FEATURE: Twenty-(Ten)-Eighteen: Ten Great Albums Turning Twenty This Year

FEATURE:

 

Twenty-(Ten)-Eighteen

 PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash 

Ten Great Albums Turning Twenty This Year

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IN other posts…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash 

I have singled out special years in music where the standard of material has been exceptionally high. 2018 will produce a lot of terrific albums - but I have been looking back and thinking of those albums that will celebrate anniversaries this year. The big 2-0 is a vital one for any album: it means it has endured for two decades and, if it has impacted on modern music, then that makes it so much stronger. There are some albums from 1998 that are worth burying and setting on fire – best not mention them... – but there are classic, incredibly strong efforts that have impacted modern musicians and sound as fresh as the day they were crafted. I have collated the ten 1998-released records, I feel, warrant serious celebration this year.

ALL ALBUM PHOTOS: Getty Images

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Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Release Date: 25th August

Labels: Ruffhouse; Columbia

Critical Snapshot:

“What’s most remarkable, in retrospect, as the cult of Lauryn Hill grows stronger (sporadic concert appearances becoming the stuff of myth) is how slight some of her songs are on record. For being almost 80 minutes long, Miseducation is a surprisingly easy listen, coasting mostly on Hill’s simple repetition of phrases to emphasize a mood. By album’s end, a cover of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” (with beatboxing) seems obligatory but still a part of what she does best: Like Amy Winehouse, Hill gets at the heart of ‘60s soul while slyly turning it into her own postmodern art project”- SLANT

Standout Track: Doo Wop (That Thing)

Brandy – Never Say Never

Release Date: 9th June

Label: Atlantic

Critical Snapshot:

“Still, what makes Never Say Never a winning record is the quality songs and production. The smooth Monica duet "The Boy Is Mine" and the tripped-out "Top of the World" (which features a rap from Mase) are two examples of what Brandy can achieve when everything's in the right place, and they help make Never Say Never a more adventurous record than her debut” - AllMusic

Standout Track: The Boy Is Mine (ft. Monica)

Beck – Mutations

Release Date: 3rd November

Label: DGC

Critical Snapshot:

“Beck also actually sings, rather than employ his usual deadpan vocals, in an occasionally wobbly baritone that still sounds slightly detached. But there's a warmth to his voice that draws you in, grounding even such surreal numbers as the Zen ballad "We Live Again." In a much more subtle way, these songs ultimately insinuate themselves as insistently as "Where It's At" or "Devils Haircut."

Longtime fans will expect and welcome this type of stylistic gyration from Beck, whose muse has led him on a winding path through primitive folk-blues and quirky hip-hop. But those who discovered him with "Odelay" may not take to this--which is why it makes good marketing sense for the label to treat this as something other than the real follow-up to "Odelay" and not risk bucking expectations. But it's absurd to so pointedly compartmentalize a musician whose success in pushing creative boundaries has made his reputation” – Los Angeles Times

Standout Track: Tropicalia

Elliott Smith – XO

Release Date: 25th August

Label: Dreamwork

Critical Snapshot:

“The tales in "XO" aren't delivered with the vocal growl of Waits' most extreme works. Instead, Smith's whispery vocals remind you of the delicate folk style of early Paul Simon, while the melodies echo the melodic beauty of Simon and Paul McCartney.

"I got pictures, I just don't see it anymore" is a typical Smith expression of disconnect, and there's no mistaking the wound in the line. Yet the gentleness of his delivery throws you off. In a pop world normally divided into darkness or light, this is a strange mix that is at once gently comforting and jarring.

It's a doubly affecting approach because Smith, after two sparse indie efforts, backs the songs with bright musical coloring that helps--in such tunes as "Waltz #2" and "Baby Britain"--to make the anguish in the tunes all that much harder to shake” – Los Angeles Times

Standout Track: Baby Britain

Manic Street Preachers – This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours

Release Date: 14th September

Label: Epic

Critical Snapshot:

“The Manic Street Preachers are also one of the few groups capable of integrating orchestral instruments in a way that still produces great rock music (check out the cello in "My Little Empire"), always avoiding the schmaltzy elevator music that can result when some rock musos get a hold of an orchestra. Meanwhile, they manage to infuse some quite dour lyrics with some of the most haunting melodies in rock this side of Radiohead. Bradfield and Moore seldom choose the obvious chords, arrangements and melodies, resulting in music that is heads- and- tails above almost any band on the planet” - Pitchfork

Standout Track: You Stole the Sun from My Heart

OutKast - Aquemini

Release Date: 29th September

Label: LaFace

Critical Snapshot:

“Anything OutKast touch — from the electrofunk of "Synthesizer," which features George Clinton's familiar falsetto, to the soulful, Isaac Hayes-in-spired title track — sounds as though they took it for a spin through the cotton fields in their Caddy. Sporting plenty of live chops (check the Felastyle horns of "Spottie Ottie Dopalicious") and soulful harmonies, Aquemini's fresh, original feel defies rap's coastal clichés” – Rolling Stone

Standout Track: Rosa Parks

Madonna – Ray of Light

Release Date: 22nd February

Labels: Maverick; Warner Bros.

Critical Snapshot:

“From the insistent swirl of the title song to the rapturous sweep of "Power of Good-Bye," the smoky trip-hop of "Swim" to the hymn-like "Little Star," Madonna has succeeded where all of her pop peers have failed: She's made not just street-smart disco, but smart pop. She's built a rhythm nation that doesn't shortchange content, a record that can be appreciated while working up a sweat on the dance floor just as easily as it can be while cooling off afterward” – Chicago Tribune

Standout Track: Ray of Light

Massive Attack – Mezzanine

Release Date: 20th April

Labels: Circa; Virgin

Critical Snapshot:

“…It's the quintessence of 'Mezzanine', yet at least as good is 'Inertia Creeps': insistent drums, slivery Eastern textures and 3D fidgeting in his mind for some kind of domestic peace, only to find that, "Inertia keeps moving up slowly/Inertia creeps/Moving up slowly". He retreats to bed - "There'll be no sound in my eiderdown" - but finds no respite. The track ends with Del Naja repeating, "She comes", over and over, without resolution. It's hard to think of another band since Joy Division with such an aptitude for articulating the despair that lurks at the very heart of darkness” - NME

Standout Track: Teardrop

Fatboy Slim – You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby

Release Date: 19th October

Labels: Skint; Astralwerks

Critical Snapshot:

“His juxtapositions -- the album swings from hip-hop to reggae to jangle pop, and then all combines into one sound -- are wildly original, even if the music itself doesn't break through the confines of big beat. Then again, when a record is this forceful and catchy, it doesn't need to break new stylistic ground -- the pleasure is in hearing a master work. And there's no question that Cookis a master of sorts -- You've Come a Long Way, Baby is a seamless record, filled with great imagination, unexpected twists and turns, huge hooks, and great beats. It's the kind of record that gives big beat a good name” – AllMusic

Standout Track: Right Here, Right Now

Queens of the Stone Age – Queens of the Stone Age

Release Date: 22nd September

Label: Loosegroove

Critical Snapshot:

“Soon, QOTSA would become a real band, with real hits. But they'd never again groove like this, with gurgling Teutonic drones swallowing Stooges chords and intercepted radio cross talk. (This remastered version adds three old EP tracks.) When Homme hums that "words are weightless here on Earth because they're free" over dense space swirl, you hope gravity never takes hold” - Rolling Stone

Standout Track: Mexicola

FEATURE: Confessions of a Failed Romantic: Valentine’s Day Realities for Musicians

FEATURE:

 

Confessions of a Failed Romantic

 ALL PHOTOS: Unsplash

Valentine’s Day Realities for Musicians

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SOME claim to have seen their entire…

life flash by their eyes. I am not sure if it is T.V.-induced fantasy, but there is always the magic rule of three: a flashback from childhood and something formative (a kiss or achievement); ending with something from the present. Barely did Christmas wind down before the card companies book their next Caribbean cruise and crank out the new order of Valentine’s Day orders. All the Valentine’s Day-related gifts are on the shelves: from cheap booze and flowers to chocolates and stuffed bears – the game has hardly changed the past few decades, has it? It might sound like I am down on the day but I object to the way it is seen as special and legitimate. Other events – like Easter – have a purpose and a community imperative. You can get together and celebrate something that, at least, holds some meaning. I started giving a hoot about Valentine’s Day when I was a teenager. I used to participate in the chatter and speculation at school – which girls would fake their own deaths to avoid receiving a card from me; others hiding like I was a sniper – and, yeah, the ‘novelty’ did start to wear off. As one gets older; the day seems reserved for those already in relationships – rather than those hoping to start one! I have seen a lot of statuses, from musicians and creatives, dreading Valentine’s Day.

As many of my female musician friends rush to the supermarket to stock up on batteries – don’t use your imagination on that one! – and the blokes desperately drunk-dial former girlfriends in the hope they are desperate enough to take them back – it is a rather strange time of year that puts undue pressure on singletons. One can throw various adjectives at Valentine’s Day in order to encapsulate its divisive and commercial nature. I shall pack the sour grapes away for another year but one thing occurs: how love songs come back into the fore and are everywhere you look. I have been looking at other sites and what they are doing to ‘celebrate’ the day. Some are polling musicians to select their favourite love song – or the one that makes them feel deeper about the world – and others are concentrating on dating and sex. I wanted to do a bit of both and look at the music world. I have written before about musicians and dating: how it can be hard to find time to date away from the daily demands and find something long-term. One of the most common things I see on social media is artists talking about their relationships – usually how they are single and struggle to find someone special. It can be quite heartbreaking seeing so many longing for love and not able to end that drought.

I will end by talking about love songs that mean a lot to me - I will put up a Valentine’s Day playlist on the day itself. My romantic ‘plight’ has not been smooth or particularly lucrative. From the early years pining for girls outside of my reach; through to the frustrating teen years and now, as I am comfortable in my thirties; yearning for those out of reach is back once more – the results are broadly the same! I think there is something in the fact those with creative bent – musicians, D.J.s and producers etc. – have a harder time settling down and maintaining relationships. I am not sure whether there is a correlation between their mindset and the way they approach relationships. I feel the reasons so many like myself are single is because of the time music takes out of them. The other reason is a certain ‘standard’, I guess. Creative people view life differently; they have ambitions and aims and, I feel, crave a certain ambitiousness and excitement from their other half. There are so many couples (most) who do the boring bare-minimum and hardly shake the world up. That is fine but, when everyone else is settling down and going grey early – why would you follow that and sacrifice a world of possibility, excitement and potential?!

Maybe being single is the way to achieve that: another person might slow it down or be willing to compromise. The industry we work in (music) is one that warrants full dedication and unlimited time. Between sleep, work and coming home – how much time does one have for relationships?! Valentine’s Day holds significance for many; a lot of people go full-guns-blazing and really pull out the stops. There are those more cynical and apathetic who let it drift by and await Easter: I sort of fall in the middle and feel there is a way of making the less commercial – much more positive and inclusive. Maybe a rebrand is a little difficult (and late) but we should think of Wednesday as less a ‘hump day’: more of a…actually, I forgot what I was going to say! My point is; those single and without love should not despair and feel excluded. Musicians and those in the industry tend to come more into the fore. There are a lot of people who do not have the time for relationships or struggle to hold one down. They get stimulus and connection through music but, in the social media age; this is electronic, artificial and intangible. They can rationalise and marginalise a degree of loneliness through music: pen songs that provide others hope; write about their experiences and provide a musical perceptive. We are flooded with the sickly-sweet adverts and the shelves of gifts: I wonder whether there is something more to be got out of a day that promotes love and happiness.

I am not proposing a Disneyland-type experiment but, in a fraught and troubled time; should we use days like this to make everyone feel more included and understood – single musicians and those without the option of love. There is a lot of music out there and, what I have noticed, is how more and more music goes away from relations and their purity. Artists are becoming more introspective and talk about anxieties. We have been told the new Pop wave is going to be a more confessional and deep affair. There are a lot of love-related songs around – the happy and contended to the jilted – but there is greater currency in songs that deal with personal struggle and psychological issues. Avoiding cheesy love songs is a lifelong mission for me: there are few genuinely great new love songs that provide guidance, hope or some sort of direction. I am glad music is getting broader and not taking a commercial route. Maybe we are growing tired of the cliché songs of failed love and those pining from the shadows. The need to be original and distinctive means music is arching away from love and romance – going into other areas of exploration. The adverts are out and, with that, the glossed superlatives: the ‘Greatest Love Songs Ever’ and ‘Essential Love Songs’ collections have been dusted off and repackaged for those who have not heard the same songs a million times over.

If I had to select three songs that counteract the banal and cheesy this time of year; I would go for The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack; Hallelujah (Jeff Buckley) and Hey Jude. I know the last is not about a relationship or sex: the others are less overtly relationship-based but The Beatles’ classic is about John Lennon’s son, Julian. The first choice makes me think of childhood and the first time ever I heard the song. It was a revealing and stunning moment where this ethereal, heart-melting vocal came from the speakers. Hallelujah came to me by its author, Leonard Cohen, but the Jeff Buckley version holds more weight. It is about sex and orgasm; a gentle passion and everything you can imagine. Hey Jude is that big, singalong anthem that has been passed through the decades and still causes shivers. I am less a fan of those weepy, over-emotive love songs that see the protagonist climb every mountain, swim every ocean and nunchuck every ninja (the last one is less common!). At a time where most of us find flushing the handle an energy-draining demand: can we really believe those exaggerated and absurd tracks? I’d be reluctant doing a decent parallel park for love: climbing Mount Fuji, frankly, seems like an expensive and pointless brag!

Of-the-minute love songs like Tell Me (Joan as Police Woman) provide a more realistic, relatable sentiment – artists are changing the narrative and, perhaps, becoming more negative and submissive in the process. Maybe I am stepping off the garden path but, for those who cannot find love; music is a way of making sense of it and finding (synthetic) company. I find the Valentine’s Day carnival can be a bit raw for those who are not going to be loved-up and nauseating on 14th February. I am not a grouch and cynic – I have time for a bit of Too Many Broken Hearts in the World! – but think there are better ways to celebrate love and relationships. The fact it is distilled to one day makes invalidates it meaning – if you are going to profess your undying love one day; it makes the remaining 364 a bit shallow! We need to get people together and show those without relationships – too busy to find someone or unable to find compatibility – that they are included and wanted. I talked about those three visions that flash by your eyes as life starts to slip away (always keeping it cheery, me!). The first would be the first crush I ever had. The clumsiness in which I initiated any sort of date is etched in my mind. I shall not mention her name in case she is reading or, you know, dead.

The second memory would be completing university after three tough, hard-working years. The third, I guess, would be the good results of running this blog – and the success I have achieved. I have got closer to people online and made some important connections. I feel I have made changes and a real difference to some people’s lives. That, surely, must mean more than notches on the bedpost or seduced hearts?! Other creative sorts need to realise they have achieved a lot and made a real difference to the world. Maybe they have not tasted, for a while, the thrill of the chase or the completeness of a relationship. That should not be seen as a negative and reason to feel down. Rather than feel jealous at the loved-up couples drooling over one another; speaking in baby-talk and causing the stomach lining to come straight out the backside – remember a sage quote from The Simpsons. When thinking of the smug couples who do not share a thought for anyone; I am reminded of the episode where Bart burned the family’s Christmas presents and hide the evidence. News anchor Kent Brockman put out an appeal and gave a harsh message to the thieves – Bart’s story was someone stole the presents late at night. I will, to those nauseating valentines, borrow his killer line – and paraphrase Thom Yorke in Exit Music (for a Film) – and hope that they choke…

JUST a little bit.

FEATURE: To the Five Boroughs: The New York Playlist

FEATURE:

 

To the Five Boroughs

 PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash

The New York Playlist

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I am not sure I can add anything to…

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

the authoritative and wonderful celebration held on BBC Radio 6 Music. They have been focusing on the great state of New York and the music that came from there. To me; there is more to New York than the clichés: the rushing traffic and noise; those distinct boroughs and the urgency; the landmarks and the sense of wonder and size. It is, to be fair, a state more complex and rich than many people think. I have been considering the artists who are either based in New York or performed there – both past and present. As opposed to somewhere like London: New York is its own world and has so many diverse and compelling neighbourhoods. Newcomers like Princesses Nokia are putting the city back in the public fore: to be fair; the fascination has never gone away. My imagination casts to three different times: the 1960s when Bob Dylan played the East Village. This was before he made it huge – well before he went electric and shocked his established fanbase. It was a rich and heady time for Folk music. An article in The New York Times’ Sunday Book Review looked at New York’s expanding Folk scene from the late-1950s/early-1960s – and how Dylan helped change things and offer progression.   

