With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Music reviews, gig reviews, fun trivia and extra added random stuff!

“BLOW” – Kety Fusco February 21, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 2:04 pm
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Kety Fusco is an unbridled and immensely talented musician. She has been dubbed the Queen of the Electric Harp. She was born in Pisa, Italy in 1995 and is Swiss by adoption. She has a Master of Arts in Music Performance at the Swiss Italian Conservatory. She first discovered the electric harp at just six years old. Her second album ‘BOHČME’ is released later this year and now she has unleashed “BLOW” the first single from that sophomore collection. I love music that is a bit different and properly “out there” and “BLOW” ticks both of those boxes strongly. It is a riveting instrumental track that contains more emotion than many songs with vocals. It took me to another place, it made me want to dance, it made me smile and it made me want to be who I am. It is injected with elements of classical, electronic and even dance music. This is most definitely a sound from and for the 21st century. Kety says this of the track “I sought to transform it into something wild and untamed, capable of expressing emotions that transcend tradition, projecting it toward a bolder, unknown future”. We live in a strange and frightening world and music helps me weave my way through it. If you love great music then take a listen to “BLOW”.

The video is dark and wonderful. It feels like an update on classic British folk horror films with a bit of archetypal slasher movie tropes thrown in for good measure. Kety wrote the script and also stars in the film which was directed supremely well by Studio Asparagus. This one song and its accompanying video has turned me into a great fan of Kety Fusco!

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“Born All Wrong” – Museum Of Light February 19, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 11:09 pm
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Photo by Scott Evans

Seattle band Museum Of Light have just released their third single of 2025, “Born All Wrong” on Spartan Records. The track follows hot on the heels of “Blunt Force Drama” and “Undone”. All three tracks will form a part of their sophomore album, ‘Diviner’, produced by Scott Evans, which will be released on March 14th. The song is full of earth shattering dark riffs that pound the song forward in a slow march forward. The vocals reminded me of Ozzy Osbourne at his peak. The music is dusted with some gorgeous prog moments, particularly in the final part of the track. There is a vast sparseness to the sound as the song reaches its conclusion. It gave me a feel of wide open wilderness. Is that the influence of being recorded at Ocean Sound Studios in Giske, Norway? The band made the most of their time there by taking a plunge into the icy Norwegian Sea each morning before starting to record.

The band’s drummer Rob Smith said, “As with much of Diviner, “Born All Wrong” is a continuation of all the things that interested us on our first record, just taken further.” he added “The song dives into some of the expanded sonic palette that sets this record apart from ‘Horizon’. The big riff that anchors the first half of the song was written several years ago when we were between bassists. So, we were leaning more on huge, monolithic ideas that sounded good with the guitar running through both guitar and bass amps at the same time. As one of the older songs on the album, we weren’t sure if if was going to make the cut, but as soon as we heard playbacks in the studio, we all had the same thought: ‘well, that’s definitely making the record.” This is a great song and makes me feel rather excited to hear the album!

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“Dancing With Ghosts” – Pink Turns Blue February 9, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 8:09 pm
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Pink Turns Blue are a classy European band who took their name from a Hüsker Dü song. They have been around a long while and they have just released the third single, “Dancing With Ghosts”, from their forthcoming album ‘Black Swan’. The album is slated for release on 28th February. The song has dark overtones reminiscent of Joy Division and a real goth feel in the chorus. The chorus seeps into your head like an unseen gas, then it stays there as you become one with the song. It is a song that is as close to perfect as it is possible to get. I love it. The lyrics deal with toxic relationships and the ‘ghosts’ that remain, in some cases long after the relationship is over.

Pink Turns Blue on stage – picture by Daniela Vorndran

The band consists of Mic Jogwer (vocals, guitar), Paul Richter (drums) and Luca Sammuri (bass). The band began in a still separated Germany towards the end of the Cold War and say they have been inspired by the likes of the Chameleons, Joy Division and goth music. Singer Mic Jogwer said this of the new single. “An exclamation to escape a complicated relationship, “Dancing With Ghosts” is a song about our difficulty of breaking out of an unhealthy bond. Some last a lifetime – and are not good for us at all. They suck all our energy, never give, always take. And whatever we do, it’s never right and never good enough. And since it’s often our best friend, mother, or sister, it feels like we owe them something, but every time we try to do something good for them, we just feel miserable and used. There is no easy way out, because whatever we do, we lose. These spirits will haunt us forever unless we challenge them and eventually manage to leave them behind. We’re Dancing With Ghosts.” I have no idea how I have not come across this great band before. But I will definitely be checking out their back catalogue in the coming weeks!

