This volume of Life Elsewhere Music was prompted by an email from a listener named Candice who wrote, “Mr. B. thank you for Life Elsewhere Music, I love that you play a wide variety of new music. I think it would be interesting if you did an encore show of some of your favorite standout songs from the past few months. I know you say complimentary things about all the music you curate, but how about giving us an encore show of Mr. B’s picks, songs you think deserve wider attention?” A splendid suggestion from Candice. Of course, she is correct, I only play music I consider for inclusion in the show and yes, I’m a fan. So, in turn, that makes selecting standouts really difficult. For this volume, all the music included should be getting wider attention, in my opinion. It’s the Encore Edition. We begin with Porridge Radio, their visual appeal is up there with the band’s musical abilities. When I first played Sweet from their LP, Every Bad I added to my commentary, “I tracked down a super cool video”. Alice Kat and Liam James Marsh intrigued me so much, I invited them onto the show to talk about their music as fine. I was delighted to discover they exude an honesty that is not only refreshing but also perfectly natural. The duo creates seemingly uncomplicated, yet sophisticated, powerful music. Indulge in I Sleep So Much Better Now. If you don’t have Phil Parfitt’s sublime Mental Home Recordings in your collection by now, then I can only hope you take careful notice of Are We Really Still The Same selected for this Encore edition. Mr. Parfitt bravely exposes himself with oh, so wonderful songwriting. Very few musicians can go where Phil goes without sounding so sorry for themselves. Even if Denise Sherwood did not have the pedigree of being the daughter of legendary mixmaster and producer, Adrian Sherwood, I have no doubt we would still have heard from her. She takes the reggae and dub atmosphere she grew up surrounded by to reveal polished songwriting and performing talent as displayed with Uncertain Times from her debut LP, This Road. I have to admit the sleeve for Strange Ritual by German band, Lambs & Wolves caught my attention first. Then, on listening, I loved the way they put the song together and discovered the song was recorded in summer 2020 by Julian Tröndle (vocals, piano), Louis Groß (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums, percussion) & Stefan Bercher (acoustic guitar, backing vocals) with Benedikt Weiger (double bass). The work of Dublin-based experimental singer-songwriter Miriam Ingram was first suggested to me by another Irish musician who is related to a mutual friend, but that’s a long story – Miriam’s A Tiny White Dot evokes a poignant observation on the end of the world as she watches the tiny white dot slowly vanish on her TV screen. Oh, and her voice and production had me putting this one on repeat play. Ms. Ingram sent me a message saying she was enamored with Eel Drip from Penelope Trappes. Perfect, so am I. The video Penelope put together for Eel Drip is a must-see. The London-based artist has Penelope Three out on May 28th. We have already played the cut on LEM 225 and advised you to check it out. Next up, Mourn! I’m tempted to write many paragraphs raving on about this extraordinary outfit from Barcelona, Spain. They first came to my attention a couple of years back when they were exceptionally young, they still are and This Feeling Is Disgusting is quite simply essential listening. Wouldn’t it be glorious to see them live? More music from Dublin, where there must be something in the water, ‘cause the non-stop releases of essential music is brilliant. Pillow Queens with A Dog’s Life doesn’t mess around, the queer four-piece tells about the housing crisis in Ireland with energy and rawness that grabs you in. Yes, you need their album, In Waiting. Léanie Kaleido describes herself as a “pint-sized purveyor of piano pop and lyrical loveliness”. No reason to argue with that. As it happens All The Things I’m Made Of is a nice slice of piano pop. I’ve been following the work of Nuha Ruby Ra for a while now. With each release, the East Londoner tells us to know to keep a careful watch on her, Erase Me is no exception. Chatting to Hannah and Olly of Pela you soon realize these two exceptional talents take their music seriously. Their careful attention to detail comes across in the superb productions, like In The Young. Pela should be in rotation on any station that purports to play new music. Selecting a best of single could be difficult (or unfair) until Crème Brûlée by King Hannah came along. It is, of course, an unlikely choice for a best single. It’s long, it’s sexy, it has a long wailing guitar solo. In fact, Crème Brûlée defies the rules and regulations for a terrific single. And that is why I love this cut so much. Encore!
- Porridge Radio – Sweet
- Fine. – I Sleep So Much Better Now
- Dogs For Friends – Make It Your Own
- Phil Parfitt – Are We Really Still The Same
- Denise Sherwood – Uncertain Times
- Lambs & Wolves – Strange Ritual
- Miriam Ingram – A Tiny White Dot
- Penelope Trappes – Eel Drip
- Mourn – This Feeling Is Disgusting
- Pillow Queens – A Dog’s Life
- Léanie Kaleido – All The Things I’m Made Of
- Nuha Ruby Ra – Erase Me
- Pela – In The Young
- King Hannah – Crème Brûlée
Artwork by Mr. B “Miss P #32” 2009 4′ x 4′ giclée print on archival paper. Courtesy of Norman B’s collection
Life Elsewhere 