Oh the endless parade, where were we? Asked that the time before last time, do we need a new editorial yet? And bands, musicians, what d owe do with them and endless parade indeed, Monday miring and the inbox is full of messages, pleas, can you listen to my new song? Have you listened to our album yet? We could really do with a review. I’m listening to something now, a self release, sent in by the band themselves rather than a label or an expensively hired PR company, the song is nice enough, you know they’re poured a lot into it, you know it may well make a difference to them if we do post a positive review, we are apparently taste makers, or heaven forbid, influencers. The song is well recorded, decent enough, there’s nothing wrong with it, I imagine someone on BBC Radio 6 will play it, it sounds conservative enough for daytime play if it was ever to fall into the right hands and there by hangs the problem, I know we could possibly make a difference, a small cog that may or may not get another wheel turning, there’s a pressure to be nice and say something, but hey, it just isn’t doing anything for us, you feel guilty, you feel bad, you really feel bad as your finger hovers of the delete button (although if you do write something they almost certainly won’t say thanks or share the link). Enough of that and on with this and the cherry picking of the music and the what we said last time or last week or last year or many (many) years ago. You’ve read all this already, never mind the damn editorial, cut to the chase and never mind the biscuits or the dogfish, jump down past this bit, who needs a damn editorial? Let the actual music do the actual walking and the actual talking. Exact same thing again, another five (or so) slices of musical things that have passed our way recently and however you like to slice it and of course it was the price of lemons and here comes the intro, Don’t be flippant she said, how could it ever be flippant? I can’t remember why she said that now, in one ear, out the other, we have a bad attitude here apparently, no respect for those who work in the music industry, well no poop Sherlock, have you only just worked that one out? We’ve been showing zero respect since the last century, zero flips given…
Five? There’s something rather compelling about five. Cross-pollination? Five more? Is there another way? A better way? A cure for pulling flying rabbits out of the clouds? Is there a rhyme? Is there a reason? Was there ever a reason? What do reasons make? Five more? Snake oil? Everything must go and no, we never do and the proof of the pudding is in that proof reading. When we started this thing, oh never mind, it doesn’t matter why we started this damn thing and like we asked last time, does anyone bother reading the editorial? Does anyone ever actually look down the rabbit hole or is it all just method acting? We do really try to listen to everything that comes in, we do it so you don’t have to, we are very (very) very very picky about what we actually post on these fractured pages or about what gets played on the radio or indeed what we hang in a gallery. Cut to the chase, never mind the editorial, skip this bit, there’s loads of music further down the page, well five or so pieces of music that have come our way in the last few days and what’s Wordsworth? Just the basic facts and links and those sounds (and visuals), that’s surely all you need from us?
Here we go, five more slices of music that have recently come our way, this time we start somewhere in Sydney where normal service is resumed…
1: Party Dozen – Hectic Sydney punks Party Dozen (Kirsty Tickle and Jonathan Boulet) have let loose another single from their forthcoming fourth album Crime in Australia, out Sept 6th via Temporary Residence.Money & The Drugs follows previous singles Wake in Might and the excellent thing that is the brooding The Big Man Upstairs chronologically, but in no way musically. “Much was made of the “softer, sweeter” side of Party Dozen displayed in The Big Man Upstairs, about how it was melodic and uplifting and how it had proper words (it didn’t). This new single isn’t like that, this new sounds more like we expect from the musical storm that is Party Dozen. normal service is resumed…
“The first section of this song is inspired by a sound that we heard at the airport pick up zone in Sydney’” says Jonathan. A small aircraft coming in to land low would project this low bending rumble into the cement car park filling it with resonant frequencies.”
‘“Money & The Drugs’ features Kirsty really letting it out into her saxophone void. Then it picks up a coupla gears into a rockin’ frenzy” he continues. ‘It’s one of our most fun songs to play live. But sometimes too much of a good thing can land you in deep water. Sometimes this song gets away from us.’
The accompanying video is testament to how fun the song is live. An absolutely blistering live performance of the song was filmed at New Zealand festival Camp A Low Hum by Aaron Streatfeild and Will Agnew, and edited by Boulet, somehow managing to capture the energy of a performance the group felt just might have been their best. Yet.
Here’s the Bandcamp thing with the album details
2: Duke Garwood – “We have a new single out on August 16th for acclaimed artist Duke Garwood that is accompanied by a mesmerising 20-metre canvas painting film. ‘Satin Warrior’ envelops listeners in a hypnotic, laid-back feel that showcases Garwood’s signature blend of haunting clarinet, fervent vocals and intricate instrumentation. The single is a journey through lush soundscapes, making it an evocative journey that captures the essence of Garwood’s musical presence. Garwood has collaborated with an impressive array of artists including Mark Lanegan, Savages, and Morcheeba. His music has earned the admiration of influential figures such as Kurt Vile, Josh T. Pearson, and Tinariwen” so read the e.mail that landed with this rather fine new piece of music from Duke Garwood.
3: Tess Parks has just announced a new album Pomegranate due out on October 25th via Fuzz Club and Hand Drawn Dracula, this is a rather beautfully refined taste of that album. Sometimes it does just feel like everyone should be dancing and it takes a lot to make things feel as easy as this song makes it sound. Here’s some links and here’s the album details via Bandcamp and here’s her website and those beds, love those bed photos, they say so much
4: Unstoppable Sweeties Show have a new thing out, a beautifully deranged off-hinge couple of songs, you might have heard one of them on the last Organ Other Rock Show before we take a Summer break (fear not radioheads, Marina O will back on Resonance FM early in the Autumn messing with your time structures and such). The Unstoppable Sweeties Show are from Liverpool, they’re unlike most things you will have heard, they might just be unique, a five-piece avant-garde punk slash jazz-prog band kind of band who’ve reading the last chapter of their psychology books before the first chapters, something that could leave you feeling a little off colour or maybe full of wonderous colour. Don’t eat the red ones now. Here, as always, is the Bandcamp thing, have some shortbread, you’re stronger than you look…
5: Susanna – I Took Care of Myself, the third single from Susanna’s upcoming new album Meditations on Love out 30th of July which I guess means it is actually out today. The video or the film or whatever we’re calling these things in 2024 has been rather impressively made by Kim Hiorthøy. Hang on, are they saying the single is out today? Looks like the album is out in late August if the Bandcamp is telling the truth (other options should you need them), hang on, let’s read the press release. hey, wein the early hours, I’ve been throwing paint all day, I’m in no fit state to read the hundreds of press releases cluttering up the inbox, do like this Susanna song (and video) though, like it a litle more than the others we’ve heard so far, that’s enough, let the music do the talking…
The press release…
Today celebrated Norwegian singer and composer Susanna shares her new single “I Took Care of Myself”, taken from her new album ‘Meditations on Love‘, which is set for release August 23rd via SusannaSonata. With a hammond organ riff in the driving seat, and outbursts from woodwind instruments and percussion, Susanna claims on top of it all how she ‘got up and left’. Rolling drums and Susanna’s wordless singing contributes to a triumphant and disturbing feeling.
“It’s not necessarily easy to stand up for yourself, to leave a situation, a place, a relationship, to say enough is enough, this doesn’t work for me, I can’t take this anymore. When is the right time to put your foot down? There is an enormous power, almost exploding, in the acknowledgement of the moment” Susanna says about “I Took Care of Myself.”
On the video, Susanna said “The idea for the music video came when we recorded the song. There is something with the organ-riff that immediately reminded us about the corny organ played at the ice hockey games. And from that the wish for filming ice hockey players on the ice, with high intensity and speed, was born.” Susanna tells about the music video.
“My hairdresser through the past 23 years used to play ice hockey for the Oslo team Vålerenga, so I had to ask her: how on earth can we make this happen? Cause it’s absolutely a point to it all that it should be female players, as it’s quite a masculine and brutal sport. The suits, the protecting equipment and that it all goes on at the ice has been an unfamiliar and exiting new environment for me to seek out. What a thrill to meet this team and see them in action.”
And while we’re here… two years ago, it feels like a lifetime ago….
It is August tomorrow, time for a new playlist, mostly for us in here while we’re doing other things and want music we don’t have to review or think about too much, you’re welcome to listen though and it will evolve through out the month, feel free to follow, everyone loves a playlist don’t they?
THE ORGAN 