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Monthly Playlists

October 2023 Playlist

I went to a Record Fair this past month with a couple of friends both of whom are approximately twenty years younger than me. Other than the obvious cultural difference of trying to convince them that they are not called “vinyl’s,” it did occur to me that the major change in their visiting a fair as a punter to my record hunting two decades ago is that they are searching for things they have already heard. My mission was almost always based on the desire to find things unavailable for me to listen to, the discovery of exciting fresh sounds both newly released and from previous decades. Tracks that do not get played on the radio, or those that were given a spin once by the more eclectic late-night DJs only to vanish from your life, destined to be added to an expanding list of holy grail finds you are on the look out for. All of that has gone now in an age where pretty much everything is available to listen to, even tracks unavailable on download facilities or streaming services can at least be found and listened to if you plough the internet deep enough. Personally, I do not even have a list anymore, Record Fairs are a place I search for things that I am already familiar with but would like to own a decent quality vinyl pressing of.

Obviously, there are still things I never found back in the twentieth century and now appear so obscure even the internet has not logged thus far, but as time passes and people increasingly upload old video tapes and cassettes to YouTube the more these dark corners of music’s back pages are uncovered. I had this proved to me a few moments ago, as I started this paragraph, I recalled a song Mark Radcliffe played on his late-night Radio One show around 1995-96 called ‘Expecting Joe’ by The McTells. I wrote it down at the time and have kept half an eye out for it for nearly thirty years. Even when Discogs and eBay appeared I would occasionally type it into a search and come up blank. But I have just heard it for the first time since that radio play, it is sitting there on YouTube with a grainy old video clip to add to the time capsule. Turns out it was released on a cassette in 1987 which might explain why my looking for it on vinyl came up short. It does prove that my taste for lo-fi pop and scuzzy garage-rock sounds has been present for a good three decades, it would appear that the McTells were loosely associated with the C86 movement but were a little too rough around the edges to be fully embraced even by that scene.

The sad thing is I do not really feel like I am looking for it anymore, I sort of feel like I found it, but the payoff is not so sweet when there is no physical artefact to show for the conclusion of the hunt. So maybe I am still looking? I dare say if I find a copy of that particular cassette I would buy it, if it was cheap enough as I do not really collect tapes, but the heart and soul of the mission was to hear that music again, which is a desire that has now been satisfied. I do not mean to appear lukewarm about record collecting, those moments when you find a clean original pressing of music that you love, take it home and play it being sure to really listen to those sonic details can be magical. This month’s cover star is Sandy Denny in the late sixties fronting Fairport Convention and I recently enjoyed such an experience listening to their ‘Unhalfbricking’ on an original 1969 Island Records pressing. They really were one of the all-time great Rock-era bands around 1968-1969, a period in which they released a mind blowing three classic albums whilst struggling to overcome the turmoil of a motorway van crash with fatalities. No wonder this combination of their line-up splintered before the seventies for, on top of the tragedy and in addition to the wandering sprit of Richard Thompson’s genius, they also had a singer in Sandy Denny who threw all her raw emotions into her art and music. That is what I love about the above photo, she looks wound up and annoyed which, if true, was sure to have fed into the music Fairport Convention were playing that night. One of their most rousing pot-boilers from 1969 opens this month’s playlist, a selection which represents the range of music, both new and old, I would love to source on vinyl pressings when looking around a Record Fair…

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Fresh Juice

25th September 2023

Aja Monet – The Devil You Know

It matters little whether you regard Aja’s lyrical vocalising as a rap or poetry recital set to music, her words are what count and you cannot help but be entranced by the conviction in this delivery. Her music has a close association with Jazz and this track in particular carries a hefty dose of jazzin’ credibility when you hear the trumpet part by Christian Scott, but Monet’s ear for cultural mix and matching when added to her focus makes this a journey entirely in a field of its own. Her new album ‘When The Poems Do What They Do’ is as powerful a statement in dynamic, driven and inspirational protest music as you will find in 2023, presenting an artist who cares about the society and landscape around her and one who is ready to give all she can to solicit positive change, awareness and improvement

Semisonic – The Rope

As with any band worth making a fuss over, the music should be the thing that matters above all other attention grabbing criteria. That is absolutely the case with Semisonic, a US band who I could be sat opposite on a train and still fail to recognise. Their music on the other hand did leave an indelible impression, especially a brace of songs from around 25 years ago, ‘Secret Smile’ and ‘Closing Time’, which sounded then and remain today like a couple of late period Britpop classics being far more sonically connected to that fading UK scene than anything coming out of the US at the time. For the last few years Semisonic have dipped their toes in reunion lakes around album anniversaries and it is now a delight to report new music arriving too, especially when it is as good as this, losing none of their early deftness around a guitar pop tune…

