FEATURE: The November Playlist: Vol. 4: Divinity from a Los Angeles Trio

FEATURE:

 

The November Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: HAIM/PHOTO CREDIT: Elizabeth Weinberg for The New York Times 

Vol. 4: Divinity from a Los Angeles Trio

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THIS week has been a busy one…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Soccer Mommy

and there are a lot of interesting releases out. HAIM have a new track out, and there are fresh cuts from The 1975, Soccer Mommy; Beck, The Big Moon and Alicia Keys. Among the latest releases, we have new songs from The Who, Sports Team and Girl Ray. We are getting near to Christmas and, before we start hearing a lot more Christmas songs, there are traditional jams and some really brilliant tracks. These tunes are likely to get you into the weekend and raise the mood. This year has been a fantastic one for music and it continues to show its very best. I wonder what will come next week; what surprises might we be in for? Before then, have a listen to the fantastic releases from this week and let the music…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Beck/PHOTO CREDIT: Peter Hapak

CARRY you away.  

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

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HAIM – Hallelujah

Soccer Mommy – yellow is the color of her eyes

PHOTO CREDIT: Mikai Karl

Beck – Chemical

The 1975 – Frail State of Mind

The Big Moon – Take a Piece

Girl Ray – Friend Like That

Maggie Rogers – Love You for a Long Time

Alicia Keys – Time Machine

Confidence Man - Does It Make You Feel Good?

Paul McCartney – Home Tonight

The Who – I Don’t Wanna Get Wise

Coldplay – Champion of the World

Robbie Williams – Time for Change

PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - Wandering Star

Pip Millett – Ava

PHOTO CREDIT: Antonio Olmos

Ben Watt - Balanced on a Wire

Little Mix – One I’ve Been Missing

Circa Waves – Jacqueline

Sports Team – The Races

PHOTO CREDIT: Sian Adler

I See Rivers – We Don’t Get More Time

PHOTO CREDIT: @Conner.dixon

Calva Louise – Adelante

Kesha – My Own Dance

The Japanese House – Chewing Cotton Wool

Bruno Major – Tapestry

Olivia Dean – Ok Love You Bye

Arlo Parks – Angel’s Song

PHOTO CREDIT: Ewan Ogden

Blossoms – The Keeper

Kelsy Karter - Blast Off

HARLOE - One More Chance

Mark Ronson, Anderson .Paak – Then There Were Two

Grace VanderWaal - Poser

PHOTO CREDIT: Gui Moraes

ALMA – Bad News Baby

Stephen Puth – Crying My Eyes Out

Nasty Cherry – Fuck Modern Love

FEATURE: Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowgirls: The Ongoing Problem of Sexism and Misogyny in Country Music

FEATURE:

 

Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowgirls

IN THIS PHOTO: Carrie Underwood lost out to Garth Brooks in the Entertainer of the Year category at the CMA Awards on Wednesday, 13th November, 2019, a snub which provoked a lot of anger on social media/PHOTO CREDIT: Carrie Underwood

The Ongoing Problem of Sexism and Misogyny in Country Music

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THERE are few genres where…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Garth Brooks/PHOTO CREDIT: Garth Brooks

women are given the same opportunities as men and treated as fairly. In terms of subscription, Rap, Hip-Hop and Grime are still hugely dominated by men. Many say these are genres women are not interested in; I maintain the reason relatively few women are stepping into these genres is because of attitudes towards women in the lyrics and the sense that they will not get the same opportunities as men. Most of the biggest chart hits are written by men and, when you look around, there are questions that need to be asked when it comes to pay gaps, equality and attitudes. I do feel that the industry as a whole will move closer to parity in the next few years. It is hard to make instant change, but I get the feeling those in power men, mainly) are not doing enough. When it comes to genres where women are marginalised and have to fight to be heard, Country is right near the top. We do not really have a big Country scene in the U.K. – in terms of popularity and profitability -, and most of the major stars are based in the U.S. I have written about Country music’s problem with sexism and misogyny previously this year but, having read news that Carrie Underwood was overlooked in favour of Garth Brooks for Entertainer of the Year at the CMA Awards, it brought the topic back to mind.

One can say that, in a category dominated by men, you’d expect a man to walk away with the prize. Garth Brook is a Country legend, but he did not release an album in 2019 and has only played about five shows. Conversely, Carrie Underwood has released a successful album Cry Pretty, last year and has performed on a world tour. Whilst some might say Brooks’ reputation makes him deserving of the award, it does raise questions why Underwood, who has performed a lot over the past year, was ignored in favour of an artist who was comparatively sedate. Country stations in the U.S. have not made huge leaps regarding their playlists. This article in Rolling Stone explains more:

“When it comes to the lack of gender parity at country radio, there are many forces at play, and many ways to analyze the data, from a casual glance at festival lineups to the recent report from Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative that took a look at the Billboard Hot Country Charts, which comprises sales and streaming. But perhaps nothing gives a more clear picture than statistics gleaned from the Mediabase Country Airplay charts themselves, which has not been the subject of its own independent study until now.

Dr. Jada Watson of the University of Ottawa, in consultation with WOMAN Nashville, released today a report called Gender Representation on Country Format Radio: A Study of Published Reports from 2000-2018, the first study to explicitly examine Mediabase data. One of the two airplay-monitoring systems tracking country radio — the other is Nielsen’s BDS, which is used in Billboard‘s charts — Mediabase’s country charts are published weekly in the Nashville trade magazine Country Aircheck and used as the basis for countdown shows such as Country Countdown USA and American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks.

The outcome of the new report is dismal, and puts the onus on country radio tastemakers themselves. According to the report, women  in the country music industry hear phrases like the below everyday when it comes to why they’re not represented on the airwaves:

Studying 150 songs from the year-end reports from the period of 2000 to 2018, as well as the weekly airplay charts from 2002 to 2018, Dr. Watson looked at how women, men and duos faired in terms of spins — and determined that not only is the playing field dreary for the women of country music, it’s actually getting worse by the year. In 2000, women held 33.3% of songs on the year-end country airplay reports, but by last year, they came in at 11.3% — a decline of 66% percent. The last time women were represented well? Taylor Swift was still making country music, not commissioning butterfly murals. Grammy Album of the year winner Kacey Musgraves, meanwhile, is only seeing her latest single “Rainbow” continue to drop (Number 34 to 36 this week) on the Mediabase country chart.

“The trend shows significant decline for women, strongly pointing to the self-fulfilling nature of gender-based programming,” the report says. Indeed, the less women are played at country radio, the less familiar they become, trapped in a cycle from which it is nearly impossible to escape. Look just this week to the current spin counts in Country Aircheck: zero women in the top five, and only one woman in the top point gainers (Tenille Townes’ “Somebody’s Daughter”)”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Maren Morris is one of Country finest artists/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

It is hard to ignore a link between a lack of radio play and award snubs. There is no reason women are being marginalised on radio. If you listen to performers such as Carrie Underwood and Kacey Musgraves, they are producing music that can rival anything put out by the men. When we think of the next generation of Country artists, what impression does this send to girls who want to be heard? Are they more likely to produce Pop or other types of music if they feel Country music is exclusive and gender-biased? In order for progression to happen, those in charge of compiling playlists need to start asking why women are being overlooked. It does not bode well when you have this powerful scene where men are given so much airtime and exposure. Also, I feel the work of artists like Kacey Musgraves is so much more interesting and original than most male stars – maybe stations are sticklers for tradition and are jittery when someone comes along and adds something new to Country. As this article highlight, not only are women under-represented on radio; there is a lot of sexism still evident in Country music tracks:

“It’s just so tiring to hear the same sexist words over and over on the radio. These types of songs play on repeat day in and day out. It’s not okay for people to hear men repeatedly talking about the way women look in their jeans. Or, how they want to take those jeans off. Women are more than just their bodies.

PHOTO CREDIT: @katy_anne 

The misogyny is not only in what is being said in the music, but in many other aspects. In the current Billboard Top 50 Country, 7 songs are sung by solo female artists with two songs by the same woman, Maren Morris. This means out of 50 songs, only 14% are sung by solo female artists. This isn’t a lot. This only highlights the current problem in country music. It’s completely dominated by men putting out a sexist image.

“Bro-country” is overtaking the country charts, and in my opinion, ruining country music.

Country artist, Carrie Underwood, told Elaina Smith on the Women Want to Hear Women podcast, "I think about all the little girls that are sitting at home saying, 'I want to be a country music singer.' What do you tell them, you know? What do you do? How do you look at them and say, 'Well, just work hard, sweetie, and you can do it' when that's probably not the case right now?”

Everyone knows how Pop music tends to place age limits on female artists. Popularity and attention are easier for men over forty to achieve compared to women. So many women are seen as past their prime when they hit their forties. This is definitely true of Country. Not only is there misogyny and sexism in terms of award recognition and radio playlists; there seems to be this age barrier applied to women that is not applied to men. Although mainstream artists like Miranda Lambert have helped bring Country music to a wider audience, it seems there is this prejudice when it comes to women. Look at a Country legend like Dolly Parton and I wonder what she thinks of the imbalance.

The assumption that, somehow, women are worth less than men and are only relevant to a certain age is appalling. Earlier this year, NPR ran an article that outlined the problems at hand: 

 “Women’s voices and perspectives — and particularly those of more mature female artists and songwriters — are not being heard out of Nashville. That’s the conclusion reached by researchers at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, who on Friday released a study on the gender gap in country music.

Despite the successes of musicians like Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, and Kacey Musgraves — who won the 2019 Grammy for album of the year for her project Golden Hour, as well as best country album and best country solo performance — the voices of women creators are severely underrepresented.

According to the Annenberg researchers, led by Stacy L. Smith, only 16 percent of country artists are female, and only 12 percent of country songwriters are women.

The team also notes that when female country artists do find mainstream success, they are young. “Not one of the top-performing women was over the age of 40,” they note, “while all but one of country’s top-performing men had reached or exceeded that age.” They found that the average age of top female artists is 29 years old — while for men, the average age is 42”.

I have only brought in a few articles; if you look online, you will see plenty of pages that explain how much sexism there is in Country music! I do feel like a lot of women in Country are moving to other genres because they cannot get their voices heard in Country. Sexism and misogyny is present in all genres, but it seems extreme and unflinching in Country.

With so few stations and important male figures vowing to make changes, it is left to women (and a few men) to speak out and call for action. There are some powerful and impressive female artists around but, largely, they have to struggle alone. A new group, The Highwomen, unites some of Country’s brightest and most powerful women:

 “Everyone knows that country radio hasn't been making room for the voices of women. The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative did a study on the genre that showed that over the last decade, airplay for women on country radio has plummeted. It seems like everyone, from Carrie Underwood to Miranda Lambert to CMT are doing whatever they can to support women artists — everyone except country radio programmers, that is. And now there's a new voice in the fray, with their sites set directly on country radio: The Highwomen.

You could call them a supergroup, because all the members are superstars in their worlds. There's Maren Morris, one of the few women to break through in mainstream country music in the last decade; Brandi Carlile, who won three Grammys for 2018's By The Way, I Forgive You and has become a leading voice in Americana and roots music after a long career; Amanda Shires, who is the mastermind behind the group, a mean fiddle player, and a singer/songwriter; and Natalie Hemby, a songwriter who's penned hits for Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert, along with many others”.

I do hope there is change and greater improvement very soon, as Country music now is culpable of sexism and exclusion. Not that Pop offers a lot of balance and gender awareness, but there is more of a chance to be heard. It is sad to see women moving away from Country as they are unable to sustain a career or find support. It is not like there are few women in Country music or a lack of desire; the problem is men are seen as the most commercial, necessary and important. These lazy attitudes need to subside because, if they continue, Country music will lose all of its female artists. We do not want to get a point where girls interested in Country music are planning their future and, seeing the sexism and misogyny in the scene, are told to dream and head…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Highwomen’s Natalie Hemby

IN another direction.

FEATURE: 2019: A Year Dominated by Female Artists: Looking Ahead to a Brighter, More Equal Year

FEATURE:

 

2019: A Year Dominated by Female Artists

IN THIS PHOTO: FKA twigs has released one of this year’s best and most memorable albums, MAGDALENE/PHOTO CREDIT: FKA twigs

Looking Ahead to a Brighter, More Equal Year

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I know I have written about gender inequality and…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Julia Jacklin’s second album, Crushing, is among 2019’s best-received and finest albums/PHOTO CREDIT: Julia Jacklin

sexism in music quite a few times this year, but I want to sort of round off with a look at the incredible work being done by female artists. Beyond those releasing music, there are so many great women working at venues and at labels; they are in radio studios and making the industry stronger and more astonishing. Sexism and inequality, unfortunately, are not going to go away in the coming years, but I’d like to think there have been moves in the right direction this year and, as we look forward to big festivals like Glastonbury in 2020, the fantastic output from women this year needs to be reflected. In fact, Glastonbury’s Emily Eavis has revealed how she wants to make next year’s festival as close to fifty-fifty as possible:

“Emily Eavis has said she’s aiming to ensure that Glastonbury Festival‘s line-up for 2020 is “as close to” 50/50 gender-balanced as possible.

The iconic festival’s 50th anniversary next year will see Diana Ross performing the coveted Sunday afternoon Legends slot, and Eavis says that there will be plenty of other prolific female acts on the bill too.

“It’s important we go as close to 50-50 as we can. It’s as important to have females on the bill as much as men but the pool – certainly on the headliner front – is not as big,” she told MusicWeek.

“So we have to work on that as an industry and nurture all these women coming through.”

It comes after Eavis previously admitted that she and father Michael, who founded the festival, were passionate about improving the gender imbalance on the Pyramid Stage.

PHOTO CREDIT: @michaelbenz/Unsplash 

“Every booking Glastonbury make is conscious, we’re trying to address the imbalance,” she said.

“We’ve got a way to go, there are areas of the festival that have 50/50 (gender representation) like The Park last year.

“But The Pyramid obviously isn’t and we’re working on it”.

There are rumours Taylor Swift will headline next year’s Glastonbury but, with most festivals in the country struggling to get to a fifty-fifty gender balance quickly, many could learn from Glastonbury. Regardless, I do feel like this year has been one dominated by female artists. From Rapsody, Liz Lawrence and Sudan Archives through to Greentea Peng, Jamila Woods and Girl Ray…in every corner of music, there are fantastic women slaying it. I have loved albums by Billie Marten (Feeding Seahorses by Hand), Little Simz (GREY Area) and Brittany Howard (Jaime); but I have just touched the tip of the iceberg with those names. New artists like Hannah Cohen and Sofia Portanet are exciting, whilst FKA twigs (with MAGDALENE), Sharon Van Etten (Remind Me Tomorrow) and Lana Del Rey (Norman Fucking Rockwell!) have crafted three of this year’s best albums. Seemingly, with every month that passes, another year-defining album is released by a female artist. In years past, the scene has been male-dominated, but one can see and feel the change. From brilliant female-fronted bands like Amyl and The Sniffers to brilliant solo artists such as Lizzo, 2020 looks like a year where things can change when it comes to redressing gender balance.

I suspect festivals will not all fall into line next year and create a fifty-fifty split, even if the wealth of female talent this year gives them ample inspiration regarding spaces. Not only would it be easy to have a fifty-fifty split further down the bill; I think there are female artists out there who could headline – one of the biggest issues with festivals if the fact they do not put women in headline slots. Maybe it will take a few more years for some of 2019’s brightest female artists to command a headline show, yet there are artists like Anna Calvi and FKA twigs who, I think, are ready and would kill it! Anyone who argues against the assertion women are dominating this year have either not been listening hard enough or they are being naive. From Anna Meredith to Holly Herndon through to Julia Jacklin and Weyes Blood, there is astonishing variation to select from. One can argue who has released the finest album of 2019 – Michael Kiwanuka’s KIWANUKA and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ Ghosteen will top a lot of end-of-year polls -, but there is no denying that 2019 has seen an embarrassment of riches from female artists. I think there will be a big push regarding the line-ups at festivals and we will see greater representation on radio playlists. In terms of general sexist attitudes, it will be harder to make strides there because I think social media is making things worse and it is hard to police.

