Episode 79
Suzanna Hoffs – Under a Cloud
The Jette Planes – 5:55
MJ Lenderman – She’s Leaving You
Spiritbox – No Loss No Love
Shkodra Elekronike – Zjerm
Icecream Hands – Can You Feel My Love
KAJ – Bara bada bastu
Bill Fay – In Human Hands
Tommy Cash – Espresso Macchiato
Suzanna Hoffs – Under a Cloud
I love articles that reconnect great artists from the past to the present. This article in the New York Times –
The Bangles, One of the Biggest All-Female Bands, Want to Reclaim Their Legacy
The article represents some of the Bangles history now out as a biography – “Eternal Flame: The Authorized Biography of the Bangles“
I am listening to their songs right now – I haven’t heard Manic Monday in decades and I didn’t know the song was originally written by Prince.
“We knew we had something,” Hoffs recalled of the first time she sang with the Peterson sisters. “We created a band in that moment.”Credit…George Rose/Getty Images
Now Susanna Hofts has a new album out – The Lost Record. Hofts sounds like her voice hasn’t changed a bit. Incredible!
Listen for yourself. No question they really marketed Hofts as the lead, you can see how this eventually led to problems
The Bangles – Manic Monday (Official Video)
Now for Eurovision 2025!
The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 is set to be the 69th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It is scheduled to take place in Basel, Switzerland, following the country’s victory at the 2024 contest with the song “The Code” by Nemo. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR), the contest will be held at St. Jakobshalle, and will consist of two semi-finals on 13 and 15 May, and a final on 17 May 2025.[4] The three live shows will be presented by Hazel Brugger and Sandra Studer, with Michelle Hunziker joining for the final.[5]
Thirty-seven countries will participate in the contest, with Montenegro returning after a two-year absence. Moldova had originally planned to participate, but it later withdrew due to economic reasons and the perceived quality of its national selection.[6][7]
Eurovision 2025 | RECAP All Songs (Selected So Far February 19th)
So, I decided to choose three – I wonder if any of these will be finalists?
Shkodra Elekronike – Zjerm
“Zjerm” was written by Beatriçe Gjergji and Lekë Gjeloshi, composed by Beatriçe Gjergji and arranged by Kolë Laca.[1] Gjergji described the song as a “personal work with lyrics exploring human compassion”, also calling it “an Albanian song with a modern touch”.[2]
The central motif of the song is Fire, Zjerm, symbolizing power, purification, and renewal. It is described as falling on tribal dances, as a link between tradition and change.[3]
The odds makers give Zjerm a 1% chance of winning.
so here are some of the lyrics
Fire
In this minute, in this moment, no paranoia
After the rain, the world looks like a rainbow
Around there’s no ambulances
No one talks with arrogance
Today, they also told us
That the weather will be good
I ended up underwater
My mouth never went wet
Imagine a minute
Without soldiers
Without orphans
With no bottles in the ocean
Gasoline smells like lilac
The freedom of speech
Is taught in school
Because I know you will ask, here is the first Eurovision winner in 1956
KAJ – Bara bada bastu (just take a sauna)
this is Sweden’s entry – they have an 21% chance of winning
Sweden is a powerhouse here, from the great Eurovision website
| Finals | 19 out of 20 (since 2004) | |
We’re gonna have a sauna, sauna
Steam up and let go of all stress today
Sauna brothers, we’re the ones who glow
100 degrees, well then
Just having a sauna, sauna
Throw it on so that the sweat just whirls around
Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh
Having a sauna, yeah
We’re gonna have a sauna, sauna
Steam up and let go of all stress today
Sauna brothers, we’re the ones who glow
100 degrees, well then
Just having a sauna, sauna
Throw it on so that the sweat just whirls around
Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh
Having a sauna, yeah
TOMMY CASH I ESPRESSO MACCHIATO I Eesti Laul 2025
And then there is controversy
Italians demand Estonia’s ‘Espresso macchiato’ be excluded from Eurovision
This was actually a story on CBC National News on Saturday
unfortunately, Estonia only has a 5% chance of winning. But the Italians are upset (according to CBC). One radio announcer said this
“I’m about to get angry with this Tommy Cash, because with this song he makes fun of Italy in a crazy way. The mafia, spaghetti, the ostentation of Italians. Let’s be indignant!”