Das Koolies – Pain Down The Drain

Back in 1973 the sound of Glam Rock probably felt like the future even though within three years it would perpetually be linked to the music of a very precise period in the past. So how is it that Das Koolies have lifted that glitter stomping effect from fifty years ago, filled up its tank with four-star fuel and continued to recycle it in a way that seems ostensibly of the future? This is the kind of rollicking, timeless mayhem the Super Furry Animals used to dazzle us with at the back end of the nineties, which is funny because it turns out Das Koolies comprise four former members of that classic band recalibrating for fresh adventures in sound. Their debut album ‘DK.01’ has just arrived…

Olivia Dean – Carmen

Wanted to give this one an entry in the Fresh Juice section mainly because it only just came to my attention via this performance on the night of the Mercury Music Prize. For me the prize on the night landed, for once, in the most deserving hands and what a delight it was to feel the joy of Ezra Collective as they celebrated their success. But the other thing that shot through the pointless flannel of the occasion is how vital the Jazz and Jazz-Soul scenes are proving to be this decade. It really is the area bringing the most consistent thrills, ideas-heavy compositions and innovations in recent times as is demonstrated by the emergence of Olivia Dean, a voice with a vintage earthly vibe singing songs she is clearly feeling with her heart, this is the way it should be done…

Spencer Cullum – Betwixt And Between

A lovely serene song from the latest Spencer Cullum album ‘Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection 2’ and this one features a delightful vocal contribution from Erin Rae. The video is simple and the natural analogue effect it offers suits the song rather well. I looked down the YouTube comments and noticed someone had posted “see kids this is real music” which is the kind of attitude that could put me off this track (it doesn’t, but it could). As great an era as it was, a piece of music does not have to sound like it is from 1972 to be classed as ‘real’ and neither does it have to be made on conventional instruments. None of that is Spencer Cullum’s fault however, I bet he wears his vintage clothing and collects his twentieth century ephemera like a man high on the simple pleasures of life which is a fine thing indeed. Why don’t you go and put the kettle on before enjoying our penultimate two tunes for the week…

Chip Wickham – Slow Down Look Around

No visual accompaniment to speak of on this one but when the music gently elevates you like this I see no need for anything other than glorious audio. Taken from the new ‘Love & Life’ EP, considering Chip’s background in the early 21st century Jazz scene and Trip-Hop influences this might sound a very conventional piece of music, leaning back into soft spiritual tones and playing with an expressiveness that requires a real lightness of touch. But oh boy what an impression this music leaves on you, enhancing the message of the title ten-fold. We should all ease up the pace from time to time, put down the digital distractions, the screens with their endless scrolling (you’re at the end of this weeks new music recommendations now so you’re good to go) and just breathe in the natural world around. Music this fine needs to be experienced with 100% involvement, it really is worth your time…

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Fresh Juice

18th September 2023

Blur – St Charles Square

Much of Damon Albarn’s writing of late has tended towards the melancholic, maybe with good reason if there is turbulence in his personal life. Certainly it has been evident in his solo music and even the most recent Gorillaz album had more mournfulness than earlier work. On top of that this years new Blur material had its fair share of 21st century angst and sorrow. That said, in the same way that you would not wish for the Rolling Stones to abandon their signature electric blues riffing neither do I want for Blur to abandon that stomping, Brit-grunge sound they perfected around the time of their late nineties peak. It is that very sound you hear here, alive and well on the fantastic ‘St Charles Square’. A deranged, pounding, punchy late period slab of crunchy, tasty Blur goodness that may not define the whole of ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ but for these ears, at least the Bugman still has a place and that’s good enough for now…

Ezra Furman – Gloria

The End Of The Road festival is becoming my unmissable highlight of the festival season and this year offered a phenomenal roster with far more must-see live treats than I could possibly hope to fit into the four days I was there. This is an audience filmed clip of the closing act on the second stage from the final night, Ezra Furman. The fantastically wired version of Patti Smith’s re-working of ‘Gloria’ was the penultimate number from an emotional set in which Ezra offered her own Ziggy style farewell to her audience, stating that this was the last live performance from her band and pointing to an uncertain future with no firm live plans in place. I am certain she will continue to make music but anyone witnessing her dramatic personal and musical journey for the past decade will be aware that this has been tumultuous period in which she has channelled turmoil into some essential, fully-loaded writing and performance; a real artist in the purest sense. One full-throttle run through of ‘Tell Em All To Go To Hell’ later and she was gone, come back soon please Ezra…

