FEATURE: Monday’s Child: The Motivation Playlist

FEATURE:

 

Monday’s Child

 ALL PHOTOS: Unsplash

The Motivation Playlist

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I am unsure whether I will put another piece out today…

but I am keen, soon, to explore the way musicals have changed and whether there should be more music-based musicals – those that look at the story and history of a particular band/artist. I also want to put out another piece that addresses the value of music and whether a lack of money going into the industry will affect it in the long-term. There will be interviews and other assortments but, prior to another depressing week at work; we all need a little boost and pep before throwing ourselves back into things. I have looked around for some pumping, blood-heating songs that will get the soul relaxed - and keep the mood lifted at the very least! Without further ado...a collection of songs that will retain the best of the weekend and hold back suggestions of Monday as much…

AS conceivably possible.

FEATURE: ‘Unlike’: Will the Decline in Facebook’s Popularity Affect Musicians?

FEATURE:

 

‘Unlike’

 ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Jake Rowland/WIRED

Will the Decline in Facebook’s Popularity Affect Musicians?

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THERE are all kinds of problems brewing…

ALL PHOTOS: Unsplash

at Facebook H.Q. right now. The main image is from a New York City-based artist, Jake Rowland – it appeared on the cover of WIRED and, aside from the fact I am unsure whether I can use the illustration in my piece (always hard to tell...); it reveals a very glaring portrait of Mark Zuckerberg. The website/social media platform has been around since 2004 so one can forgive a decline after a near-fourteen-year regency. Twitter has been accused of losing focus and not evolving since its inception. A BBC article raised eight arguments to state why Facebook is in decline. The amount of users has gone down slightly – dropped to 184 million users – but it seems like a drop in the ocean. Many users, myself included, are fed up with the changes and tweaks that are not enhancing the user experience and creating any development. The news feed ‘prioritises’ important news and pieces – often stupid statuses and banal videos – so people have to switch to see most-recent news. I wonder who actually wants to see the ‘most-important’ news above a conventional timeline. It is irksome having to change and get things chronologically – rather than what Facebook deems to be the best and most-relevant news! That drop in figures – down from 185 million – might seem expected but, for a site that invests so much and holds such power…should it be levelling out at all?!

The more people that come into the world; the more social media users available, no?! Twitter is not really exploding so you have to wonder whether people are coming off social media altogether. Factors such as ‘fake news’ call into question the ethics-driven approach of Facebook. The site prides itself on openness and transparency: not wanting to promote falsehoods and those who seek to spread hate. There have been controversies and accusations leaders in Russia and the U.S. use Facebook to perpetuate their questionable ideals; extremist videos and graphic content has slipped through the net – disturbing content and sexual content has also got through. There are concerns over cyberbullying and privacy; how safe our details are and whether, in fact, we need to spend so much time on sites like Facebook. Not only have executives spoken out against Facebook – and the culture employed – but one wonders, as the Internet population explodes – can sites like Facebook control that influx and adequately safeguard privacy and their users?! You have to ask whether this kind of scenario was conceived back in 2004. I imagine Zuckerberg and his staff and doing the best they can but, right now, it seems like a mansion coming under fire from a crusade of fighter jets. Facebook is influential and one of the most-important websites in history: the fact it has peaked, by the looks, makes one wonder whether there will be a decline coming.

Business owners like Mark Zuckerberg have to look at money and ways of funding their ventures. That means, more and more, advertising takes a bigger role. People’s lives and data are being seen/used and we are bombarded by adverts – part of a marketing machine rather than a social network. Bringing it to music and how it affects artists; the argument comes down to two factors: whether people are spending less time on Facebook and whether the site is equipped to deal with the needs of musicians and the complexities of the industry. I have always argued Twitter is more versatile and useful for the artist/creative. It is easier to connect with well-known figures and hook up with people. You do not need to send requests and wait for permission: you can follow someone right away and tag them into posts.  Retweeting means posts can go out super-quick and it is a far less complex layout (compared to Facebook). I am less harassed by adverts and there are fewer needless functions and areas of the site – like events and apps; marketplace and all the other, needless tinsel. I will look at Twitter soon but I am concerned musicians are struggling to compete and succeed on Facebook. They rely on social media more than any other industry. Whilst many can get the word out and build hype without spending time on social media: most share their music that way and find it easier to get fans and followers their way.

It is great having a site like Facebook where you can share news and information with friends without much of a struggle. Perhaps Facebook is better aimed at normal people rather than musicians. That raises another concern: are artists being ignored and do the top bods at Facebook realise how important social media is to musicians?! The fact the site is not as broad as Twitter – in terms of the people you can connect with and how quickly you get information to more people – is a natural limitation for an artist. I worry whether the rise in fake news and the vulnerability we feel is making them less intrepid and more worried. I wonder how my posts are being viewed and how far they are going. Facebook is limited in regards its scope but it has not really progressed and evolved in terms of functionality and reach. There are fears the Chinese-speaking world could create a rival site or something that reaches more of the world. The data/information-obsessed nature of the world means it is harder to police those who view what we put online. Threats to democracy and personal privacy are putting people off using the platform. Musicians are in the same boat: they have material out there and share their details with fans/friends. A lack of trust and disinformation means many advertisers are retreating and losing faith in Facebook!

For musicians, as opposed average users; they utilise advertising more and often use Facebook to advertise their own music – collaborating with brands and raising finance cohabiting with marketing companies. The BBC article raised an interesting point I had not considered:

“The new superpowers in the world of business are a new kind of media-technology giant who monetise personal data. And with the evolution of the data economy comes the evolution of data regulation. GDPR, the European Union's incoming data protection regulation, is due to come into force on 25 May and will have a massive impact on companies such as Facebook, who could face huge fines for breaches. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has said the company has already adjusted privacy settings in anticipation. At its recent earnings call, Facebook specifically warned that GDPR could be an impediment to future growth”.

There are worries surrounding tighter regulations and fines. Will these fears and protectionist impositions mean Facebook scale-back the site or compromise users in another way? My biggest concern surrounds every point I have already raised: how the cumulative effect will cause detriment and damage to musicians’ prosperity and success. Users are being put off by adverts and the way their data is handled; whether there is any substance in social media – and whether the short-term dopamine burst we get from social media ‘success’ (people liking our work and sharing it) is becoming an unhealthy addiction.

The fewer people subscribing to Facebook and remaining on the site; the fewer people there are to support your work and share it. I feel there is general apathy and fatigue creeping in as well. Maybe we have come to a point where we’re numb and using social media for no good reason – rather than making new connections and broadening our horizons. The main use I have for it (and Twitter) is sharing my posts and trying to build my profile. It is okay for personal interaction but that might be an oxymoron: we are not actually interacting or connecting in a human, real way. The competition from Twitter means musicians and creative sorts and spending more time here. If Facebook made it easier to follow successful bands/artists and those you want to connect with; maybe that would keep people in and provide a more attractive option. Twitter is more user-friendly because there are fewer distractions and it seems a lot wider-reaching. The rise in anxiety and isolation is alarming and evident. Rather than blame Facebook and point fingers at its faults; should we be looking at social media in general and weeing people off? It is hard to say that to musicians: the competitive nature of the business means social media is a very important part of their everyday life. It is impossible to detach from these sites - careers will suffer – but Facebook could offer a bespoke look for artists/creatives – something that could take away the bad points and mean users’ time was spent more effectively. Everyone needs to feel they are safe and their data is not being shared improperly; they want to feel secure and understood; they want to feel the information they are seeing is factual and true.

