Jacques Brel - ‘Ne me quitte pas’

Jacques Brel was born in Belgium and after starting his musical career there he would eventually move to France. His musical style was predominantly theatrical. He became a big star in France, as well as all of Europe including Belgium, of course. He influenced many musicians around the world including David Bowie, Scott Walker and Brett Andersom from the band Suede, to name a few. He also wrote 'Le Moribond', which Terry Jacks covered as 'Seasons in the Sun'. I suggest you look up Jacques original and stay well clear of the Terry Jacks version. 'Ne me quitte pas’ (Don't Leave Me) was originally recorded in 1959 and is possibly his most cherished song.... it certainly is my favourite. A sad breakup song with plenty of emotion. Not speaking French, I picked up on the emotion straight away.

The Stooges - ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’

I think I discovered Iggy Pop when he released I'm Bored' ftom the 'New Values' album in 1979 after seeing the video on Radio With Pictues. Although, I may have heard other songs or Stooges songs before that but I can't remember. It was probably the start of my love of his music - but it wasn't until a NZ supergroup, put together by a brewery, of all things, that I fell in love with Iggy's first band 'The Stooges'. The band was The Kuhtze band. Named after a beer called Joseph Kuhtze, which didn't last long at all, the beer that is. However, the band had a shorter lifespan. I saw them at the Gluepot pub in Auckland. They played 'I Wanna Be Your Dog', with Kim Willoughby on lead vocals. It was delivered so well in a punkish style and I knew I had a new favourite song. I discovered it was a Stooges song and that was the start. I now think the three albums by the Stooges were just about as influential as the Velvet Underground's albums. Iggy has had a long lasting and prolific career, which started with one of the greatest debut albums, The Stooges, featuring, of course, I wanna be your dog.

Jeff Tweedy - "Feel Free" (Twilight Override)

I discovered the Chicago band 'Wilco', led by Jeff Tweedy, with their 'Being There' album in 1996. This was the CD era and the album was a double album, which wasn't too common due to the length of a CD compared to a record. So with that in mind it was still a consistently strong album. I have so many tracks from that album on radio playlists still. It took me on a discovery journey to Jeff Tweedy's previous band 'Uncle Tupelo', which also featured Jay Farrar. Many great Wilco albums followed with so many great songs. 'Yankee Foxtrot Hotel' in 2002 was probably their most acclaimed. 'Jesus etc' from that album is featured on this blog as well, and has quite a good story. Even his side projects like Golden Smog and the albums with Billy Bragg, where they used unreleased Woody Guthrie lyrics or verses, kept my interest in Jeff Tweedy/Wilco going. Along with more great Wilco albums he also went on to record solo albums and also an album with his son Spencer. So with all that history of releasing great songs, it must be hundreds, could it be possible that he has written one of his greatest songs ever, just recently, for his upcoming album 'Twilight Override', which is, wait for it, a triple album. He hasn't slowed down a bit. One song released prior to the album release, is 'Feel Free'. It's seven minutes of Dylanesque verses, pieces of wisdom, a little advice, and some particularly nice poetry. Don't expect a chorus or a bridge. A song like this has so many great lines and one in particular is..... Feel Free, Let it be or Let it bleed, John or Paul or Mick or Keith, Feel Free. Wow! One of his greatest? Feel free to disagree but I don't think many will.

Waxahatchee - "Right Back to It" (feat. MJ Lenderman)

This was an easy pick for my 2024 song of the year. From my album of the year as well, Tigers Blood, but that was a lot harder to pick. "Right Back to It" can be said to be indie rock and country in equal measure. Katie Crutchfield, who performs under the Waxahatchee name, had the traditional country duet in mind while writing the song and MJ Lenderman was the perfect pick for the male part. In fact, he plays a big part on the whole album, particularly on guitar. Now, don't expext Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty, this is way too unconventional - but I suppose it was her take on that genre in her unique way, and at the same time, it does have that country feel about it. She explained more in a press release here.... "I'm really interested in writing love songs that are gritty and unromantic. I wanted to make a song about the ebb and flow of a longtime love story. I thought it might feel untraditional but a little more in alignment with my experience to write about feeling insecure or foiled in some way internally, but always finding your way back to a newness or an intimacy with the same person. " All said and done - it really is a modern classic.