Adwaith – Cwympo

I will continue my End Of The Road reminiscences a little longer with my next few selections. Adwaith were unknown to me before the festival, not a name that I had pencilled in to see and indeed when they started their set I was not watching, I was queueing up for a cider or something when I heard their music coming out of the Big Top stage and instantly thought “wow they sound good” making a detour to catch them before they finished. I am still in the process of discovering them post-festival but here is a nice taster of their wonderful Welsh sound when they were playing the Focus Wales annual international showcase festival earlier this year…

Say She She – C’est Si Bon

Say She She were a band that I did schedule to see at the End Of The Road festival but wow, they certainly exceeded my already high expectations. Their sound is indeed rooted in the seventies US disco scene but it was their natural stage presence and personalities that won this crowd over wholesale. They made me think of the Sugababes or All Saints, those bands that whilst adhering to the choreographed dance moves typical of the music’s roots never lose the sense of being friends brought together by their love of the music and desire to have a laugh along the way. Nothing was too slick or polished which only served to enhance the charm tenfold; do not underestimate this trio though, they are producing music with soul, groove and a vintage / modern crossover flare that marks them down for serious good times to come…

Angeline Morrison – Cruel Mother Country

My final End Of The Road reflection for the time being is Angeline Morrison, who I went to watch at a small stage tucked away at the bottom of a steep slope in the woods. It is a stage where the comedy and spoken word elements of the festival bill often perform but as Angeline plays a purely acoustic set on very gentle, quite quiet, instruments maybe it was the right location for her. She was wonderful, intense, hushed, poised, focused as she played and sang with indelible conviction, especially on often quite hard hitting material from her rightfully acclaimed 2022 album ‘The Sorrow Songs (Folk Songs Of Black British Experience)’. My only reservation was the feeling that I might have got even more from this set in an enclosed location such as that featured in the clip below. It is no fault of Angeline’s, but to start with she was up against the closing crescendo of Daniel Norgren’s electric blues bleeding into her arena then towards the end the main stage sound of Bodega’s alt-rock threatened to drown out the modest acoustic performer. How an artist holds their concentration against sonic intrusion like that I never know, but she did not appear in the least bit disturbed because perhaps sometimes power comes from within, it does not need to beat a drum…

Rolling Stones – Angry

I will end where I began (just as the Rolling Stones maybe plan to with their latest record) by celebrating the presence in 2023 of one of the greatest bands of all time. When I was listening to a lot of classic sixties bands in the nineties, it could feel at times like I was perversely indulging in the music of the past. That no longer feels the case, as much as it may not fit in with the music industry narrative, I fully believe that I have lived through the era of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Being born in the seventies, my lifetime is coinciding with the majority of the living years of these bands and their members, as time moves on that increasingly feels true. I mean only a few months ago I was at the Fleet motorway services and I recognised the band The Zombies had stopped off on their travels for a coffee. I once stood in a newsagents in Diss and looked over to see that Peter Green was stood next to me. I have interviewed Dave Davies of The Kinks and many others who are readily tied to the sixties. A little while ago my parents saw Rod Stewart having breakfast in the farm shop of their Essex village. I know people who have built their social calendars around seeing artists like Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan whenever they’re on tour, in fact one of my daughters saw Bob Dylan in Bournemouth only last year. My point is the Rolling Stones is not the music of the past, theirs and so many of their peers remains the music of our time now and to have them putting out new material in 2023 and it still sounding as good as this makes me feel alright…

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Fresh Juice

11th September 2023

Hania Rani – Dancing With Ghosts

Hania Rani is a Polish pianist who, in the 20twenties, has carved a natural patina on her instrument and presented a sound that is wholly her own. It is a glacial sound, a floating cloud of ambience, tension and release which seems to make most sense to me in the early sunrising hours of the day when the world seems so still. Equally, her beautiful music could bring calm to the most stressful of days even though there is a sharpness to its edges that evocatively expresses the eastern European industrial machinery of her homeland. This is a graceful song (a departure from the Rani instrumental pieces I have become accustomed to these past three years) taken from her forthcoming ‘Ghosts’ album released on Gondwana Records…

