Iconic Manchester band the Inca Babies will soon be releasing an album that reimagines via rerecording some of their finest songs. It is called ‘Reincarnation’ and is out on 28th November. In advance they have released a two track single, “Two Rails To Nowhere” with the second track being the 1988 original featuring Inspiral Carpets stalwart Clint Boon. I love the new version, the instrumentation evokes the more chilled output from the KLF and Angelo Badalamenti’s work on the ‘Twin Peaks’ soundtrack. Vocally it sounds more like a countrified blues track about going to jail. Country but not set in the US deep south, but in Manchester. I think Nick Cave could make a great cover of this song. If Shane McGowan was still alive he could have done a great shared vocal on the track. Based on this and the previously released reincarnated version of “Candy Mountain” I reckon the album will be classy indeed.
Inca Babies front man Harry Stafford had this to say about “Two Rails To Nowhere”; “This was from our fourth album ‘Evil Hour’. On the original version, we managed to hire Clint Boon of the Inspiral Carpets to play Hammond organ for us. This is a song that was inspired by the trad country blues number ‘Midnight Special’, but somehow had more of a Gun Club vibe to it“. This single will be on rotation at Mayhem Towers for a while!
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Last month US artist Celeste Corsano, who is based on the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, released a quirky, off the wall new song, “XS”. Now, with some excellent and endearing work from Brother JT the song has a curiously eccentric and haunting animation the song is accompanied by a compelling animated message to enhance the songs impeccable and meaningful lyrics. The song questions the pressure to achieve perfection and leading to a symbolic release or escape, embodying freedom through transformation. It explores feelings of insecurity and the meaning of success, often driven by media and external standards. This is highlighted by lines like “But the Execs say, I’m either fitting in or not at all“.
Celeste said of the song “it is about feeling like an outsider and trying to fit in, insecurities about body image and the trap of perfection. These mindsets come from my own insecurities based on my personal experiences, examples of women I’ve seen growing up and by outside sources such as the media and the entertainment industry”. Corsano has an individuality reminiscent of Kate Bush, Tori Amos and Lene Lovich. The song is available through Magic Door Records and was produced, recorded mixed and mastered by Ray Ketchem (Guided by Voices, Elk City, Gramercy Arms, Luna) at the Magic Door Recording Studio in Montclair, NJ.
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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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With continued humble apologies to the creators of the iconic NOW series of compilations that began in 1983, I posted and compiled the first WOW That’s What I Call Mayhem collection back in March, with volumes 2 and 3 following just a few weeks ago. So are you ready for volume 4? I certainly hope so, because here it is! This includes the fourth 20 singles we reviewed in 2024 in another maniacal eclectic playlist for your listening pleasure! With more than 60 minutes of music, click the Spotify link below and lose yourself in the music!
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The new single from Canadian indie folk trio Wild Remedy is called “Home Song” and it is a fabulously boisterous, joyous, and spirited romper of a tune. It is about a love of the home, whether that is in your heart, being with friends, or an actual place. It is brimful of infectious hooks and the vocal harmonies are divine. It is also impossible to listen to without moving, even if it is just a simple foot tapping, you cannot stay still to this great track. It is a song taken from their debut EP ‘Songs From Home’ which is out on 14th June. The band is an all-female trio from Ottowa and the members are Amy Russett, Colleen Roberston, and Shay Mahoney.
Mahoney says of the track “I initially wrote ‘Home Song’ to poke a bit of fun at our folk genre; every folk band needs a song about ‘home’. I had the guitar melody written for a while and it just lived in my voice recordings for about six months (along with many other half-written songs). But the lyrics came one night as I took the metro home after shooting pool with a friend. I was thinking about how life might be different if I had chosen a different career path, lived in a different city, or maybe just stayed home in Ottawa after high school. But as I thought about it, I discovered that more things make up ‘home’ than we realize. And ‘Home Song’ was born from this discovery: I could wander ‘round the globe, and home would still be found in the places where – and in the people with whom – I know I belong” I am off to listen to more from Wild Remedy now and I strongly advice you to do the same!
