Tag Archives: 1960’s

01.24.21
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Georgie Weston – Never Be That Age Again

I barely remember my teenage years. I look back at crumpled photos of myself and don’t really recognise the person looking out at me. But I do recall that I was an intense sort and hopelessly romantic. I thought that every relationship I entered into would be my last. I’d make mixtapes of my favourite songs to send to future (I hoped) lovers. And I had an obsession over listening to new music, something that was much harder to do in the 1980’s than it is now. Some things don’t change.

I’d see a girl waiting by a bus-stop and before even knowing her name, I’d declare that I was in love. Naive and foolish, I’d predict an uncluttered future for us before we’d even spoken. The memory appears in my mind now as sepia-tinged. I’ll never be that age again. 

 

Georgie Weston, a man much, much younger than I, has written a song that stirs up all of those teenage emotions again. In his version of ‘Never Be That Age Again’, Georgie dives headfirst into a ‘melancholic journey about a romance with no destination’. The parting couple in this song are embarking on their own lives with a tearful ‘if only, what if’ reflection. The fact that Georgie knows that he’ll never be that age again despite his tender years bodes well for his own future. It took me decades to work out.

There’s a wonderful retro feel to this song. Georgie has adapted his name in homage to his Great Grandfather, who was an accomplished classical jazz pianist from London back in the 30’s. He cites the influence of Bacharach, Gershwin, vintage McCartney and Gilbert O’Sullivan (who frequently made the cut in those mixtapes of mine) in his press release with good reason. But to suggest that this is rooted firmly in the past would be ignoring the dreamy haze that’s been created in the production, ‘the spacey sonic landscape that forecasts the shape of indie to come’, as Georgie puts it.

The video adds to that combined and conflicting sense of loss and opportunity. For a bit of light relief (it made me smile anyway), look out for the bit in which Georgie is standing over the canal holding his vintage keyboard awkwardly in his arms. It’s a ‘You’ve Been Framed’ moment waiting to happen, right? Perhaps that’s just the way why mind works. 

Who needs Steve Wright on a Sunday morning when you have Sonic Breakfast? 

12.10.20
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Iraini Mancini – Shotgun

I had a dream. We were younger and playful and driving across France. We’d just stolen some broccoli from the village stores simply because we could. We had the cents to pay for our veg but the dithering fool behind the counter tested our patience to the limit. And so we drove off in our 2CV, with not a care in the world. 

The car radio startled into a crackle and a song came out. It was Iraini Mancini’s Shotgun. I queried in my head how this could be – the song only came out two months ago and yet this dreamscape was from years ago, nay decades. I still had a full head of hair and you were full of smiles. 

I didn’t let the incongruity have time to settle. We were happier than you could imagine now, giggling more than we ever thought possible. We were young, crazy and in love and being accompanied by the most appropriate soundtrack. This was bliss.

And then I woke. 

 

Iraina Mancini is the epitome of cool; of that there can be no doubt.  An expert in Northern Soul, Funk, Vintage R&B, Ska and Garage Rock, she’s exactly the sort of person you’d want at your parties. She might spin some records whilst there or introduce you to her well-connected friends. She’d undoubtedly provide the street cred.

She’s always made music but she’s now turned her attention to her solo career. And on the evidence of Shotgun this is the stuff that Sonic Breakfast’s dreams are made of (see what I did there?). This is deliciously laced 60s French Pop; Serge Gainsbourg influenced-music for the 2020s.

It’s carefree and seductive; a chance for all of us to jump into our own road movie and to pay no regard to the consequence. We’re on the run and leaving it all behind.

Shotgun is a shot of fun. We need this now more than ever. 

 

https://youtu.be/33J08L8T4SE

11.15.16
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The Molochs – No More Cryin’

This one very nearly slipped past me. I try my hardest to listen to most things that are sent into my inbox but sometimes have to admit noble defeat. There are not enough hours in the day when you’ve also got a busy day job and a life. 

I am sure that there are some works of absolute genius lingering there unread from the summer months. Festivals (and the subsequent reviews) become my priority. Sonic Breakfast starts to fester despite the occasional flurry. 

News of a video from The Molochs arrived a couple of weeks ago. I’ve no real excuse for not seeing it except I was grumpy with cold and stretched at work. I wish I had watched it then for it would have given me a smiley boost.

When I was a boy, I used to adore watching repeat episodes of ‘The Monkees’ on Saturday morning TV. They might have only been from the decade before but the vintage gloss and sense that they were relics from a different era definitely shone through. I liked the energy, the sense of collective community and the general quirkiness on offer. It somehow made sense.

In many ways, watching this video to No More Cryin’, the Molochs first release from an album that’s being released next year has a similar affect on me. Lucas Fitzsimons from the band observes that “shot in super 16, we wanted a classic look that moved into something more modern — there is no story, plot, or angle — the main objective was to shoot something that looked beautiful while maintaining an earthy fidelity.” 

But, it’d be missing the point to think that The Molochs are little more than a retro nod to times past.  The Molochs are taking the past apart, not trying to recreate it. Aware of their history and place in things, this is a story of hard work, of fighting against every challenge that comes your way and of reminiscing to move forward. I think you’ll enjoy.