Esther Rose – Chet Baker

From the album ‘Safe To Run’ on NewWest Records which is a record well worth spending some time with. I admit the hint of Velvet Underground wearing cowboy hats might have been a strong factor in this tunes ability to reel me in but still, what a combination and she certainly pulls it off with some swagger. Also, this proves you don’t need a big budget to make a great video…

Susanne Sundfor – Alyosha

Susanne is a singer-songwriter artist from Norway who is perhaps best known for her ongoing appearances in electronica with Royksopp. Her own music however, reaches far and beyond the confines of one style, hers is a creative odyssey that encompasses lush orchestral pieces, minimal chamber folk, musique concrete and widescreen string laden ballads. It is the latter that features in this romantic piece with an accompanying film that cuts in personal scenes from her own wedding ceremony to powerful effect. It is taken from Sundfor’s stunning sixth album ‘Blomi’ which is a work that showcases her impressive range indubitably…

Blake Mills – There Is No Now

Blake’s own solo music is a deceptive beast, it can appear to be light as a feather and slight but do not be fooled, there is always a lot going on in those grooves. By now he has more than established himself as a go to man for his production skills; even a passing listen to the most recent albums by Fiona Apple or Bob Dylan prove that he can efficiently realise the sound that a song needs. But his own work remains a place of progression and sonic flexing, the space in which he develops those phonic ideas that mark him out as a thrilling talent. This one is from Blake’s latest album ‘Jelly Road’…

Gena Rose Bruce – Lighting Up

Adding to this weeks collective is Australian Gena Rose Bruce who has been favourably compared to the likes of Angel Olsen thanks to her brooding country sound and an outer shell that seems to have risen from the dark, dangerous underground. It is no surprise to learn that she has collaborated with Bill Callahan and you cannot argue with Bill’s taste either for Gena, seen here preforming the title song of a 2023 EP, does come across like an artist with potential ready to be tapped. She first came to my attention with 2019’s ‘The Way You Make Love’ which I would strongly recommend checking out on our monthly playlist too: https://fruit-tree-records.com/2023/08/30/september-2023-playlist/

Zoe Rahman – Roots

Rahman’s trio are captured here in a brilliant live film playing a track from her latest album ‘Colour Of Sound’, already one of my favourite Jazz releases of the year (should be in with a shout at next years Mercury’s I reckon seeing as they’ve finally remembered to actually listen to the Jazz nominations and realised they’re worthy of a gong). Zoe is an outstanding pianist whose playing never fails to delight me. There is something in her touch and the flow of her compositions that has always caught my ear in that magical, inexplicable way some music can. A while back I was on holiday watching a play at the Minack Theatre about Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel and became weirdly distracted by the piano score only to find later of course, it was written by Zoe. That sort of confirmed that there is something to her work, an extra quality that I cannot quite put my finger on but despite this, what I can do is strongly urge you to listen to her music, that is what all this waffle comes down to in the end after all…

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Fresh Juice

4th September 2023

Mitski – Bug Like An Angel

This leaves such a heavy impression on you when you first hear it, there is something in the contrast between the solemn verses and the way the heavenly choir just seems to crash into them that is simultaneously unsettling and soothing. Add to that this video depicting the older woman raging with her own demons and coping strategies and the way Mitski herself shoots her a glance and you have a spine tingling combination of tension, sound and vision. This is from the upcoming album ‘The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We’, out September 15th…

Ash Walker – Time Gets Wasted

Ash Walker is a bass player first but pretty much everything else a close second, including DJ, multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger of an alluring hybrid Jazz form that pulls in influences and collaborators from Soul, Dance, Funk, Reggae and Trip-Hop. His new album ‘Astronaut’, his fourth in the eight years since his debut, shows a real progression into a grain of sound that is uniquely his and a very satisfying and glacial vibe it has too, as heard on this tune featuring Denitia and Sly5thAve…

Buck Meek – Cyclades

Here is a track from the new album ‘Haunted Mountain’ by the Big Thief guitarist, this time a live version captured in superb quality from the front row of a recent gig in Copenhagen. Among the highlights of this typically wired performance is the crunching electric guitar solo, the camera rightfully closing in on Buck’s bandmate as he conducts showers of feedback and fuzz with the speaker positioned to his rear. This is the kind of instrumental break that would make Neil Young lunge about the stage with delight which is apt because this grungy country sound owes a lot to those old Crazy Horse records, although you cannot deny that Buck Meek puts his own individual delicate spin on every bit of music he turns his hands to…

