I’m not really one for year-end round
ups. Generally I’m glad to see the back of any old year but there have been
some fine times had over the course of this one. Those responsible know who
they are (I hope) and I banish all evil considerations agin those who I
expected to act with a little more decorum. They presumably know who they are
too. Whether they give a hoot or not is not this guy's concern at this point. Disappointment is second nature around these parts particularly during the festering season.
So let’s turn to the subject of music and the outright,
never failing to shimmer debut by the first lady of Norton, MIRIAM (Linna).
"Nobody’s Baby". Less than a year after hearing the single in the confines of
their HQ, a whole album and even shows came to pass. An utter revelation from
start to finish. The song selection, the performance and Sam Elwitt’s genius
piecing together of the whole puzzle made for a truly uplifting release. Even
although the subject matter largely dwells on the negative, I put it to you
that if you don’t get very excited when listening to this then you clearly need
assistance. I hope that these kids catch a break soon and that the performance
aspect will be brought to this side of the “big watter” over the course of this
coming year.
Someone that I will be seeing soon came back with "The Fox,
The Hunter and Hello Saferide" in September. Annika Norlin never fails to
deliver the very tops in pop. She takes all of this at her own pace and whether
the world catches up with this exquisite music doesn’t seem to mither her. I
hope that she might venture beyond Sweden again at some point but until then
the mountain is all to happy to go to Mohammed (are you still allowed to say
that?) I shall see her in Malmo at the end of February and very much look
forward to that.
Best "new to me" combo was the Brazilian sensation known as
Autoramas, they turned out to be far from the standard garage rock racket I
might have expected. You can listen to "Música Crocante"
here and even watch their Funtastic antics also. After seeing them I was almost
feart to listen to a recording but they’ve caught that off centre buzz buzz
buzz on this latest recording just fine.
Keeping up the Portuguese twist, circumstances prevail
that I never got around to putting anything up here about the latest Rita Redshoes album "Life Is A Second Of Love". Rightly lauded in her homeland, Rita's fare is just about as far
away from what passes as the mainstream as it could be. That’s not to say that
it’s not commercial. If you exposed the audiences of however many
nights Kate Bush did in Hammersmith to this gal's oeuvre then I’m sure many would be smitten. But in some ways, that may be like expecting Eagles fans to
like The Skeletons or NRBQ. There can be no accounting for taste.
To tell the
truth, once you got past the outfits, I never warmed to Kate’s music. And Rita
could never be tarred as being remotely prog. Her ability to create atmosphere
lends itself better to film scoring in the proper sense. Anyway, that’s by the
by. Like Annika, this girl has a singular vision and she deserves your
indulgence.
As does her other half – The Legendary Tigerman – who also
released a new full length entitled “True”. It was supposed to get a UK release
but I’m not sure that happened yet. I ought to check.
Pantones "¿Quién quiere Primavera?" and The Singles “Look
How Fast A Heart Can Break” are the outright pop smash hits of the past 12
months. Cheetah Chrome’s EP on Plowboy took care of the Americana aspect of things. “East
Side Story” is an example of a New York song that harks back to when that town
still had a soul instead of the odd outpost here and there.
At this point, I semi-promise to be a bit more active starting tomorrow when I’ll maybe haver about a few records that may have gone
un-noticed this past wee while. You’ll no doubt have bigger fish to fry but
there’s no hurry. I'm not about to leave the bunker until the coast is clear, January 3rd at the earliest.
I don't blame you if you think that it'll all go by the wayside but at this point I have a little faith that it could happen.