Forget everything you know about anyone called Maureen. Namely that woman from Driving School. ‘Bang the Drum’ is the name of the second album by Utrecht quartet The Maureens, and also what I’ve been doing since I heard this record back in 2015 which has in it echoes of everything you could want from a good album – they have a kind of very melodic jangle pop sound with hints of The Byrds or Teenage Fanclub, and in this track ‘Caroline’ the Beatles too (who are still obviously bigger than Jesus here in Liverpool, Ringo’s best efforts notwithstanding). The harmonies, the chord changes, the birdsong at the end – it’s three minutes and five seconds of perfection. If I ever have a daughter I will call her Caroline because of this song.
The Maureens’ third album, ‘Something in the Air,’ sharpens this four-piece from Utrecht, the Netherlands’ obsession with jangle-pop to a fine sepia-toned point. Guitars ring, vocals tightly meld, choruses stick to the ears like aural confections. The vocal harmonies of guitarist Hendrik-Jan de Wolff and bassist Wouter Zijlstra evoke both…
The Delines are known for their evocative, detailed storytelling. Characters and situations that could easily be found in one of Willy Vlautin's compelling novels are condensed into a few powerful lines of song, drawing us into the lives of everyday people in a few verses of musical poetry. The band's…
That's it from us for our first week back and we leave you dear reader with a track which 6 Music has been playing to death this last few weeks and not without good reason - apparently it had the working title of 'La la, something…Caroline?’ but then became just…
Editor of Americana UK website, the UK's leading home for americana news and reviews since 2001 (when life was simpler, at least for the first 253 days)
