Grandbrothers

Seems like my musical preferences switch very quick and extreme these days. When I'm on the train home I use to listen to guitar sound in every variation and later at home I choose some ambient or something like the Grandbrothers. It is very warm and depressant sound. Mostly a classical piano dominates and a bit of ambient sound is added to the piaano chords. They describe their sound on bandcamp this way:

Grandbrothers are Erol Sarp and Lukas Vogel. After meeting at university in Dusseldorf, Erol and Lukas formed Grandbrothers to tie together their respective musical backgrounds and disciplines: Erol is a trained jazz pianist, while Lukas constructs synthesizers at Access Music. Together, they create a sound that combines classical composition with modern, experimental production and sound design. 

Just music to relax. If you are in the mood for something new - give them an ear.

Pool Hall

Since a few month I meet with some friends for playing pool at our local pub. I was sitting at the bar drinking my pint when I came in contact with an retired old man and we started talking about this and that, politics and sports and finally we talked about playing pool. Soon we started playing and I got a lot of lessons learned. I started playing when I was a kid of 15 years and played every couple of years later. Knowing that I was just a regular player that is able to play the rules the old man showed me the abilities of the game. He told me a lot about playing slow and waiting for the chance. Since then we meet with a couple of friends to play a weekly competition. And I have to say: the more I play the better I get. It is just another way to get rid of all the things that bothered me during the working week. Here are a few songs that were inspired by playing pool.

Enjoy.


 

L.A.M.F.

Even if you may not favour it, Christmas will come. At this time become also regular presenting us tons of best-of records and Christmas editions of albums. During the last weeks I have observed, that more and more albums was released on a 40th-anniversary edition. The most I welcome with a smile on my face and grab out my original ones. A few days ago the message arrived that there will be a 40th anniversary of Johnny Thunders and his one and only album with The Heartbreakers. Johnny Thunders is the link between mid 70's New York trash and the upcoming punk movement. In these days the New York Dolls were the ones who played the real rock music. Filled with glamour, hot guitars and songs with hooks. Johnny was one of them and after visiting UK he turned into a solo career. He was one of them who guided me into new and exciting music. Short songs with strong guitars and melodies made this record a classic. I don't know if I will get this new record added with outtakes and demos but this record is still worth to listen to.

Johnny Thunders and The Hearbreakers - Born To Lose
Johnny Thunders and The Hearbreakers - I Wanna Be Loved
Johnny Thunders and The Hearbreakers - Pirate Love
Johnny Thunders and The Hearbreakers - Do You Love Me

Skinny Lister

Almost two weeks ago I went to one of those concerts in my town that is worth to go to. Skinny Lister is not the band I usually listen to but I was in the mood for an evening with folk-rock played in a punk way. Following the road The Pogues primed they did a great show. It was pure fun to listen to this kind of music live once again

Viva La Quinta Brigada

Last weekend I saw a documentary about the rise of Francisco Franco in Spain almost 100 years ago and I remembered to my youngest days. We all learned about the fascist regimes before the days of world war two in school and had a great restistance against the Nazis in the early 80's. It was in this days Nazism tried to be compatible to many people in Germany. We had many fights with those backwards minded ultra right wings. I spent my first holidays in Spain in the year Franco died and I didn't made much thoughts about the political system in this country - just spending a few weeks off in a different country. During the years I read more and more about the history of Spain and the days of anarchy in the early 20's of the last century. The more I learned about the history and the way European communists stood aside the Spanish people against fascism the more I was impressed and ask myself if it could be possible in this way today. I have to admit that the answer is no. There was no solidarity to foreign people like it was in these days in Spain.

Reduce The Speed On A Minimum

Yet another band I explored during the last days. In days of noisy chaos, heated rhetoric, and voracious content consumption in which we find ourselves present I am glad about artists who express themselves with restraint and nuance. A few days ago Adam posted some great dreamy ambient by Jan van den Broeke which I really enjoyed. Balmorhea sounds like a band from Ireland but these guys are from over across the Atlantic ocean and the make songs you also can dream or relax by. Their new album Clear Language is a lucid and intimate gem of an album that gently but resolutely repudiates bombast and fractiousness in favor of simplicity, warmth and personal connetion. Their compositions are mostly under four minutes each, and they gently unfold and introducing guitars, strings and light synthesizers as well as the occasional presence of humming insects and other natural sounds. Sometimes these songs remind a little bit to Durutti Column and if you are ready for a bit of dreamy sounds, give them a chance.

Steelism

Steelism are a Nashville-based instrumental band Not like many others from this place they can't be called a country band. Their new album ism is composed of guitarist Jeremy Fetzer and pedal-steel player Spencer Cullum. They once said about their music: "Hey, let's start a predominantly instrumental Americana band driven by trading licks with guitar and pedal steel and incorporating elemens of spaghetti Western soundtracks, surf, R&B, rock and jazz". And that's exactly what they did. On The Henchmen / The Buffalo they combine Spanish flamenco percussion with acoustic guitars; Shake Your Heel features Nashville singer-songwriter Tristen over spacey retro dance beat and Let it brew is another example how to combine country and space-rock and shows how boundaries could get expand in Nashville these days.

Kaiser Franz Josef

Over the weekend I listened to a few old AC/DC-records in tribute and they brought me back to my very youngest days and I grabbed out some other records by rock dinosaurs. While listening to Led Zeppelin once again I remembered Kaiser Franz  Josef, a band a friend recommended to me a few weeks ago. KFJ is an Austrian band playing classic hard rock and supported AC/DC a couple of years ago. Their music is a pure combination of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple transporting into now. Not the next big thing but worth to listen (not every day but sure sometimes, when you are in  the mood for music like this).

This One's For The Humans

Once again I listened to a new song and can't get him out of my mind. It's the new one by Alien Stadium, a collaboration project by Steve Mason and Primal Scream's Martin Duffy. Starting as a acoustic dominated song it turns into a acid-house rhythm influenced journey into space and back. Not the worst to start into Sunday.

Malcolm Young RIP

There are less guitarists you recognise by listening to the first accord and the first and second riff. One of them died yesterday at the age of 64. Born in Glasgow he formed the blues-rock band that was world-wide known and made great commercial success. I am not the fan of this kind of music but the first two records by AC/DC were amazing. Different to other bands and full of power. I really liked their glam-inspired sound from the early days. Sadly he wasn't named when they discuss about great guitar players.

Rest easy Malcolm