It might seem an extreme measure creating a separate site for musicians but, as social media becomes an important part of the mechanism – and less important for regular users – adapting the way it operates and looks might be a preventive measure. I am worried musicians are losing trust in Facebook and not really seeing ‘value for money’. There are some great articles that offer suggestions and tips for musicians looking to get the most from Facebook. One interesting point from the author, Leah McHenry, suggested way musicians could better spend their time on Facebook:

“I will schedule 1-2 posts per day (if that), and make sure that each post is more meaningful, entertaining, inquisitive, or somehow conversation-stimulating to my fans.  Beyond that, I will post spontaneous “mini blog-type” posts, personal thoughts, more text, and photos that I think will resonate with the culture I’m creating around my music.

I also pay attention to the pages I’ve liked in my own news feed, and whenever I find something amusing, thought-provoking, or entertaining, I often will spontaneously post that to my page on the spur of the moment.  I believe this will really work well if you’re posting often, at least every day”.

Devices like Facebook Live are good ways of streaming videos to followers and letting them into your world: should the site be moving in this direction and removing some of the flaws and needless pages people do not really want to see?

I’ll end this piece by asking whether social media, as it stands, needs to be scaled-back and integrated – there are many different sites doing the same thing. Everyone uses social media for different reasons: for artists, there is a personal, business and promotional aspect to their experience. Designing something for them – that does not get them addicted and offers constructive progression – would be a sage move forward. I think Facebook as it is not really winning new fans and voices: at the worst, it is driving people away and revealing its cracks. I know there are great points to Facebook – there are many reasons I will remain with it – but, as more people flood in and fears around security rise; is Facebook equipped to deal with all of that?! It is a hard time for them but one that can be salvaged. It is clear constructive talks need to take place and Mark Zuckerberg needs to face his critics. It is a tough time for any social media business leader right now. There are so many factors that are causing people to rethink the time they spend on the sites: this is detrimental to business and means popularity will wane. It is clear things need to change and we all need to be more aware of how we use social media – and how much of our lives are spent there. Artists use social media to get their music out there and, with competitors like Twitter proving more appealing to many; is the hegemony of Facebook a thing of the past? A few newer inventions (Facebook Live) are steps forward but I wonder, fourteen years after its inception, these minor moves are enough to…

KEEP musicians invested.

FEATURE: Welcome to the Beautiful North: Why Classic and Modern Music from the North Stands Aside from the Pack

FEATURE:

 

Welcome to the Beautiful North

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Why Classic and Modern Music from the North Stands Aside from the Pack

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FOR some reason or other…

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash 

my mind has been up North; investigating music from the past. I have been flicking through my C.D. collection and reminding myself how good The Beautiful South were – some see them as a ‘guilty pleasure’ in music! I debate the term: can we ever call music, no matter where it originates, as something to be embarrassed about?! The Beautiful South disbanded after the album Superbi due to, quite wonderfully, ‘musical similarities’. The fact, one suspects, they got on well and were doing the same thing over and over meant they went their separate ways – rather than squabble over creative direction and new moves. I miss the guys! Through the years, the band employed three different female singers – Briana Corrigan up until 1992; Jacqui Abbot until 2000; Alison ‘Lady’ Wheeler until the end – and were a rare thing: a male-heavy band that had a female lead; a band, in essence, with three lead voices. I will not go through the entire back catalogue of The Beautiful South – there are other acts I want to bring in – but I miss the witty lyrics of Paul Heaton and the blending of Dave Hemmingway, Heaton and Abbot into that ‘classic’ line-up. The variation and options afforded to the material was great. From the Heaton-led, Abbot/Hemmingway-hummed/sung Dumb (from Quench) to Perfect 10 (ditto) – and that cheeky to-and-fro between Heaton and Abbot – it was an incredible time...

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

There was, of course, debate and conflict in the band. Between the heavy drinking of Heaton (and the entire band, one suspects) to the various fall-outs through the years – the Hull band made a huge impact on music. How many of us, realistically, can claim we ‘lost’ our copy of Carry on Up the Charts?! That essential Beautiful South collection is a perfect soundtrack from the band. All the classics are in there! My favourite song from the band is My Book. It is from their sophomore album, Choke, and perfectly blends Heaton’s lyrics and the inventive, always-epic compositions of Dave Rotheray. With some effective “You are!” backing vocals from Corrigan; it is a brilliantly rushing, exceptional track. Not only is it a fantastic composition and piece: the interplay is tight and the lyrics are original and witty (the Soul II Soul-hinting “Back to bed/back to reality” ending…). That entire album is almost as strong as their debut, Welcome to the Beautiful South. The reason I loved/love the band is that they were not the cool, trendy sort who produced big songs without a message or sign of originality. The band wore raincoats, hung around the boozer and one suspects, as a backstage rider, there would be bags of crisps and bicycle chains on the list!

They were a normal, working-class crew who wanted to bring their mix of sardonic, witty lyrics and eclectic music to the masses. I wonder whether that could ever come from a southern band?! One could argue there have been some interesting, humorous bands from this neck of the woods – none that spring to mind! Humour, intentionally or not, was always part of the band’s mix (Dave Hemmingway’s dancing in the video for You Keep It All In reminds me of an octopus have an enema removed after a heavy night on the booze!). From their 1989 debut to the tenth album in 2006 – the band covered so much ground and won legions of fans. Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbot record together as a duo - but the days of The Beautiful South are long-gone. Their demise makes me yearn for a band who can produce solid-gold hits that address normal life – albeit it, with a cheeky, and often murderous, twist. One can imagine Heaton penning songs in a pub somewhere in Spain; inspired by various lines and modestly getting the songs into the notebook (the thought of the led writing on a laptop is too much to take!). I am not suggesting all new bands lack humour and the same dynamic as The Beautiful South: the point I am making is they were intrinsically northern and, compared to their southern rivals; they had something extra and wonderful. Other northern bands that got under my skin were Oasis, Pulp and The Smiths. I need not go into the history of The Smiths but, like The Beautiful South; so much wit, intelligence and pathos came from the songs – I often see Heaton as a more popular and likeable version of Morrissey.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

The legendary Manchester band only released four albums (studio) but, in that short time, managed to lay down their marker and transform the industry. They are a band who exult so much influence in the present time. Morrissey and (Johnny) Marr remain one of music’s strongest songwriting duos – Paul Heaton and Dave Rotheray one of the most successful and underrated. The Smiths departed from the average and formulaic ideas of their peers and brought listeners into the real world! I wonder whether the always-evident economic and social gap between North and South means these bands stood the test of times. Stories of pub romance and council estate dreaming held weight because the authors actually LIVED that life. They resided around people hanging washing on the line and chatting over the wall. That may sound a bit 1960s-Coronation Street but among the gossip and idle chats were roots and honesty. Songwriters living in those communities were affected by the personalities and modest climates. Southern artists, in the 1980s or whenever, had the same struggles and lifestyles but, the wider the gap became; that reflected in the music industry. When the 1990s brought us legends like Pulp and Oasis: the disparity between the Northern realism and Southern escapism cemented. Southern belles like Blur could articulate a way of life one might expect to see in the North: the London/Essex equivalent was not nearly as vibrant, witty and accessible as, say, Oasis’ attempts.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

