Johnny Madsen "Godt nyt" (2015)

Godt nyt

release date: Sep. 25, 2015

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]

producer: Chief 1 (aka Lars Pedersen)

label: REO / Universal - nationality: Denmark

16th and final studio solo album by Johnny Madsen. This is posted on the day it was publicly known that Madsen had passed away, Nov. 4, 2024 (age 73). The album is the only one by Madsen that I purchased shortly after it came out. I never was a huge fan but I really enjoyed much of the music he made from 1982 to 2015, and also in the lasting trio Dalton together with Lars Lilholt and Allan Olsen. I think, I first noticed one of his songs after he had launched his third album Chinatown, Yellow Moon og Den Sorte Fugl in 1987 when I came across the title song and "Halgal halbal" - two songs that had some radio airplay. I thought of these songs as highly original and not without appeal, although, I wasn't a big fan of the blues, and simply wasn't ready for his sometimes surreal original take on the genre back then. His follow-up Udenfor sæsonen (Aug. 1988) was a national breakthrough and it's an album that brought several classics with it, incl. the title track, "Færgemanden", "Komadibovser", and "Tidlig mandag morgen". With that album, he established himself as a contemporary artist with an unusual strong original take on soft blues rock in a most original style and certainly notable for his ear for his local dialect, garnered with strong lyrics and his rasping singing voice.

Godt nyt ['Good news'] may sound like an inappropriate title to pick on this day, but with Madsen's sense for the surreal, an abundance of irony, and a gift for word-play, this title could be as good as any to pay tribute to his gifted soul. The album provides us with a mature and personal look on modern life with well-placed comments on social media, globalism, traditions, and smaller things from everyday life. I really like this one. It both contain great hooks, well-crafted and powerful arrangements but it also has a certain Lo-Fi tone to it that makes you think of something echoing early rehearsals in an organic kind of way, as an ingredient of authenticity, which is a quality I think stick to all his records. He leaves us with a solid discography that I need to dig more into 'cause his music is there, and I do know several of his albums, and they're definitely all worth knowing.

Thank you for the music, Johnny. Keep rockin'!

Hurray for the Riff Raff "The Past Is Still Alive" (2024)

The Past Is Still Alive

release date: Feb. 23, 2024

format: vinyl (translucent orange crush) / digital (11 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,08]

producer: Brad Cook

label: Nonesuch - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Alibi" (4 / 5) (live) - 2. "Buffalo" - 3. "Hawkmoon" (4 / 5) - 4. "Colossus of Roads" (4 / 5) - 5. "Snake Plant (The Past Is Still Alive)" (4 / 5) (live) - 6. "Vetiver" - 8. "Dynamo" - 9. "The World Is Dangerous"

9th studio album by Hurray for the Riff Raff following two years after the acclaimed Life on Earth (Feb. 2022) and is like that made with producer Brad Cook, who also plays bass on the album. Alynda Segarra is credited all songs.

Stylewise, the album is more folk-oriented as opposed to the indie rock feel of the 2022 album, and although the predecessor is a true gem this definitely has other strengths but most of all only establishes Segarra as one of the finest contemporary American singer /songwriters.

The Past Is Still Alive is one of this year's best albums and as such an album you should know.

Highly recommended.

EDIT Aug. 13, 2024:

Last night I experienced Hurray for the Riff Raff live at Voxhall, Aarhus, and that was just an absolute fabulous concert with a playfull four-piece and Alynda in peak performance. The band mostly played the songs from this new album, but instead of just repeating the studio arrangements, they trew the rock-version at us. I really enjoy the album but I must say: in a rock-frame these songs all shined ever so brightly. The releative small audience were all cheering and clapping for more 'cause Segarra and the band showed us what a great act they are. At times they played tight, soulful and bluesy reminding me of Neil Young & Crazy Horse or Alabama Shakes, at other times they hit repetive intervals that made me think of Band of Horses, at other times it was southern guitar rock in the style of Kings of Leon, and then most of the time they just sounded like no one else and led by one shiny Alynda Segarra. Over time and with a matured set of songs, this album has come out even stronger, and I feel it's closing in on another peak for Hurray for the Riff Raff as a strong contender to album of the year.

[ allmusic.com, Line of Best Fit 4,5 / 5, BeatsPerMinute 85 / 100, Pitchfork 8,3 / 10, Exclaim! 4 / 5 stars ]

2024 Favourite releases: 1. Adrienne Lenker Bright Future - 2. Hurray for the Riff-Raff The Past Is Still Alive - 3. Cassandra Jenkins My Light, My Destroyer

Mazzy Star "Among My Swan" (1996)

Among My Swan
release date: Oct. 29, 1996
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]
producer: David Roback, Hope Sandoval
label: Capitol Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Disappear" - 2. "Flowers in December" (4 / 5) (live) - 3. "Rhymes of an Hour" - 5. "Take Everything" - 7. "All Your Sisters" - 8. "I've Been Let Down"

3rd studio album by Mazzy Star follows (another) three years after their sophomore So Tonight That I Might See (1993). All songs here are credited David Roback and Hope Sandoval.

The album introduces a change of style as the album is primarily founded on the use of acoustic guitars instead of the feedback electric guitar sound on the first two albums, and the bond to both the 'baroque pop' of the '60s as well as to Velvet Underground has been accentuated.

The album produced the UK top-40 single "Flowers in December" but apart from that the album was seen as a lesser album, and also music critics seemed less drawn to the change of style.

After the release, the band went on a live tour and also began work on a follow-up, but they found the demands of the record label management intolerable with "the money people" interfering in their creative craftmanship and Sandoval and Roback eventually asked to be released from their contractual obligations. Without officially dissolving, the band went on a hiatus in '97 that should last fourteen years and Among My Swan was eventually followed by the fourth album in 2013, Seasons of Your Day.