“Dylan was drawn into politics, releasing “The Times They Are a-Changin’ ” in 1964, but he soon rebelled against the prevailing political orthodoxy. In a New Yorker article he declared, “I’m not part of no Movement. If I was, I wouldn’t be able to do anything else but be in ‘the Movement.’ I just can’t have people sit around and make rules for me.” Of course, he broke one of the biggest rules of the folkies when he turned electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, giving Pete Seeger heartburn.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Dylan’s apostasy was the most significant indication that New York folkies were broadening their musical range with electric instruments. One Village-based group, the Lovin’ Spoonful, led by the Washington Square veteran John Sebastian, became what was probably the city’s first folk-rock band. They were connected to another city group, the Mamas and the Papas, whose leader, John Phillips, had been one of the Journeymen — and the success of these bands, Petrus and Cohen suggest, signaled the end of the bustling New York City folk scene”.

The next period I think about is the birth of Hip-Hop - and how it has developed through the years. Brooklyn might have lost its crown in the past few years: other boroughs like Manhattan, and states further south, have taken hold and are producing bigger stars. A great article at WNYC looked at Hip-Hop’s invention - and how it managed to gain a foothold in The Bronx:

“Hip-hop's foundations were being laid in the 1970s, brick by brick, by DJs in the South Bronx, sometimes even in burnt out or deteriorating buildings. These pioneers invented sampling (isolating one sound and reusing it in another song) and hip-hop's other key elements through trial and error, mostly by fooling around with records at home.

DJ Kool Herc, a.k.a. Clive Campbell, laid the first building block of hip-hop down in 1973. That was when he reportedly hosted a party in his building at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue with a sound system, or sound equipment used to DJ a party. Herc's sound system was a guitar amp and two turntables.

"Kool Herc brought the idea of the Jamaican sound system to America," says Marcus Reeves, journalist and the author of Somebody Scream! Rap Music's Rise to Prominence in the Aftershock of Black Power”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Eric B & Rakim (considered to be the most influential D.J./M.C. combination in contemporary music)/PHOTO CREDIT: Janette Beckman/Museum of the City of New York

We can chart those early days of Hip-Hop and what an amazing movement is was. Although the genre still lives life in the shadows: it is a powerful voice providing some of he most sounds around. From Beastie Boys through to De La Soul; through to Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar and Eminem: the American Hip-Hop movement has evolved and compelled through the decades. It has branched to other nations and brought in other genres and cultures: it all began back in the 1970s on those modest foundations. Aside from the Is This It/The Strokes sensation of 2001: there have been few fantastic guitar bands coming out of the state. There was a brief and active Garage-Rock/Post-Punk explosion after that album but, since then; New York has not really witnessed a huge and emphatic scene! There have been incredible New York-made albums but, and the third scene that has compelled me, the sheer variety of the modern day is staggering. Maybe there is nothing as world-changing as the Folk and Hip-Hop movements. Listen to BBC Radio 6 Music’s thorough and passionate look at New York’s incredible musical lineage. Wu-Tang Clan’s Mathematics and RZA took over the station for a couple of hours; Huey Morgan delivered a New York special – the station highlighted a dozen albums that captured/captures the spirit of the state. There are some fantastic New York newcomers but, for the most part; we look back at the state’s music and all the wonders from the five boroughs.

IN THIS PHOTO: Debbie Harry of New York-formed Blondie/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Rather than investigate history and timeline of New York’s blossoming music culture – other sites and writers can do that better than me – I thought it best to collate a selection of New York-inspired/based sounds: looking back at the legendary icons and the new breed who ensure eyes will always be trained on the mighty state. It is a fantastic part of the world that has done so much and transformed music as we know it. Such a candid, vivid and multifarious market that has made an impact on so many lives. It is not only the music that inspires evocative discussion: the bustling, multicultural neighbourhoods are teeming with energy and discussion; the terrific venues draw the people in and spit incredible sounds into the open – it is an organism and tapestry that is like nothing else. New York is truly unique. Rather than keep your eyes busy and distracted: have a listen to the stunning music either made in New York/by a New York artist or influenced by the state. As we remember the peerless impact New York has made to music - we must not forget the fact it will continue to shape and inspire the people…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash

FOR generations to come…

FEATURE: Do Dogs Dream in Colour? Why The Old Grey Whistle Test’s One-Off Return Should Kickstart a Revival

FEATURE:

 

Do Dogs Dream in Colour?

 ALL PHOTOS/IMAGES (unless credited otherwise): Getty Images

Why The Old Grey Whistle Test’s One-Off Return Should Kickstart a Revival

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THE gods of music (gender-neutral, you understand) do like…

IN THIS PHOTO: Bob Harris during his Old Grey Whistle Test period

to tease the minds of us mere mortals! We are teased the return of some band or other; we get pumped about this and that before, too long, it gets taken away from us! I have been tossing around the idea Top of the Pops should make a permanent return but am concerned about certain things. That show, for me, resonated because it was a classic, top-of-the-charts configuration that included the best acts of the day. Maybe I am misremembering or over-romanticising the bygone show. I believe there is a whisper it will be returning for a special some point down the lines. Apart from Jools Holland’s longstanding Later…there is not really a lot to get pumped about regarding music television. I have been reminiscing – got my rose-tinted spectacles back from the shop – but there was something eventful and exciting about watching the best of the mainstream come to life. Perhaps we have become too familiar with YouTube and services where we can project our own version of music T.V. It is sad thinking we cannot return, in some way, to those halcyon days. Against the extortion and excess of modernity comes a hint of nostalgia that, to someone like me, raised my hopes. I am too young to remember The Old Grey Whistle Test and what it stood for. It was commissioned by Sir David Attenborough, oddly, and ran on BBC2 from 1971 to 1988.

I was five when it ended so my memories are dim to say the least! It was the rival and alternative to the more Pop/mainstream Top of the Pops: The Old Grey Whistle Test was more concerned with Rock and those who did not go to the allotted smoking area to burn a fat one off. Devised by the then-produced Rowan Ayers; it was a stripped-back, basic show that was the antidote to the glitzy and gaudy shows one might have seen on the box. The lineup of presenters was a varied one. Richard Williams (remember him?!) was the first incumbent – until Bob Harris took the reigns over in 1972. I shall come back to Harris when speaking about the one-off show we will see later this month. Harris left The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1978 – labelling New York Dolls ‘mock Rock’ a bit later down the line – and was replaced by Annie Nightingale. The show was cancelled by Janet Street-Porter – the Head of Youth Programmes at that time – and, as one would expect from her; common sense and reflecting the opinions of the masses not top of her mind. It was a show that saw its share of problems – especially in the earliest days. There were technical issues and bands usually recorded instrumental tracks prior to the show – the vocals, for the most part, were done live on the day.

The show transitioned to an all-live format by 1973 but, considering the lip-synch nature of shows like Top of the Pops (especially the modern incarnation); I feel there is an important place for The Old Grey Whistle Test on our screens. Bob Marley and the Wailers gave their first British T.V. performance there; Billy Joel and Heart performed on the show; New York Dolls’ performance on the show, in a way, created a Punk revolt. Not only did The Old Grey Whistle Test help usher Punk in: it has laid the bones down for modern versions like The Tube and Later…with Jools Holland. Like a lipstick-wearing flirtatious tease: the show is only going to provide brief pleasure and satisfaction. Once the doors are shut at the end of this month – the show; not the girl! – that will be it. Like TFI Friday: we know shows can age and not always recapture the same spirit that made them popular way-back whence. Three decades after its cancellation; the late-night show will feature interviews with former alumni such as Andy Kershaw and Annie Nightingale. It will show on BBC Four on 23rd February and ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris will introduce live music and talk to the former presenters. We will see rare archived footage and a view vote – where they can vote for the performance the BBC Four audience would most like to see again. Among the archived performances are legendary turns from Queen, Tom Petty and Blondie – Led Zeppelin and R.E.M. are in there, too!

IN THIS PHOTO: Joan Armatrading during her prime

On the night itself; they’ll be live music from Peter Frampton, Richard Thompson and Albert Lee – who have all played on the show before. Interviews with Dave Stewart, Ian Anderson and Kiki Dee will be included. Danny Baker, Chris Difford and Joan Armatrading will be interviewed, too. I am pumped and cannot wait to view it myself. Not only will it be a chance for 1990s children like me to connect with a show my parents would have seen: it is an opportunity for younger generations to see a show that made such an impact on music. Many people will see the show for the first time. Rather than see Old Grey Whistle Test’s one-night swansong as a nostalgia-fest for those who prefer their music older and less Pop-y: we need to see the show as a catalyst for needed change and inspiration. It is good Jools Holland has his show on the air. That show offers a platform to the best of the new and older breed: jamming genres together and providing a forum for musicians to produce some utterly fantastic sets! So many first were created and spawned during The Old Grey Whistle Test’s first foray. Not only did it direct the nature of music television and give birth to the next wave of youth-orientated music television: genres exploded and, at the time, guitar artists had a place where they could perform in a very natural space.

IN THIS PHOTO: Richard Hawley at 6 Music Live

That is not the case with modern music, really. Most of the big radio stations offer live sessions and platforms: there is not an all-out mainstream show that showcases the most innovative and gnarly acts around. We live in a time when, for a number of reasons, there is a need for revolt and regeneration. There are some great guitar bands around – but they are buried and swimming in a sea teeming with all sorts of sounds and acts. Top of the Pops has died and one would wonder, if it were to resurface, it would succeed and capture the imagination. In 2018; we are losing long-term concentration and have an accessible library of sounds at our (sore and worn) fingertips! Why would we ever consider sitting in front of the T.V. and watching the day’s biggest artists playing to us? Can we even guarantee the musicians on that Top of the Pops stage are doing it live and for real?! I wonder whether, alongside Jools Holland’s successful show, we could either revive The Old Grey Whistle Test or produce a modern sister – the title would have to go; not very modern and funky! We, now, divide ages, genres and tastes so that there is a station for each type of listener. There is really a consensus and compromise for the broad-minded listener to explore! I suggest a show that inherits the ethos and foundations of The Old Grey Whistle Test – a basic set and showcasing the most important artists of the day – but putting in established and older artists.

IN THIS PHOTO: Sigrid

We do not need something ultra-current and apropos. Music, now, is so trained towards streaming figures, radio playlists and meaningless statistics. Having a show that sticks a greasy middle-finger up at the beard-stroking digital luvvies would be perfect rebellion! You could have bands like IDLES, Goat Girl and Cabbage greasing it up alongside Wolf Alice and Field Music. In other room; Popstars like Sigrid, James Blake (who is more Electronic, I grant you) and Beyoncé. You could have titans and newcomers on the same stage: bringing in as-yet-unsigned acts with those living stars that, in turn, could learn a lot from those newer acts. Running concurrently would be an integration of classic stars and artists – such as Sir Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder; Carole King, Aretha Franklin and the like! It would be a feast of sounds that would compel viewers and musicians alike. I feel; putting the ‘right’ acts on the bill would help bring about change and explosion. I am not intimating it would be on the same level as 1970s Punk: more a modern-day equivalent that would bring guitars and mass-unification sounds back into the charts. At the very least, we would have an authoritative and stocked music show that could run and get people away from the laptops! Maybe, then, we could think about putting music videos, classic and fresh, into the show?! Visual aspects would be important and, if we are splicing older and new; how about archived performances, interviews and turns?

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash

It would be a way of connecting younger listeners to the past; getting modern sounds to those who might avoid cooler radio stations – changing the game and giving us all a must-see weekly show we could all bond to. This is an imaginative leap from The Old Grey Whistle Test’s BBC Four return to a worldwide, multi-genre phenomenon that spearheads a revolution! Bob Harris, I am sure, would be the first to back such a proposition: a show where genres like Country could sit with Alternative and Punk! Whatever happens; it is wonderful having a musical institution back on the screens – if only for three hours! It will be great to see those legendary musicians back in the studio and on the BBC. What happens from there is anyone’s guess. Perhaps there will be renewed interest in the show – depending on what the viewing figures are like – and there could be a resurgence, perhaps? It is hardly a coincidence The Old Grey Whistle Test is being revived at a time when people crave something urgent, classic and vital. Anyone who assumed the grey-named T.V. show is a relic that is dredging up the (tired) bones of some faded musicians – you’d do good to remember why the show ran for so long and what it gave to music. I cannot overlook its role and what it achieved during its lifespan. Let’s hope this one-off show spawns a T.V. movement which, in time, revives the lost art of…

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash

ESSENTIAL music entertainment.  

FEATURE: The February Playlist: Vol.2: He’s Only a Buzzkill If You Liked the Hat-and-Hair Combination!

FEATURE:

 

The February Playlist

 IN THIS PHOTO: James Bay

Vol.2: He’s Only a Buzzkill If You Liked the Hat-and-Hair Combination!

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ONE of the biggest music news stories…

IN THIS IMAGE: Skott

of the week is the fact James Bay has dispensed with the trusted hat and his singer-songwriter, strum-it-and-pour-your-heart-out routine - upscaling to a (more) Electro, sexier version of himself. Away from the Bay of Rejigs crisis – there is a world of new music out there for the hungry masses! MGMT, PJ Harvey and Ezra Furman have fresh material out. There are cuts from Jorja Smith, Kendrick Lamar and Skott; Goat Girl, Car Seat Headrest and Ash. It is an epic and interesting week for music and, although there are few big-hitting artists out in the spotlight: some fantastic lesser-known acts have unveiled material.

I am excited seeing what the rest of February will provide us…

ALL PHOTOS (unless stated otherwise): Getty Images

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MGMT – Me and Michael

PJ Harvey and Harry Escott – An Acre of Land

PHOTO CREDIT: Lindsey Byrnes

Paramore – Rose-Colored Boy

PHOTO CREDIT: Dan Kendall Photography

The Magic Gang – Getting Along

ART CREDIT: Remy Boydell

Car Seat Headrest – My Boy (Twin Fantasy)

Ezra Furman – Maraschino-Red Dress $8.99 at Goodwill

Jorja Smith – I Am

Skott – Stay Off My Mind

MIST (ft. Jessie Ware) – Wish Me Well

PHOTO CREDIT: Phil Smithies

Goat Girl – The Man

PHOTO CREDIT: Iga Drobisz

Leo Kalyan – Stranger

Nilüfer Yanya – Thanks 4 Nothing

Gengahr – Before Sunrise

Kendrick Lamar and SZA – All the Stars

PHOTO CREDIT: Paige Sara Photo

Barns Courtney - Sinners

Ash – Buzzkill

PHOTO CREDIT: Eleanor Hardwick

Laura Misch – Lagoon

Rae Sremmurd – T’d Up

James Bay – Wild Love

Nadine Coyle – Girls on Fire

The Aces – Volcanic Love

Beauty Sleep - The Feeling Back

Grace Carter – Silhouette

Toni Braxton - Long As I Live

We Are Scientists – One In, One Out

Maroon 5 – Wait

U.S. Girls – Rosebud

Kendrick Lamar – Black Panther

Franz Ferdinand – Paper Cages

Erica Cody – Good Intentions

CuckooLander – Lone Pine Drive

PHOTO CREDIT: Karen Qin

Only Girl – Mountain

Julia Biel – Wasting Breath

Joan as Police Woman – The Silence

Au/Ra – Panic Room

Julia Michaels - Heaven

The Wombats – Black Flamingo

FEATURE: Yorkshire Resolve: How Hookworms Rebuilt and Conquered Following Disaster

FEATURE:

 

Yorkshire Resolve

 ALL IMAGES/PHOTOS: Getty Images

How Hookworms Rebuilt and Conquered Following Disaster

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RATHER than pen a rederivation of the…

excellent piece The Guardian ran a few days back - I wanted to expand on some of the points made by its author, Dave Simpson. The article, as you can see, charts the way the Halifax/Leeds group have managed to survive and flourish after most of their back catalogue was lost in a flood. Boxing Day 2015 saw heavy rain and flooding affect areas around the river Aire. Matthew ‘MJ’ Johnson was at his parents’ home when the news came through: Hookworms’ studio was under five feet of water and the electricity was cut. The frontman drove through the floods to get to the studio. Arriving there; the Kirkstall-based studio was in a state of carnage and destruction: a harrowing and upsetting sight for Johnson. The studio did not have insurance and, on a notorious floodplain; the inevitable result of heavy downpours had taken more than money and bricks – the band’s livelihood and foundations were gone. The band managed to fund the rebuild of the studio through crowd-funding and the generosity of other bands. There is debt in the camp – financial and gratitude – but that has not stopped them plugging on and writing incredible music. One of the interesting points that stood out regarding The Guardian’s piece was the headline: suggesting Hookworms are the most-cursed band around.

