New Release – Beautiful Girl by Fisj
Fisj is a one-man-band from Melle near G(h)ent in Flanders/Belgium. He used to play with friends in various local bands, gigging in clubs and cafés across the country and doing some homemade and studio recordings.
“After the break-up I continued to make music on my own, much as I had done since I was young and learning to play the guitar. Music is a necessity for me, I could not imagine life without it. Thankfully the possibilities to share one’s songs across the globe today are infinite.”
“The Beatles are my biggest and dearest influence, but I love a broad range of artists including Sly Stone, Kate Bush, Led Zeppelin, James Brown, The Bangles, Joaquin Rodriguez, Miles Davis, Bob Marley, Billie Eilish, The Clash, Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton, etc.”
His new single ‘Beautiful Girl’ will be released on May 15th.
“Musically I had long been wanting to write a song built around an (electric) piano riff, drawing inspiration from great rock ‘n roll/R&B/soul keyboard players such as Billy Preston and Stevie Wonder. I love the sound of a rollicking piano.”
“Lyrically the song is a tribute to my daughter, who is the ‘beautiful girl’ referred to in the title. At one point I realized I had already written a song for our golden retriever, but not yet for my little girl. This situation of course could not endure. She’s a dynamic, creative and dashing force of nature.”
“Compared to my previous two (primarily acoustic) songs this new release is a bit of a departure. It’s more of an ‘electric’ song with electric piano/organ, electric guitars, electric bass and drum. The song’s structure is perhaps also more straightforward, with a clear verse/refrain formula, but also with a short instrumental break in three-quarter-time. Overall, however, it is still rooted in the tradition of classic sixties/seventies rock music.”
“In line with the song’s subject the artwork was done by daughter. It is a self-portrait taken at the castle of Beersel near Brussels. The castle plays a central role in a well-known Flemish comic strip (Suske & Wiske’s ‘The Treasure of Beersel’). We visited the place somewhere in between lockdowns this summer. It was a beautiful day and she was playing around with the camera, experimenting with the effect of the sun casting shadows inside the medieval tower rooms. It seemed like the perfect photograph to accompany this song.”