I find this one on a completely different level than the first two albums. It simply tastes too much of the '60s. It's good but not really essential.

[ allmusic.com 3.5 / 5 stars ]

Band of Horses "Things Are Great" (2022)

Things Are Great

release date: Mar. 4, 2022

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]

producer: Wolfgang Zimmerman & Benjamin Bridwell

label: BMG - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Warning Signs" (4 / 5) - 2. "Crutch" (4 / 5) - 3. "Tragedy of the Commons" - 5. "In Need of Repair" - 6. "Aftermath" (4 / 5) - 7. "Lights" - 8. "Ice Night We're Having" - 9. "You Are Nice to Me" - 10. "Coalinga"

6th studio album by Band of Horses is a most welcomed new release following nearly six full years since the band's last effort, Why Are You OK (Jun. 2016). Some probably had their doubts about the band's survival, but here they are, Band of Horses is synonymous with Ben Bridwell, and he's back with a new line-up. Since 2017 the band has been without guitarist Tyler Ramsey and bassist Bill Reynolds, who had both been stable members for a decade, and a new line-up has taken its time. Two new guitarists have been through and out - the most recent, Ian MacDougal played in the band from 2017, and he is still credited as guitarist on this but left the band prior to the album release - he was subsequently replaced by Brett Nash. Bassist Matt Gentling, who played in the band for a short period back in early 2007 after which he was replaced by Bill Reynolds, is now back as substitute for Reynolds.

Although, the album hasn't made impressive entries on the album charts, it has been met by quite positive reviews, and I fully understand the positive hype. Bridwell has simply done it again! Things Are Great follows so nicely in the path laid out by the band's first two - and so far only great albums, but now Band of Horses have made three! Forget Infinte Arms, Mirage Rock and even Why Are You OK. - they contain good and fine songs but are all rather uneven albums. This one on the other hand is up there among their best, and if it's a bit of a mystery why it hasn't been praised more, you may ask how Bridwell & Co. are able to come up with an album that is both so fresh and melodic yet so much in the "tradition" of the band's best songs made some 15 years ago. My guess is, the mystery lies in the fact that this band is more or less a one-man project, and if Bridwell has some great tunes, well, then you get to experience things like this!

Highly recommended!

[ 👍allmusic.com, Mojo, Classic Rock, Uncut 4 / 5, Pitchfork 7,3 / 10, 👎Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

2022 Favourite releases: 1. Hurray for the Riff Raff Life on Earth - 2. Big Thief Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You - 3. Band of Horses Things Are Great

Big Thief "Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You" (2022)

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You

release date: Feb. 11, 2022

format: vinyl 2lp (gatefold) / digital (20 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,06]

producer: James Krivchenia

label: 4AD Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Change" - 3. "Spud Infinity" (4 / 5) (live) - 4. "Certainty" - 5. "Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You" - 6. "Sparrow" - 7. "Little Things" (live) - 10. "Blurred View" - 14. "Wake Me up to Drive" - 16. "12,000 Lines" - 17. "Simulation Swarm" (4 /5) (live) - 19. "The Only Place" - 20. "Blue Lightning"

5th studio album by US folk rock quartet Big Thief is the follow-up to the 2019-album Two Hands, the band's second on 4AD. So far, the band is the same solid ensemble, who have played together under the moniker since 2015 without major changes in a line-up, who all frequented Boston Berklee College of Music, although, they first materialsed as Big Thief following their final exams. Only the function as the band's drummer has changed hands over the years - on the debut Masterpiece (2016) the drummer was Jason Burger, on on that the band's future drummer James Krivchenia is credited as sound technician and 'additional producer', and apart from handling drums on this new one he is also credited as producer. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter Adrianne Lenker, guitarist and vocalist Buck Meek, bassist and keyboardist Max Oleartchik, and drummer James Krivchenia. Since the 2019-album, Lenker has released the fine acoustic double album Songs and Instrumentals, also via 4AD. Lenker is furthermore credited the cover art, she's sound engineer, and together with Krivchenia, she's credited mixing of the album.

Stylewise, their music is often labeled indie rock, and indie seems like a fair desciption but it's obviously more folk rock-founded with elements from alt. country and a new folk-tradition, which seems like a common ground for Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses, Grand Archives etc., who all have listened to Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Nick Drake and the likes without necessarily thinking 'Dylan', as many earlier folk-artists found their inspiration in. Perhaps, Johnny Cash is more likely as another source of inspiration. Lenker writes and sings in a highly original style about obscure characters and peculiar observations. At times she share vocal clour with both Martha Wainwright and Lucinda Williams while her narratives often point to similarities with Mark Kozelek's wondrous daily routines. Musically, Big Thief may also have listened to both Kozelek, Sun Kil Moon and Grant-Lee Phillips. In that respect the band is clearly founded in an American music tradition with input from folk, country and a modern singer / songwriter context. Now and then, the band adjoins other stylistic domains without deviating from their personal expression, but here and there you may come to think Pixies, Modest Mouse or The National as other sources of inspiration.

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You consists of 20 tracks with a total running time just over 80 minutes - yet it comes as a regular cd-version and as a double vinyl, as well as in digital format via the band's bandcamp-profile.

The album offers original and varied music, and it's such a skilfully crafted and seamless release that it's almost bound to end up in my top-3 list for the year. It's a remarkable effort and the band's finest, and it's highly recommended.