I cannot abide by that assumption: curses do not exist and, the fact the band have faced a lot of hurdles is a result of bad luck. Microshift is the integration and assimilation of all their struggle, tensions and hard times. Not only has the album been receiving extraordinary reviews – it is likely to be among the runners when it comes to the end-of-year polls – but I feel it could be worthy of a Mercury Music nod. It is a record that looks at anxieties and stress; honesty and the need for openness. Johnson, himself, has suffered from depression for years and addresses the subject (depression itself) through the record. Body image and views of masculinity are spotlighted: there are joyous tones and redemptive words of wisdom among more introspective and damaged tones. Hookworms have progressed since their first two albums and after a rushed – their words/thoughts – The Hum (2014); there was a rethink and rebrand in camp. The band did not expect their debut, Pearl Mystic, to get such warm acclaim – as they told The Guardian – but that instant success, I feel, drove them to keep going and pushing their limits. Not only has Johnson – and other band members, one feels – been able to cope with depression and channel it into something creative and inspiring; the band have managed to funnel that into some sensational music.

IN THIS IMAGE: The cover for Hookworms' album, Pearl Mystic

Looking back and one might forgive the band for feeling they have a constant glare of misfortune trained their way. From 2009, when they first arrived; they were getting great support slots and some fantastic local jams. From threatening, scorned former booking agents and malfunctioning cars; all manner of breakages and money-draining missteps – the guys had an uphill battle from those earliest days. It is the way they transform that struggle and upset into great music. Their 2013-debut, Pearl Mystic, received some rave reviews (Drowned in Sound gave it a ten-out-of-ten!) and they were quickly being singled as one of Yorkshire’s finest Indie bands. It seems, right now, Rock and Indie sounds in the county are captivating critics. The Sherlocks, Reverend and the Makers and The Orielles are among those providing sumptuous, original Rock (and Pop). The great male and female bands coming from Yorkshire show there is more to music than what is happening in London – the likes of Hookworms are casting eyes further north. The sounds coming from their camp is among the most striking and impactful in modern British music. Lesser groups would have seen all that misfortune and grief – flooded studios and duplicitous promoters – and packed it all in. I have seen artists crippled and broken by lesser events – the fact Hookworms continue to purge and persist is a demonstration of their determination and resolve.

The music could be strained and suffocated: it is free, bold and incredibly meaningful. There are darker moments and hard-hitting subjects explored: never does one feel cornered and alienated. The band handle all their own business and have day jobs they enjoy. Because of that; there is a sense of independence and financial freedom. Obstacles and weather-related disasters have placed the band in precarious positions. Through graft, generosity and crowdfunding; Hookworms have been afforded the opportunity to keep playing and performing. Their spirit and unwillingness to quit is something other bands should be envious of. That is another reason I wanted to highlight Hookworks: a case study of an ill-fated group who have managed to produce incredible music against in spite of everything. Many might look at Hookworms and feel it deeply unfair they have had such a torrid time – they have been especially unlikely but one hopes that is the end of their bad days. Microshift is an album that is, quite rightfully, making critics sweat and drool. It is only March but we have already seen potential year-owning records from Field Music (Open Here), Tune-Yards (I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life): Hookworms are the third act, I feel, have crafted something that special. The Yorkshire band are proof something wonderful and inspiring can come out of misfortune and unfair circumstances.

They are an independent band who take care of their recording, finances and careers: they do not need to fight with labels and have to meet any deadlines. The band are not cursed, of course – it is a fictional concept – but they have certainly incurred some rocky times. I know there are other artists who have battled hardships but that should be a guide for them – look at how Hookworms have coped and managed to cope out the other side. They are impressively steely, pragmatic and disciplined considering their past. They are looking to the future and, when one considers a fourth album (in the next year or so?); I wonder what that record will reflect. Let’s hope its creation and stories are not inspired by accidents and financial strains – I feel it will be a lot happier and relaxed. They have won the heart of the critics – they are modest and often query why such heady reviews come their way – but it is all deserved. Hookworms showcase the brilliance and depth of talent in Yorkshire; they are proving to be one of the most consistent and innovative acts around. Above everything; they have ridden storms (or floods) and fences that would floor other artists. I have a feeling this year will be a very inspiring, successful and settled year…

FOR the intrepid band.  

FEATURE: Superhuman Behaviour: The Female Artists Who Have Made Such an Impact on My Life (and Continue to Do So)

FEATURE:

 

Superhuman Behaviour

 IN THIS PHOTO: The album cover for Björk's Debut/ALL PHOTO CREDITS (unless stated otherwise): Getty Images 

The Female Artists Who Have Made Such an Impact on My Life (and Continue to Do So)

_________

THIS week…

IN THIS PHOTO: En Vogue

I want to explore everything from Hookworms - and the struggle the Yorkshire band has faced the past year or so - to some troubling observations I have made concerning the music industry. I have written a lot about gender division on my blog - and will cease for a little while, now... - but, say what you want; there is a clear fact: there are divisions and needless sexism. Call is natural schisms of male pantheism: progression, reappropriation and education is required so that music is a more level-minded and gender-balanced culture. Is it (bear with me...) disengendered ecofeminism and irrational divisionism?! It is, in my mind, insane and Stone Age. This is not an article that points figures, cracks out the stats and eviscerates my male peers: I want to explain why, for me, female artists have played such a massive role in my life; why they have changed my mindset and view of the world - and why modern female artists deserve more attention and exposure than they are getting. I will talk about the artists, now, who I am responding to - but I cannot think about my love of music without considering those artists I connected with at a young age. It seems strange but, away from big bands like The Beatles, T.Rex; The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin: it was strong solo artists like Kate Bush, Carole King and Tori Amos that registered and resonated. There were some female bands that created great memories - from The Bangles to En Vogue - but, as a child, it was the dynamic, stunning and multi-talented solo musicians that inspired me to get more involved with music.

I can talk forever abbot heroes like Michael Jackson, Jeff Buckley; Radiohead and Blur - great male musicians who have done so much to make me the person I am. Their music has scored some transformative moments and, when I think of them; it is always those carefree childhood times and school days. The female-created music goes deeper: soundtracking challenging times I overcome; those occasions when I needed guidance and something more profound. I will compartmentalise Kate Bush and Tori Amos but, when I think back to my school years; there is a dichotomy and extremism of tastes - I reacted to Carole King and Björk at different times. King was the first female solo artists – away from Bush and Amos – that taught me about music and the world. Tapestry is an album I listen to and open my heart like an ocean. I can hear a song like It’s Too Late and, from those first evocative notes; the tingles form and I can remember exactly where I was when I first heard it. I have mentioned male artists and the way they influenced my early life: more to do with those happier times and carefree experiences. The likes of Carole King were there when times were tough and, even when they were good; there is something about their music that has hit me harder – and shaped who I am as a human.

Tapestry, especially, arrived in my world when I was five (1988). It was one of those early albums and one that helped me adapt to a new way of life and environment. Something in the music, the voice and arrangements fought through the mire and provided guidance and comfort. Luck and social standing is a disloyal and unpredictable aspect when you are that age. I was not bullied (at that stage) but was often unsure and struggled to form friendships. I was not lonely - but it took a while to fit into a clique and find my tribe. Carole King was there and, in her seductive and enticing way, did something no other (male) artists did: providing a carapace and a comforting robe of security. Not only that but her music – in the way it impacts me now – was a lot more intriguing and passionate than a lot of the chart music at the time. It is hard to name a lot of female Pop bands of the moment: when I was young, there seemed to be even fewer! I was searching for great female artists to balance the male-heavy sounds I was exposed to at school/home. The Bangles were a group I discovered, rather illicitly, when Eternal Flame (one of their best-known hits) was played on VH1.

IN THIS PHOTO: The Bangles

That initial attraction came from the video itself: the members lips-syncing to the track in a rather serene, romantic and unfamiliar setting (I think it is a beach in America - I might be wrong). The same way a Kate Bush video had a formative role on my early memories: The Bangles’ Eternal Flame opened my mind to emotions and aspects of life that were, at that point, shrouded and immature. I must have been around seven or eight when I saw that video (the late-1990s) or it could have been earlier. Whenever it arrived; there was a strange power and magic that came from that song - one that, every time I hear it, I am back in that childhood setting and reintroduced to the furniture, smells and sights of the time. I feel artists like King and The Bangles impacted me because there was more honesty and purity in their music. Male artists, to me, where about power and confidence: female acts, with a few exceptions, more passionate, real and intelligent. That might seem a generalisation and vague comparison - but Kate Bush was the first heroine that meant music would obsess and stalk my life. The Beatles have played a bigger role - and they are my favourite band ever - but Kate Bush remains untouched. I have her lyrics tattooed on my skin; the fortieth anniversary of The Kick Inside (in a couple of weeks) is an opportunity to pay tribute to a record that changed my life...

The Kick Inside, alongside Hounds of Love (1985) and The Red Shoes (1993) taught me - aside from parenting and education - loads about the world and nature. I was aware of the complexities of love and the beauty of the natural world; the depth and variations of the human voice: what mesmeric and unique music could do to an impressionable human. Hounds of Love is bombastic in parts and, on the second half’s suite of songs; immersive and narrative. I will place a moratorium on Kate Bush references after the anniversary piece (is a week okay?!) but I cannot talk about female artists and their role without mentioning Bush. It is strange to think The Kick Inside, recorded and released when she was a teenager could make such an impression - this would have been the late-1980s/early-1990s – on someone who not much more than a decade younger. In the 1990s, when you had fatter production and an ‘evolved’ sound, albums like Nevermind (Nirvana) and Dangerous (Michael Jackson) changed the way I interacted with music. The Red Shoes was a bold move for Kate Bush - she has stated, in interviews, that production is a little too brash and unnatural for the type of music she was writing. Like Hounds of Love and The Kick Inside; that record introduced different sides to love and young life; the world around me/us and important concerns (conservation and climate; feminism and strength through adversity).

Whilst icons like Kate Bush broadened my scope regarding the world, matters of the heart and more ethereal areas: Tori Amos and Björk helped when I needed spirit and resolve. Björk’s music came into my world chronologically. I picked up Debut around 1994-or-so and, from the opening bars of Human Behaviour; I was captivated by its bellicose and tribal lust. That video – shot by Michel Gondry - was one of the first that sticks in my mind. The entire Debut album got me hooked on a human who did things very differently. Björk was/is that innovator and unique soul but, more than that, she was the voice of an outsider. There was a rebelliousness and potency in the music that gave me energy and desire to fight against - or cope, at least - with a troubling time. I was bullied a lot throughout high-school and, by 1995, for instance, it was at its (bloodied) worst. Not only did Björk’s music help me deal with that violence and abuse: the music gave escapism and dream-like landscapes at a point where I needed evasion from the snow-filled peaks of my real life. I followed Björk through Post and future albums: I have not missed a record and, with each revelation; there is fresh revolution and development. I love how she can change her sound and look whilst retaining that inimitable and unmistakable personality. Björk continues to offer assistance and clarity as her new and past music runs through my veins. There are a lot of female artists I will not get to mention who are important – from Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin to Madonna and Suzi Quatro.

Madonna in fact, like Kate Bush - someone the American learnt from and, as a result, upped her game – played an enormous role in my life. Early albums such Like a Virgin (1984), True Blue (1986) and Like a Prayer (1989) highlighted the growing stature and confidence of a legendary artist. From Like a Virgin to Like a Prayer; one can see the maturation and independence of Madonna come into the fore. That maturation concerned sexuality, production and fashion. Madonna’s music got saucier and more controversial - the video for Like a Prayer caused snootier critics to drop their monocles in their port! - and the icon started to write and produce more of her own music. She became a fashion icon and inspired legions of fans to copy her. For a boy; Madonna’s music and look did not have the same meaning as it would for a girl. I was drawn to a strong and individual female talent at a time when music - and music television - was proffering male artists. Not much has changed (as I shall go onto) but there was a rebellious and defiant drive to Madonna that tackled that male dominance and introduced me to a new sensation. If her music was crap and processed, it is likely girls and young women would only find appeal: the fact the songs are so addictive and exceptional means her music appeals to both genders and all ages.

She was a Pop artist who could have sold herself and compromised. Rather than portray herself as a corporate puppet and have others pen her music; we got, instead, a musician who was not going to hide behind a corporate skin. THAT was incredibly powerful when I was younger. I have spoken about Björk and how she gave me power and a sense of protection. Tori Amos’ songwriting still manages to grip and compel me over twenty years since I discovered her music. Cornflake Girl is the song that stands out from the rest: that rushing, mind-grabbing introduction and fantastic chorus; a singular vocal and lyrics that get you singing along - and make you think. That song is from 1994’s Under the Pink and features piano-led songs and the sort of quiet-loud numbers that gained her comparisons to Nirvana. The record is a sweeping (third record) and one that drew from harsher, tougher subjects - female suffrage and mutilation; Yes, Anastasia was written about Anastasia Romanova - the Grand Duchess of Russia and daughter of Tsar Nicholas II - and it is a complex, inspiring record. The music stands out and I have learnt so much about different cultures, concerns and sides of society - that I would only ever hear about from books and the news. Little Earthquakes (released in 1992) is another favourite that looks at alienation and sexuality; depression and personal struggle - a quixotic and (almost) therapeutic set of songs that amazed critics and shows bare-naked honesty. Songs like Silent All These Years and Winter became staples in my earlier listening experience. They are cerebral and unusual songs – not the kind of thing I was exposed to at that time - and inspired the new generation of female singer-songwriters (in the 1990s). Her influence is ongoing and, with new and bold female songwriters emerging; I can see the influence of Tori Amos in them.

IN THIS PHOTO: A promotional shot for Tori Amos' album, Under the Pink

There are some fantastic female artists in every corner and crook of music. Although there are no icons on the same level as Björk or Madonna: that is not to say future stars are absent from the scene. I have great faith and investment concerning modern female artists. I find them more innovative and compelling (than their male peers) and they linger longer in the mind. From Billie Marten and Hannah Peel through to Skott, Lorde; Sigrid, Laura Marling and Bat for Lashes - that is only the tip of the iceberg! I am excited by news of a forthcoming Florence + The Machine album and what that will hold; there is news of a Kate Nash L.P. - newcomers like Jade Bird and ALMA look set to do something very special. There are great female-led bands and fantastic Soul artists; proper Punk thrash and Pop artists who inject elements from the 1980s and 1990s into an intriguing and colourful cocktail. I was going to post this yesterday - on the one-hundredth-anniversary of women being given the vote - but, owing to a busy schedule and this being a celebration of female musicians…I felt it was best left until today. I am excited by the crop of female artists we have on the scene and know, between them, they will make changes in the industry. I am always disappointed when debates around equality and gender come up: it shouldn’t still be so persistent in 2018! Some of the most memorable and impactful musical memories of my life have been created by female musicians. They have managed to do something male artists have not: helped shaped my life and desires; taught me so much and, in addition to all of that…

IN THIS PHOTO: Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine): PHOTO CREDIT: Daniel Jackson/Trunk Archive

PROVIDED truly wondrous music.

FEATURE: Over/Under-Complex(Complicated): Is Simple Always Best?

FEATURE:

 

Over/Under-Complex(Complicated)

ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Unsplash

Is Simple Always Best?

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I have been listening to a lot of new acts…

IN THIS PHOTO: IDLES/PHOTO CREDIT: Poppy Marriott/Dork

come out and talk about their creative process. IDLES’ Joe Talbot was speaking about his songwriting and penning new music - following the band’s lauded debut, Brutalism. That album went down a huge storm with critics and was one of the best-reviewed records of 2017. The guys have enjoyed big gig demands and barely had the chance to take breathe since then! Talbot was speaking to BBC Radio 6 Music about the transition from the album’s release to touring – explaining he has already written the songs for the Bristol band’s sophomore effort. Last year, I investigated the way songs/album are drip-fed to the public. There has been a certain sense of theatre, business and tease for decades: it has got a lot more intense as competition increases and music is launched via streaming services. It happens with new, unsigned artists a lot. They will tease a trailer for a song and then the artwork; a couple of weeks later you get the audio on SoundCloud/Spotify before the video a bit down the line – it is even more painful and slow! I guess it builds hype and demand, but I wonder this: what is wrong with keeping things simple?! That concern and query extend into the music itself. Talbot explained how he had written a set of IDLES songs (for the second record) and scrapped them - feeling they were too complex and not like them at all...