beabadoobee covers Bic Runga’s ‘Sway’ for Like A Version

Beabadoobee is a Filipino/British singer songwriter. She released her brilliant third album 'This is how tomorrow moves' in 2024, which was produced by Rick Rubin. While in Australia, she stopped in at Triple J to record a song or two for their 'Like a version' series, as with many touring artists. She chose to cover Bic Runga's 'Sway' - a big hit here in New Zealand from Bic's debut album 'Drive' in 1997. Baebadoobee said she grew up with the Bic Runga album due to her mother's love of the album. Baebadoobee's version is an indie rock makeover.

Bobby Ramone - ‘Is This Love Kills’

The album 'Rocket To Kingston' by Bobby Ramone appeared at my local record shop, My Music Taupo. Jace always finds these gems and gets them in by the carton, it seems. The album was originally released in 2021. It's a mashup album of the Ramones and Bob Marley - Yes, but not so much like the mashup genre of a decade or more ago. This is more of a blend of both artists. Anyway, it sounds as tacky as hell and it probably should be, but it actually works well. The novelty doesn't even wear off, although, in typical Ramones style, only one track passes the 3 minute mark (most are closer to the 2 minute mark). So, before you can say 1234, the next track starts. The mashup doesn't end with the music - the obvious one is the Bobby name - but the less obvious one is the cover photo... if you look a bit closer. The album was created by members of a French punk band 'Guerilla Asso'. It's like the Ramone's and Bob Marley are jammin' somewhere in the afterlife.

The Specials - "Gangsters"

I went to a concert at a local venue a few weeks ago. The final act was a Ska band. The Ska band wasn't a touring band or a band promoting an album - it was a local band with an opportunity to play live. In the tradition of the Ska revival of the 70's they jumped around all night. The Specials Ska classic "Gangsters" could easily be the inspiration to all Ska bands that followed.

Steve Earle & The Dukes - "You're The Best Lover That I Ever Had"

In 2015 Steve Earle released a blues album 'Terraplane'. A Texas blues album, so I've been told. I know, yes, he's a Texan but so was Lightnin' Hopkins and that is where you can hear a big part of the inspiration on this project. Particularly on "You're The Best Lover That I Ever Had". Another thing I found out was that at the time of writing and recording this album he was going through his seventh divorce.... so why not record a blues album. Good on you Steve.... you did well to wait this long. Anyway, the reviews were all over the place - but I loved it and still do. "You're The Best Lover That I Ever Had" is a standout and gets a lot of play on Bitter FM.

The Last Dinner Party - "Nothing Matters"

Formed in 2021 in London, 'The Last Dinner Party' released their debut album 'Prelude to Ecstasy' earlier this year after a couple of years touring and perfecting their live performance. The band, led by Abigail Morris, had a UK top 20 hit with their debut single "Nothing Matters" in 2023. For some, including me, the album came out of nowhere and suddenly a musical goldmine was unleashed. They have stated David Bowie as an influence but you can hear so many influences on display throughout the album, Kate Bush being an obvious one to me. The album is cinematic baroque, orchestral, glam, indie pop.... you name it! and with tempo shifts in unexpected directions. "Nothing Matters" is the ultimate single and is no doubt a crowd favourite live.

mr Gnome - Monster's Heart

mr. Gnome are a duo from Cleveland consisting of Nicole Barille on guitar and vocals and Sam Meister on drums and keyboards. They have been making music as mr. Gnome since 2005. 'Monster's Heart' was released as a single with the song 'Sleepwalker' in 2015 - a year after their critically aclaimed album 'The Heart of a Dark Star'. Monster's Heart is beautiful in so many ways. The vocals are spectacular with a ghostly or haunting feel throughout - even when only accompanied by acoustic guitar. The vocals are, without doubt, the key element and they stay true thoughout the song - while the music deviates in all the right places to enhance them. Finishing with a full-on climax.

