Music without Labels XXXXVIII
Magma´s European identity
Emotional root music by Claire Halford
Vacations and his nuanced pop
European rock II: Europeans
Italy showed a wide variety with jazz-rock bands (Nova or Perigeo), symphonic bands (New Trolls or Premiata Forneria Marconi) or an electronic Franco Battiato. Gorgio Moroder also appeared, who from Germany would create the Munich sound.
France also had the electrocommerciality of Jean-Michel Jarre. Although it was the bands Gong (from the Australian David Allen) and Magma (from the cosmologist Christian Vander) who stood out with their recreations of ideal worlds.
Magma - Mekanïk Kommandöh (1973)
Song composed by Christian Vander and released on his album Mekanïk destruktïw kommandöh. It uses the Kobaian language to convey an esoteric conception with many symbols.
Other notable artists were Dutch (Gruppo Sportivo or the multifaceted Herman Brood), Danish (the psychedelic Savage Rose) and Finnish (the progressive Wigwam). Sweden contributed from singers, like Tomas Ledin, to bands like Hansson and Karlsson, representatives of the “swedish underground”. In Greece, Aphrodite's Child and its keyboardist Vangelis stood out. There were also rock demands from Hungary (Omega and Locomotiv GT), Poland (Czeslaw Niemen) or Czechoslovakia (Collegium Musicum).
Claire Halford
Claire Halford is a British singer-songwriter living in Seville. Rooted in the rich musical culture of her country, specially in The Beatles, she had a close relationship with music since a very young age. The music is her way to express her emotions.
Her songs, with a mixture of different styles, are inspired by the music of African-American artists: from the delta blues and the swing musicians of the thirties, to the sounds of soul in the seventies.
Claire Halford - Addicted (2020)
Own song recorded live in acoustic format. Inspired by the so-called “roots music” is used as an introduction while preparing the release of her first album.
Claire Halford is a native of Leicester (UK), a city that has legendary musicians such as John Lord, keyboardist of Deep Purple. In Seville she found the atmosphere she was looking for to develop her music. Her concerts are accompanied by her sweet and elegant voice of electric guitar layers created by a loop pedal. She declares that she would like to collaborate with other musicians and would love to include more brass wind and stringed instruments.
Vacations
Vacations is an independent rock band from Newcastle, Australia and composed by Campbell Burns (leader, main composer and guitarist), Jake Johnson (bass), Nate Delizzotti (guitarist) and Joseph Van Lier (drummer).
It is characterized by a combination of rock, jazz and shoegaze that was transmitted by word of mouth and social networks. With several singles and EPs and only one album, he has a good number of fans all over the world.
Vacations - Lavender (2020)
This song is credited to the whole band and was released as a single in advance of their second album, Forever in bloom. It shows simple music but full of nuances.
Vacations made their record debut in 2015 with Days, a five-track album in which Campbell Burns laid the foundations for their musical project. It was followed by several singles and EPs that defined his style. With a bittersweet and nostalgic mix of arrangements, this album showed a rich work in composition standing out among other contemporary bands. Their success was confirmed after the world tour.