My gosh, what a stellar week for music! Great songs by The National, Sea Power, The Zangwills, Death Cab for Cutie, Fall Out Boy, Gorillaz, Tame Impala & Bootie Brown, and Depeche Mode, and that’s just the top 7! The National’s captivating “Tropic Morning News” ascends to the top of my chart this week. The song is the lead single from their ninth studio album First Two Pages Of Frankenstein, due for release on April 28. For those unaware, The National consists of Matt Berninger (vocals), twin brothers Aaron Dessner (guitar, piano, keyboards) and Bryce Dessner (guitar, piano, keyboards), and brothers Scott Devendorf (bass) and Bryan Devendorf (drums). I love their sophisticated songwriting and rich, complex sound, especially Matt Berninger’s beautiful baritone vocals.
According to an article by Leah Degrazia for the website Genius, the album came together while Berninger was emerging from a period of crippling writer’s block (something I can strongly relate to). “Even though we’d always been anxious whenever we were working on a record, this was the first time it ever felt like maybe things really had come to an end,” Berninger said. The song’s lyrics, written by Berninger and his wife, Carin Besser, speak of how constantly inundating yourself with negative news can pull you into a dark hole of isolation and sadness, making it hard to reach out and form deep human connection.
In other chart developments, the gorgeous “Soften” by exceptionally-talented Canadian singer-songwriter Alex Southey enters the top 10. Entering this week’s chart are “Angelica” by the delightful English duo Wet Leg, at #29, and “1982” by Dutch alternative rock band Morgendust, whose wonderful self-titled album I recently reviewed, at #30.
TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (2)
TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (3)
BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (1)
PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (6)
LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy (4)
NEW GOLD – Gorillaz featuring Tame Impala and Bootie Brown (7)
April 7, 2023 seems to be a big day for releasing new music, as scores of artists and bands I follow are dropping new singles, EPs or albums today. Because my time and energy are of limited supply, I’m able to only write about a tiny fraction of it. With that in mind, I’ve chosen three new singles for my latest edition of Fresh New Tracks, all by British acts. They are, in alphabetical order, singer-songwriter Eleanor Collides, psychedelic alt-rock band Future Theory, and indie rock band THE Q’s. I’ve previously written about Future Theory many times, whereas Eleanor Collides and THE Q’s are new to me.
Eleanor Collides – “Pantomime”
Eleanor Collides is the solo music project of London-based singer-songwriter and guitarist Nick Ranga. After having written songs for many years, Nick finally decided during one of the Covid lockdowns in March 2021 to start recording them under the moniker Eleanor Collides, the name of his childhood imaginary friend. Working with a group of like-minded London musicians named The MusiCollective, Nick recorded songs with such acts as Pisgah, Colin Tyler, Corporate Drone and Lucoline. That July, he released a four-track EP How to Make Friends, then followed in March 2022 with his debut album People are Taller in Real Life. Since then, he’s released a series of six singles, the latest of which is “Pantomime“. All six singles will be included in his forthcoming second album, due for release later in the year.
Drawing influences from some of his favorite acts like Depeche Mode, Alice in Chains, Hole and Manic Street Preachers, he melds alternative, indie and dream rock with synth pop to create his distinctly melancholic, yet beautiful sound. A great example of his signature sound can be heard on “Lifeboats”, one of my favorite Eleanor Collides songs. His latest single “Pantomime” is even more enchanting, with dreamy atmospheric synths layered over a throbbing bassline and accompanied by gentle percussion and subtle guitar notes. Nick’s smooth vocals are comforting, but with a quiet vulnerability that’s nicely complemented by his own backing falsetto.
