swig at the beginning of the opening track on the new album It Is Called by British band The Slytones, we just know we’re in for a good time. And quite frankly, can’t we all use a few more good times right now?!
Influenced by their love of The Doors, Mr. Bungle, Queens Of The Stone Age and Jimi Hendrix, as well as a colorful mix of Motown, psychedelia, gospel, blues, jazz and Afrobeat, the Brighton-based sextet make wildly entertaining music that’s bawdy, irreverent and funny as hell. Their hilarious, tongue-in-cheek lyrics tackle the minefield of love and relationships, and how they have a way of often exploding in our faces. As they so eloquently state in their bio, their sound “encompasses everything from schizophrenic fairground avant-pop and queasy skanking swamp-ska to crunching left-brain hard rock and mad scientist anti-funk.” To top things off, they dress in natty attire with their faces covered in black and white greasepaint, looking like six dapper mimes in their animated and theatrical performances.
Formed as a trio back in 2006, The Slytones eventually expanded to six members: Ashley Edwards (lead vocals/guitar), Bradley Wescott (guitar), Chip Phillips (keyboards, backing vocals), Chris Warren (bass) (though Carl Brothwood played bass on many of the album tracks), Freddie Hills (drums), and Robin O’Keeffe (percussion/backing vocals). They released their debut EP The Psychedelic Sound Of in 2011, then began recording new songs in 2013 for what was to be their first full-length album.
According to band drummer Hills (whose music I’ve previously reviewed both as a solo artist and as a session musician with fellow Brighton artists Ellie Ford and Liemba), The Slytones “spent three years slaving over it meticulously with a lot of love and attention to detail until it was finished around 2016. Despite all of this work, we got a bit fed up of playing the music industry game (and each other) and went on an indefinite hiatus. Now that we all have time on our hands, we decided to finally release it.” I’m glad they did, because it’s the most fun I’ve had listening to a record since last year’s Love at First Sniff by Australian band Thunder Fox.
It Is Called was recorded at Ford Lane Studios in West Sussex, under the guidance of Rob Quickenden (Royal Blood, Tigercub, Demob Happy, Fickle Friends), who produced, mixed and mastered the album. Seven years in the making, the album was at last released on May 1st, and features 12 stellar tracks.
Kicking things off is “She Said She Came From the Sea“, which The Slytones first released back in 2015 as a double single with “Time Won’t Wait For Strangers”. Opening with the aforementioned sound effects of liquor being poured and consumed, it’s the perfect drinking song about what appears to be a vexing mermaid who’s intruding on the singer’s free-wheeling ways. Lead singer Ashley Edwards has a raspy, sardonic and emotive vocal style that’s well-suited for their songs. We fully believe him when he sings “The truth is a stone. My heart is a rock. The women that surround me only long for my cock.” The accompanying video showing the guys performing the song on a pier and in the sea is delightful.
The Slytones are terrific musicians, adept at writing complex, ever-changing melodies and delivering them with an eclectic mix of instruments, sounds and stylistic elements that make for a fun and exciting listen. “Empire” is a great example of this, with a melody that alternates back and forth between a bouncy Latin-funk dance beat and a bluesy, guitar-driven groove that seems to channel the Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues”. In fact, Edwards sounds alarmingly like Jim Morrison when he wails the lyrics “Break down the walls, your empire falls!” The instrumentals are fantastic, especially the bluesy guitars and exuberant horns.
Another favorite of mine is “Sleeping Beauty Blues“, an appropriately bluesy track with everything from glittery synths, funky bass and blues guitars to honky tonk style piano, organ, jazzy drums and even a bit of cowbell for good measure. Then there’s Edwards cheekily crooning the lyrics about his girl not being all that she appears: “I got the sleeping beauty blues. /She sleeps like a beauty, but she snores like a fool.” There’s more musical mayhem to be heard on the rousing “Come Gigolo“, a wonderful tune with a feel similar to “Master of the House” from Les Misérables (at least to my ears). It also has some of the best lyrics: “I’m feeding all the lions to the dogs. As the idiots sleep, we massage their wives. Come gigolo my body ’cause my time is for sale. /Your mother should have slapped you before you were born.” The rousing vocal harmonies in the chorus are marvelous.
