Next
UNDER-APPRECIATED ROCK BAND OF THE MONTH FOR JANUARY 2013: THE SKYWALKERS
I remember eagerly opening a box from a Bomp! Records order a few years back. I had spent something over $100, but there were well under 10 albums there, and I was kind of wondering why I had spent so much on these albums that I didn’t know too much about at first glance. This month’s Under-Appreciated Rock Band, THE SKYWALKERS was a part of that order; and the lack of quantity (though definitely not quality) is one reason that I began aiming more for their sale items than the new albums for awhile.
I looked up the original listing for the group, and I must say that the description given in the email from my buddies at Bomp! was pretty irresistible, even for an album by an unknown band that was priced at $25 (I must have had some jingle in my pocket that day!): “It’s a rare treat nowadays to hear a band that has totally a style of its own yet showing clear proof of its influences. The Skywalkers from Utrecht, a duo still in their teens, were discovered by Grey Past Records on MySpace and directly got the opportunity to release this album; and it’s easily by far one of the best retro records ever made in the Netherlands. Yet it also stands with its legs firmly in the year 2010 with a certain dark lo-fi feel that just extra lights up the power of this record. File this music under obscure UK Rubble sounds [a Pebbles-like series of albums concentrating on obscure British beat bands] and the special downer garage psych bands that produced all these scary atmospheric nuggets that fill countless of compilations. The Skywalkers don’t copy, they absorb the influences of the music they love and just make something very personal out of them. It’s an honour to be standing at the birth of something incredible.”
This might be a tough album to find I imagine, at least in vinyl; the one that I bought was part of a limited pressing of only 300. I normally try to talk about bands and artists that are relatively available, but these guys deserve a little highlighting. Besides, rules are made to be broken, right? However, I have since read that the initial release of Year One sold out, and a re-release of the album in Spain was expected; as Jacco Gardner put it in an interview: “We will remaster the recordings with Jean Audier, the sound engineer who worked with groups like Q65, the Golden Earrings and the Motions” – heady company indeed in my book.
The Skywalkers is another rock band that seems to have been influenced by the Garage Rock Revival – or more properly by the entire garage rock scene. As is a tradition now in this UARB series, they are a relatively new, young band; their debut album, Year One was released in 2010. They quaintly introduced themselves in an interview by an online magazine called It’s Psychedelic Baby in the following way:
“Hi, we are Jacco Gardner [keyboards, bass, vocals] and Hugo van de Poel [drums, vocals] from the Skywalkers. We’re a freakbeat/garage duo from The Netherlands. We play songs of love, dreams and death on Philicorda Organ and Drums.”
Jacco and Hugo have known each other since they were 6 years old and started making music together when they were 12. They learned about the 1960’s music scene through early Pink Floyd albums and the Soft Machine, and no doubt the rich musical heritage in their home country. Their musical vision was to fuse garage and psychedelic music together, but always with a pop sensibility; as they put it in the interview: “We like psychedelic music but it has to have a pop character as well. Think of bands like the Electric Prunes, Love and Strawberry Alarm Clock, Tomorrow. Our favorite years in music are 1966 and 1967, where garage and psychedelic music just came together. Our favourite subgenre is Baroque Pop with artists like Billy Nicholls, Sagittarius, the Millennium and of course the Zombies.” I would add to that list a rather under-appreciated American band called the Left Banke, who had a lovely hit song in 1967, “Walk Away Renee”.
The songs by the Skywalkers are a dreamy, psychedelic collection with beautiful harmony vocals – all original songs (with details for a change about which of the two contributed music and/or lyrics) – that are propelled by staccato organ chords and have a nice variety. Song titles are suitably offbeat for their musical style: “Song for Cat”, “Treat Her Like Velvet”, and “Skinny Minnie Mandrax”. And there is a religious-themed song just like last month, “Lord Can You Hear Us?”.
The charming liner notes are entitled “The Skywalkers ABC”, and it still took me a while to realize that they were in alphabetical order. It wasn’t just a list of “thank you’s” either; they included some commentary with their influences. They include a lot of familiar bands and artists (at least to me) – Brian Wilson (“for his amazing ballads”), the Electric Prunes (“they got us to the world on time”), Syd Barrett (“for leading us into the sixties”), the Zombies (“the greatest ever”), Q65 (“and other Dutch freakbeat groups”) – but others that I don’t know at all, like Ola & the Janglers and Jan Breimer. Their “X” item was “Careful with that X, Eugene!”, a take-off on an early Pink Floyd hit, “Careful with that Axe, Eugene”. But the list started with Aliens (“what’s taking them so long”) and also includes the Monkey (“[Jacco Gardner]’s favorite dance move”), the Twist (“[Hugo van de Poel]’s favorite dance move”), their photographer Luuk Muller (“for making us look good”), their organ brand Philicorda (“the greatest instrument around”), the Universe (“the greatest place around”), and “You, for buying this record”.
* * *
Since this album came out, Jacco Gardner has been busy. He has released several more singles and has a lot of YouTube videos in a somewhat different direction than his work with the Skywalkers. The online Quip magazine has this description: “His echo-washed sound recalls the psychedelic and lushly orchestral vibe of the Beatles’ Revolver or Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd, interspersed with the peppy, sardonic jabs of more modern fare like the Shins.”
* * *
His debut album, Cabinet of Curiosities is set for release in February 2013 on Trouble in Mind Records. Jacco Gardner anticipates some North American dates when he starts his European tour later this year.
As with most of the modern artists that I have talked about, both the Skywalkers – www.facebook.com/FreakbeatIsBack?fref=ts – and Jacco Gardner individually – www.facebook.com/jaccogardnermusic?fref=ts – have Facebook pages.
* * *
Flashback: The Under Appreciated Rock Band of the Month for January 2013 – THE SKYWALKERS
Named for main protagonist Luke Skywalker of the Star Wars saga, the Skywalkers is a Dutch duo that had a limited release on vinyl which I was fortunate to order. One of the bandmembers, Jacco Gardner released his first solo album, Cabinet of Curiosities the month after my post. The band’s farewell single, “Rosa” b/w “Creature of the Night” was released in April 2013. However, their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/FreakbeatIsBack?fref=ts is still active.
I found several songs on YouTube (all audio only) – might be the whole album piecemeal, I don’t know. One of the album’s highlights, “She’s Gone” can be heard at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=llqydnFIwLU . Another fine song, “Lord Can You Hear Us?” is available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ence6WKz4Zw ; and “Pretty Little Girl” is at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFAbAFDPrVE .
(January 2015/2)
* * *
Here is the roster of the UARB’s of the past year (2012-2013); none are individual artists, and there has been a lot of psychedelia and just one punk rock band. There is never any plan; that’s just how it worked out this time.
Jan. 2013 – THE SKYWALKERS, 2010’s Dutch psychedelic rock band
(Year 4 Review)