He states the song “started life on acoustic guitar, with a four chord loop in the Dorian mode which lends the track a mysterious, melancholy sound, andis about going through the motions and feeling insignificant.” The lyrics describe a couple being driven apart by unseen forces, unsure of how to fix things: “I can be there if you want me. I can give you space if you need time. Floating away on the breeze. Replaying this old pantomime.What time did love arrive? When did affection slip out of the room? But we’re just two people, and what the hell can we do?“
I’ve been following British alternative psychedelic rock band Future Theory since early 2017, and was immediately impressed by their intelligent songwriting and strong musicianship. Blending elements of alternative and progressive rock, psychedelia, grunge, shoegaze and funk, they fearlessly create arresting music characterized by complex melodies and arrangements, and delivered with lavish instrumentation and mesmerizing vocals. Like many bands, the Lincolnshire-based foursome has experienced changes in lineup over time, and now consists of Max Sander on rhythm guitar and vocals, Chris Moore on lead guitar, Jacob Brookes on bass and Rohan Parrett on drums.
Almost exactly six years ago, I reviewed their superb debut EP Fool’s Dream, and have written about them and their outstanding music many times since. It’s been a pleasure watching them mature and grow as artists, and their music keeps getting better and better. One of their singles “One and the Same”, from their 2022 debut album Future Theory, spent 18 weeks on my Weekly Top 30 chart and ended up ranking #42 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list.
Future Theory have been hard at work over the past several months recording a new batch of songs with Corsican producer Yves Altana (Peter Hook & The Light, The Chameleons), and will be releasing a series of singles throughout 2023, as well as touring in Northern England and Scotland in June. The first of these singles is “Why“, a dramatic and powerful song about a dysfunctional relationship that’s breaking apart. And what a spectacular song it is! First off, the jangly and chiming guitars by Chris and Max are breathtaking in their beauty and intricacy. Then there’s Jacob’s deep, resonant bassline, keeping the rhythm in perfect time with Rohan’s muscular drumbeats. Topping it all off are Max’s distinctive, emotion-packed vocals I love so much as he plaintively croons “Say, for me and you there’s really no in-between. We either set sail or crash and burn the dream. Get up before I scream. You’re breaking my heart./ Tell me why, would I lie? Tell me why.” The music builds to an electrifying crescendo of gnarly guitars and explosive percussion that continues to the end of the track. I can’t wait to hear their upcoming singles.
Last, but certainly not least, are THE Q’s, an indie rock band based in Leeds. Formed in 2014 while they were all in secondary school, the five-piece consists of Leo Grace on lead vocals, Freddie Franchi on rhythm guitar, Dexter Burningham on lead guitar, Mattia Paganelli on drums, and Ben Woolford on bass. Apparently possessing a cheeky sense of humor, the guys released their first single “IN NEUTRAL” on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2021, followed by “TRANQUILO” on Valentine’s Day 2022. Both are really good! Listening to their songs I would generally describe their sound as a happy blend of indie, rock’n’roll, punk and shoegaze.
Now they’re back with their third and latest single “MOVIES“, a sweet, upbeat song about young love, and the trials, tribulations and second-guessing that come with it. I really like the bouncy punk groove, exuberant guitars and snappy drums, and that funky little bass riff in the bridge is terrific. Leo’s vocal are perfect for the song, conveying just the right amount of youthful angst when he sings “But I don’t mind when you make a scene. You make life feel like a movie. And when you’re lying there with me, love life feels like a movie. You’re quite a find. Make life feel like a movie.” But later in the song, he pleads for her to cut him some slack, admitting that he’s partly to blame for their misunderstandings: “Don’t hang up that phone. I know that you’re at home. We’ll sort this out tomorrow, c’mon just let it go.I’m a dickhead, yeah, I know.”
Describing himself as “a middle-aged, middle-class singer-songwriter from South London“, Tim Eveleigh seems to be a humble man right from the get-go. After listening to his charming debut album, simply titled A Record, I am certain of it. Not only that, he’s a Renaissance man of sorts, with many talents and interests ranging from music and stand-up comedy to computer programming/IT development, music and events promotion, economics and politics. He’s also a staunch advocate for racial justice and equality.
