Author Archives: dannyneill71gmailcom

Old Fruit

Old Fruit 31st October 2025

Kate Bush – Hammer Horror

Recognising that it is Halloween, this week’s retro music selection is a gathering of spooky, ghostly, blood, gore and horror music that are all hauntingly superb in their own way. We begin with the lead track from Kate Bush’s 1978 second album ‘Lionheart’ and it is a song that deliberately summons images of the cultish British Hammer films. The production especially gives a nod to atypical tropes heard in seventies scary drama incidental music, but in Kate’s hands it is also deliciously camp and extravagant. It is worth noting that the lyrics actually tell the tale of an actor haunted by the ghost of the man he replaced following that performers death in a tragic set accident.

Tom Waits – What’s He Building In There?

This is one of several stand out tracks from the Tom Waits 1999 album ‘Mule Variations’. Far more than a song, this is a sound collage and spoken word atmosphere piece that deals in the realms of suspicion and over-imagination. It hears Waits narrating the thoughts of a paranoid neighbour, allowing the unexplained private activities of another household to overwhelm him with suspicion, fantastical theorising and a haphazard joining of the dots in which two and two add up to five. The track brilliantly paints the paranoid mind state caused when a little knowledge becomes a dangerous thing. He works himself into such a state about these unknown activities that by the end Tom’s character has decided “we have a right to know” what they are.

The Tiger Lillies – The Crack Of Doom

If there is one act on the live scene today who fit a Halloween themed music selection like a glove, it has to be these fine purveyors of pre-war Berlin infused cabaret and macabre gypsy tinged dark bonhomie, The Tiger Lillies. In a long career and an impressively deep back catalogue, even their songs adopting a lighter, jauntier hue, are rendered unsettling by the falsetto pitched Martyn Jacques vocal delivery and that terrified white face stage make up they adopt; not so much a horror clown as a horrified manifestation of our worst nightmares. This song, one of their greatest, delights in the levelling effect death brings to all walks of society from top to bottom, highlighting that all human endeavours, both good and bad, high or low, turn to dust in the end. Cheers.

The Rattles – The Witch

I do not need too much of an excuse to move the sound in a psych-rock direction. Still, this does at least fit the bill in terms of subject matter and frenzied, spooked-out delivery. The fact that it is also a buzzing pop juggernaut with an over-abundance of hooks and riffage is just the icing on the blood red cake. Becoming a massive hit in 1970, this German band spent time in the sixties treading the same Hamburg boards as The Beatles, it was actually a re-recording of a track originally put out in 1968. This one, the famous version for sure, features a startling and startled vocal performance from Edna Bejarano, who was only with this long running band for three years.

Dusty Springfield – Spooky

I actually discovered over the past month a brilliant instrumental version of this song by Lack Of Afro (it will feature on next months playlist) but I thought for this feature, it has to be the classic 1970 Dusty version. However, this was not the original as the song was first written as an instrumental, in part by saxophonist Mike Shapiro who performed it in 1967 under the name Mike Sharpe. Lyrics were then added later that year by guitarist James Cobb and producer Buddy Buie for a recording by Classics IV. The soulful Springfield version however, is rightly regarded as a classic and it enjoyed a second wave of popularity after 1998 when featured in the film ‘Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels’.

R. Dean Taylor – There’s A Ghost In My House

I am closing the feature this week on a high by including a song that, whether with my DJ hat on, or just sitting at home playing records, in fact wherever I may find myself controlling the music on October 31st in any year, I just cannot leave out. This northern soul stomper, originally from 1967, had a major revival and re-release in 1974 thanks to the thriving dance scene in northern England driven by the Wigan Casino. R. Dean Taylor himself was a Canadian singer, songwriter and producer working for Motown records, which is how he came to release a couple of breakout hit singles on the label. The most notable one at the time was ‘Gotta See Jane’ but ‘There’s A Ghost In My House’ is the undisputed classic. Just slide away to that descending guitar riff, crank up the volume to the spirits drowning max and give those kids knocking on your door a treat of a more musical nature.

Standard
Fresh Juice

Fresh Juice 27th October 2025

Bernardo – Go Blue

The newly released debut album from this London based British / Portuguese singer songwriter is called ‘Secrets Of Six Figure Women’. Her full name is Sonia Bernardo and the record shows an independent free spirit whose music is floating somewhere around indie music and soulful electronica without truly belonging to either. With ‘Go Blue’ there is a lot going on underneath a framework that is deceptively simple. Piano droplets usher the track in, which settles for a moment in acoustic introspection before sonic references to trip-hop coalesce a sublime chorus part into play. There is something quite divine in the way the centre point of the track glides through some beautiful chord changes then, without warning, the whole thing is over. It really does leave the listener hungry for more, so further Bernardo investigating will certainly be around the corner.

Courtney Barnett – Stay In Your Lane

This is a very welcome return to the momentum and grunge attack heard on the first Courtney Barnett releases over ten years ago. Released on Fiction Records in the UK, it sees Courtney deliver her first new vocal performance in four years, her previous album being the 2023 ‘End Of The Day’ which was an instrumental score for the documentary ‘Anonymous Club’. This one includes a video that has a concept straight out of the Hammer Horror playbook, set in a blood stained hospital ward, it was directed by Alex Ross Perry who has previous with the V/H/S horror series. There is no word of a new album yet but if this is a hint of what we are in for when one does appear, then it could feel like a glorious comeback for this much loved artist.

