Coming Up Celebration Postponed to November

 

We are facing a world pandemic. Most of the concerts are being reschedule to later dates.

Unfortunately (but comprehensively) for me, Suede postponed their Coming Up anniversary shows to November. 

I bought tickets for their London show and it is something like a dream concert. My favourite Suede album is Coming Up and I never saw live one of my favourite songs, the b-side "Europe Is Our Playground", which, for sure, they will play on that show.

I just really really hope that they don't have to postpone again the concert because, as Suede's bassist Mat Osman said on social media "Feels like this will be the last change."

Also, according to Mat, until November, we can expect a lot of Coming Up surprises, so, although all of the troubles, looks like exciting times for Suede fans!

The Horrors Release New Single

The Horrors have released new music yesterday.  It's their first released since the album "V" from 2017.

The song is a bit different from their previous work. I do think I told that the last 2 albums by the band were too pop. Well, they turned completely the other way now. The new song "Lout" is a hard rock industrial song. Very noisy, very aggressive. The vocals are very distorted, which makes the lyrics almost incomprehensible, and it includes some loud screams. The main guitar riff is good.  

The song gives me mix feeling. Although I do prefer their rockier version, in this song they went too heavy. I'm curious about the album, I do hope they don't go too much on the metal direction but it's always great news to hear something new from the band. 

Brett Anderson Will Broadcast 9 Songs In March

Brett Anderson, lead singer and creative force of Suede, will be part of a live (online) collaboration with Charles Hazlewood,  The Paraorchestra, Adrian Utley, Seb Rochford and Nadine Shah.

The live performance will included 9 songs (3 of them Anderson & Suede related) and will be released through BBC Cymru Wales, within the digital festival GŴYL 2021.

The songs will have an acoustic and orchestral arrangements in a darker and more melancholic orientation.

I found out about this incredible new on the fantastic website of The Insatiable Ones, Suede's most loyal and best fan group, which I'm proudly part of. 

The set list will be: 

The Killing Moon - Echo and the Bunnymen
Unsung - Brett Anderson
Nightporter – Japan
The End of the World - Skeeter Davis
He’s Dead – Suede
Wonderful Life - BLACK
The Next Life - Suede
Holes - Mercury Rev
My Death - Brel (David Bowie version)

For more information, please visit The Insatiable Ones Website

Travis "10 Songs" - Review

 

I'm a big fan os Travis. I've been following them, album by album and I really like the band. One of those bands that never disappoint you, and keep their soul and spirit intact. Also, they are, already an aged band, stabilised, with this, just like hundreds of other artists, you don't expect that they release something really new, something really different and original.

First, the album title is boring. "10 songs" for an album with 10 song is just too much lazy. The band already done this in the past, with "12 memories", which was a much better way to give the name to an album with 12 songs. I can't create sympathy with an album title like that."Untitled" would sound better.

The songs on the album lack a bit of energy. Too many acoustic guitars and strings. The first too songs are a bit slow, guided by piano riffs. Particularly, the "la-la-la" on "The Only Thing" are really annoying. The lyrics are simple, but the music sounds a bit like a pop songs from Coldplay. They lack sound and speed. A bit forgettable compared with Travis back catalogue. 

But, those 2 songs, comes the best song on the album, "Valentine" has everything that the previous two don't have. Dramatic lyrics, electric riffs, hard bass. It's a great moment of music, I wish the album would sound more like this. Then, the next 2 songs, sound again like the first two, slow, and a bit boring. "A Ghost" is, again a good moment, a danceable one. Actually, this song is a good example how the band did a great song, acoustically guided by a piano riff. It looks like a story-telling song, with e a bit a Western feeling. Wonderful. "All Fall Down" and "Kissing In The Wind" are, again, slow, but this time more emotional, better ones. Although they don't compare with Travis classic ballad songs (like Luv or Some Sad Song) they are OK. 

"Nina's Song" is my second favourite song. Although its"sugary" and Christmas sound, is a gerat one. The chorus are beautiful with all the backing vocals. Again, this kind of ballads are funny and beautiful and don't make Travis look like a pop piano sensation.

The last song is a piano ballad. Ok but a bit irrelevant.

I love the band, that's why I'm being a bit harsh on this review. The album is OK but it's not the band on their best shape. Their previous works were far better and if I saw them live soon, aside from 3 songs, I wouldn't like them to play too much from this album. 

6/10 

Bicep "Isles" - Review

 

Bicep, the Northern Irish electronic duo, came to me when I saw them at Primavera Sounds festival in Porto some years ago. Typically, they aren't my style of music, although I've been listening to more and more electronic instrumental music. 