Tim’s been involved with music since his childhood, and in a wonderful interview with the webzine Croydonist, he discussed how he began studying piano at a young age, eventually working his way up to violin and then viola in secondary school, where he also played in the orchestra. He began writing songs when he was 10, and ended up playing in two bands, which he cheekily remarked “rather worryingly, evidence of this still exists“. By his early 30s he’d written what he described as a solid collection of songs, but “after playing these for a few years I scrapped them all and started again, and I’ve written enough songs to record a couple of albums.”
From what I can tell, he’s released music rather sporadically over the past 15 years, beginning with a three-track EP this is all i have in December 2007. Nearly 13 years passed before he put out another release, a three-track EP In Kilnsea in June 2020, and last month, he returned with his debut album A Record, which dropped March 15th. The album features nine tracks, eight written by Tim and one, “White Lines”, written by British singer-songwriter and musician Ben Cosh. For the album’s recording, Tim played guitars, keyboards & percussion and sang lead vocals, Maria Levesley sang backing vocals, and Joe Jones played bass. Additionally, several other musicians contributed their talents on selected tracks, including Pete Long on saxophone, Pete Cooper on flugelhorn and trumpet, Andy Thornton on guitar, bells and bass, Chris Kimber on tubular bells, and Cara Thornton on backing vocals.
The album opens with “Overture“, a lovely, almost gospel-like song with a bit of a Celtic folk vibe. The inspiring lyrics “tell the world you’re alright, tell the world you sleep tight, and nothing can wake you up” set an overall tone of love and optimism for A Record. And though most of its tracks touch on aspects of love, relationships and emotional well-being, the lone – and glaring – exception is “Drones“. Though the song sounds pleasing from a musical standpoint, highlighted by Pete Cooper’s appropriately droning flugelhorn, the lyrics are searing and bitter, calling out our leaders who lead us into endless wars while insulating themselves from the resulting horrors: “You send our sons and our daughters to war. You send our sons into battle and our daughters into hell. You send our sons and our daughters to war and now you want us to do it all again. Have you learned no lessons from the deaths of the millions. Now you want us to do it all again. I see your sons and your daughters are alive. You make these big decisions, then let others do the killing. I see your sons and your daughters are alive.”
Tim has a pleasing and warm singing voice that’s similar to another British artist I’ve written about, The Blue Flame (aka Richard Stone), as well as Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys in spots. On the beautiful and jazzy “Manifesto“, he sings of the games we play and things we say in order to keep our romantic relationships alive, referring to them as ‘propaganda’: “Propaganda: keeping us together. Propaganda: the lies that we tell each other. Propaganda: tell me what i need to hear. Propaganda: we are all actors. And I will love you till the end of time, and I will take you everywhere you want to go, and I will hold your hand while you sleep. I will be here until you go.” With Joe’s terrific little bassline, Tim and Andy’s wonderful guitars, Tim’s lovely keyboards, and Maria’s enchanting backing harmonies, this is one of my favorite tracks on the album.
On “Headrest“, strummed acoustic guitars and cheerful rhythms create a lighthearted backdrop for the rather bittersweet lyrics about a relationship that may have reached its end: “I don’t have the skills that I need to recover your faith and trust, but this is the best I can do with the lessons I’ve learned in life. I understand we’re in a tricky situation. A song and a smile are not the solution. If your ears are burning this might be the reason. Just this once we tried love, we tried grace, we had hope, we had faith, I found work, we had sex, I’m not sure there’s anything left.”
“Binary” is a brief but upbeat, guitar-driven song with a bouncy melody and sweet lyrics describing a relationship where both partners have long-settled into a comfortable routine that many of us in long-term relationships can identify with: “Turn the light out it’s on your side. Turn the light out it’s in my eyes. And I’ll let you know if I need you now.” On the poignant ballad “Good“, Tim tenderly sings to a loved one of his love and devotion in spite of the hurt he’s caused, accompanied by melancholy piano keys and strummed guitars.
