Here's what I know about Bilk...They're a British band from Essex, who formed in 2018. Since then they've gained a sizable and ever-growing following and their live shows are said to be fantastic. Here's what I can tell you about singer, songwriter and guitarist Sol Abrahams, bassist Luke Hare, and drummer Harry Gray's rock, rap, punk music...It's rough and ready, unpolished, unapologetically unoriginal, simple goodness that is catchy, cleaver, and fun.
"In early July last year, Karin Bäumler, my wife and musical companion for thirty-two years, was diagnosed with a confronting case of ovarian cancer. It was a time of shock and grief, and that same month, she embarked on a regime of chemotherapy treatment.
Ever since we met, Karin and I have sung and played music together in our home, and in these dark days we turned to music once again. I had a batch of new songs I’d written over the last years, and we started playing them together. Our son Louis often dropped in for a meal and a chat and soon he began joining us on guitar. One night, when sitting cross-legged on the couch, after we had played a song, Karin looked up from her xylophone and said, ‘When we play music, is the only time I forget I have cancer.’ That was a big moment." Robert Forster.
Australia's The Go-Betweens was one of the best bands that I had never heard of back in the '80's. I only discovered them and Robert Forster (one half of the founding members) years later. I wish that this had happened way sooner. Forster is an earnest and heartfelt songwriter who's made a lot of memorable music over many years. This is once again the case with his eighth and most personal solo album, The Candle and The Flame, written after his wife Karin's cancer diagnosis. Home-recorded with his family, reflecting on his life's journey with Karin and family, Forster's album IS a life affirming family affair that is moving and touching and had me reflecting on my own life's journey with my wife and family.
The pandemic was the worst of times that JD Clayton managed to turn into the best of times, musically speaking. The coffee shop where Clayton worked shut down, so he signed on with a landscape company working on heavy commercial and residential projects. Driving from job to job, Clayton would throw on his headphones and listen to old albums and then write songs. The Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Creedence Clearwater Revival....Clayton became enamored by the production choices and musicality of those records and it helped reframe his own music.
"Arkansas, where I’m from, is the natural state. So I felt like I needed to get back to my roots and start making music that felt natural and organic,” he explains. “Production needed to be basic and simplistic with a focus on the story and the song. We would plug in a mic, set it in front of an amp, and let the player share their own story with their instrument. Now, that’s making music.”
On his debut album, Long Way From Home, JD Clayton's songs and music reflects this simplicity. Clayton is not trying to push any boundaries or create a big bang to attract an audience. He lets his songs and storytelling speak for themselves. In this regard, there is a level of earnestness and genuineness to Clayton's songs that I rarely experience on a debut album. It's a joy to listen to and take in. Now, that's music.
Less than two months after the release of their debut album, Kids Of The Estate, The Raytons are back with a second, hard hitting one. What's Rock And Roll? more or less picks up where Kids left off. As I wrote back in December, The Reytons sound an awful lot like the Arctic Monkeys. And lead singer Johnny Yerrell sounds so much like Alex Turner...it's hard not to shake comparisons. But I love The Arctic Monkeys and like with Kids Of The Estate, I just kept finding myself coming back to the band and their new album. To once again use the British expression, it's a real banger.
Billy Joel, Boz Scaggs, Elton John, Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, a little John Melloncamp...'Glen' channels them all as he plays to what appears to be a full house at a local piano bar. That's the concept of Butch Walker's latest album, As... Glenn. Technically, this album came out last year, but it's wide release comes this month so here I am.At first glance, I expected this album to be a fairly cheezy one, but that is not the case. Walker's songwriting is simply fantastic and this collection of singalong songs had me feeling nostalgic for my favorite '70's piano playing singers and albums. Since I'm not sitting at that bar able to applaud with some clapping, I will just say 'Well done, Mr. Walker...um, Glenn, Well done.'
It's been thirteen years since Supergrass split and Gaz Coombes, it's lead singer and guitarist, stepped out as solo artist. He has said that he did not leave the band to go solo. He left because he was not enjoying it and it no longer made him happy. He needed to get himself happy. As a solo artist, Coombes could simply do whatever made him feel good.
But feeling good and being completely open and honest about the ups and downs of life don't necessarily go together. On Turn The Car Around, his forth solo album and first in four years, Coombes' songs finally tackle a lot of subject matter that he says that he's played with and maybe not managed to see through in the past. It's what he's hoped for all along as a solo artist. The idea of evolving through a creative world.
"I feel like there’s too much to explore to stay still. And all of those experiences I’ve had through my personal life, whether it’s having kids, personal tragedies or incredible moments, this feels like the place to process all that and put it into something.”
Turn The Car Around plays out like snapshots of Coombes life and headspace over the past few years with musical tones and expressions that are sonically on a different plain than on his past recordings. There is something grand to these songs and this album. It all made me feel good. And I guess that's Coombes whole point.
What I love about music is its power to transport me. Sometimes it’s unexpected, sometimes it’s exactly where I want to be. A single melody can unlock memories I didn’t realize I still carried, while certain chords or lyrics take me to another time or place. Some songs feel like home, offering shelter, while others deliver me to an unknown place or space, stirring emotions I can’t quite name. In this way, music isn’t just sound—it’s a sonic subway, delivering me to a station of refuge or one I never knew existed.
Music has always been an important part of my life. My family and friends knew this well, often asking me what I was listening to and what I liked. It was always humbling to be asked, and eventually, I gathered the courage to create this music blog—to put into words what draws me to certain music and why.
Over the years, my passion for writing has grown, along with my excitement for sharing musical discoveries. I hope your time here sparks excitement and leads you to a musical discovery of your own. More than anything, I hope your visit brings a little joy to your day.
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