words: Paulo Carmona (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro) photos: Vítor Neves
Modern Nature performed as a trio, with Jack Cooper on vocals and guitar, Jim Wallis on drums, and Tara Cunningham on guitar and vocals. And for anyone who thinks a band operating within alternative rock / indie pop rock, in contemplative, nostalgic worlds and a slow-motion cadence, might deliver monotonous or dull concerts, they are completely mistaken.
Modern Nature are an excellent example of the opposite. With simple lines, without any kind of embellishing effects on the instruments, and an almost static stage presence, they gain in subtlety, in melodic richness, in soft worlds and warm breezes. The voices of Jack and Tara complement each other perfectly and draw us into a sweet, comforting calm, almost hypnotic. The drumming of Jim Wallis is magnificent, always exactly where it needs to be, carrying the melodies like a cradle rocked by maternal, steady hands.
They came to present their most recent work, The Heat Warps, and of course a range of tracks representative of their essence. From Pharaoh, Things, and Radio, with which they opened, through Jetty, Performance, Liverpool, and December, they maintained the audience in perfect alignment, with masterful control and a shared sense of sonic richness and delight.
After a demanding and intense week, it was exactly what I needed to reconnect with the universe, serenely.
My radio show Amazing Songs & Other Delights that airs every other Monday, 3-4pm (London time) on Yé Yé Radio: yeyeradio.com (or on the app). Amazing Songs & Other Delights #84 – The It Resonates edition can now be listened to on mixcloud.
You can read more about Amazing Songs & Other Delights #84 – The It Resonates edition here.
From Monday October 6 onwards Amazing Songs & Other Delights new editions are every 1st and 3rd Monday of each month, repeats every 2nd and 4th Monday of each month. The hour remains the same: 3-4pm (London time).
Tracklist: 01: Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson – Resilience 02: Liz Hogg – Curl 03: The Divine Comedy – Invisible Thread 04: Ned Swarbrick – When The Wind Blows (Live at City Varieties Music Hall) 05: Trademark Issues – Song for a Non-Touring Band 06: Massimo Silverio – Zoja 07: Tulpa – Let’s Make A Tulpa! 08: Miguel Feraso Cabral – Cenografia 09: Swimming Pools And Movie Stars – Never Let Go 10: The Cords – When You Said Goodbye 11: Noiserv – A casa das rodas quadradas feat. Milhanas 12: Glo-Worm – Change of Heart 13: Holly Golightly – Miss Fortune 14: Senhor Vulcão feat The Legendary Tiger Man – Rock N Roll 15: AVTT/MPTN – The Avett Brothers · Mike Patton – Eternal Love 16: Glyders – Shadow Stone 17: Anthony Moore – No Parlez 18: Hidrogenesse – A la Muerte 19: Umlaut – Grumpy Library
My radio show Amazing Songs & Other Delights turned. The 4th anniversary edition airs Monday 14th, 3-4:10pm (gmt+1) on Yé Yé Radio: yeyeradio.com (or on the app).
This year, the anniversary programme is a little different than usual. Trials and tribulations didn’t allow for the several costumary purpose composed pieces, aside from mine and Francisco Silva’s Lucid One. The lyrics of Lucid One have my poem 80 as starting point, adapted to song by Francisco’s chatgpt, then, on a second round of singing the song, by him. It was a very interesting creative experience.
My Loss and December: Death, Sérgio Rocha’s Seclusões (excerpt), digei de bairro’s MG B GT (pre-master), Ned Swarbrick’s Mr. O’Brien (mix 1.1), João Diogo Zagalo’ Lotar n.º 4 and Boxmonsters’ Holligans and Car Crash fall under that umbrella.
I picked two songs composed on purpose for previous anniversary editions. Mine and Francisco’s When Joe Came By, from the 1st anniversary edition, and Sweet Peace, by Bill Rivers and I, from last year’s anniversary show, here on Oh Bobby (Bill Rivers & Simon Wayward) version, from their album Swim The Universe.
There’s the usual assortment of songs, another round of surprises, picked for me by a few friends.
Because the songs represent me, because I may like them… Because…
Manuel Carvalho picked The Pixies’ Hey; António Cunha Suki Waterhouse’s Supersad, Paulo Navarro caroline’sTell Me I Never New That (feat. Caroline Polachek), Matt Hutchison Lyn Collins’ Think (About It) and Rui Pimenta Why Don’t You Stay by American Music Club.
As for both Francisco’s instrumental acoustic version of The Asphalt World and my soft instrumental electric stripped down version of The Asphalt World. Francisco thought it a odd choice for me to plays as far as Suede’s covers go, and sent me an impromptu short version of it.
At 0:55 it’s most likely the world’s shortest version of The Asphalt World. Mine runs past 10 minutes. It’s a one go, raw, unfiltered, no effects, aside from a little vibrato arm, and my micro jack amp distortion, no solos, also impromptu, played on a kitchen bench, purely for the joy of it version. Most of what seems effects, it’s my fretting fingers.
