Best of What’s New

This week’s installment of my recurring new music feature presents another combination of younger and older artists. I’ve kept it to four tunes. There’s some folk, jazz, space rock and indie pop. Let’s get to it!

David Gilmour/Yes, I Have Ghosts

At first, I was a bit lukewarm about David Gilmour’s new single, which appeared on July 3. I really dig him as a guitarist and think his solo in Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb is one of the most epic rock guitar solos I know. To be clear, Yes, I Have Ghosts is no Comfortably Numb; but the more often I listen to it, the more I like this tune. The lyrics were written by Gilmour’s wife and long time collaborator, English novelist, lyricist and journalist Polly Samson. Gilmour composed the music, which to me is pretty obvious, based on the chord changes. The track was inspired by Samson’s the new novel A Theatre for Dreamers. Interestingly, the song features Gilmour’s 18-year-old daughter Romany on harmony vocals and harp. While that had not been his initial plan and he ended up working with her because of the COVID-19 lockdown, I think the two of them really sound great together. This largely explains why I dig Yes, I Have Ghosts. There is also beautiful violin work by John McCusker. As reported by Rolling Stone, Gilmour’s single is his first new song in five years. Perhaps the beginning of another solo album? Who knows… Meanwhile, I’d be curious how you feel about this tune. Perhaps, give it more than one listen.

Aaron Parks/Solace

According to his website, Aaron Parks is a forward-thinking jazz musician who came to the public’s attention during his time with trumpeter Terence Blanchard. Born in Seattle, Washington, Parks began playing piano at a young age and by the time he was 14 had enrolled in an early entrance degree program at the University of Washington. Originally, Parks pursued both science and music degrees; however, his prodigious talent won out and by age 16 he had transferred to the Manhattan School of Music. While there, he studied with noted pianist Kenny Barron…At age 18 he joined Blanchard’s ensemble and subsequently recorded four albums with the veteran trumpeter…Besides playing with Blanchard, Parks has performed with a variety of artists including trumpeter Christian Scott, drummer Kendrick Scott, vocalist Gretchen Parlato, and others. In 1999, Parks released his debut album The Promise as a band leader. Solace, composed by him, is a relaxing instrumental from his most recent album Little Big II: Dreams of a Mechanical Man, which appeared on May 8. It has a bit of a late night bar background music flair.

Hawklords/Aerospaceage Inferno

Going from a relaxing jazz instrumental to a full-blown space rock attack may be a bit of a leap, but why not? Hawklords initially were formed in 1978 as a spin-off from Hawkwind, a British space rock band fellow blogger Vinyl Connections featured in a recent post. Hawklords’ former Hawkwind members were Robert Calvert (vocals), Dave Brock (guitar) and Simon King (drums), who teamed up with Harvey Bainbridge (bass), Martin Griffin (drums) and Steve Swindells (keyboards). The first active phase of Hawklords only lasted until 1979. In 2008, a new version of the band emerged around Bainbridge, together with Dave Pearce (drums), Jerry Richards (guitar, keyboards), Tom Ashurst (bass) and ex-Hawkwind vocalist Ron Tree. Aerospaceage Inferno is from the band’s latest album Hawklords Alive released on May 29. Written by Calvert, the tune first appeared on his second solo album Lucky Leif and the Longships from September 1975. Calvert died from a heart attack in August 1988 at the age of 43. As reported by Louder, Hawklords’ new live album was recorded during a concert at Live Rooms in Chester, England in May 2019 during the band’s Hawklords Generations Tour.

Alice Phoebe Lou/Touch

Alice Phoebe Lou is a soon-to-be 27-year-old singer-songwriter hailing from Kommetjie, South Africa. According to her website, Lou grew up on a mountainside in South Africa, attending a local Waldorf school that cultivated her innate love of music and the arts. She made her first visit to Europe at 16, a life-changing journey that first saw her taking her songs to the streets. Lou returned home to finish school but as soon as she was able made her way back to Europe, specifically Berlin. Armed with just her guitar, a small amp, a passel of distinctive original songs, and an utterly intoxicating voice and charm, she soon built a devoted fan following, not just in Berlin but around the world as tourists and passers-by from faraway places were so captivated by her music that they began sharing it amongst friends and social media. Lou self-released her debut EP, MOMENTUM, in 2014, followed two years later by her acclaimed first full-length, ORBIT. She has since released two additional albums and two EPs. Touch is Lou’s new single, which I don’t believe is associated with an album (yet).

Sources: Wikipedia; Rolling Stone; Aaron Parks website; Louder; Alice Phoebe Lou website; YouTube