Exploding Stones Flicker Like Stars
Flicker LP from Andy Bell is going to be a contender for best album of the year. February is just racing by. Venues are cancelling gigs in my area, oh wait, our big city didn’t get lots of variety come through before Corvid. Why would February be any better?
Thankfully I still have internet to try to discover some new music. I do so out of protest and necessity. I am an in person type of person. Anyways, Andy Bell sings ” I want to see my friends tonight” That hits me in the gut, everyday.
So for your perusal we have Flicker LP, Jenn Vix featuring Ali Score, latest Kurt Vile song and video, Swedish hardcore band Sharp Tongues, and Japanese shoegaze from Rural District. I still prefer to see my friends but these tunes will have to do.
Andy Bell – Flicker – Sonic Cathedral Records
So what can I say about this LP besides “it’s great” “it’s incredible”. It has 18 tracks. Flicker clocks in over an hour. Quality and quantity in my opinion.
The artist, Andy Bell for those who don’t know got his start with his long-running band. Ride from Oxford. He has since made his own projects and played with Oasis. Check out his solo LP’s from the last 2 years under his name and if you fancy electronica, Glok.
Fast forward to 2021 and 2022. Andy Bell writes this record and releases it. I can say even though I’m a big fan it is still impressive quality of material given the quantity. That is the big picture. It seems Andy Bell is really pulling from many different sources of inspiration. Unmistakably he sounds like he does when he’s in Ride. Flicker contains little taste of synth and electronica. There is also that early Creation/ Andy Weatherall current still present from his last LP the View From Halfway Down and the b-sides to it called Another View.
Rather than bore you with 18 breakdowns of each song I’ll just cover the highlights where he departs from the stuff I’ve heard that sounds in the vein of previous Andy Bell work. However I’ll cover a few obvious faves too. These tracks are the twist of lemon lime in the cocktail that just gives it that zing.
The Sky Without You opens Flicker up into the dream state I hope to achieve daily. Full of wonder, awe, and backward washes of guitars. It’s the perfect intro to follow up 2020 and 2021 ‘s Andy Bell releases.
Additionally with an air of floating and hope It Gets Easier enters. It Gets Easier is the balm for the ills of the last 2 years. Bass notes walking alongside a Sgt. Peppers horn accompaniment . If The View from Halfway Down LP was about descending and making peace with a messed up world, It Gets Easier is about surviving the insanity of 2020/ ’21 and ascending above it. It’s uplifting and triumphant, albeit, calm and focused.
Next is the first single which is covered here. https://meatsheetfanzine.com/common-metals-new-year-flicker-ether-feels/ The video features the motorcycle helmet I’ve come to know from Love Comes In Waves and previous Bell imagery from the last two years. It’s as if someone said to Andy, “Can you play Vapor Trail” and he begins to play it. In a clever turn though, he adds a different chorus and lyrical content leaving you taken off guard.
Another standout is Riverside.
Thumpy bass lines, Ride – like sensibility. Electronic pops and blips.
If you fancy a more piano driven song with whirling fanfare and more Beatles esque nods you have We All Fall Down. If you now the song Indica on Bell’s previous LP The View From Halfway Down then you’ll dig on the way the next track The Looking Glass begins. Backwards multi tracks of Andy’s voice and guitars harmonize in reverse disjointed glee. This leads right to Love Is The Frequency. A shining and self evident trek ripe with melody.
There are probably two songs on Flicker that sounded instantly like I’d known them forever. One being Gyre and Gimble. The other Sidewinder. Gyre and Gimble featuring borrowed 60’s vibes that may feel like the Beatles or Turtles.
A quick keep on truckin mudflap lanky strut of a song and a surprise (to me) on Flicker
Before we move on to Sidewinder is She Calls The Tune. The intro feels like Pink Floyd’s Goodbye Blue Sky due to arpeggiated notes. More piano/keys accentuate this mid tempo beauty. A plucky solo and that is just like a mint leaf garnish on your favorite cake. It’s just right. The notes are not hurried and the spaces in between are timed precisely.
Sidewinder is a tribute to falsetto and disco maybe R and B that doesn’t suck (classic Motown Staxx ish stuff). You may also sense a likeness of Beck’s New Pollution running all over and through this track.
Bass line is a tasty groove. Much like an old funky friend that let’s you just pick up where you left off no matter how much time has passed since you last met.
There are tracks I didn’t talk about. Honestly I’m astounded by this entire album. How does Bell manage to do this ? I think the short answer is, well , he’s Andy Bell. Bell appropriates from the music in which he loves and is able to transmute it into sounds that echo Ride. Increasingly such, between Ride LP’s he can even write stuff that doesn’t sound so much like Ride. The kicker is, it’s still fresh. Ride and early Creation records fans simply have to check this out. I’ll even throw it a number 92/100
Jenn Vix (featuring Ali Score) – You Are A Star
Here is something for the new wave boppers. Vocalist Jenn Vix pairs up with Ali Score, drummer from A Flock Of Seagulls. Score being the brother of Mike (vocalist, guitar and synth). Together these brothers wrote the soundtrack of 80’s synth driven pop. (Along with many others, however A.F.O.S. managed to go big and win a Grammy) Jenn Vix can be found here https://jennvix.band/home
You Are A Star doesn’t have Paul Reynolds (Flock Of Seagulls) guitar on it, but together Vix and Score turn out a song that could be perfect for an after hours dance club.