[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, 👍NME, Mojo 4 / 5, Pitchfork, Needledrop 9.0 / 10, Uncut 4,5 / 5 stars ]

2022 Favourite releases: 1. Hurray for the Riff Raff Life on Earth - 2. Big Thief Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You - 3. Band of Horses Things Are Great

Best of 2022:Hurray for the Riff Raff "Life on Earth" (2022)

Life on Earth

release date: Feb. 18, 2022

format: vinyl (gatefold) / digital (11 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,14]

producer: Brad Cook

label: Nonesuch - nationality: USA

Track highlights: A) 1. "Wolves" - 2. "Pierced Arrows" - 3. "Pointed at the Sun" (4 / 5) - 4. "Rhododendron" - 5. "Jupiter's Dance" - - B) 1. "Nightqueen" - 2. "Precious Cargo" - 3. "Rosemary Tears" - 4. "Saga"

8th studio album from New Orleans project band Hurra for the Riff Raff is the band's first on Nonesuch. From its origins as a multi-piece orchestra, the band has become synonymous with songwriter, composer, lead singer and guitarist Alynda Mariposa Segarra (aka Alynda 'Lee' Segarra) with roots in Puerto Rico and raised in the Bronx, New York. The band's name loosely translates to "Hurrah for the Pack" meaning 'the underprivileged' (the homeless, the unemployed, immigrants) which relates to Segarra's own life lived on the American highways and as a blind passenger on freight trains, which was the preferred mode of transportation, after they [Alynda identifies as non-binary] ran away from their foster parents (their uncle and aunt) in the Bronx and headed for New Orleans. From here, Segarra ended up as a street musician and for a time they played banjo and washboard in the street band Dead Man Street Orchestra from 2007 to 2010, and with the band Hurray for the Riff Raff they made two self-released albums in 2008 and 2010, and they feature on Six Feet Down (2010) with the band Tuba Skinny, which was an offshoot of the Dead Man Orchestra. In 2011, Segarra released the album Hurray for the Riff Raff on the Loose label in 2011, whereas the 2012 follow-up Look Out Mama (also on Loose) is released as a band release. With 2013's My Dearest Darkest Neighbor, the band appears once again seemingly reduced to a solo project, (self-released and credited to Segarra's own label 'Mod Mobilian Records' and This Is American Music), which feature recordings from a 2013 UK tour. The most recent two albums Small Town Heroes (2014) and The Navigator from 2017 again seem like pure solo releases. The former is, however, recorded with several old acquaintances such as drummer and violinist Yosi Pearlstein, guitarist Sam Doores, and bassist Dan Cutler, who have all appeared on previous albums and they also played with the band on live tours but are not regular instrumentalists on all tracks and the cast credits reflect more that it's Segarra together with a wide variety of others. The album The Navigator is, like all previous studio albums, solely written and composed by Segarra, and here all other participating musicians are completely new names.

Life on Earth is undoubtedly Segarra's most beautifully produced album, although the predecessor also offered more tracks and reflected a more committed technical preparation than the more lo-fi arranged predecessors, which on the one hand are more closely connected to life as a street musician and on the other hand are not made to satisfy radio stations and the music industry as such. With Life on Earth, Segarra takes the full step as a significant contemporary artist with well-formed arrangements and a strong commitment to express their mind. It is a hybrid form of modern singer / songwriter which both echoes 70's folk rock as well as contain hints of punk rock's directness and social / political engagement (The Clash), and at the same time they make use of elements from classic rock and modern indie pop in a balanced form of their own. Some might point to similar traits from PJ Harvey, early St. Vincent, or other strong personalities in music, but it is most of all a highly original blend - and perhaps this type of comparison automatically happens when a single artist narrates with both sophisticated sting and sincerity, because Alynda Segarra's expression comes from a strong personality, and from someone who with their own distinctive melancholy and at the same time a devilish energy, which saturates a number of beautiful, relevant and original compositions.

The album has already garnered good reviews, and Hurray for the Riff Raff has entered the charts with the album and has appeared in major national TV shows.

In my opinion, Life on Earth is no less than album of the year, and naturally a highly recommended album.

[ bandcamp ]

[ Pitchfork 8,3 / 10, The Guardian 4 / 5 stars]

2022 Favourite releases: 1. Hurray for the Riff Raff Life on Earth - 2. Big Thief Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You - 3. Band of Horses Things Are Great

Mellemblond "En jordisk chance" (2021)

En jordisk chance

release date: Nov. 19, 2021

format: digital (11 x Files, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,84]

producer: Mads Brinch, Adrian Aurelius, Jakob Høyer

label: Møs Møs - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "For at noget kan blomstre" - 2. "Atomernes spil" (4 / 5) - 3. "Blæsten i træerne" - 7. "Det der gik i hjertet" - 8. "Hjertets tro" - 9. "Ved at vi skal leve" - 10. "Nattetåge"

6th studio album from Mellemblond released a single year following Solregn. The tracks have alledgedly been composed at the same time as Solregn, but then issued the following year. After all, it's quite a different collection of songs we encounter here. Kristoffer Munck Mortensen - aka Mellemblond - has many faces to showcase, and as he released Solregn it was undoubtedly also his idea to present various songs with a common expression. That album was predominantly acustic with an almost minimalist expression, which was a new side to his talent, and as a contrast, this new collection draws more on some of the qualities you will find on his two albums: Fra et sted (2015) and Guldlokzonen (2018) although, they weren't exactly similar but in terms of arrangements and instrumentation are close. He now mix styles, he previously has exelled with. It's soft melancholic compositions, more raw uptempo rockers, and you'll also find a rather new adventurousness with polished chamber pop. At the same time, it's a style testifying to early 70s, a stream of consciousness wound up on swamp rock-inspiration mixed with folk and modern indie pop in a perfect original tone.