The Gallagher brothers shook music up and were, in my view, the last big band to unite the masses and create a genuine fever! The boys are recording solo material but, in the same way, I hanker after The Beautiful South: millions want another chance to see Oasis record and perform. Liam seems keen to get that going: Noel is more reserved and realistic (the arguments and rifts that broke the band up will come back). Pulp, on albums like His ‘n’ Hers (1994), Different Class (1995) and This Is Hardcore (1998) brought their version of intellectualism and social observation to the untrained bodies. It is no coincidence songs like Disco 2000 and Common People are decades-enduring masterpieces: the lyrics speak to people and, with fantastic compositions and choruses, go a lot further than most of the Pop tat being tossed around during that period – many would argue the songs are stronger than most music produced today. Again, like Oasis, The Smiths and The Beautiful South; the honest cocker Jarvis was a master at one-liners and those ripe, perceptive views. I am not sure whether Jarvis Cocker is recording solo material soon but, once more: Pulp are a band we need to see back in music! It might be tied to their Yorkshire backgrounds – although Cocker spent some time in London and the band did not solely stay in the North – but (Pulp’s) music spoke to those who needed direction and understanding; it was vastly different to southern-made music and the mainstream ‘best’. Listen to Different Class and every track sounds urgent, anthemic and essential.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

One can throw in The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays into the mix. Both bands were packed with type-A personalities and those whose egos stood out-front. The Ian Brown-led Stone Roses crafted two brilliant albums and, like The Smiths, affected millions in a short spirit. The experimentation and colours of Happy Mondays compelled a generation and makes me wonder: where are the modern equivalents?! Many claim music has changed in such a way we can never reclaim that glory and produce bands that have the same aesthetic. Others say there is wit and originality in modern music – it is integrated more finely and responding to market tastes and trends. Adverts push technology and making life as ‘easy’ – simple for idiots and lazy buggers – as possible. Music, in a sense, is adapting to that and using more technology; becoming easier to understand and more impactful. Having a modern-day Pulp or Stone Roses might be impossible! Even now, as music moves on and grows, I am still seeing divides between North and South. Perhaps the wealth and housing gap has started to close but you cannot argue against the fact the wealth and opportunists remain in the South. Great northern newcomers like The Orielles (Yorkshire) and False Advertising (Manchester) show there is the same sort of invention, originality and spirit burning in the North.

IN THIS PHOTO: False Advertising

Bands like Shame and IDLES are talking about the same themes as The Beautiful South and The Smiths – only, they are based in the South and living in a very different world. I love the artists we have now but there are few bands who rival the cheek, honest and humour of those great northern legends. I still think the best innovation and originality comes from the North – Yorkshire and Manchester still leading the charge – but there is that demand for a certain something: ingredients and aspects missing from the modern industry. I listen to a gem from Oasis or Pulp and wonder whether we will see their like again. Arctic Monkeys might be one of the last ‘older’ bands still in operations that mix the wit and humorous side of life with spot-on observations of life and vivid, wonderful characters. I still gravitate, when I require something special and unexpected, towards the North and the artists coming from there. I am not sure whether it is that way of life and the manner in which they approach life – it has that extra kick and burst of life. Some of the best Indie artists of this time are performing in the North - and more eyes and ears should be directed that way.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

I have every faith we shall see some breakthroughs and returns to the past (when it comes to witty bands who can balance emotions and ideas) but music has shifted a long way from the past. It is not a coincidence, as things get harder and more stressful; I gravitate towards the northern bands that made such an impression on me. There is still that ignorance of the North and the music coming from there. Many overlook Scotland and the brilliant artists who have come from there. We overlook Yorkshire and the brilliance brewing; the strong bands of Greater Manchester and what’s happening around Cheshire and other parts of Northern England. I will leave it there but wanted to throw a message out to the music world and ask whether we can revitalise a brand of music I associate with the North. Throw in more humour and those Paul Heaton-like songs; the anthems of Pulp and The Smiths with the baggy charm of Happy Mondays – the acid of The Stone Roses and some classic-day Arctic Monkeys. There are more people than me who desire that kind of sound: I struggle to find this kind of brilliance and relief in the modern scene. There are brilliant northern artists around but, still, they are being overshadowed in favour of their southern rivals. History has shown what wonders have come from the North: getting out of the London-focused quagmire could open eyes and minds to the fabulous artists, past and present, from…

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash 

THE beautiful North.

FEATURE: 'World Music': Do Artists Take from Other Nations’ Musical Culture Enough?

FEATURE:

 

'World Music'

 ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Unsplash

Do Artists Take from Other Nations’ Musical Culture Enough?

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IT was quite hard coming up with a title…

that assessed and underlined what I was trying to say. I have covered a lot of musical ground over the course of the day – so will not burden and keep people too much, now. Some of the best sounds of the year, so far, have incorporated different cultures and textures. I have been awed by music from Tune-Yards and The Go! Team – both their current efforts splice in music from other continents and countries. It is hard to pinpoint exact parts of the world: there are African, Asian and North American touches here and there. I have been thinking of the albums that travel the world, as it were, and blend traditional Western elements with something lesser-heard and new. Many people consider music to be on a downward curve and slightly devalued – not quite as rambunctious, inventive and striking as previous years. There is validity to that argument but I wonder one thing: are musicians pushing boundaries enough and making music that strays beyond the walls and smoking area of the mainstream? We all hear acts who splice genres and do something that is very un-commercial and bold. I am all for that but, largely, that experimentation revolves around traditional instruments and predictable confines. That is not to say the sounds that arrive are ordinary and soft: artists like Tune-Yards are among the most arresting and sensational around right now!

I will mention a couple of ‘classic’ albums soon but, in new music, there are a few artists that take from various continents and communities. Before I mention one of my favourite new musicians; it is worth addressing that dreaded term: ‘World Music’. I put it in upper-case because we often see the genre as an outsider and unique – maybe not in a good way. Many feel music that comes from outside Europe and North America is ‘World Music’ – or it is the various sounds and squawks from nations we do not usually go to regarding good and fascinating ideas. We feel anything unconventional and away-from-the-traditional is unusual and warrants exclusion. I grant there are types of music, that fall into that genre, that are quite hard to get behind. I love African beats and flavours; I am keen on the strings and eccentric elements of Asian music – little bits of Australian music and what happens in indigenous areas. It is tricky embracing all other nations because the quality does vary. What I wonder is whether artists feel everything from other parts of the world hold little value because it is not featured on the radio and in the charts – that would be a faulty assumption.

IN THIS PHOTO: Vanessa Forero

An artist I am very fond of – and have not heard from in a while – is Brighton-based Vanessa Forero. She has Colombian background/D.N.A. and has used instruments from South America in her music. One need only listen to her 2016-E.P., From the Uproar, and there are incredible touches that one does not normally get from other artists. You need only look at the E.P.’s cover to see the sort of colour and exotic she brings to the music! There are beguiling pipes and percussion; incredible strings and international, vivacious swirls. You can see my technical grasp/terminology is not exactly profound – Forero would be best-placed to answer that – but I saw pre-release videos from her home where she guided the viewer into her world. She had/has instruments everywhere and balances conventional instruments with those from South America. One hears From the Uproar and there is a mystical, spiritual elevation that I have not heard anywhere else! Forero is part of a minority who are willing to expand their minds and challenge the predictable. I am not saying all other artists lack that spirit and quality: it is difficult to integrate music from other nations and make it fit inside familiar moulds. I am finding, with a lot of the bigger, bolder albums coming from artists; they are putting unusual sounds and international flavours into the pot. Fifi Rong is another artist who manages to bring other nations into her music. She blends East with West: the delightful and engaging tones of Asia with harder, more-crowd-friendly tones of the West. The result is some of the most appealing and inspirational music I have heard in a long time. Artists like Forero and Rong not only add something unexpected and fresh into the music - they introduce the listener to other sides of music (and nations we might think of when it comes to music).

