Michael Whittle: Lie To Me So I Will Be Alright

Composer Michael Whittle gets away from his day job writing scores for commercials and movies with the desolate single Lie To Me So I Will Be Alright. Since the 'net connected everything it had also a nasty side-effect. No, not the rampant rise of fake news and providing a platform for people with too much time on their hands "doing their own research". It is easy to feel terribly lonesome and lost in the digital age and Whittle latched upon a conspiracy foil, the Dead Internet theory, for a morose shoegaze exercise that could be mistaken for a long lost '90s indie classic.

John Watts: "The Worker" solo acoustic 2 Meter Session

Watch John Watts perform a solo acoustic rendition of The Worker for Dutch show 2 Meter Sessies. He is part of the line-up of a show @ Bostheater in Ommen on August 29, sharing the bill with The Prodigal Sons. He takes his New Wave band Fischer-Z on tour again in the Fall to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

Trash Kickers: Way Out, Somehow

Way Out, Somehow is a no frills rock album from Chicago courtesy of Trash Kickers, a quartet peddling the kind of music that scratches the itch to break out the guitar and buying your friends another round of beer. Their message is plain and simple: fall in love, get into some kind of trouble, laugh and cry, but never forget the most important thing: have fun.

In the dark ages of streaming playing a proper intro is frowned upon, because artists are supposed to start singing right off the bat or, failing that, within the first 30 seconds. Otherwise limited attention span listeners will have already moved on. Is that a bad thing? No, because the people who actually listen are still there (and are also more likely to actually buy something). These guys don't give a fuck, but pull the listener in at a leisurely pace, sometimes even with a single instrument leading the way. It's old school, it's not hip and happening, but it's filled with swagger and licks galore.

Maryscoovy: Bizarre Cast of Characters

photo: Kim Schotanus

Between 2022 and 2025 Frysian psych-punk garage Maryscoovy had the opportunity to mess around and play really fucking loud @ Dee Nijverheid in De Westereen, an "anti-squat" building they themselves lovingly referred to as The Rathaus. It was an oasis for creativity and lots of live music. The quartet honed their craft to create a bunch of super tight high energy songs and the cream of the crop is now available on their debut album Bizarre Cast of Characters, aimed all the folks who don't fit in (and most likely don't want to).

Despite flying the garage flag, the band goes way beyond the limitation of "one two three four" rock songs. Things get weird in a good way and there is plenty to enjoy for fans of Pere Ubu, Pixies, and even the doyen of smart tongue-in-cheek avant-garde, Frank Zappa.

The Wedding Present: live @ Hidden Hall in Seattle video

Watch English indie band The Wedding Present perform an afternoon set @ Hidden Hall in Seattle on April 24 as part of their North American tour. The show was filmed by independent radio station KEXP.