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

I look at new bands like IDLES and admire their honest approach and direct music. They do succumb (a little) to the staged marketing strategy but they are a lot more ‘conventional’ than a lot of artists. They are keen to get music out there and get it toured. It is not a coincidence the guys resonate and register with critics and fans. The sounds one hears on Brutalism is an unadorned, tinsel-free brand of Punk/Alternative that reminds one of the 1970s regency. There is that swagger from the front and those observational, often witty, lyrics. The band are tight but experimental in their music. The compositions are uniformly excellent and it all sounds incredibly natural – Talbot explained how they often try and nail a song within a few takes. There are other artists taking this thrills-free approach to recording. This dynamic is not reserved to Alternative/Punk bands. Away from the commercial and over-produced Pop artists; there are some incredible examples around. There is talk 2018’s Pop will be a more mature, deep and independent-minded affair – artists less concerned with tropes and following trends. This personal and original take on Pop does not mean slaving over songs and squeezing every ounce of life out of them. A lot of the great hopes for this year – like Sigrid and Billie Eilish – project impactful and memorable music without layers of instrument and synths. Whilst their music flows and has that uncomplicated quality: the promotional angle they take falls back into the needlessly extravagant and planned.

I guess it depends what you look for in music...Some people like music that is crafted and you can hear the work. The same goes for the modern promotional machine: they like the music slowly fed and out in stages. What I tend to find are those artists who produce elaborate and multi-layered songs tend not to stick that long in the mind. It can be a fascinating experience hearing the song – such is the complexity of the thing; I struggle to take it all in and it can be quite a daunting experience. I am noticing more and more artists expend more time on composition, vocals and production. In a competitive and busy age; artists cannot really afford to slip up and, as such, are producing these rich and busy songs. Different people like different things in their but I am becoming more drawn to the songs/artists that have an air of simplicity and ease to them. The same goes for promotional, really. Those musicians who plan a song/album’s release on that week-by-week basis means the consumer has to wait too long and it can be frustrating. Maybe that is harking back to the past and wanting a time that has already elapsed. You can say some of last year’s best albums boasted big productions and a lot of planning – Thundercat’s Drunk and Lorde’s Melodrama – but there is a big demand for music more direct and straightforward.

People want great Punk, Rock and Alternative; they lure after Pop music that has an urgency and gets straight into the mind. Is it getting harder to create the sort of effecting and physical Punk tracks at a time when music is getting more experimental, ornate and ambitious?! Can we ever return to a time when the Pop banger was a simple, three/four-minute gem that had a big chorus, nuance all over the place and hooks everywhere – without having to throw in loads of instruments and make things too over-complicated? I agree there needs to be an examination of how artists are promoting their work and whether we need so many stages – does that take away some of the quality and momentum of a work? Whilst I feel genres like Pop (mainstream) and Punk need to deliver sharp, uncluttered and physical sounds: a few great albums this year have shown how splicing sounds and pushing the envelope results in something fantastic. Many people are tipping Field Music’s Open Here (including me!) to be among this year’s best albums – when the polls come out near the end of the year. The same can be said of Hookworms’ Microshift. The album is gathering huge reviews and shows the band expanding their sound and teasing in new influences. It is a bold and busy album that throws in different colours, ideas and contrasts.

IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

Whether you prefer your music sharp and easy to appreciate like IDLES’ Brutalism - or more adventurous like Microshift – you have to make sure it is original and new and provides the listener something inspiring. I, personally, am leaning more towards those stripped-back albums: they are easier to bond with and are remaining in my mind longer. Aside from wonderful exceptions like Open Here and Microshft; the best music, mainstream and underground, is arriving from artists who keep things simpler and direct. I can appreciate those who want to build their sound and try something daring – it can be quite a risk making it pay off and ensuring it appeals to a broad audience. The one thing I do know is how needlessly fiddly and over-scripted releases are. In terms of simple-complex; this argument is a lot easier to settle: keep things basic and easy. If you ladle out a song over the course of weeks and drag an album’s release out forever, it gets really grating and does something to the music itself. I have a lot of respect for the cross-pollinators and complex songwriters but, this year, I want something free from adornment that gets right under the skin and has that bare-boned brilliance. Bands like The Orielles are providing breezy, stunning Indie/Pop that boasts tremendous colour and vibrancy. It is a debate that divides people but I am looking for music that gets its intentions across with as few side dishes and calories as possible. That might sound like a tough challenge - but there are artists out there showing they are more than...

UP to the task.

FEATURE: Togetherness Through Sound: Getting Western Music and Radio Out to the Developing World

FEATURE:

 

Togetherness Through Sound

 ALL PHOTOS: Unsplash

Getting Western Music and Radio Out to the Developing World

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YOU might think those in the developing world…

would favour medication, food and relief above music (you’d be right). I am not pitching the idea (that the) gift of music is more important than healthcare and clean water – those are issues and concerns we in the developed world should be taking care of! I have been thinking about music and how it manages to reach most of us around the world. Whether it is radio or something like Spotify – most of us can receive some form of music during our days. Poorer nations do not have the same luxuries as we do. It is shocking thinking about their plight and what an average day entails. The degree of poverty and neglect is enough to provoke anger and pointed questions. It is not easy curing famine and ensuring developing nations are subsidised and constantly cared for. We do our best here but, in a lot of ways, it is impossible to control the rise of death and famine in these nations. We can do our very best – raise funds and get the message out – but it is a huge fight. Communication with the rest of the world is limited. Large swathes of Africa is cut off from everyone else and do not hear outside voices. Radios are fairly inexpensive but, without the luxury of broadband and the Internet; it is hard to introduce music to the struggling masses. As I said; I know this addition does not solve their daily woes and struggle – it would provide a degree of comfort and, through radio, we can speak directly to them and let them know we are thinking of them.

I wonder how many people in the developing world have heard Western music?! It is said over 75% of households in the developing world have access to a radio. There are over 44,000 radio stations worldwide and most communities, however remote, are able to transmit some form of broadcast. I will look at the problems regarding transmission distance and limitation – and why we need to think more about radio/music and doing something about it. Whereas most of us consider radio a form of entertainment; for many in struggling nations, it is a form of education and information:

“Although in the developing world radio is considered a device for entertainment it can also very easily educate. In this paper, Mary Myers describes various ways radio is used to educate throughout the world. One example she uses to support her claim is an example of a radio program used as a strategy to teach farmers in rural areas new farming methods. Certain studies showed that there a lot of farmers listening to the broadcast listened to the advice that was given on the show and indeed did improve the agricultural fields in the country discussed.  Radio shows can also educate individuals especially women about certain health risks and factors.  A fiction radio soap opera has the power to educate women listening to their show about several issues regarding sexual and reproductive health as well as child and parent relationships. According to a study 85% of respondents who listened to such a program have implemented changes in their lives as a result of the knowledge they learned by the radio show (Myers   7). Myers does indeed justify her statement that radio really does matter”.

That might sound like quite an idea and comforting picture: people are able to hear from nearby communities (and people) are able to reach out and spread those important lessons/messages through the airwaves. The actual cost of setting up communications infrastructure is high. Logistically, it is impossible to implement a continent-wide radio network that would be able to feed stations from around the world. The UN wrote an article (in 2005) that highlighted the issues faced:

“The cost of setting up communications infrastructure is steep, however, especially in rural areas, where distances are vast and population densities are low. Most areas outside the major towns do not have the electricity necessary for operating land telephones or computers. Radios, by contrast, are inexpensive and can run on batteries or solar power. As a result, radio is by far the dominant mass medium in Africa. There is one radio receiver for every five people (compared with one telephone for every 100 people).

The content of radio programmes is also “cheap to create and cheap to consume,” says Ms. Grace Githaiga, executive director of EcoNews Africa. This is especially important in countries with high illiteracy rates and where many rural people speak primarily local, indigenous languages. “Neither the creators nor the consumers of radio content need to be able to read or write, due to the oral nature of the radio,” Ms. Githaiga adds”.

Radio, for developing nations, is vital. Education and awareness are the primary desires. It is important news regarding health, conflict and problems are communicated so that people are aware. There are so many daily problems for those in poorer nations – having a daily feed of news and talk means they get to connect with neighbouring communities and informed of any troubles. Schools are underfunded and it can be difficult maintaining all the educational facilities in the developing world. Because of that; radio is indispensable for children and adults alike. There are radio soaps and local music but there is that missing link: a direct connection to the rest of the world. Developing nations in Asia do seem to be in a better position than those in Africa. In terms of radio access and the Internet; there is hope of development and breakthrough. It is hard to gauge exact figures but, looking at a report published a few years ago; it outlines the gaps and discrepancies in the developing world:

“The excluded far outnumber the connected and even while the Internet is bringing about profound changes to the world, the vast majority of the world's population has no direct access to it (much less any influence over the nature of the changes it brings with it). Of an estimated 179 million people with access to the Internet (barely 3% of the world's population), more than 80% are in North America or Europe, home to 10% of the world's population (4). In most developing countries less than 1% of the population has direct access to the technology that is changing the world. With the growth of the global knowledge economy there is a very real danger that the ever-widening gap between the info-rich and the info-poor may obliterate any chance of a more equitable world order.

Over the past few years a number of experiments have begun to develop ways of blending independent local radio and the Internet. These were presented and discussed at a conference Converging Responsibility: Broadcasting and the Internet in Developing Countries, held in Kuala Lumpur in September, 1999.

Some of these projects have sought to introduce more diversity and a democratic environment into radio programming by using the Internet as a distribution network among independent broadcasters for news and programmes. Examples of this type of experiment include: two projects in Indonesia, Kantor Berita Radio 68H - www.isai.or.id, and Local Radio Meeting Point - www.un.or.id/unesco/localrad/frontpage.htm; the Panos Institute's Banque de Programmes On Line, located in Mali with correspondents in twenty francophone African countries - www.oneworld.org/panos_audio/; and Latin America's Agencia Informativa Púlsar - www.pulsar.org.ec.

Others, such as Sri Lanka's Kotmale Community Radio -www.kirana.lk, seek to address the problem of the growing gap between the info-rich and info-poor by providing collective access to the knowledge resources available on the Internet -- using the radio as a sort of people's gateway making the Internet's resources available to rural and marginalised communities”.

Radio stations in developing nations are highlighting the gulfs between them and the developed world. Whilst some communities have access to radio-fed education and entertainment; for most, something as basic as that – which we all take for granted – is denied.

Not only could a more ambitious infrastructure provide education and news links to the rest of the world; many struggling communities could – probably for the first time – hear music from the West. Not only that but, by linking our big stations with local broadcast, create a direct link between the developed and developing world – making it easier to gauge levels of poverty and need. We know the power music has in the developing world. Not only can it bridge gaps between communities and help bring about unity and understanding – it touches millions of lives and can help us through some dark times. Having that ‘outside’ voice is vital; knowing those in the developing world are not alone would go a long way. So, then…how does this ambition turn into reality? One cannot alter the topography and landscape of parts of Africa and Asia so that developers can install satellites and provide them access to radio stations around the world. We cannot give the people the power of the Internet: one must be realistic when thinking about this! There is mobile technology available but the way it is being used it ineffective – not linking with local radio access/stations and providing streaming licenses. Reports have come out in past years that highlighted how tough it was for India’s poor and marginalised communities to gain access to commutations networks – India’s media policies being stringent and very rigid.

Governments in Africa – from the wealthier nations – need to provide an incentive to telecoms companies to push infrastructure out to rural communities...this extends to Asia and other nations in the developing world. Mobile telephony can open up the world and bringing about change. Developed nations have their priorities when it comes to poorer communities. We see adverts from charities like Water Aid asking for donations so that struggling communities can have access to clean water. We know the AIDs epidemic in poorer nations and how rife other diseases (like tuberculosis) are. I understand saving lives and providing education are more important than providing music and worldwide radio. The thing is; radio can give so much to poorer areas of the planet. Not only can we communicate directly with them: they, in turn, can speak to us and we can get a much better understanding of their plight. Various stations can bring news and education whilst the gamut of Internet stations means people will have access to a library of wonderful music. Music itself has the power to elevate lives and make people feel less alone: radio can bridge the developed and developing world and, through effective use, help bring about accelerated change and improvement. Charities are doing fantastic work and doing all they can to help communities in the developing world. I feel, with a better telecoms system and better investment in these areas; it can bring something new and extraordinary to those in the developing world and, in time, bring the developed and developing world…

CLOSER together.

FEATURE: Winter Warmers: A Playlist to Ease You Into the Working Week

FEATURE:

 

Winter Warmers

 ALL PHOTOS: Unsplash

A Playlist to Ease You Into the Working Week

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NEXT week is, they say…

the coldest of the winter so far. They say that all the time - but it seems like we will have some frosty mornings, at the very least! Depending on where you live determines whether you’ll get any snow and ice. The South looks set to receive a mixture of sleet, rain and snow; further north, you’ll get the real thing – another slippery and chilly one! All of that would be bad enough if it were the end of the working week: the fact we are facing the cold and winter sting on a Monday makes it all the more depressing!

To help calm and balm the soul; provide some lift, warmth and emotion (either reflectiveness or uplift); I have trawled through playlists that either provide beauty in a cold setting or produce out-and-out sunshine. Whether you like your music energised and spirited (getting the body warmed) or more contemplative and tender (able to soothe and calm the mind); there is going to be something in the pack that helps project images of spring and being shut safely in a scenic and picturesque environment. Here, then, for your Sunday evening delectation is an assortment of songs that help delay thoughts of imminent unpleasantness…

FOR a while at least.

FEATURE: Jameela Jamil: A Figure We Need Back in Music

FEATURE:

 

Jameela Jamil

ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Getty Images

A Figure We Need Back in Music

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I could have titled this piece ‘MrsJam’ or given it a truly pun-dreadful…

name that would have cringed the senses and caused vomit to gush out of every pore! Avoiding any tabloid newspaper ‘wordplay’; I decided I would keep it fairly enigmatic and oblique. Next week, I am concentrating on a number of things. I have interviews lined up but, in terms of features; I am investigating everything from the pros and cons – for new artists – of a record deal; why the always-excellent Jack White is a modern-day Renaissance hero; ways the Internet can bring music to less-well-off communities and nations – a bit about an album that is very special to me. Before I get to the point of this feature; I have spent the longest time looking for ‘legal’ images of Jameela Jamil. I am not suggesting there are dodgy images circulating of the thirty-one-year-old: one must be careful when reproducing images from various websites! That is a shame because there are some truly heart-melting photos that accompany her recent interview with GQ. It is a fantastic piece that focuses on the incredible Brit and her role on the U.S. hit show, The Good Place. The photos for that interview were shot by the mega-talented Elizabeth Weinberg. They capture the former Freshly Squeezed host in a very good light. By that, I mean her incredible, natural beauty radiates but, more than that; the expressions she employs contrast the funny, charming and accessible answers she gives in the interview itself.

I thought about using one of those photos for the thumbnail here as it, quite possibly, the most striking image I have ever seen of anyone, well...ever. I thought about being a copyright rebel and nicking the photo as I smoked a gnarly cigarette and chuckled to myself...“Who will ever know!”; as I sipped a beer and listened to James Blake’s latest album through second-hand headphones. I felt it best to temporise my desire for intellectual theft as that could lead to me having to destroy this piece (you can email GQ (and other sites) permission to use their photos but magazines/sites rarely reply and actually give that permission – even if it for a perfectly good article!). I have collated some photos – I think – are all above-board and legit! Rather than get bogged down in photographic legalities; I think it is best I stop waffling and chattering nervously. Many of fondly remember Jameela Jamil as the fresh-faced, enthusiastic host of T4 and Freshly Squeezed. She used to run down the music charts on BBC Radio 1 and would bring her unique and inimitable talents to the masses. This might sound like I am casting her as a bygone star who is getting on in years: she is younger than I am and not even at the peak of her career! Right now, she appears alongside the silver-haired mega-legend Ted Danson and Kristen Bell on The Good Place - she plays Tahani al-Jamil.

IN THIS PHOTO: Ted Danson and Kristen Bell in a promotional shot for The Good Place

She is an upper-crust character who, as opposed to being the same stuffy, posh English characters U.S. shows usually recruit – the kind that would scream at a barista in a Mayfair coffee shop for overcooking their duck’s liver, herb-infused panini on rosemary bread – she is a lovable and relatable woman who is more than the ‘token Brit’: she plays a key role and her acting skills have been applauded by critics (despite the fact this is her first acting role; she has learnt a lot from her co-stars). You can read the interview in full – and see Jamil on the show – but points come out of the piece that makes me realise, A): She is a big loss to British music T.V./radio and, B): She is someone who could make some real changes in the music industry. That might sound like a weird assertion…so let me explain. In that GQ piece; there are some bold confessions – if she met her character from The Good Place in actual life she would punch her in the tit (only the one, as it is explained!) – and a wonderful blend of warmth, wit and quirkiness. It is no surprise Jamil landed a role in a successful U.S. show: given the impact she made on British screens; that call was only a matter of time! The always-lovely and beguiling Jameela Jamil is, very much, in a good place (sorry!) right now. Dividing her time between California and London; the actor and journalist is embarking on a new stage in her life.

