Songs You May Have Missed #688

07 Apr 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: , ,

The Sallyangie: “A Midsummer Night’s Happening” (1969)

The Sallyangie were a British folk duo comprised of a 16-year-old Mike Oldfield and his 21-year-old sister Sally. Their single LP, the gently ethereal Children of the Sun, will be either musical balm or emetic depending on your affinity for fey Lord of the Rings-inspired Renaissance Faire soundtrack music.

Some critics have panned the sound quality, the singing, Mike’s musicianship and the dated, naive fairytale-cum-hippy essence of the music, but its inclusion here tells you what I think of their appraisals. Of course, I’ve read Tolkien’s trilogy five times and attend the Ren Fest yearly…

Of undeniable quality are the arrangements contributed by one David (now Dee) Palmer, whose brilliance graces some of Jethro Tull’s greatest and most complex work.

Mike Oldfield is best known for a tune about as far removed from Children of the Sun as it could possibly be: “Tubular Bells” a.k.a. the theme from The Exorcist.

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2025/09/16/songs-you-may-have-missed-793/

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2022/07/03/songs-you-may-have-missed-732/

Songs You May Have Missed #687

04 Apr 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

Sweet: “New York Groove” (2020)

First a UK top tenner for glam rockers Hello in 1975, then covered by Ace Frehley in ’78, this chestnut is given a bit of a mashup treatment from Ballroom Blitzers Sweet.

The familiar chorus dovetails with Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” with surprisingly successful results.

From their pandemic-referential Isolation Boulevard, which also plays on the title of their 1974 hit LP Desolation Boulevard.

Songs You May Have Missed #686

29 Mar 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

Kris Delmhorst: “Short Work” (2003)

The Boston singer-songwriter explores betrayal and payback on this smart country shuffle.

See also: Songs You May Have Missed #504 | Every Moment Has A Song (edcyphers.com)

Songs You May Have Missed #685

22 Mar 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

Graham Parker: “Long Stem Rose” (1992)

From his atypically ballad-heavy Burning Questions album, “Long Stem Rose” finds the erstwhile British pub rocker chanelling McCartney–or perhaps more accurately, George Martin.

Backed by a string quartet recorded “dry” to give it the intimacy of Macca’s “Yesterday” Parker successfully wrings every ounce of pathos from this pretty tune.

See also: Recommended Albums #37 | Every Moment Has A Song

Songs You May Have Missed #684

18 Mar 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

Pomplamoose: “Something About Us” (2019)

Formed in 2008 by (now married) Stanford students Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn, Pomplamoose are…uh…I think I’ll let them explain for themselves:

With over 1.2 million YouTube subscribers, Pomplamoose have carved a non-traditional niche as a band. They don’t rely on record companies, extensive touring or physical album sales, instead creating a new “videosong” every week for their YouTube channel, streaming their songs, and providing music for TV ads for companies such as Toyota and Hyundai.

They mix originals and an eclectic variety of covers and inspired mashups, placing them in fresh and often jazz-tinged settings.

Remarkably, the performance you see in a Pomplamoose video is the same that you hear–it is never a lip-synched re-enactment but an actual recording session.

Watch the session for the above “single”, a cover of Daft Punk’s “Something About Us”.

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2025/05/15/songs-you-may-have-missed-779/

Songs You May Have Missed #683

16 Mar 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

B.C. Camplight: “Suffer for Two (Dave Bascombe Radio Mix)” (2007)

Calling any B.C. Camplight song the “radio mix” is laughable because I’ve never heard any of his tunes on radio. He’s typically too quirky and experimental for even the independent airwaves.

But “Suffer for Two” is a bit more accessible than most of his material. If it piques your curiosity I’d recomment you check out his debut LP Hide, Run Away

If you’re ready to be challenged a little by his more idiosyncratic output, give 2015’s How to Die in the North or 2020’s Shortly After Takeoff a try. Sometimes it takes repeated listens, but eventually the hooks take hold. And the genius.

This is what Brian Wilson might have sounded like if he grew up someplace without drag racing and surfing.

See also: Recommended Albums #6 | Every Moment Has A Song (edcyphers.com)

See also: Songs You May Have Missed #499 | Every Moment Has A Song (edcyphers.com)

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