The front cover fits nicely to the content: Munck Mortensen is stationary positioned in bare feet holding his electric guitar in something ressembling a firewood shed. It's directly relatable, signalling a connection to a simple life. Mortensen narrates sincerely and straight-forwardly, and on En jordisk chance the fine lyrics are accompanied by an appropriate amount of electricity and noise without making it wild or pompous.

Kristoffer Munck Mortensen is a rare modern original. He sings and plays distinctively without sounding like foreign examples, and when doing so, he only seems to follow a fundamental desire to communicate. Had he been born in the US or in Britain, he would have outshined John Mayer and Ed Sheeran, but luckily, he wasn't - then we do have someone, they cannot touch.

At this advanced stage of the year, En jordisk chance enlists as Danish Album of the Year and simultaneously, it also arrives as one of the best albums of 2021.

Highly recommended.

[ Gaffa.dk 4 / 6, Jyllands-Posten 5 / 6 stars ]

Band of Horses "Why Are You OK" (2016)

Why Are You OK

release date: Jun. 10, 2016

format: digital (12 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]

producer: Jason Lytle

label: Interscope - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Dull Times / The Moon" - 2. "Solemn Oath" - 3. "Hag" - 4. "Casual Party" - 5. "In a Drawer" - 11. "Barrel House"

5th studio album by Band of Horses succeeds Mirage Rock by nearly four full years and like that it introduces a new producer - this time with band leader of indie rock band Grandaddy, Jason Lytle. Once again, the band remains intact, but this is also the last featuring guitarist Tyler Ramsey and bassist Bill Reynolds, who both departed in early 2017.

The album didn't produce better charts than the predecessor but critics generally saw it as bettering the 2012 album, and I fully agree with that. In fact, I easily find it the band's third best but also as a clear improvement from the more incoherent Mirage Rock. It's not that Why Are You OK is another great album, but it's a return to actually attempting to produce something worthwhile instead of reproducing an old recipe. Bridwell sings again with sincerity and there's a balance of soft and hard - almost with bonds to Modest Mouse or Sonic Youth - completely without further comparison other than the play with energies 'cause this is still an indie folk release. With this, Band of Horses appear to be back on track. I like it, it's a certified grower.

[ The Guardian 4 / 5, 👉Rolling Stone, 👍Uncut 3,5 / 5, Pitchfork 6,0 / 10, Mojo 3 / 5 stars ]

Julian Cope "20 Mothers" (1995)

20 Mothers

release date: Aug. 28, 1995

format: cd (ECHCD 5)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]

producer: Julian Cope

label: Echo - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Wheelbarrow Man" (live) - 2. "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" - 3. "Try Try Try" (Top of the Pops performance) - 4. "Stone Circles 'n' You" - 10. "Adam & Eve Hit the Road" - 15. "Senile Get" - 16. "The Lonely Guy"

11th studio album by Julian Cope is like the one year old predecessor Autogeddon released on the Chrysalis-owned sublabel Echo. With the album, Cope returns to his 'habit' of releasing extensive albums - 20 Mothers is nearly 72 minutes long and is divided into four 'phases', as was also the case with Peggy Suicide (Apr. 1991). His new album is similar to his most recent concept albums without it' being absolutely obvious where the focus lies, because it's more of a unifying album for all of Cope's thematic interests: climate and environment, the condition of our planet, consumerism, cars, religion, prehistoric cultures, and then as a more recent theme of his: stories from one's own lived life about family relationships. In the same way that themes are diverse, the music aspect is even more varied than on most of his other albums. Yes, there is the usual neo-psychedelia and space-rock, and then you'll also find indie rock, funk, and tracks with a clear folk touch, but also elements taken from Europop, synth-pop and rock & roll - in other words, the range is w--i---d----e, and the seemingly conceptual title, supported by the cover featuring family members - wife Dorian and friends, all of whom are actually mothers (as mentioned in the inlay) - then the album basically covers everything, and in that way it comes across as a bit of an all sorts mix - on all levels.

20 Mothers is by no means a bad album, the best side to it being Cope's stories, but at the same time it's somewhat incoherent and occasionally odd to listen to in its entirety.

[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

 

back cover: 
Julian with his
two daughters

inside:
Julian with family and friends
(wife Dorian on Julian's right)

Robert Forster "Songs to Play" (2015)

Songs to Play

release date: Sep. 18, 2015

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]

producer: Robert Forster, Luke McDonald & Scott Bromiley

label: Tapete Records - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 2. "Let Me Imagine You" - 4. "And I Knew" - 6. "I'm so Happy for You" - 8. "Turn on the Rain" - 9. "I Love Myself and I Always Have" - 10. "Disaster in Motion"

6th studio album by Robert Forster following a full 7½ years after The Evangelist (Apr. 2008). Apparently, most of these songs were written in 2010 / 2011 but weren't recorded until around five years later. Forster has explained that he needed a break in his music career, and initially had set himself up for a five-year hiatus, which then turned into seven... It was a period during which he wrote music articles and simultaneously worked on his autobiography. The album has been made completely without former collaborators Adele Pickvance and Glenn Thompson. Forster clearly wanted to make a fresh restart and in their place he has invited the two members from Australian The John Steel Singers: Luke McDonald and Scott Bromiley - both as multi-instrumentalists. Forster produced the band's 2010 debut Tangalooma and together they then played some of these songs, which would end up on Songs to Play, and here the two are also credited as co-producers. Forster's wife, Karin Baümler, previously participated on his albums playing violin and doing backing vocals, but on this, she has played a fuller part on all tracks, and together with drummer Matt Piele from Forster's tour band, they all form the new backing 'band', which of course gives the output new colours.