The Cords – Fabulist

A purists throwback to the kind of DIY indie energy that fuelled the C86 movement in the eighties. ‘Fabulist’ is a fast peddling, jingle-jangling, melody grabbing, knee-bending and heel clicking ride through a bullseye hitting assault on liars and people who make their money from dishonest endeavours. The Cords have arrived with this stunning presentation of proper pop music from Scotland, they are a duo comprising sisters Eva and Grace Tedeschi. Their self-titled debut album is newly released on Skep Wax and Slumberland and it too is overloaded with energy, attitude, zip, zap and hooks. Among the acts they have played with Camera Obscura and Belle & Sebastian stand out, for it is their brand of intellectually stimulating and musically satisfying Scottish pop that The Cords lean closest to. The comparison is legitimate, these are a band to keep an eye and an ear out for going forward.

Sarah Kate Morgan & Leo Shannon – Featherbed Medley

This is a live session rendition that has a rough, rural hue ahead of a rousing change in the second half that marks this duo out as performers with a wonderful touch. This is the title track of a new release whose seven tracks fall somewhere between an EP and an LP. It is the work of a Kentucky duo one of whom, Leo, is a multi-instrumentalist whilst the other, Sarah Kate, is a mountain dulcimerist. Theirs is a sound in which the influences of Irish music, Americana and traditional fiddle tunes all add vital elements to the sonic potion and yes, it is a little old-timey in its sensibilities but that notion is becoming increasingly irrelevant in 2025. Good music just exists sitting side by side with many different styles old and new, just as bad music exists in precisely the same way. That is the key difference ultimately, why listen to something bad when the good stuff is so readily available now. And Morgan & Shannon are indisputably delivering the good jelly aplenty, in all its down home, unplugged, warm, grainy and authentic glory.

Griff Lynch – Fe Lyncodd

A Welsh language record can feel a little out of reach to a non-Welsh speaking man like myself, but when the music and production are as deep and inviting as this it actually matters little. This is a beautiful tune whatever it should happen to be about, it is written with a craftsman’s ear for melodic progression and the sound has some heady textures and sparks flying in the background that serve to lock the listener in tight. Taken from his brand new album ‘Blas Melysa’r Mis’ released on Lwcus T, a record which also features James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers, Griff has translated the title of this song as meaning “he swallowed”. He continues, “this one is about greed and being careful what you wish for”. The thing is, now I know that, it kind of makes the music even more marvellous. For me, it is a sound that illustrates that exact type of reverie, it has a dreaminess but one that is anchored by reality. Superb stuff.

The Ocelots – The Good Of A Bad Year

My first encounter with this track was viewing the video online and I will admit, I was troubled by the piano and harmonica playing initially. I mean, he is not even close to hitting the right notes on that keyboard and the miming on the mouth organ has got to be amongst the worst ever seen on film, especially when you consider it is probably quite an easy instrument to mime to, you’ve only got to stick it in your mouth! But I completely parked those actually quite irrelevant thoughts as the music unfolded because the realisation dawned that this is actually a rather sublime and very well written song. What begins as a straight ahead piano ballad pulls away and blossoms into an elegantly swooning, gently pouring jar full of audio honey. The band are made up of twin brothers Ashley and Brandon Watson and this tune is taken from the album, released earlier this year, called ‘Everything, When Said Slowly’. They originated from Wexford in Ireland but are now based in Germany, however it is that easy Irish charm that permeates their winning brand of folk-rock and cinematic pop, so do not ignore the Ocelots.

Standard
Old Fruit

Old Fruit 24th October 2025

Phil Ochs – I Ain’t Marching Anymore

This week’s selection of older music recommendations is a feature inspired by the soon-to-land new Bob Dylan Bootleg Series Volume 18 box set. It offers a deep dive into the early Dylan period when he arrived in New York, soaked up the culture, history and political positioning of the folk scene around Greenwich Village and very soon became the most famous songwriter at the forefront of the protest movement. To compliment that, here are six tracks from some of the other musicians and songwriters Bob would have been rubbing shoulders with during this era. Many would influence Bob directly, some would collaborate with him whilst others, with Phil Ochs being the prime example, would motivate Bob more as artists he viewed as rivals within the topical song explosion. Dylan and Ochs had flashpoints in the mid-sixties (Dylan once booted Ochs out of a cab with the words “you’re just a journalist” ringing in his ears, his crime nothing more than, correctly, ascertaining that ‘Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window’ was not as good as Dylan’s previous release) but a mutually respectful connection did survive with Ochs often publicly defending against criticism of Bob’s adopting a folk-rock sound. Ochs tale is a sad one of mental health decline and a terminal downward spiral in the early seventies that he could not lift himself from. But, despite his lack of commercial success, Phil’s reputation must have held among peers. It is fascinating to hear on the new John Lennon set, focusing on Lennon’s own dalliance with protest music around 1971-72, how he jammed with Phil upon arriving in America, trying to find inspiration from the man clearly still regarded as one of the more effective, credible writers of this kind. One of the songs Phil played John that night was this, a pacifist classic from the mid sixties about turning away from military combat in search of another way, an idea that definitely chimed with Lennon’s own ‘War Is Over’ publicity campaign.

