My latest CD purchases Friday I received the following cds:

• Barbara Morgenstern: Fjorden
• Fink: Fink
• Kings of Convenience: The Quiet Is the New Loud
• Jeff Beck: You Had it Coming
• Joy Division: Heart and Soul (4 cd box)
• Alex Chilton: Like Flies on Sherbert / Live in London
• House of Love: 1986-88

Barbara Morgenstern is ok but in the second half the electronic music gets a little bit boring. Her German lyrics are oddly romantic and quite good. Fink is a German group from Hamburg musically quite close to Calexico. The harrmonium is wonderful. The mouth harp reminds me of Neil Young. And the pedal steel adds some country flair. There is also some folk rock influence reflected in the violin, banjo and some very sad lyrics. Not to forget a beautiful lyrical trumpet in one track. All songs are quite different but the album has a wonderful flow. There is a dog participating and overall their music is very relaxed and slightly melancholic. My favourite German release this year up till now. Kings of Convenience is a Norwegian duo following the paths of Nick Drake. Adolescent singer/songwriter music with acoustic guitars and very sparse but beautiful lyrics. When listening to this I want to be 18 years young again. An instant classic. The ambiance and the melodies are grand cru. Jeff Beck I did not have in my collection before (except some old Yardbirds lps). His new album is amazingly varied. Starting with hard rock guitar and finishing with very smooth ballad type stuff. The second last track has got birds singing in it which Beck tries to imitate on his guitar. Awesome. Joy Division are probably my favourite rock group. I already had all cds they ever released (except the first under the name of Warsaw). Dark and powerful. The soundtrack to my youth which I only discovered ten years later. Five hours of which not one minute is superfluous. Alex Chilton is an old favourite of mine. He represents the music from the Southern states. Coming from Memphis he sounds like Presley at times but makes me think of Jeffrey Lee Pierce of the Gun Club as well. A tortured soul. Rockn' roll at its best. House of Love is probably the most underestimated band of all times the late eighties (together with The Field Mice). They were the undiscovered Beatles of the late eighties their time. Melodies I could swim in.