FEATURE: Shadowboxer: The Fiona Apple Playlist

FEATURE:

Shadowboxer

PHOTO CREDIT: Beatrice De Dea/The New York Times/Redux

The Fiona Apple Playlist

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THIS year…

there are going to be some big releases and albums that you will definitely want to own! For me, the upcoming album from Fiona Apple is an absolute must! 2012’s The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do is a previous album, and it is great that there will be another album out this year. Apple is one of the most interesting and original artists ever, and her albums are always full of amazing moments. This NME article explains a bit more:

“Apple has long been teasing this album, which will be her first since 2012’s ‘The Idler Wheel…’, though there are few details on the record itself.

In September last year, Apple revealed that she was hoping to release her new album in early 2020.

“I was supposed to be done a million years ago,” she said. “And I go off and I take too long making stuff. I’m hoping for early 2020. I think.”

She has remained active despite the long time between albums. In December, she collaborated with Phoebe Bridgers and The National‘s Matt Berninger for a Simon & Garfunkel cover. