Guten tag, meinen freunden. Ich gehe davon aus, dass es euch allen gut geht? Ausgezeichnet!!
(Just highlight it and Google will translate)
On this glorious Monday morning, let’s forget what an unbelievable thundershitstorm the world continues to be and stick the headphones in/on and just wallow in this fine, fine slices of pure gold. Tracks of the Week. See you next week, hopefully.
HANK DOGS – Logic
Why we love it: because HANK DOGS are back. And that has to surely be a cause for great celebration. The South London folk band who had been championed in the late 1990s by Joe Boyd – the legendary American record producer who had worked on recording sessions with Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, Fairport Convention and a succession of other highly revered British artists three decades beforehand – released a couple of well-received albums before they seemingly disappeared without a trace.
However, a third album, Fiveways, had been recorded in 2010 before the trio of Andy (Hank) Allan, Piano Pace, and Lily Ramona all went their separate ways. The record then remained in a drawer on a CD-R in Andy Allan’s home before plans were hatched during lockdown to finally release this long-lost album.
Fiveways will finally see the light of day on the 18th of October when it is released on vinyl, CD, and digital through Scratchy Records and distributed by Cargo. And one of many stand-out tracks on Fiveways is ‘Logic’. With its delicate guitar-picking and beautiful vocal harmonies it harks back to the inspired, expressive, often seductive folk music with which Boyd was directly involved in the late ‘60s. It’s a wholly unexpected pleasure that the wider public now gets the opportunity to hear this wonderful music. (Simon Godley)
piglet – For Frank Forever
Why we love it: London-based Irish songwriter and producer piglet (aka Charlie Loane) shares the title-track from his upcoming EP for frank forever set for release on 8 November via Blue Flowers. The single has an emotional pull which is unsurprising given its themes. piglet explains that it is about:
“the gradual process of coming to understand that poor living standards, your community being demonised , systemic racism and transphobia, exhausting badly paid jobs (etcetcetc) are not just facts of life, or what you deserve, they are the logical outcomes of white supremacist capitalism. its also about how all this can change, how it has to change, how it will change, and how it won’t happen on its own. there won’t be one moment, one act of god, or an isolated instance of peaceful collective revelation. like everything else, it is a process, a process you should be a part of in any way you can.”
The atmosphere meanders from calm and thoughtful to passionate and enraged. This is blended with an instrumentation which also flows effortlessly between indie guitars to glorious folk and crashing fury. This reviewer is holding their breath for the EP. It’s unsurprising to learn that piglet’s art is rooted in his activism, such is the power of his creative output. Across the EP he offers hope and solidarity, interpreting his experiences through an anti-capitalist lens. His2022 EP seven songsgarnered critical acclaim for its poignant exploration of the trans experience with songs like ‘it isn’t fair’ which highlighted the injustices faced by trans people in the British healthcare system. piglet begins a headline tour through the UK in Oxford on 12 November 12 and ends in London at Corsica Studios on 7 December. (Julia Mason)
Mezanmi featuring Jessie Buckley– ‘Two Strangers‘
Why we love it: ‘Two Strangers‘ is the achingly beautiful new track from Newcastle-born, London-based artist Mezanmi (pronounced ‘mes amis’) The quietly romantic, folksy track features Academy Award and Mercury-nominated actor and musician Jessie Buckley. Taken from his forthcoming debut album Always Upwards, “Two Strangers’ is about the moment just before you meet a person who goes on to change your life” explains Mezanmi. “That instant when everything is still ‘normal’, at the tipping point where a series of events is about to unfold.” It’s enough to take your breath away. Rich with poetic pastoral imagery, stunning vocals, intricate blossoming riffs and emotive strings, they have created sonic magic together. Mezanmi met Jessie Buckley while supporting her tour with Bernard Butler, in promotion of their Mercury Prize-shortlisted album. “She was incredible, and when we spoke afterwards, I was blown away when she asked if we could sing something together” explains Mezanmi. “Two Strangers’ felt like the perfect song to ask her to be part of.” (Carmel Walsh)
Press Club – Champagne and Nike’s
Why we love it: Australian punksters Press Club provided this reviewer with one their best gigs in Edinburgh’s Sneaky Petes in an unusually sweltering April night in 2019. They return with their new single ‘Champagne & Nikes’ and the band share that they wanted to create a track that had “a similar energy and feeling to some of the songs we wrote when we first started writing together for (debut album) Late Teens”.
