Well that’s it from us for another week dear reader and we leave you with a track from World Party, the band fronted by its one consistent member Karl Wallinger who died earlier this week, and who one writer described as being what The Beatles would sound like if they were one person. I have so many memories of World Party in my formative years of listening to music – more people knew his songs than they realised given he penned Robbie Williams’ number one hit ‘She’s the One’ – and his pedigree was of course as a member of the Waterboys in the early eighties, whose Mike Scott described him as “one of the finest musicians I have ever known”. Although “Bang!” could be described as their breakout album in the UK, featuring as it did the song ‘Is it Like Today?’, it was its predecessor “Goodbye Jumbo” which really left an impression on me. And there are few sweeter melodies in the history of music to these ears than ‘Put the Message in the Box’. Rest in peace Karl. Have a good weekend everyone, and as always, Free Palestine.
So-so country, folk and blues-rock debut from this transatlantic troubadour – choose your Moment carefully. London-based, American singer-songwriter Emily Moment says her debut full-length solo album, 'The Party’s Over', is about hitting a wall and coping with life's physical and mental struggles when it seems as though things can't possibly…
The video for 'By the Sea' uses the clever visual device of an old-fashioned View Master to create an aching sense of nostalgia, perfectly in keeping with the song. The single is taken from 'The Party's Over', Emily Moment's long-awaited new album, which comes a full ten years after her…
There's another song by Australia band (or ex-band) The Middle East called 'Jesus Came to My Birthday Party' which is absolutely outstanding but not quite the right fit for AUK, so I'm going today for this little gem instead. I can't remember how I discovered them, only that the year…
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)
Karl Wallinger was a musical genius, every album World Party was magnificent. People talk about the influences on his music but it takes someone with great imagination to put together the melodious sounds Karl Wallinger created. Just imagine if Karl hadn’t left The Waterboys and Mike Scott gave him 50% of the songwriting. We would have had a more creative band than The Beatles and I say this as a huge Beatles fan.
Karl Wallinger was a musical genius, every album World Party was magnificent. People talk about the influences on his music but it takes someone with great imagination to put together the melodious sounds Karl Wallinger created. Just imagine if Karl hadn’t left The Waterboys and Mike Scott gave him 50% of the songwriting. We would have had a more creative band than The Beatles and I say this as a huge Beatles fan.
R.I.P. and thank you Karl.