The Doors’ influence continues to be felt on many tracks. “Time Don’t Wait For Strangers” is another song with a complex, evolving melody. Opening with a peppy Latin beat, the song transitions after a minute into a languid and beautiful melody, with watery guitars and shimmery keyboards that remind me a bit of “Riders on the Storm”. At around 3:15, the song transitions once again, this time to a more psychedelic vibe with organ and heavier, distorted guitars. “Green Jacket” is a hard-hitting psychedelic and bluesy rocker, with some great fiddle, accompanied by Phillips’ lively keyboards and organ, and O’Keeffe’s gnarly percussive instruments. “The Seed They’d Sewn” has a bluesy vibe similar to “Love Me Two Times”, with lyrics that seem to describe a woman who’s turned out to be the Bad Seed: “She once was an angel, with skin so divine. Now the lizards congregate.. / The seed they’d sewn should not have grown / The sound they found, they should have drowned.”
“Silver Harpoons” is a jazzy, bluesy and psychedelic fantasia. Edwards’ raw vocals are almost feral as he screams “Silver harpoons in the water. Night made to slaughter. Who are you?!” Later in the track, amid eerie synths and distorted riffs, his malevolence is palpable as he snarls: “Where is my goldmine? This corporate clothesline. I’m in a circus full of thieves. You’d kill a whale to feed your tart. I’ll fuck your wife to break your heart.” The infectious honky tonk piano makes a return appearance on the spirited “Shake the Cage“. Edwards and Wescott’s intense, bluesy guitars, Brothwood’s driving bass and Phillips’ piano are fantastic, and Hills does a fine job pounding out the lively rhythm.
“Don’t Leave Me Alone” has a wonderful tango melody, punctuated with flourishes of bluesy, roadhouse-style grooves. On the amusing but dark “King of the Castle“, the band reference nursery rhymes to describe what appears to be a power-mad father. Edwards sounds rather diabolical as he croons “I’m king of the castle / Do you want to grow big and strong like your daddy? / Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin. Well I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in.” The song starts off with a jaunty fun-house vibe, complete with ghoulish clown laughter. Edwards repeatedly sings “Come sing, come sing as we’re dancing“, then in the last minute of the track, the music turns darker and downright menacing, with distorted guitars, crashing cymbals and a wailing organ riff.
The guys pull out all the stops on the final track “Pull Your Finger Out“, a complex and meandering 7:52-minute long extravaganza with more melodic change-ups than I believe I’ve ever heard in one song. It starts off with a slow, organ-driven melody punctuated by a bluesy guitar riff, then shifts to a bouncy melody with honky tonk piano, then to a bluesy, guitar-driven vibe, featuring flute and quirky percussive instruments. Various instruments come and go as the tempo continues to change, with even a flourish of gypsy guitar at the halfway point, and later on, a harpsichord. The lyrics are ambiguous to me – and I’m probably way off base – but they seem to describe a vampire’s love life: “We dance in the wretched moonlight. Sing me a wicked lullaby. Like wild men, we scream at the moon. Conscious in mind, but body aloof. Pull your finger out. / I sleep in the day when the moon is away. Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.” Whatever their meaning, it’s a great track.
I love this album and I love this band! It Is Called is 54 minutes of non-stop aural mayhem, and a blast to listen to from start to finish. The Slytones are all amazing musicians, and I hope the release of this album will give them an impetus to reunite and make more music that brings a smile to our faces.