This year has been magnificent in terms of music, and it has been made so much richer because of women. I am looking forward to seeing which new female artists arrive next year and, with 2019 nearly done, I think we will see shift and progression occur. I don’t think we can continue as things are regarding imbalance and inequality. With women still subjected to catcalling and abuse on the stage, I think venues and festivals need to get tougher when it comes to cracking down and dealing with those found guilty. It will take a bit of time, but I do see things getting better and brighter in 2020. This year has been a really fascinating and good one, with so many new and established female artists/bands leaving their mark. I am not naïve enough to think sexism and inequality will go given the quality of female-led music this year. Things do take time and 2020 will not erase and correct ever problem. I feel the brilliance and consistency of 2019 (and female artists) will continue into next year and there will be real changes. Diana Ross is already confirmed for Glastonbury, and I cannot wait to see how the festivals shape up next year. What a 2019 it has been and, with a few weeks remaining, there is still time for surprise and more gems from women in music. 2020 will be a year where reaction occurs and there is a greater inclusion of women throughout the industry. Whilst some areas will be slower to evolve than others, big steps will occur. I have discussed the brilliance of female artists in 2019 and the promise of 2020 a couple of times previously, but I think it is important to keep the theme alive and present – as, with every month, there are some truly fantastic albums being released by women. Progressive steps are, I feel, just around the corner; a sense of justice and balance women have been waiting…               

 IN THIS PHOTO: Few artists have made as a big an impact this year than Little Simz and her album, GREY Area/PHOTO CREDIT: Evening Standard

SO long for.

FEATURE: Return of the Mac: Why Paul McCartney’s Headline Slot at Glastonbury 2020 Is Just What We Need in These Troubled Times

FEATURE:

 

Return of the Mac

PHOTO CREDIT: Paul McCartney 

Why Paul McCartney’s Headline Slot at Glastonbury 2020 Is Just What We Need in These Troubled Times

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PERHAPS the news Paul McCartney is…

Hey Glasto - excited to be part of your Anniversary celebrations. See ya next summer! https://t.co/31yA40Eb4d

— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) November 18, 2019

headlining Glastonbury next year is not such a shock! Ever since the rumours started circulating regarding Glastonbury headliners, Paul McCartney’s name was in the hat. As McCartney has been touring a lot and never seems to slow down, it is not like he had to come out of retirement! His current studio album, Egypt Station, was released year and received mostly positive reviews. There is always a lot of interest in The Beatles, so people will always want to see some of the classics performed. Not only did we celebrate The Beatles’ last-recorded album, Abbey Road, turn fifty very recently; there is a singles collection coming out on Friday. There is this unending appetite for the best band there ever was and, when it comes to one of their lead songwriters, the fact he is still performing at all is fantastic! On Saturday, 27th June, 2020, Paul McCartney will return to the Glastonbury stage. He last performed there back in 2004, but the circumstances are different this time. The weather was a bit ‘British’ (i.e. sh*t) back then; he has amassed more material and, with next year being Glastonbury’s fiftieth, there is that extra weight and cause for celebration. There is talk of who might join Macca on stage when he headlines. He and Ringo Starr (his erstwhile and brother from The Beatles) have performed together this year, so one might see an appearance from the iconic drummer.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Paul McCartney

I hope there will not be too many guest appearances like there was when Kylie Minogue performed in the Legends slot this year – the likes of Chris Martin were trotted out for rather rudimentary and forgettable turns. I can understand why many would want to see a lot of artists join McCartney on the stage, but those who are already looking forward to seeing him play next year will want pure Macca. They have paid to see this legend take to the stage and perform and perform a selection of Wings, Beatles and solo tracks. There is this almost impossible task put before Macca: What songs do you include in this once in a lifetime set, considering the vast body of genius you have released?! Maybe that is a luxury rather than a curse but, seeing as fans of various generations will be at Glastonbury, it will be hard to please everyone. One would suspect more Beatles tracks than Wings cuts; classic solo stuff and, perhaps, the odd curveball. When news was announced online that McCartney was headlining, the reaction was predictable: those who were thrilled and salivating and the sighing hordes who felt it was a boring booking. I have seen comments suggesting McCartney’s voice is not what it used to be and, as he is in his mid-seventies, that is no surprise. I know he cannot belt out songs like he did in the Sixties, but that does not mean he will struggle to match the occasion of a Glastonbury headliner.

There have been articles suggesting McCartney is a safe booking, but I do not think that is true. Booking a band who have played Glastonbury a lot – like Coldplay – would be safe; Macca is the perfect artist to headline Glastonbury’s fiftieth anniversary year. I can almost picture McCartney leading thousands of people in a chorus of Hey Jude as the darkness seduces the Somerset evening! The last year or two has been pretty bad and, if the General Election results in Boris Johnson remaining as the Prime Minister, people will be pretty depressed! I have high hopes for 2020 but, with Brexit still rumbling and there being so much tension in the air, Glastonbury 2020 is going to be an event to unite people. When it comes to feelgood tracks, a huge personality and a back catalogue instantly recognisable to the masses, Paul McCartney is who you want in a headline slot!I know McCartney is not a rising talent and there are others who warrant a headline slot, but next year is a huge anniversary and people have dreamed of McCartney headlining on the Pyramid Stage for a very long time! I am not sure who else will be headlining but, with the bookies tipping Taylor Swift as a favourite, it looks like the headline slots will be quite broad. This year’s Glastonbury was great, but I did feel The Killers was a bit of a strange choice.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Ringo Starr takes to the stage during Paul McCartney’s Freshen Up tour/PHOTO CREDIT: Paul McCartney

Stormzy killed it and The Cure were good but, as Glasto turns fifty, they need someone as big as McCartney to get everyone united and singing – in a way this year’s headliners could not. I am not attending Glastonbury, but I will watch on T.V. and cannot wait to see which songs Paul McCartney selects. As we are in a strange and unsure time, I think it is the perfect time for McCartney to come back to Glastonbury and play a storming set. I can almost feel the buzz in the air and the sore voices of thousands as they sing along to tracks that have soundtracked ours and our parents’ childhoods. It will be a magical performance, and those who will get to see him play will remember it for the rest of their lives. There is always cynicism and criticism when it comes to any artist headlining. I do not feel McCartney is a wrong, safe or lazy choice. He is what we all need right now; the fact he is the greatest living Pop songwriter we have means that we should be very fortunate he is performing. It not only acts as a chance to see a genius perform so many iconic hits; it serves as an inspiration to so many young artists how to write classic tracks. One cannot deny the place Paul McCartney has in music history. As the world’s best festival turns half a century in age, one of music’s gods will play to a passionate and enthralled crowd – who could object to that or have anything negative to say?! There will be so many classics belted out next June, but I know there will be that rousing chorus of Hey Jude, possibly as an encore! The sound and sight of thousands upon thousands of people singing in harmony to a Beatles classic will be one of the most spine-tingling moments…           

OF this generation.

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: The Clash – London Calling

FEATURE:

 

Vinyl Corner

The Clash – London Calling

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ONE would imagine there is not a lot to celebrate…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Clash in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

in December apart from Christmas. That would be a ridiculous and, frankly, insulting assumption! This edition of Vinyl Corner is timely as, last Friday(15th November), The Clash’s London Calling was released on vinyl to mark the fortieth anniversary. The album turns forty on 14th December and, as I have not covered The Clash’s masterpiece in this feature yet, I thought I would do. Following the successful and near-career-best Give ‘Em Enough Rope in 1978, The Clash were about the end the 1970s with one of the best albums ever released. Their third studio album took them to new heights and was a slight sonic departure. They would release some good albums in the 1980s but, aside from 1980’s Sandinista!, they never hit the peaks they did in the 1970s – maybe their music did not fit into a music scene where Punk was dying and things were changing. In many ways, London Calling was the end of the 1970s and the Punk movement. That may sound like an exaggeration…but think about the early-1980s and the sounds that were coming through. Recorded at Wessex Sound Studios, London between September and November of 1979, London Calling was recorded just after a period of writer’s block from Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. The songwriters, perhaps, were struggling to make an impact and find inspiration in their usual style. As such, London Calling is a different-sounding Clash record.

There is this knowing that Punk was changing and dying away slightly. Bridging the divide between Punk and Post-Punk, there is Reggae, Jazz and Rockabilly (and other genres) to be found in an eclectic yet focused album. I have heard some dismiss London Calling because it is not pure Punk and it is not as hard-hitting and raw as The Clash’s debut of 1977. It was no shock to hear London Calling branch away from the core Punk sound The Clash executed on their debut. From 1978, they were employing new sounds and influences into the mix. I think this is what makes London Calling so enduring: it is charged and raw, yet it is nuanced because of all the sounds and tastes. The Clash were intrigued by Rock ‘n’ Roll and its evolution; how it took in other genres and combined all these different elements. There were not many British-made Rock ‘n’ Roll record prior to 1979, so London Calling claimed another honour. It is a phenomenal record, and one that sound superb when played on vinyl. There is still this division between the loyal Clash core who felt the band sold out when they went in a different direction. There are those who felt The Clash truly evolved and strengthened when they released London Calling. At nineteen tracks – most of which are over three minutes long –, London Calling is longer and more expansive than any Punk album of the era.

If Jones and Strummer were struggling to find new creative juice prior to London Calling, the decision to spread their sonic wings like never before proved fruitful. From the iconic and immortal title track to Spanish Bombs, The Guns of Brixton; Lover’s Rock and Train in Vain, The Clash were mixing important, Punk-true lyrics with a broader musical palette, thus bringing their music to a wider audience. London Calling is the perfect balance between the tough and street-pounding sound of The Clash (1977) and something deeper, more varied and accessible. If some were reserved in December 1979, the majority of critics raved! London Calling has received sensationally positive reviews since its release and, in this AllMusic review, they talked about the transformation from Give ‘Em Enopugh Rope in 1978 to London Calling:

“Give 'Em Enough Rope, for all of its many attributes, was essentially a holding pattern for the Clash, but the double-album London Calling is a remarkable leap forward, incorporating the punk aesthetic into rock & roll mythology and roots music. Before, the Clash had experimented with reggae, but that was no preparation for the dizzying array of styles on London Calling. There's punk and reggae, but there's also rockabilly, ska, New Orleans R&B, pop, lounge jazz, and hard rock; and while the record isn't tied together by a specific theme, its eclecticism and anthemic punk function as a rallying call. While many of the songs -- particularly "London Calling," "Spanish Bombs," and "The Guns of Brixton" -- are explicitly political, by acknowledging no boundaries the music itself is political and revolutionary.

But it is also invigorating, rocking harder and with more purpose than most albums, let alone double albums. Over the course of the record, Joe Strummer and Mick Jones (and Paul Simonon, who wrote "The Guns of Brixton") explore their familiar themes of working-class rebellion and antiestablishment rants, but they also tie them in to old rock & roll traditions and myths, whether it's rockabilly greasers or "Stagger Lee," as well as mavericks like doomed actor Montgomery Clift. The result is a stunning statement of purpose and one of the greatest rock & roll albums ever recorded.

I think, oddly, London Calling sounds more relevant and powerful in 2019 than it did back in 1979! Maybe it is Brexit and growing discontent; maybe it is the fact people weren’t quite prepared in 1979. I don’t know. What I do know is that London Calling is an album that will never fade and will always resonate. I want to bring in a review from Billboard, where they highlighted the brilliance of London Calling: 

“Any punk band worth its leather and studs can do dystopian, apocalyptic angst. The world is always ending, and after garbage men and plumbers, angry young guitar players have some of the best job security around. The trick is to rage in your own unique way.
On the opening title track of its third album, London Calling -- a rock'n'roll landmark released 35 years ago this week, on Dec. 14, 1979 -- The Clash approached doomsday as only it could. Instead of lamenting the end of days or fantasizing about some anarchic future, like their peers The Sex Pistols did, these ice-cold Londoners slicked back their hair and stood tall in the face of World War III, environmental collapse and whatever else loomed on the horizon.

Over the course of 19 tracks, The Clash goes careening through rockabilly, reggae, soul, R&B, ska and Phil Spector pop. There’s even a love song, “Train In Vain,” which the group cut on its final day at Wessex Studio in London. Because it was recorded at the last second, “Train In Vain” wasn’t listed on the back of the original sleeve, but that didn’t stop the single from reaching No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving The Clash its first U.S. hit.

The album itself climbed No. 27, and while The Clash would achieve greater commercial success three years and two records later with Combat Rock -- the one that spawned “Rock the Casbah” and “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” -- London Calling is the band’s artistic pinnacle. The record dropped stateside in early January 1980, which is why Rolling Stone named it the best album of the '80s, and should the world survive long enough for critics in 2480 to list the finest records of the preceding 500 years, London Calling will be a strong contender for top honors. It’s a stunning show of musical growth fed by respect for the past, and it’s played with all the confidence, joy, aggression and passion essential to rock'n'roll”.

A lot of weird and wonderful things happened in 1979. There was the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster and Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister. The U.S.S.R. invaded Afghanistan and Sony released the Walkman. It was a big year and, with politics and music shifting, The Clash released this stunning album that they would never top. I will end things in a minute, but I want to bring in an article from Ultimate Classic Rock that pays tribute to this remarkable work:

“From the opening charge of the title track and the reggae-spiked "The Guns of Brixton" (penned and sung by bassist Paul Simonon) to "Death or Glory," a middle finger to leftover '60s rockers, and the closing pop rush of "Train in Vain," the album doesn't let up. There may not be a more perfect and exciting hour-long listen in rock history. Even side four, traditionally the wasteland of double records, barely weakens its case. It helps that "Train in Vain," which was tacked on at the very end of the album at the last second (it wasn't even listed on original copies of the LP), is one of the band's very best songs and became its first chart hit.

If the Clash were musically in a brand new place on London Calling, lyrically they were expanding on themes for which they were already well known. The album is as politically agitated as its predecessors, but culture itself is stirred, too, on songs like "Lost in the Supermarket" and "Clampdown." And "Train in Vain" is nothing more than a love song. They even included a handful of mostly obscure covers among the Joe Strummer and Mick Jones originals.

And then there's the album's celebrated cover art, a stark black-and-white photo of Simonon smashing his instrument onstage framed by pink and green letters that echo the famous artwork of Elvis Presley's debut album 23 years earlier. Like the music, the cover has become an integral part of rock's landscape”.

Ahead of its fortieth anniversary in December, I am sure most critics can appreciate that London Calling led the way for Post-Punk and remains hugely important today. Let’s hope those critics who turned their noses up at London Calling in 1979 – if they are still with us – can understand how The Clash were moving and why their third album changed the game. Although London Calling hugely influenced what was to come regarding Post-Punk in the 1980s, I wonder whether modern artists are taking London Calling to heart as much as they should regarding genres and mixing sounds – I think modern Post-Punk lacks the variety and depth of London Calling. As we end the 2010s in a similarly tense and unsure situation as the world did in the 1979, I think London Calling will peak the interest of new bands and have an impact in 2020. After all of these years, The Clash’s London Calling remains…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Clash on their London Calling Tour/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

SUCH a mighty and mesmeric statement.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Willie J Healey

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

Willie J Healey

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EVEN though I think this year has been defined…

by women and the music that they are making, there are some great male artists who are producing astonishing work. The track, Songs for Joanna, is one of the year’s best and I am reminded of Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler when I hear him sing. He might not have had Knopfler in mind, yet it is hard to ignore a similar tone on Songs for Joanna. It is a breath of fresh air in modern music and I think it adds something brilliant to his instantly memorable music. Healey’s new E.P., Hello Good Morning, is out now and I will come to that very soon. When Healey released People and Their Dogs in 2017, there was a lot of curiosity and interest around this new artist. You can read interviews he gave at the time and, when you listen to that album, you notice the differences between his 2017 output and what he is releasing now. There is a lot of chat around Willie J Healey because of his new music and the fact he is contributing something rich and original to the scene. Rough Trade sum up Healey pretty neatly:

“Willie J Healey operates within his own lane. This is a musician who can write about any topic that grabs his attention: from wry observations and the innocence of young love, through to gothic visitations from the devil and alien abductions. He’s unconstrained by genre, moving at will between scrappy garage-rock, evocative Americana and sumptuous psychedelia. And it's all his own work, the product of obsessively writing song after song in his studio/garage/bedroom.

PHOTO CREDIT: Leonn Ward 

As an unconventional musician, it’s little surprise that he’s an unorthodox character too. On social media, he comes across as easy-going and carefree. In person, he’s unguarded, considered and immediately friendly. It’s unfathomable to imagine him being angry, but he’s adamant that he’ll do anything to protect his creative integrity, much like his hero Neil Young. He’s a curious mix between a young man with the world at his feet and an old soul.

As such, it makes perfect sense that he puts a contemporary filter on timeless ‘70s-flavoured sounds. It’s all there in his forthcoming EP ‘Hello Good Morning’ and his new album that will follow next year. It continues his relationship with new music champions YALA! Records, who released his previous EP ‘666 Kill’ in 2018.

Lead track ‘Songs For Johanna’ takes Willie’s pop nous to new heights, as if YALA! labelmates The Magic Gang teamed up with Elvis Costello. It’s a snappy tale of age-old teen dilemmas: love triangles, confused sexual identity and unrequited passions.

