Welcome to Friday, and today we will introduce you to music from the soul in places you might not expect it.  A couple of lost boys in England who play music without traditional rules, an Aussie who hit England and the U.S. at various times with various musical groups, only to wind up the poet of more than one generation.  We finish with a few NYC boys who took what they loved and turned it into music and art, refusing to accept that it belonged to any genre or audience.  These artists create with enormous hearts and deep souls.  Listen Up!

-

Here is a With A Shout Hot Take; Johnny Marr was as good in The The as he was in The Smiths… BOOM⁉️ Marr is credited as the guitarist on the third and fourth albums, Mind Bomb and Dusk; even watching Marr play live on YouTube songs like Uncertain Smile and Mercy Street shows why he is a perfect fit for Matt Johnson's music experiment. Like many artists we listened to in the 80s, most were on cassette tapes, we stole from our friends. The The was one of those bands, and they first hit our radar in the mid-80s with Infected. This was a more brutal club punk sound than earlier recordings, but when you found a group you liked, you went backward in the catalog. The album behind Infected was called Soul Mining, and it was a different vibe; Infected was taking advantage of the early digital age and expanded on the synth + drum machine sound that was on the way. Soul Mining used synth but combined it with incredible guitars, piano, and vocals - think Joe Jackson's Look Sharp and The Clash's London Calling - mashed up by an angry DJ with a soft voice.

Add Johnny Marr to that mix, and you could re-release 1988's Mind Bomb again today, and it wouldn't surprise anyone who had yet to hear the original that it came out in 2023. In this YouTube clip, Johnny Marr and Matt Johnson talk about music and how they made it in the 80s. Johnson talks about how much fun it was to make those records and what the theme of some of his most iconic songs meant. The song Uncertain Smile is a masterclass in alternative music. It is a song about unrequited love, where one person feels it but doesn't know if the other person knows it. Instead of a song that spells it out, Johnson sings with the soul of a blues singer and says," Uncertain emotions force an uncertain smile."  

All our favorite songs start to paint a picture, but the lyrics never over-impose a message, only an idea you can take like a horoscope in whatever direction you want.  Don't tell me you love me; sing me a song that sets up my confusion, apprehension, and nervous energy, and let me take it along with the melody wherever I want it to go.

7 minutes of good cheer every day. Become a Fan to get daily posts and updates.

A frequent highlight on With A Shout is Nick Cave and today, NME does a deep dive into the latest from Cave.  It's a good article and goes into where Cave has been and where he's going.  Two things that popped up for us were Cave's feelings about being wrong and how music can be the best of us.

Listening is your outlet if you are comfortable in your skin and have a genuine desire to learn and grow.  How can you ever get to where you want to go if you don't admit mistakes and move forward with better knowledge.  For some of us, admitting you were wrong removes a burden, lightens our load, and allows growth.  Who wouldn't want that?  Those who refuse to admit they are wrong or accept responsibility live in constant misery.  Arguing is dialogue, and no one leaves a conversation better off.  It's a hallucination, lose it and grow.

We have written about our own stance; we believe at our core that music can save the world.  Cave is similar since he believes music can be the best of us.  He takes it further and wants his music to have a positive impact on people he may disagree with.  No one asks what faith or political party you affiliate with when you enter a concert. 

Nick Cave – The Red Hand Files

To break up the music festival and before we get back to the music, here is a dreamy article about a house built in the middle of a forest.  The forest is actually growing through the house.  An extreme tree house.  An excellent place to write music!

Mental Floss gives us an excellent write-up on our favorite Beastie Trio.  20 Crafty Facts About Beastie Boys is a mix of well-known facts and a few surprising notes about the boys from NYC.  Read the entertaining article by Todd Gilchrist, and you will find out who Nathanial Hornblower is and which Spike Jonze-directed music video by the Beastie Boys is considered one of the best music videos of all time.  Much more from ‘Boys Entering Anarchistic States Towards Inner Excellence.' 

Nice cover.

Click on the Apple Music image to listen to the song on Apple Music or on the Spotify Image to listen to Spotify.

-

Thank you for spending a few minutes with us. Here’s one for the road!

With A Shout newsletter is written by Johnny Christian with the support of a thousand idea bits and the help of many people.

7 minutes of good cheer every day. Become a Fan to get daily posts and updates.

O/X