1. CAUTION – The Killers (1)
2. BLINDING LIGHTS – The Weeknd (2)
3. BLACK MADONNA – Cage the Elephant (3)
4. LEVEL OF CONCERN – twenty one pilots (25)
5. LOST IN YESTERDAY – Tame Impala (7)
6. DELETER – Grouplove (14)
7. SHINE A LITTLE LIGHT – The Black Keys (9)
8. OH YEAH! – Green Day (10)
9. BAD DECISIONS – The Strokes (12)
10. OVER AND OVER – Amongst Liars (11)
11. YOUR LOVE (DÉJÀ VU) – Glass Animals (13)
12. USED TO LIKE – Neon Trees (4) 20th week on list
13. ADORE YOU – Harry Styles (5)
14. DON’T START NOW – Dua Lipa (6)
15. EVERYTHING I WANTED – Billie Eilish (8)
16. MARIA – Two Feet (17)
17. LET’S FALL IN LOVE FOR THE NIGHT – FINNEAS (18)
18. ME & YOU TOGETHER SONG – The 1975 (19)
19. LEMON DROP – Absofacto (20)
20. HERO – Michael Kiwanuka (15)
21. BEAUTIFUL FACES – Declan McKenna (21)
22. IF NOT FOR THE FIRE – The Million Reasons (23)
23. HELL N BACK – Bakar (24)
24. LONELINESS FOR LOVE – lovelytheband (26)
25. RUN – Joji (27)
26. HOW WILL I REST IN PEACE IF I’M BURIED BY A HIGHWAY?// – KennyHoopla (29)
27. VAN HORN – Saint Motel (16) 18th week on list
28. HALF YOUR AGE – Joywave (30)
29. DANCE OF THE CLAIRVOYANTS – Pearl Jam (22)
30. LAY YOUR HEAD ON ME – Major Lazer featuring Marcus Mumford (N)
Man, time flies when you’re having fun! It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that it’s already been more than four years since I last featured Brooklyn, New York-based artist Yellow Shoots on this blog. (You can read my article here.) I remember being blown away by his soulful and sultry vibes, and it’s heartening to see his star continue to rise. He fuses R&B, soul, funk, jazz, psychedelic and hip-hop grooves to create his own unique neo-soul sound that envelops you in raw sensuality and emotion.
Yellow Shoots is the music project of singer/songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Greg Matthews. His artistic name comes from his experiences with synesthesia, a neurological phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway, such as sound, leads to an automatic, involuntary response in a second sensory or cognitive pathway, such as sight. He sometimes sees vivid yellow colors when hearing music (a common form of synesthesia is known as chromesthesia, for sound to color), hence his name “Yellow Shoots.”
He started releasing music after moving to Brooklyn from Philadelphia in 2014, beginning with his single “Pieces”. He’s put out a fair amount of music in the years since, including his marvelous Prince-influenced album everything in 2018. One of the singles “make it to the summer” has been streamed more than 446,000 times on Spotify. Now he’s back with a new single “Wonderful Day“, from his forthcoming EP Naked, due out in June. Released via LaReserve Records, the song was written, performed and produced by Yellow Shoots, mixed by Javon Gant-Graham, and mastered by Dan Millice. The track has already been featured on TIDAL’s official .WAV playlist.
Photos by Elijah Craig
About “Wonderful Day”, he explains: “This song combines my 90s rap and R&B roots with late 60s/early 70s records I dug as a teenager. It’s sorta like Nelly meets Zeppelin. It’s a trippy love song I wrote last Summer about being comfortable with the past.” The song has a languid and funky trip hop beat that forms a chilled backdrop for his strummed acoustic guitars, soulful bass, gentle percussion and hazy psychedelic synths.
Yellow Shoots electronically alters his warm, sultry vocals at various spots in the track by doubling and/or speeding up the pitch in a manner similar to what Prince was doing in the 80s. The result is quirky and utterly charming as he croons the sweet lyrics to the object of his desire, hoping she has similar feelings for him: “I put my cards on your table, throwing out the clues / If an apple or a pear, I need your divine / And I think about you every day. I’m hoping I’m the paper underneath your pen.”