Carolyn Hester – Dink’s Song

Carolyn’s bit-part in the Bob Dylan story is quite a pivotal one actually. Her self titled album released in 1962 for Columbia featured Bob as an instrumentalist, playing the harmonica on some of the tracks such as ‘Swing And Turn Jubilee’ and ‘I’ll Fly Away’. Other than it being Bob’s first recording of any kind on a major label, it is also highly likely that it was this session that brought Bob to the attention of John Hammond, soon to be the man opening the doors to Columbia for Dylan to sign a first solo recording contract and make his own self titled debut LP. As can be heard on this selection, Carolyn had a fine voice and style of her own and with Davy Graham backing her on guitar, it is clear Dylan was only one of many folk legends she would work alongside.

Ramblin’ Jack Elliott – San Francisco Bay Blues

There is a funny detail within the pages of the new book that accompanies the latest edition of Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series. It tells of the hilarity in Bob’s reaction to finding out the news that Ramblin’ Jack Elliott’s real name is Elliott Charles Adnopoz. Apparently the former Mr. Zimmerman, whose own backstory and its legitimacy, or lack of, would come into question soon enough could not help but fall about laughing. Ramblin’ Jack would be a key figure in Bob’s early development, with this own absorbing of the sound, manner and music of Woody Guthrie believed to be largely learned from Elliott. He was after all a man of whom Woody Guthrie himself said around this time “he sounds more like me than I do”.

Fred Neil – Dolphins

One of the real buried treasures of the Greenwich Village sixties scene was Fred Neil. A singer songwriter who seemed to have no commercial instinct whatsoever and displayed absolutely no interest in finding one. He is mentioned by Dylan in ‘Chronicles’ as being one of the first connections Bob would make upon his arrival in New York and he soon found himself backing Fred on harmonica. As a writer and performer this enigmatic singer really did have some gorgeous music up his sleeve, all delivered with that laid back bottomless baritone of a vocal. It was Fred Neil who wrote and recorded ‘Everybody’s Talkin”, a soon to be classic that rose to the top when sung on the ‘Midnight Cowboy’ soundtrack by Harry Nilsson. However, this deep floating ode to escapism and a simpler life swimming with dolphins is the song that Fred should be remembered for, it is a mid-sixties folk masterpiece with a grace and beauty that remains timeless.

Karen Dalton – It Hurts Me Too

There is a photograph of Bob Dylan playing harmonica with Fred Neil, as described in the intro to the previous song, which I shall feature at the end of this article. The female figure in between them is Karen Dalton, another artist who similar to Fred made some indelible, enduring records at the time but never gained much recognition and faded from view all too soon. Dylan once called her his favourite singer in the village and her mournful vocal style was often compared to Billie Holiday. Despite the appreciation of her peers, Karen was a reluctant performer and even more disinclined to play the kind of music industry games that were standard at the time in order to promote your work. Her two albums were released quietly in 1969 and 1971, in fact one is said to have been recorded in a single night session as if by accident, and a justifiably acclaimed reputation today has mainly arisen since her death in 1993 at the age of 55.

Malvina Reynolds – No Hole In My Head

With an image that suggested a safer, approachable grandmotherly figure, Malvina Reynolds presents as one of the more unusual and unique singer-songwriters of the period. Far from middle-of-the-road, her wonderful songs had a healthy bite and cynicism in their veins. One of her songs positioned Malvina as a happy failure in the world, comfortable with her status because “those that succeed are the sons of bitches”. She actually did not start writing music until her late 40s and made serious inroads in the folk scene thanks to the political punch in her lyrics and easy way with satirical, engaging storytelling lyrics. Her most famous composition was probably ‘Little Boxes’ sung by Pete Seeger but other artists covering Reynolds songs included Joan Baez, The Seekers and Harry Belafonte. Later on she also contributed compositions to the children’s show ‘Sesame Street’.

Bob Dylan alongside Karen Dalton backing Fred Neil in the early sixties

Standard
Fresh Juice

Fresh Juice 20th October 2025

Arima Ederra – Heard What You Said

Announcing the next chapter of her career, this is LA based musician Arima Ederra who, having released a pair of songs at the end of a tumultuous 2024, is now restored and inspired with the impression being that this is the first sighting of much exciting new music to come. Her critically acclaimed 2022 debut album ‘An Orange Colored Day’ landed after a four year period in which Arima fine tuned her craft behind the scenes. Now, in the artists own words, this new track is about “the strange grief of losing someone who was never really there. When shared memories become questions and years of connection dissolve into misunderstanding”. It is a deep, heavy soul sound on show here, packed with sonic drama and sung with pulchritudinous feeling, it whets the appetite with expectation for more to come. Watch out for Arima Ederra.

Emma Pollock – Future Tree

Best known as a key member of Scottish indie heroes and Peel favourites The Delgados, Emma Pollock has returned with her first solo material in almost a decade. The album ‘Begging The Night To Take Hold’ is already a 2025 favourite here and this track is one of the many highlights. She always seemed to have an adroit grasp of sweeping chamber pop in her old band and that expressive slant is very much at the forefront with this new release, it overflows with tone, tempo and colourful brush strokes across the whole record. ‘Future Tree’ is especially buoyant with those pounding, building keys and that craving voice but as always with Emma, there is a delicious undercurrent of melancholy to even things out. This is well worth a listen.

Love Spells – Wish I Didn’t Love You

If the previous tune instigated a little melancholy then this one will amplify the reverie and lock you down in that space for a further few minutes of longing, floating and wistfully sighing resignation. This is a newly released slice of haunting, dreamy pop written by Sir Taegen Harris (originally from Houston, it would appear that Love Spells is his creative outlet although information is a little sketchy) and produced by Alex Craig. In spite of the obvious yearning and desire evident in the lyric, this tune hovers around the territory of classic, dangerous obsession songs with lyrics like “I wish your name meant nothing but it lingers everywhere”.