Big Thief – Vampire Empire

And while I am thinking about Buck Meek’s other band, here they are with a clip that I already featured once this year in the Fresh Juice section of this site. However, this song was unreleased at the time and now it is available, so where a band like Big Thief are concerned that is justification enough for a little reprise of some new 2023 music which reinforces the already widely held opinion that they are one of the finest things we have in music today…

https://youtu.be/9XCMoPu8TXw?si=Z3k6g3N6ydAn-Xvy

Wilco – Evicted

What are a combination of four words that are guaranteed to always bring a smile, to be excitedly welcomed and gladly received? How about “you reached your target?” Or perhaps “I’ll get this round?” Maybe, depending on the speaker, “get your kit off” works for you or on a similar sporting theme “another win for Arsenal?” Well they all have a place don’t they? Still, I have just realised there are four words that should definitely bring joyous responses from anyone with fully functioning ears and good taste and they are of course “new music from Wilco”…

Emma Rawicz – Phlox

Here is a superb loose and explorative live version of the opening track from Emma Rawicz’s new album ‘Chroma’ released on ACT Music. The saxophonist may have classical training in her background but it is her ears and appreciation of Jazz fusion artists like Chick Corea in tandem with an open minded approach, which has even seen her sitting in with a Frank Zappa tribute band, indicating her massive potential. She is fearless in her live approach, not afraid to dive into improvisational dark corners and yet her focus and natural feel for what the music requires ensures you stay locked in for the whole journey. This five-piece band situation provides her with the wide pallet her music warrants so do not miss out on this one…

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Monthly Playlists

September 2023 Playlist

I have been watching the superb football based TV comedy ‘Ted Lasso’ this past week and have been loving it so much that I am already more than half way through all three seasons. As with all the best series, there are certain characters who are so well acted, written and realized that they become larger than life favourites unintentionally evolving to be central to the show. In this case it has been the character of Roy Kent, depicted on this months cover image in football sticker form, a man so obviously based on real life former football now TV pundit Roy Keane. The parallels between the two are hardly subtle, from references to Roy being a former champions league winner, a ruthless competitor and on-field tough guy, right up to his transition into media work and the reputation he forged there as a straight talker with an aggressive dislike of weak excuses and flannel. They even give a nod to the real life Roy’s recent preference for extreme changes in beard length.

The reason so many people love the real Roy Keane, even those who never supported his teams or in rarer instances those with no interest in football, is because someone so straight forward in their assessments and opinions as well as a TV voice with such reliable unflowery honesty is a rare thing. Roy’s head seems completely unturned by so many modern day evolutions, not just in sport but in society too, and his criticism of large chunks of the middle class football crowd, even at his beloved Manchester United, as well as the unwelcome commercial distractions inflicted upon the modern footballer have always made him a loan voice of common sense amid a sea of “best league in the world” hype and propaganda. Despite this, there has always remained the suspicion that underneath that sharp exterior lies a man with a heart of gold who only wants to inspire the best out of the people around him and have those he comments on to aspire to be all they can be. It is that side of the man that the Roy Kent character has cleverly tapped in to. In fact the quote on the badge (above) comes directly from a scene in ‘Ted Lasso’ where Roy kindness bombs a recently divorced character re-entering the dating scene for saying the guy she had begun seeing, who Roy felt an instant distaste for, was “fine”.

Of course in real life social interaction we rarely speak with such candor to anyone other than those we are closest to. I found myself in a social situation this past month, sat in a village hall alongside people I had only recently met and may never, or rarely, see again. We were taking part in a quiz, sat politely at a trestle table drinking the beer and wine everyone had to bring along themselves because the venue did not have a bar. A question about music came into play accompanied by an audio clip of The Beatles ‘Yellow Submarine’. Of course everyone at our table knew who it was and in that lull between questions a lady, who I had probably spoken no more than twelve words to at that stage and carried herself with an air of authority, leant over to her father and said “I always thought the Beatles were very overrated”.

Apparently that is the thing that triggers me nowadays because without missing a beat, ignoring the fact that she was not even speaking directly to me, I gatecrashed the conversation with a firm “that’s bollocks!” Now, I have said in the past that anyone who tries to argue that the Beatles were not any good gets a line put through their name in my head as I subconsciously file them away in a compartment labelled ‘not worth talking to about music’. The ladies response to my little explosion was to solicit her father for support but to his credit he simply said “no The Beatles were great songwriters”. So she turned back to me, asking that I name my five favourite Beatles songs. However, by then the next question of the quiz was being read out and I waved the enquiry away, implying I would come back to it later. On a second attempt to re-engage me I pushed the offer away again, saying we did not need to discuss things further; turns out my in-brain filing system had already been doing its work.