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash

I remember reading a blog she wrote where she decided to abandon and flee her life in the U.K. and go to America – no real agenda; only that feeling she had to get away and make a bold change. That, at the time, lingered in the back of my mind. I was struck by the temerity and gamble a young woman would take and had a fear: what if that backfires and she feels isolated there?! That risk, actually, flirted with my subconscious and has impacted some of my decisions in life. These range from the small – a recent tattoo I got depicting some Kate Bush lyrics – to the medium – gearing myself to escape to London and try and get my writing exposed – to the life-changing and overly-ambitious…this is where the ‘music’ part of my piece comes in. There are a lot of issues and conflicts in the music industry that requires discipline, a vital voice and a natural leader. I wrote a piece recently that proposed a notion many of us want to see: forming a ‘music government’ that would appoint various people/departments to care for various sides of the industry – from protecting small venues to tackling sexism and racism; preserving older music and bringing it to new generations; ensure music is integrated into the primary-school syllabus of the U.K. through to ensuring there is adequate and effective support to those artists who suffer mental-health problems.

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash

Whilst many have seconded my notion – getting all Smokey Robinson here! – there have raised a legitimate question: how do you start a movement as huge and unwieldy as this?! That is fair enough but I am pragmatic and ambitious: it will start with acorns and small, positive steps. I have brought Jameela Jamil to mind because I feel she has a similar love for music and a desire to see (positive) changes; she has that experience and knowledge and the personality D.N.A. to affect real movement and evolution. I will come to her professional C.V. but, from a personal stance; Jamil is that engaging and seductive human who compels one to follow her and hang on every word. She has an awkwardness and clumsiness that resonates in me – I somehow manage to fall up every staircase I approach – and has a modesty and shyness that bellies someone who is being thrust into the American entertainment mindset right now. Recently, on Twitter, she balked at the daytime songs played on the radio – I am not sure if she was in the U.S. or U.K. at the time. Maybe there was a nod to her alma mater (BBC Radio 1) and the overly-processed, inorganic sounds they spin during the ‘light hours’. I listen to BBC Radio 6 Music where a broader, quality-focused playlist comes to mind. She and I share a love for James Blake and the music he throws out there; she has exceptional taste and, away from presenting/being a D.J., there is a conscientiousness and sense of mortality the industry could benefit from.

Everything about her writing and outpourings impresses me. I have improved as a person and writer since following her (on social media, that is: stalking her would be a rather extreme and creepy measure!) and feel like I am a more rounded and better person…less alone and more understood. Jameela Jamil gave the ever-nefarious Katie Hopkins a two-barrelled fu*k-you when she spewed vitriol and neon vomit into the press – I can’t remember the specific insult but Hopkins ran her mouth off without a thought for other people and their feelings. Right now, Hopkins is in the news because, whilst in South Africa, she stacked it on the pavement as a result of ketamine ingestion (I feel sorry for the pavement, mate!). The reaction on social media has, naturally been sympathetic: by that, I mean there has been justifiable schadenfreude. Rather than mock the idiotic Hopkins; the way Jamil speaks up for people and lets her voice register strikes me. Her website, Diary of a Goon, provides honest and raw investigation about different things – from the recent controversy surrounding Aziz Ansari and the lack of visible disabled persons in the open (she launched Why Not People? that provides better access to gigs for the disabled and raises a very important issue). Her writing is human, memorable and hugely impressive. Music, right now, is afflicted with issues around parity, quality and mortality: areas Jameela Jamil has written about and is determined to change. The lack of mainstream quality means there is an imbalance between the most-played artists and the genuinely good that are getting less airtime and acclaim...

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash

There is ongoing and never-ending sexism; emphasis on looks and sexuality (the way some promote female artists) - all of that needs addressing and counteracting; we have issues around disabled access – in terms of gigs and the lack of media attention on disabled artists – and there is a veritable buffet of potholes and chasms in the industry that are not being filled. My government scheme would, effectively, replicate our Government...with the added advantage of not being evil and staffed by a bunch of cu*ts. Working in the U.K., U.S. and Australia; there would be constructive and regulated departments that would work in every town and city of the nation(s); people assigned to tackle issues and provide a much more balanced, moral and inspiring industry. Many may claim we already have a system like that in place: there are people who are good and do fantastic work but nothing as large-scale and ambitious as this. Jamil, as a natural leader and voice of the industry, would make a perfect ambassador. There would not be a Prime Minister, as such: it would be a cabinet based around the Socratic method/maieutics whereby discussion and democratic dialogue would be opened up: the proletariat, for-the-people representatives actually speaking FOR everyone. I am not saying Jameela Jamil alone could change music and bring about a revolution. My point is she has all the D.N.A., desires and experiences to help enforce progressive change and help people. I will start ‘recruiting’ members/’ministers’ when the proposition gains steam and finance but I have been thinking about Jamil’s career arc how far she has come.

From the hangover-curing siren on T4 with that miles-wide-smile and magnetic personality; to the rising star of U.S. television – the young Londoner has covered a lot of ground and is barely in her thirties right now! This might sound like a passion-piece and long-distance flirtation – the heart does skip when confronted with Jameela Jamil – but my motives and proclamations are much purer and less skeevy than all that (at a time when the greasy and toad-like Harvey Weinsten’s perverted misadventures are finding fierce rebuke by the likes of Uma Thurman; journalists and professionals determined not to descend to his slimy and depraved depths!). I miss seeing Jameela Jamil on our screens and her having a say in the music industry. I hope she finds a gap in her busy acting diary to come back to British radio/T.V. and bring truth and guidance to the people. I can see her fronting a BBC Radio 6 Music show – it seems like her natural radio home! – and presenting a new, quality-rich music T.V. show (one that highlights the best new music and the finest from yesteryear). Her U.S. popularity might see her moored in the nation for a while yet but, looking back at her earliest days; we do not have anyone like her on T.V. and radio. Not only does Jamil have a huge knowledge of the music industry and the need for multifaceted change: her crusade against societal ills and wrongs in the world mean she has the perfect blend of characteristics. I am not sure what side of the Atlantic she is right now but I have to ask this of her: if you get a moment between seasons of The Good Place, would you mind awfully…

PHOTO CREDIT: Ezra Bartlett

ADDING your voIce back to the music industry?!

FEATURE: Another Form of Hostility: Discrimination and the Continuing Struggle for London’s Black Clubbers

FEATURE:

 

Another Form of Hostility

  PHOTO CREDIT: Party Flock

Discrimination and the Continuing Struggle for London’s Black Clubbers

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MY eye was caught by a piece in The Guardian…

IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images/Metropolitan Police

written by Jesse Bernard. The article looked back at the 2005-launched Form 696 that was created by Metropolitan Police. It was a risk-assessment form that mandated the promoters of London’s nightclub life to provide details of the events they were planning – including the race and ethnic breakdown of their intended clientele. It was, rightfully, scorned for being racist and discriminatory. The form instantly attacked the profitability and freedom of Rap, Hip-Hop and Grime. I can see a measure put in place if there was an immense amount of violence and brutality. Clubs and venues were threatened following Fabric’s drug-related incidents. They reopened and relaunched after being threatened with permanent closure. I felt that measure was exaggerated and rash. We know there are going to be drug incidents and violence at venues around the capital. The fact a couple of incidents brought Fabric into the fore should not have resulted in that closure – it is back in business but subject to tight measures and curfews. It wasn’t until November of 2017 before Form 696 was dropped altogether. When the Form was dropped; The Independent captured some reactions:

“Launched by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, the review included a consultation between local council licensing managers, venue owners, the Musicians’ Union, London Promoters Forum and led by the capital’s Night Czar Amy Lame.

IN THIS PHOTO: Amy Lamé/PHOTO CREDIT: Amy Lamé

Mr Khan welcomed the decision, saying it would help London’s “night-time economy thrive” and ensures the capital is “a welcoming place for artists and DJs of all music genres and that Londoners are able to enjoy live music safely”.

He added: “I called for a review of Form 696 earlier this year because of concerns raised by promoters and artists in the capital that this process was unfairly affecting specific communities and music genres.”

Met Police superintendent Roy Smith said London had seen a “reduction in serious incidents at promoted music events, particularly those involving firearms” in recent years”.

I have a lot of respect for Amy Lamé and know the BBC Radio 6 Music D.J. is doing great work for London. She is helping safeguard the public and protect venues – ensuring those who spend the night enjoying music are not subject to needless harm and prejudice. She welcomed the abolition of Form 696. Although there is no legislation restricting access and right for black clubbers: there is a great fear they are being marginalised and pushed to the boundaries. Areas like East and South London used to be hotspots and havens because of the strong Grime scene. Forerunners like Wiley and Dizzee Rascal put the genre on the map. Dizzee’s Bow-based brilliance brought young black people together in a safe and secure space.

PHOTO CREDIT: Places + Faces

There are new Grime artists like Stormzy and Kano but, as other genres are resonating with the population of these areas – it seems there are fewer Grime and Rap clubs available. Some are being converted whilst others are recruiting more white patrons – some of whom are offering violence and hate at the established and loyal black crowd. The more gentrified and ‘clean’ London becomes; the more isolated black revellers feel. They consume less alcohol than white clubbers but receive much lower pay. Their standard of living is lower so, even in the clubs that retain their musical purity; the raised prices and inflated drinks prices means they are being squeezed out. There are various forms of discrimination at play: economical and violent among them. There are, as The Guardian article highlights, issues with entry and dress codes. Clubs, as part of gentrification, are stiffening their policies and insisting their patrons adopt a different look – this often conflicts with the style and identity of black clubbers. Many clubbers are going to areas outside of South and East London in order to find affordable and accessible music. The irony is, as they have to travel further; they are still spending the same as they always have – less money spent in the bar; more spent on an Oyster Card.

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash

Areas like Croydon are more affordable spots for the underpaid, outpriced black youth. They are leaving traditional hotspots and areas in order to sustain their passion and sociability. Not only does this mean they have to assimilate with a different crowd: they are getting further away from their city and feeling overlooked. London is the best city on Earth but, because of its popularity; bars and venues are being refurbished and renovated to accommodate influx and a growing population. All the ‘rough edges’ are being smoothed and those real, genuine spots – with a few more stains on the toilet floors – are being whitewashed and beautified. The club scene in East London is not exactly a trip through Dubai: it is still quite gritty and authentic in certain areas. If areas like Hackney and Elephant and Castle are ‘improving’ and being gentrified – Newham and Bow, perhaps, a little more genuine and grounded. There will be a time where all council estates and locales of London are rebuilt and bulldozed. It might not be that long before all low-paid locals will have to leave London altogether so they can enjoy a good night out. I know for a fact there is a lot of violence and hatred still being perpetrated in many London clubs. Even though there are venues dedicated to fostering the best Grime and Rap music around; there is a clear social division between higher-paid patrons from wealthier parts of the capital and the poorer (predominantly) black attendees.

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash

I have heard stories of scuffles and violence. Many have been attacked by bouncers and it seems, the more expensive it becomes and the stricter entry access becomes; the harder it is for young black clubbers to find inclusion. There is hope things will improve and stabilise. The success and advent of artists like Stormzy means there is a great demand for Grime and Hip-Hop at the moment. The only reason these artists rose through the ranks are those local venues and faithful supporters. There were fears, before Form 696 came in, that there would be a lot of trouble from various ‘sectors’ of London society. Implementing these codifications and guidelines was designed to ensure there would be less violence and trouble in London’s clubs – even if it did seem like a shot at black clubbers. The fact there was very little trouble did not prove Form 696 was a success and logical move: there would have been the same level of conflict without it being in place to begin. I still worry there is little consideration being given to the less-well-off in the capital. Maybe there is less bloodshed and illegal activity – against the black population – than previous years but, in another way; raising prices and forcing black clubbers further from the centre of London is another form of discrimination. It might not be as overt as attack and violence - but it is still seeing division and split through the community. In the past, clubs like Common Sense (Peckham) and Eskimo Dance have put on Grime nights and been affordable options.

IN THIS PHOTO: Club 49/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

London’s Hip-Hop scene is evolving and spots like Club 49 and Bar Rumba proving popular; 100 and Supa Dupa Fly great spots that have affection and great knowledge of R&B/Rap/Hip-Hop. I look at these areas and, from images and prices listed; you wonder what kind of punter is coming through the door. The entry fees vary but, when you get to the bar; how much are you paying for a night out? The only way London can maintain a mixed-race nightclub scene is to consider those who earn less than the ‘average wage’. I can understand why some clubs need to modernise – for safety and, by projecting a classier image, they are more attractive – but it is coming at the expense of the low-paid black community. In order to diversify clubbing and the Grime/Rap/Hip-Hop scene; we need to, in a way, rebel against gentrification and offer more affordable venues. There are some out there but they are becoming fewer. In order to sustain the momentum of Form 696’s extinction; clubs, our Government and appointed guardians need to ensure black clubbers are welcomed and as visible as they were years ago – in areas that are becoming more expensive and restrictive. That might sound counter-logical but we need to ensure ever-growing gentrification does not…

PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest

EXCLUDE black clubbers in London.

FEATURE: Spiceworld: Why a Spice Girls ‘Reunion’ Is a Missed Opportunity

FEATURE:

 

Spiceworld

IN THIS PHOTO: The Spice Girls captured last week/PHOTO CREDIT: @GeriHalliwell

Why a Spice Girls ‘Reunion’ Is a Missed Opportunity

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DEPENDING on how far along the spin-cycle…

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

your union flag dress is – the more interested you’ll be in the news the Spice Girls are getting back together. I have never been a massive fan of the band, myself. You can lob criticism at their way all day long. They are manufactured – albeit more credible than the reality muppets they pump out now – and were primed, moulded and cut to an insane length. One suspects the girls’ weights were charted each week to ensure they were ‘commercially acceptable’ – I think there was a conflict when it was suggested, by management, Geri Halliwell (now Horner) was putting on too much weight – and that they were living a very clean and uncontroversial life. They only recorded a few albums and only two of them were good: 2000’s Forever, minus Halliwell, was a record too far. Each member had their role and place. ‘Sporty Spice’ (Melanie Chisholm) was the good singer and, well, sporty one; ‘Scary Spice’ (Melanie Brown) was the tough and edgy one; ‘Baby Spice’ (Emma Bunton) the cute and innocent member; ‘Ginger Spice’ (Geri Halliwell) the standout and ‘most likely to succeed’; ‘Posh Spice’ (Victoria Beckham) the least talented singer – but the most fashionable one. The last actual reunion was in 2007 when the girls embarked on a worldwide tour. It was reported over one-million people in the U.K. signed up for tickets – over five-million around the world.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ray Burmiston/Photoshot/Getty Images

Their first concert in Canada saw them perform to 15,000; they recorded a Children in Need single Headlines (Friendship Never Ends) and scooped awards – mostly for their existing and older music. It was hoped the girls would get back together for good but, following the limited run of the Viva Forever musical; the fascination faded and it was seen as the last throw of the dice. Although their recorded career lasted around four years; the Spice Girls created a legacy and inspired legions of fans. The reason I was not a fan of theirs had nothing to do with the music: strangely it was their political stance and lack of independence that got me. Some might say a manufactured girl group are meant to be subservient and disciplined. They were told what to wear and where to go; other writers penned their songs – although the girls pitched in on most of their tracks – and their love lives were under the microscope. Maybe rebelling and doing their own thing would have compromised their record deal and their popularity. For a band who invented ‘Girl Power’ – more on that later… - they were being directed by a group of men. That is not their fault – a lot of the girl groups through the years have had to exist a certain way. The Spice Girls were not as sassy and cool as En Vogue or Destiny’s Child; they were better than (if not as credible/tough) as All Saints; not quite as compelling as the best girl groups of the U.S.