Another favorite of mine is “Deluge“, with it’s bouncy bass-driven groove, lively strummed acoustic guitars, melodic mellotron, and Tim’s spirited taps on the cajón (a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru). Tim assures his romantic partner of his love and devotion as they face the perils of war and conflict: “I have touched you everywhere. we have spoken in the dark. We have talked about so many things and you, you are perfect as you areThe sky’s alight with bombers, and the truth is withheld from us, I don’t know what to believe. The train is at the station, and the soldiers keep us safe from everything that would destroy us.”
The album closes with the tender love song “Touch“, in which Tim serenades his romantic partner of his fervent affection: “The beat of your heart a light in the dark. When I hear you laugh I’m tongue-tied.” Pete Long’s warm saxophone gives the track a nice jazzy touch (no pun intended!). It’s a fine ending for a delightful, well-crafted collection of songs written and sung from the heart.
British indie pop-rock band The Zangwills remain at #1 for a second week with their achingly beautiful song “Backpatters and Shooters”. “Tropic Morning News” by American alternative art rock band The National slides into the #2 spot, and “Transmitter” by British alt-rock band Sea Power holds at #3. Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” enters the top 10.
Four songs make their debut this week: “Not Strong Enough”, from the new album the record by American indie rock supergroup boygenius, comprised of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus, entering at #27; “Go Down River” by Brighton, UK duo The Heavy Heavy, consisting of Will Turner and Georgie Fuller, at #28; “Essence” by Danish DJ and electronic house music producer Refeci and Canadian singer-songwriter and musician Shimmer Johnson, at #29, and “Dummy”, the latest single by Portland, Oregon-based alt-rock band Portugal. The Man, bringing up the rear at #30.
BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (1)
TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (4)
TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (3)
LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy (2)
TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (5)
PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (8)
NEW GOLD – Gorillaz featuring Tame Impala and Bootie Brown (9)
GHOSTS AGAIN – Depeche Mode (10)
PAGES – White Reaper (6)
FLOWERS – Miley Cyrus (14)
SOFTEN – Alex Southey (13)
YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (12)
JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (7)
SUREFIRE – Wilderado (11)
BLUEBELL WOOD – Frank Joshua (19)
THE WALK HOME – Young the Giant (18)
I WANT YOU DEAD – Two Feet & Allie Cabal (20)
EYEZ – The Arcs (16)
WEIGHTLESS – Arlo Parks (17)
MODERNISE – Slow Readers Club (21)
KID – The Revivalists (23)
PAID OFF – Oli Barton & the Movement (27)
WOLF – Yeah Yeah Yeahs (28)
NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (15) 20th week on chart
For my latest Fresh New Tracks installment, I’m once again featuring for my readers’ listening enjoyment three great new releases by acts who couldn’t be more different from each other. They are, in alphabetical order, Michigan-based singer-songwriter Au Gres (who I’ve previously featured three times on this blog), British alternative grime rock band DeadWax, and German atmospheric rock band gimbal.lock (with the latter two acts being new to me).
Au Gres – “leaving”
Photo by Bryan Hugo Iglesias
Au Gres is the music project of talented and affable Michigan-based singer-songwriter Joshua Kemp. (He named his act after the small town of Au Gres in rural northern Michigan where he vacationed as a youth with his family, and holds special meaning for him.) Influenced by such acts as Dayglow, COIN and Hippo Campus, he blends elements of indie rock, lo-fi and synth pop to create pleasing songs that he records in his little DIY home studio. I first learned about him in the fall of 2020, when he released his sweet debut single “Nervous”. He followed in February 2021 with the beautiful “At Home in the Dark”, then a year later with “do you think we’re old enough”. I reviewed all three songs, with the one for “Nervous” garnering 1,162 views thus far. In just a year and a half, he’s become quite a successful artist, garnering impressive numbers on many of the streaming platforms; “do you think we’re old enough” has earned more than 365,000 plays on Spotify alone, and “Nervous” over 208,000. He dropped his fourth single “used to be” in November 2022, and on March 29th, he released his fifth and latest single “leaving“.