Robin Ross & The TW Howlers – Walk With Me

This is one of the tracks from this outfits latest EP which also happens to be their debut release. It is a collaboration between singer songwriters Robin Ross and TW Howell, both from Pennsylvania, which presents five original compositions co-written and recorded in the early months of 2025. This is a fantastically ramshackle country come-on of a song, inviting the listener to “walk with me” as our seasoned narrator exudes an unfaded thirst for curiosity and exploration. The bending of guitar strings and soulful rough edges in the playing all add-up to a track with the kind of analogue warmth that many strive for but not all can achieve. But then Robin Ross can boast an audio engineering degree and was heavily involved in the opening of several recording studios, including Triple R Studios and Sound Complex, so he does know what he is about when it comes to audio.

Iraina Mancini – Running For Your Life

There is no new album from Iraina Mancini just yet but this new track did appear earlier this year, along with news that a follow up to her ‘Undo The Blue’ debut album was in the works. Whenever that does appear it promises to be a gem, especially if this release is anything to go by. Co-written with Mark Neary, ‘Running For Your Life’ hold on to all the vital elements that made Iraina stand out from the crowd in the first place; the steadfast dedication to classic song-writing standards, vintage productions values combined with a glossy modern sheen and a stylish, dramatic vocal presence that really pushes the Mancini music to the forefront with conviction and purpose. There should be a lot more to come from this corner of the pop world.

Laura Jurd – You Again

My recent feature on the late double bass maestro Danny Thompson also highlighted how little the worlds of jazz and folk have intersected, at least to the high standards that Danny hit on his solo jazz releases that pulled on the folk world he knew so well to stunning effect. Well, with her newly released album ‘Rites And Revelations’, trumpeter and composer Laura Jurd has added to this rather hidden lineage quite superbly. She is no stranger to cross pollination of the genres but this new album, featuring a freshly assembled quartet, has a singular focus towards folk lineage with a collection of compositions built around a simple, folk inspired melodies. As always, once Laura has established the framework, her playing and arranging results in fireworks abounding between all the musicians. Just listen to this live rendition and marvel at the explosive way the music erupts when that distorted electric guitar kicks in. There can be no doubt about it, in the year 2025 it is often the jazzers who are showing us the way forward.

Standard
Old Fruit

Old Fruit 17th October 2025

Deradoorian – A Beautiful Woman

This week’s vintage selection of tunes jumps back exactly ten years this month and re-investigates some of the new music Fruit Tree Records was getting excited about in October 2015. Top of the pile back then was this debut release by a former member of the Dirty Projectors. Working under the solo name Deradoorian, this genre surfing experimental art-rock artist had released her first album ‘The Expanding Flower Planet’ and, just as that title was a self-proclaimed attempt to represent “the expansion of consciousness”, so too did the music display a bold visionary leap into the realms of multi-layered exploration and spiritual open minded release. The hypnotising opening track is performed live here in a stunning video highlighting the artists sense of sonic purpose and clever mix of technology and soul.

John Howard & The Night Mail – Intact & Smiling

It wasn’t all just young sonic space cadets making the most musically satisfying sounds this month a decade ago. I was also thrilled by a new release from the legendary Pretty Things as well as this slice of late (two decades late) period Britpop from John Howard. His career had begun in the seventies with the debut album ‘Kid In A Big World’ on CBS being regarded as a bit of a cult classic. This track from the then new album with the Night Mail was released on Tapete Records and it sat well in the catalogue of a label known for its support of artists crafting intelligent pop and song writing. Having at one time retired from performing, the album was a key part of his second act and he continues to release new music to this day.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – S.O.B.

The opening pair of tunes this week were top drawer musically but they remained decidedly underground in 2015. This one on the other hand was a major breakthrough for the artist and enjoyed some major exposure on mainstream TV (as seen in this Jools Holland clip here but the big one for Nathaniel in 2015 was probably his Jimmy Fallon performance of the song) as well as numerous commercials and TV shows including ‘Fargo’, ‘Brockmire’ and ‘Two Doors Down’. It also represented a significant shift stylistically for Nathaniel whose previous work had leaned into more of a folk style but here, on his bands full length debut, they grabbed this gospel referencing soulful groove with both hands and ran with it to memorable, shoe-shuffling effect.

Widowspeak – All Yours

This dreamy dose of Americana sounds like a cross between Mazzy Star and The Cranberries which is no bad thing. Widowspeak are a duo comprising Molly Hamilton and Robert Earl Thomas and this was a tune featured on their third album ‘Captured Tracks’ released in 2015 representing a shift in their creative process towards a more organic style of writing and playing. They managed to exude both an intimacy and a grand expressiveness with their sound; the former is clear enough in the emotive manner Molly brings to the reflective lyric but the latter is evident too in the depth of the sound and those echoes of vintage rock ‘n’ roll heard in the sumptuously twanging guitar.

La Luz – You Disappear

It is no surprise upon returning to this track to recognise that La Luz and their main woman Shana Cleveland have become firm Fruit Tree Records favourites over the last ten years. Everything I rate about the bands sound was already on display here, those heavy sunset sonics in the keys and melodies combined with the organic rough edges of their garage band aesthetic. They were also writing some damn fine pop songs which appeared on the second La Luz album ‘Weirdo Shrine’ that year, a record that undoubtedly found the right producer in the shape of 21st century garage rock king Ty Segall. If you haven’t woken up to them already, then just ride the waves of those surf-sounding guitars and let this sensational band take you there.