Although McDonald and Bromiley have been given rein to contribute with their ideas, it's still very much a Robert Forster solo with lyrics and music credited the man himself. The style is laid in an acoustic contemporary folk rock characterised by strong bonds to classic rock & roll in its simplest form. At times it's uptempo without being danceable rock and the songs appear with a marked lightness compared to the gloomier tone on his previous albums.

Songs to Play is an album where the music has come to the fore and Forster successfully acts as a classic singer / songwriter without being weighed down by his former achievements, suppressed emotions and the melancholy, which have been natural traits in the past, and by that, the album could pave the way for a new dynamic in his original musical realm. In any case, it's not an album, as the predecessor, that sounds like falling in between The Go-Betweens and a solo album - it's definitely a pure Robert Forster release on which he deals with the present.

The front cover is a photo of Robert and Karin's daughter Loretta Forster.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com, PopMatters 3,5 / 5, The Guardian 4 / 5 stars ]

Les Negresses Vertes "Mlah" (1989)

Mlah [debut]
release date: (Jan.?) 1989
format: vinyl / cd (1991)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]
producer: Clive Martin, Sodi (aka Sodi Marciszewer)
label: Delabel - nationality: France

Track highlights: 2. "Zobi la Mouche" (4 / 5) - 3. "C'est pas la mer à boire" - 4. "Voilà l'été" (4 / 5) (live 2019) - 5. "Orane" - 7. "Les yeux de ton père" - 8. "Il" - 11. "Marcelle Ratafia" - 12. "La danse des négresses" (live)

Studio album debut by French 8-piece orchestra Les Negresses Vertes ['The Green Negresses', or: 'The Green Black Girls'] consisting of lead vocalist Helno (aka Noël Rota, aka Helno Rota de Lourcqua), guitarist and backing vocalist Melino (aka Stéfane Michel Mellino), accordion player and guitarist Mathieu Canavese (aka Mathieu Crespin), bassist Paulo (aka Jean-Marie Dominique Paulus), harmonica player and trombonist Abraham Sirinix, trumpeter and percussionist Twist (aka Michel Ochowiak), pianist and percussionist L'Ami Ro (aka Joël Ruffier Des Aimes), and drummer Gaby le Magnifique (aka Laurent Gabriel). The band formed in the Autumn of '87 in Paris and has roots in the South of France and with many other national ties - e.g. to Algeria, Poland, Italy, and Spain. The album was originally released on French Off The Tracks Records and Razzia Disques, while international editions were released on several labels including Virgin, Sire, Polydor, and Warner Bros.

Stylistically, Mlah represents a huge mix of styles but is primarily bound to French musical traditions. There are obvious parts of folk rock and punk rock, which in places point in the direction of French Mano Negra, and / or British The Pogues, and then elsewhere more in the direction of Madness in a French version of ska. You'll also notice a strong influence from traditional music such as 'gypsy music', flamenco, muzette, and waltz, and the band's music has thus been referred to as 'gypsy punk' - although that designation is far from sufficient. Some have called Les Negresses Vertes a 'global-folk-punk-band', although that only serves to prove it more than ordinarily difficult to categorise the band's style.

I purchased the album back in '89 - and actually played it quite a bit, but unfortunately, I lost the vinyl version along the way. However, I have since got hold of a cd reissue containing two bonus tracks, and a copy of the same vinyl issue I once owned. The original version comes with 12 tracks and a total running length of approx. 42 minutes, while the '91 cd issue is approx. 48 minutes.

Mlah is the band's first, and in my view also their absolute best. There's an immediateness and a joy of playing, and the album mostly sounds like what it is: recorded live in a studio with all members in high spirits, which is aptly conveyed in the official music video for perhaps the their best-known song: "Zobi la Mouche" -  also listen to "Voilà l'été".

Highly recommended.

[ 👍allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Band of Horses "Mirage Rock" (2012)

Mirage Rock

release date: Sep. 18, 2012

format: digital (11 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,12]

producer: Glyn Johns

label: Columbia - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Knock Knock" (live) - 3. "Slow Cruel Hands of Time" - 4. "A Little Biblical" - 6. "Dumpster World" - 8. "Everything’s Gonna Be Undone" - 9. "Feud"

4th studio album by Band of Horses follows 2½ years after Infinite Arms and it introduces Glyn Johns as producer. For once, the line-up remains unchanged from the previous album.

Initially, the album was met by quite positive reviews with critics stating that the band continues to deliver a remarkable strain of folk rock, but after some time the overall reception seemed to be less overwhelming with fans seing this a step down. The band gained some succes with the promotion single "Knock Knock" but both that and the two following singles (tracks 3 and 9) failed in the charts and the album didn't perform like the predecessor.

In my mind, the band performs fine, Bridwell sings with enthusiasm, and overall the album appears as nice and warm, but it also has a tone of something anonymous. The biggest lack is its coherency with some tracks appearing as mere fillers. A few tracks are truly fine and stand out as solid workmanship, but compared to the first two albums, this is goes down as a pale immitation.