I have mentioned Vanessa Forero and her Colombian ties: others I know source from Japan and China; parts of Africa and Central/South America. Most of the accessible and quality music we hear does not stray too far from the U.K. and U.S. I wonder whether artists are doing enough to broaden the scene and inspire the new generation. We are at a time when artists are being scrutinised and judged with every move they make. I am impressed there is so much invention in music but, if we want to go beyond the expected and known – do we need to take from other parts of the world? One of the most effective ways of doing this is to travel to other nations: is this feasible and possible for any artists; let alone newer acts who struggle to afford gigs in parts of their own country?! I wanted to mention two albums that took from African rhythms and ecosystems: Paul Simon’s Graceland and Blur’s Think Tank. The former saw Paul Simon break barriers and pair with the Ladysmith Black Mambazo choir – at a time when there was apartheid and racial discrimination in South Africa. The role of Ladysmith on Graceland cannot be ignored. I have not addressed vocal possibilities when it comes to other continents. The stunning, harmonious blends make songs like Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes and Homeless define the album and make it sound like nothing you have ever heard!

IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

It is not only the African vocals that go into Graceland. Los Lobos appear on All Around the World or The Myth of Fingerprints. Aside from legal battles between Los Lobos and Paul Simon; it is the voices and strings of Los Lobos that take a song from the ordinary to the sublime. Elsewhere on Graceland; the African influences and elements make the album such a varied, interesting and intense experience – and give listeners a window into other parts of the world; music they would not ordinarily hear. Damon Albarn and Blur sojourned in Africa during the Think Tank period and would write and record in humble and simple conditions. Albarn, especially, has always been curious regards other parts of the globe. For Think Tank; you can hear Africa in titles - Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club – and the swoon-and-bliss of Caravan. Blur travelled to Marrakesh and Morocco and were inspired by the people there. Songs like Crazy Beat and Gene by Genre came together in Marrakesh. The vocals were sung outside – the band felt it was a breath of fresh air being out of the studio and in such splendid conditions. They would record vocals on rooftops and underneath trees; it would be a real eye-opener for the band. Not only did that experience compel Albarn to look deeper into Africa (and Asia, in later work) but it adds a real niche to Think Tank.

IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

The record blends Western loops and electronics with those exotic and beautiful sensations of Africa – deftly able to weave the best from the West and East without losing its solidity and purpose. The two albums I have mentioned are among the most popular and notable than feature elements of other continents. To be fair, if you did your research, there are a fair few that go beyond the confines of home and pick from other parts of the world. In my view; there are not enough modern artists taking a leap and going to other countries. You do not, actually, need to leave your home to get a sense of international music and areas parts of the globe. I think, for a band or solo artists, a recording jaunt abroad can not only revitalise and rejuvenate music – it can infuse and infect an album and bring new dynamics into the ranks! If I were a musician, I would set money aside for some time in Africa - getting involved with local communities and sounds coming from there. It does not even need to be confined to Africa and Asia. Being bold enough to go to lesser-represented part of the U.S., for instance, could introduce new sounds and people to the mind. Consider Australia and how vast the land is; the scope and wonder of South America and all the inherent choices there. The world really is open and available to eager musicians – is it being exploited as much as possible? I agree it is tough assimilating foreign sounds into a market that still relies on Western ideas and a mix of genres (rather than nations). I feel, with a little curiosity and ambition; artists who are willing to splice something international into the scene will reap the rewards and inspire other musicians…

TO do likewise.

FEATURE: Forty Years of The Kick Inside: The Birth of an Icon

FEATURE:

 

Forty Years of The Kick Inside

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

The Birth of an Icon

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THIS is not the first time...

PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz (1978)

I have spoken about Kate Bush’s debut album, The Kick Inside. It is, however, the most important piece regarding the album: the record is forty today and, as such, has been receiving thoughts and praise from around the world. Before I come to my thoughts; I asked songwriter/festival organiser, G LaRoche to send me some words about the album. I will put his words on to the page, verbatim:

“When I play acoustic cover sets (usually in quaint little country pubs or spit n sawdust venues) one of my favourite perks of the set is seeing the look on people’s faces as a man with a Mohican haircut and torn punk trousers starts to play Kate Bush’s 1978 anthem Wuthering Heights with gleeful manic overacting. After all the song is sung from the perspective of a desperate soul hell-bent on reconciling with her lover…my take on Cathy’s character is more, what 20th-century folks call, a ‘bunny boiler’!

 My first full-on experience of ‘The Kick Inside’ was at about the age of 12 when I would spend most of my weekends with massively oversized 80s headphones on, going through my parent’s vinyl collection, absolutely absorbed in music. Through doing this I discovered tons of aged music that my school contemporaries were unaware of…and probably still couldn’t give a toss about! I was a uniquely uncool kid. While classmates were discussing Oasis, Blur or Radiohead I’d be discovering Supertramp, Jethro Tull, Peter Gabriel (plus his Genesis) as well as a wealth of 60s, 70s and 80s classics.

If I liked a song I’d copy it to a mixtape (for the kids out there: tapes were bought over in the Viking longships and were notoriously unreliable until Abraham Lincoln invented the Biro). If I liked the whole album it’d go on a tape in its entirety…although sometimes with the track order changed for no specific reason! This way I could listen to that music over and over on my Walkman or on my bedroom ghetto blaster. I even made some extremely embarrassing radio mixtapes with me pretending to be retro DJ Alan Freeman in between my favourite songs.

PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Walter - WireImage/Getty Images  

The Kick Inside got the full album treatment (I think it was on side A with The Cars self-titled album on side B). Why did Kate Bush get the prestige of a whole side of valuable 90-minute tape??? Well, firstly that voice…somewhere between a siren and a banshee it pierced, intrigued and infested my young mind. Since this album, I’ve had a love for kooky, octave shifting, female vocals like Lene Lovich, Poly Styrene from X-Ray Specs and Alice Glass from Crystal Castles. 

The sound of the album straddles that point between the prog. rock of the early 70s, which to many can sound dated but I kinda enjoy in a cheesy, guilty pleasure sort of way, and the soft rock and pop of the 80s yet with a more mature sound than either of the above.  

The haunting quality of ‘Moving’ allows Kate to use an extraordinary vocal range; the sombre yarn of ‘The Man With The Child In His Eyes’ making good use of minor to major shift to emote the tale and a personal favourite with ‘Them Heavy People’ being a pseudo-reggae track. Of course, we all know Wuthering Heights as the albums commercial high point, but this ain’t no ‘All The Small Things’ or ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. It’s an exceptionally clever bit of composing and Kate does a great job expressing empathy for Cathy’s character. I could go on!

IN THIS IMAGE: The Yugoslavian vinyl cover for The Kick Inside

My parents did have a couple of other Kate Bush albums, but me being of that certain age I was more interested in the album covers…if ya catch my drift! My loss probably, but The Kick Inside remains a classic in my eyes, an album that shaped a lot of my musical taste during my teens and a staple on my current MP3 Walkman…even if the biro is now redundant, the nostalgia is not!”

Those are impassioned words from someone who took a lot from Kate Bush’s debut cut. It is hard to believe the record is fort-years-old today! I remember discovering the record when I was about six or seven and hearing those incredible tones come from the speaker. I guess, like many, it was the sight of Kate Bush twirling in a white dress for the Wuthering Heights video that sticks in the mind!

I think it was her The Whole Story V.H.S. that was out around that time. It drew together her singles/videos and, as a boy; the sheer wonder and dizzying beauty of Bush’s music got to me. I listened to albums like The Red Shoes, Hounds of Love and The Dreaming when I was growing up: none made the same impression as The Kick Inside! The effect and magic of the album have only grown stronger over the years. I have lyrics tattooed on my arm – lyrics from Moving on my left; I am getting some from The Kick Inside on my right in a few weeks – and take huge wisdom from Kate Bush. Songs (on The Kick Inside) deal with love and realisation: they do it in a very different and exotic manner. Her phrasing, delivery and intonations elevate the words and provide them with an almost-spiritual mystique. There is nobody who performs and sings the same way as Kate Bush! She takes music and makes it her own; bending words and capturing feelings few of us can comprehend. Every song gets into my head and, each time I hear them, it provides something different. It is strange to think Kate Bush is almost sixty! I listen to The Kick Inside and hear this nineteen-year-old fly, explore and seduce: forty years later; the effect and impact the album has on the mind has not faded!