I would say that Bicep are very different from the typical "raves music" or the acid techno. Their sound is very very clean, you can listen to every different timbre, they don't overlap each other (like some of their contemporaries sometimes do).The riffs are mysterious, with a lot of keyboard work and a lot of songwriting, lots of melodies. Again, however there are really a lot of different sounds at the same time, they don't mash in a bad way, they mix in a very good way. You can hear every melody, you don't just hear noise. And, their trademark, and probably my favourite thing about their music, they have really strong background bass (check their most famous song, "Just"). Some of their songs evolve around the hard bass, and although they have high riffs, it's the bass that you search for. 

They just released their second album "Isles", it reached #2 on the UK charts (which is an extraordinary result for this kind of music) and it is facing very positive critical acclaim. 

The album is very direct in their style. Everything that I wrote above, sums on the album. Beautiful keyboards, a lot of melodies, very clean, all sounds very separate from each other.

The best track is "X". I choose it because of the bass. They are amazing, very very aggressive and strong. It's the perfect background for its industrial riffs. The singer gives a soft feel to it, but, again, the bass does everything, gives soul and personality to the song. It's the perfect example way I like the duo.

Then, you have very chill ambient moments, like "Sundial" or "Lido" which are perfect for a gin tonic near the sea. Simples and spacious. "Rever" and "Fir" are for some harder long nights. "Saku" is a bit more poppy, but it is also one of the best moments of the album. Funny, I said that Rever and Fir are for long nights, "Saku" is for a long long afternoon on the beach. The first 3 songs of the album are also not so aggressive, a bit commercial too. Songs that make Bicep opened to a wider audience, and thank God for that. 

As an overall, this album is perfect to be played almost in any time of the day. It give you energy in the morning, it relax you in the afternoon, making it the perfect company for a drink and makes you dance at night.  Bicep are probably the most interesting and innovating scene on electronic music these days.

7/10

Jonathan Bree - After The Curtains Close - Review

I didn't know Jonathan Bree before. I have heard about The Brunettes (but can't remember any tune from them) but Bree appeared on a (once again) perfect tip from Spotify.

His music is very charming, very mature. It matches perfectly with his deep voice. You can see instantly that Jonathan is not a kid, is a grown up musician, an aged musician, who keeps better with the passing of the years. A bit like Lou Reed or Johnny Cash. 

Also, his image is wonderful. Always using spandex masks, keeps a very mysterious feeling to his persona and to his music. 

But let's talk about the important thing, the album, After The Curtains Close.

This album is a great, typical, indie album, by a stabilised artist but, with two super important additions. Surround almost all songs and moments of the album, there is an orchestral, classical feeling that gives an uncanny and special sound. Bree mixed all of his attributes in a perfect way. Imagine this: a singer with a charming and deep voice, accompanied by a lot of string instrumental (violins, cellos, harps), wearing masks that cover all of his expressions, playing in a misty and cloudy night in the middle of a forest. That's what this album sounds. And it takes you to a place like that.

There is a song that is a total masterpiece: In The Sunshine. It's the most beautiful track on the album and one of the best things I heard in a while. Soft, danceable, romantic, mysterious. So beautiful. The lyrics are simple and direct. Like a love poem. Actually, the melody speaks so much for iself that it is better to keep the lyrics simple. The "La's" are amazing, gives you a dedep feeling of hope and peace.

Waiting Of The Moment was wisely selected for the first single, as it is the most catchy song on the album.The strings, the overlaid voices, the high bass, a great great song. As it should be, the closing and album-title track After The Curtain Close is another great song, my third favourite for now.

Then, you have a nice collabration with Princess Chelsea and Britta Philips (Kiss My Lips and Meadows in Bloom), although these songs sound like the most different tracks of all, almost maladjusted from the rest of the album. 

Then, you a have a lot of good tracks on it, some things in a "noir" and industrial feeling like "Children", "Until We're Done" or other more pop and conventional like "Cover Your Eyes" or "Happy Daze".

It was a great surprise to discover so late Jonathan Bree. He looks like a modern Scott Walker or Richard Hawley. A great album to hear. And, In the Sunshine, must fo directly to yor playlist.

8/10

Keep An Eye On The Playlists

Just a quick reminder to keep following my beautiful playlists:~

STRANGE SOUND

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6DmVesmictdjb65eVyZuIu?si=Md5unM3MQxW_Ho5IefMyKA

This one keeps getting updated regularly! The new playlist is here and it features Camera Obscura, Benjamin Biolay, Grizzly Bear, Jessie Ware, Holy Nothing, Acácia Maior, Tracy Vandal, Jonathan Bree, Ringo Starr and the one and only David Bowie

INDIE PENDENCE

With 430 songs, it includes of of the 43 previous Strange Sound playlists!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Yx830GzBcfMCVDa60HNx4?si=w9of7dVSRSOvDdOEl6Gc9g

Only good music!