With its dreamy melody, sparkling synths and exuberant guitars, Dayglow’s influence on “leaving” is strongly evident, and in fact, Au Gres’ vocals even sound like Dayglow front man Sloan Struble here. In an article premiering the song on Atwood Magazine, Au Gres discussed his inspiration behind “leaving”: “I went through a lot of changes this year and I noticed the way I started to feel about myself was changing too. I wasn’t able to identify it at first, but retrospectively, I was putting a lot of my identity in things that actually had very little to do with me. Things like my career or friends or how much money I had saved. I guess the message here is to not define yourself by external, ever-changing things. Instead, figure out who you are at a core level so you’ll be better equipped to deal with change.” It’s a gorgeous song, and just might be my favorite by him yet.
I haven’t come across an act that calls their sound ‘alternative grime rock’ before, but after listening to the music of northern English four-piece DeadWax, I think it’s the perfect descriptor. Comprised of frontman Jake Milburn (lead vocals), Solomon Price (bass), Henry Skinner (guitar) and Ben Millington (drums), together they make raw, in-your-face musical mayhem drawn from alternative rock, rap rock, hip hop, funk and hardcore punk, to name but a few of the influences I hear. Their music calls to mind such legendary acts as the Beastie Boys, Limp Bizkit and Rage Against the Machine, though their sound is uniquely their own. They’ve released only a handful of singles, starting with “Heavy Temptation” in 2019, but have gained a reputation for their explosive sound and high-energy live shows.
On March 30th, DeadWax dropped their latest single “Northern Behaviour” a stupendous little blast of dynamite they call “A lil homage to how we grew up together in the North, grafting on building sites n laughing at each other in the pissin rain.” Jake elaborates: “The track is born from our time working as labourers on a derelict building site in Holmfirth. Sol and I worked there for about 2 years, doing anything from putting up scaffolding to moving literally tons and tons of dirt by hand.Doing that job,we always used to say it was ‘character building’ and in fairness, it gave us some serious motivation to get out of it. I wanted to pay homage to where we came from and how we got there, and taking the idea of ‘northern-ness’ and saying, yeah it might be gloomy and rough sometimes, but its fuckin’ great here, and we wouldn’t have changed anything about how and where we grew up together.” Well, I must say the song’s fuckin’ great too, a maelstrom of combustible rhythms, raging riffs and Jake’s furious vocals, fueled by a healthy dose of bravado.
DeadWax have a number of shows scheduled this month, so click on this link for details.
The curiously-named gimbal.lock is a fairly new German atmospheric rock act located near Munich. Comprised of Ralph Bayer (guitar, lead vocals), Tom Geissler (drums) and Zsolt Themes (guitar, backing vocals), all are seasoned musicians who’ve played in various bands for several years. I asked Ralph about their unusual name, and he told me ‘gimbal lock’ is a technical term for the phenomenon that occurs in a three-dimensional rotation system where the rotation axes unexpectedly align, causing the system to lose one degree of freedom. He’s a mechanical engineer working in the field of space robotics, and decided upon the name to reflect their music’s singularly unique and unexpected sound.
On February 24th, they released their debut single “Fantasy“, a beautiful song the band says “is meant to inspire the listener to let their imagination run free and escape reality with all its obstacles for a short time.” The guys recorded, produced and mixed the track themselves, with mastering done by Charles H. Root, III at Electric Owl Works in South Wales, New York. The song opens with soothing sounds of waves gently breaking on a beach, which are soon joined by strummed acoustic guitar notes. The music gradually expands to include a bold bass line, thumping drumbeats and glittery synths as Ralph beckons us to let our minds embrace a sense of euphoria and joy: “Close your eyes and follow me. Use your fantasy and free your mind. Forget your pain and touch the sky.” For me, the musical highlight of the song is its enchanting Middle Eastern flavor, thanks to the use of exotic instruments like the buzuq, a long-necked Arabic fretted lute, and the santoor, a trapezoid-shaped Indian hammered dulcimer. “Fantasy” is a promising debut from gimbal.lock, and I’m eager to hear more music from them!
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 