There is probably an inner Roy Keane in all of us, coaxed out of hiding by whatever the individual holds close to their heart. I used to argue with people about music a lot thirty years ago but age mellows you and eventually you accept that no one else sharing your exact same taste is a positive thing, not to mention very normal. But people publicly announcing that the Beatles are overrated? You cannot let that shit go unchallenged. I hope you enjoy this months playlist but clearly, I could not care less if you hate it…

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Fresh Juice

28th August 2023

The Murlocs – Initiative

I am heading off to the End Of The Road festival later this week for four days of cultural stimulation and so, this weeks Fresh Juice new music recommendations are plucked from the wide pool of musical acts I am looking forward to seeing over the next few days commencing with this band who feel like they’re really starting to happen right now. This is the opening track off of their irresistible ‘Calm Ya Farm’ album, already a strong contender for one of our albums of the year…

Charlotte Adigery & Bolis Pupul – Mantra

This electro duo are so musically captivating and they also share an onstage vitality that totally overwhelms the very basic set up to their performance. Still, it is the dexterity and dynamism of the songs that ultimately makes them stand out and this recent Glastonbury performance is a fine example of the dramatic changes in mood and tempo that make their groove based electronic symphonies a must see…

Allah-Las – Right On Time

Anyone who has heard this bands online DJ shows will be aware that they are crate diggers in the classic sense with a deep well of knowledge in all realms of Garage Rock, Psychedelia, Freak Folk, Rare Groove and Exotica; all the things that keep collectors like myself endlessly fascinated with this whole world basically. Unlike many bands with great taste however, Allah-Las can feed their obsessions into their own original music and authentically capture some of that vintage sound and look in the process without coming across as mere copyists (not as easy as you might think). It is great to have new music from this band and I am thrilled by this impending opportunity to catch them live…

Say She She – Astral Plane

This is the new single from Say She She and it is a tasty preview from their forthcoming album ‘Silver’. With music like this, a song that not only packs a punch with a chorus that will genuinely take up residence inside your head but also taps into a sultry late 70s Disco vibe (thanks to those teasing, beckoning vocal blends and a sweeping arrangement of a type which back in that glitterball era would conjure aliens with silver dreadlocks, ice-cream cone stun guns, robotic body motions and moon boots) it is easy to understand why many are calling them the best all female group breaking through today…

Charley Crockett – The Man From Waco

Should my festival entertainment need some balancing out by the sound of real-deal Country and the sight of an artist truly following his own independent trail I could do a lot worse than check out Charley Crockett, seen here playing the title song of his most recent album released later in 2022. His is a back story that explodes with feature film potential although the stories of his living on the road, dabbling in criminal activity and generally snubbing the conventions of the music industry might be rejected as a little far fetched in the modern climate. He is indeed a throwback in every sense which would matter little to me if not for the fact that his music is clearly the work of a natural talent…

Greentea Peng – Three Eyes Open

And finally for this week, here is another artist who has been on the radar a little while now but remains one I have yet to see live. Readers of this site who have been with us for a while might recall that the album ‘Man Made’ was rated as one of my albums of 2021 and the review I wrote for that one can be seen here: https://fruit-tree-records.com/2022/01/21/greentea-peng-man-made/ Obviously, these six recommendations are only the tip of a very mouth watering line up I have in store for End Of The Road this year and as always with festivals, I am hopeful that some new discoveries will be heading my way too. Naturally, I shall be sharing any essential gems that are uncovered on these pages at some future point…

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Fresh Juice

21st August 2023

Iraina Mancini – What You Doin’

Pulling stylish influences from sixties soul, beat and freakbeat, Iraina is a woman out of time whose love of cool retro sounds goes deep but happily her influences are not so overwhelming that they prevent her from making stonking new sounds of her own. This is no mere pastiche, Mancini is a sought after DJ too and the noise she makes be it as a performer or as a spinner of vinyl nuggets comes from a place that is real. Her debut album ‘Undo the Blue’ is out now on the Needle Mythology label, also purveyors of superior quality vintage finery for discerning 21st century ears; a fine marriage indeed especially for all lovers of brilliant new things that sound and look like old things…

M Ward – Too Young To Die

And further still in the realms of fresh offerings with a pleasing echoes of the past, this is another fine cut from the latest M Ward album ‘Supernatural Thing’, this time a gorgeous floating bubble of a song enhanced by the heavenly vocals of First Aid Kit. Don’t those sisterly harmonies sound like they have been waiting all the while to be layered on the silky, twangy London American sound that Matt has pretty much perfected this past two decades? Absolutely lush…

