Leif Vollebekk TWIN SOLITUDE. Secret City Records

Leif Vollebekk, the Montreal singer songwriter and multi instrumentalist had hit a wall. In the midst of endless touring Leif found himself retreating to his lonely hotel rooms after shows and listening to Nick Drake’s ‘Pink Moon’ alone in the dark. His own songs didn’t sound right and he felt the bright spots in his sets were the covers he’d end with: songs by Ray Charles or Townes Van Zandt. In this deep blue mood he booked a secret show at a Montreal dive bar, only playing covers with a band that rehearsed once. The experience led Leif to change his approach to songwriting: explore the ideas that came spontaneously to him, and let the songs shape themselves. Soon the songs came pouring out of him. This approach is what created the lush, freewheeling and often devastating TWIN SOLITUDE.

This album comes alive with track three ‘Elegy’ with its solid piano notes and sharp percussive sounds. Vollebekk has a fine and distinctive voice able to meet most notes. This song, like the best here, moves slowly and emotivelly with vocals that are more like conversations with a best friend. There’s melody and all underpinned by quality production that makes the sounds explode out of my speakers. ‘Into The Ether’ repeats the contemplative, slightly sad vibe with deathly percussion behind bold piano notes and a gently rolling vocal. ‘Michigan’ is another standout track with its simple acoustic strum and an amplified voice which is so loud and clear. The vocal rises and falls along with the emotional tide. A lovely song…’East Of Eden’ features a dominant bass guitar behind a wandering vocal in a song that’s stronlgy narrative and thoughtful.

This is a pleasant enough album but it lacks bite and many of the songs sound very similar.

3/5

Terra Lightfoot NEW MISTAKES. Sonic Unyon

With NEW MISTAKES, Canada’s Terra Lightfoot offers up something rare: the kind of genuine document that can only come from a road-tested breed of songwriter and performer. Shot through with the guitarist-vocalist’s powerful, bluesy soul, vivid lyrics and ferocious six-string virtuosity, it’s an unforgettable outing. From the ground-shaking stomp of ‘Paradise’ and wild-eyed energy of ‘Pinball King’ that open the set to the psychedelic, gospel-tinged album closer ‘Lonesome Eyes’, the steeltown native’s third record distills her masterful talent to its electrifying essence. Produced by Gus van Go and Werner F (Arkells, Sam Roberts Band, Wintersleep), New Mistakes is a heady journey. As poignant as it is rollicking and vulnerable as it is rowdy, it cruises long and sometimes lonesome highways that lead everywhere from brokedown dive bars and endless prairie skies to mountain ranges and the Mojave Desert.

Lightfoot is one of a rare breed of female singer/songwriter/guitarists and this represents a fine introduction to her musical talents. I like the straight forward and simple nature of her rock songs and especially the lady’s voice which covers a wide range. Take track three ‘Love Dance’ where she goes from low down to way high registers. The song also boasts a strong melody and superb production. She also mixes the pace and mood nicely as exemplified by the next song ‘Cosmic Radio’ with its strong pop sensibility and calmer vibe. Then she back to heavy rock with the thumping country rock tones of ‘Ancient Tribe’ with country guitar leading the charge. Then follows the mellow emotive tones of ‘Moon Shower’ which is one of my favourite tracks here. ‘Luminate’ is a riff-filled rocker with a big rhythmic heart followed by a slower paced mild country ballad.

This is an enjoyable album which also proves that Lightfoot writes pretty wonderful songs.

4/5

My Baby PREHISTORIC RHYTHM.

It hasn’t taken long for Amsterdam based psychedelic, shamanic trio MY BABY’s swampy blues and funk-inflected sound to cast a spell. Over the past 3 years, Dutch brother-sister-duo Sheik (drums) and Cato van Dyck (vocals) and New Zealand guitarist Daniel “daFreez” Johnston have had their mojo working overtime and are now ready for the release of their third album Prehistoric Rhythm. With their new album, the band aim to channel a primal awareness amidst hypnotic beats, shimmering soulful vocals and psychedelic riffs on the back of rootsy blues and dubbed out funk.

Daniel Johnston:

“Over the past two or three decades’, electronic dance music has become a huge part of our culture. It’s hard to fathom just how many people connect and celebrate life by going to dance parties and raves. These gatherings are quite similar to tribal celebrations and rituals that have been around for thousands of years across all cultures in the world. The desire and need for those rituals remains and has become a fascination for us and we have made that trance-like hypnotic groove an essential part of our live performance, but it is also prevalent on a lot of the album. It’s funny to think of it. Going back to prehistoric times, people dancing round a fire together! It’s in our DNA.”

MY BABY’s music has been influenced by the power of spiritual music (gospel and voodoo spirituals) and the entrancing hypnotic quality found in music accompanying shamanic rituals. The roots of these phenomena can be traced back thousands of years, so can the music. This ‘tracing’ has become an important part of the ‘personal’ vision of the band and is a central theme on the upcoming album ‘Prehistoric Rhythm’. The band has delved into some of those rituals, some of which exist to this day, and reflect on how a lot of contemporary culture has inherited from the past, that its cultural activity stems from these ancient traditions.
First single “Love Dance” is an African inspired trance-like evocation of a tribal ritual involving the search for identity, love and spirituality. The protagonist is at peace after transcending the desire to feel complete through the presence and appeasement of others.

Joost van Dijck:

“We recorded this album primarily on a ‘4-track ampex deck’ from the fifties. We wanted it to sound old so you feel as though you experience something not linked to the present, but rather like traveling through different era’s”

This record uses just about every genre to make its point. From the opening hypnotic, rhythmic sounds of ‘Electrified’ with its blues foundation and far flung vocals. ‘Same Wave’ is next is a standout here with its strong vocal performance, tangible melody, moody tone and adventurous instrumentation.  ‘Cosmic Radio’ features African beats with a vocal that travels the range while ‘Ancient Tribe’ cunjures images of African tribes dancing in dusty fields. ‘Moon Shower’ goes far more conventional with some fine guitar work and a voice uncluttered by electronic effects and exhibiting real quality. This is an adventurous and diverse song collection where My Baby are unafraid to share their feelings and beliefs. It deserves to be heard.

4/5