Lucid One lyrics Sleepless nights, stuck in motion Elevators fade, no clear emotion Crex crex crex — the artach calls Lucid tiles in echo halls
The megaphone speaks, louder than books Slogans win where no one looks Moral weight too hard to lift We float inside this aimless drift
The empire of futility Masqueraded as ability Symbols fail, the noise gets loud We vanish slowly in the crowd
Resperidone, the new tea brew
Quiet minds in static view Fork in the road, by the sea we stand Bathymetry traced in soul and sand
Invisible paths, the labyrinth sings We mistook noise for gravity’s rings You want the house still, free of harm But the woman bangs the pots — her charm
The empire of futility Attired in nobility Mirrors turn, the spiral grows Stagnant waters, no one knows (Francisco Silva & Raquel Pinheiro)
Poem #80 poem 80 sleepless nights, stuck perpetual movement fading through the elevator crex crex crex crex makes the artach hearth and home lucid tiles echoing the megaphone is easier than read serious books slogans are easier than moral inventory. the empire of futility disguised as art, intellectualism the sound mirrors, a spiral a stagnant pool of nothingness resperidone, the new chamomile there’s a road with a fork for you and me by the sea bathymetry of the soul invisible pathways labyrinth, the song mistaken noise for gravity symbols for substance brought us here you want the house quiet but a woman bangs the pots monks don’t worry about money terror dreams, rage somatic overload the lucid one in a house of somnambulists fog can’t be fought, what it erases is watched don’t go back to sleep the messiness of desire recycle, renewal, redemption like a benediction all the plants are watered (Raquel Pinheiro)
Tracklist: 01: Francisco Silva & Raquel Pinheiro – When Joe Came By 02: Raquel Pinheiro – Loss 03: Pixies – Hey (Manuel Carvalho) 04: Sérgio Rocha – Seclusões (excerpt) 05: Francisco Silva & Raquel Pinheiro – Lucid One 06: digei de bairro – MG B GT (pre-master) 07: Suki Waterhouse – Supersad (António Cunha) 08: Boxmonsters – Holligans 09: Francisco Silva – The Asphalt World (acoustic excerpt) 10: Talking Heads – Burning Down the House (Raquel Pinheiro) 11: caroline – Tell Me I Never New That feat. Caroline Polachek (Paulo Navarro) 12: Raquel Pinheiro – The Asphalt World 13: Oh Bobby – Sweet Peace – (*) 14: Lyn Collins – Think (About It) (Matt Hutchison) 15: Ned Swarbrick – Mr. O’Brien (mix 1.1) 16: João Diogo Zagalo – Lotar n.º 4 17: Boxmonsters – Car Crash 18: Raquel Pinheiro – December: Death 19: American Music Club – Why Don’t You Stay (Rui Pimenta)
Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida, Strolling along the Seashore (1909)
My radio show Amazing Songs & Other Delights #82 – The It’s Summer edition airs Monday 30th, 3-4pm (gmt+1) on Yé Yé Radio: till yeyeradio.com (or on the app).
As the name says, it’s summer. Therefore, let’s celebrate it. Nearly all the songs, from Franz Ferdinand – Build It Up ft. Johnny Marr to Sydney Minsky Sargeant – I Dont Wanna have just been released or are recent.
There are two indie oldies, The Durutti Collumn’s Sketch For A Summer and The Go-Betweens’ Two Heads. As tends to be the case with my shows, indie and mainstream go hand in hand, although here there are several pop breezy indie alternative songs. But Harry Styles and Laufey pair with Jeanines or April March. There’s an acoustic guitar instrumental, AL Guitar Duo – Reencontro (feat. Pedro Jóia), and the customary Mamas & the Papas classic California Dreamin’, here in covered by The Rebels.
Tracklist: 01: Franz Ferdinand – Build It Up ft. Johnny Marr 02: Cass McCombs – Peace 03: Robert Robertson – Broken Arrow 04: Harry Styles – Watermelon Sugar 05: Pressyes – The Sunlighttt 06: The Durutti Collumn – Sketch For A Summer 07: Jeanines – Coaxed A Storm 08: AL Guitar Duo – Reencontro (feat. Pedro Jóia) 09: Panda Bear – Virginia Tech 10: The Go-Betweens – Two Heads 11: Laufey – Lover Girl 12: The Rebels – California Dreamin’ 13: Weezer – Island In The Sun 14: Lightheaded – The Garden 15: James Yorkston – Love Luck (feat. Johanna Söderberg) 16 – Forth Wanderers – Bluff 17: Swansea Sound – Pacior’Fan 18: Sydney Minsky Sargeant – I Dont Wanna 19 – April March – Laisse Tomber Les Filles
Mondo Bizarre Magazine 