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush performing on the Late Late Show in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Eve Holmes

Critics were not exactly universal in their praise of The Kick Inside. In 1978, when there was nobody out there like Kate Bush; people did not really know what to make of Bush! She was this unique soul in a music world that, even back then, preferred the conventional and commercial. The Punk movement was over – or changing, at least – and bands such as Blondie were riding on the crest of a wave. Some saw the young Kate Bush as a strange and unusual figure – how do we deal with someone so odd and unusual?! Maybe they thought she was a novelty singer; someone whose ‘charms’ would take years to win and gain popularity. Those who saw the potential, a lot of retrospective reviews were better-minded, knew the world was witnessing a future-legend take her first steps. One only needs to look at interviews from 1978/1979 (see below) to realise why Bush was adored and appreciated. She spoke as she sung: articulate, detailed and story-like; beautiful, cute yet strong. It was the steeliness and determination of Kate Bush that amazed many. She was a teenager at the time and many assumed she would not be around long - or else would have the record label dictating her every whim. The Kick Inside’s follow-up, Lionheart, was released in 1978 and was not as lauded as her debut – that need to get another album out sharpish meant Bush was rushed and had to work in a different style.

She gained more control, and got critics back on track, by 1982’s The Dreaming – that realisation she needed to have a say of her music means she has endured this long (Hounds of Love in 1985 was, actually, the first time Kate Bush fully took the reins!). If many claim Hounds of Love is her peak achievement: the reason I love The Kick Inside is because it was the debut. The album was penned and honed by the time Bush got into the studio. The teenager was writing songs at the family home and seeing her creations come to life on the piano. She would work with producers and other musicians on The Kick Inside but, unusually, there were no other writers! There are greater solo songwriters in today’s scene but, often, we feel Pop artists are happy enough to let others pen their songs and step aside. Kate Bush was never going to be someone passive and overly-collaborative. A bold, independent and free spirit – her music was an extension of that personality and expression of her spirit. Moving feature whale song; there are lines about motherhood, nature and meditation: not themes many artists were covering at the time! There is philosophy and truth throughout; gorgeous confessions of love and incredible maturity. It is hard to believe a song like The Man with the Child In His Eyes was written by someone as young as thirteen – it might have been twelve when the songwriter completed that song.

Wuthering Heights remains Bush’s most-famous and notable tracks. It is so unusual and rare: nothing else in music even comes close to equalling the sensuousness and allure of the track. Rather than deal in tropes and clichés: The Kick Inside looks at art and the natural world; literature and womanhood. Maybe that is a result of Bush’s teachings and family background – growing up around artistic parents; where subjects like feminism and literature were part of her upbringing. The Kick Inside is an album that, consciously or not, has compelled generations of songwriters – not only females in the industry! Whether it is the erotic, daring tones of Feel It and L'Amour Looks Something Like You; the flowing, freeing movements of Kite; the rush of James and the Cold Gun – there are so many different sides and personalities. I hear a lot of modern artist name-check Kate Bush and take guidance from her songwriting. She was, back in 1978, unconcerned with what was expected and warranted. She was never going to write simple songs and let anyone label her – perhaps that was part of the problem. The fact so many critics missed out back then has come back to bite them now: the legions of artists that source from The Kick Inside is staggering! Big names like PJ Harvey, Florence Welch and Madonna have, in some way, assimilated aspects of Kate Bush into their own music.

It was never only about the music with her, either. The looks and style; the documentation of the world and deeper issues; the iconography and incredible personality; the strength and fortitude from someone so young – all of this inspired artists and drove them to be different. The Kick Inside is my favourite album for a number of different reasons. It provides comfort and safety at moments when I need it most. I always learn from the record and, as I unearth fresh revelation; I become better-informed, wiser and more rounded. I feel I understand feminism more and open my mind to music that does not rigidly hang to rules – that which goes beyond and tackles the boring. The instrumentation and varied compositions (of The Kick Inside) get into the mind and provoke images. The songwriting is uniformly stunning and the visions, huge! I hear interviews of Kate Bush from 2011, when she is asked about her debut album and its creation – and whether she ever looks back on the songs at all. It is weird her talk about her music – she does not really listen to her music a lot – and realise it is the same young woman of 1978! Forty years is a long time in any case: in musical terms, there are few albums that remain that long and continue to inspire. I was going to make this piece a lot longer but, rather than bring in the facts and figures: a more personal and direct feature was in order. I will be listening to the album all day – and do quite a lot, obviously – but wanted to lay down some words and, hopefully, bring The Kick Inside the new audiences. We all wonder whether Kate Bush will release more material and perform again – she is that never-ending enigma and source of speculation! Whilst we ponder and look at her future: pick up a record that turned heads in 1978 and, forty years down the tracks; it remains a fountain of inspiration, the majestic and profound for some of music’s…

MOST imaginative minds.

FEATURE: The February Playlist: Vol.3: YES...It Is THAT Moon River…

FEATURE:

 

The February Playlist

 IN THIS PHOTO: Frank Ocean 

Vol.3: YES...It Is THAT Moon River…

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IT is a return to the big-hitting…

IN THIS IMAGE: The cover for Muse's single, Thought Contagion

acts and, with that, some truly epic music! That is not to say the past couple of weeks has been a quiet one: this week, mind you...there are some fantastic cuts. There is new material from Frank Ocean and Manic Street Preachers. Courtney Barnett provides a glimpse into her forthcoming album, Tell Me How You Feel, and a very welcome treat for the ears! There is a mighty new track from Muse; David Byrne has something out; Soccer Mommy and Albert Hammond Jr. bring us something special and immense – that is only scratching the surface.

There is a great mix of mainstream pearls and some unexpected deliveries; underground cuts and fantastic moments from the upcoming and established alike…

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

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Frank Ocean - Moon River

PHOTO CREDIT: @autumndewilde

Albert Hammond Jr. - Far Away Truths 

Manic Street Preachers - Distant Colours

David Byrne – This Is That

Eminem (ft. Ed Sheeran) - River

Soccer Mommy – Still Clean

Muse – Thought Contagion

Courtney Barnett – Nameless, Faceless

The Chainsmokers - You Owe Me

Lo Moon – My Money

Delta Goodrem – Think About You

BOOTS (ft. Run the Jewels and Christin Milioti) - Delete Delete

Boy Azooga – Loner Boogie

Ryan Adams – Baby I Love You

BANFI – Never Really Cared

Tracey Thorn, Corinne Bailey Rae - Sister

Everything Is Recoded, Giggs – Wet Looking Road

Ellie Goulding – Vincent

Youngr – Remember

Moose Blood – Have I Told You Enough

Remy Ma (ft. Chris Brown) - Melanin Magic (Pretty Brown)

PHOTO CREDIT: Jennica Mae Photography

Lauv - Getting Over You

Beach House – Lemon Glow

LACK – Cutting Ties

Tom Misch (ft. Loyle Carner) - Water Baby

Happy Accidents – Act Naturally

Benin City – Final Form

PHOTO CREDIT: Jonathan Vivaas Kise

Rejjie Snow, Anna of the North – Charlie Brown

Lord Huron – Wait By the River

Vance Joy – Call If You Need Me

PHOTO CREDIT: @joeseth.carter

Royal Blood – Look Like You Know

Rhye – Song for You

Hannah Jane Lewis – Aftershock

Tinashe (ft. Future) - Faded Love

Field Music – Count It Up

Brandi Carlile – Every Time I Hear That Song

Mauwe – Gold

Wiley – Been a While

FEATURE: False Currency and Worn Bills: Why the Line-Up for This Year’s Reading and Leeds Festival Is Dividing Opinion

FEATURE:

 

False Currency and Worn Bills

 ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Getty Images

Why the Line-Up for This Year’s Reading and Leeds Festival Is Dividing Opinion

_________

IF one examines the poster for this year’s...