The idea, says Willie, came from his ability to tap back into that angst. “There’s so much confusion and all these emotions. Friends and family tell you that it’s all insignificant, but you don’t know that until you’re through it. Everything will pass.”

The rest of the EP also pulsates with his freewheeling, out-of-time approach. Inspired by John Lennon’s ‘Gimme Some Truth’, ‘Polyphonic Love’ is a bluesy/grunge hybrid - a simple plea to simplify life and leave the creativity to Willie. It’s followed by his purest love song to date, the Tame Impala meets ELO slow jam ‘For You’ and the rousing orchestration of the Brian Wilson-flavoured ‘Thousand Reasons’.

It tees Willie up to finally make the impact that his prodigious talents deserve. But what does he consider success to be?

He cites his high profile fans (and now friends) - including Laurie Vincent of Slaves, Orlando Weeks, Jamie T and Gaz Coombes - as inspirations. “It blows my mind because I love them all as artists. I can see why they’re all in the position they are and I want to be like that. But I’m flattered when anyone knows and likes my music. We get some hip kids at the shows and that’s cool. And we get some not-so-hip kids too, and that’s great. Everyone’s welcome”.

The reviews have come in for Hello Good Morning and it seems Healey is on the rise. He has grown in stature and his fanbase is growing. Tonight (18th November), he is at Rough Trade West to perform a live acoustic set  and do a Hello Good Morning signing (from 6 p.m.). You can buy Hello Good Morning now and see why so many people are tipping Healey for big success. If you get the chance to see him on the road, then make sure you do! I have been aware of Healey since he put out his E.P., 666 KILL, last year. It is interesting to see Healey sort of sandwich albums with E.P.s. I do wonder whether he might put out an L.P. next year because it seems like he has the ammunition and impetus.

The 666 KILL (or 666 Kill) E.P. is a remarkable work:

“666 Kill is an EP with an unusual genesis. Healey set himself an experiment: to rapidly put together a body of work from his first idea to completion without overthinking any part of the process. And so he’d write lyrics in his bedroom that were rich in violent gothic imagery – an ominous home invasion from the devil (666 Kill), an existential bullet-in-the-head (Lovelawn), and a metaphorical grim reaper (Learn Toulouse) – before rushing down to his studio / garage to record them as quickly as possible. “I was trying to touch on different ideas I had at the time: weird things like planes going missing and an obsession with death, which sounds really depressing but at the time I found it really interesting,” he explains. “We all have weird little things that run across our minds and we generally don’t say them out loud. For good reason! But it felt like an exciting process to write in that style and not put a filter on it.” A week later and it was done, with Healey having recorded vocals and almost all of the instrumentation himself. A fortnight later, however, he listened back and was pleasantly surprised at his latest creation. From the menacing country-folk of the title track to the beautifully bleak contrast of Lovelawn and the relatively uplifting closer When You’re Lonely, it echoes the low-fi introspection of Elliott Smith with the rawness of early Neil Young. A notable detour is the hypnotic rhythm and screeching sax that permeates through Guitar Music – ironically named given that it was the first song that Healey ever wrote on keys and features no guitar beyond some bass.

Not only is Healey a tremendous songwriter with that very grounded and arresting voice; he comes across in interviews as very tangible and real. That may sound odd, yet there are songwriters who can be aloof, fake or a bit boring. Healey is a really interesting talent. In this interview from 2018, the Oxfordshire musician came across as very modest and charming:

“I’m a really happy person,” Willie beams. With the sun shining and leaves fluttering about like dancing fairies, our adventure in West London's Holland Park became our magical escape from the hustle and bustle of central London. Winning over the hearts of many with his natural charm and cheeky sense of humour, Willie J Healey has fun written all over his face.

“When I first showed some of the stuff to my friends they were like are you OK?” he laughs. “I guess I’ve just played on heavier themes than I have in the past. Yala! are putting it out for me too which is great. It’s quite slow, there’s no radio hits on there, but who listens to the radio nowadays anyway...?”

Stopping to chuckle, Clash feels like he might be right: “I hope people listen to it and enjoy it.”

Taking you on a journey through his nostalgic hints and DIY approach, Willie brings a very personal touch to his songwriting. “I did them all in a week and recorded them in that time at home. The one I spent most time on was probably ‘Lovelawn’ just because it has got a lot of words in it and I would go back and forth with them and switch them round.”

Having a successful album already under his belt, Willie has established unique and mellow elements in his guitar playing. Honing a woozy, blissful, slacker-rock sound, he was snapped up and before we knew it he was releasing a string of singles, and record ‘People And Their Dogs’ last year.

“When I started out being signed to a major label and putting an album out, there is this expectation that you explode and make billions of fans and lots of money.” His voice appears soft as he continues; “Then actually in reality it’s not always like that. It wasn’t like that for me but I think quite a lot of people haven’t heard that album. The people who have heard it, seem to really like it so I think it’s a bit of a slow burner, you know”.

With tour dates, a new E.P. and kudos from some big radio stations, Willie J Healey is turning heads and I think 2020 will be a big one for him! I think there are some great male singer-songwriters out there – such as Sam Fender - ; Healey is among the most promising and diverse. I love what is throwing out right now, and I will keep my eyes peeled for sure! Take a listen to his tunes and give him a follow on social media – links are underneath -, because he will be taking to festival stages next year and, who knows, there might be some more material. Healey is a consistent, always-evolving and improving artist with a bright future. Although his songs are crafted and worked on rigorously, he is the kind of artist who amazes and stuns… 

 PHOTO CREDIT: Lauren McDermott for CLASH

WITH seeming ease.

_____________

Follow Willie J Healey

PHOTO CREDIT: Hollie Fernando Photography 

Official:

https://www.williejhealey.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/williejhealey/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/wjhealey

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/williejhealey/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVwW2o1fpX9G8NZ6k_gOB8w

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4T4JE09FOmRgv2Wzb6JaOR?si=sUAuwvADQzaOVebnQZPaNQ

ALL PHOTOS (unless otherwise stated):

Willie J Healey

FEATURE: Snapshots and Perfect Portraits: Remembering Photographer Terry O’Neill

FEATURE:

 

Snapshots and Perfect Portraits

IN THIS PHOTO: The iconic photographer Terry O’Neill died on 16th November, 2019 at the age of eighty-one/PHOTO CREDIT: IBL/Rex/Shutterstock 

Remembering Photographer Terry O’Neill

___________

IT is with a heavy heart that we have to say goodbye…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles captured by O’Neill at Abbey Road Studios, London in 1963/ADDITIONAL CREDIT: Iconic Images

to another great music photographer. On 6th November, we lost Robert Freeman. He photographed, among others, The Beatles and now, a few days later, we have to mourn the loss of Terry O’Neill. Not only did he photo The Beatles; he snapped musicians such as The Rolling Stones, Elton John and Amy Winehouse – in addition to some of the most swinging and iconic stars of the 1960s. If you want to see his fantastic photos in book form, have a look on Amazon; it is well worth investing in a few volumes! Many might not recognise Terry O’Neill’s name, but you definitely will be familiar with his work! From the Iconic Images website, here is some information about the legendary photographer:

“Terry O’Neill CBE is one of the world’s most collected photographers with work hanging in national art galleries and private collections worldwide. From presidents to pop stars he has photographed the frontline of fame for over six decades.

O’Neill began his career at the birth of the 1960s. While other photographers concentrated on earthquakes, wars and politics, O’Neill realised that youth culture was a breaking news story on a global scale and began chronicling the emerging faces of film, fashion and music who would go on to define the Swinging Sixties. By 1965 he was being commissioned by the biggest magazines and newspapers in the world.

IN THIS PHOTO: Amy Winehouse was photographed by O’Neill in 2008/ADDITIONAL CREDIT: Iconic Images

No other living photographer has embraced the span of fame, capturing the icons of our age from Winston Churchill to Nelson Mandela, from Frank Sinatra and Elvis to Amy Winehouse, from Audrey Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot to Nicole Kidman, as well as every James Bond from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig.

He photographed The Beatles and The Rolling Stones when they were still struggling young bands in 1963, pioneered backstage reportage photography with David Bowie, Elton John, Eric Clapton and Chuck Berry and his images have adorned historic rock albums, movie posters and international magazine covers”.

Perhaps his most well-known photographer are those of Elton John. He published the 2008 book, Eltonography, and you can see some of those astonishing photos. Check out a recent book of Elton John snaps, and you can marvel at his work. Whilst O’Neill created iconic images of famous actors - including one of his girlfriend Faye Dunaway in 1977 (they were married from 1983 to 1986) -, he went on to snap some truly huge figures. As a music fan, the world has lost another influential and vitally important photographer. This article from The Guardian pays tribute to the late O’Neill:  

“Terry O’Neill, the photographer who chronicled London’s 1960s culture by capturing the celebrities and public figures who defined the era, has died aged 81.

O’Neill, who was awarded a CBE last month for services to photography and was known for his work with the likes of Frank Sinatra, David Bowie and Elizabeth Taylor, died at home on Saturday night after a long illness, his agency said. He had prostate cancer.

IN THIS PHOTO: Terry O’Neill snapped Elton John as he performed at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in October 1975/ADDITIONAL CREDIT: Iconic Images

“It is with a heavy heart that Iconic Images announces the passing of Terence ‘Terry’ O’Neill, CBE,” a spokeswoman for the agency said. “As one of the most iconic photographers of the last 60 years, his legendary pictures will forever remain imprinted in our memories as well as in our hearts and minds.”

A biography on the agency’s website said: “O’Neill realised that youth culture was a breaking news story on a global scale and began chronicling the emerging faces of film, fashion and music who would go on to define the swinging 60s. By 1965 he was being commissioned by the biggest magazines and newspapers in the world.”

O’Neill helped capture an era of cultural and social revolution in Britain. He was one of the first people to shoot the Beatles, and would go on to work with the Rolling Stones, Brigitte Bardot and Sean Connery. O’Neill said of the Beatles: “I was only 20, and the youngest photographer on Fleet Street. It was obvious that John was the one with the personality, so I put him in the front”.

Many of us overlook photographer and people behind the scenes. When it comes to musicians, how many of us note the photographers, producers and other people who make the magic happen, whether that is visual or audio?! I hold such esteem for people like Terry O’Neill, as they capture musicians in ways we can never see them; showing new sides that reveal them in a new light.

 IN THIS PHOTO: O’Neill shot The Rolling Stones in 1963, before they signed their first record contract/ADDITIONAL CREDIT: Iconic Images

Today, one can snap anyone on their phone and, in many ways, there is less affection and respect for photographers than there used to be. Some say photographers are largely unnecessary when we have so much technology, but think about the practical differences between an amateur fan and a professional. Now more than ever, musicians need to get their image out there and think about the visual side. There are great photographers out there that never get the credit they deserve. Terry O’Neill is one of the most reputable and respected photographers because of his incredible passion and talent. Look at shots he took of The Beatles and Elton John and you are mesmerised. I think photography is an extraordinarily medium that is always going to be an essential part of the music industry. I will wrap up in a minute but have a look at O’Neill’s Instagram to see his remarkable work. I want to finish off by quoting from an interview he gave last year, where he talked about his work and the fact there are few genuine icons/stars today:

“The cultural watershed of the 1960s gave working-class boys like me opportunities we wouldn’t have had otherwise. I wouldn’t have had a prayer of being successful in any other era.

There’s nobody around now I’d want to photograph. Amy Winehouse was the last person – real talent. All the proper stars have gone.

The Queen is the only person I’ve ever been nervous of photographing. I researched some horse-racing jokes to break the ice and thank God she laughed”.

The perfectionist in me always left me thinking I could have taken a better shot. But now when I look at photos of all the icons I’ve shot – like Mandela, Sir Winston Churchill and Sinatra – the memories come flooding back and I think, “Yeah, I did all right.”

Terry O’Neill died yesterday at the age of eighty-one and, when he says there are few worth photographing today, maybe he is right. Perhaps there are some great artists who can shine for the camera, but none with the magnitude of Amy Winehouse or David Bowie, say. We have lost a photographic giant but, as we know, Terry O’Neill’s phenomenal images…

 IN THIS PHOTO: David Bowie is captured looking relaxed in 1974/ADDITIONAL CREDIT: Iconic Images

WILL always live on.

FEATURE: Modern Heroines: Part Nine: Lizzo

FEATURE:

 

Modern Heroines

PHOTO CREDIT: Campbell Addy 

Part Nine: Lizzo

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WHEN we consider modern female artists…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Lizzo in March 2019/PHOTO CREDIT: Erik Tanner for Rolling Stone

who will be remembered decades from now, Lizzo must be on most people’s lips. As we speak, she is dominating the planet and bringing her incredible live set to the people. She is in Europe at the moment, but she is heading to her native U.S. at the end of the month. Born Melissa Jefferson in 1988 in Detroit, Lizzo is this incredible artist who had the music bug instilled in her at a young age. She moved to Houston at a young age where she started performing; she later moved to Minneapolis where she began her career as a recording artist. Although her big moves happened from 2013, Lizzo performed with various groups whilst she was in Minneapolis – including Lizzo & the Larva Ink. Lizzo’s experience working with other groups and taking to the stage definitely helped her when it came to her solo career. I caught on to Lizzo’s music about two years ago, and it is really interesting looking back and seeing how she has grown as an artist. Her debut, Lizzobangers, is aptly named: it is a confident and memorable debut that shows Lizzo was complete and stunning right from the get-go! Released on the Totally Gross National Product label in 2013, Lizzobangers was re-released by Virgin Records in 2014 and won critical acclaim. There is a little bit of conflict regarding the album, as Lizzo herself removed the album (briefly) from streaming services; she wanted her career to start with the 2016 E.P., Coconut Oil. 

It is a shame Lizzo has sort of reset the clock and wanted her debut to be stricken. The album is amazing and received a lot of love. In their review, The Guardian had this to say:

“Don't tell us to slow it down, we won't listen – we're twentysomethings." She's speaking on behalf of her age group here, but Lizzo, a Texan rapper based in Minneapolis, could also be referring to her own delivery. In this super-charged debut, which harks back to early-90s hip-hop, she delights in speeding it up, be it to dazzle male counterparts, as on Pants vs Dress, or simply as a release. At times joyfully nonsensical, Lizzo's stream-of-consciousness rhymes can also be lethally pointed. When she declares herself "the only rapper with a womb/ That'll spit that 16 bars to send you rappers to the tomb", it doesn't sound like an idle warning”.

I love Lizzobangers, but I can understand why Lizzo might feel that better work was ahead of her. You cannot deny the fact Lizzobangers is uplifting and has bags of personality. Lizzo demonstrated she was a compelling singer and someone who could write songs with heart and then, when the mood called for it, raise the roof and get the body shaking! In their review, Drowned in Sound were full of wonderment:

“Then there are songs which straddle both these modes such as 'Be Still', which builds its foundations on rampant flute loops and loose rhythms only to give way to crunching, doom laden synths. 'Faded' apes 'Skankonia' era Outkast, its frantic pace culminating in a wash of oscillating feedback and stark strings. Lazerbeak and Olsen employing a subtle bombast that propels the tracks forward, yet never threatens to overrun the songs; constantly balancing their sounds with the fluidity of Lizzo's rhymes.

Perhaps the greatest achievement of Lizzobangers is how momentum rarely drops across the 14 songs, each a delirious earworm, each more engaging and entertaining than the last. Lizzo's arrival feels like something definitive, as though she's teetering on the edge of major stardom so snap this up before she inevitably goes pure R&B/pop for her second album (she's already collaborating with Clean Bandit) and cherish this for what it is; one of the finest hip-hop”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Lizzo

As there were very few artists of Lizzo’s calibre around in 2013/2014, there was a lot of media interest. Perhaps Beyoncé matched Lizzo in terms of her style and sound, but Lizzo’s unique personality and story meant there were a lot of eyes trained her way. The early interviews are really interesting and, now that Lizzo is a superstar who has played enormous gigs, there is something quite modest and understated regarding those earliest interviews. When Billboard spoke with her in 2015, we learn a lot about the young star. One of the key messages Lizzo has been sending out is body-positivity: feeling comfortable in one’s skin and accepting who you are. She touches on this in the interview:

“For quick background, Lizzo was born Melissa Jefferson in Detroit and grew up in Houston, playing the flute, listening to gospel and Beyoncé, and later singing in an experimental rock outfit called Ellypseas. She eventually moved to Minnesota and, during a bout of writer's block, found a spark in Lava Bangers, an album of beats by producer Lazerbeak, best known for his work in the hip-hop collective Doomtree. While writing new lyrics over his music, she tweeted at him, saying she'd love to work with him, and soon after she found herself at a party with him, Ryan Olson of Gayngs and Poliça, and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon. With Beak on the beats and Olson producing, she released her excellent debut, Lizzobangers, in 2013, mixing boastful and playful rhymes with messages about gender, race and politics.

