Hearts
Edition #45 brings you fresh tracks by Atzur, Ellevator, The Tazers, Principe Valiente, and Al Pride. Listen here.
Sonic Smiles
Edition #44 featuring tracks by Don‘t Kill The Beast, Camel Power Club, Curses, Fritz Hutchison, and Lilabungalow.
It will be a shorter read than usual. I'm writing today's edition in Manchester. The Foundation Coffee House buzzes while I'm sitting on the window, filtering mediocre music to find the sonic pearls.
My throat is still sore from all the singing and shouting at the White Lies concert at The Academy. A sold-out gig in a big and charmless hall. And yet, the venue's lack of character didn't matter since the British audience—jugging pitchers of beer and wine—went entirely off the rails as usual. The energy sparked between sweating bodies, and a choir of a thousand lungs delivered an otherwordly performance:
Keep on running
Keep, keep on running
There's no place like home
There's no place like home
It's a stark contrast to a live experience in Switzerland where the audience often remains frozen and distanced, afraid others might judge them for losing control. But music is an emotional, cathartic experience that requires letting your guard down.
That said, I won't distract you any further. Enjoy today's selection.
Best,
Don't Kill The Beast – Secret
Five years have passed since Switzerland's Don't Kill The Beast have released their debut record, Cupid Bite. Now, they're back with an astonishing new single. Secret is an overwhelming track, meandering between shoegaze and straightforward pop music. But the composition of Secret is so dense and tight that it washes over your mind like a big wave. Never has drowning felt more liberating.
Don't Kill The BeastBandcamp New & Notable Mar 11, 2022
Curses – Miriam
On Friday, Berlin-based Curses dropped their latest album, Incarnadine. Their blend of post-punk, new wave, and goth rock is a guarantee for every underground gothic dancefloor. The record's opening track, Miriam, is a blueprint genre track. There's a prominent lineage to The Sisters of Mercy in this song. However, I recommend you listen to the entire record and discover the musical blend with EBM.
Genius Voice
Edition #43 features the latest tracks by Jacob Banks, Violence, Bryde, Ezra Furman, and Love Good Fails.
Honestly, it was quite difficult to do the Weekly5. Not because there were too few good songs, quite the contrary actually, but because of the current state of the world.
Stumbling out of pandemic-enforced isolation, we're hoping for some long-needed normality. But now, an open war in Ukraine and the recently published IPCC report on climate change draw an even darker picture. All while the sun shines bright and warm in Switzerland, announcing the first ambassadors of spring. It feels quite disconnected.
Nevertheless, doom-scrolling the news doesn't help us nor the ones affected. So I hope that today's Weekly5—filled with beautiful and genius voices, songwriting, and sounds—may give you a moment of escape and calm.
Best,
Jacob Banks – Just When I Thought
I vividly remember the very first gig by Jacob Banks in Switzerland. The Mascotte club in Zurich was completely sold out, the queue went around the block. This was almost five years ago.
With his EP The Boy Who Cried Freedom and its hit single Chainsmoking, the British artist became an instant phenomenon. Unknown (To You), an insanely sad ballad, cemented Banks reputation.
Just when I thought you were ready for me
Kingdoms of the heavens falling
Just when I thought you were ready for me
Thunder and rain is pouring
Now, the man with the voice of a god is back with a new song, Just When I Thought. It's a single that, like Chainsmoking, combines a contemporary sound with the original soul. It slowly drags, synths uncomfortably buzzing in the background.
But just after half of its runtime, Just When I Thought changes gear dramatically, morphing into a warm gospel song. The contrast is shocking, but it works surprisingly well. And listening to Banks' voice is simply pure pleasure.
Violence – Honey
The post-punk revival is getting stronger with every release. Fresh bands like Grundeis or VLURE bring this short sonic era back to the present. Part of this new movement in musical darkness and melancholy are Kopenhagen's Violence.
Jazz Futurism
Edition #42 with songs by Binker and Moses, Vitalic, Ikarus, HVOB, and Dolphin Love.
