I had never heard of the band until yesterday. It was a sunny Sunday, and I was sitting in the Beach Club of Lake Storkow in Brandenburg. My little daughter was next to me, eating an ice cream sandwich, and I had a cup of coffee in my hands while watching the sea. The place was not crowded, only seven people plus two workers, while outside there was a long waiting line at the local polling station next door.

I enjoyed this little peaceful moment, and in the background, a small Marshall speaker somewhere played some acoustic and folk music. While I recognized some of the tunes (Mumford & Sons), I also heard some songs I didn’t know. One track really got me to grab my phone to Shazam it. It returned “Hollow Coves with The Woods from their Wanderlust-EP”. I can’t think of any better music to score that beach scene moment. I just love when music frames a memory or the other way around.

So I looked up the band on Apple Music and found out that they had just released their second album “Nothing to Lose” in March 2024. I’ve listened to it, and after the last track, “See You Soon”, I hit play again. I repeated that for maybe five or six times now, and I feel something like I haven’t for a long time. I think it was back in 2010 or 2011, when I discovered Angus & Julia Stone with their second album “Down the Way” that touched me deeply. And now it’s again an Australian band with their second album that blows me away.

Interesting fact: without the Angus & Julia Stone, Hollow Coves probably wouldn’t exist.

“Ryan Henderson grew up without a musical background. When he was in high school, his friends took him to the Woodford Folk Festival to see the Folk and Indie pop group “Angus & Julia Stone.” This music inspired him to learn the guitar and eventually to his career.

Matt Carins grew up in Brisbane surrounded by music. His father is in a local cover band and has written albums. His mother plays and teaches piano and flute. He also has a sister who plays the piano and a brother who is in an alternative rock band.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow_Coves

I am surprised, happy, and grateful to hear music like this in 2024. It brings back memories of Mumford & Sons, Kings of Convenience, Mighty Oaks, etc. As a musician myself, I understand that musicians outgrow where they came from. But as a listener, I am happy to still discover new “timeless” music like this. It’s (heart-)warming, uplifting, simple, not overloaded, positive with just the right amount of everything you need for a good album. This album is just like that perfect little moment at Lake Storkow, but in full album length. Maybe that moment leads me to value the album better than it actually is, but I don’t care.

The results of the European elections are devastating. They leave me speechless, helpless, clueless, hopeless, uncomprehending, tired, angry, and sad. It’s a slap in the face of every democratic European. A kick in the nuts for humanity. But this album gives me hope that not all the world is fucked. To me, this is the feel-good album of the year (so far). There’s so much beauty in this world, let’s fight for it. There’s nothing to lose. Don’t leave the world to assholes.

But today, a good friend of mine told me about udio, and I have to admit I am deeply impressed. I asked the AI to generate a song in German (my native language and a tough one) about the Libertarian Party (FDP) and how they obstruct the climate and mobility transition with their fairy tale arguments of avoiding debts and relying on the self-regulation of the market, in the style of a famous German punk rock band.

First, udio recognized the band and derived the genre mix from it: punk, rock, ska, alternative. Then it generated two ideas, each 30 seconds long. From here, you can go different ways: extend the song (add sections before, after, intro, or outro), remix it, or publish it. I chose to extend the version I liked more, and again two versions were generated. After some time of listening, comparing, rehearing, and generating, I had a solid 2:30 song, with lyrics that make perfect sense 99% of the time, and I’d even say 5% of it is really good.

Afterward, you can decide to publish, remix, extend, or download the song, and even generate a video.

AI has come a long way, and it’s changing the world rapidly. I’m really curious to see where this is going.

Here’s the song I created (as mentioned before, it’s in German).

And here’s the link to it: https://www.udio.com/songs/d12anEL76bPCNavkY8ntap

The fourth album from the lads, and it’s a challenging one for me. I’ve followed the band for over 20 years now, but I highly doubt if that album were their debut, they would be where they are now.

While the first two albums were a rush of youthful energy with intellectual poetry, this album seems to mark a step into adulthood for the Libertines, after the phase of adolescence that the third album represented.

When the third album was announced, I was excited as eff. More than 10 years after the second album, nobody, including me, expected new music from the British rockers. And I don’t think anybody expected Pete Doherty to survive his drug addiction career, either. And yet, here we are with two new albums since “The Libertines”.

“Anthems for Doomed Youth”, the third album, was a catching-up with the first two albums, presenting the classic Libertines style in a modernly produced sound. My favorite song, “Heart of the Matter”, directly got to the heart of the matter and gave me the feeling I want to have when listening to The Libertines.

And that’s where I have my problems with the new album. I miss a song like that. Of course, almost every song is Libertine-ish and original in its way, but I don’t get overwhelmed by a song instantly. “Oh shit” is what comes closest to the Libertines feeling, but it’s only close.

The songs are well-arranged, with quotes from classical music, jazz, and blues. Thus, I would label them as “adult” music. It kind of feels like they took the fun out of the music. And when there’s fun, it feels like they’re trying very hard (“Be young”).

So picking a favorite from these 11 songs is hard, and despite “Oh shit” being good, I choose “Baron’s Claw”.

The Libertines — All quiet on the Eastern Esplanades was released April 5th, 2024.