If you are lucky enough to live in Canada (sadly I am in the UK) you can catch them live on the following dates;
JUNE 21 Westboro, Ottawa – Equator Coffee – EP release party JUNE 27 Toronto – Dakota Tavern JUNE 28 Ottawa – Live! On Elgin JUNE 29 Montreal – Petit Campus JULY 12 Ottawa BluesFest JULY 13 Carp Farmers Market (several performances) AUG 16 Elgin, Ontario – The Opinicon (several performances)
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“Super Concrete” is a mighty blast of post-punk pop punk rock which beats you into a bloody pulp until you are unable to ignore it. After that, it sits next to you and heals your wounds and wipes away your blood and tears. Huge gnarly riffs power the song over a finely tuned engine of a well-oiled rhythm section while the vocals add hooks forged in rock and pop heaven. Quiz Show is made up of Shudder To Think’s Chris Matthews and bassist Jesse Krakow, together with drummer Joe Billy, who replaces the original drummer Kevin March (Guided By Voices, The Dambuilders). Their EP ‘Flotsam’ is out later this month.
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Until last week I had never heard of Manchester-based Caulbearers – hard to believe that I have missed out on their infectious and totally engaging music for the last 10 years. That, I’m happy to say, has now all changed, and I can’t get enough of them! Released by Single Cell Recordings on the 25 February 2022 their new upbeat 2-track single, comprised of “Twisted Cord”, an impressive funk-rock track, and a completely different B-side “Synching (Bubbling Spring Remix)”. The title track is a masterful mix of guitars, drums, bass, and synths producing a rich and layered sound. I have been binge-listening to this awesome track (and all of their previous releases) and each time I listen I hear a multitude of genres; electronica, jazz, pop, funk, world, and folk. That’s no surprise when the tracks have been mixed and mastered courtesy of Seadna Mcphail (Badly Drawn Boy, Jah Wobble, Everything Everything, I Am Kloot, Happy Mondays) and Jim Spencer (New Order, Johnny Marr, Charlatans, Factory Floor). The track kicks off with a catchy and gritty guitar hook, which stays throughout, and is also my earworm at the moment! This song explores different musical areas and often hearing nuances of Flamenco and sometimes Arabic sounds, all enhanced by renowned violinist, Olivia Moore, whose own work fuses jazz with Indian classical music.
This track also features a myriad of Manchester-based musicians such as pianist John Ellis (The Cinematic Orchestra, Stone Roses’ John Squire, Corinne BaileyRae, Tom Jones, Lily Allen) and bassist Alex Berry (The Earlies, King Creosote, Daniel Johnston, Thea Gilmore, Micah P Hinson). The band is fronted by Damien Mahoney, the driving force behind Caulbearers. He was a co-founder of Single Cell Collective, a group of artists, activists, and musicians from a housing estate in Hulme, Manchester, from where it all began. Together with guitarist Anton Hunter, cellist Stefan Skrimshire and drummer Phil Bennett they create a perfect musical delight. Ruth Blake also contributes background vocals in her ongoing collaboration with the band, bringing an unexpected folky feel to the track. “The songs are rarely stories specifically, but more like moods, deep emotional states or parallel worlds that we enter into, where scenarios, perspectives, and protagonists can shift and morph with a dream-like quality,” says Damien Mahoney.
The B-side, “Synching (Bubbling Spring Remix)”, is a complete contrast to the main track. It first appeared on their ‘More Lie Deep’ EP back in 2011, but don’t let that put you off. It meanders gently through some melodic glockenspiels, muted electronic drums, and cello strings producing an ethereal dreamy listening sensation. The song features Rob Turner (GoGo Penguin) on drums and Julie E Gordon (Happy Mondays) on backing vocals alongside Damien Mahoney. I was taken back to 1984 when I first heard this track, reminding me of Paddy McAloon from Prefab Sprout. That sophisticated musical style, breathless verses, and crisp rhythms. Emotional and melodic, Mahoney’s lyrics describe some of the profound experiences and teachings he received at Buddhist retreats many years ago, which have helped to lift long-term depression. It’s a B-side, but not one to be overlooked. Hurry up with the album and can’t wait to see you guys live!
Written by Juan Brooks.
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