Timo Lassy – Hip Or Not

It was not just acts with garage band sensibilities summoning up the echoes of sixties vintage music in 2015. This track has all the elements of a funk-infused sixties Blue Note jazz classic waiting to be heard in its grooves. ‘Hip Or Not’ is from the album ‘Love Bullet’ released by the Finnish saxophonist Timo Lassy and whilst it does conjure thoughts of a golden era, it can also claim to possess a timelessness and true class in the production. This was Lassy’s fifth studio album and it was to be a record he regarded as a reaction to a few colourful years of his life, which maybe accounts for the inviting intimacy of the music in tandem with its infectious warm grooving. This one, as have the other selections this week, has been a welcome resurrection and is ripe for rediscovery, so dig in.

Standard
Fresh Juice

Fresh Juice 13th October 2025

Flock Of Dimes – Long After Midnight

We begin this week with a delightfully simple video idea that is startlingly effective alongside the lyrical premise of the song. In ‘Long After Midnight’ singer Jenn Wasner is caressing a gentle acoustic ballad in which the narrator is willingly giving everything she owns in an unshakeable loyal commitment to an ailing loved one. Viewed here, we see her offering these caring gestures whilst behind her the room is stripped bare, piece by piece, of belongings and furnishings. Jenn’s Flock Of Dimes project, which she has maintained alongside her indie duo Wye Oak, has long been a font for personal and musically bold exploration and so the new album from which this comes, ‘The Life You Save’ out now on Sub Pop Records, brings a sonically warm and personable new chapter to the project and is well worth a deep listen.

David Byrne – Everybody Laughs

David Byrne’s post Talking Heads solo career has seen many sudden gear shifts and changes in direction. His art-rock leanings have ensured he would remain an artist uncomfortable with sitting still or falling into a repetitive routine. Despite this though, he cannot shake that knack of his for creating a slice of celebratory, genre-defying and downright catchy pop such as this. It is to be found on the essential new album, his first in seven years, ‘Who Is The Sky?’ Every now and then in the career of an art rocker (I’m thinking of albums like Peter Gabriel’s ‘So’ or David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’) they put out an album with the intention of catching some mainstream attention, these are often surprisingly pleasurable listens. David Byrne may just have pulled that punch here, for the album is overflowing with melodious ideas and electrifying musings. That is what we hear on this one, an insistently bouncy number that runs through a shopping list framework of shared human experiences.

Walter Trout – Sign Of The Times

In a career that spans five decades Walter Trout has deservedly earned a reputation as one of the electric juggernauts of blues music. With a deep solo catalogue but also an impressive collaborative CV that has seen him shine during stints with Canned Heat and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (stepping into shoes previously filled by legends Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor), Trout deserves his place in the pantheon of modern day blues elder statesmen. That firecracker style of his is still blazing as it takes aim at the disconnect in a modern day society with their heads buried in screens, apparently oblivious to the wider world around. This is also the title track from Walter’s newly released album which is one of the strongest collection of new songs you will find in 2025. It features lyric writing contributions from his wife Marie all of which help shape an emotional core in tracks responding to the external chaos and internal battles we all feel living in these modern times.

Wednesday – Bitter Everyday

It is not only the older generation who are feeling disillusionment these days. Now already up to their sixth album, the newly released ‘Bleeds’, Wednesday sound typically punch drunk and cheesed off on this crunching highlight from the record. Frontwoman Karly Hartzman does seem to have definitively found her writing voice on the last two Wednesday albums and it is with good reason their “Wednesday creek rock” sound is beginning to win some wider acclaim and recognition. Still, the band are not without inner turmoil with some line-up changes; they were possibly a little wrong footed by the rising solo career of MJ Lenderman over the past couple of years. He remains a studio member but will no longer be touring with the band. Still, despite these bumps in the road, they sound more determined and likely than ever to break on through.

The Onlies – You Climb The Mountain

There is swingin’ old-time string band action aplenty from the US right now too, here in the hands of some lively young pickers, pluckers and slashers named Vivian Leva, Leo Shannon, Riley Calcagno, and Sami Braman. ‘You Climb The Mountain’ is the bands fourth album, although the first two were recorded before they could drive. They are all 27 years old now but got their start twenty years ago, with Vivian drafted in on guitar ten years later, as a kid band; this might be a clue as to why their playing is so tight and infused with passion and feel, what with two decades of practice and refinement behind them. The bands Riley says that “there’s a careful balance between crazy intensity and melancholic peace, I like that both of those exist on the album.” This pulsating, string-laden steam train of a modern folk and bluegrass album is out now.

Jalen Ngonda – All About Me

Finally this week are some sumptuous new laid-back vintage reggae vibes from soul singing supremo Jalen Ngonda, released on Daptone Records. He is joined by veteran keyboardist and producer Victor Axelrod and the pair wrote the lyrics then recorded the vocals all in one night. It already has the aura of a reggae classic to it, the song is a direct pitch for entry into the catalogue for bragging and self-aggrandisement songs. With lyrics like “I may cloud up your day, yet I light up your night and by the morning I make you feel alright” there is no modest humility being portrayed by Jalen here, it is a peacocking strut in every sense and he nails it with his vocal. The genius in the performance is appearing in the final verse, for all his posturing and bravado, there is a little crack in Ngonda’s voice that tells you, he really wants this. This may well be a new route away from the Motown sophistication Jalen has previously shown, but it is no less wonderful for it, so dig in.