— Caterina Balivo
maybe it’s something in the lyrics
“Ciao bella, I’m Tomaso, addicted to tobacco / Mi like mi coffè very importante / No time to talk, scusi, my days are very busy / And I just own this little ristorante.”
— Text from Espresso macchiato by Tommy Cash
and a banger chorus
My love
My love
Espresso macchiato, macchiato, macchiato
Please
Please
Espresso macchiato, horny
MJ Lenderman – She’s Leaving You
Mark Jacob Lenderman (born 1999), also known as Jake Lenderman and MJ Lenderman,[1][2] is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has released multiple solo albums. For several years, he was a member of the alternative rock band Wednesday. He also has played drums for Indigo De Souza. Lenderman’s style has been described as alt-country, classic rock, and indie rock music.
MJ Lenderman – “She’s Leaving You” ft. Waxahatchee at The Basement East, September 19, 2024
This is pretty cool. Slacker has a songs of the summer feature and MJ Lenderman makes it to the Slacker category
They have a podcast about the songs – pretty interesting to listen to
I think in the podcast they are talking about all the songs in the Slacker category. She’s Leaving You wins!
More from Slacker
MJ Lenderman’s “She’s Leaving You” is the slacker anthem of the summer, a no-frills indie rock banger with shades of Built to Spill and Pavement that’s melancholy in tone, but with stadium-ready hooks. The Wednesday lead guitarist (who has quickly become a star in his own right) laments a failed relationship, acting as narrator as he urges the unnamed protagonist to get up, and get dressed. It’s no use wallowing in your miserable funk: she’s leaving you. Lenderman has a knack for painting caricatures of indie rock boy archetypes in his lyrics, slyly penning tongue-in-cheek portraits that retain a deep authenticity. He urges them to go “rent a Ferrari and sing the blues,” suggesting that Clapton might make them feel better. It brings some much-needed self-awareness to the era of “dudes rock” machismo.
so why doesn’t Canada compete? Australia does. I think it has to do with the CBC
The Jette Planes – “5:55” – single
Formed in 2018 The Jette Planes are a Philadelphia band with elements of power pop and garage rock. I discovered them through via the invaluable PowerPop Blog
This great track sounds like the Sixties British Invasion never ended.
Spiritbox – “No Loss No Love” – Tsunami Sea
Spiritbox is a Canadian heavy metal band, from British Columbia. Guitarist Mike Stringer and vocalist Courtney LaPlante are also husband and wife. This is a first for the Old Fellas Podcast as it has taken us all of 79 episodes to feature a heavy metal artist!
Not only that , Spiritbox are both a Juno and Grammy nominated band. Spiritbox initially built their fan base by focusing on promotion through the Internet and introduced their music through videos, before debuting as a touring band in 2020.
They seem to be a go to group for heavy metal aficionados:
I believe the video is a little unsettling for this old fellas heart!
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Icecream Hands – “Can You Feel My Love” – No Weapon But Love
IceCream Hands are a power pop band formed in Melbourne, in 1992. Our selected track comes from their first album in 13 years. The blog Burning Wood tweaked me on these guys.
The album No Weapon But Love is getting nothing buy love from reviewers:
This is a wonderful and tuneful slab of guitar pop.
Bill Fay – “In Human Hands” – Countless Branches
William Fay was an English singer-songwriter who passed away earlier this week.
Faye was signed by Deram records in the late 1960’s. He made his recording debut in 1967 with this gem of a single.
He released 2 albums and was subsequently dropped from the label due to poor sales. He more less dropped out of music for years. The records were re-issued in 1998, and then again in 2005. By then, Fay’s work started enjoyed a growing cult status. Wilco became fans. They often performed “”Be Not So Fearful in shows.
Countless Branches was Fay’s sixth and final studio album. It was released in 2020.
Although the following article is ten years old, it gives a great analysis of what Fay was all about.
Whole-Hearted 