PHOTO CREDIT: Lizzo 

"Everyone looks to an artist for something more than just the music and that message of being comfortable in my own skin is number one for me," she says. "It's like, 'She's comfortable in her own skin. Can I just put on her music and sing along and pretend I'm like that for a second?' That's the story I get from a lot of girls. They say, 'Thank you for making this body-positive music. Thank you for being a body-positive performer, and thank you for being you.' That helps me be comfortable. It's a journey but I'm getting there."

As her profile grows, she's also happy to get fewer questions about being a woman in hip-hop. "It's started to shift because what I stand for is something bigger than saying that I'm a female rapper," she says. "I feel like I've started to create my own culture of being a voice for something and that's what people want to know about. I love that because I am a woman and because I a rap and I look the way I look, I can connect with the demographic of people who feel like they have a voice in me. I'm glad I'm a woman, I'm glad I'm a rapper because I get to speak to these people who did not get spoken for in this genre”.

If Lizzo was a little reserved or dissatisfied with her debut album, her 2015 release, Big GRRRL Small World marks an arrival; a moment when this fantastic artist stepped into her stride. Just before I get to that album, I wanted to mention that, back in 2014, Lizzo appeared in StyleLikeU’s What’s Underneath project. She removed her clothes and discussed her relationship with her body. There are not many artists now who are talking about body image and that side of things. In 2014, Lizzo was a bit of a rarity. It is doubtless she inspired many men and women around the world in that respect.

In terms of changes between albums, there was not a huge leap. I think Big GRRRL Small World is a bigger and more ambitious album that Lizzobangers; maybe there is greater consistency and diversity. I maintain Lizzo was fully-formed from the off, so Big GRRRL Small World pushed her story on and brought her music to a new audience. Maybe this is the album where her career began (in her mind) and is a better representation of who she was and what she wanted to say. With some brilliant material already under her belt, critics were prepared for what arrived in 2015. Actually, as the album was released in December of that year – always a risky time to release -, some critics did miss it, assuming not a lot of awesome music would be out at this time. The Guardian are one of the sources that missed out and caught up with the album. In their review, The Guardian highlight the many positives of Big GRRRL Small World:

“These are important topics, not all of which are being discussed much elsewhere in hip-hop. You can understand why people are impressed, but the danger on focusing on them is that Big Grrrl Small World starts to sound like a worthy-but-dry exercise in earnestness, the kind of album that people describe as “necessary”: indeed, in some quarters Lizzo is perceived as being so right on that one reviewer expressed surprise at her lyrical thumbs-up for a chain of Brazillian steakhouses called Fogo de Chão, wondering aloud at what the rigorously vegetarian Sleater-Kinney made of their tour-mate knocking back the bacon-wrapped fillet mignon and slow-roasted costela de porco. But the Lizzo who at one juncture hollers “gimme a soapbox” is balanced out by the Lizzo who mutters, midway through My Skin, that she’s “done with the struggle”, adding, “I just want to enjoy life”.

When it came to defining albums in 2015, I don’t think there was anything as strong as Lizzo’s Big GRRL Small World – maybe Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly was more important, but Lizzo’s pearl is an album that deserves a lot of new appreciation and promotion. One of the reasons why I think Lizzo is an icon of the future is the fact she is such a positive role model. I know there are other artists who are sending out positive messages and setting a great example, but I know Lizzo is giving so much strength to people; going against the perceived ‘norm’ of a female artist: that they need to be skinny and look a certain way to sell records. In terms of creative progression, there were changes from Lizzobangers to Big GRRRL Small World. She was asked about her music and evolution early in 2016:

“You’ve moved around a lot. How would you describe your sound?

Even though I was born in Detroit and grew up listening to gospel music, my sound is very connected to Houston rap. I’ve always loved the swag and sing-songiness of rappers like Lil’ Flip and Mike Jones. So on record you’re going to hear a lot of Houston influence, whereas on stage you’re going to see straight-up Detroit gospel soul. Minneapolis has helped me grow on the production side. And if you listen very closely you’ll hear some classical influence – I was studying flute for half of my life.

PHOTO CREDIT: Lizzo 

How did the new album come together?

As soon as Lizzobangers came out, I started writing new songs, but lyrically it wasn’t going in the right direction. I made at least 25 demos that didn’t end up on the album. Then I finally got to a point where I figured out what I wanted to say and it flowed.

What else changed?

I think that I developed as a songwriter. I did less sitting down and writing in a journal and more freestyling in the studio, which made a huge difference.

With every album, Lizzo gets stronger and more electrifying. Maybe it is the passing of time and the fact she hones her live act. Maybe it is something else but, in years to come, you wonder just how good she will be! 2016’s Coconut Oil E.P. is, to her, really the start of her career, but one would be foolish to dismiss something as fantastic as Big GRRRL Small World. It is the perfectionist in Lizzo: not truly happy and assured unless she is at her very peak. If the U.S. songwriter was still seeking her finest work in 2016, this year’s Cuz I Love You certainly cannot be disputed or faulted. Whilst there are some more reflective and emotional tracks on the album, I think it is the sense of empowerment and confidence that defines Cuz I Love You. It is Lizzo’s finest achievement to date and provides a fascinating glimpse as to where she is going to head next. There are not many Pop bangers that stay in your head these days; Juice is one of those rare cuts that has that nuance and is an instant smash.

Although there are a few producers and writers in the mix, it is Lizzo’s voice and passion that stand out on Cuz I Love You. When we get to the year-end lists of the best albums, I expect many publications to name Lizzo’s latest in their top-ten. There is that nice balance of the heartfelt and anthemic that splices Disco, Soul; some Pop and other genres. The reviews for Cuz I Love You are the strongest of Lizzo’s career so far. In this review from The Telegraph, they talk about how accomplished Lizzo sounds and how impactful the album is:

“Her sound draws on a particularly sparkling vein of pop where disco meets rock and funk. Sophisticated operators such as Nile Rodgers, Was Not Was and the Tom Tom Club come to mind, as well as Pharrell and his squelching, bouncing soul grooves. Chord progressions draw on standard rhythm and blues tropes, and old-school horns and guitars punch in behind the vocals.

The most modern thing about this album is Lizzo’s unabashed attitude. She stamps herself over these tracks with the brassy pizzazz of Bette Midler crossed with Millie Jackson, with an extra dash of contemporary feminist fervour. “Only exes that I care about are my chromosomes,” she declares on the bravura Like a Girl, in which she threatens to run for president and win Wimbledon for good measure. I wouldn’t put anything past her: Cuz I Love You is absolutely splendid, a joyous album to put a smile on your face, a song in your heart and your booty on the dance floor”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Vogue 

Cuz I Love You is one of the best-rated albums of 2019, and it goes to show there is an immense amount of respect out there for Lizzo. It is in my top-ten albums of the year; I think there are plans for next year regarding new music. In another review, The Guardian were keen to give their kudos to Cuz I Love You:

 “Lizzo’s lyrical concerns roamed widely, but encapsulated the female experience: errant guys, lots of sex, not enough sex, body positive self-love – both masturbatory and more spiritual – and (as one righteous track on her debut, Lizzobangers, had it) Bus Passes and Happy Meals. In short, a little bit of everything. The styles, along with the producers, varied widely – Lizzo did backpack rapper, she did trappy, she did edgy digitals, she did straight-up flows, she did a bit of singing. Men from indie bands, rather than A-list hip-hop beatmakers, stood behind her consoles for Lizzobangers (2013) and 2015 follow-up Big Grrrl, Small World; Lizzo toured with Sleater-Kinney before opening for Haim. The unifying theme throughout was her wit and personality: she is an eye-rolling, natural comedian who landed on hip-hop as her metier.

Cuz I Love You marks a conscious desire for Lizzo to accentuate the positive, to make the biggest-sounding record a set of speakers can hold. Official production credits were unavailable for research purposes, but there are writing teams on board now.

I was checking Lizzo’s Twitter feed when the reviews were coming in for Cuz I Love You. I think there was one less-than-positive review and, in a moment of annoyance, Lizzo expressed her shock and disproval. That goes to show that she put her heart into the album and, whilst she cannot win everyone and gain positive reviews across the board, it is apparent that her stock is rising, and she is among the most popular artists of today. Lizzo is an artist who speaks to women and she has that relatable edge, but she also has this wide-ranging appeal that touches everyone. If you did not see her performance at Glastonbury this year, then you need to have a look! Lizzo is one of the most compelling artists and around; someone who will continue to burn and strike for years. I will end by bringing in a recent live review, but I wanted to source from an interview Lizzo provided Elle last month. Lizzo chatted about Cuz I Love You and what might come next:

 “But for Lizzo, success is not necessarily measured by chart positions or streaming numbers or awards shows. It’s about making the music she wants to make, and getting it to the people who need to hear it. “If my next album doesn’t do anything like this [one], and this was just a one-time thing, I’m going to be grateful. And I’m also gonna have a fan base that I can tour on. I’ve been touring for a long time—why would that stop? I’m gonna continue to do that forever.”

PHOTO CREDIT: ModCloth 

Then came Cuz I Love You, a genre-defying album that could double as both the female-empowerment playlist for your next girls’ night out and the cathartic soundtrack to your next breakup. “My songs feel happy, but they come from a sad or frustrated place,” she says. “My songs are always the silver lining or the ‘somewhere over the rainbow’ moments.” That’s especially true of “Soulmate,” “Truth Hurts,” and “Crybaby,” all three of which she either wrote or recorded through tears. “Those songs are actual anecdotes, like real stories about real moments in time. ‘Pull this car over, babe’—that is something that happened to me. ‘New man on the Minnesota Vikings’—that happened to me. ‘Old me used to love a Gemini’—that happened!”

Letting herself be that exposed and vulnerable wasn’t always easy. “I was the worst communicator, emotionally, when I was younger,” she explains. “I would stop talking to my family; I would stop talking to my friends. I would go deeper and deeper into that dark place, and the deeper I went, the harder it was to reach out of it.” It took her a lot of time and effort to change that, but now she prides herself on being vocal about how she feels. She even opened up about her mental well-being on Instagram back in June. “I’m depressed and there’s no one I can talk to because there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Life hurts,” she wrote. Her fans quickly flooded the comments with messages of love and support, thanking her for speaking up and letting her know she wasn’t alone. The next day, she returned: “I learned in the last 24 hours that being emotionally honest can save your life. Reaching out may be hard, but as soon as I did it, I was immediately covered in love.”

These days, Lizzo is happy to live life as herself. She’s busy touring and working on new music for 2020, but also trying to take time to enjoy her success so far. On the road, that means being present in each moment as it happens. So when she’s onstage and a crowd is chanting her name, for example, she can feel every syllable, every voice, coursing through her body. “I don’t need an encore chant after every song, even though they do that sometimes. But when it does happen, I open my arms to receive it, because it’s happening for a reason, and I’m so grateful for it.”

There are a lot of interviews out there, and I would suggest people follow up on them as Lizzo is a fascinating subject and is one of the realest and most accessible artists around. It not only her interviews and songs that are captivating and amazing: her live sets are among the most energised and hypnotic you will find. She is touring Europe at the moment, and she is collecting golden reviews and incredible feedback. Lizzo is conquering the globe and is an artist who will go from a star to an icon in years to come. I want to bring in a review of a recent live show where it seems like she brought her double-A-game:

 “Lizzo’s gig has so many high points that you could probably see it from space and mistake it for a major geographic feature. She starts the set in a pulpit wearing a gold robe in front of a backdrop of stained glass themed around hearts, launching full pelt into the gospel-house opener Heaven Help Me. At the end, for a huge rendition of Juice, she whips out Sasha Flute – an instrument named after a Beyoncé alter ego Sasha Fierce – and twerks while playing.

In between, Lizzo makes her fans inhale positivity and sigh out negativity a full three times, like a particularly bossy yoga teacher. Throughout, there is the joyous succour of a crowd of people singing an entire album of self-affirmation back at its author, who fans herself and tears up.

Amid the wall-to-wall bangers, a few questions surface. Lizzo performs without a band, and while singing to backing tracks is not rare at this level, it is a shame. The funk and the horns and the nimble, three-dimensional musicality of Lizzo’s album deserve musicians of flesh and blood.

There is also the small matter of the way this latest, most mainstream iteration of Lizzo centres on her sexuality. As liberating as the carefree jiggle is intended to be, a little of Lizzo’s intelligence, nuance and versatility is eclipsed by all the twerking going on. There is a clear line from Aretha Franklin’s Respect (which Lizzo quotes tonight) via Whitney Houston’s Greatest Love of All through to Lizzo’s music, and you can’t help but feel self-actualisation shouldn’t really be confused with wearing lingerie”.

Make sure you get involved with Lizzo’s music if you have not done so already…and keep an eye out for her in 2020. Cuz I Love You is one of this year’s best albums, and one feels she has not even neared her peak yet! This rate of progress is incredible, so I will be keeping my ears primed. It has been an incredible year for Lizzo, and I know she will have big plans ahead. She is, musically and in terms of her personality, a…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Lizzo

MODERN day titan.

FEATURE: Labelled with Love: Bella Union

FEATURE:

 

Labelled with Love

IMAGE CREDIT: Bella Union

Bella Union

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I did start this feature off a while ago…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Brighton’s Penelope Isles are signed to Bella Union

but can’t remember which record label I included – I think it was Rough Trade Records. At the moment, Bella Union have a few fantastic artists with new cuts out. I have been listening to BBC Radio 6 Music and have heard songs from Dog in the Snow and Hannah Cohen. I am already familiar with both artists but do have a look at the incredible roster – links are at the bottom of this feature – and you will see a wealth of diverse talent. Have a look at the YouTube channel and you can see all the latest tracks from the Bella Union stable. In my view, Bella Union are one of the most exciting labels in the world and are housing some future icons. I have ended this feature with a playlist of current Bella Union acts and, if you fancy the sound of any of them, you might be able to catch them on tour. If you are down in Brighton, you can visit the Bella Union Vinyl Shop & Coffee, and I would suggest people do so. Founded in 1997, Cocteau Twins decided to set up a label. It was a chance for the band to release their own work and have ownership. I guess, when you are with a label, they will often have their own ideas of how a career should be run and the type of music they want their artists to release. When Cocteau Twins split, Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie took charge and started to recruit other acts. The Czars were one of the first acts to sign to Bella Union and, since 2000, Raymonde has taken control of operations.

 IN THIS PHOTO: John Grant is one of the biggest artists in the Bella Union stable

For over twenty years, Bella Union has been looking after some of the most innovative and original artists around. I do think that there are many decades ahead for the label and, at a time when loads of small labels are struggling, I think Bella Union stands as a rare success story. That said, there are some incredible labels that have endured for years and there are great cases of artists stepping away from a big label and setting up their own one. Having released music from the likes of Father John Misty, Laura Veirs and Mercury Rev, the history of Bella Union is variegated and exciting. Not only is the label award-winning – they have won the Independent Record Company of the Year gong at the Music Week Awards -, but they have a passionate and experienced boss in the form of Simone Raymonde. Take a look at their current line-up and there are few labels around that boast such a strong line-up. Lanterns on the Lake are another one of my recent finds and, through BBC Radio 6 Music (again!), they are a favourite. If you just had John Grant on your label, then I’d nod your way: Bella Union have Penelope Isles and Ezra Furman to boot! It has been a really strong year for the label, what with some of their newer acts releasing albums and some of the more established guards remaining busy and, importantly, with Bella Union. I think biggest labels have a lack of identity and can be rather faceless. Labels such as Bella Union have this family feel and one can tell artists are really looked after. I am looking forward to seeing which artists will come on board and what the existing paddock will produce next year. This is a short feature, but it is a love letter and shout-out…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The terrific Emmy the Great

TO one of music’s great labels.

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Follow Bella Union

IN THIS PHOTO: Newcastle upon Tyne’s Lanterns on the Lake 

Official:

https://bellaunion.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/bellaunionrecs

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/bellaunion

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/bella_union/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/bellaunioninc

FEATURE: An Eternal Icon: Remembering Jeff Buckley at Fifty-Three: The Ultimate Playlist

FEATURE:

 

 

An Eternal Icon

PHOTO CREDIT: Merri Cyr/Sony Music 

Remembering Jeff Buckley at Fifty-Three: The Ultimate Playlist

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WHENEVER we mark the birthday of a musician who…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Michel Linssen/Redferns

is no longer with us, there is this tinge of sadness. The legendary Jeff Buckley died in 1997 at the age of thirty, but he accomplished a lot in his career. His sole studio album, Grace, was released in 1994 and just celebrated (in August) its twenty-fifth anniversary. The influence of Buckley is clear: look around the scene and you can hear his essence and brilliance live on. Whilst it is tragic Buckley did not get to record a second album – he drowned mere hours before his band were due to fly in to start work -, he seduced and entranced legions of fans around the world. I am ending this feature with an ultimate playlist, but I suggest people check YouTube and you can see some of his performances. The book, Jeff Buckley: His Own Voice: The Official Journals, Objects, and Ephemera, was released last month and is well worth purchasing. Buckley died twenty-two years ago, but his majesty and remarkable music will live on. I think Buckley would still be recording today if he was still alive. Maybe his sound would be different to Grace; I feel he would gone through various stages and changes. I am curious what he would make of social media and the current scene. As tomorrow would have been Jeff Buckley’s fifty-third birthday, I felt it important to show my respect for one of my favourite musicians ever – Buckley’s music means so much to me and, even though I never met him, I miss him a lot. To end, I have compiled a Jeff Buckley playlist that shows…

WHAT a talent he was.