They have an extensive run of dates in 2025 in Germany, Belgium, the USA and the UK. If you can get to one of them, I reckon you should!

Apr 04 Hamburg, Germany @ Fabrik
Apr 05 Münster, Germany @ Gleis 22
Apr 11 Leipzig, Germany @ Moritzbastei
Apr 12 Cologne, Germany @ GEBÄUDE 9
Apr 25 Stuttgart, Germany @ clubCANN
Apr 26 Hannover, Germany @ Musikzentrum Hannover
May 09 Rüsselsheim, Germany @ Das Rind
May 10 Bochum, Germany @ Bahnhof Langendreer
May 16 Bremen, Germany @ Tower Musikclub
May 17 Berlin, Germany @ Lido
May 23 Nuremberg, Germany @ Club Stereo
May 24 Munich, Germany @ Hansa 39, Feirwerk
Jun 28 Izegem, Belgium @ Cultuurhuis De Leest
Aug 28 – Philadelphia PA @ Milkboy
Aug 29 – Brooklyn NY @ AMOC – Brooklyn Made
Aug 30 – Boston MA @ Sonia
Aug 31 – Montreal QC @ Casa Del Popolo
Sept 4 – Toronto ON @ Baby G
Sept 5 – Detroit MI @ Smalls
Sept 6 – Chicago IL @ Bottom Lounge
Sept 7 – Columbus OH @ Rumba
Sept 10 – Nashville TN @ East Room
Sept 11 – Atlanta GA @ The Masquerade
Sept 12 – Charlotte NC @ Snug Harbor
Sept 13 – Orlando FL @ Conduit
Sept 14 – Miami FL @ Gramps
Oct 31 Whitby, UK – Whitby Pavilion Theatre

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“All Together On 3” – Push Puppets February 6, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 7:22 pm
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Push Puppets have one of the best names in music today and they have just released a classy new single “All Together On 3”. The band are based in the Palatine community near Chicago, Illinois in the USA. The track is a taster for their fourth album ‘Tethered Together’, slated for release later this year. The song is full of gorgeous harmonies with a reflective, elegantly fragile melancholic tone. It evoked memories of Mercury Rev and peak period Crowded House. The orchestration supplements the great rock sound on a cinematic scale. Lead vocalist and guitarist Erich Specht had this to say about the song, “I think “‘All Together On 3″‘ paints a pretty vivid picture of someone needing help out of a tough situation. This one was very satisfying to see fully realized. It has some math rock moments like phrases and patterns of different lengths keeping things interesting“. I believe the song is about seeking help, even if you don’t know how. It conjures a feeling of hope that can exist when we all pull together. The lyrics are hopeful and inspire coming together and kindness, two things that this world needs more than ever right now! This song is a first class earworm and on this evidence the album will be damned good!

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“Sea Of People” – Archy & The Astronauts February 4, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 8:03 pm
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Archy & The Astronauts have a cracking new single out. It is called “Sea Of People” and it rocks like an absolute demon. It draws from deep in classic rock’s motherlode. The song flys in on an undercurrent of mean riffs and I can imagine this song being a mosh magnet. There are elements of the Foo Fighters in their sound, but they are very much an original unit. This young band has already garnered a lot of interest. They reached the last round of the Glastonbury ‘Bread and Roses’ stage final and they were finalists in the Kerrang! Radio/Marshall Records final 10 Competition.

Archy & The Astronauts are Tomás Phipps (the titular Archy) lead singer and guitarist, Nathan Snook on bass and Travis Coyne on drums. Archy had this to say about the song, “This track encapsulates the aspirations we hold as a band—to create a community of fans who can all immerse themselves in the extraordinary world of live music. The song delves into the challenges of feeling like an outsider in life, urging listeners to resist settling for the ordinary and embrace a life of fulfillment and passion“. Get Archy & The Astronauts into your life now, otherwise you might miss them donning spacesuits and hitting the stratosphere in a huge riff powered rocket!