Morgendust are a talented and well-seasoned alt-rock band based in Zwolle, Netherlands. Formed in 2018, all are accomplished musicians with years of collective experience playing in other bands and as session musicians. Influenced by 80s acts like Talk Talk, Duran Duran, Pink Floyd, Tears for Fears and Peter Gabriel, as well as more current acts like Radiohead, Editors and Elbow, their music has a maturity and worldliness that comes from having lived on this earth for a while and experiencing the joys and pains of life, love and relationships. Through intelligent, thoughtful lyrics, they tell stories that everyone can relate to, and package them with exquisite dark-edged rock melodies and beautiful instrumentation.
The band consists of Marco de Haan (lead vocals, guitars), Ron van Kruistum (guitars, backing vocals), Iwan Blokzijl (keyboards, backing vocals), Dario Pozderski (bass, backing vocals) and Job Noordmans (drums & percussion). Last September (2019) they released their outstanding debut EP Storm Will Come (you can read my review here). Now they’re back with a powerful and timely new single “Alien“, which dropped today, May 1st. Inspired by the story of band member Dario Pozderski, who 25 years ago fled his war-torn homeland of Bosnia, the song is both a celebration of freedom and a denunciation of mankind’s stupidity, greed, and penchant for destructive wars that result in a never-ending cycle of refugee crises.
The band explains: “This year we celebrate 75 years living in freedom [The Netherlands was liberated from Nazi control at the end of World War II in 1945]. A perfect moment for Morgendust to release their new single Alien, a song about the long, hard road refugees still have to take to find a new but uncertain future. To live in freedom is something to care about and not to take for granted, something Dario can relate to. He arrives in Holland in 1995, because his identity suddenly matters, a lot! He tries to escape ‘the lunatics” as he calls them, but they grow in numbers and he has to run, because he refuses to fight his own people. With only a bass in two parts in a rucksack he reaches Holland and finds a place in an AZC, a shelter for refugees of war.”
Dario in 1995 and 2020
Dario elaborates: “Here I sit in an AZC with nothing to do, which I cannot stand! Around that time I visit the city library often to listen to music. I notice a note on the wall which says: “Band PTS needs bass player” (PTS was a 90s neo-progressive rock band that included Morgendust members Marco de Haan and Ron van Kruistum). “I audition and I’m in…. Now, 25 years later, with two of the former PTS members I still make music in Morgendust.”
“Aliens” was written by Marco de Haan and Iwan Blokzijl, who also mixed and mastered the track, and designed the artwork for the single. The track has an anthemic quality, with a grandiose melody and dramatic instrumentals befitting the expansive scope of the subject matter. The guys are all skilled musicians, and together they’ve created an exceptional song that’s truly stunning. The layered guitar work is fantastic, and I love the intricate, sweeping synths and piano keys that give the song such haunting beauty. Dario and Job keep the track grounded with their perfect rhythms, and Marco’s emotionally-charged vocals bring chills as he drives home the urgency and seriousness expressed in the powerful lyrics. The band has included a snippet from Jesse Jackson’s speech announcing the suspension of his 1988 run for the U.S. presidency.
All the things I had in life Now I see that they are Gone away for good Everything I once controlled When I find out that it’s Gone away for good
Came here By plastic As tame sheep The questions And the screaming The waiting in line
Alien Nations apart Maybe we’re Back to the start Back to the start
Just the scent of neighborhood Brings a tear to me it’s Gone away for good All the colors in the sky Are just pictures in my mind
Saw how The money Can blind you Seduce you Betray you And makes you insane
Alien Nations apart Maybe we’re Back to the start
Jesse Jackson’s speech:
If in my high moments, I have done some good, offered some service, shed some light, healed some wounds, rekindled some hope, or stirred someone from apathy and indifference, or in any way along the way helped somebody, then this campaign has not been in vain.
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 