FEATURE: A Mighty Waterfall: TLC’s CrazySexyCool at Twenty-Five

FEATURE:

 

A Mighty Waterfall

TLC’s CrazySexyCool at Twenty-Five

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I have a few album anniversary pieces…

 IN THIS PHOTO: TLC in 1994/PHOTO CREDIT: Matthew Jordan Smith

coming up over the next few weeks. As we are ending this decade, it is inevitable that we are turning our attention to huge albums that ended previous decades with aplomb. TLC’s CrazySexyCool is a case of an album defining the middle of a decade, rather than ending it. 1994 is, in my view, the finest year for music ever, and we have celebrated so many titanic records from that year already. Many will overlook CrazySexyCool, but think about all the incredible tracks on the album and the numbers we are familiar with but do not consider classics – those that sort of grow on you and get ingrained in the mind. There were a lot of fantastic girl groups on the scene in the 1990s, but I think many people overlook TLC. Their 1992 debut, Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip, is incredible, but I think CrazySexyCool took them to a new level. Whilst, creatively, TLC were on a roll and had critical support behind them, there were personal issues in the ranks. Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes was involved in a very volatile relationship, which was impacted on the group and the relationship between Lopez, Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins and Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas. Although there were producers such as Dallas Austin and Babyface (who worked with Madonna on her 1994 album, Bedtime Stories) on board, the tensions that were evident affected productivity.

En Vogue released Funky Divas two years before TLC unleashed CrazySexyCool. On 15th November, 1994, CrazySexyCool hit the world and it combined Hip-Hop beats and smooth jams. Although there is optimism and youthfulness on CrazySexyCool, it is a more mature and daring effort than their debut. Maybe that was a reaction to the scene around them or a necessary evolution, but TLC delivered a masterful album in a year that is defined by genius, innovation and huge consistency. Gone was the slight naivety of the debut to be replaced by something more sensual, cutting-edge and bold. Apart from TLC and En Vogue, there were not many girl groups offering the same blend of R&B sexiness with a commercial edge. With the band growing and able to produce such phenomenal songs – in spite of difficulties within the camp -, CrazySexyCool is an album that inspired a lot of other acts and sounds sensational to this day. CrazySexyCool is seen as one of the biggest albums of the ‘90s and its defining anthem, Waterfalls, is one of the greatest songs of that period. At a time when we do not really have girl groups, it is almost sad looking back and seeing what was happening in the 1990s. I wonder whether celebrating CrazySexyCool’s anniversary will provoke new groups or start a fresh scene. In a contemporary review, AllMusic shared their thoughts of CrazySexyCool:

“On their second album, TLC downplay their overt rap connections, recording a smooth, seductive collection of contemporary soul reminiscent of both Philly soul and Prince, powered by new jack and hip-hop beats. Lisa Lopes contributes the occasional rap, but the majority of CrazySexyCool belongs to Tionne Watkins and Rozonda Thomas. While they aren't the most accomplished vocalists -- they have a tendency to be just slightly off-key -- the material they sing is consistently strong.

As the cover of Prince's "If I Was Your Girlfriend" indicates, TLC favor erotic, midtempo funk. Yet the group removes any of the psychosexual complexities of Prince's songs, leaving a batch of sexy material that just sounds good, especially the hit singles. Both "Creep" and "Red Light Special" have a deep groove that accentuates the slinky hooks, but it's "Waterfalls," with its gently insistent horns and guitar lines and instantly memorable chorus, that ranks as one of the classic R&B songs of the '90s”.

The instant quality of the songs and the sheer variety of sounds and moods on offer meant that CrazySexyCool resonated with their existing fanbase but brought in new followers. The chemistry between the three members of TLC shows and the album sinks in because there is so much to enjoy. Rather than stick with a Pop sound or talk about love in a very simplistic way, each song has a different personality and appeal. I think CrazySexyCool is not only an album that inspired other artists; I also think it could direct and infuse a modern Pop and R&B scene that lacks a certain spark and catchiness. In a review from 1994, Entertainment Weekly provided their take on TLC’s second album:

“After proving the appeal of their brightly colored mix-and-match clothes, condom consciousness, and kiddie-cute hip-hop with multiplatinum numbers, TLC return with CrazySexyCool (Arista/LaFace), an album filled with adult-female sexuality — although still not always of the most mature kind. The spoken word ”Sexy” takes the form of a crank phone call in which an unsuspecting male is telephoned, flattered in no uncertain terms, then humiliated.

This hide- and-seek coyness is essential to TLC’s attitude and allure, but also points to the shallowness of their lyrics, none of which express an idea half as original or up-to-date as the album’s state-of-the-art production. That probably won’t stop fans from gobbling up this pop confection. It would take a nation of millions to hold back the slinky ”Creep” from becoming a hit. But it’s the Prince-inspired ballad ”Waterfalls,” and the mournful left-field funk-rock of ”Something Wicked” that hint at the artistic greatness TLC might achieve if freed from commercial concerns”.

There is often glibness when it comes to album anniversaries. Some people turn their noses up because they think it a case of nostalgia or certain albums are being given kudos and attention they don’t deserve. In the case of CrazySexyCool, here is a moment that truly announced the arrival of a sensational band. TLC’s sophomore album upped the game and, years later, influenced and opened the door for new groups. This NME feature explores CrazySexyCool and talks about its legacy:

“But more than sales and accolades, ‘CrazySexyCool’ paved the way for the next generation of girl groups. Taking what they had learned from watching those that came before them — such as the likes of SWV, En Vogue and R&B boybands like New Edition and BBD — TLC packaged a fresh new attitude and unique swagger that inspired the next wave of girl power. Some of the fans who grew up listening to the group went on to take centre stage themselves: All Saints, Little Mix and, on a much larger scale, Destiny’s Child and the Spice Girls – something Mel C acknowledged in an interview with The Guardian last year.

As fresh now as it was in 1994, ‘CrazySexyCool’ remains forever in style. Like Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’, Janet Jackson’s ‘Rhythm Nation 1814’, Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ or Madonna’s ‘Like a Prayer’, its prototypical approach to production and unflinching cultural commentary keeps it relevant regardless of era.

Today, TLC are still America’s biggest-selling girl group. T-Boz and Chilli continue to tour – they’ve just announced they’ll be returning to London next year – and in 2017 they released a self-titled album, their first studio album in 15 years. But ‘CrazySexyCool’ will always be that album”. 

TLC would take five years to follow up CrazySexyCool with the fantastic FanMail. Whilst not as celebrated and enduring as CrazySexyCool, FanMail contained the incredible anthem, No Scrubs. A lot of groups would struggle to follow an album that sold by the bucket-load and gained incredible celebration - CrazySexyCool was nominated for six gongs at the 1996 Grammy Awards. I listen to the album now and it still surprises and moves me! The songs are compelling and hit you instantly, but you keep going back and finding new sides and nuggets you missed out on back in 1994. Although the trio are now a duo, and their eponymous 2017 album did not fare as well critically as CrazySexyCool, they have announced their Whole Lotta Hits Tour and will be coming to London next year. People still hold a lot of love for TLC and, in this article, Rozanda ‘Chilli’ Thomas talks about CrazySexyCool and plans for the future:

“The title supposedly referred to the band's personalities: Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes brought the crazy, having recorded her vocals on day release from court-mandated rehab, after burning down her boyfriend's house in a jealous rage. Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, with her no-damns-given demeanour and raspy vocals, was effortlessly cool; while Rozanda "Chilli" Thomas was, for the sake of this anecdote, "the sexy one" (she also had an incredible voice and no shortage of attitude).

Propelled by the hit singles Creep and Waterfalls, it became the first album by a girl group to reach diamond status (representing 10 million sales) in the US. Globally, only the Spice Girls' Spice has sold more.

Thomas was asked about CrazySexyCool and what it means to her; how TLC wanted their greatest album to represent and say:

"CrazySexyCool was our version of I'm Every Woman. Every woman has a crazy or a sexy or a cool side. You can be all three, but one is definitely more prominent than the other."

What's the dominant characteristic for her?

"A-ha!" she exclaims with a hearty laugh. "It depends on the day. The crazy might be the more dominant one at times. But cool or sexy? I don't know. It just depends."

Making the album was a lot of fun. We didn't feel the pressure of the second album jinx - we were just excited to be in the studio coming up with new material," says Chilli.

PHOTO CREDIT: Matthew Jordan Smith

"And I remember when we were done, a guy at Arista records said, 'It's a great album and you guys will probably sell a couple of million'.

"We were like, 'A couple of million? We're going to sell five million. At least'.

"My great-grandmother used to tell me when I was little, 'When you become an adult, the years will go by super-fast'. I didn't know what she meant when I was a kid, but I get it now!"

It is sad that Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes cannot see the impact CrazySexyCool has had twenty-five years after its release; the fact she is not able to tour with the band is another tragedy. TLC are on the road and will get to play cuts from CrazySexyCool to new fans and those who were around to witness CrazySexyCool in 1994.

It will be an emotional occasion but, next year, TLC are embarking on a big tour and, with festivals like Glastonbury already garnering speculation and attention, might there be a big spot open for them?

“But she and T-Boz are ready to take the record back out on the road in 2020.

"We have a bunch of beautiful visual surprises and we're very proud of the hard work we've put into putting the show together, so we're very anxious for you to see it," she says.

Is it hard to perform the songs without Left Eye, who died tragically young in a car accident 17 years ago.

"We felt [her absence] more obviously right after she passed, when we had to continue to work," says the singer. "But over the years you heal. And I don't think you can ever heal 100%, 'cos that's our sister and we love her. But her memory lives on through us, and we don't look at it as a sad thing any more."

And what does she make of the rumours that TLC will make their Glastonbury debut next summer?

"Is that what you heard? I heard that too. That's what I'm hearing," she giggles, slyly”.

I am spending some time today to revisit an incredible album that stands among the very best of the 1990s. CrazySexyCool  is a wonderfully sublime and brilliant album that sounds so good and addictive today. I know CrazySexyCool will stand up for years to come because, as I said, the songwriting/producing and group chemistry is sensational. Twenty-five years after it arrived in the world, CrazySexyCool  is an album well…

WORTH celebrating.

FEATURE: Silent Nights: Could Artists of Today Pen a Christmas Classic?

FEATURE:

 

Silent Nights

PHOTO CREDIT: @eugenivy_reserv/Unsplash 

Could Artists of Today Pen a Christmas Classic?

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IT may seem depressing to bring up Christmas music…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @rayhennessy/Unsplash

when it is the middle of November! One cannot fail to notice that Christmas usually starts around October! We are ‘treated’ to Christmas adverts and then, after a few weeks, Christmas songs start to make their way into shops and supermarkets. At the moment, it is not too bad in terms of the songs played – it usually gets a lot worse by the end of November. There are enough of us who like the classic Christmas tracks and, to be fair, I can listen to iconic tracks by Slade and Wizzard all day! There is that divide between the more contemporary Christmas songs and carols such as Silent Night – which is, in my opinion, the definition of Christmas. I think people are more annoyed with how early we start hearing Christmas songs, rather than the ones we are used to. There are some naff Christmas songs, but the all-time best rank alongside the best songs ever written. All I Wat for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey is a strong Pop number in any era. The Pogues’ Fairytale of New York features the wonderful Kirsty MacColl and is an unconventional take on Christmas – in the same way Die Hard is a pretty atypical Christmas film! We all debate as to which is the best Christmas song of all-time (I love The Pogues’ classic), and we all do revel in hearing these songs that we have grew up with or associate with this time of year – even if we have listened to them dozens of times!

In the same way there have not been too many updates to the Halloween/Halloween-themed songs, the Christmas market has not seen too many entries through the years – at least nothing that holds the same weight as the golden oldies. Maybe the 1990s was the last decade when a modern classic was penned – Mariah Carey’s Christmas staple came out in 1994. Maybe current artists are a bit worried that a Christmas song might be a bit of a commercial misstep. If it is not an instant classic, they can be associate with a turkey (I will limit the Christmas puns) rather than a cracker (sorry!). I can understand that but, every year, we do see attempts. More often than not, modern artists are putting their own spin on the established breed – including recent reworkings from Robbie Williams with Jamie Cullum, Lucy Dacus and Michael Bublé. Artists have a lot of affection for those older numbers, but I do think there is a window for a modern song. Whether artists want to follow The Pogues and create a song that is funny and unusual or stick with a more tried-and-tested route. I think it would be possible to create a modern classic. In terms of the lyrical and compositional formula, the song needs to be fairly similar to the ‘standard’ Christmas sound – I think a Grime or Rap Christmas song is less likely to endure compared to something Pop-based.

At a time for music where joyous choruses and happy moods are in short supply, I think there is an incentive to pen a Christmas song that extends beyond the seasonal. It might be hard to summon images of joy and togetherness, but I feel there is a call for it. There is always a place for the Christmas classics, yet so many different versions have been recorded making me wonder whether we will see some modern gems. There are articles that ask whatever happened to modern Christmas songs. Why is it hard to generate something that can rival the best of years past? Maybe the standard is high, or artists do not have the incentive to write a song that will only be played at a set time of year. Maybe modern artists recorded Christmas songs years ago because the market was healthier in that respect. There was this race for the Christmas number-one and, as such, we saw some great Christmas tunes. Now, the Christmas number-one is not necessarily concerned with Christmas – we usually see X Factor winners and random songs hitting the top. I would be interested to see a modern Christmas classic – or one that could become a standard – and, although I turned my nose up at a Rap or Hip-Hop Christmas track, maybe there is scope, if the tone was right. Christmas songs are great in the sense that they need not be confined to specific aspects of Christmas; they do not need to be just about family or snow, for instance. The glut of modern Christmas songs is strange, but I think there is potential for some current artists to step up and pen a Christmas great. The older songs are good; one could do with a few alternatives in the market. Maybe, soon enough, we will receive a new Christmas song(s) that…

RANKS alongside the absolute best.

FEATURE: Sisters in Arms: An All-Female, Autumn-Ready Playlist (Vol. VIII)

FEATURE:

 

 

Sisters in Arms

IN THIS PHOTO: Princess Nokia 

An All-Female, Autumn-Ready Playlist (Vol. VIII)

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AS we are gearing up for another weekend…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Orchards

it is that time to bring together some wonderful female-led sounds. This playlist is particularly varied and autumn-ready. It has been great compiling the various tracks and exploring the finest out there at the moment. The weather is, as you’d expect, a little rubbish - and it does not look like we will see much sun for a bit. Because of that, I have compiled an assortment of top tunes from some big artists and those working their way through the ranks. If you are in need of a boost and some inspiration this weekend, have a listen to these tracks and I am sure you will be lifted. It is a cold one so, rather than braving the elements, put this music in your ears and you will…  

 IN THIS PHOTO: Maude Latour

WARMED up instantly.

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

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Sharon Doorson – Peaches

Hayley Kiyoko – L.O.V.E. Me

PHOTO CREDIT: Katie Frost Photography

Rews – Birdsong

Kaash Paige – 64’ 

Baby Rose – August 5th

Tei Shi – Matando

Princess Nokia - Balenciaga

Oh Wonder – I Wish I Never Met You

Maude Latour – Starsick

Katie Pruitt – Out of the Blue

Sody – What We Had

Rachel Chinouriri – Where Do I Go?