David Bowie Is Still Making The Difference

Last week, David Bowie would have been 74 years old. Also, last week marked 5 years since his death.

To celebrate his birthday, Bowie (or who is in charge of his posthumous career) release a new single. A "double A-Side" that has the cover of Bob Dylan's "Tryin' To Get To Heaven" and John Lennon's "Mother".

Bowie was a huge fan of both of the artists and, on the late 90's recorded versions of these 2 songs. Of course that, for each on its songwriter, both of the songs mean a lot and are very important songs. 

Bowie gives a new vibe, a very "Bowish" sense (specially on the Dylan song) and, we can see work there, they aren't merely fun sessions covers, they are David's own interpretation of the songs. 

What makes us happy is that we have new music by Bowie, although that isn't only the important thing. After his death, whenever he is, we feel that David still manages his releases. Obviously this single isn't a new way of making money (it could have been launched way back). It is Bowie's vision of his career, of his legacy after his death. The same way he released "Lazarus" or "No Plan" or all of the boxsets, I believe that he also planned this. He wanted these songs to be released on 5 year after his death. 

We feel that same artists are explored after they pass away (Jeff Buckley, Nirvana, Joy Division, etc.). We don't feel this way about Bowie. This was planned, like he was alive. This is new music. This is still relevant. And this is what makes David Bowie the greatest artist of all time, dead or alive.

 

Carlos do Carmo

Carlos do Carmo é, depois de Amália, a maior figura do Fado. Sendo o Fado, o estilo de música mais importante em Portugal, o mesmo será lembrado como um dos artistas mais importantes do nosso país.

O Fado é um tipo de música muito nostálgico. Normalmente, os jovens Portugueses não tendem a consumir este género de música. Toda a gente gosta, mas, tanto em termos de espetáculos pagos ou de produtos musicais (CDs, Vinis, etc.) não está, de todo, na grande prioridade dos ouvintes portugueses. Até nas rádios, passa muito menos que outro estilo de música qualquer. 

Eu não fujo à regra e sou um desses também que goste, mas que reconhece uma dúzia de música dos mesmo. Desta maneira irei fazer um esforço para descobrir, aprender e ouvir mais Fado.

Desta maneira, e, de um ponto de vista pessoal, o que realmente guardo do Carlos do Carmo é uma voz maravilhosa e belíssima, um talento natural para cantar, e uma presença em palco inquestionável. Um arista, no verdadeiro sentido da palavra, que era o melhor naquilo que fazia que teve uma linda carreira e que soube sair e se retirar na altura certa. 

Para além disso, estando neste momento a passar imensas entrevistas antigas do mesmo na televisão, nota-se e ressalva-se uma simpatia extraordinária. 

De todos os clássicos cantados por Carlos do Carmo, o meu preferido é "Os Putos". Que maravilhosa canção.

Vamos fazer uma homenagem a esta artista e ouvir mais Fado.

McCartney III - Review

The legendary Paul McCartney has just released a new album, called McCartney III.

The album title is a continuation of his 1980 album McCartney which who had already a sequel titled McCartney I (1970). Some critics compared these 3 albums but I thinks it is a silly thing to do (the #2 was released 40 years ago, completely different times). 

Paul did a very good and efficient job here. Thankfully, he didn't go far from his typical rock n roll sound. This is the kind of album that you would expect that an aged Beatle would record. Drums, guitars, bass, nice melodies, keeping it simple and raw. Paul played all instruments and all vocals, so there wasn't space for strange collaboration like he did in the past (Thank God). 

What can you find thought these 11 songs? Well, you have some "Paul's granny music" which is always nice and beautiful, there's a nice sensibility on tracks like "The Kiss Of Venus", "Pretty Boys" and then there's some catchy pop tunes like "Find My Way" or "Seize The Day". Paul's old formula is there and still works! "Woman And Wives" shows a darker side of the album, more dramatic. There are two excelent, pure rock moments on the album. "Slidin'" seems like an old brother of Helter Skelter. Raw, Agressive, Loud guitars. The best song on the album, without any doubt. It's hard to imagine a 78 years old man writing this song. The speed, the lyrics, the transitions in the song, it's perfect. "Lavatory Lil" is a more classic rock song, funny. Then there an atmospheric song, almost 9 minutes long, called "Deep Deep Feeling" that is also one of the high points of the album. It's the most complex song on the album, with a lot of variations. Beautiful and fits very well in the middle of the album. Then, you can find the sequel of Blackbird during the last song, "When Winter Comes". 

The album is excellent. I would like to see him exploring more his harder side but it's great as it is. I think it is more similar to Paul's first solo albums, like Ram, simple, direct and raw. I can put it as one of my favourite McCartney's solo albums. Its the proof that the ex-Beatle can't make bad music. 

A victory. Let's hope that Paul continues to write music like this for many many years. 

8/10