Wings of Desire: Your Twenties

English indie duo Wings of Desire have made a song about what should be the best time humans will experience during their lifes: Your Twenties. Suffice to say to say that they are not so sure about that. Chloe Little and James Taylor have a lot of questions and no definite answers, but they ended up with a wall-to-wall sounding dreampop banger about heartbreak, loss and regret.

Vacance: Après la pluie

French synth New Wave trio Vacance are still stuck in the 80s on their new album Après la pluie, using electronic pop as a colourful band-aid for dealing with the undeniable fact that they are getting older. Ideals have taken a beating from disillusions, and every day hassles have gotten in the way. Yes, they are looking back at times when life seemed less complicated, with the upbeat 17 ans as the prime example, but they also have an open mind about what lies ahead at this stage of their lifes.

OMD and to a lesser extent Depeche Mode are still the cornerstones of their music, with a seasoning of 60s French pop. Their melancholia is wrapped in comfy layers of analog synths. Allison Treutenaere, Laurent Billy and Michaël Korchia are fully confident that the rain will pass and make way for the sun again. If anything, music will always be there for them.

Labasheeda: rescheduled instant crowdfunding show in Amsterdam

Amsterdam based art-rock band Labasheeda had to reschedule their special instant crowdfunding show at Zaal 100 in their hometown on May 16 for their new album. The venue was unusuable after some serious water damage. New date: June 6. Expect many guest players and a VJ. They will perforem two sets and the album can be purchased right there and then.

Words about music (836): Nick Mason

I've always liked a very dry snare and, like everyone else, a very dry bass drum.

Nick Mason

Rob Clarke: Opiope

Liverpudlian musician Rob Clarke keeps melodic pop music alive on his new album Opiope, ten songs that are both fresh and timeless. Backed by his mates from The Wooltones he leads the listener through early rock 'n' roll, 60s psychedelic pop and 80s indie, always keeping a firm grip with one hand on the steering wheel and pointing the other one to the subjects he is singing about. Generally speaking life has been treating him not that bad, with some serious bumps along the way, giving him the inspiration and lyrical depth to write songs that dig deep, even when he sings about a very mundane thing like having lunch and shuffling papers (At The Office).

Clarke is a craftsman, with a pretty good ear for harmonies plus the knowledge when a song needs a full-blown arrangement (Everything That's Good) or a stripped down approach - he turned down his voice to a whisper for the album's title track. It was a good choice to end the album with a cover, Fran Ashcroft's Blue Over You, to alert listeners to the fact that he is not the only current Scouser who can spin an ace tune.