FIFTY3FRIDAYS: SIX SONGS & A BOOK
Today’s Fifty3Fridays includes six songs and a book. [Ok, we know that from the title – Ed] Well, it’s just that it is unusual for me to feature a book so I thought I’d engage Phil and Philippa Space, on secondment from Private Eye, to come up with a snappy title and engaging introduction which I fear they have failed to do. So, the only thing to do now is to carry on reading, hear these six wonderful songs and find out about the book. Will this do? [No – Ed].
We begin with a familiar name around here in the shape of the ebullient Brighton ensemble, Barbara, a band I have followed since its Black Mirror inspired debut single, “BRB” saw the light of day in 2021. Since then, brothers Henry and John Tydeman along with their talented band mates have blazed a trail for independent artists via a string of standout singles culminating in a 2025 album release and by securing support slots with the likes of Paul Weller, The Divine Comedy, Kid Creole & The Coconuts, ABC and Haircut One Hundred. Watch this footage from Barbara’s Saturday afternoon set at Fairport Convention’s Cropredy Festival this summer for further evidence, m’lud.
Google ‘Barbara Stag Do’ and your friendly AI may point you to Barbara's Bier Haus, hosts to group stag nights in various UK locations (including Brighton). Meanwhile the band Barbara brings you its own "Stag Do" in the shape of its latest single, out today. While at my age, I’m more likely to attend funerals than weddings, the youthful Barbara brothers have found themselves going on a seemingly endless round of stag dos and weddings, inspiring this song which features keyboardist Henry’s conversational debut on lead vocals. It’s a catchy, tongue-in-cheek song with a little twist in the tail in the best Barbara tradition, set to be a singalong favourite at shows. To ensure equality, hens can swop ‘stag’ for ‘hen’ too.
At the start of this month, we introduced the fruitful collaboration between London-based singer/songwriter Julie Hicklin and retrowave electronic artist Paul Aston aka Future Analog via the single “Broken”, one of three tracks featuring the pairing on Future Analog’s album, Paradise Lost, released last month. In an interview with Fresh On The Net last year, Julie spoke about growing up in a household surrounded by music from her dad’s diverse record collection to her mum playing classical music on the radio. She equally listed electronic music as her biggest influence, citing Depeche Mode to Daft Punk, Pet Shop Boys to Jessica Winter. You can hear an amalgam of those eclectic influences on the second of her trilogy with Future Analog.
“Heart Goes On” was written by Paul and voiced by Julie with the authenticity usually associated with first person songwriting. She did add the line at the end of the song’s outro though, “We meet, skip a beat, so neat, love's feat”, by way of a deft footnote to a celebration of the giddy early days of love, when the world seems such a wonderful place. In Julie’s words, “Your serotonin is at an all-time high, you are high on love and life. It's a kind of madness, an addiction, but so beautiful while it lasts.” Rich melodic synth lines, pulsing bass and Julie’s sumptuous vocals build a euphoric mood while Paul’s skilful breakdowns and introduction of guitars keep things sonically fresh. Wonderful.
Photo of Dog Monologue by Direbloom Photography
As always, last week’s Fresh On The Net Inbox did not disappoint, resulting in a goodly selection of both Fresh Faves and Alt Picks. My two choices for the latter underlined the enduring diversity of independent music.
First up is Dog Monologue, the electronic pop side project of Chattanooga, TN musicians Ben VanderHart (Telemonster) and Chase Waller (El Rocko, Days Now). Ben founded the label Yellow Racket Records in 2018, and two years later opened a local record store by the same name. When not playing music with Dog Monologue, El Rocko or Days Now, Chase is a middle school teacher. The pair have worked together since 2019, when Ben produced El Rocko's first single, "Half the Day." Moving on, inspired by a mutual love of dream pop and junky recordings, the two musicians have teamed up in a true partnership of songwriting, recording and experimentation.
There are shades of Mercury Rev in their more ethereal moments about the admirably named Dog Monologue and this wonderfully melodic song, “The Gods Are My Boss”, evoking Greek gods and juxtaposing their wrath with the mundane side of holding down a job. The blend of synths, programming and organic instruments is simply sublime, topped and tailed by dreamily high vocals and harmonies. When reviewing it for Fresh On The Net, I wondered if the song had been inspired by going to see Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey as much of the imagery seems to echo the film version of the classic story. Ben later told me it had been conceived the year before than the film came out, inspired by Chase teaching and meditating on Homer’s classic tale, set against a backcloth of the duo’s “disenchantment for social forces and commercial entities that tend to destroy small communities and diminish people's ability to live with real purpose.” Well said.