What does this latest meetup mean for the band? The shot at the top of this feature is them all back together – although I suspect it is heavily edited and filtered! – and they were meeting to discuss possible ideas. From 1996-2002 – between Wannabe’s release and their split – the band helped add something very special to the world. Although they made some good music back in the day; when it came to politics…perhaps comments should have been left out of the media. They once dubbed Margaret Thatcher a Spice Girl – almost the same way The Beatles dubbed Sir George Martin the ‘fifth Beatle’. Not only does the Spice Girls’ patronage of Thatcher mark them out as mega twats – it derailed and undermined their Girl Power movement and what it stood for. I thought their latest regrouping would be a way of backing Jeremy Corbyn and throwing their weight behind him. Maybe they would make another silly mistake and label Theresa May the latest member of the group – who knows with them?! There are rumours as to what the reunion could yield. Some say a multi-million-pound deal could happen in China; the girls launching fashion brands and relaunching their music…maybe doing some shows here and there. The greatest relief for many seems to be they are not going to record any new music! If they had the same ability and sound as they did back in 1996, I would say the world needs Spice Girls to come back. The sight (and sound) of five near-middle-aged women slipping into P.V.C. suits and gyrating around the stage is unseemly, to say the least.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

If there was a reincarnation then it would be a more mature and different version of who they were. The details regarding the Spice Girls’ relaunch are vague but it puts them back into the consciousness. There is endless debate around sexism in the industry – barely a week goes by without my addressing it – and with music changing and adapting (there are few girl bands; girl-based groups who play Punk and Rock) the days of Spice Girls Pop rule seems like a distant memory. Once was the day you could not walk the high-street without seeing some Spice Girls merchandise staring at you. People – teens and girls, mainly – would line the streets for the latest Spice Girls album. Say what you want about the music and the authenticity of their ‘rebellion’ – there is a role for the girls in 2018. I wonder whether we will ever see a Pop girl group who perform instant hits and create movements and identities. Even the biggest, hardest-hitting bands around are a little bland and contrived. Gone are the days of genuine Punk spirit and those who could ensure for years. Pop is changing too - but is in no danger of moving back to the 1990s. In an industry where many ask whether looks and sex appeal are being placed over quality and talent. Maybe a regenerated Spice Girls would either be a tragic hark to their best days or a ‘grown-up’ (read: a bit crap) band. Creating a new band in their image would lack any spontaneity and credibility. I am in no rush to hear new material from them – having my public hair plucked individually by a convicted sex offender would be a more salubrious option – but there is something intriguing about their reformation.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

The role of women in music – and how far they have come – is, in part, down to band like Spice Girls. Maybe their brand of Pop has evolved beyond recognition but they were one of the first female bands (outside of Punk) to really stand out and stick a finger to the doubters. Perhaps their brand of rebellion was more cheeky and fun as opposed political and purposeful. Whether you see the Girl Power movement as a fad and gimmick or something that gave women/girls hope and meaning; you cannot deny it captured a spirit and defined a time. There was plenty of world-class music around in the mid-late-1990s. The fact Spice Girls managed to stand out – when the likes of Oasis and Blur were still in the popular forefront – was no mean feat. Alongside the Britpop movement (which was starting to dwindle and foster the next generation); the uplifting and catchy Pop of Spice Girls was perfectly timed. Although the girls cannot recapture the mood and feeling of the time: is the money-driven (one suspects) motives of 2018-Spice Girls a missed opportunity? I am sure they are less financially viable than in their pomp. None of the members has had especially lucrative or successful solo careers. None of them has side-stepped into acting (not in any meaningful way) and they seem content with a more domesticated role in life. They all had solo careers with varying degrees of success.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Geri Horner’s career started promisingly but was short-lived; both Melanies had the odd hit whereas Emma Bunton did not really get off the blocks – the less said about Victoria Beckham’s attempt at a solo career the better! Rather than record new music; a wiser option would be something education and constructive. The world does not need Spice Girls-branded clothes or any ventures in the Asian market. They helped launch something unifying back in the 1990s. They helped promote feminism and, through image and music, brought pop girl groups into the fore. There has been nothing like them since. Sexism is a bigger issue and problem, many might say, than it was when Spice Girls came onto the scene. I am not sure how they would modernise and adapt Girl Power for the 2018 world. I know it would be a more popular decision than marketing and clothing. Female musicians are fighting and attacking prejudice but should one of Pop’s great female bands sit by and ignore a need for leadership and a powerful voice? Maybe that is part of their plan but the five members could, between them, do something great. The Spice Girls were always strongest and most relevant when they were a unit: the solo careers produced nothing of much note and endurance. The same goes for business ventures and a striking voice. I suspect the lucrative deals they are discussing are good for their bottom-line but seems like a needlessly over-speculated and hyped move for what it actually is. Few people, fans and non-fans, will care about any new Spice Girls merchandise, clothing or deals. The music world, when it comes to them, would prefer their take on modern gender imbalance and ways to inspire and guide young women. I think that is a safer and more lucrative course that should give the five-piece…

REASON to have a rethink.

FEATURE: NME of the State: Has the Former Industry Leader Lost Its Edge?

FEATURE:

 

NME of the State

 PHOTO CREDITS (unless credited otherwise): Getty Images

Has the Former Industry Leader Lost Its Edge?

_________

WE all have memories of racing to the newsagents…

and grabbing a copy of NME. My experiences began back in the 1990s when the Britpop phenomenon got underway. It was an exciting time for music and one that still rebound in my mind. I was keen to follow all the developments, exploits and explosions. One week, we would read about Blur releasing their latest hit. From there; we would see read about the Gallagher brothers lobbing a grenade into the Blur camp. The rivalry and scuffs between Oasis and Blur was reason enough to purchase NME. I would drool over the interviews and news available in the magazine. I think the last copy of the magazine I bought was back when The White Stripes were still going – maybe 2006 was the last time I actually got it. Since then, the publication has moved to the Internet and, as such, adapted to that way of working. We see very few (good) magazines on the shelves anymore. Certain professions retain the printed word: music is moving online and there are only a few decent magazines available now. Maybe they are being purchased by a certain demographic – slightly older readers who want to retain the purity of the written word – but I know there are younger readers who do not want to completely immerse themselves in the Internet. MOJO and Classic Rock is out there; Kerrang! still has a readership: apart from that, how many other magazines can you name?

Q is one…I know Rolling Stone is still healthy(ish). It is tough surviving in a market where we can get all the music news and goings-on at the click of a button. To me, NME has always been the leader and go-to magazine for the masses. That was the case as recently as the past decade. Maybe music has evolved (or unevolved) to the point where we do not have the same excitement as we once did. I trawl the Internet for ideas and news. There are different sites that I use and, between them, provide me all the information I need. It is rare I look at interviews and read too many other reviews. The reason I used to buy NME is their the features run and the fact I could sit down, engage with the musicians and read all the brilliant reviews in there. This is not me bashing a once-fantastic magazine. The fact they are on the Internet now means there is a greater scope and they can produce more content. The fear I have with NME is, oddly, the same I have with HMV. HMV stands for ‘His Master’s Voice’. There is a dog and gramophone as their logo – one imagines music would be their only concern! I find, as the years go on, music is less of what they do.

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash

You walk in a store (those that are left) and it is filled with D.V.D.s and gadgets. There is a bit of music here and there but, unless you go to one of the bigger stores – like the one on Oxford Street, London – then you are going to find less and less music. It is the same with the online content of NME. The ‘New Musical Express’ had that decades-long reputation as the bible for the music-loving masses. There has been criticism of the magazine since the 1970s (or earlier). Objections aside; there have been some great moments and wonderful articles. It is one of the reasons I wanted to become a journalist. Now, in 2018; I do not really check out NME. There are a few reasons for this downturn. Sites like Pitchfork, The 405 and The Guardian provide better content and there is a specific focus on the music itself. I find the features are more compelling and the interviews more in-depth. NME does produce interviews but it is rare I am actually captivated by them! The magazine/site, to me, defines cool and should be about cutting-edge artists and the strongest out there. I see too many features of mainstream acts and Popstars; features revolving around areas NME should not be involved with. The best thing about NME, now, is the music news. They are on the button and always on top of everything happening. The reason I go to other sites is (because) they can offer more than the latest news.

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash

Every site has adverts and banners but, at NME’s website; you are inundated with adverts and pop-ups. I click on a page and, before I know it; there are videos playing that usually start with adverts! If you have to sit through a thirty-second advert each time you play a video – you are less likely to come back and stick with the site. A lot of the reviews are either too brief or predictable – lots of four-star assessments; contributors overrating a lot of releases – and they do not really produce too many original features. It is sad to think the legendary publication has not only become a spent force in printed terms – offering it for free and then, inevitably, giving up on the idea of printing it – but it is producing less quality content. Back in 2015, when sales were dipping and the end was near; The Irish Times outlined the facts – and gave their views regarding the quality-relevance debate:

“…All of which makes the current wave of press stories about the once venerable magazine a bit awkward. Last week’s circulation figures showed that the magazine now sells just under 14,000 print issues every week. There are also 1,389 digital sales, but it’s clear to all that the glory days when the NME was shipping 300,000 copies a week are well and truly over and are not coming back. Indeed, you can measure the slow, steady decline of NME sales in Guardian Media news stories from August 2011, August 2012, February 2013, February 2014, August 2014 and, of course, February 2015. NME Deathwatch is in full effect…

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash

The NME’s real problem, though, is a content problem. The reason why print sales have slumped is because the print magazine does not offer anything unique or different to make you part with your few euro. I went through a phase a few years ago of buying the magazine every week, but it quickly dropped off my radar again when I realised that I could find the info I was buying the magazine for, info on new bands mostly, from various online sources. There was also the realisation that those non-NME sources were way ahead of the NME when it came to new acts and that they weren’t waiting for some vested interest or press officer to tip the NME off about the act in the first place”.

The decline and near-death of NME has happened for a number of reasons. There are a lot of articles out there – most from 2015 – that theorised why the magazine went free and why the sales declined. One of the reasons I have abandoned it is because of the brevity of the pieces and the lack of features. There are too many adverts and it is a rather frustrating experience visiting the site. Is the lack of great Rock bands contributing to the lack of NME fire? Tony Parsons wrote a piece for GQ (in 2015):

“It is true that every newspaper and magazine on the planet is still feeling its way in the new digital age, and no definitive model has yet emerged of the best way for a print publication to thrive in the modern world. But the NME has a problem that is not shared by the New York Times or Your Dog magazine…

“Rock music grew old but the NME stayed young. It never went dad rock. It never aped Mojo. Instead of being a curator of a dying art form, the NME kept trying to break new music. This is to the paper's eternal credit. The NME was, at best, God's A&R man. But what happens when there is no Johnny Marr out there knocking - uninvited - on Steven Morrissey's front door? What happens when the high-IQ misfits are starting websites instead of bands?

What happens when the music is no longer the centre of the universe? The NME mattered when the music mattered. But the very reason for the NME's existence - reporting from some damp, unlicensed basement where The Rolling Stones or The Jam or The Stone Roses were tearing the place apart - is no longer there”.

There are other reasons why NME is no longer the go-to magazine/site of choice. Greater competition means there are choices and other options for journalists. New brands mean writers are going elsewhere. Certain sites offer greater specificity and niche tastes; it is easier tailoring sites for a specific taste/market – NME is quite broad and old, now. It has had a great life and continues to influence but, as more rival spring up; it has not adapted in the right way. It seems you get more film and T.V. news than music now.

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash

I got to their site and have to wade through so many non-related articles before I get to something I want to read. The sheer volume of other sites means I do not really focus on one for any real period of time. I flick between them and get a little something from each of them. The greatest two threats and reasons why NME has declined is the changing tastes in music and the popularity of the Internet. NME has always been about proffering the best Rock, Indie and Alternative out there. When it reached a modern peak in the 1990s; the music scene was a lot stronger. There were great working-class bands and a great wave of British talent. We had Blur and Oasis duking it out; Pulp and Suede offering something special. Even when The Libertines and The Strokes came around (in the early-2000s); there was a real place for NME. It was at the frontline of reporting and perfect for these bands to get their faces seen. Since then, Pop has taken over and there are fewer working-class bands – even with the rise of IDLES and Shame; there are fewer great Rock bands around. That means the authority and relevance of NME have been called into question. The simple fact is, as music has changed from the printed to digital; NME has not been able to adapt to the shock and fallout.

Since 2015, when it was threatened, it has tried to entice readers in and keep its circulation. I assume there are fewer paid contributors now; it is harder making good money working there and, because of that, writers are going to sites where they can afford a bit more. Advertising helps get the revenue in but, the more they rely on that, the more people are going to avoid the site – annoyed at the constant glare of crappy products and trailers! Maybe I am pining for the past and trying to get a return to those glory days. It is dangerous to live in the past, I know. What worries me is the fact NME have not really coped with the end of their printed career. They could have created a great, organised and appealing online market. What they have done is compromise and broaden too much. We do not go to NME to read film news and read articles from anyone outside of music! I do not write about the latest films because, surprisingly, that defeats the point of a music blog! I am sad the site/magazine has lost its place in music and seems to be a historic footnote. It was once the bastion and king of all music journalism: now, with younger, tauter brothers on the scene; the flabby and greying NME seems to get more criticism than praise. Maybe its fortunes will revive but, as music fans are looking elsewhere for their content; it seems to the heady days of NME…

REMAIN in the past.

FEATURE: Sit Down. Stand Up: Why Underrated Albums Warrant Fresh Ears

FEATURE:

 

Sit Down. Stand Up

  IN THIS IMAGE: The album cover of Radiohead's Hail to the Thief/ALL IMAGES (unless credited otherwise): Getty Images

Why Underrated Albums Warrant Fresh Ears

_________

AT this very moment, I am listening to Sit Down. Stand Up…

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash

by the irrepressible Radiohead. It is the second track from the band’s sixth studio album. Released in 2003; it (the album) was seen as a minor step between their 2000-wonder-work and 2007’s 'Radiohead 2.0' masterpiece, In Rainbows. After the Kid A/Amnesiac period of 2000-2001; few expected Radiohead to have a whole lot more in the tank. I remember when the album came out: as a huge Radiohead fan, it took a while for Hail to the Thief to resonate and seduce. Its nervy and urgent one-two, 2+2 = 5 and Sit Down. Stand Up is the band at their most insistent and unexpected. All the songs on the album have alternative titles (in parentheses). 2+2 = 5’s is The Lukewarm.; Sit Down. Stand Up’s is Snakes & Ladders. The best, in fact, is Sail to the Moon’s Brush the Cobwebs Out of the Sky. (I am not sure if I have put all the upper-case letters in the right place - the band did tease the rules of grammar). The album received good reviews when it was released - although it was muted compared to their early acclaim. Those who saw promise highlighted the confidence and ambition running throughout. Others, who found it less charged, felt it was filler-heavy and lacked the consistent genius of, sat OK Computer. Thom Yorke was inspired by the ongoing War on Terror (around that time) and right-wing politics. At a time, fifteen years later, where we are seeing a return – or a continuation? – of those fears…surely Hail to the Thief deserves new investigation?!

I grant there are a few weak tracks on the album – The Gloaming, I Will and Scatterbrain could have been left out – but, if you erase them; you have a solid eleven-track album that could rival their finest work! Maybe a lack of strict editing killed the album’s chance of getting into more minds. The opening two tracks are intense and beguiling; Sail to the Moon passionate, beautiful and tender (dedicated to and written for Thom Yorke’s son, Noah) and A Punchup at a Wedding funny, moody and magnificent. There There is, in my view, the finest thing they have ever done! It is hard to put into words how good the song is – so complex, gorgeous and spine-tingling. As a whole, bar a few weak moments; the record is sublime and very underrated. That 2003-nugget is not the only record that deserves fresh ears. Coldplay’s Parachutes, despite its negative associations (it is a Coldplay album, after all!) is actually a lot stronger than many give it credit for. It is a template for superb Pop that many should hold dear. From hits like Yellow and Blues-influenced songs like Shiver – it is a solid album and, as a debut, one of the best ever. Beck’s Midnite Vultures is another one that tends to hover under the retrospective radar. It is as eccentric and scattershot as Odelay but, to many, not nearly as good! Debra and Sexx Laws are stone-cold stunners; it has the Funk brilliance of a Prince or James Brown album – with the invention of a mid-career Beatles disc.

Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy is a record that warranted/warrants more. Elliott Smith’s Figure 8 is an album I am seeing a lot of artists name-check as fountains of knowledge. It was released in 2000 and saw Smith transcend from minimalist solo artist to fully-fledged band-leader. It is flourishing and swelling; diverse, symphonic and grand in place – not what the established core were expecting. Many critics recognised its brilliance and evolution: others were scared and felt it was a drastic-move-too-far manoeuvre from Smith. Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk is seen as weak compared with the faultless Rumours. Tusk followed Rumours and, considering the tensions within the band during that album: few would blame them for producing something lesser and unfocused. As it was, even as a double-record; the album is triumphant and contains so much variation and quality – standouts include the title-track and Sara. One hears about Rumours but, when addressing Tusk; many feel it is too long, muddled and quality-dry. I feel that is nonsense: immerse yourself in the record and discover a band at the peak of their powers! Blur’s Think Tank was released in 2003 and suffered a few problems. There were few who expected the group to continue as a unit. After 1999’s underwhelming  13 - and the ‘best of’ the following year – that was seen as that, really.

Think Tank saw tensions and strains in the ranks; Graham Coxon walked out long before completion and (Think Tank) saw Damon Albarn assume new roles – taking on guitar duties for most tracks. Like Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief; Think Tank sports a marvellous opening duo: Ambulance is a beats-heavy, evocative piece of immersive brilliance; Out of Time blissed-out, sweet-leaf and disembodied. Apart from the zany, processed vocals on Crazy Beat – most of the songs on the album are stunners. Brothers and Sisters name-checks drugs and addictions (how we are hooked on various substances) whilst Caravan features ‘gloom tubes’ and is a sensual, body-transcending experience. We’ve Got a File on You is a sixty-two second Ramones blast; Good Song and Sweet Song are named appropriately – Jets is, perhaps, a little overlong. Some critics felt the disharmony fractured the creative process; Albarn going a bit crazy and indulging his various whims. He was taking from African music and influenced by new sounds – whereas previous Blur records took from U.S. guitar and British Pop.