[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine 3 / 5, Pitchfork 4,0 / 10, Spin 2 / 5 stars ]

Cat Power "The Greatest" (2006)

The Greatest
release date: Jan. 9, 2006
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,65]
producer: Stuart Sikes
label: Matador / P-Vine Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "The Greatest" (4 / 5) (live on Later) - 2. "Living Proof" (live on Letterman) - 3. "Lived in Bars" (officiel video) (live on Later) - 5. "Empty Shell" - 6. "Willie" - 7. "Where Is My Love" (officiel video) - 12. "Love & Communication"

7th studio album by Cat Power (aka Chan Marshall) following a full three years after You Are Free (Feb. 2003). Like all Power's other albums, The Greatest is in the quieter end of folk rock and singer / songwriter genre with elements from alt. country and traditional blues. What's new here is especially a far more indie pop-tinged series of songs in larger-than-usual arrangements, which by that don't have 'the usual' clear lo-fi touch. The album therefore seems more airy, varied and lighter than most of her other albums, which have often carried an excessive heavy melancholic mood. The songs here appear brighter and lighter, even though Power's vocals are not that different and without ever displaying the big register, but which nevertheless has its own qualities, which are mainly rooted in a charismatic hoarse and occasionally almost whispering intonation, which can lead thoughts to Lana Del Rey and Hope Sandoval with a common starting point in Laura Nyro.

The Greatest is Cat Power's highest-charting album to date on the US Billboard 200 peaking at number #34, but it reached number #20 in Australia and at number #45 in the UK. The album won the Alternative Shortlist Music Prize (an award running from 2001 to 2007) ahead of names such as Band of Horses, Joanna Newsom, and Tom Waits - an award for which her 2003 album was also nominated without running with the award.

Imho, The Greatest is Powers best album to date and therefore also a recommended place to delve into the special universe of Cat Power.

[ allmusic.com, The Guardian, NME, Q 3 / 5, 👍Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, Pitchfork 7,9 / 10 stars ]

The Go-Betweens "Oceans Apart" (2005)

Oceans Apart
release date: May 3, 2005
format: 2 cd (Deluxe)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: Mark Wallis and David Ruffy
label: Lo-Max Records - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Here Comes a City" - 2. "Finding You" - 3. "Born to a Family" - 4. "No Reason to Cry" - 6. "Darlinghurst Nights" - 7. "Lavender" - 8. "The Statue" - 9. "This Night's for You" - 10. "The Mountains Near Dellray"

9th and the irrevocably final studio album by The Go-Betweens following just over two years after Bright Yellow Bright Orange (Feb. 2003) sees a reunion with producer Mark Wallis, who stood behind the acclaimed 16 Lovers Lane (1988). The 2 CD Deluxe edition comes with the addition of a live recording from The Barbican Concert Hall, London, Jun. 27, 2004.

For once, the quartet is intact compared to their most recent album but what makes the biggest difference here is concerning the actual production of the album. Forster and McLennan themselves were in complete control when producing the band's last two outings, and these are both quite good, but when listening to Oceans Apart, you clearly sense the bond to 16 Lovers Lane. It's not just similar, as it doesn't merely copy what was successful on the '88 album but the new collection of songs has a presence of the same 'multi-layering' without obvious attempts in reproducing the instrumental contributions by Amanda Brown and John Willstead of yesterday.

Another significant positive quality is that it feels and sounds like a band effort, whereas the two previous albums had an unmistakable imprint of the Forster / McLennan guitar duo weaving on all tracks. Here, it's as if bass, keyboards, additional guitars, and drums all contribute to colour the whole picture and, overall, create a sonic complexity that fits together ever so nicely. That said, the songs demonstrate the two songwriters' abilities as skilled storytellers and the end product is no less than the band's second best studio album - ever.

Oceans Apart won the prize for best Adult Contemporary Album at the Australian Grammy Awards in 2005 - first time happing for Forster and McLennan - and as a new experience, the album made its mark on the albums chartc in a number of countries besides Australia. Two tracks were released as singles: tracks #1 and #2, which didn't garner significant chart entries. And that's maybe not too strange, because it's the album itself that appears as a coherent strong album, basically without fillers. It's just extraordinary well-made from start to finish.

Unfortunately, just as the band was finally experiencing growing international recognition - again, the project was brutally interrupted when Grant McLennan suddenly died of a cardiac arrest around the anniversary of the album's release on May 6, 2006. With McLennan's passing, The Go-Betweens ended for good and Robert Forster returned to his solo career and subsequently released the album The Evangelist (Apr. 2008). In 2007, two recurring awards were founded: an annual prestigious Australian honour award "Grant McLennan Lifetime Achievement Award", as well as the annual 1-year music scholarship "Grant McLennan Fellowship" awarded emerging talents in Queensland.

Highly recommended.

[ 👍allmusic.com, Blender, Uncut 4 / 5, 👎Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, The Guardian, Mojo 5 / 5 stars ]

Band of Horses "Infinite Arms" (2010)

Infinite Arms

release date: May 18, 2010

format: cd

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]

producer: Band of Horses; Phil Ek (add. pro.)

label: Brown Records / Sony Music / Columbia - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Factory" - 2. "Compliments" - 3. "Laredo" (live on Letterman) - 5. "On My Way Back Home"

3rd studio album by Band of Horses following 2½ years after Cease to Begin (Oct. 2007) presents a completely new line-up where only founding member, lead vocalist and primary composer Ben Bridwell and (new) drummer Creighton Barrett re-appear on this. Keyboardist Ryan Monroe appeared on the former as additional musician and became a permanent member after the 2007 album, which had been completed as a trio together with guitarist Rob Hampton, who then left the band before commencing the recording sessions for this one. Hampton was replaced by new members guitarist Tyler Ramsey and bassist Bill Reynolds completing the new formation as a quintet.

Infinite Arms doesn't land far from the previous albums with its predominantly folk rock-foundation. What distinguishes this from the former releases is an addition and strings and brass arrangements, which I don't think improves the whole picture. Some songs could have fitted nicely on the 2007 album without straying far from that - mostly the above highlighted tracks, but what I feel lacks here is outstanding compositions, or: original new material. Bridwell mostly sings like the "old" Bridwell, but at times he sounds like a tired circus artists going through motions he has learned to repeat. The album was generally met by positive reviews, most of which points to a certain americana-feel to the new album. Something I find difficult to hear. In general, the album is positioned as the band's best performing album in the US by reaching number #7 on the Billboard 200.