Queens Of The Stone Age – Negative Space

From the new album ‘In Times New Roman’, there is something reassuringly punchy in this latest piledriver by Josh Homme and his crew. Everything the band has built their reputation on over twenty years is here; crunching electric riffage, pounding rhythm, sky splitting solos and a melodic top line that never takes a dip, this is why Queens Of The Stone Age are arguably one of the only bands who keep Rock alive and relevant in the modern era. This is out and out beautiful carnage, the musical equivalent of Bazball (cricket reference for the non-sporty types) in that is entertains with the kind of aggressive intent that knocks out windows and forces middle lane drivers into the ditch; get out the way because they mean it…

Brigid Mae Power – I Must Have Been Blind

Another sublime tune from the new album ‘Dream From The Deep Well’ which is out now on Fire Records. Brigid, who is often filed under folk although she barely carries a hint of traditional sound, reminds me a little of the great Sandy Denny. Something in the way her music hangs suspended, wholly untroubled by time as her often heavy ballads are bursting with space and air but nevertheless, when she sings you are hypnotised by her words and her voice, it is both unrushed and simultaneously commanding; just let her music lay you down and lift you up…

Rain Parade – Angel Sister

These are the cultish legends of the eighties jingle-jangle Paisley Underground scene out of Los Angeles, a movement that had a big hand in revitalising the music scene’s acceptance of Byrds-like guitars, fuzz tones and sunny harmonious vocals as legitimate sounds in the pop arena. Without them would we have seen The La’s, Beachwood Sparks or The Coral? Well, yes actually we probably would have but the outsider element of a band like The Rain Parade flying proudly against mainstream trends in the early eighties cannot be ignored, they did it better than most back then and continue to today as a reformed act of over ten years by now. Their new album ‘Last Rays Of A Dying Sun’ is out now on online platforms whilst physical formats are available on September 8th…

Shana Cleveland – A Ghost

In her down time from La Luz Shana has made one of the most consistent sounding and reliably satisfying albums of the year. ‘Manzanita’ was issued a few months ago now with this haunting little spook-fest as the opening track, setting the scene for a collection of songs that gel together fantastically well sounding, as they do, like a broadcast direct from the hazy limbo we occupy in those half aware moments between a deep sleep and properly waking up. I sincerely hope that more and more people wake up to this album, it is a sensual piece of work perfect for the wee small hours…

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Fresh Juice

14th August 2023

Selma French – Listen To The Kids

OK so this is technically not a brand new record but Selma’s 2022 debut LP ‘Changes Like The Weather In The Mountain’ released on Grappa has flown far enough under my radar as to only come to my attention now. This live clip is a recent 2023 one however and when you watch it you will see exactly why this new artist just had to head up the fresh recommendations today. Selma is from Norway but her music has such a rural UK chime to it you would not question me if I told you she emerged from a farm on the outskirts of Canterbury. This song especially, which demands that the opinions of those who will still be living on this planet in fifty years time be heard, gives an often ploughed field of folk music a most welcome shake down and the end produce is very rich indeed, one to watch for sure….

Dan Auerbach – Every Chance I Get (I Want You In The Flesh)

Earlier this year I already featured new material from the Dan Auerbach (among others) side project The Arcs which itself arrived hot on the heals of new Black Keys material in 2022. So it really is quite incredible to already be featuring such classic sounding new solo material from the man, this one newly released on his own Easy Eye Sound label and as you are about to find out, it marries a classic soul hook to the fat seventies thud of Norman Greenbaum’s ‘Spirit In The Sky’… or something quite like it! Enjoy…

Allison Russell – Stay Right Here

Speaking of classic sounding soul hooks, look no further than this funky-as-you-like new single from Allison Russell from the forthcoming album ‘The Returner’ which will be released on September 8th. No newcomer to Fruit Tree Records, her 2021 album ‘Outside Child’ had some fine moments on it too, portraying her as an artist with a range far beyond any spiritual Americana or roots music box people might look to place her in. This one however sounds like a bold forward step, if that first long player sought to catch the attention of any discerning listeners that crossed its path, this one is grabbing us by the ear lobes and refusing to countenance indifference, Allison Russell is kicking down the doors now…