IN THIS PHOTO: Kendrick Lamar

Reading and Leeds festival; many have noticed some rather worrying signs. I will point out some positives but, in terms of those headline acts; it is the same story as last year! In 2017, there was one blazing-hot U.S. inclusion (Eminem) and two predictable, lumpen British inclusions (Kasabian and Muse). This year - Reading and Leeds festivals will be taking place over August Bank Holiday weekend: Thursday 23rd - Sunday 26th August - has the same breakdown. Kendrick Lamar headlines the Saturday (at Reading; Leeds on Sunday) but, either side of him, there are two bands – American, actually – that could have gone lower down the bill. In fact, when thinking of Reading's Friday and Sunday headliners, Fall Out Boy and Kings on Leon; it raises concerns. Each of those headliners will play both Reading and Leeds and, for those pumped about the August festival: are you going to see that poster and take away a lot of hope and excitement?! I do not mind an all-American headline outfit but, when you think about the quality on show – is that the best they could do?! I am glad Muse and Foo Fighters (easy choices) are not appearing: the fact is, the actual choices are not exactly inspired. Kendrick Lamar is a bold and incredible artist who will bring his magic to the people here. Kings of Leon have not unveiled anything since Walls in 2016. That record did not go down too well, and so, one wonders how current and popular that booking is.

IN THIS PHOTO: Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy’s seventh album, Mania, was recently released and, again, not one that stormed it with critics. I wonder how many people are going to make a special effort to see both of those bands?! I agree Kendrick Lamar is an original choice and, like Eminem, will be a fiery and intense act. I am pleased artists like Wolf Alice, Dua Lipa and Sigrid are on the bill. That might signal a lack of Rock/Alternative firepower - and one has to ask why the likes of IDLES were not included high on the list (you’d think they’d be ready to headline?!). Getting that honour has nothing to do with longevity and popularity: Arctic Monkeys headlined the festival near the start of the career; when they were really starting to heat up. Whilst there is a variation and sense of dare regarding the line-up, one has to ask: does it betray the roots and ethos of Reading and Leeds? There was hype and suggestion Arctic Monkeys would headline this year – some angry punters are already flogging their tickets – but that was an outside bet. They are recording new material but it would seem likely they’d get this sort of gig once that material is out. If their new album is out by August; some with rue it as a missed opportunity.

IN THIS PHOTO: Nadia Rose

AJ Tracey, Brockhampton; Hinds, J Hus; Lil Pump, Nadia Rose and Papa Roach are among the confirmed artists. There are very few out-and-out Rock bands in the pack. Grime and Hip-Hop come courtesy of Skepta and Kendrick Lamar; there is some great Pop and newer bands like Pale Waves and Wolf Alice – The Wombats are in there, too. Some might argue the festival is diversifying and trying to reach a wider audience. There are other festivals that cater to those who like Pop and Grime: why do we need to make Reading and Leeds’ gritty, Rock background softer and safer? Latitude, this year, suffers a similar sense of disappointment. Alt-J, The Killers and Solange will appeal to many - but they are not necessarily the first acts you’d expect at that festival. It seems the popular festivals are picking up from Glastonbury and trying to integrate some of their likely inclusions. Because of that; we are seeing festivals broaden their scope and provide a home for these artists. I feel there should be some sense of authenticity regarding Rock/Alternative festivals. Others could claim Reading and Leeds has lost its way a bit the past few years. Obvious bookings (like Muse) show it is concerned, still, about certain commercialism - sticking with tried-and-tested artists. I am shocked IDLES did not crack the line-up this year: others have looked at the increase in Pop/Rap artists and wonder what has happened. The biggest question one could ask revolves around the lack of bands that have bite and spit...

IN THIS PHOTO: Shame/PHOTO CREDIT: Sarah Louise Bennett/Dork

Bands I have flogged to death like Cabbage and Goat Girl could get the people jumping; Shame are one of the breakout acts of the moment and warrant a spot, one would think! Maybe Arctic Monkeys will play a surprise set but you have to wonder, if that is not the case, where are the sound-alike replacements?! There are great acts that take from their lead – they could fill the void and do a great job. I worry the headliners are a little too insincere and safe. Kings of Leon will not offer anything new: few are too bothered about their older hits and seeing them break out the new hits. Fall Out Boy have a great back catalogue but, again, they are only going to grab a certain few. Kendrick Lamar is the only decent headliners in a year where festivals are disappointing. Latitude has left many cold – I hope the Isle of Wight bill is a lot bigger and better! There are plenty of young bands who could have done well at this year’s Reading and Leeds. They could have gone further down the list but would have made welcome inclusions. The Y Not? lineup has Manic Street Preachers and The Libertines among their biggest acts. It is a mixture of familiar older names and some sort-of-promising acts. I am a bit concerned there is an average and overly-wide approach to bookings.

Many will ask whether this year’s early festival unveilings signals a wider trend: the remaining big festivals building up momentum and then, when it comes to the announcements; the air goes out of the tyres. The Reading and Leeds bill is the initial announcement. There might be additions and changes the closer we get to August. It seems unlikely there will be shockers and major explosions, mind you! Those who balk against Kendrick Lamar need to remember the quality he brings and the pull his music has - the same goes for many of the Grime/Rap acts and Pop newcomers. There are no bands in this country that command the same respect and power as Lamar, right now - an angry and physical voice that can do justice to the stage he will take to. The lack of female headliners is, again, no surprise: I think Wolf Alice (female-fronted) are worthy of a headline slot. Women are included throughout the festival and there is a good mixture of genres: providing chances to new artists who are starting to turn heads. My worries regard the lack of high-profile quality and knockout headliners. I hope there are surprises and revivals as more festivals announce their lineups: what we have now, for Reading and Leeds, is a bit of a muted affair. Maybe Fall Out Boy and Kings of Leon will bring their A-game and it will be a career-defining set – my suspicions outweigh any tangible hope! There is more intriguing and potential when one looks lower down the bill and explores those newcomers. Do we need to look at female artists and start putting them higher up the bill? Do we need to stop going for easy and obvious bands? What changes need to be made? Should we jump to lambast Grime/Hip-Hop inclusions at a festival that has always been about Rock? The social media reaction has been a bit mixed – many are miffed by the artists announced and how far Reading and Leeds has strayed from its origins. My hope is, by this time next year, the backlash and confused reactions will provoke festival organisers to up their game…

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash

AND give the people what they want!

