Sunday, March 23, 2025

Secret Sounds - An Epitaph


I've been meaning to blog about Dutch new wave band Secret Sounds for a while, and recently I found out that Wilmer Wolf, lead singer and songwriter, passed away almost a year ago in May 2024. I first discovered the band in a very roundabout way which is par for the course if you are passionate about music that is outside the mainstream. 

I was in Jersey, Channel Islands, for a weekend in 2022 and got to spend about an hour in a record shop in St Helier. At that time I was very interested in collecting local music so I picked a few albums, and also found they had a decent selection of more unusual 80's singles so I also bought a handful of those.

One of the singles was called "Love And I" by the curiously named Jeanny's Wild Obsession. Without looking too closely it looked like a stereotypical single from maybe 1987 or 1988. However, when I researched the single back at home and got ready to make a digital archive recording, I found that it was actually from 1993 and had Dutch origins. Not a big deal maybe but when you collect singles from certain countries and years little things can matter, more than they should. Moreover I didn't really like the song on first hearing so I left it alone and did not think about it too much.

But then, because I did not label my recording, it kept popping up on my thumb drive and I would have to play it to remember what it was. After the second or third time I found more to like and got interested. I found out that the singer was Angeline Bonette and when I googled her I found a YouTube video from 2014. After a bit of confusion I understood that this was a one-off reunion gig by a Dutch band called Secret Sounds, and the song in the video was the curiously named "Johnny and The Rites of Sin". Angeline did not sing on their early records but both her and drummer Jean Monsou had been in a later incarnation around 1987 or 1988. So now we were back in my musical wheelhouse, and boy, did I like that song. I played it a lot. 

I then found the band on Bandcamp. The aforementioned song is a key cut on their 1984 album Wasteland and was also a B-Side on a single with the shorter title of "Johnny". I noticed immediately that, considering the band only released a few singles and one album (on their own independent label), they recorded a lot of material between 1981 and 1988 and that their lead contributor Wilmer Wolf was a very gifted songwriter and producer. In 2014 he remastered all their material and released it as a limited edition box set of 11 CD's. The quality was very high throughout. I began by buying the albums digitally on Bandcamp one at a time, and then eventually, after I was back in the USA in 2023, found a copy of the box set and had it sent from the Netherlands.

There is so much to dig into with this band, I can only recommend that you take a listen and explore. I knew that Wilmer by his own admission had some health issues and some personal demons. In interviews he is candid and thoughtful. He released a solo album a few years ago before his health declined. I had hoped that by buying the albums on Bandcamp he would know that someone was interested in his music, but it's a shame I did not have the chance to tell him more personally how much I enjoyed his work. That's life I guess.

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

New album on the way - help needed!


I've spent the last couple of months working on my first album. Tentatively called "Et Tu?" it is a deliberate attempt to write and produce songs that could have appeared in the 1989-1990 period, very much influenced by Black (Colin Vearncombe) and his 1988 album Comedy. There's also (I think) hints of Pet Shop Boys ("Here Comes The Future"), New Order ("Loudmouth") and maybe a bit of Echo and the Bunnymen. All the tracks are quite different.

I have posted 12 tracks on YouTube, and it would be great if you would take a listen and 'like' your favorites. I may rewrite a couple and a couple of tracks may be held over for my next project. Any feedback would be amazing. I've put a lot of work into these songs, now I'm ready to see what other music lovers think! If you have specific suggestions or any negative comments, I welcome those also if you care to email those to me. Thanks everyone!

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

The first Mine For Life release is now available

After a long period of silence, I can confirm that I am finally releasing my own music. I've spent almost seventeen years focused on collecting and celebrating other artists, but now it's my turn!

I've been writing lyrics for nearly 30 years without much context, this year I resolved to complete enough songs for an album and to share this music with a wider audience.

My first release, All Aboard (Good Vibes) is now up on Bandcamp, Spotify, iTunes, etc. I'm planning my second release for next month.

All Aboard (Good Vibes)

Friday, April 1, 2022

Bandcamp Friday

 Hey everyone


It's Bandcamp Friday so I just wanted to mention a couple of links. There are some great deals today with all profits going direct to the artists.


First, Handful of Snowdrops is offering their whole discography at 90% off which is a great deal. Fantastic music ranging from demos in 1984 to contemporary releases in the last few years such as Noir and Blanc, and also a remastered version of their classic 90's album Land of the Damned.

https://handfulofsnowdrops.bandcamp.com/album/dans-loeil-de-la-temp-te-30th-anniversary


Next is a new find for me, Tenek which has some thumping tracks. I looked them up based on an old 1990 press release for a compilation.

https://tenek.bandcamp.com/album/smoke-mirrors


Brian from Color Theory is always worth a listen and this is a new release.

colortheory.bandcamp.com/album/the-skeletons-closet


And finally today is a great day to support my label, Base Ten Records.

https://basetenrecords.bandcamp.com/


Much love,

Alan


Secret Sounds - An Epitaph

I've been meaning to blog about Dutch new wave band Secret Sounds for a while, and recently I found out that Wilmer Wolf , lead singer ...