Standard
Old Fruit

Old Fruit 10th October 2025

John Lennon – Come Together

It would have been John Lennon’s 85th birthday yesterday and so in honour of his enduring legacy, alongside the newly remastered release of his 1972 Madison Square Gardens concert which accompanies the restored footage that appeared in the film ‘One To One: John & Yoko’ released earlier this year, this weeks selection of older music clips is a John Lennon special. We begin with one of the few occasions he revisited his Beatles catalogue on a concert stage (the one other notable example was during his guest appearance with Elton John in 1974) and the revitalised footage certainly unleashes the rocking power of the performance. This is from that 1972 concert, tragically the only time John would ever play a full solo show based around his own songs. Other occasions were either of an avant garde nature with Yoko or with the ad-hoc Plastic Ono bands he would occasionally show up with mainly doing rock ‘n’ roll covers. So, for rarity alone but also for its conviction, this is a special moment.

The Beatles – You Can’t Do That

The first years of The Beatles worldwide invasion were largely propelled by the raw attack of John Lennon’s thick Liverpudlian rock ‘n’ roll voice. Of course, over the years, the musicality of McCartney has been evaluated to properly acknowledge the genius that he is to this day, but the primal force of John Lennon remains undeniable and probably still the element that gets people into The Beatles in the first place. That is on display here on a lesser celebrated number but no less wonderful for that.

John Lennon & The Dirty Mac – Yer Blues

The Dirty Mac were a one off supergroup formed for the 1968 Rolling Stones picture ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus’. The film would sit in the vaults for years because the Stones were unhappy with some aspects of it (possibly that they were outshone by the other acts invited to appear) but this four piece featuring Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Mitch Mitchell and John earned their place in music folklore thanks to the status, if nothing else, of providing a mega-rare filmed live performance of a Beatle performing a track from ‘The White Album’ in the year it was released.

The Beatles – I Am The Walrus

John Lennon was the Beatle that embraced English psychedelia to the full and with this track, ‘A Day In The Life’ and ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ in particular, wrote some of the movements most enduring pieces of work. Not only that, but this track and accompanying film sequence alone rescue the Beatles much maligned ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ film from the realms of the inessential.

John Lennon – Instant Karma

One thing that gets repeated by many who worked with him about John Lennon, is that he was lacking in patience and he loved the thrill of the instant hit and spontaneity. ‘Instant Karma’ was a non-album single from 1970 that epitomised this working approach and even this ‘Top Of The Pops’ appearance, after the single had charted, clearly shows John buzzing off the energy of having written, recorded and released a track in the space of two weeks. In fact he said of it that they “wrote it for breakfast, recorded it for lunch, and we’re putting it out for dinner”

John Lennon – Imagine

And we end back at that 1972 concert with a heartfelt rendition of the classic and then still only recently released title track from John’s second solo album. This is the latest of many restored and dynamically revived pieces of film footage we have enjoyed relating to John and the Beatles in recent years and once again, despite being relatively well known amongst Lennon fans, it does have the glossy sheen of something new.

Standard
Live Reviews

Kathryn Williams – Cambridge Junction 6th October 2025

Kathryn Williams is touring her latest album ‘Mystery Park’ right now and it is a record lyrically woven with family and relations. Responding to the intimate ambience of her stage tonight, she is relaxed enough to share some details of the subject matters and the ideas that sparked many of the numbers into life. It has long been a chestnut for singer-songwriters to let confessions and real-life tales inform their music but thus far, in her quarter century plus career, Williams has shown a good deal more versatility than mere life ruminations. She has put out music inspired by Sylvia Plath for example, or an entire record of fictional hits from the perspective of a character in a Laura Barnett novel, so there is a strong writer’s mentality at play here. But, for the moment at least, feelings about ageing relatives and reflections on her past two decades as a parent seem to be the focus and I can sense there is a lot of empathy amongst her audience. I especially found one story about her teenage son exploring his own music tastes and sharing discoveries particularly relatable. I am certain I have taken the gloss off of my own children’s past selections simply by revealing that I am aware of the act in question and enjoy their music. Kathryn had a similar moment when her son’s excitement about finding Adrianne Lenker was dampened by his mother’s admission to loving her band Big Thief. Aside from the delightful story though, it also gave Williams an excuse tonight to play a gorgeous cover of that bands lilting ‘Change.’

‘Mystery Park’ features music that encourages William’s use of responsive studio arrangement and dramatic sonics. However, this is definitely a tour with a bare bones, stripped back aesthetic. The Junction’s seated room is a perfect situation for appreciating music of delicacy and reflection. Kathryn is accompanied only by guitarist Matt Deighton whose six string embellishments are subtle but vital too, he has a modest assuredness in his deep playing. Matt also happens to be the support act, his own music career stretching back even further than Kathryn’s to the Acid Jazz days of the early nineties. In fact, he has been an enigma over the years, the excellence of his music at odds with an apparent aversion to anything resembling self-promotion. He stumbles onstage tonight as if the idea that he might play some songs to this audience using the guitar he happens to be carrying had only just occurred. A few numbers later he ambles back offstage like a man realising he was only looking for the toilets before. Nevertheless, what happened in between mesmerized the audience despite efforts to throw us off with comments like “does anyone know these songs? I don’t.” They are acoustic ballads in name but, thanks to Matt’s background in soul and jazz alongside an all too obvious crate diggers passion for blending genre, they are fuelled with a warm natural energy. He caresses chord progressions that defy predictable resolutions and sings in a croaky upper register exhaling a soulful grit. In one restrained burst of ad-hoc playing Matt Deighton proves the reputation he acquired over the years has risen from a rare gift. It almost feels like had he ever pushed himself too proactively it would have been too much talent for the music industry to cope with, maybe all that modest self-effacement is a necessary defence mechanism?

