American folk rocker Ben Crum concluded that most of the songs on the new album by his band Great Lakes are about trying to get to grips with the death of his close friend Ryan Trammel. Loss is the main theme of Fear of the Fear and lead single Why Did My Love Go Away, a gentle swaying song with an early 70s vibe, pictures him as "feeling like a stranger to your side". As a musical challenge he did not use a bridges in the track, which works wonders for the urgency of the lyrics.
Soft Machine were going more in the direction of fusion jazz and I didn't like that. They were going more in the direction of jazz, which didn't interest me. I was strictly pop. They were into what I consider really to be incredibly self-indulgent music. It's stuff you play for yourself, and "fuck the audience.
Kevin Ayers
Liverpudlian queer six-piece indie band Flower Show have unveiled a video for their new baroque pop song I Want To Hold Your Man. It is set in an non-descript office, with a bunch of singers and dancers trying to make an impression on a plain commitee to hire them. The track is a bit over the top, but with the serious message as well to take people at face value. It is the lead single for their new album A Cake In A Daydream, due for release on September 4.
Live date:HCTF review of Painted Nails & Silver Bells
Nell Davies made a video for Never Wrestle With A Pig, a track from her The End of the World or Whatever EP: "Part riot girrrl, part pop artist, Nell Davies attacks her material with a hammer and a smile. Look no further when in need of a song telling people to fuck off. This kind of ramshackle catchiness is irresistible."
HCTF review of The End of the World or Whatever
Dutch '80s inspired quintet Morgendust did not waste time coming up with a follow-up for their Monuments of Men, which was released only a couple of months ago. The Art of Breaking kicks off with the political lead single High Horse, an in-your-face anthem that is part satire and part serious about the worldwide rise of right-wing idiots, but the rest of the tracks are keeping it closer to home: a nameless protagonist at a party with all the other guests being lonely as well (Can't Escape) and wanting to shut out the outside world to find some peace of mind (Sunblinds).
There is a token ballad about feeling guilty and ashamed (Broke Your Heart), with keyboards acting as a string section, but they saved the best for last. Old One starts out as a gentle song that becomes powerful as the track progresses, a trick that will be familiar to Marillion fans, albeit with more adventurous percussion bits.