Jenn Vix sings of stardust with cosmic fervor. There is driving synth. It cuts low while Jenn’s voice takes the higher route.
Together you get electronic outer space flavored R and B timed with Score’s signature electronic drums. I’m not complaining.
Vix is on point and sounds like a student of some of the greats from dance music’s past. For some unknown reason (to me) her vocals conjure Donna Summer. They don’t sound similar per se. I think of You are A Star playing well with Summer’s I Feel Love though. Playlist anyone ? Chase It with Modern Love is Automatic from the Seagulls .
Score’s drums ? Classic 80’s. Metallic snare and cymbals. Metronomic beat. It fits You are A Star. An acoustic kit ( i assume Score is using electronic) would still sound great. But the timber you may know from his earlier work is present and adds that club / new wave beat. If it were Lebowski’s living room ? Score and Vix tie it all together weaving a musical accent rug. I’d be very curious to hear what other themes that they could explore. Maybe hear more ?
Kurt Vile – Like Exploding Stones – Verve Records
KV announces a new LP and tour and simultaneously drops this video and single.
Kurt Vile and Violators have a special place in my heart. The songwriting, the use of primo gear. Kurt’s eased back vocals. Arrangements and instrumentation. It’s all there.
These points are why I dig KV and Violators. However, as a bonus, what is exciting is being able to see some of their earliest gigs in Philly and then tracking them in the last decade or so. I’m far from those Philly gigs in time and distance but its fullfilling seeing KV and the band blossom.
It took a while. They started with a really cool bohemian foundation. They work their asses off. I missed that era of KV gigging hard and carving out the place where they now live. I rejoined after people took notice. So in a way, the excitement is a vicarious one in which you get to see hard work payoff. It’s not everyday you see first hand, a band go from pub/small bar size and just keep growing.
First let’s hone in on the video. Shot in spots around the less populated areas of Philly and a roller rink. I just happen to love the industrial look and roller rink with illuminated Marshall amps? Where do I rent my skates ? I’m in. It’s a feel good party at the rink with roller boogie and Kurt playing some sweet guitars. This video is the escape that me and the fans need to address this pandemic.
The song and video has that modern psychedelic strut that KV has been crafting for some while now.
Like Exploding Stones guitar tones are the opposite of KV singing about feedback in the song. Doesn’t derail the song, tho. In fact I’m wondering will he unleash some scowling feedback on another track that he is referencing in this song? The guitar tones are balanced and sweet, just the right amount of vibrato and trills. The whammy vibrato puts Like Exploding Stones on the border of shoegaze. On the other hand, this song is still steeped and aged in KV and Violators relaxed, indie folk fashion. The new LP is due for April. Watch these guys for moves !
Sharp Tongues – Carry On EP
Hardcore from Sweden that reminds me a bit of the Killing Flame. https://soundcloud.com/user-618077339
Keep in mind I missed out on a lot of hardcore from 2004 – 2019 for reasons that are too boring to delve into. I’m still getting into stuff from hardcores birth as I am vinyl – aly challenged but back to this band. In fact I’ll have Cuzface give it a review.
Well, well, well, another adventure in this “hard” we call “core”. Sharp Tongues spitting venom from Sweden. Not to be confused with other bands of the same name who are not from Sweden, duh!
Speaking of spitting, the vocals are very urgent and almost exasperated… you know… like the “I have had just about enough of this!” level of intensity. Musically still presenting with power, but also having, what you might still call a “modern” presentation as opposed to what one might dubiously call “classic hardcore.
Anthemic… brooding in some places but not “slow”… releasing pounding bass and drums with melodic passages contrasting the aforementioned exasperation.
Hoping for more to come ! For a taste, visit them on SoundCloud, join the crowd and play it loud!!!
Rural District – Ocean
Japanese shoegaze ! Music transcends all language and borders. Ocean crashes hard and slow like mid era ( Isn’t Anything or Loveless ) My Bloody Valentine. The guitars have that whammy bar warble we love. Heres the link https://ruraldistrict.bandcamp.com/track/ocean Female vocals take the helm on this boat and there is a subtle back up harmonizing in true classic gaze tradition. Ocean swells and crescendos to storm like timber then growls and recedes. Rural District seem passionate about bringing their music to you and yours. For fans of pure shoegaze this is a no brainer. It’s accessible and not overly experimental as to get lost in a feedback or noise sea. Hai !
Sarin Smile – Air Bord
Field recordings of a concept that is finally seeing the light of day. Here come the layered warm jets. More to follow.
Birds. Meditative park life. A moment in time where the ambient noise in your background world is perfect. Then swirled together with minimal processing.
Support this if you’re the experimental and ambient fan. https://sarinsmile.bandcamp.com/
Thanks for tuning in. Please check on your friends. I’m having challenges. The person down the street is. Your friend you haven’t spoke to may be. We all have our bags and anytime we can step in to ease the weight of the bags, we become heroic. We’re not out of this craziness and we’re all in this together (you can believe it or doubt it but it’s true. ) Stay Well.