Of course, the same could be said of Kathryn Williams. She is revealing a lot of personal matter, especially in these new songs. Introducing ‘Tender’ she wonders if there is anyone in the crowd who feels this way too, sounding like she would have a pitying understanding for individuals who are feeling too much, overwhelmed by the heightened responses their own senses inflict upon their emotions. Sharing stories about her father’s dementia and the dizzying effect parenthood can inflict upon your perception of time, it is reasonable to assume in different hands these subjects might become heavy going. But Kathryn has, from her earliest years, been a writer with a great ear for a melody and a reliable sense of the stirring touch a song requires to be both listenable and relatable. The angelic elevation in the chorus line of ‘Sea Of Shadows’ is a great example of this facility, it is a beautiful work that begins with recollections of her young child’s dressing up but then that refrain is ethereal, most writers cannot construct a beautiful lift in song like that. And the other thing Kathryn possesses is a deceptively powerful voice, do not be fooled by that gentle whispery front, this is a vocalist who can hold a room. Tonight, the material is almost entirely built around the new ‘Mystery Park’ album. Sometimes crowds hope for more older selections but with an artist like this, forming a live relationship with new material that also happens to be amongst her best, these are the shows that leave a special memory. They close on ‘Personal Paradise,’ a new song painting a picture of a domestic trauma that reaches for some abrasion in the arrangement. The singers mellotron is judiciously hypnotic whilst Matt detonates some violent electric fuzz to slice the serenity, but the previous ninety minutes of Kathryn Williams songcraft had already supplied more than enough fireworks to send us home wholly satisfied.

Words: Danny Neill Photos: Sophie Reichert

Standard
Fresh Juice

Fresh Juice 6th October 2025

Hannah Frances – Surviving You

This is taken from Hannah’s new album ‘Nested In Tangles’ which is out this week via Fire Talk. Having already caught the eye in 2024 with a stunning debut album ‘Keeper Of The Shepherd’ this immediate follow up continues to dazzle and amaze. No mere confessional folky, Hannah has a free flowing range that recalls the likes of Kate Bush and Jeff Buckley but as legitimate as those comparisons are, the fact is she possesses the eloquence and imaginative expression to make this style her own. Parts of the new album feature collaborative arrangements with Grizzly Bear’s Daniel Rossen; something detectable in the eruptions of free jazz and progressive flourishes but the Hannah Frances core magnifies all elements into one heady brew, poetically honing her thematic meditations on generational trauma and maladaptive patterns with a musical experience that is deeply rewarding. Do not miss out on this one.

Jessie Kilguss – Howard Johnson’s

This is a preview track from Kilguss’s sixth album ‘They Have A Howard Johnson’s There’, a line that features in this superb reflection fuelled rock/pop tune, which is due to be released on November 14th. Jessie is a former actress who made songwriting her full time artistic outlet after working with musical heroes Marianne Faithfull and Mary Margaret O’Hara in the Tom Waits / William Burroughs musical ‘The Black Rider’. This song was inspired by the Al Pacino movie ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ and specifically the line spoken by Pacino “I’ll charter a plane to Algeria, they have a Howard Johnson’s there”. Kilguss’s father Howard had passed away a month before her seeing this movie and so the song stands as both a tribute to him and an inspirational spark for what the songwriter felt was a ridiculous line in the movie. ‘Howard Johnson’s’ is a wonderful, slightly forlorn and yet simultaneously uplifting and loving song that deserves some recognition. The nostalgia in the accompanying vintage advert filled video is a blast too, so enjoy.

Jose James – Tokyo Daydream

Released earlier this year, this irresistible slice of soulful electro with jazzy inflections is taken from Jose James thirteenth studio album ‘1978: Revenge Of The Dragon’. There is something in the pulse of the electro beat that sounds so warm and natural, which might have something to do with the fact that the record was recorded live to tape in a manner recalling the analogue heyday of the seventies. Jose has long been a voice in the contemporary soul and jazz worlds who is impossible to pin down, his groove is just so versatile, so cosmically old and new. The new record combines four originals alongside four new interpretations of late 70s classics and is a must hear for any fans of these styles who are on a quest for something bold, innovative and unique. Not only that, but it is a joy to listen to, so dig in.

Southern Avenue – Upside

As we have taken a soulful turn, let’s keep it going with some deliciously rootsy sounding funky soul and a killer chorus hook to boot. This one is an uplifting live version of a standout track on the bands debut album released this year on Alligator Records. Recorded in Memphis, the sense of that regions musical roots merging with gospel and funk is tangible, just as the impression of Southern Avenue being a band that can really cut it live is equally hard to ignore. The message carries a positive punch as well, with a lyric that pushes for the shedding of old concerns and the welcoming of the winds of change with open arms. “Every day’s a new day, find me on the upside” indeed. In the light of the times we live in, the mere act of setting out each morning with that attitude is a heavy act of defiance and one that I willingly try to embrace.