FEATURE: Attack and Absolute Phase: The Changing Nature of the Producer in Music

FEATURE:

 

Attack and Absolute Phase

 ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Unsplash

The Changing Nature of the Producer in Music

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THERE have been noticeable shifts in the music industry…

over the past few decades. Tastes have changed and genres have come and gone. We have seen a lot of technological developments over that time. Streaming and digital downloads have joined conventional hardware and, in many ways, the industry has improved and opened up. It is wonderful new, unsigned musicians have the chance to release music and get it heard on the radio – years ago, this was not a possibility. I am pleased music is more diverse and busy; there are greater options - and it is busier and more explosive than ever. One of the most noticeable splits is between artists producing their own material and those hiring others. I raise this issue because, listen to the radio last week; I heard an interview with Gordon Raphael. He produced The Stokes’ masterful debut, Is This It, at Transporterraum, New York City. It is debatable, if another producer was selected, they would have created the album we hear today. The rawness and distorted vocals; the New York sound and the sensation of a young band tearing up the rulebook – The Strokes themselves could not have devised anything as grand. I look back through history and those epic producers like Sir George Martin and Tony Visconti; Rick Rubin and Quincy Jones – throw in Nile Rodgers and Brian Eno. Aside from the fact they are all men – more on that later – they have helped create some of the greatest albums ever.

IN THIS PHOTO: Tony Visconti/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Masterpieces from David Bowie, The Beatles and Michael Jackson have been crafted and shaped by incredible producers. One can argue the reason these titans have been so successful is the way they work with the artists: able to confer and compromise; adding their input and help turn great ideas into truly fantastic ones. I talk to some people and they either do not know what a producer does, or else, think it is someone who hits ‘record’ and remembers to stop the recording at the end – the same way people my age did when we were children; illicitly taping the charts on Sunday evening! I will look at gender division in production but, looking back, and there is a split between the self-producing artists and those who had hired guns. You can argue the greatest bands and solo artists relied on other producers. Technology was not what it was now: they could not create music on laptops and always take a D.I.Y. approach; considering the standard the music had to be and what the music incorporated. Even the greats like David Bowie and The Beatles had a big say in their music and what was involved. They never handed the material to the producer and let them control it: there was always discussion and a mixture of the producer’s expertise and the artist’s insight. You can argue the classic albums sound the way they do because of these incredible producers.

IN THIS IMAGE: The album cover for Frank Ocean's Blond/IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

If the artist had been allowed to produce legendary cuts like Pet Sounds (The Beach Boys) and Blonde on Blonde (Bob Dylan) – would they have the same quality and genius?! Times were different then but, since the turn of this decade; mainstream artists are taking more of a role. Many of the best artists out there produce their own stuff – if not all the albums; songs here and there – and do not like to gift complete power to another party. I wonder whether there the role of the producer is diminishing slightly?! It is changing so that more and more artists are taking care of their own work and relying on their own voice – this is especially true of independent acts. A lot of mainstream artists still hire producers but, what I find, is the best and more natural music out there arrives when the artist in question has a production credit. You can look at albums by Beyoncé and Frank Ocean and, whilst they are listed as Executive Producer; they are joined by an army of production talent! It makes me wonder whether, in the case of the biggest names out there, it is impossible to craft work of that stature alone. The split coming is between the mainstream and the underground. The idea of the D.I.Y., self-produced artist is coming to the fore. Even if the music is multi-genre and band-made: artists prefer to produce themselves and relying less on outside forces. There are a few reasons behind this explosion.

Producers are expensive and, depending on your budget; it can be tricky setting enough money aside to afford one. A single song can eat of many artists’ budgets. If you have to record an entire album, you might be in the studio for a few weeks or so. Count up the cost of the producer and other expenses – engineers and various studio bodes – and the total is eye-watering! Even with social media largely free and easy; artists still need to print posters, think about promotion costs and gigs – paying for transport to gigs and throwing in food and drink. The modern musician is as concerned with budget and affordability now as at any other time. Depending on the experience of the producer; it is often unrealistic hiring someone to help bring the music to life. Studios vary, in terms of costs, but I am staggered how much people charge for a few hours. Many artists cannot afford the steep fees. It is a shame because, as we can hear from the best albums floating about; having an outside body offering expertise, advice and input can take a record in new directions. You will never have an industry where all artists produce their own work and it is a self-made business: the fact so many new musicians are crafting a D.I.Y. ethos is impressive.

It is a more affordable option and means you are not fixed to studio dates and specific times. Technology allows artists to put any instrument and sound they want into the mix; they can create an album from scratch and see it through to the end – essentially, a studio in the palm of your hand! Not only is it a more cost-effective way of working; it means the artist gets full say in the creative process and does not have to compromise. For newer acts; there are fewer going to producers and recruiting them for their project. The fact modern studios/producers are expensive and located, largely, in cities is not always convenient for artists who want to create something affordable and quic. It is, of course, possible to work with other producers without breaking the band. Some are joining with other musicians/local producers; some artists get reduced rates and being given a break; others mix self-production with studio work – there are options for those who want to have a professional sound and retain a degree of independence. With each passing year; I am seeing new artists take a more involved role in their own music. Whether through a home-built studio, or recording on a tablet, they are producing songs that do not require the elaborate and costly environment of the studio.

IN THIS PHOTO: Grimes/PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest

Many new artists, females especially, remaining independent – without a label and producing their own work – because of the lack of female producers out there. The situation is getting better but, compared to the men; there are far fewer women in studios – which is causing debate and issues. I know there are improvements and, compared to a few years ago; there is a greater number of women becoming producers. That said; the majority of the big album releases are produced by men; most of the artists I review, male and female, have their music produced by men. That is no indication of quality and a gulf: there are still problems around education, studio culture and a lack of real change. I know Music Production is taught in music schools and universities but that is not the case in schools. The fact music is not part of the syllabus in many schools – it is an option but not mandatory – means children are not being encouraged to go into production; discussions around gender equality are not beginning. I know more women are heading into studios but look at the new music we listen to and there are so many fantastic female producers either putting out their own stuff – or working with other artists under the radar. Established female producers like Grimes, Catherine Marks; Lauren Deakin-Davies and WondaGurl are considered among the best in the business.

IN THIS PHOTO: WondaGurl

Although a lot of new musicians are producing their own material and overlooking an expensive studio; I feel something should be done to make things more affordable and accessible. It is good musicians are taking control and learning a new craft. It is encouraging seeing that independence but there is still great value in the traditional producer. So many great albums have been produced by someone not associated with the artist – that professional who comes in and add his/her touch to the work. Costs are a big issue: many unable to afford time in the studio and having to do things their own way. I think an objective nobody can add so much to a band/artist’s work. There is this drive for musicians to take some initiative but, thinking ahead, the only way to ensure musicians and producers have a more sustainable and profitable relationship is looking at reasons why artists are going D.I.Y. It is interesting seeing how production has changed and the way new musicians are putting out their work – those in the mainstream do not self-produce as much as the underground. If we can strike a balance between D.I.Y. artists and those who can head into the studio – more equal than it is now – then I feel it will lead to a much more…

BALANCED industry.

FEATURE: Beauty School Dropout: Does the Modern Consumer Value a Journalist’s Opinions?

FEATURE:

 

Beauty School Dropout

 ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Unsplash

Does the Modern Consumer Value a Journalist’s Opinions?

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THIS is not me stroking my nose…

IN THIS PHOTO: Nubya Garcia/PHOTO CREDIT: Rodrigo Gianesi

with a digital gun: rather, a moment’s ponder regarding the place and validity of the critical voice. I am in a position where I need to provide (read: subject) the public my views regarding new music. I do more interviews and features (than reviews) but, when I do review a new artist; the work I put in is a lot more than, say, a piece like this – perhaps settling my argument right from the off! The reason I have put the saxophonist and musician Nubya Garcia is because she is someone lighting up the underground – perhaps the mainstream has turned their noses up and not really got involved. Her solo E.P., Nubya’s 5ive sold out on vinyl in one day; she is one of the most expressive players you will see and, in a year where we need artists to express themselves more than ever – her bold and physical approach to music is a perfect tonic! There is stuffiness, still, levied at people away from the mainstream/conventional market who do not fit in predefined circles and holes. Entire genres get buried deep down and, as I will cover next week; few artists are taking from other cultures and countries as boldly as they should – the fear of judgement or ignorance could be a factor. Among the seismic shifts required in the music industry; openness from the media, and fans, is near the top of the list.