It was obvious that this week will be a challenge to curate as many songs, albums and EPs were bound to be released. But I couldn't imagine that I could actually fill up the Weekly5 three times over without cutting corners.
However, I reminded myself of the Weekly5 values—especially diversity—to select five tracks. So artists that were previously featured had to fall short this time.
Nevertheless, I can highly recommend The Angel, the latest single by London's upcoming songwriter Louis Dunford. And you should definitely check out The Dream of Reason, the brilliant debut by ZUSTRA, and Fishbach's long-awaited sophomore record Avec les yeux.
Moving to today's recommendations: It's a constant contrast, a back and forth between avant-garde, jazz, ambient and deep, futuristic beats. Flowing lines and hammering bass, ornate capers and ecstatic hooks.
Enjoy,
Binker and Moses – Accelerometer Overdose
Binker and Moses are rising stars in London's vibrant jazz scene, turning heads and captivating ears with their colourful free jazz filled with culturally diverse influences. Feeding The Machine is the third record by Binker Golding and Moses Boyd, who got support from Max Luthert to create the stunning soundscapes.
reLISTEN #3: Songs against War
In this edition of reLISTEN, I recommend four relatively unknown songs against war and one of the all-time classics.
On Thursday morning, the world woke up in shock as we learned that Russia had started to invade Ukraine. It's still hard to process that there's again open war in Europe.
But it's even more challenging; no, it's impossible to comprehend what the people go through right now. The fear, the despair, the pain, the bleakness, the violence.
The news left me stunned, angry, helpless, and worried about local people I know.
In these incredible times, I again turn to songs that channel my emotions into a cathartic experience. To the lyrics that express my anger, frustration, and hope.
In this edition of reLISTEN, I recommend four relatively unknown anti-war songs and one of the all-time classics, hoping that they might work for you too.
And since the songs best speak for themselves, I don't write the usual review but mostly quote the impactful lines in the lyrics.
💙💛
The Beauty of Gemina – King's Men Come
The Beauty of Gemina's King's Men Come is a dark and desperate hymn, a bleak march in the beginning that merges into a heartbreaking plea.
And all the men die
All these king’s men come
And all the men die
All this king’s men come
When you’re blind to see they’re tired
To die in battle
Then you want me to forget
The Beauty of GeminaZoë
Groovy
Edition #41 with tracks by Moderat, Future Islands, Pauls Jets, Alas The Sun, and the White Lies.
This week's episode was a bit of a struggle. I had trouble finding five tracks I deemed worthy of our attention, mainly because I received mostly promotional emails talking about releases that are weeks or even months away.
However, I think so far that we might be in for a couple of excellent records in the near future.
With that said, today's curation has some sort of a groovy vibe. But what does groove actually mean? Wikipedia states: "In music, the groove is the sense of an effect ('feel') of changing pattern in a propulsive rhythm or sense of swing."
If we agree on this (still quite vague) description, we can conclude that any genre can feel groovy. And obviously, the Weekly5 again offers you an array of different musical styles—from otherworldly electronic sounds to galloping indie tunes.
Enjoy,
Moderat – FAST LAND
You don't have to be an underground electronica nerd to know who Moderat are. The supergroup of Apparat and Modeselektor is about to release a new record, MORE D4TA (Preorder link below).
The single FAST TRACK not only comes with a visually stunning video clip but already proves to be a visceral opener for the upcoming album. Buzzing synthesizers meander to a slow-paced beat as if Moderat don't dare to drag you in too quickly into their captivating universe.
Moderatseattlemeows
Future Islands – King of Sweden
I first fell for the Future Island when I heard their song Ran from The Far Field (2017). And with last year's single release, Peach, the honeymoon phase got a revival.
reLISTEN #2: Dark Times
An exploration of stylistic approaches to the gloomy ambience.
Welcome, dear members, to the second edition of reLISTEN—the format that recommends five older songs you might enjoy.
Today's recommendations roam on the fringes of sombre sonic realms. Although the five songs don't share the same genre, they transport a certain obscure, sometimes even spooky, atmosphere.