GoGo Penguin – What We Are And What We Are Meant To Be

Taken from GoGo Penguin’s latest album ‘Necessary Fictions’, the title of this modern jazz configuration is a strong indicator to the inspiration for the compositions creation. Pianist Chris Illingworth described it as being born of “deep reflection” and the music conveys sonically the abrasive dividing line between the reality of the people we are and the dream of the people we aspire to be. In that sense, each of the audio facets that are the building blocks of this piece, the delicate piano patterns, the restless drum grooves, the throbbing of the bass at the heart of it all, the deep washes of double bass and the ambient ever-presence of the synths each serve to capture an element of the whole that only becomes fully identifiable when everything is combined, which seems to happen both naturally and with some resistance. All told, this electric Manchester trio are still making and creating sound in a manner that demands attention and delights the ears.

U – The Bitter Withy

And finally, we conclude this week’s selection in a place that is one-part traditional old-England folk, another-part haunting and a wonderfully baffling puzzle all rolled into one. It comes from an album set to be released on 10th October called ‘Archenfield’ on the Lex Records label. There in lies the first mystery, for the record has been constructed by a sample collagist called U about whom little is known. In putting this audio delight together U has dug deep into archive recorded material, found sound and sourced other atmospheric samples all relevant to the area in Herefordshire known as Archenfield. The ambience of the whole record, in conjunction with the mesmeric appearances and disappearances of voices from another age, both bring folk and folklore into the current realm in tandem with time-locking them into history. Do these voices speak to us today or is our connection too severed to ever reach back that far? ‘The Bitter Withy’ itself is centuries old, telling the tale of a child Christ and a murderous misuse of his powers, and it sounds archaic too; it plays as if it were broadcasting from the needle on an antique shellac player which has just been wound for the final time, never to play again. This one is unique in every sense, one of those albums that will not survive as background music but for those who want immersion, confusion, patient gratification, questions without easy answers and a positive banquet of imaginative audio wonderment, then U’s ‘Archenfield’ album will surely become a treasured possession.

Standard
Old Fruit

Old Fruit 3rd October 2025

Tim Buckley – Happy Time

Last week the sad news broke of the passing of double bass legend Danny Thompson. As a tribute to the man and his immense fingerprint left on the landscape of 20th century music this weeks edition of Old Fruit pulls six archive performances enhanced by Danny’s involvement holding down that bottom end. First up, a rare piece of film capturing the week in October 1968 when Tim Buckley visited the UK to play the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Danny was part of his pick up band upon arrival in the UK, rising to the unenviable challenge of following Tim’s music and bringing an appreciative backing to proceedings. It is evidence of Danny’s standing in the sixties as a go-to session man, a reputation that would see his name appear on many credits from the time, most notable on records by Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated, John McLaughlin Trio and Nick Drake.

Pentangle – Light Flight

Danny’s presence on the double bass in Pentangle undoubtedly elevated the bands fusion of folk, jazz and free-form acoustic psychedelics to heights they would not have attained with a mere four string plunker. He could bring both percussive energy and improvisational alertness and as such, the band felt like the ideal environment for his eloquences to thrive and evolve. For a time they did too, although Danny was never likely to be limited to just one combination of players during a career when so many would seek out his sound, his ear and his magic touch. Here he is performing arguably Pentangle’s most well known number at the start of 1971, a song that was originally both a 45 and a stand out number from the bands ‘Basket Of Light’ album.

John Martyn – Couldn’t Love You More

John Martyn’s deep folk-jazz fusion benefited from the Danny Thompson touch in a collaboration that would last more than three decades. They first came together for Martyn’s 1973 classic ‘Solid Air’ and it would be a union that endured through not just studio work, but mouth watering live concert sessions too, as is witnessed here from a vintage ‘Old Grey Whistle Test’ clip. Their last known shows together were in the early 2000’s by which time Danny almost sounded like the essential component in John Martyn’s soulful, probing musical quest.

Richard Thompson – Put It There Pal

Similarly on a wavelength were the musical interactions between folk-rock maestro Richard Thompson and Danny. It has long been impossible for the pair to be written about without first explaining that they were not brothers, but with the kind of intuitive understanding they often displayed in live performance it was hard not to think there must be some higher degree of communication going on. Their highlights are worth digging into across a multitude of live recordings over the years but they did also share joint billing on an under-the-radar 1997 studio album called ‘Industry’.

Martin Simpson – Heartbreak Hotel

There is a temptation in compiling this selection to dip into some of the more mainstream cameos to be found of Danny’s work over the years. Top of that list is his bass credit on Everything But The Girl’s nineties melancholy dance classic ‘Missing’, of which there are TV appearances featuring Danny to be found should you care to dig them out, but really all he is doing on that track is holding down a very basic, beat accompanying low end. His playing always shines with brighter colours and variation when heard alongside an instrumentalist of similar dexterity. That is what we find here, playing in tandem with folk guitar legend Martin Simpson on a live bluesy version of a fifties rock ‘n’ roll classic.

Danny Thompson – Idle Monday

We finish with one of the all too scarce examples of Danny taking the lead on a performance of a tune from his first solo album. ‘Whatever’ was released in 1987 to a favourable critical reception in the jazz world, it gave Thompson a platform to express his love of folk and jazz in a deep instrumental showcase that did open the door for future solo projects in a similar vein. Danny himself said “I just wanted Kate Bush to like it. I wanted the jazzers to like it. I wanted the folk side to like it”. Returning to the album after news of his death broke, this work does stand the test of time and represents a grain of the mans music that is ripe for rediscovery amongst the many higher profile recordings on which his genius, expressive playing can be heard. We have lost a good one here, RIP Danny Thompson.

Standard