The track was written in their Melbourne studio after a bizarre encounter at an off-licence, wearing Nikes presumably! The raucous energy of ‘Champagne & Nikes’ is exhilarating. It travels fast and never holds back. The distinctive lead vocals of Natalie Foster inject a passionate vibe into the single, and the guitars and bass are a force to be reckoned with. Do watch the striking black and white video which was made with the help of friend of the band Nick Manuell. It shows off Melbourne’s brutalist architecture with dramatic effect. The good news is that Press Club are promising more from them in the not too distant future. They will be on the road in Australia supporting Grinspoon to the end of the year. Although possibly too big now to repeat that night in Sneaky Petes, fingers-crossed they will be back on this side of the world in 2025. (Julia Mason)
Honddu – Worst Version of me
Why we love it: Holly Müller and David Neale, are a neuro-divergent couple who reside by the river Honddu, from which they take with their name. They’ve been refining their intricate and lush sound with producer, JT (Ya Yonder, Islet) over a series of releases. Describing their idiosyncratic sound as “compelling and emotional; sometimes delicate, sometimes full of power,” Honddu take inspiration from the likes of Jenny Hval, PJ Harvey, and Broadcast, and you can hear that on the superlative ‘Worst Version of Me’ delighting with shimmering orch-pop textures, and clip-clop beats, that cycle through vast landscapes and topped with Müller’s wonderfully soulful melodies that spin elegantly releasing into a glorious high note, that acknowledges the worst parts of ourselves and embraces them.
‘Don’t we all have a worst version of ourselves? Don’t they make a mess of things? But couldn’t we take them in our arms and say ‘I love you anyway?’’ Honddu (Bill Cummings)
Declan Welsh and the Decadent West – Inaction
Why we love it: East Kilbride’s Declan Welsh & The Decadent West unleash a frenzy of guitars with their latest single ‘Inaction’, out via Frictionless Music. It exudes a ferocious energy and is a response to the continued inaction of our politicians, media and general citizens in the face of the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. “Hours and days and months/poured into discussing all there is to discuss” and yet no meaningful change. It’s a fierce outpouring, the angry frustration brought on by this lack of any concrete measures being instigated. The socially conscious 4-piece spit out their disdain in a stream of lyrics which punch hard, but this is combined with quieter sections which perhaps reflect on the despair felt by the situation. Declan Welsh expands on the background to ‘Inaction’:
“This is a song written after nearly a year of watching the worst things imaginable happen to people on a daily basis live-streamed while everyone has various debates about whether it should happen, and we all stand up and say that it shouldn’t while it continues. It is a criticism of the idea of debate in and of itself, and of the limits of free discussion and expression as a tool to be used by people to change things. It’s a frenetic, frustrated, five hundred mile an hour punk song designed to be played live and felt.”
Declan Welsh & The Decadent West headline Glasgow’s Tenement Trail Festival on 12 October, returning to Glasgow’s iconic Barrowland Ballroom. There is no doubt that ‘Inaction’ will have stirred the crowd into a frenzy. If only such decisivie action could be taken by politicians. (Julia Mason)
Elea Calvet – Don’t make me go
Why we love it: ‘Don’t make me go’ is a soft and emblematic introduction to Elea Calvet’s forthcoming album. A rumination of heartbreak and hope, it amalgamates the two to be indistinguishable from one another. Slow-burning percussive strokes swell alongside Calvet’s smoky and forgiving vocals that are ripe with self-awareness, gracefully coming to terms with loss. Spinning with a muted and nagging, brooding arrangement, and a vocal that’s invested with a gentle melodrama that echoes the likes of Mazzy Star, Lana Del Rey or Anna Calvi.
The percussive driving force throughout the stripped back drums, signing strings and basslines are like thumping of a beating heart. “It only seemed natural when working on the arrangement to imbue it with how I felt writing it, something visceral, uncomfortable but liberating. It wanted the main thread to exemplify that quickening of the pulse that comes on when on the verge of enacting a dramatic life change. A terror of sorts really, but one that is born of every ounce of courage musterable to remain steadfast.” says Elea. “Everything was arranged around it, so as to keep that feeling as the true centrepiece.”
Written, orchestrated, recorded, produced, mixed and mastered in complete musical autarky, Elea performed every role from her little home studio. . Sitting on the knife edge of tragedy, self-acceptance and confession, it’s a moment of quiet power from a fully formed artist with a new album on the way in 2025. It holds a heck of a lot of promise in its breast. Release the fear. (Bill Cummings)