I occasionally find joy in so-called "happy songs"; however, I find myself more often drawn to darker themes and sounds. It's hard to pinpoint the reasons. Maybe music, to me, acts as a counterbalance to a society that frowns upon negative emotions like sadness, fear, pain, loneliness, or heartbreak.
I wouldn't necessarily state that hard times create better art. But the depth of emotions, the human soul, and its vulnerability seems to give artists more opportunities to explore and express themselves.
And honestly, there's simply not much to relate to in the hundredth song about sex, drugs, and parties.
With that being said, today's edition won't render you depressive either. Instead, it's a comprehensive exploration of stylistic approaches to the gloomy ambience, yet there are still peaks of excitement and excess.
You'll encounter soaring guitars, restless rhythms, cinematic experiences, and epic storytelling.
I hope this edition will leave you inspired and intrigued.
Safari Riot – Where Is My Mind
Pixies' Where Is My Mind wasn't exactly prone to become a significant alternative hit. But the song became a phenomenon with its inclusion in the movie Fight Club. Since then, it sparked a couple of cover versions—like the piano rendition by Maxence Cyrin.
However, the most haunting version was done by Safari Riot, a Los Angeles-based artist development company. Co-founder Grayson Sanders delivers the lyrics. The cinematic drama in Safari Riot's performance is no coincidence, as the song was used in the trailer for the video game Dying Light 2.
Safari Riot transforms the original's alternative rock vibe into a dystopian, post-apocalyptic storm. It's simultaneously atmospheric, almost ambient-like, and rampaging with its rumbling techno beat. But there's nothing straightforward about this rendition. Instead, it's chopped up, stops and starts, again and again, constantly changing pace and ambience.
Fresh Start
Weekly5 switches to Ghost. Here's why and what you need to know right now.
As a journalist, who has gone product manager, I know that there's just one certainty: Change is the new constant. What's true for my daily work once again proves to be valid for my side-project as well.
After initially starting on Revue, I moved to Substack in early 2021 as a platform to publish and distribute the Weekly5 newsletter. Substack provided exciting features that I was eager to incorporate into my service.
However, there's also a fair share of controversy around Substack. They pay high-profile writers directly, some of them with questionable views. The platform has the same problem as Spotify, as demonstrated by the Joe Rogan debate: As soon as you pay content creators, you become a publisher, which comes with new responsibilities.
Now, I never explicitly explained the business model of Substack. They take 10% of every paid subscription on the platform. For those, who support the Weekly5 with a membership, this means: $5.5 of your yearly payment goes to Substack.
With that said, I don't have an issue with Substack taking their fair share (some might argue the percentage is too high), but I struggle more with their handling of the controversies. Substack, nonetheless, remains an intriguing product.
The Case For Ghost
Nonetheless, it's not what annoys me about Substack, but what excites me about Ghost as a new platform for this newsletter.
First, Ghost aligns perfectly with Weekly5's values. It's an open-source project driven by a non-profit community. It's even possible to host the service yourself; however, I'm not educated well enough to achieve this at the moment.
Second, Ghost's business model is based on regular payments by the creators. So I now pay a yearly fee of $108 to use the hosted service, but I can keep the total amount charged for the membership.
Third, the whole user experience and design are, in my opinion, way better—also from a creator-perspective.
What does it mean for you?
Short answer: Nothing.
If you're a free subscriber to the newsletter, you'll continue to receive five new songs each Sunday. But please consider becoming a member and supporting the Weekly5.
With a membership, you keep this platform ad-free and independent. And you'll get full access to the archive and receive special formats like reLISTEN.
In celebration of the switch to Ghost, you can get 20% off of your yearly membership. Take this opportunity today:
If you are already a paying member: Your subscription continues frictionlessly. You can check out your profile here. Just log in with the email address you're using for your existing subscription.
If you need any assistance or have any questions, please reach out to me.
There are still some tasks remaining. Most importantly, I need to work together with the support team of Ghost to import the previous Weekly5 editions and specials into the new environment. And as always, with a migration, things will pop up here and there. Thanks in advance for your patience.