I mentioned how, in the line of my work, I review artists and have to express my thoughts. It means a lot to them and, for those underground blogs; the pieces put out can make a big difference. I wonder whether the same can be said of the mainstream sites? I write for another site (Too Many Blogs) and know many of the artists I review there take heart from my words. Do we, as a people, still tune in to the airwaves of critical impression before buying our music? I raise that question because my psyche has been scuffed by articles and commentators who claim the days of music journalism are dead. The form is more than reviewing: features, think-pieces and interviews are an important part of the agenda. From my point of view; I feel there is a division between mainstream reviews/features and artists who deserve more. I have mentioned one musician who is not as heralded and popular as she should be. Many critics are still beholden to popular, obvious artists and, when they doing around for underground talent; are they really going far enough and championing the very best around?! I feel a slight mistrust when it comes to ‘certain’ sites and the way they source talent. Because of that; I do have a slight scientism when it comes to their album/E.P. reviews.

 My reluctance is minor compared to many who, in a digital and fast-flowing time, are relying on their own voices and approaching music differently. There are two other issues to raise: whether reviews are required when so many of us download songs (rather than entire L.P.s) and the opinion/truth of the piece. So many of, myself included, pick various songs from albums that we do not feel will deliver. Even the records we love…do we listen the whole way through and experience the entire thing?! Streaming sites are great but fewer of us are buying music, sitting down with it and blocking everything out. I remember a time when I would run to the shop, get an album and the rest of the day was invisible: all that mattered was the fact I had this record and was going to listen to every…single…note. Now, even if a huge album comes my way, I have already heard a few singles on the radio. When the album comes, I might skip them – as I am familiar – and pick a few other tracks. Unless I by a C.D. or vinyl – and force myself to listen to an album – a lot of my listening will be fragmented and bitty. There are albums I listen to the whole way through and I find, if I take a rather ‘careful’ approach to the record the first few weeks; down the line, for some reason, I gain a new appreciation and will go out and buy the album – and spend a lot more time pouring over tracks. It irks me so many people are not actually listening to entire albums: if we can get songs for free, and choose what we want, are we going to put stock in critics charged with assessing the album as a whole?! 

Sure; it is useful knowing which songs they regard but, after the first couple of paragraphs – are we paying attention and still invested?! I shall get onto the accuracy issue soon but, before then, another issue occurs: brevity and choice. The former is a reference to certain websites/magazines where their standards reviews are around two-hundred words. I know I am an extreme exception when it comes to reviews – twenty times longer than the figure I just quoted – but some compromise would be nice. Unless there is a big, much-hyped record out there…how much detail is being put onto the page? Some sites are, for some reason, limited to, say, five-hundred words for album reviews. Sadly, this is less to do with keeping the data low and saving space on the site: it seems to be the limit people can tolerate before the mind wanders off and they have walked away. Even with that pretty slim limitation; a lot of writers are not even hitting that! Some mainstream sites seem to be able to distil an album into the space of a couple of paragraphs. It is small wonder people voice their concerns and doubt the purpose of such ‘economy’. With so many sites on the market; it can be hard knowing who to trust and getting a handle on all of it. There are endless voices and, if you want a proper and authoritative assessment of an album…do you try and read ALL reviews or stick with a few sources?!

It can be a battle but, for some reasons, journalists are not really putting a huge amount of effort in. One can argue that signified the bite-sized nature of the modern world. We want something snappy, uncomplicated and precise. If we have to scroll through pages of words then are people going to bother?! That creates a conflict. If there are few words then you cannot get a clear view of an album and what it is about: if there are too many words, you risk losing people’s attention and them trusting their own gut. It is important people make their own minds up but I feel there is validity and worth in the trusted and solid review. I do not subjectively stick to certain sources but I know there are journalists who put in a shift and know what they are on about – and always head their way when a new album is out I am interested in. We are all aware of those albums that have been bigged-up and heralded when they came out; years down the line, we sort of realise it was a bit overdone and it’s not so good after all. The reverse is true, of course. There have been occasions where critics have got it completely wrong and missed the point!

IN THIS IMAGE: The cover to Beastie Boys' album, Paul's Boutique/IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

Classic records like Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique was given little love when it arrived in the late-1980s. It took a few years before people realised it was a work of genius. That is not the only classic album where the critics left their brains behind and failed to appreciate a masterful work. It can be hard to spot truly awesome albums because many have serious nuance and it might take a few listens for it all to come together. If you only have a set period of time to get the review down; you are not going to chart an album’s growth and unfurling brilliance. I can forgive a few cases but, in a lot of instances; critics have been so stuffy and snubbed an album that has gone onto rank among the very best – you wonder how they missed it and what they were thinking when that review went down! If some are drooling over albums that are not worth it; others are skipping past potential greatness – many are making inaccurate assumptions and really not listening to the songs. Maybe it is subjectiveness but I am listening to Blur’s 2003 album, Think Tank – which I mentioned very recently – and realise it is not in their top-three. The record was largely recorded without Graham Coxon (except Battery in Your Leg) and relies more on Damon Albarn’s guidance and influence. Many critics slagged it off and labelled it a pale and pretentious work!

IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

It is an album that marries African influences with U.S. Rock; British Rave with all manner of textures and ideas. There are a couple of duff songs – Jets and Crazy Beat – but there is so much good in there! I can appreciate constructive reviews, where the reviewer has assessed it and made a valid point, but that is not the case a lot of time. When that was released (in 2003) sites like YouTube were only really starting up – people were still buying C.D.s and experiencing music in a more focused and authentic way. I still gravitate towards websites and want to know what others think before I take that leap. It is good to have a range of opinions and, if the reviews are decent, you can gather a consensus and whole. I am not one who is swayed and beholden to critical views – a sheep who follows their every word – but I rarely dive into Spotify and digest an album without some critical education. I realise I am in a minority, to an extent. A lot of people prefer to tune in to the radio and get a taste of the album there. They’ll hear the singles and, if they like them, maybe investigate the album. The trouble is; if you take that approach, something troubling happens: you rarely listen to all the other tracks and, even if they are not singles, that does not mean they are inferior.

It is a complicated and varied argument but I am seeing a lot of people criticise (ironically) the critics. I feel, the more options available to us – streaming services and outlets – the less we seem to rely on critics and reviews. So many are choosing the song over the album as a form of entertainment. Those who still favour the album are relying on their own views and occasionally look at reviews. I know a core who sticks with the critics but, at this time, there are fewer in that pack than previous years. It is a shame because so many musicians out there rely on great reviews and value what journalists have to say. We must make our own minds up but, at the same time, people charged with writing about a record should not be ignored – they have insight and angles a lot of us do not. I am not in the position where I need to fear the debate: my reviews (on this blog) regard new artists and there is a greater need to write these reviews – they are not in the position to crack mainstream media and I take an in-depth and thorough approach to writing. There have been some epic critical blunders – those who faulted Jeff Buckley’s Grace are morons; those who vacillated over Mumford & Sons’ debut have no use for their genitalia! – but, regardless of age and the past; I feel there is a lot to be said for the critics. Maybe they need to sort out the word limit and put a bit more muscle in; spend more time with an album and dig deeper. People can make their own decisions – and do not need to rely on critical opinions – but it is always useful having another side and thought. My fear is, as the year tick by; fewer people will rely on the critics and they will struggle to get people into the tent. A lot of my fondest discoveries have been as a result of a critical review so, to lose that, would surely be…

A huge shame.

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)

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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?!