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“A Stone Only Rolls Downhill” – OK GO January 29, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 11:37 pm
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OK GO had their first chart success back in 2002. How the fuck was it that long ago? Back in those days they had a knack of mixing loads of genres. Everything from dance to slacker rock via punk and classic rock. Well they never really went away and have just released a nifty new single, “A Stone Only Rolls Downhill”. It doesn’t have the harsher heavy edge of 2002’s “Get Over It”, but it is a damned fine track. It is a kind of chilled pop dance song that will be the perfect soundtrack to a hot sunny day in a few months. In places it made me think of the Flaming Lips, but it still has that indelible original stamp of classic OK GO. The song is the first single from their forthcoming album ‘And the Adjacent Possible’ which will hit the streets later in 2025.

The video is one hell of a sight to behold. The clip features 64 videos on 64 phones laid out as a moving mosaic! The band did more than a thousand takes over the course of eight days, and the final video crams over two hours and twenty minutes of single-take clips into one frame. Once again directed by frontman Damian Kulash, this time in collaboration with Chris Buongiorno (Star Wars: Skeleton Crew), the clip showcases the band’s unbridled creativity and signature DIY aesthetic, while exploring the song’s lyrical take on modern split screen life. The band have a history of great videos, do you remember the one with treadmills for “Here It Goes Again“? I bloody love this new tune and I hope that you do too!

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“A New Dream” – Gregory Darling and Julian Lennon January 26, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 9:00 pm
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A new collaborative single between long friends and musical partners Gregory Darling and Julian Lennon have just released a new single “A New Dream”. The song was written with their friend Anthony Caligagan. It first appeared on Gregory Darling’s album ‘Shell’ in 2006 in its original form. This re-imagining has a majestic magical feel as it builds from simple musical forms into a gorgeous and emotional crescendo. The voices carry emotion, sincerity and belief. At times the vocal reminded me of Roger Waters but without all the ex Pink Floyd mans pent up anger. Lyrically the song is inspirational. “I’m helplessly waiting, clocking the days of my innocent youth, oh I’m hopelessly romanticizing everything black and white, all the colors seem dark in the night, I need a new dream to get by on“. This couplet made me feel quite emotional. The video is rather beautiful too.

Lennon and Darling have known each other for many years and have collaborated before. Lennon said of the new release “Working with Greg is like working with your brother/best friend… And “A New Dream” is something we both aspire to. The message of “A New Dream” resonates with universal themes that connect all of us- our dreams, fears and insecurities- and it serves as a beacon of hope, reminding listeners that even the impossible can be achieved.” The song holds a greater significance given Lennon’s role as the founder of the White Feather Foundation and Darling’s position as the head of artist outreach for Reluvotion, founded by Professor Nicholas Dungey and founding partner JR Smith, as well as the Gift Of Love Foundation, founded by Jody Folz. Both organizations are committed to global change and supporting human potential, making this song an ideal embodiment of their shared values.

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“All Night” – Robo

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 6:49 pm
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Robo are a York band overflowing with talent and that is abundantly clear if you listen to their new single “All Night”. If Tome Verlaine produced the Arctic Monkeys it might have sounded a bit like this. Their is also a mood of 70s classic rock throughout this magnificent tune. I love the call and response element which runs a rich vein through the song. In my opinion this song has future classic written all over it!

I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch show for the “All Night” single and a review of that show will feature on these pages soon. The song is accompanied by a mind blowing video produced and directed by Natasha Pugh. The video is so good it deserves a separate review and that will appear here soon too!

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“In Retro” – The Gringos January 25, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 2:56 pm
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The Gringos are a band from Athens, Georgia and they have recently released a classy single called “In Retro”. It is full of soul and some delicious old school guitar licks. The vocals remind me of the Kings Of Leon when they first broke big. It feels modern and at the same time evokes the classic rock of the 60s and 70s. This song would not be out of place on the next ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ mix tape!

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“Elevator Operator” – Electric Callboy January 24, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 11:36 pm
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German music powerhouse band Electric Callboy have just unleashed their latest single, “Elevator Operator”. It is an unforgettable blend of hardcore rock, electro dance, disco and pure pop. It has heavy guitar riffs. Club style synth sounds accentuate it. There are huge four to the floor beats. There are growly rock vocals alongside poppy disco vocals. In fact it has every-fucking-thing and it is destined to be huge! It reminded me of Junior Senior for its catchy infectious sound. It also reminded me of Electric Six for its smart and intelligent approach to music. The music is mainstream yet slightly leftfield at the same time. I bloody love this and I think you will too!

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