Alex Jayne – Messy

Grimes – So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth (Art Mix)

The Veronicas – Ugly

Orchards – Sooner

RAYE (with Jess Glynne) – Love Me Again (Zac Samuel Remix)

Lily Ahlberg - Moonlight

Hannah Diamond – Love Goes On

Pumarosa – Fall Apart

Siv Disa – moths

Shanti Celeste – Sun Notification

Millie Turner – Hide+Seek

Violet Days – INK

Billie Eilish – everything i wanted

FEATURE: The November Playlist: Vol. 3: Burning Heather with False Gods

FEATURE:

 

The November Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Pet Shop Boys 

Vol. 3: Burning Heather with False Gods

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THIS is another strong week…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Billie Eilish

and I am excited by what is out in the world. As we inch ever-closer to Christmas, there are no Christmas tunes in this playlist, but I am sure some will come in over the coming weeks. Instead, there are new tracks from Anna Calvi, Beck; Pet Shop Boys, Billie Eilish and Glass Animals have awesome music out! Make sure you get involved and spin the best of this week. In the pack, as usual, is that nice blend between the mainstream artists and those that are slightly more underground. As the weather is a bit overcast and chilly, you will need some great tracks to get things cracking and moving in the right direction. I guarantee there is plenty in today’s selection that will get you…

IN in a good mood.  

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

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James BKS (feat. Q-Tip, Idris Elba & Little Simz) - New Breed

Anna Calvi – You’re Not God

Billie Eilish – everything i wanted

Pet Shop Boys – Burning the heather

Glass Animals (with Denzel Curry) – Tokyo Drifting

Jake Bugg – Kiss Like the Sun

PHOTO CREDIT: Mikai Karl

Beck – Everlasting Nothing

Camila Cabello - Living Proof

Wye Oak – Fortune

Metronomy – Insecurity

IN THIS PHOTO: Anderson. Paak

The Game (ft. Anderson.Paak) - Stainless  

Okay Kaya - Baby Little Tween

Taylor Swift - Beautiful Ghosts (from the Motion Picture, Cats)

Charlotte Lawrence - God Must Be Doing Cocaine

Alfie Templeman – Who I Am

PHOTO CREDIT: Alexander Black 

Moses Sumney - Virile

Elley Duhé - GOOD DIE YOUNG

The Vernoicas – Ugly

PHOTO CREDIT: Hollie Fernando Photography

Willie J Healey – Thousand Reasons

The Lathums – I Know That Much

Princess Nokia – Balenciaga

FLETCHER – One Too Many

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - Wandering Star

Hannah Diamond – Love Goes On

PHOTO CREDIT: Sony Music Canada

Céline Dion – Lying Down

DJ Shadow – Rosie

Hayley Kiyoko – L.O.V.E. Me

Jessie Reyez – Crazy

IN THIS PHOTO: Lauv

Lauv & LANY – Mean It

Baby Rose – August 5th

Lady Antebellum – Be Patient with My Love

Hoops – They Say

Fall Out Boy – Bob Dylan

FEATURE: No Charge: The Future of Music Journalism/The Pressure on Artists to Produce

FEATURE:

 

No Charge

PHOTO CREDIT: @patrickian4/Unsplash 

The Future of Music Journalism/The Pressure on Artists to Produce

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THIS is a sort of double A-side…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @andrewtneel/Unsplash

kind of feature, I guess. It ties together because, as I am looking around music and the media right now, a few things strike me. I wonder whether there is such thing as ‘writer’s block’ or whether there is a natural point where the mental ink well just runs dry. At the moment, I am struggling to come up with new ideas for features; not quite sure how to proceed. I guess, if you are writing something new every day, there is a point where you have sort of covered everything. The charge sort of ends and you need to get the juice back in the batteries. I might explore how best to approach writer’s block in a future article, but I wanted to look back at a topic I have covered a few times before: the state of modern music journalism. Every month, I hear news that a music website is either having to scale its operations back or close entirely. As more and more artists come onto the market, there is that demand for coverage and column inches. There are few industries that provoke as much passion as much – this extends to journalists. So many of us – myself included – sort of take for granted websites when it comes to getting our news and fixtures. I have just checked on Pitchfork and The Guardian for what is happening right now. Whilst I do my best to support these sites (donating where I can), I understand the cost involved in producing their stories is exceptional.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @andrewtneel/Unsplash

Think about the costs a big site like The Guardian or The Line of Best Fit might have to shoulder. They have to go to gigs and review – this all costs. When interviewing artists, there are costs involved there and it can be quite eye-opening when you consider just how much is needed, financially, to keep us updated. The fact there is so much competition around means (big sites) often have to spend a lot of money either interviewing huge stars or producing these detailed features. I am indebted to music websites, because they help me when it comes to inspiration and what is happening right now. For the most part, I am looking out for news and features; I am not really that interested in reviews. It is staggering to think how many times I go to various websites to stay informed and find fresh leads. When possible, I contribute to sites to ensure that I do not have that ethical quandary. There are many that exist purely for free and rely on advertising to keep them afloat. I run a very small blog, yet I feel I am constricted because I generate no profit. Of course, I want to keep doing this for a bit, but I think it is hard to diversify and improve without money. I have been thinking, for a long time, about making videos that cover classic albums and various sides of music. Apart from a slightly nervousness, I feel the money needed to keep this up and reach people is too much.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @andrewtneel/Unsplash

I do not feel right asking people for money because they can go to other websites and a lot of people do not have spare pennies to pay for music journalism. It may sound like music journalism is dying out and, in years to come, it will not exist. That prediction can never come true, because musicians cannot solely promote themselves. There is always going to be a place for journalist. Artists need feedback and reviews; we need t know the latest music news and all of us, at some point, will buy a magazine or check a music website. I think there is that split between successful magazines that can continue and thrive because of sales and advertising revenue and those sites that struggle because the profit margins are razor-thin. There are articles that claim music journalism is not dying, but merely changing. To keep the audience hooked and invested, each site needs to have their own voice and style. Putting some humour into the mix or creating something positive. Indeed, some people look for a more negative take on an artist because it is different and bold. I do worry that, whilst some magazines are stable and new websites are cropping up, it is the free nature of media that means a lot of great journalists will struggle – and it puts off future generations from embarking on that path.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @andrewtneel/Unsplash

I want to source from a Europavox article that talks about music journalism in the digital age:

“For anyone harbouring optimistic thoughts about the future of journalism, it’s been a sobering start to the year. BuzzFeed and HuffPost, leading players whose viral content and revenue-per-click strategy were once considered groundbreaking, laid off over 1,000 employees, while Condé Nast, the media conglomerate that owns publications such as GQ, Vanity Fair, Wired, and Pitchfork, announced that by the end of the year all its titles will be behind paywalls. For sites and publications lacking in cred or venture capital millions, things are even bleaker; newsrooms and staff positions across Europe and the US have been decimated, with 2018 being the worst year for media redundancies since 2009.

How did we get here? The Internet was supposed to be the dawn of a brave new world for publishing, the multimedia possibilities of the digital age allowing anyone, anywhere, to access a wealth of real-time information. Editors could no longer act as gatekeepers, nor could journalists afford to be cavalier when it came to facts – anything could now be checked in an instant. The advent of smartphones and social media accelerated such changes; blogs, bystanders, and so called “citizen journalists” could help break – and shape – stories in ways that were impossible for TV or print. If knowledge truly is power, then the web is one of humanity’s greatest inventions.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @cdubo/Unsplash

I think, as I say, there is this assumption that journalism should be free because we can get music for nothing – why would we pay to see something written about a song we paid nothing for?! It is an interesting debate but, as we are swamped with music and, if you pay for every song and article online, could you afford it all?!

“Part of the problem resides in perceived value; as music itself has become just another free – and readily available – commodity, the number of people willing to pay to read informed debate around it has also dwindled. Viewed like this, the difficulties facing music journalism are the same faced by music in general: ensuring content creators are adequately remunerated for their efforts, and gaining attention in an increasingly fractured culture. Yet clearly there is still some demand for intelligent, thoughtful writing. Therefore, the question becomes: what should music journalism look like in 2019, and what does it need to do to survive?

It has never been easier to make, and release, music. SoundCloud, Bandcamp, Spotify, YouTube…a sea of sounds, representing every conceivable style and genre, washes across the Internet every day. Navigating this vast ocean – in modern parlance, “discovery” – is no easy task; one could spend days clicking on links and following hashtags, and find nothing but mediocrity”.

Music journalism is important because it provides different takes; we are not solely relying on the mainstream or one person’s thoughts. In the same way as literature allows us to escape, keep our imaginations sharp and ensure we are informed, music journalism is essential for those who adore music and are hungry to see how the scene is changing.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @matthewkalapuch/Unsplash

Artists always need that exposure and love, so we all need to, when we can, help subsidise sites we use a lot; try and buy music so that artists can continue to record for years to come. I know music journalism will continue and always be a thing, but I am seeing so many sites and publications disappearing because they cannot afford to keep things going without getting paid. Maybe it is a sign of the digital times, but I do think that we all need to donate where we can to sites; the Government needs to help fund music journalism to ensure that artists get covered and we all are able to get our fix of all the latest moving and happenings in the music world. I grew up reading magazines like NME and would hate to see the industry suffer because of a lack of capital. That said, there are some great blogs and websites that are able to produce excellent work because of their supporters and advertising – maybe everything is not lost in that sense.     

 PHOTO CREDIT: @matthewkalapuch/Unsplash

Maybe there is a connection but, as I think about music journalism and whether it has a strong future, I am also concerned about artists and the pressure on them to keep putting out new work. I am not sure whether there is a cause and effect link or a profit and demand connection, but I do feel artists are suffering because of the nature of modern music and how many others are out there. Because we can get music for free and there are platforms open to everyone, there is going to be that demand. This is especially true of mainstream artists but, when they release an album or single, there is that almost instant expectation to put something fresh out. Whereas the word ‘charge’ in the first part refers to finance and music media, here there is more of a physical and physiological meaning – artists being drained and tired by the effort they put in. Again, I am not suggesting all is hopeless (far from it) and modern music is in trouble. I do thing there is this feeling that artist need to be perfect or unique. As more and more musicians come along, parameters change, and the competition gets stiffer. For those who feel the quality of music has declined over the decades, consider how tough it is for artists now. For those starting out, there is the struggle to get noticed. Not only do artists have to use social media all the time to get people their way; their music has to have that spark and innovative streak so that it resonates.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @matthewkalapuch/Unsplash

Mainstream artists have commercial pressure from labels, meaning they not only have to keep releasing music to stay relevant and popular…there is also that problem with fitting into the mainstream but also being original. This article from last year talks about perfectionism and the impact it can have on mental-health:

“More pressure comes from anxiety and perfectionism, says Cornelius – common issues for those working in the performing arts. “All artists put stuff out there to be judged, but the music industry is particularly challenging because you’re not just being evaluated on your music – it’s what scene you’re in, what you look like and what label you’re on. You then look critically at yourself, in the way that you think you’ll be viewed. It’s very destructive.”

No support. No advocate. No super. No sick leave. No annual leave. Long hours. Poor diet, occasionally comprised solely of liquids”.

Maybe there is a definite reality for a major Pop artist and a band that are just coming through. I do worry that artists are always having to think about their next move and are not being afforded time off. Constantly having that pressure can be a negative when it comes to songwriting. I think it is harder to come up with material if there is a sense of pressure; artists that are allowed more freedom and room can come up with more natural and better music. It is hard for artists because there is not only the recording of material they need to think about.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @austindistel/Unsplash

There is the social media side of things, promotion and touring. As I am going through a period of slight period of creative stagnation, I can only imagine what it is like for artists – those who have a lot of eyes and ears trained their way. There is this assumption that, unless an artist releases an album every year or two, they have faded away or they will be forgotten about. Fans will show patience, but I do wonder whether the labels are thinking about how their artists cope with stress and deadlines. This article from The Independent investigates how artists have to meet expectations and it can lead to some serious problems:

“Will Gore, who worked in press regulation for a decade before moving into journalism (he is currently executive editor at The Independent), suggests that the “rock and roll” narrative beloved by so many tabloid journalists (and media consumers) “perpetuates a myth that musicians somehow ought to be capable of superhuman fortitude – until, that is, they burn out”.

He adds: “Yet the cases of burn-out, mental breakdown and even death only seem to add to the superficial allure of lives lived fast and dangerously. It’s not hard to suspect that this perception suits the industry down to the ground when it comes to marketing and sales – but it is hardly likely to help vulnerable stars who strive to meet such unrealistic expectations”.

PHOTO CREDIT: @lensinkmitchel/Unsplash 

I will wrap things up in a minute, but I hope next year provides an opportunity for big labels and the industry as a whole to take a deeper look at the way artists are marketed and what is expected from them. Maybe things are that much more competitive now, but is the natural reaction to that pressure on an artist to the point where they are releasing material quickly and not producing their best work? Also, there is the strain on their mental and physical health; the fact artists need to take time off and, with that, there is that pressure for them to return. I think there is some great music around at the moment. In my view, the best albums have been released by artists who have had some time away; been allowed a period of reflection and, as such, have felt less anxious when it comes to the next album. I can appreciate the fact the industry is tougher now than ever, and artists in all walks and levels have to keep their name and music out there. I just think there are more downsides than positives when labels and fans are a little too impatient and feel releasing single after single is the best thing for an artist. Maybe some artists can defy the odds and strike out on their own terms, but many are struggling. I have spoken to several artists who feel like there is too much pressure on them to keep bringing out music. As we wind down this year, I do hope a lot of the big labels will think about how artists feel and whether they are expecting too much – that might seem like commercial suicide or something impossible! I started by discussing the future of music journalism and some personal writer’s block. As I type my final words, something positive has emerged: I have cured my writers block…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @lensinkmitchel/Unsplash

IF only for a moment.

FEATURE: My Wave: Keeping the Dream Alive: Is It Ever Too Late to Take a Radio Leap?

FEATURE:

 

My Wave

ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: fendri 

Keeping the Dream Alive: Is It Ever Too Late to Take a Radio Leap?

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MAYBE the title of this feature…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @filmlav/Unsplash

is a little mysterious and vague, so I should explain. I have been promising myself I would get into radio and sort of chase the dream, as it were. There have been some delays and, as with every dream, real life sort of gets in the way. I should explain the precipitating factors to the latest delay. For some, it might be as easy as taking up a course or getting the right training; readying themselves for a career in radio and that would be that. It might be a long process, whereby they have to start from the bottom rung and then move their way up the ladder. In my case, I have clarity in the sense I know which radio station I want to work for – it is not a case of starting with one and then finding out whether it is a good fit. In my case, there are other factors delaying my ambitions. Depression is raw enough to deal with as it is and, when it can make a regular job hard enough, it does make me wonder whether I would have the requisite energy for a career in radio. I am loathed to start at the bottom but, without that experience and training, it would be unrealistic to simply come into the station of my dreams and get the basic training there – even if I do have a lot of similar experience and skills from my time in journalism. Also, I am dealing with other medical concerns at the moment – including a voice issue (which I hope to get resolved) and living with a mild form of autism; shyness at the very least is another barrier for anyone going into an industry that is so public and is live.

PHOTO CREDIT: @joaosilas/Unsplash 

I appreciate, too, that radio is a tough business and there are limited opportunities. At a time when we have Internet radio and podcasts, one does not necessarily have to get a degree and work their way through local radio. So long as you can promote your station and get the word out, people will come your way. Living with conditions that do make going out and socialising incredibly difficult, of course, will impact radio and aspirations in that area. I have been meaning to get a Kate Bush podcast running but, with very little money and problems getting a production company on board, even making those first steps are very difficult. I guess there are many out there who grew up around all sort of music and dreamt of one day becoming a producer or D.J. At the moment, production seems like the logical area, as I need to build up the confidence, fluidity and skills to be able to broadcast live without error. I could easily go onto a radio show as a guest but helming a show and being in control of the show would be different. Production is very difficult, yet I feel it is something I could take to easier, and it allows me chance to slip in some songs and have input when it comes to selection. Those childhood days when I was making mixtapes and listening to the radio; one day hoping I could have the chance to play my favourite songs and explain what music means to me.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @joaosilas/Unsplash

That is what so many of us music lovers want to aim for in life, so the opportunity to be set free in that way is always on my mind. Whilst I realise there are obstacles I have to face, I also wonder whether things will happen at all. It can be daunting dedicating yourself to a career and taking that risk. One usually starts as a radio broadcast assistant, but salaries can be quite low if you are not working for the BBC – which is where I want to be. It is important to have a salary you can live on and, living in London, that is not always possible. There is also that concern about age and whether it is too late to start out. Apart from anything else, I do get this worry that it might be too late in life to start out. I am thirty-six now and, whilst broadcasters and producers can be any age, many in the top rungs started out when they were a lot younger than me. If, one day, I become a broadcaster and make my way to the mic, have I left it too long to aspire towards a production assistant role? There are few advertised jobs in the area I want to work and the competition is very fierce. One can be self-sufficient and make their own show, but I have such a clear idea of where I want to be and who I want to work alongside – would having my own podcast or show set me in the wrong direction?