To me, Infinte Arms simply sounds like a lesser release - compared to their first two it could be an album of leftovers. Bridwell is less poignant, the compositions are well-played but do not contribute with much new, and the overall impression is easily forgettable.

Not recommended.

[ allmusic.com, Uncut, Q 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, Slant 3 / 5, Pitchfork 5,3 / 10 stars ]

Band of Horses "Cease to Begin" (2007)

Cease to Begin

release date: Oct. 9, 2007

format: cd (SPCD 745)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,22]

producer: Phil Ek

label: Sub Pop Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Is There a Ghost" (5 / 5) (live on Letterman) - 2. "Ode to LRC" - 3. "No One's Gonna Love You" (5 / 5) (live on Letterman - acoustic live) - 4. "Detlef Schrempf" (4,5 / 5) (live) - 5. "The General Specific" - 7. "Islands on the Coast" - 8. "Marry Song" - 9. "Cigarettes, Wedding Bands" (4,5 / 5) (live)

2nd studio album by Band of Horses following 1½ after the fine Everything All the Time (Mar. 2006) is like that produced by Phil Ek and released on Sub Pop. Since the recording of the debut album the band has changed its line-up more than once, and played as a quintet, a quartet and now reduced to a trio with only remaining member, founder Ben Bridwell. On this he constitutes the band with bassist & guitarist Rob Hampton and drummer Creighton Barrett - both replacing founding members Chris Early and Tim Meinig for the promotion tour of the debut in 2006. Guitarist and keyboardist Joe Arnone only stayed for the 2006 tour, after which the band recruited keyboardist Ryan Monroe as additional musician for an upcoming 2007 tour and for the recording sessions for this album. He was, however, together with guitarist Tyler Ramsey and bassist Bill Reynolds included as new official members after the album release, whci meant the band was soon back as a sextet.

Musically, the album follows close on path laid out with the debut, although, this seems more like a bolder folk rock and country rock release thanks to more focus on electric guitars. The album still leaves room for a varied collection of songs, some are laidback and country-like, others harsh electric folk rock and the first track is an indie pop-shaped grower, but the overall sensation of a strong coherent whole is further accentuated. The album consists of ten tracks - and here comes the least favourable thing about this new album: it only upholds a total running time at 34:50 minutes!

After an acclaimed and strong debut they actually do even better. It's more than an ordinary artistic achievement to make something that both bonds so nicely with the preceeding release and yet improve their sound, which again proves how Ben Bridwell as only remaning member is the band's leader and driving force.

Cease to Begin is their best and it's highly recommended.

[ 👍allmusic.com, NME, Blender, Q Magazine, 👍Spin 4 / 5, Pitchfork 7.7 / 10 stars ]

Band of Horses "Everything All the Time" (2006)

Everything All the Time [debut]

release date: Mar. 21, 2006

format: cd ( SPCD 690)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,06]

producer: Phil Ek

label: Sub Pop Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "The First Song" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "Wicked Gil" - 3. "Our Swords" - 4. "The Funeral" (4 / 5) - 6. "The Great Salt Lake" (4,5 / 5) (live on Letterman) - 7. "Weed Party" (acoustic live) - 10. "St. Augustine"

Studio album debut by Seattle-based indie folk quintet Band of Horses. The band was originally formed as a trio consisting of lead vocalist & guitarist Ben [Benjamin] Bridwell, bassist Chris Early and drummer Tim Meinig. Later it was expanded to a quartet with vocalist & guitarist Mat Brooke, who had been band leader in Carissa's Wierd, where Bridwell had stepped in at a later stage as substitution of a missing drummer and later as bassist, but in this project, Bridwell appears as the band's unofficial leader. Before joining Carissa's Wierd, Bridwell worked on his record label-project Brown Records and without much training he jumped in as the band's drummer on the band's second album You Should Be at Home Here from 2001. He then became stable drummer in the band and also appears on its acclaimed final studio album Songs About Leaving (2002), after which he changed to bass, guitar and backing vocals for the final live album I Before E from 2004.

All songs here are credited the band, but all lyrics (except two songs by Brooke) are written by Bridwell. The album is, however, the only by the band in this line-up, which also includes Carissa Wierd's final drummer Sera Cahoone, who appears on three tracks but basically just for the album recordings. Shortly after finishing these recordings, both Early and Meinig left the band and for the promotion tour the group reformed in a new line-up with the inclusion of three new members: guitarist & keyboardist Joe Arnone, guitarist & bassist Rob Hampton, and drummer Creighton Barrett but already as of Jul. 2006, also Mat Brooke left the band after which he became co-founder of the Seattle-project Grand Archives.

On this the band's first full-length album, the playlist is made up of several reworks of compositions that had previously been issued on the Band of Horses ep (also titled Tour EP) released, a self-released issue from 2005 sold at concerts, which consisted of three demo takes and three live recordings. Five of those songs appear here in (new) studio versions. The three demo tracks all apear here in re-arranged versions with new titles - "Savannah Part One" is here shortened to "Part One", "The Snow Fall" is here titled "The First Song", and "For Wicked Gil" is here titled "Wicked Gil". Two of the three live recordings appear here in studio versions - "The Great Salt Lake", which has kept its title intact, and "Billion Day Funeral", which here is simply titled "Funeral".