The House Of Love - "Beatles And Stones"

After Mick Jagger's 80th birthday recently we should celebrate a man in pretty good form - at the age of 80. 80 may be the new 70, as they say, or maybe it's the new 60 because that is what Mick is displaying.

Let's add Paul McCartney to the 'aging artist on a roll' list. Yes, Paul has been playing festivals and the audiences have been on board like it's 1966, okay you know that's overstating it - but he has been going down well with all the generations of festival goers.

Instead of a Rolling Stones or Beatles song, of which there are many to choose from, some already on this blog, how about a song from the perspective of a fan. The fan in question is Guy Chadwick of London band 'The House of Love'. With lines like "the Beatles and the Stones - made it great to be alone".... so true.

We read a lot about the music of the 60's and the division between the fans of the Stones and the fans of the Beatles. The loyalty to their chosen band was from a preference to full on tribal. Although, I'm guessing a lot of people liked both bands, to be fair.

The rivalry between the bands themselves was probably started by Paul McCartney describing the Stones as a blues cover band.

It seems like the rivalry had waned between the band members after the artwork of the Beatles Sgt. Pepper album saluted the Stones. The Stones returned the favour on the artwork of Their Satanic Majesties Request album.

I think they had decided the press were taking it too far and they buried the hatchet.

Dead Man's Bones - "Pa Pa Power"

Dead Man's Bones are a band consisting of Zach Shields and Ryan Gosling, yes that Ryan Gosling. However, when I first discovered this song "Pa Pa Power" I had no idea there was a hollywood actor involved. But he deserves a lot of credit as a musician as well. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2009, which features the Silverlake Conservatory Children's Choir throughout. The album was intended to be a soundtrack to a play but the play was shelved due to rising costs - so the album was recorded anyway. "Pa Pa Power" is dark and haunting and the performance from the choir takes it to an even darker place. Find the original on your preferred streaming platform - the video included here is a live version set in an old folks home and features a different choir, the L.A. Inner City Choir. You can fast forward about 5 minutes to the song but the full video is quite touching and uplifting considering the music.

Karen O - "Body" - Live

The charismatic lead singer for Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Karen O, finally released her debut solo album 'Crush Songs' in 2014. It is generally an acoustic album comprising of songs she recorded over a five year period from 2006. For some it's no more than a collection of demos - but to others, including myself, it is another side of Karen O that was cherished. On 'Body' she adds a touch of the Karen O we know from Yeah Yeah Yeahs near the end. A perfect live rendition - or just a case of "don't let the intimate surroundings change a thing".

Bob Dylan - "License to Kill"

With the latest release from the Bob Dylan archives 'Springtime in New York: The Bootleg Series Vol. 16 (1980-1985)' I had mixed feelings until I actually played it. The mixed feelings was that it was a period of Dylan's music that I haven't revisited much at all over the last decade or so. The releases that this volume covers is 1981’s Shot of Love, 1983’s Infidels, and 1985’s Empire Burlesque. 'Infidels' was easily my favourite of the three but 'Empire Burlesque' was an album I thought may have sounded a bit dated now but hearing the outtakes was actually enjoyable and worth revisiting it. But back to 'Infidels', which was released in 1983 and was his first secular release since the christian trilogy of 'Slow Train Coming', 'Saved' and 'Shot of Love'. It was produced by Mark Knopfler and featured his guitar skills, guitarist Mick Taylor (yes, the former Rolling Stones one), keyboardist Alan Clark, bassist Robbie Shakespeare, and drummer Sly Dunbar (Sly and Robbie). As you can see from that line up of guests - the chances of something great was very high and it delivered. Surprisingly, an outtake of "License to Kill" wasn't on the 'Springtime in New York: The Bootleg Series Vol. 16 (1980-1985)' album, although a live version from the David Letterman Show was included on the 5th disc of the deluxe 5-CD version. But Bob Dylan recently released this video from the 'Infidels' sessions at The Power Station studio in New York to make up for the loss.