Maybe these are irrational fears but, as I see what radio can do and how powerful it is, that desire to be part of a cool team at a great station burns hot. It is always hard to step away from security and a stable life and chasing that dream. If it all fails, what happens then? I do have to battle with various problems, that will naturally curtail a great deal of confidence and assurance. I think the age thing gets to me. Radio is not exactly a young person’s game, but I do get the niggling feeling that I should be a hell of a lot closer to my dream by now; can someone in their mid-thirties really embark on a career where age, in a way, does matter?! The benefit of having a podcast is that you have autonomy and can dictate what it sounds like. Even if you launch your own radio show, you can change it from show to show and not have to rely on a set format. As I said, I do know the station and show I want to be on, but a lot of legwork needs to happen from now until that happens. A lack of finance and time at the moment is curtailing anything in the way of real endeavour and results. Just when I think I can be happy enough in journalism and making do with that, the radio bug comes to me and it seems like the only thing I need.

I think I will make a bigger effort in 2020 to move towards my dream, but I can appreciate it will not be that easy or quick. Every time I listen to the radio, I can hear the joy radiating from the speakers. Not just in terms of the music, but the people who are sending it to us. I love the thrill of discovering a new act and showcasing a cool track; the pleasure of dusting off a classic that someone has not heard in a while. Whether that is as a D.J. or as a producer, I need to find a way to push forward next year and work towards that dream. I have the musical knowledge and passion so, teamed with some experience and focus, I hope to be in a better position this time next year. I come back to that question as to whether my age will count against me. If I were already established, then I would not feel like age is a barrier or worry. Coming onto the ladder is a slightly different thing. I am determined to press on and push things forward. I shall see how things go and do what is necessary to get where I need to be. My hope is that I haven’t left things too late and the dream to play the music I love is not out of reach. I am not one for resolutions and using the first day of a new year to change who I am but, with radio and music capturing me this year in a way it has never done before, I feel like I have to…   

 PHOTO CREDIT: Shutterstock/Argus

TAKE a chance.

FEATURE Spotlight: Sudan Archives

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Sudan Archives

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ONE cannot glean much when it comes to Sudan Archives …

 PHOTO CREDIT: Samuel Trotter for The New York Times

merely by looking at Wikipedia page! I guess it is never the most reliable source but, in the case of Sudan Archives, there is very little. Her real name is Brittney Parks and she is based out of Los Angeles. She is signed to the mighty Stones Throw Records and she started playing the violin in fourth grade; she, rather unbelievably, was kicked out of her family home as a teen because she told her mother she did not like her name – she preferred her nickname, ‘Sudan’. I guess the few lines that are on her page are pretty eye-opening and interesting! Even though her album, Athena, is her debut, it has been collecting some great reviews and is a natural progression from her E.P.s, Sudan Archives (2017) and Sink (2018). I realise I have featured quite a few female artists in this feature this year, but 2019 has been a very strong one for female artists! I intent to include more bands – some of which might be female-led -, but there are some terrific solo artists around that deserve a spotlight. I think 2019 has been an extremely varied year in terms of genres. More than any other time I can recall, we have seen so many fascinating and new sounds come to the fore. In terms of Sudan Archives’ music, it is hard to hone it to one genre. There is R&B and Electro mixing in with something spiritual and calming. It is a mighty blend and one that is bringing more and more to her world. I have included her social media links below, so make sure you give Sudan Archives a follow!

She is making music that goes deep into the soul and really does something wonderful. I think she has a very long and prosperous future, so I am interested to see where she heads next. I will bring in a couple of reviews for Athena but, before then, I want to quote from an interview she recently gave to The New York Times, where she talked about her music and upbringing:

“With a dozen songs on two EPs that she released in 2017 and 2018, “Sudan Archives” and “Sink,” Parks, 25, has already earned a place among boundary-defying R&B innovators like FKA twigs, Frank Ocean, Solange, SZA, Kelela, Sampha and H.E.R. They have been turning R&B into an elastic, futuristic realm where fantasy and self-revelation, otherworldly electronics and real-world musicianship are constantly recombining. With “Athena” she pushes even further, sonically and emotionally, allowing her songs to be more revealing. “I washed away my fears and trusted my own ears,” she sings in “Confessions,” the album’s first single.

Sudan Archives’ music was forged from instinct, happenstance, discipline and research. Parks grew up in a family that attended a small Church of God three times a week, for ecstatic services with harmony singing and speaking in tongues. The church’s clapping and stomping — survivals of gospel’s African heritage — echo in the music she grew up to make.

She was in elementary school when Barrage, a fiddle-centered Canadian band mixing Celtic and international influences, came to perform there and she decided she wanted to learn the violin. After-school programs got her started, but she learned the rest by ear. She improvised along with the singers in church, and she taught herself to hear musical architecture and to invent melodic lines.

“This discipline that I had at a young age to keep playing an instrument — that’s what separates me from a lot of artists,” she said. “The violin chose a path for me.”

She also opened up her lyrics. On her EPs, songs like “Nont for Sale” put a cheerful, empowered face on conflicted relationships. But on “Athena,” Parks also explores darker, angrier, more confused moments: succumbing to desire, pulling away from codependency, recognizing inner angels and demons.

Working with collaborators led her to be “wilder” in both music and lyrics, she said. “I had people around me, they knew what the song was about, so they were holding me accountable for my own feelings. I felt like I couldn’t hide”.

I always like seeing where a musician came from and how their early life affected their progression. We often digest albums and discover artists, but how often do we think about where they started out and how their music comes together? Maybe it is unfeasible to dedicate that much time to every single artist, yet there is something about Sudan Archives that compels study and curiosity. I would urge people to do some research and read interview she has provided. Whilst I am relatively new Sudan Archives and her majesty, I am making up for lost time and checking out her E.P.s. When the end-of-year lists come out that celebrate the best albums, I would expect Athena to be in the mix:.

The reviews for Athena have been pretty glowing. There is nobody out there like Sudan Archives, so many people are marvelling over this artist who is new and stunning. I want to highlight a review from Pitchfork, who were very positive when it came to Athena:

“Within her highly synthesized songs, Parks details sumptuous natural imagery in verdant metaphors (“Iceland Moss”), and in her parallels between a youthful relationship and the unorthodox grace of sea birds on “Pelicans in the Summer.” “Glorious” feels like a prime contender for crossover —a guest verse from rapper D-8 comes and goes without any serious impact, but the track builds a stronger case for her secret-weapon capabilities as a hip-hop collaborator.

It’s a rare thrill to be able to hear an artist making leaps and bounds in their work in such a short span of time, to follow along as their explorations get deeper and weirder. Having developed a sound so distinctly her own, Parks has liberated herself from any preset expectations of genre or style. She warns listeners as much on Athena opener “Did You Know,” where her reflections on childhood ambitions to rule the world are muddled by adult insecurities. Her resolution is promising within the context of the song as much as her whole catalog: “At the end of the day, I’mma get my way”.

There is no denying Athena contains music that is beyond breathtaking. I wonder whether this beauty and gorgeous sound emanates from her musical influences, or whether it was more inspired by her childhood and teenage years; where she faced some transition and was discovering who she was as an artist and creative person. In any case, you need to check out Athena - as it is a mighty debut indeed.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Black

I shall wrap up, but I want to bring in The Guardian’s take on one of 2019’s brightest diamonds:

“In actual fact, Parks’s debut contains some of the most electrifying and viscerally gorgeous music put to record this year. She may have been inspired by north African one-stringed fiddle-playing and ethnomusicology more generally, but Parks wears her erudition lightly. (The Archives portion of her name is a reference to her penchant for crate-digging, while Sudan is a long-standing nickname.) On Did You Know, a groovy neo-soul number with undertones of rumbling unease, the strings are subtle, doubling as pleasingly textured percussion. On the sultry, uncomplicated Down on Me, they provide warming echoes of the vocal melody. On the stunning Iceland Moss, a compellingly breezy combination of R&B, trip-hop and dreampop, they resemble an acoustic guitar.

That said, Athena is most successful when Parks wields her instrument with a certain brashness. Glorious, which features Ohioan rapper D-Eight, is knitted around a thumping beat and a folky, faintly Celtic fiddle figure. Confessions, the album’s standout, centres on a blissful, gospel-infused melody accented by sharp, tart bursts of violin. The resulting sweet and sour confection is tremendously moreish and, like the rest of this album, testament to its creator’s skill and superior sonic palate”.

Sudan Archives is actually playing in London next week, so make sure you go and see her play if you can. I can only imagine how immersive and wonderful her live sets are! To be in attendance will be a wonderful thing. I think Sudan Archives will be a festival fixture next year and will go on to play bigger and bigger venues. In a year stuffed with talent, Sudan Archives definitely stands out and has a glorious career ahead of her. If you need a new musical fix for this week, I suggest you stop at the feet…

OF Sudan Archives.

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Follow Sudan Archives

IMAGE CREDIT: Talk Easy 

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/thesudanarchives/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/sudanarchives

Instagram:

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YouTube:

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FEATURE: Like a Virgin at Thirty-Five: Celebrating Madonna’s Sophomore Breakthrough

FEATURE:

 

Like a Virgin at Thirty-Five

IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna in a rare photo from the Like a Virgin shoot/PHOTO CREDIT: Steven Meisel 

Celebrating Madonna’s Sophomore Breakthrough

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TODAY marks thirty-five years…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna in 1984/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

since Madonna’s Like a Virgin was released to the world. When it comes to Pop starts, Madonna began with a bang in 1983! Her eponymous album arrived a time when there was a positive Pop atmosphere, yet few burned as brightly as Madonna. I think that album remains underrated and is a hugely important one. Success followed its release, and the nature of Madonna’s music shifted in the year that followed. There was a sexiness and rawness to Madonna, but Like a Virgin took more risks and was a more adventurous album. Not many artists could commend the sort of power Madonna had after her debut. Hiring Nile Rodgers to come on board as producer, there is more kick, groove and attitude on Like a Virgin. In terms of stepping up and pushing forward, Madonna did it significant on Like a Virgin – she would continue to do so through most of her career. Madonna was buoyed and motivated by the success of her debut and had long-dreamed of producing. Sire Records were not quite in the position to give Madonna full control over production at such an early stage in her career. Instead, she produced alongside Nile Rodgers. I think they work well together, and the expertise Rodgers brings to the plate helped make Like a Virgin such a remarkable album. Madonna had heard what Rodgers produced with David Bowie on his 1983 album, Let’s Dance, so knew that she would be in good hands.

I think her debut is incredible, but her sophomore release is even finer. You can hear this artist coming into her own and distinguishing herself as a future icon. Whilst not the Queen of Pop at that early stage, Like a Virgin is a vital transition from a somewhat naïve and bubbly Pop artist of her debut to the more empowered and risk-taking singer only a year later. Recorded quickly at Power Station Studios in New York, you can feel the infectiousness and pure simplicity of the music. Whilst, on the surface, the music appears to be quite ordinary, here are songs that shine and sound incredible today – Like a Virgin is an album that has inspired so many others. The fact digital recording was employed on Like a Virgin gives it a different sound to that of Madonna. Rodgers recalls seeing Madonna at a New York club in 1983 and knowing that she would be a star. As such, you can tell how committed he was to ensuring Like a Virgin was a success. The rapport and chemistry between Madonna and Rodgers drove production forward and there was a lot of mutual respect. With collaborators such as Stephen Bray (her former boyfriend) on writing duty, Like a Virgin is a sure-fire work of gold. All of the tracks on Like a Virgin are great, but there are few finer singles than the title cut and Material Girl.

Both are incredibly memorable Pop songs that have bounce, heart and depth. Madonna had strengthened as a singer since her debut and was showing new sides. I like the fact that the songs were not simple love songs that any chart act could produce. Angel was inspired by a girl who was saved by and fell in love with an angel. It seems a bit strange that the title cut – and one of Madonna’s most-famous songs – was not actually written by her. Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly penned the track and Steinberg said he based Like a Virgin on his experiences of love. Rodgers was not convinced that Like a Virgin had a hook memorable enough. Madonna liked the demo (sung by Kelly) and, after the song stuck in Rodgers’ head, it was included on the album. When we think of Madonna’s best albums, many of us overlook the brilliant Like a Virgin. It is much more than a couple of big singles; this album confirmed Madonna as a star to watch! This is the moment Madonna stepped into the spotlight and began to asset her sexuality like never before. Few female Pop artists were doing so at that time, so Like a Virgin opened eyes and doors. As her music went everyday love and touched on social issues and race, Madonna became a focal point and was being dissected as a Pop act with edge and intelligence. There are few sophomore albums as important, progressive and influential as Madonna’s 1984-released gem.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna captured during the Like a Virgin shoot/PHOTO CREDIT: Steven Meisel 

Like a Virgin is an album that still holds a lot of weight and, when you look at modern Pop artists, you can tell that many of them have taken the album to heart. If Madonna didn’t singlehandedly transform Pop and bring sex to the fore for women, she played a big part. She would release better-reviewed albums (such as Like a Prayer in 1989 and Ray of Light in 1998), but Like a Prayer is definitely ripe for re-investigation. The reviews for Like a Virgin were positive in 1984, but I think there are some retrospective reviews that are helpful; they show how the album sounds years after its release and how Pop has changed since then. AllMusic had this to say in 2009:

“Madonna had hits with her first album, even reaching the Top Ten twice with "Borderline" and "Lucky Star," but she didn't become a superstar, an icon, until her second album, Like a Virgin. She saw the opening for this kind of explosion and seized it, bringing in former Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers in as a producer, to help her expand her sound, and then carefully constructed her image as an ironic, ferociously sexy Boy Toy; the Steven Meisel-shot cover, capturing her as a buxom bride with a Boy Toy belt buckle on the front, and dressing after a night of passion, was as key to her reinvention as the music itself. Yet, there's no discounting the best songs on the record, the moments when her grand concepts are married to music that transcends the mere classification of dance-pop.

These, of course, are "Material Girl" and "Like a Virgin," the two songs that made her an icon, and the two songs that remain definitive statements. They overshadow the rest of the record, not just because they are a perfect match of theme and sound, but because the rest of the album vacillates wildly in terms of quality. The other two singles, "Angel" and "Dress You Up," are excellent standard-issue dance-pop, and there are other moments that work well ("Over and Over," "Stay," the earnest cover of Rose Royce's "Love Don't Live Here"), but overall, it adds up to less than the sum of its parts -- partially because the singles are so good, but also because on the first album, she stunned with style and a certain joy. Here, the calculation is apparent, and while that's part of Madonna's essence -- even something that makes her fun -- it throws the record's balance off a little too much for it to be consistent, even if it justifiably made her a star.

In terms of Madonna albums, I think Like a Virgin is the one I link to my childhood. I remember watching the video for Material Girl when I was about seven or eight (I was born in 1983), and I might well have heard the odd snippet of Like a Virgin earlier than that. I listen to it now and then and it sounds remarkably catchy and interesting.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Steven Meisel

Lots of modern artists are inspired by 1980s Pop, yet none have the same soar, affinity and boldness as Madonna. In their review of Like a Virgin, SLANT had this to say:

 “Like a Virgin, the record that launched Madonna into unearthly super-stardom and went on to sell over 10 million copies domestically, defined a generation with hits like “Material Girl” and the now-classic title track. Though not as innovative as her debut, the album stands as one of the most definitive pop artifacts from the indulgent Reagan Era. The mid-tempo ballad “Shoo-Bee-Doo” and a soulful cover of Rose Royce’s “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” proved Madonna could churn out more than just novelty hits, while the sugary “Angel” and the irresistible “Dress You Up” contributed to the singer’s record-breaking list of consecutive Top 5 hits (16 in all). The retro-infused “Stay” and the percussive “Over and Over” are the album’s hidden gems; a frenetic remix of the latter resurfaced on 1987’s You Can Dance”.

Like a Virgin is thirty-five today (12th November) and it is cool to see its creator continuing to release music and tour. Madonna remains at the core of Pop and countless artists have her to thank for their success. Maybe the Pop mainstream could learn a thing or two from an album that is in its mid-thirties. There are artists out there are who are pushing boundaries but what about those instant hooks and that upbeat feel? I think that is largely missing, so Like a Virgin is an album that serves as much a purpose now as it did back in 1984. If you have not played it for a while, put it on and experience Like a Virgin thirty-five years after its release. It is an album that is impossible to ignore; one that stays in the mind and…

ENVELOPS the senses.