Stylewise, Band of Horses play an uptempo, simple yet modernised folk rock and indie rock with an obvious love for harmony-driven Neil Young classics, but without the sligtest sensation of plagiarism. They have, however, been associated with acts like R.E.M., Slowdive, The Shins and others, as well as been accused of not being original enough. Fact is, you don't have to be an original to make great music. All great stars have copied and "stolen" inspiration from others, and that's what Band of Horses do so well on Everything All the Time. The single songs all sound highly original in their own rights and the whole album showcases a long list of stylistic variations but the magic enters as it all combined becomes one whole that only soothes: Band of Horses. There's no copy, only the original.

Highly recommended.

[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Blender, Drowned in Sound, Uncut 4 / 5, Pitchfork 8.8 / 10 stars ]

The Go-Betweens "Bright Yellow Bright Orange" (2003)

Bright Yellow Bright Orange
release date: Feb. 24, 2003
format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: The Go-Betweens
label: Trifekta - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Caroline and I" - 2. "Poison in the Walls" - 3. "Mrs. Morgan" - 6. "Crooked Lines" - 8. "Make Her Day"

8th studio album by The Go-Betweens released 2½ years after The Friends of Rachel Worth (Sep. 2000) is once again with a changed line-up in the 'supporting roles' of a band that is essentially no more than a duo-project. Now officially, the band is back as a quartet with the two founders at the front, the songwriters and composers Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, who are both credited on vocals and various guitars (Forster is also credited on organ and piano). As on the predecessor, they are here backed by bassist Adele Pickvance, who is also credited on keyboards and backing vocals, and then new member Glenn Thompson is seen on drums, electric guitar, organ, keyboards, and backing vocals. Beyond these, only a small duo of string instrumentalists are credited musical contributions.

Stylistically, there are no major changes since the 2000 revival release, but as a positive contrast, this is a much more cohesive collection of songs, with the two songwriters actually sounding like they've been working together on the new tracks and not 'only' have met in the studio with a handful of their own individual tracks, as they had become accustomed to in the years after their break-up in '88. The album contains an expected even number of 10 new tracks, which typically indicate five songs by Forster and five by McLennan, only this time they don't make a big fuzz about telling us who wrote what song. Instead, all tracks are credited Forster / McLennan, although they are believed to have contributed roughly equally with lyrical and musical contributions. They match each other in unison - and not that they didn't do that before, but it's as if they rise together on more optimistic notes, and perhaps the title suggests exactly what is seen on the cover - the only album by the band without actual photos of the band members - a reflection of a lighter lyrical content. Fact is, many of their earlier songs were woven and soothed in bittersweet melancholy. In contrast, they here sort of narrate in lighter spheres adding tailored vocal harmonies and chamber pop arrangements. The only thing I miss are a number of distinctive strong songs, and seen as a whole the album is perhaps a bit too cohesive with the two songwriters tiptoeing along more or less down the same path on golden rays of sunshine.

Expectedly, Bright Yellow Bright Orange was met by positive reviews and was even nominated, without winning, Best Album at the Australian Music Awards but The Go-Betweens now sound like they have found their footing and are back on course again. And nevertheless, it's always a pleasure to hear new songs with this classic songwriting duo.

[ allmusic.com, Blender, Q Magazine, Uncut 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3 / 5, 👉The Guardian 5 / 5 stars ]

Mark Kozelek & Desertshore "Mark Kozelek & Desertshore" (2013)

Mark Kozelek & Desertshore
release date: Aug. 20, 2013
format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: Desertshore, Mark Kozelek
label: Caldo Verde Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Mariette" - 2. "Livingstone Bramble" - 4. "Katowice or Cologne" - 5. "Seal Rock Hotel" - 6. "Tavoris Cloud" - 7. "You Are Not of My Blood" - 8. "Sometimes I Can't Stop" - 9. "Don't Ask About My Husband"

Collaboration album by Mark Kozelek and instrumental duo Desertshore consisting of guitarist Phil Carney (also of Sun Kil Moon and former guitarist of Red House Painters) and pianist Chris Connolly. Here the three are assisted by drummer Mike Stevens, who also played drums on Among the Leaves (2012) by Sun Kil Moon. Kozelek previously produced Desertshore's debut album Drifting Your Majesty (2010) and the follower Drawing of Threes (2011) on which he also contributes with lyrics and vocals on six songs, but this is their first official collaboration release. The album release follows another collaboration release Perils From the Sea, (Apr. 2013) by Kozelek and Jimmy LaValle, which again follows Kozelek's solo covers album Like Rats (Feb. 2013).

Musically, it doesn't fall far from Kozelek's regular repertoire. It's primarily alt. folk, indie folk with hints of americana, but the music here is composed by Desertshore and Kozelek "only" contributes with lyrics, vocals, bass and additional guitar... It is however, a more uplifting musical journey by these three friends. On solo albums, Kozelek sometimes indulges himself in extremely scarce arrangements but here there's a fine ever-present accompanying melody running along and even electric guitar, which to my regret seems almost abandoned by Kozelek. In my mind this is one of Kozelek's finest albums in years and it bonds nicely with albums by Red House Painters and the first albums by Sun Kil Moon.

It's a fine and most welcome addition to the expansive Kozelek collection.

[ 👍allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Folkeklubben "Sort tulipan" (2018)

Sort tulipan
release date: Oct. 26, 2018
format: vinyl (UNI 7701033)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]
producer: Frederik Thaae
label: Universal - nationality: Denmark

4th studio album by Danish folk rock and pop / rock band Folkeklubben.
The band has become a major national act with its songs about a Danish everyday life and with lyrics that are both founded on humour and a certain amount of self-irony. They surely have made some fine and popular songs but overall, I'm not a big fan. It's somehow too mainstream sounding with a bunch of references to artists I just never appreciated that much.