In the last few days before Christmas Eve, traditionally hardly any relevant albums come onto the market. The Christmas business is over, the good gifts are packed. And anyway, music as a gift, in what form, please? Here, honey, I have you the complete works of Arcade Fire activated on Spotify? Well, happy holidays. And oh dear, the album that some would have been looking forward to the most … well, unfortunately: not out yet. The debut of Wet leg. I should have liked to come out before Christmas, please. For a few months now, the two women from the Isle of Wight have finally been the most exciting ticket. Represented at good festivals, most recently also in the cooler programs of English-language night television. Her videos are terrific Wes Anderson-style curiosities, serious glances against a rural backdrop, farmhouse terraces and hay bales. But above all: this music! Stoically sparkling indie pop with manic guitars, distant vocals and fantastic one-liner lyrics. Please be sure to listen to: “Chaise Longue”. Four decades of indie pop history resonate, and yet every note is absolutely from today. The joke: the two of them and their three background companions have only released three or four singles so far. But that’s enough to stir up tense expectations around the world. Iggy Pop is already a fan. If the debut of Wet Leg had been released now, it could have been one of the albums of the year. So it is said: wait until April. Hmph. But then we’ll talk again.
For now, just take a look at the re-releases. And then, as expected, old friends get in touch: Anyone who was at a single party in the late 1990s is almost certain to have heard the music of Jamiroquai danced. For a while it was practically inevitable. 25 years ago “Traveling Without Moving” (Epic / Sony) was released, the band’s third album and their final breakthrough: huge hits, good tempo, lively brass section, once the entire Stevie Wonder was copied from front to back. Now everything is very nice to listen to / dance to on the “25th Anniversary Edition”. Singer Jason Cheetham, who called himself Jay Kay and performed with funny headgear, knew exactly how to do it. And above all, he knew when it was better not to do it any more: for a few years now, he has been leaving cocktails, and now he is calmer and more rounded, enjoying family life on his country estate in southern England. But whenever a car drives by outside with the radio playing, “the best hits of the 90s”, then the man is likely to hear his own songs through the window, “Virtual Insanity”, “Cosmic Girl”, “High Times” , push the bass, the catchy tunes ring. And who knows, maybe Jay Kay will do a few more of his old moves on the polished floor.
Heavier and more melancholy on the other hand: “The Deepest End Vol. 1 & Vol. 2” (Floating World Records) by the blues rockers Gov’t Mule. Two albums, now as a “Deluxe Edition”, older live recordings with an impressive guest list – and a sad story: Allen Woody, bassist and founding member, died in 2000, three years later the band gave a marathon concert, which was filled with famous bassists , including Victor Wooten, Will Lee, Roger Glover, Jack Casady, Jason Newsted and Les Claypool. Absolutely first division. All these bassists create the foundation on which Warren Haynes, the guitarist and singer, can spread his soul-filled slide solos. And the melancholy always resonates. Even with the surprising cover versions like “War Pigs” (Black Sabbath).
And between the years you could think a little after the game that the American one Rolling Stone Recently started: reunion betting. In 2021 there were a few surprising ones – those Fugees, Rage Against The Machine, even Degradation. Therefore, the magazine asked what could come next in 2022. The experts see the situation as almost hopeless Pink Floyd (Chance 5 percent). They speak of an almost certain reunion Oasis (80 percent). You can talk about that for whole winter evenings. Splendid! The only question that remains is which encounters one would really want. Anyone want to watch John Lydon play with them Sex pistols is on stage and absolutely hates everyone around you? Or David Byrne, who does the others Talking heads just find it annoying? Perhaps nostalgia can sometimes just stay nostalgia.