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: The Chemical Brothers - Surrender

FEATURE:

 

Vinyl Corner

The Chemical Brothers - Surrender

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I have investigated The Chemical Brothers before…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Chemical Brothers (Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

but I don’t think I have thrown a spotlight on Surrender. Maybe 1995’s Exit Planet Dust and 1997’s Dig Your Own Hole are seen as bigger and more important albums, Surrender cannot be overlooked. In fact, it is a masterful creation and one with its fair share of classic cuts. A special series of shows went down on BBC Radio 6 Music over the weekend (and on Friday night), and you can check out Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons speaking with Lauren Laverne about the album. I think there is a lot of fascination regarding the album, because there is nothing like it in the market today. On 21st June, 1999, this enormous, instantly fantastic album arrived that would help see the decade off in style! I was familiar with The Chemical Brothers when Surrender arrived – I experienced Dig Your Own Hole first-hand and then tracked back to Exit Planet Dust. Whilst we have Electronic innovators today, nothing really packs the same punch and memorability as groups such as The Chemical Brothers. Not only do people celebrate albums like Surrender because it takes them back to a moment in time; it also enhances the present and, to be fair, there are more than a few artists out there inspired by the Manchester duo. I am not surprised there was celebration on BBC Radio 6 Music; just over twenty years after Surrender arrived, there is still so much affection for it. On 10th June this year, The Chemical Brothers announced a 20th Anniversary special edition of the album, featuring B-sides, new mixes and a book.

You can check out the package here but, if the vinyl there is a bit pricey, you can get the original album for a much more reasonable price. Not only does Surrender feature some of the most daring and thrilling compositions from Rowlands and Simons, but there are some excellent collaborators who add that extra sprinkle of magic. Among the artists on the album are Noel Gallagher (Oasis), Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star) and Bernard Sumner (New Order). I think a lot of artists collaborate because it will help their streaming figures, or it is a commercial move. I wonder how often they consider which artist would be the perfect choice for a song and bringing it to lie, rather than bringing in someone who will is popular and will get them a lot of attention. Listen to the vocals of Noel Gallagher on Let Forever Be and, together with a hearty nod to The Beatles’ Tomorrow Never Knows, it is a wonderful blend. Unlike their previous two albums, there is more experimentation and variety in terms of genres. There is some Rave on Hey Boy Hey Girl and that incredible Psychedelia on Let Forever Be. Maybe commercial success gave The Chemical Brothers the impetus to push boundaries and explore new territory. Whilst Beth Orton – who did collaborate with the duo on their first two albums – did not appear on Surrender, there is still an embarrassment of riches when you consider the names who help shape and guide this fearless record. I love the fact everything hangs together and sounds so right. There is not a filler track on the album, and Surrender is such a kaleidoscopic and busy album that it is impossible to dislike or ignore; one does not have to be a fan of Electronic music or Rave to appreciate Surrender.

Riding such a wave, The Chemical Brothers received a lot of praise for Surrender. In their review, Pitchfork talk about the high-profile guest appearances and the instantaneousness of the music:

“Surrender will receive a ton of hype based on its superstar guest appearances, and none more historically relevant than “Out of Control” with New Order’s Bernard Sumner on vocals. Being electronic dance music freaks from Manchester, New Order is like the holy grail to the Chemical Brothers and it’s easy to see why. The Chemicals share with their Manchester predecessors an obsession with hypnotic, melodic, dance beats. “Out of Control” works so well it could be a lost track from Low Life. After his turn on “Setting Son” with the Chemicals in 1996, Oasis’ terminally out- of- style Noel Gallagher returns for another psychedelic, Beatles-esque anthem on “Let Forever Be,” again snagging the rhythm track from “Tomorrow Never Knows” off Revolver.

Surrender is both the Chemical Brothers most immediately satisfying work and, perhaps not coincidentally, the most like a rock album of their career. Unlike a fair share of techno, these songs feel like “songs,” not a collection of clever samples and a race to the fastest BPM on the planet. Yeah, you can go out and buy your jungle, your trance, your trip-hop and your ambient, but why would you when you’d be sacrificing the greatest gift of all: Surrender’s love and understanding”.

A lot of albums from the late-1990s have not survived that well, or they sound a bit dated and of their time. Surrender definitely captured a mood and lit a fuse, but I still feel it is inspiring and head-spinning today. Grab the album on vinyl, as it sounds even better when you drop the needle and hear songs like Music: Response fill the room. When we consider these decades-enduring albums like Surrender, I wonder whether they will still be lauded and covered so passionately in another couple of decades. As I said, maybe it comes down to the fact Surrender has no modern comparison and it is ageing so gracefully. In this NME review, they highlight the eclectic nature of the music and, at the same time, underline the fact that there are fewer revolutions and revelations than their previous work, perhaps:

 “And as it happens, 'Surrender' is excellent. From the opening faux-naive Kraftwerk simulation of 'Music: Response' right through to the final, Jonathan Donahue-assisted fry-up 'Dream On', it's simply a joy to listen to. Tellingly, the pair are most successful when they try something new (for them, at least). Like the irrepressibly sleek techno of 'Under The Influence', or 'Out Of Control', the best collaboration Bernard Sumner has sung on. Bobby Gillespie's also there, apparently, moaning. Its rumoured Sasha remix makes perfect sense.

'Hey Boy Hey Girl' you know, suffice to say it's a great moment in acid-bongo-pop fusion, while the Brothers' take on silken Chicago house, 'Got Glint?', even slides into graceful Balearic homage. These aside, though, and we're back on familiar ground. The album's nine-minute centrepiece, 'The Sunshine Underground', is essentially 'The Private Psychedelic Reel' smeared with glitter, and 'Asleep From Day', featuring Mazzy Star's permanently 'dreamy' Hope Sandoval, replaces previous folk-scarred outings with Beth Orton. Nice, but not quite the ticket”.

It is obvious The Chemical Brothers have influenced other artists, such as Fatboy Slim and Basement Jaxx. There are even playlists collating artists who have been influenced by them. The Chemical Brothers released No Geography earlier this year and showed that, two decades on from one of their most important albums, they have lost none of their step and brilliance. Even if you were not around to experience Surrender back in 1999, you can play it now and it will leave its mark. It is such a bold and wonderfully exciting album that you will need to play it a few times just so you can take everything in! Just one taste of The Chemical Brothers’ Surrender and you will be hooked. It is an album…

IMPOSSIBLE to resist

FEATURE: A White Dress and Mist to the Sword-Wielding Alter Ego: Kate Bush, The Early Years: 1978-1980

FEATURE:

 

A White Dress and Mist to the Sword-Wielding Alter Ego

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

Kate Bush, The Early Years: 1978-1980

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THE reason for writing this feature (if one were needed)…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during her Tour of Life in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

is to highlight a period of Kate Bush’s career that often gets overlooked in favour of her activity around Hounds of Love (1985) - or the transition from The Dreaming in 1982 to that landmark record. I have a lot of respect for Kate Bush’s entire career and, whilst Hounds of Love is a masterpiece that was recorded when she was in a very happy and calm space, I am intrigued to look at where it all started: a wide-eyed and beguiling teenager whose debut album, The Kick Inside, arrived in 1978 and was like nothing that came before – it remains this peculiar and stunningly beautiful album that has no equals or soundalikes. I am not simply going to cover her work from The Kick inside to Never for Ever (1980) and just leave things there. What I wanted to highlight is how Bush sort of started out; how she changed from this unique-if-misunderstood artist right at the start to one who, by 1980, was in the production chair and only two years away from The Dreaming – an album she produced solo and, whilst it divided critics, it remains underrated and hugely important. With any great artist, there are the early and later years. They are distinct and provide contrast. I prefer the work of The Beatles from 1963-1965, whereas many feel their greatest work was recorded between 1966-1969. I guess it depends on what you look for in music and what age you were when you discovered that artist.

There is a definite split between Kate Bush prior to 1980 and where she moved from The Dreaming and into Hounds of Love. A third revolution occurred when she released Aerial (after a twelve-year gap) in 2005. If, like The Beatles, Kate Bush came into her own and produced her most complete and bold work by 1982, I feel the first three years of her career (she recorded music before 1978, but I am taking the start of her career as the moment Wuthering Heights was released in January 1978). I guess part of my motivation for writing this is the fact a lot of radio stations play Kate Bush songs from Hounds of Love and tend not to venture too far beyond that. Whilst her 1985 album is a vital work, look at how she started out and the variety of her music. Of course, when it comes to debut singles, they do not come as majestic and original as Wuthering Heights. Many might argue there have been finer debut singles – although none come to mind! –, but there are few songs that arrest the senses like Wuthering Heights. In terms of the biggest changes between the early Kate Bush albums and the later works, one can say she became more confident and took more control of her work. Some dismiss albums like The Kick Inside as being very high-pitched and quirky; Bush as this very wide-eyed singer who was easy to parody and overlook.   

I can appreciate there was a distinct sonic and musical shift that happened after Never for Ever, but I love her early sound and how gorgeous it is. The Kick Inside, back in 1978, received some positive reviews, but there were those who did not know what to make of Bush. Many felt Wuthering Heights the best she would do and she was this one-hit wonder. The Kick Inside is my favourite album ever because it is a hugely positive, intriguing and deep album. Bush, still a teenager, sounds so alive and ambitious in every track. She writes about love, but she does it in a very different way to her peers. The Kick Inside is a very sexual album with sensuality and poetry. There are some fantastic female songwriters around today, yet I feel few have the same brilliance and insight as Bush. The Kick Inside is a very feminine album and one that contains little negativity. So many songwriters, when discussing love, are accusatory and anxious; they point fingers and rake over broken glass. Not only does The Kick Inside – and most of Bush’s work – paint men in a very positive light, but her use of language and imagery is stunning. In their review of The Kick Inside, Pitchfork unpicks some of the songs’ key moments and how Bush’s extraordinary voice brings to life her songs:

“The louche “L’Amour Looks Something Like You” treads similarly brazen territory though lands less soundly. She fantasizes about “that feeling of sticky love inside” as if anticipating a treacle pudding, and there is an unctuous gloop to the arrangement that makes it one of the album’s least distinctive songs.

More complex desires tended to elicit her more inherently sensual and accomplished writing. “Moving,” her tribute to dance teacher Lindsay Kemp, is so absurdly elegant and lavish that its beauty seems to move Bush to laughter: There is deep respect in her admiration for him, in concert with piercing operatic notes and impish backing vocal harmonies that sound like they should have been handled by a chorus of Jim Henson creations. “You crush the lily in my soul” as an awed metaphor for the timidity of girlhood gone away is unimpeachable.

What made Bush’s writing truly radical was the angles she could take on female desire without ever resorting to submissiveness. “Wuthering Heights” is menacing melodrama and ectoplasmic empowerment; “The Saxophone Song”—one of two recordings made when she was 15—finds her fantasizing about sitting in a Berlin bar, enjoying a saxophonist’s playing and the effect it has on her. But she is hardly there to praise him: “Of all the stars I’ve seen that shine so brightly/I’ve never known or felt in myself so rightly,” she sings of her reverie, with deep seriousness. We hear his playing, and it isn’t conventionally romantic but stuttering, coarse, telling us something about the unconventional spirits that stir her”.

Many state Bush went on to make better music; you cannot argue against the sheer unexpectedness and affect her debut album has. It was different to anything around. Bush did not want to copy songwriters like Carole King, feeling they were too dramatic and dependent on heartbreak. Bush arrived with a different attitude, a staggeringly agile voice and songs that have remained hugely popular to this day.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Albums like The Kick Inside cannot be defined by songs like Wuthering Heights and The Man with the Child in His Eyes. The latter is an observation by Bush that a lot of men have a sense of childhood locked inside them; that they retain a sense of innocence, despite their older years – an amazing observation, considering she was thirteen when she wrote the song! I do think there are tracks on The Kick Inside that many people have not heard that warrant greater exposure. Aside from Wuthering Heights, there is this mesmeric Strange Phenomena and the gorgeous Feel It; the swoon and skip of Oh to Be in Love and The Kick Inside – a brilliant finale about incest and suicide. Look around at the most daring and original songwriters today and few have matched Bush when it comes to her fearlessness and range. Lionheart was released late in 1978 and, so soon after The Kick Inside, it is inevitable that the album would not soar as high and make the same impact. Wuthering Heights hit number-one – making Bush the first British female artist to have a self-written number-one song -, and The Kick Inside hit the top-five in many countries. Again, Lionheart is an album that does not get a lot of praise and anything like the same focus Hounds of Love receives. Yes, there are weaker moments on Lionheart, but songs such as Symphony in Blue rank alongside Bush’s best-ever moments.

By 1985, the Pop landscape had changed. Artists like Madonna were making Bush’s most sensual moments seem almost tame. In the late-1970s, Punk was still raging and Bush was this bolt out of the blue. She had critics on board by Hounds of Love but I do think her earliest work requires retrospection and fresh appreciation. Lionheart has some flawed moments, but Wow, Kashka from Baghdad and Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake are remarkable works. If Kate Bush’s music changed and grew after 1980, her visual flair was there from the start. Maybe the video to Wuthering Heights seems quite basic, but it is striking, classic and perfect – it fits wonderfully with the song. Lionheart’s Wow is another gem that is backed by an incredible video – Bush beguiling and enraptured throughout. With every album came new confidence and achievements. Bush set to work on her Tour of Life (or The Tour of Life) not long after Lionheart as released, and it began its life on stage on 2nd April, 1979. There is no doubt Bush’s experiences planning and executing her Tour of Life bled into her future work and the fact she did not want other people producing her work. That incredible tour redefined what a live Pop/Rock show could be. Her incredible songs were brought fully to life with these physical, eye-opening routines and theatrical flair. The Tour of Life remains a marvel where Bush let her fevered imaginations and ambitions flower and bloom.

Bush, even by 1979, was in a league of her own and turning into this star. 1980’s Never for Ever was the last album where Bush had a co-producer – she worked alongside Jon Kelly and she would take what she learned on Never for Ever into The Dreaming. Whilst The Kick Inside and Lionheart are undermined when it comes to great songs for radio exposure, Never for Ever remains the most neglected. In only a couple of years, Bush had transformed from this almost girl-like figure we saw dancing gracefully in the Wuthering Heights video. On Never for Ever, she evolved artistically and visually. In the video for Babooshka – the album’s lead single of April 1980 -, we saw two sides to Bush. The song talks about a wife and her desire to test her husband's loyalty. In order to do so, she takes on the pseudonym of ‘Babooshka’ and sends notes to her husband in the guise of a younger woman - something which she fears is the opposite of how her husband currently sees her. Babooshka arranges to meet her husband, who is attracted to the character who reminds him of his wife in earlier times. In the video, Bush transforms from a woman in a veil spinning a double bass to this vixen who is wild-eyed and revealing. The fact that Bush was scantily-clad for that video would not shock people who read her lyrics, but her videos up until that point were relatively chaste and less revealing.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional photo for the single, Babooshka (1980)/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

Bush wanted to her videos to reveal the essence and true potential of the songs. This visual boldness and ambition was another reason why she stood out in the 1970s and 1980s. At the turn of the decade, Bush was still relatively new; the Pop market was fairly bland and there was nobody like her around. Whilst I will always prefer The Kick Inside, it is clear Bush was producing some truly outstanding material on Never for Ever. With greater production responsibility, Bush was becoming more experimental in the studio. I know The Dreaming and Hounds of Love have some incredible tracks, but listen to All We Ever Look For, Egypt and The Infant Kiss and how wonderful they sound. One hardly hears them on the radio and, even as a huge fan of Bush, I do not listen enough to these tracks. The complexity and beauty of Bush’s voice, teamed with her poetic and hugely intelligent lyrics sound fresh and original today – even though countless artists are inspired by Bush. Bush started moving in a more political direction by 1980. The last two songs on the album, Army Dreamers and Breathing, were, perhaps, a reaction to the feeling from the press that Bush was quite flighty, insubstantial and lacking in seriousness. That was not the feeling from a lot of critics, but there were some who highlighted Bush’s spiritual and mystical side; wondering whether there was any depth beneath the skin.

Two years before The Dreaming would see Bush holler down in the studio and produce her most varied and challenging album, she was showing seeds of what was to come. I can understand why a lot of fans and critics gravitate towards albums such as The Dreaming and Hounds of Love. Her voice grew deeper and more masculine, her songwriting became more enterprising and she won enormous kudos. I respect that, but I love those first few years; where Bush was starting out and seducing the public. It is more than forty years since Bush put out her debut album, The Kick Inside, and it knocks me back! Lionheart is an underrated album with ample promise, whilst Never for Ever is the sound of a young artist coming into her own. Not only did the music grow stronger and more adventurous, but look at her music videos and visual side. It is clear Kate Bush is unique and remains unparalleled, but look around the Pop landscape of today and I wonder whether we will ever see anyone with half of her magic and genius. I think things have become too safe and predictable so, now more than ever, I think music fans, artists and radio stations should pay more attention to Bush’s oeuvre from 1978-1980. There are some rougher moments, for sure, but there is also so much beauty, firepower and unbelievable songwriting! Kate Bush would hit her commercial peak by 1985, but seeing her first steps and moves in the music industry is…    

TRULY inspiring to watch.