Nirvana’s In Utero is often seen as the inferior successor to Nevermind. That record was a commercial runaway and megalith of success – In Utero a more subdued, tangled and raw effort. In Utero is (was) Nirvana returning to their roots; penning an album free from polish that did not aim for the charts and singalong crowds. It is a sharper and more abrasive beast. The three boys – Dave Grohl, Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic – were turned up to eleven and on fire! Scentless Apprentice, Very Ape (much-aped and sampled); Rape Me and Heart-Shaped Box are all insane and wonderful. There are, yeah, a couple of dodgy scrapes among the pack – Tourette’s among them – but there are out-and-out classics abound! Joni Mitchell’s Clouds is a record overlooked when compared to her best work. People do not really talk about it with the same sigh-and-adore as Blue and Ladies of the Canyon. Ladies of the Canyon was released in 1970; Clouds the year before. In any case; it was a hell of a two-year period for the songwriter. 1971’s Blue would take her to another level! Clouds has Both Sides, Now and Chelsea Morning; Tin Angel and Roses Blue. There are so many other albums I was going to include in this piece. They range from those many assume tragic (Spiceworld) to classics you do not hear about too much in 2018 (Led Zeppelin III and Songs in the Key of Life) – it is a shame so many were not recognised at the time; others have faded from the mind and deserve a dusting off!

I would be interested to hear what others think because, in my mind, there are dozens of albums that were either underrated at the time or, over time, have lost influence. I am revisiting records from Ramones and Destiny’s Child. There is no link between them but both could spearhead much-needed movements: the former could help bolster the Punk movement and great Alternative bands of today; the latter could inspire a new legion of girl groups…those concerned with writing bangers as opposed being led and moulded by others. If you favour Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet or the endless fascination of The Stone Roses’ debut – there is validity and cause to argue they need more attention and respect now. We often cling to classics and what others deem to be the ‘best’. Many albums are underrated upon release and only pick up (justified) acclaim after the fact. I guess one can argue it is subjective arguing why a certain album is underrated - that is true but that does not diminish the argument. There are certain albums that, regardless of whether you are a fan, should have a higher place in music’s legacy. Tusk and Clouds are two albums that deserve it; Think Tank and Hail to the Thief two more-modern examples – those, at the very least, are far better than many gave them credit for!

I will leave it here but, as I say: what are the albums, you feel, were overlooked and underrated when they were released? One can argue The Beatles’ debut is not seen as a true classic. It is a scrappy thing and, as such, not regarded as highly as Revolver and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Please Please Me is The Beatles at their most basic and uncomplicated. It is them recording an album of set inclusions – what they were performing live at the time. It is not as staggering as their later work but, as an example of how inspirational and exhilarating they were; you cannot deny it is a fantastic achievement. I have been thinking, too, about D’Angelo and the Vanguard’s 2004 masterpiece, Black Messiah. That is not only considered one the best Funk/R&B albums of the decade: many see it as one of the finest albums of the past twenty years. It is a masterful album that addresses faith, rebirth and politics; black-rights, love and injustice. Black Messiah is hardly talked about today! At a time where we need leaders and inspirational music – maybe a reinvestigation of that record is warranted?! I will leave things there because, I appreciate…it has been a long day. I wanted to look at some albums that have received damp praise (compared to what they deserved) and why they should be re-examined. The last one I will throw in is the super-mega-duper Debut - by the peerless and always-awesome Björk. Some do not rate it as highly as albums like Post and Vespertine. I feel Debut is the Icelandic innovator at her explosive best. From Human Behaviour's nervy and tribal-drummed bellicose; the rapture and ecstasy that runs through songs (like that and) Violently Happy; the allure and beauty of Venus as a Boy; the huge chorus and Dance bliss of Big Time Sensuality - it a sensational album from start to finish! Everyone will have their opinion on the matter – it would be good to know which albums others consider underrated. If you do have a particular ‘favourite’ that has been buried in the annals of near-obscurity; make sure you pick it back up, put it on...

IN THIS IMAGE: The cover for Björk's album, Debut

AND let people know how good it is!

FEATURE: I Heard a Bird Twitter in Berkeley Square: Are Some Artists Neglecting the Most Important Social Media Tool of All?

FEATURE:

 

I Heard a Bird Twitter in Berkeley Square

 ALL PHOTOS: Unsplash

Are Some Artists Neglecting the Most Important Social Media Tool of All?

_________

I raised an interesting point on Facebook…

a few days back. It might not have been a calm discussion: more, a coruscating rant against musicians who do not have a Twitter account. It seems, in this day and age, every musician would understand the importance of the platform! Other people made some counter-arguments. They, for one reason or the other, do not use the service. Perhaps they are not getting true value from the site. It is only legitimate and worthwhile if you can get your music out to the people. If you float a profile out there; leave it a while and nobody comes your way – the temptation to leave the site is fair enough. Twitter is a site that appeals to those who want to get their music out to fellow artists, labels and radio stations as quickly as possible. I feel Facebook is more useful for personal interaction – it is less effective regarding music promotion and spreading material. I use Facebook for my music work but it is merely there for my contacts. Little of my work is shared and I know there is a limited scope. I can post a review or article and, unless someone shares it; it is hard knowing how far it goes. It takes longer to share work on Facebook – a few seconds but still a little heftier – and I prefer the speed and brevity of Twitter. I can put an article out there and tag in all the artists I want. It is out there on the page and it looks good. I have more contacts on Twitter and it is a lot easier to connect with others.

You cannot force people to follow you but it is a lot easier to follow others – few ask for permission and it is simpler building relationships. Facebook is better for messaging and bonding in a deeper way – although you might not personally know a lot of the people you are messaging. Twitter, to me, is a business tool: music is as much a business as it is a career/passion. If you want to get your music to the world and build a decent fanbase – surely one cannot ignore the powers of Twitter?! This is my assumption on the matter – I know others disagree and there is a debate. Twitter is a communication call and one that, if used sagely and effectively, can do wonders. The reason I was so perturbed the other day was because of an interview I conducted. I took the band on – I get so many requests and feel no reason to turn many down – and, without thinking, ploughed on with the piece. I knew they had a Facebook page but could not see a Twitter page listed in the bio. I assumed the P.R. company missed it out – they are not always helpful when it comes to logical aspects – and I had every faith I would find one! I looked and checked and, after confirming it with the agency; they revealed the truth: the band do not want to be on Twitter!

I found this somewhat baffling. Even if you are starting out in the industry; why would you ignore Twitter? I can understand a lack of Instagram visibility. I do not have an account and neither do I need one – nobody needs to see my face or chart my goings on beyond what I post on my blog. I do not record music so, for the most part, I use Twitter and Facebook. As the blog becomes more wide-ranging, I will change this. I will bring in a YouTube account and, perhaps, SoundCloud. There are bands who do not want to be exposed and too visible. Some, cool and edgy, see Twitter as another step towards commercialism and corporatism. If they want to do that then they know the risks. Some find greater value in Facebook and word-of-mouth. I cannot understand that assumption. Facebook is not nearly as powerful and accessible as Twitter; it is harder to connect with music professionals and more difficult to recruit a massive amount of followers. All of the opportunities and breaks I have had the past couple of years came from Twitter. I wrote a piece on BBC Radio 6 Music and shared it with the station – tagging in several D.J.s and producers. The fact I did that meant it got ‘likes’; it was shared and commented on by those D.J.s – followers of those people commented and, before long, the article was extended from various tentacles. It was a big moment and one that could not have happened without Twitter! From that one post; I got to meet Matt Everitt – a music news reporter for the station – and given invaluable advice.

I have been on the site for years but did not need to be: I could have posted that article five years ago and would have the same result. I have been contacted by musicians and gained so many opportunities from my time on Twitter. I have a lot of followers and, every time I review/interview an artist; new people see my work and join the ‘flock’. It means I have artists I can contact for work and more who see my work. For musicians; even at the very start – where they have no followers – they can follow similar artist and labels. Before long, they will get people into the tent and their foundations will expand. It took me a long time to get where I am but I have a long way to go. I feel a lot of the cynicism stems around patience and not getting far ahead right away. The band I reviewed had no excuse for ignoring Twitter. Their music is missing out on a huge market: included in there are radio stations, big artists and who knows what! The fact my interview was published and, surprisingly, ignored and fell down a hole was inevitable. If the band is unable to see it on Twitter then it will not get shared and promoted. There is no risk to having a Twitter account. One does not need to pay and it is easy to operate. The fact you can easily connect with so many others freely is a luxury Facebook does not have. You can message people but getting in front of them is not nearly as easy as Twitter.

I can see how some might overlook Twitter. If you are a big artist then you might not need the constant work and effort needed to keep the profile relevant and active. The site is best for those new and upcoming musicians who want find fans and ensure their work gets seen around the world. Facebook is becoming more advert-driven and profit-seeking than ever before. In order to get my posts beyond the walls of my profile; I have to ‘boost’ my profile – pay Facebook to share it with random people. That might generate a few more views but, in reality, it is not as controlled and logical as Twitter – I have no idea who the piece is going out to and whether they are actually reading it. Throw in the fact I have to PAY to do that means I am reluctant to do it for some of the more minor pieces. Twitter is a much more cooperative and reciprocal vessel (compared with Facebook). It is said one-fifth of those you follow will follow you back: that gets larger as you become more popular. People do not like being bothered on Facebook. I try and add various people as ‘friends’ – music-related and to further my work – and they either reject the request or ignore stuff I post.

I try to limit my posts to a few each day. If you do more then people will not be interested and start to get annoyed – this spam approach to social media leads to exodus and irritation. Twitter works the same, I’ll grant you – the fact the average tweet is shorter than a Facebook page makes it less irksome. Different people, depending on the style of music they play and what section of the industry they work, will have their preferences. My argument is not that you should ban Facebook and only use Twitter: I am stating you should use BOTH. I can see other people’s arguments for preferring Facebook – more personal and they prefer its interface. Even if you find a preference in one site; how does that translate into ignorance of another?! If you want to get as far as possible in music then you need to use both and ensure you get the most out of them. That might mean a low-level Twitter coverage and occasional tweets. There is no real rational reason for ignoring Twitter. It might not be as beneficial and profitable as you’d hoped – that does not mean it is worthless. There are great sites that musicians should consult if they want to make the most of Twitter. Here is one...and here is another. Take a look here, too.

The best article I have discovered is this one from Readwrite. The writer talks about the way Twitter connects fans with artists

“The biggest and most obvious advantage of using Twitter for artists is the ability it offers them to engage directly with fans. This is something Amanda Palmer has become quite well-known for among those that follow her. The Boston-based musician and member of The Dresden Dolls is described as a “Twitter ninja” on Twitter’s official guide for musicians and is generally recognized as one of more active and engaging musicians using the service.

Not only does Palmer chats back and forth with fans but she eagerly seeks their input on things like songwriting and t-shirt design”.

It went on to look at the ‘value’ of Twitter and get the best from it:

“Everybody says social media is important, but does putting in the effort actually pay off? It depends on what one’s definition of “value” is and, of course, on who the artist is and what they’re approach to social networking happens to be.

As with most forms of social marketing, the primary value here is in building up one’s brand and establishing a line of communication with customers – in this case, music fans. It may not lead immediately to an increase in record sales or concert attendees, but the act of cultivating those relationships over time will probably increase the likelihood of fans coming out to show or buying a record”.

I have my preference and I can understand why SOME people would prefer Facebook. For artists who want quick access and communication; those who want to find like-minded followers – without bothering people looking for a personal space – should always flock to Twitter. There are natural downsides to the site. It can be expensive to market your work and there is no real messenger service. I never use the site to quickly message someone and chat: I use it to put posts out there and share other people’s work. That is my point, mind you. I have Facebook for personal needs and sharing work with people I know well. Twitter is there to get a bigger audience among people I know less well. Having both options helps me get my work to as many as possible – it would be nice if there was a bespoke music social media tool that could assimilate the two big sites and go even further. I cannot fathom those who ignore Twitter and feel it will provide little use. It would do something for everyone who uses it! If you want to get far in the industry and capitalise on the wealth of professionals and like-minded souls out there; Twitter is the easiest, fastest and best-configured site for that! At the very least, using Facebook more than Twitter – but not ignoring the latter – is a compromise. Anyone who completely overlooks Twitter and feels they are better off without it are going to…

LOSE a lot more than they gain.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Shame

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

  PHOTO CREDIT: Loud and Quiet Magazine

Shame

_________

EVERY time I tackle this feature…

PHOTO CREDIT: Africa Pombo

I learn something new about the band/artist concerned. Shame are on the block and with good reason: they are one of the most compelling and demanded bands of the moment. I have listed them (in the past) alongside peers such as Cabbage and IDLES: a couple of young bands amazing critics and fans with their honest and stunning music. They all talk about the experiences of modern life and what it is like for them. There are no pretences and egos: the bands produce music that is natural to them; designed to inspire listeners and get them involved. Shame are a band who look at love and the unpredictability of daily life in a fresh, humour and personal way. The boys are signed to Dead Oceans and based out of South London. I said I was going to get away from the capital a bit and look at other areas. It is inevitable I would return there at some point. Whilst I think the North is a more prosperous and promising area when it comes to the new bands with a unique and promising bent. That is not to say London is infertile and meagre. Shame prove there is a lot of strength and inspiration in the capital’s waters. The boys were touched and saddened by the death of The Fall’s Mark E. Smith. It is unsurprising considering the comparisons between the two...

PHOTO CREDIT: Holly Whitaker Photography

The Fall’s leader was a master when it came to those witty and sardonic tracks whose music sounded like nothing else out there. Shame will not reach the heights of The Fall: they are making strides regards distinguishing themselves from the pack and creating something wonderful. I can hear some of Smith’s candour and accent in the music of Shame. In a world where bands have less of a market share than past years; there are fewer great bands than there were years ago – it is hard making a mark and getting the critics’ attention. Anyone feeling sorry for the band should remember one thing: they are currently in Australia and, from the looks of things, enjoy the hot weather, tepid beer and general coolness. Between jumping into hot pools and downing some cold ones – the guys will play some gigs and, you know, generally rock the Australian public! The band have already sold out Electric Ballroom (London) later this year. They are playing London gigs in April and, between now and then, taking their music around the world. The demand is coming in and the boys busy – consider their album, Songs of Praise, and that can hardly take you by surprise. I was expecting a recreation of our oldest-running Sunday T.V. shows – a lot of choral singing and bewildered old people bleating on about God. In fact; I am glad we did not get anything vaguely ecumenical and religious (the cover for the album reminds me of The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds).

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Pitchfork, when reviewing the album, stated the following:

“…But in their fight to distinguish themselves from every other white male British guitar band, Shame imbue their post-adolescent rage with wit and, crucially, an awareness that they may never succeed. From the opening murky “Dust on Trial,” frontman Charlie Steen is fixed on the idea of remaining unheard: “What’s the point of talking if all your words have been said?” He preempts the inevitability that British critics will herald them as saviors of the scene by rejecting the construct. “The idea of a rock star is offensive,” he told the Guardian in a profile that was splashed across the paper’s front page”.

Look closely at that Guardian profile and one hears a band who do not want to be seen as Rockstars and idols. They want to affect and influence – without compromising credibility and their purity. There are background snippets and quotations that really stand out. In terms of their formation and beginnings (when asking drummer Charlie Forbes):

“Shame formed around the Queen’s Head pub in Brixton, the former headquarters of the Fat White Family. Forbes’s dad was a friend of the landlord, who let the young band rehearse in an upstairs room (“Every day,” Forbes says. “Just hop on the bus to the after school club”). There they met assorted luminaries and recidivists of the south London music scene, but managed to avoid the worst excesses of the Fat Whites and their friends, largely through being too young to realise they were hanging around with committed hard drug users (“We were oblivious,” Forbes says).

They stumbled over lucky break after lucky break. Not just getting a free rehearsal space for 15 months, until the Queen’s Head was converted into a gastropub, but meeting people who then gave them studio space, and getting free advice from musicians who had been chewed up and spat out by major labels. What they learned was the importance of keeping as much control as possible over their decisions, which led them to sign to indie imprint Dead Oceans for their debut album, Songs of Praise. They also think the very grime of the Queen’s Head shaped them into being Shame: “I don’t think if we had started in a squeaky clean studio it would have been the same,” Forbes says”.