The Breeders – Go Man Go

Not exactly brand new music although certainly never heard before, this is taken from The Breeders forthcoming ‘Last Splash (30th Anniversary Original Analog Edition)’, out 22nd September on 4AD. The song itself has been unexpectedly uncovered during the compiling of this re-release and is notable because it is a rare co-write between Kim Deal and her former Pixies bandmate Black Francis. The video is newly filmed, showing all the original ‘Last Splash’ era band members today as it cooks up some anticipation for live dates later this year…

Lady Apple Tree – Lady Apple Tree

The amount of instantly classic sounding Country music coming out of the US right now is quite staggering, it almost makes me think that we are witnessing a golden age for the genre just as Jazz is currently enjoying one of its most fertile ages thanks largely to the UK London scene. Lady Apple Tree is the performing identity of songwriter Haylie Hostetter from Northern California and she is releasing her self-titled debut EP on 15th September. If this is anything to go by, another serious contender is about to enter the stage…

Matthew Halsall – Water Street

Always seeming to be such a chilled Jazz player, this new Halsall music is typically tranquil as it slowly smokes you out of your slumber and wraps its charms around your senses. There is a new album entitled ‘An Ever Changing View’ on the horizon as well as live dates to look out for but in this present moment, simply stretch out and drift away as we enter the final few weeks of an intense summer, give yourself a minute and breathe this one in…

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Fresh Juice

7th August 2023

Spellling – Under The Sun

Back in 2021 I chanced upon the stunning third album by Spellling, the current performing identity of Chrystia Cabral, and it was a record that endured so much that year that I ended up writing about ‘The Turning Wheel’ and rating it as one of my albums of the year (you can read the full piece here: https://fruit-tree-records.com/2022/01/07/spellling-the-turning-wheel/) The thing I loved about her music was its boundless disregard for any conventional formular, Chrystia rarely takes the obvious melodic path and yet her vocal acrobatics and natural exuberance make everything she creates sound so right and vital. What a delight it is then to point you in the direction of some new Spellling music for 2023, this is from ‘The Mystery School’ released on August 25th by Sacred Bones Records…

Cut Worms – I’ll Never Make It

The new eponymous Cut Worms album is out now on Jagjaguwar, it is the third album from New York singer-songwriter Max Clarke and as this tune clearly shows, his ear for a classic vintage sound and talent for conjuring an achingly beautiful song remain on an upward trajectory. It is a wonderful video too, packed with images of loneliness, loss, insecurity, fear and warm love within the simple storyline, this one will melt your heart…

Sierra Ferrell – Making My Way

Performing a brand new track live for the camera at Railbird Festival 2023 in Lexington, Kentucky, this Sierra Ferrell giving us the purest possible example of her mouth watering potential as a performer within the traditional Americana sphere. No wonder Rounder Records wanted to offer her a three album deal back in 2018, her grasp of the basics are nailed on and that is all too rare; she knows how to pluck a melodic structure out of the air and when she sings it is done with conviction, no fakery… sometimes that is all you need to cut through, I hope that proves to be the case here…

Rio 18 feat. Young Gun Silver Fox – She’s In LA

This is a frighteningly insistent slice of summer pop with welcome echoes of disco and soulful electro, exactly as depicted in the video this is the optimum kind of music you want pumping out when driving around a city on a summer day. It is the work of Wales maestro Carwyn Ellis who may be known to some as the main man in Colorama, it is Carwyn’s vocal that gives this synth laden track that all important human touch, the beating heart of the uplifting groove. ‘She’s In LA’ is out now on Légère Recordings…

Emma Tricca – King Blixa

Emma Tricca has been on my radar as a captivating purveyor of bohemian, explorative Folk for around fifteen years now. Her sound and overall look recall that exotic late sixties, early seventies period when acoustic songwriters allowing their freak flag to fly was almost an obligatory prerequisite. But Emma is the real deal, her music does not pose or posture, it almost feels like she found Vashti’s gypsy wagon abandoned by the roadside two decades ago and vowed to reignite its musical journey into the 21st century, caressing out some sumptuous albums along the way, of which ‘Aspirin Sun’ released earlier this year on Bella Union is surely another…

Malphino – Octopus

And finally for this week, some exotic live sounds from Malphino, playing a track that features on their brand new ‘Sueno’ EP released as a 10″ 4-track disc on Lex Records in the UK. They are described rather mysteriously as an outer-national band hailing from an imaginative island which kind of says enough really doesn’t it? Just dig into these glowing sounds that fuse Brazilian and Colombian tropical, rhythmic vibes across a vintage cinema canvass. All good for my money…

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