Lost Under Heaven - "Bunny's Blues"

Lost Under Heaven are a Manchester band featuring former WU LYF lead singer Ellery Roberts and Ebony Hoorn, a Dutch visual artist. She also directed the video for Bunny's Blues. The video has some obvious David Lynch influences, amongst others. Bunny, the charactor she created, goes back to an early performance piece from Amsterdam. Bunny's Blues uses the quiet/loud sound to perfection. The rocking chorus with the line "You Don't understand me - You don't understand" is the character (Bunny) confronting the controlling male-dominated society that doesn't respect her (or their) actual power within. It comes from their second album 'Love Hates What You Become' from 2016.

MEXICAN DUBWISER - "TROUBLE IN MY SOUL"

This song is so good. It will always be a favourite on Bitter FM. "Trouble In My Soul" is like a blend of so many genres - even with the vocals you could add crooner to the mix. Any fan of 'Faith No More' will recognise the sample they borrowed from their song "Stripsearch" - but, to me, that's part of it's charm. Take a little bit that was less significant to the original song and make it more significant in a new song, while turning it into a completely new peice of art. If that makes sense? If you are unfamiliar with Mexican Dubwiser - then this is a great place to start.

Derrick Lara and Trinity - "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough"

This 12" Disco/Reggae version of Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" by Derrick Lara and Trinity is one of the best from that sub genre - and there have been quite a few over the years. It was released in 1980 on Joe Gibbs Music label and more recently it was part of the Joe Gibbs Discomix Showcase Volume 4 compilation. Derrick Lara, a drummer originally, has a falsetto style that was possibly quite unique in the Reggae circles at the time. And anyone even trying to cover a Michael Jackson hit like this would need to be sure of themselves in the vocal department.... and he pulls it off superbly. Even now this would be uplifting at any social gathering - mainly because it can keep the Disco/RnB/Pop crowd as happy as the Reggae crowd - all at the same time. Unfortunately Derrick Lara died early this year after a battle with lung cancer. Let's hope he will still be remebered for this song in decades to come.

Freschard - "Boom Biddy Boom"

Freschard is a French born, Berlin based artist (Clemence Freschard) with a few albums to her name... along with some collaborations with Stanley Brinks.

I was a bit late to the Freschard party but I'm so glad I finally discovered her music. "Boom Biddy Boom" is a good place for any newbies to start. It is the title track her 2013 album and it's impossible not to sing along with it. The next song on the album is another ear worm (Cheese and Crackers).

Her albums are full of fun songs like this - all delivered in her unique way, which seems so natural to her.

It comes with a warning!.... a musical obsession awaits those who are brave enough.

Ane Brun - "To Let Myself Go"

Ane Brun is a Swedish based, Norwegian artist with about 8 albums to her name to date.
Before putting this post together, I wasn't aware of her Sami origin, which is something that has interested me for a little while now. In fact, if this wasn't a song (music) blog, I could have a lot to say about the history of the Sami people over the centuries past - but at the same time, I'm so far removed from that part of the world and its history, and it looks like all governments have been heading in the right direction in recent years, so I'll just link it instead - for those interested or curious.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sámi_people (or just look up Sami People on Wikipedia).

"To Let Myself Go" is from her second album 'A Temporary Dive'. The pace is slow and reasonably sparse and Ane's voice is the icing on the cake.

But there is something else going on here. The hymnal backing vocals are ghostly and atmospheric in the best possible way.

This gem is on so many Bitter FM playlists and I'm sure that will continue.

Brandi Carlile - "The Joke"

With the release of 'The Highwomen' album recently, it reminded me that I still hadn't shared this stunner from one of the members.
The Highwomen are a kind of country supergroup featuring Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires, Natalie Hemby and Maren Morris... but that's a story for another day.
So back to this song from Brandi Carlile. "The Joke" comes from her 2018 album 'By the Way, I Forgive You'.

Brandi Carlile has relatively stayed under the radar over here, which is a surprise considering the strength of her material and her Grammy success. The album won the Americana album award.

"The Joke" is a song about people who don't feel accepted by others around them or maybe society in general.
The message is strong but the soaring vocals are the most captivating part. Albeit, with no saccharin whatsoever... just pure class and nothing else.

The song could even be described as epic, if you really have to use that word.

The Joke isn't funny anymore - but it's fucking memorable!