 Frontman Charlie Steen offered some advice and concern when it comes to that Rockstar lifestyle:

“That lifestyle could only exist because of money. Bands can’t go out now and get a kilo of coke or drive to Las Vegas in a Ferrari. Now it’s get a gram of speed and sit in a Travelodge. That’s the reality of it.”

The guys were part of the clique that bonded HMLTD, Goat Girl and Dead. The South London bands transcend the image of modern-day bands. They project a more realistic and exciting brand of music. They do not want the trappings and riches of a style of life many chase – those with perfect teeth and hair that get laid every night and lust after the spotlight. Shame have laid into the Conservatives and the manner in which they are ‘running’ (or ‘ruining’) this country. They have seen what P.M. May is doing and attacked her form of government. Our leaders are not really here to serve the masses: Shame know this and project that dissatisfaction and rebellion through their music. Songs of Praise is filled with songs that talk about youthful existence and the way the country can improve; why we all need to band together. It is appropriate a band who wants to bond the masses should give their album that religious-homonymic potential: pastors who see the darkness around them and want to do something about it. Their start was modest and they relied on advice from musicians and any chance they had to get into a rehearsal space. The fact they have got a deal and are touring the world is as a result of great music and constant graft. The band has that working-class ethic that means they are going to turn down big-money deals and corporate sponsorship.

They refute that gaudy and vile life where their faces will be plastered on billboards and they are hocking every gadget and service they are offered. They want to remain rooted and balk at the idea of becoming big-league stars. Whilst they would never exclude fans of a certain class/political persuasion – one feels they would dissolve a Conservative member/politician if they were within spitting distance of their gigs – you feel this is all about the music. The guys are all about the energy of performance and getting their sounds to people. They are, in a way, political crusaders who are providing something deeper and inspiring. Last year saw the flourishes and bloom of their early-career gestation. They were a new name and, pre-album, a popular force. They toured around Europe and, between dark nights in vans and eating anything that looked vaguely palatable – that lifestyle took its toll and their health was affected. Steen had panic attacks and was vomiting frequently. The riotous and exhausting touring schedule meant there was a natural end: they had to cancel some gigs because of Steen’s ill health. There are worries the popularity and reception afforded Songs of Praise could do even more damage. The guys are in Australia and are back in the U.K. before too long. They will tackle festivals and various nations; they have a long gig schedule and will have few days off between dates. I have quoted a lot from others but the truth is this: the band mean business and have a long career ahead of them. I hope the success and increased pressure does not see them abandon their ideals of naturalness and rejection of superstardom. The more celebrated they become; the harder it is to maintain that working-class, grounded persona. I know they will do their best: creating albums like Songs of Praise will see them maintain that balance of credibility and popularity. You urge them to succeed and look to see where they go next; we wait to see how good they can get and how they lead the scene. They have had a hard road and overcome obstacles along the way. Their success is deserved – so you cannot really deny them their acclaim and position. As they wake up in the warmth and scenic wonder of Australia it makes you realise what…

PHOTO CREDIT: Shame

JAMMY bastards they are!

_________

Follow Shame

PHOTO CREDIT: Pooneh Ghan

Official:

http://shame.world/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/shamebanduk/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/shamebanduk

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/shame/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4IeWU3NYBI9mISFVhzXG8f

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEzHSKr1_q55AhwaGpkP5xQ

FEATURE: The February Playlist: Vol.1: CHVRCHES That Welcome Us In

FEATURE:

 

The February Playlist

 IN THIS PHOTO: CHVRCHES/PHOTO CREDIT: Danny Clinch   

Vol.1: CHVRCHES That Welcome Us In

 _______

THERE are some great songs out this week…

IN THIS PHOTO: Let's Eat Grandma

that appeals to those of all tastes and demands. CHVRCHES are back with a new track, Get Out; Moby brings new treasure - whilst videos from Gaz Coombes, Kylie Minogue and Andrew W.K. are out. Alongside is some fresh material from Let’s Eat Grandma and Soccer Mommy; Pale Waves, Rae Morris and Field Music.

It is another sizzling list of musical delights that warms the blood and nourishes the mind. I am excited seeing how February shapes up and what is coming our way – music is showing, every week, it is capable of stunning, surprising and seducing.

ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Getty Images

________

 CHVRCHES - Get Out

Let’s Eat Grandma – Hot Pink

Soccer Mommy – Cool

 

Hookworms – Each Time We Pass

Andrew W.K. – Ever Again

Moby – Mere Anarchy

Lilla Vargen – Believe Me

Deap Vally – Two Seat Bike

 PHOTO CREDIT: Laura E. Partai

Courtney Marie Andrews – Kindness of Strangers

Erasure – Still It’s Not Over

Lauren Auder – These Broken Limbs Again Into One Body

ARTWORK CREDIT: David Sessions

Marcus Marr – Familiar Five

PHOTO CREDIT: J. Konrad Schmidt

Sam Vance-Law – Gayby

Iggy Azalea (ft. Quavo) – Savior

Jennifer Lopez – Us

Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott and Kelly Rowland – Get It

 

Pale Waves – The Tide

Sasha Sloan – Fall

Ferris & Sylvester - Sometimes

Gaz Coombes – Deep Pockets

Frank Turner – 1933

The Streets – If You Ever Need to Talk I’m Here

Harper – Running Underwater

Ms Banks – Come Thru

Tove Styrke – Changed My Mind

Justin Timberlake – Man of the Woods

Poppy Ackroyd – Resolve

The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar - Pray for Me

Kojo Funds (ft. RAYE) – Check

PHOTO CREDIT: Milly Hutchcraft

 Llovers – Just Just

Millie Turner – The Shadow

 

Rae Morris – Wait for the Rain

Kylie Minogue – Dancing

 

Rhye – Summer Days

PHOTO CREDIT: Pablo Arroyo

Lykke Li – Time in a Bottle

Migos – Stir Fry

Field Music – Cameraman

FEATURE: Summer Colours: It’s Almost Festival Time…

FEATURE:

 

Summer Colours

  ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Unsplash

It’s Almost Festival Time…

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THE weather is still chilled and…

most of us cannot wait to see the back of winter! As the temperatures start to hit double-figures; our minds turn to festivals and a potentially busy diary. The collective wardrobes will be rearranged and prioritised – wellies and festival gear ahead of the winter clothes! – and we will all start to decide which events to attend. I feel we all need the energy and excitement of festivals right now. Glastonbury is enjoying a ‘fallow year’ – allowing the fields to replenish and recover – and that means other festivals can step up. You can check out all the festivals this year - but among the highlights are Latitude Festival (12th-15th July) and Isle of Wight Festival (21st-24th June). Outlines takes place from 2nd-3rd March: there are few major festivals before then. We do not have to wait long for it all to kick into gear – once the weather improves... – but there will be many clearing their diaries, booking time off work and preparing for the upcoming delights. Many feared the absence of Glastonbury would be a huge vacuum and loss. Whilst it is a shame the event is not happening this year; we need to give the land time to rest and, if anything, it builds anticipation for next year! I am seeing a lot of new, boutique festivals spring up. I don’t believe you can really have TOO many festivals, to be fair. Music is such a broad church that it means someone, somewhere will want to get out and see some live music.

IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

Camden Rocks Festival happens is on 2nd June: a chance for those diehard headbangers – and those who like a proper, decent band – time to meet and mosh. There is the more accessible and broad In the Park Festival on 27th May (I think it should be written in lower-case but I cannot bring myself to do it! There are Dance festivals and Folk attractions: most people are going to be catered for this year! Why I wanted to write this piece was to encourage people to get out there. I have attended local festivals but have always been put off by the cost of attending a big festival. I have always wanted to go to Glastonbury but, by the time I have commuted down to the site; there is already that transport cost – and all the food, drink and various items I will buy during the day/weekend. It can be daunting considering the costs but, if you limit yourself to one or two festivals a year – it does not break the bank and is worth the investment. Regardless of the weather – you’ll likely catch a bit of rain! – the sense of togetherness and fun is evident. If you are a first-timer; do a bit of research and you’ll find a festival to suit your tastes. Most get going around May/June and run through to about September – there are a few either side but the big ones fall during these months.

Many people have been feeling down and despondent lately. The cold weather and fatigue – work and personal life – means they have little energy to get out there and get to gigs. I have written about independent venues and how, in a week where they are being celebrated; we should set some time/money aside and visit our local one. Preservation and dedication should not be reserved to a single week: committing to further investigation and study should be part of every music-lover’s soul. I am going to get to gigs this year and, if I can rustle some bodies together, get to a smaller festival. We all spend too much time worrying and working; being cooped up - and not being as sociable as we should. The antidote to the winter blues is the summer sun: getting into the open and experiencing festivals around the world, not only Britain, is crucial. Marketing budgets have increased and, with the power of social media behind them; organisers have been able to get more people in. Many of the major festivals have adapted to growing demand for live music and provide the consumer more for their money – in terms of food, entertainment and options at each site. The more people come to festivals; the more money that can be spent booking top acts and a range of eclectic artists.

2017 was a record year in terms of festivals overtaking other forms of live music – I feel that will continue this year. Although there are fewer female headliners than there should be (something that needs correcting) I am excited by the options out there. I mentioned how new festivals are popping up here and there. Ever genre should be represented and given it chance to shine. As I plan the rest of my year; I am keen to get to a big festival and soak in all the colours, scents and sounds. Being around like-minded people and experiencing great and varied live music is a perfect way to boost the mood and banish the winter glumness – and create a treasure-trove of memories into the bargain. I urge people to do the same. It might take a bit of research but, depending on your preferred choice of music; you’ll find at least one festival that suits you. The BBC has its Biggest Weekend festival. It is a four-day festival and will have a site in England, Wales; Northern Ireland and Scotland. That happens in May and is a perfect introduction for any festival virgins – with a mix of mainstream and newer acts playing. It is a great time to plan your festival diary and start saving the pennies. We all deserve a treat and there are few better ways of witnessing music at its peak than a festival. There were fears, when Glastonbury announced a fallow year, there would be nothing worthy taking its place. Do your research and you will find some great alternatives. Maybe they are not on the same scale as Glastonbury but that is not to say this year will be a washout. So many new and existing festivals are waiting for you to embrace them. With that said, and the weather as chilly as ever, start thinking ahead…

DUST those summer clothes off!

FEATURE: Reasons to Be Cheerful: 2018 and the Need for Optimism (The David Byrne Philosophy)

FEATURE:

 

Reasons to Be Cheerful

 PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash

2018 and the Need for Optimism (The David Byrne Philosophy)

_________

HOW many of us…

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash

during the course of an average day are genuinely optimistic and hopeful - and easily block all the bad news out? I guess, historically, humanity has had its ups and downs – people facing conflict and struggle – but it seems, with every passing year; we are becoming more insular and depressed. Maybe it is the population rise and the fact the world is becoming more compact; the way we immerse ourselves in technology – and forsake a certain humanity and physicality – or, perhaps, it is the way the world is unfolding and breaking up. Two days ago, in London; Talking Heads’ leader, David Byrne, delivered a talk about positivity and the need to be cheerful. It was at The Roundhouse - and, as they described it, was: 

“It may seem like there isn’t a whole lot to be positive about in 2018, but amidst all the chaos there’s hope. David Byrne believes there are actually a lot of encouraging things going on around the world—they’ve given him hope and inspired a new record, and he’d like to share them with you. He’ll be presenting them live, by way of a talk and visual presentation”.

I heard Byrne talk to Lauren Laverne – got myself a rap going on! – about that night (yesterday) and he was in fine fettle! He discussed his upcoming music and how, in everyday life, we are fed negative images and anxious news.

Byrne’s Reasons to Be Cheerful looks at various sectors of society and accentuates the positives: why there is hope and great developments we should be excited about. Influenced by the Ian Dury song of the same name; there is lots of good out there not being reported – we do all have some reasons to be positive! I shall come to my own experience soon enough, and why I feel music needs to adopt a sunnier attitude, but, if you think about the news stories that fill the smallest columns: how often do we see those positive and redemptive tales?! David Byrne’s talk/seminar is one part of an ongoing output that focuses on hope and a genuine utopia – a rubric formation that is, to me, the tetracycline of the modern age: eradicating ills and curing a numbing way of life. He is gearing up to release the album, American Utopia, and will produce playlists and videos – all focused on that theme of cheerfulness and reasons to look up. His album is out on 9th March and, ahead of that, we have been treated to the single, Everybody’s Coming to My House. Other titles on the album have a (...I think) positive bent: Every Day Is a Miracle and Doing the Right Thing are among them.

I imagine, given the title, there is going to be an attack against Donald Trump and how the people can create a better America. Perhaps some irony will be in there: how President Trump is forging American in his own vision; his idea of a ‘utopia’. I expect a lot of positive messages a new direction: castigating the negativity in the world and focusing on better realms. Field Music has done that with their single, Count it Up – a song that asks people to count themselves lucky if they find fortune and small victories here and there. Byrne, himself, asked how many of us wake up, read the paper and feel lifted. He is depressed half the day: most of us will share a similar sense of fatigue. In the ‘Civil Engagement’ segment of his site; there are hopeful and breakthrough developments; ‘Health’ looks at, among other things, ending the drugs war in Vancouver; there are articles about street-closure and bike-sharing schemes – urban developments and transportation schemes. The cultural section shines a light on the 'AfroReggae' initiative: it offers an alternative to Brazil’s youth; many engaged in crime and a nefarious lifestyle. Finding the joy in life can be like dancing to an imaginary beat. We hear a lot of propaganda, ‘fake news’ and lies spread on social media; our papers and T.V. is filled with negativity and doom – where do we go to get our fix of uplift?!

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash

David Byrne’s concept draws in news from around the world; projecting hopeful messages through music – ensuring a note of positivity is injected into us. I feel music can play a big role regards that. In terms of lyrical themes; there are very few tracks overly hopeful and expressive. Some provide sonic light but, when you study the lyrics; they hint at something quite dark and strained. It is commercially risky moving away from the established and trusted and penning something that gives the listener something more nourishing. One of the reasons I look back at music – rather than stay with newer songs – is the way it makes me feel. Maybe some of that is to do with a remembrance of good times: to me, it is something in the production, sensation and lyrics. We have plenty of happy songs in modern music - but there is more reliance on introversion and personal struggle. Maybe it is hard to put all the good news/development in the world into music: ensuring sounds have a more positive tone can make a big difference to everyone. Music, in general, is a fantastic way of lifting the mood and changing lives. David Byrne’s need to redress the negative-positive balance should be a guide for all of us. Whether you feel the type of themes explored in modern music are okay as they are – you cannot argue there is more unhappiness and negativities than there needs to be.

IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

Perhaps that is a natural reflection of modern life and the information we digest...that all needs to change. We cannot avoid the realities and stark truths the news projects. It is a hard and bleak time but, among all of that, there are avenues of wonder and reasons to be cheerful. One of the ways to get out of a collective funk is to take a different approach and integrate more light into life. Music is that ever-powerful tool that can enrich and elevate a human to new heights. The fact so few artists are harnessing its positives and potential is worrying. Maybe other artists need to take a leaf from the likes of David Byrne and Field Music: write more about what we should be thankful for; some of the carefree, inspiring aspects of the world. I am excited seeing how Byrne’s idea unfolds and evolves. He has already delivered a talk and a website; there is an album due and news will surface – can he keep it running and compel other artists? I think his positive and motivated stance is a breath of fresh air we all need right now. An article in Elite Daily (last year) highlighted another benefit of music:

"Recent research conducted by Signy Sheldon and Julia Donahue of McGill University in Canada proved that when people listen to happy, upbeat music (instead of emotionally scary or sad music), they can recall happy memories within a shorter amount of time.

In the experiment, the researchers had participants listen to four different genres of original music they had never heard before: happy (positive, high arousal), peaceful (positive, low arousal), scary (negative, high arousal) and sad (negative, low arousal).

After listening to the piece of music, they had 30 seconds to think of a memory that personally involved them, that had a specific time and place and that didn't last for longer than a day".

IN THIS PHOTO: David Byrne/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Press

There are numerous reasons why music can help: there are clear reasons why artists should incorporate more uplift and joy into their music. It does not have to be a Polyphonic Spree spew of glee: a few songs that highlight life’s treasures and good sides would make the music world lifted and more hopeful – and impact the listener directly. At the very least; David Byrne’s one-man crusade against negative deserves acolytes and huge support. Few go out their way to turn all the bad into something positive. Adopting a new attitude, even briefly, can make a big difference. I am pleased Byrne is leading a charge and getting us all to think in brighter terms. As you go about your day – as a musician or fan – think about the good around you and fighting off the negativity. That can be hard to do but, by focusing on those oft-overlooked glimmers of light; it means the happiness levels rise and the anxiety levels drop. This something, in a world where the news headlines are often grim, that will…

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash

BENEFIT us all.