My second Alt Pick is from Somerset-based contemporary folk singer-songwriter and indie musician, Sharon Martin aka Sharon Lazibyrd. A seasoned folk artist, Sharon is self-releasing her second full-length album on 27 November entitled Tides Keep Turning, which indeed they do. The upcoming LP reflects on changing times and calls for change, speaking to themes of connection, womanhood and nature in a work that is both personal and political. Sharon cites her songs as “influenced by musicals, music hall and everything from Julian Cope to English folk.”
“Shades of Green” has the air of premonition about it. The harmonium provides an ever-present drone over which Sharon intones her words mantra-like, bridged by a mournful string-driven passage. Vocally she adopts the tones of a lament in traditional folk style, airily and quietly hypnotic. This short piece leaves you wanting to hear more. Indeed, it comes across as a prelude to greater revelations, setting a scene lyrically in snatches of imagery and posing a question. I look forward to revealing more of the album closer to release date.
So, any tech wizards here? No, sadly our cat Merlin does not count. Last week I concluded with a splendid piece of music, "Never You Mind" from the new album by Santa Barbara's the black watch. Weirdly this track presents as an instrumental when I listen on my PC whether via YouTube, Bandcamp or Soundcloud. When I listen on my phone the vocals magically appear as I am sure they did when you clicked on the embedded video last week. Could this be something to do with the otherwise excellent soundbar I recently installed? But if so, why has it got it in only for the black watch? If anyone comes up with a plausible reason for my IT episode, please message me!
Photo of John Andrew Fredrick by Steve Keros
Leaving that aside, I am really taken by The Fuzzy End of the Lollipop, the latest and 27th album from the admirable John Andrew Fredrick who helms the black watch (all lower case), while multi-tasking writing books and coaching tennis to kids. Spanning indie rock, dreampop, shoegaze and post-punk styles, John delivers his songs with an infectious eccentricity that seems more English than American. Robyn Hitchcock might be a touchstone? John sings, plays guitar and drums, aided by bandmates Rob Campanella (guitar, bass), Chandler Fredrick (bass, backing vocals) and Andy Creighton (guitar, bass, drums, string arrangements, backing vocals). I like a band with three bassists.
“Marie Bouzkova” takes its name from the Czech tennis player, but is not specifically about her but rather about something more fundamental. “Marie is very sweet and kind in person, but the song is really about anyone who is lovely and charming and beautiful to everyone - my favourite sort of person, in other words,” John explains. “Modesty, humility, these things seem to be more and more rare nowadays. Not saying I'm modest or humble, mind you, but I admire both greatly and am trying!” It starts like an eccentric "Dancing In The Dark" before settling into an agreeably melodic mash-up of jangling, indie rock guitars over which John intones his words with individuality and charm. I love it.
We close with a book and a blog instead of a song! The remarkable Dr Neil March often kindly described this column as essential reading, a billing by which I am greatly humbled. However, anyone with an interest in independent and grassroots music will surely find Neil’s own Trust the Doc monthly blog as truly essential reading. The range and depth of it never ceases to amaze me. Neil’s site is splendidly supported by his [The] Music Of Sound sidekick, creative entrepreneur and Fresh On The Net moderator & reviews writer, Sherin Sahayaraj.
The pair has just unveiled a new book, a first one to be co-authored. Titled Ethical Marketing And Promotion For Independent Music Artists and edited by Dr Sue Oreszczyn, it is a response to all the advice and information being dished out on social media and websites about how artists should be spending hours of their time creating multiple daily TikTok content etc etc. Much more than that, it is an attempt to provide a thorough evaluation of the marketing and promotion landscape for independent artists in 2026. You can find out more about the book in the current issue of Trust The Doc Blog. I have just bought a copy and I commend it to anyone involved in creating or supporting independent music – just a tenner from Amazon too (£6 for the e-book), so not much more than buying a beer in a London venue. Indispensable!
