This week’s music!
Puuluup – Paala Jarve Vaalar
The Coral – That’s Where She Belongs
Tristen – Athena
The Clientele – Claire’s Not Real
Levitants – Adelante
Orson Wilds – Gin & Tonic
Fruit Bats – Rushin’ River Valley
Rolling Stones – Sweet Sounds Of Heaven (Edit) | Feat. Lady Gaga & Stevie Wonder
The Foreign Films – Perfect Future
Puuluup – Paala Jarve Vaalar
Puuluup is a duo – Ramo Teder (Pastacas as a solo artist) and Marko Veisson. A pinch of surrealism, modern folklore and talharpa revival! The old and the new stick together like water and sleet in Puuluup’s oeuvre. The instruments – talharpas – represent tradition and folklore.
Very little about them on Wikipedia:
Puuluup is an Estoniannu-folk duo that was established in 2014. Members are Ramo Teder (Pastacas as a solo artist) and Marko Veisson.[1] The instruments are hiiu kannel (talharpa) and loopers.
Here is the YouTube video for the song we are featuring
From Stir, an arts and culture magazine out of Vancouver
ESTONIAN DUO Puuluup playfully dub their style of music “zombie folk”—a term that immediately brings to mind Night of the Living Dead costumes and lyrics about eating brains.
The reality is a lot more compelling, though equally fun.
What musician-singers Ramo Teder and Marko Veisson have resurrected is actually an almost-lost Scandinavian-Nordic instrument called the talharpa. The four-stringed, boxlike bowed lyre dates back hundreds of years; for the past century its use has largely been relegated to remote islands of Estonia and parts of Finland. When Teder and Veisson first heard the instrument, separately, a decade and a half ago, they were instantly drawn to the unique and haunting sound that resonates through the talharpa’s wood box via horsehair strings.
Tristen – Athena
Tristen (born Tristen Gaspadarek, November 23, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She has released five albums: Teardrops and Lollipops (2008), Charlatans at the Garden Gate (2011), C A V E S (2013), Sneaker Waves (2017), and Aquatic Flowers (2021). She also performed as a member of Jenny Lewis‘s live band in 2015.
The idea behind the song from Tristen
we rarely worship women who are powerful through their logic, wisdom and courage. These women are utilized but underrepresented. You know, nobody likes a bossy baby. Yet this archetype has been with us forever, and Athenas roam the Earth as mothers, friends and lovers, saving us time and time again.”
Feeling all the sorrow of a broken world
Athena
Heavy garlands hang from a divine fighter
When you break the silence
Does it feel like violence?
Feel like violence?
Feel like violence?
Feel like violence?
Levitants – Adelante
Levitants is no longer just a band, they are now a movement. A movement of resistance and unity in the face of a world that is collapsing but for which it is still worth fighting. Aaadelaaanteee.
This is a terrific band, not much written about them apart from Spanish sites – really infectious music though!
With this new single, Levitants demonstrates their evolution and exploration of new horizons without leaving aside their dark and intense atmosphere that characterizes them. In “Vámonos” guitars are combined with a frenetic rhythm and memorable melodies that culminate in a climax necessary to escape from an impossible love.
here’s one more song from their EP
Fruit Bats – Rushin’ River Valley
great live version of Rushin’ River Valley
Artist: Fruit Bats – Eric D. Johnson
Hometown: Chicago; Portland, Oregon; Los Angeles
Album: A River Running to Your Heart
Release Date: April 14, 2023
Label: Merge Records
In Their Words: “When I first met my wife, she kept referring to a ‘Rushin’ River Valley’ that was near where she grew up in West Sonoma County, California. I really thought she was leaning into a folksy colloquialism, dropping the ‘g’ on ‘rushing’ and all. It took me a while to learn that she was actually talking about the Russian River Valley – a beautiful area known for redwoods and chardonnay and biblical-level flooding. This song is about true love, and the question of whether we are fated to be together or if it’s all just universal chaos tossing us around. It’s also about ghosts and bad dreams and trying to move forward and climbing over a mountain and hoping to glimpse the other side.
“Over the years there’s been a lot of geography in my music, a lot of landscapes,” Johnson said. “Sometimes the places are real, sometimes they’re emotional. I’ve always liked the idea of songs and albums that exist in a continuum with one another. I’m not talking about some kind of deep series of concept albums, mind you. More like the idea that my songs are all pretty much tributaries of the same river.”
so interesting, Johnson has been making music for 25 years
For 25 years, Fruit Bats has been kind of a fun side project that Johnson has worked on around contributing to other super-hip bands like Califone, Vetiver and the Shins. That is, until his 2019 record “Gold Past Life” broke out and introduced him to a whole new generation of fans.
The Foreign Films – Perfect Future
Bill Majoros is a Canadian musician, currently a songwriter, lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist for the psychedelic pop act The Foreign Films.[1]
Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Majoros has toured and recorded with many Canadian acts including The Nines, Flux A.D., Universal Honey, The Paper Airplane Company, Altogether Morris and The Cloudsmen.[1]
Bill Majoros, aka The Foreign Films, understands that, in trying times, wonder and splendor are highly valuable commodities. Here in the second year of an international pandemic, Majoros has released his seventh album, “Starlight Serenade.” His songcraft, moonstruck enthusiasm, and gritty realism, are as reliable as ever.
My emphasis – seven albums!
The Coral – “ That’s Where She Belongs” from Sea of Mirrors 2023
The Coral are a Liverpool band formed way back in 1996. The group achieved success in the early 2000’s as their 2002 debut album The Coral was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. Their second album, Magic and Medicine, produced four UK Top 20 singles. Flash forward 20 years and The Coral have released their eleventh studio album. Ambitiously, on the same day they released their twelfth album as well, Holy Joe’s Coral island Medicine Show. Last month they were The NME’s albums of the week.
The track I chose is the lovely, “That’s Where She Belongs” https://www.xsnoize.com/the-coral-release-thats-where-she-belongs-from-their-forthcoming-album-sea-of-mirrors/
Clientele – “ Claire’s Not Real”” from I Am Not There Anymore 2023
Similarly to The Coral, Clientele are another “C” UK band that formed in the 90’s. To date they have released eight albums and five EPs. Their newest just came out this year to extremely positive reviews. Uncut magazine loves these guys.
As demonstrated in this song Clientele have not lost the knack of combining gorgeous melody with restraint.
Orson Wilds – “ Gin & Tonic “ from the EP This Burning House (We All Fell Asleep In)
Orson Wilds is a band based in Toronto formed in 2019. The band has released two EP’s. “Gin and Tonic” is from their latest.
The song is perfect for singing while standing drunk on a snowy road while howling at the stars.
The Rolling Stones – “Sweet Sounds Of Heaven” (Feat. Lady Gaga & Stevie Wonder) from Hackney Diamonds
The Rolling Stones are a rock and roll band from England . They have just released their 954th album. Like many people, I mostly lost interest in the band’s releases about the time Ronald Reagan was inaugurated. However, I must say there is still life in their old bones yet. Lady Gaga certainly helps. This track has a great gospel feel that wouldn’t sound out of place on 1972’s classic Exile on Main Street.
There is five and seven minute version. Both are presented here.
Whole-Hearted 
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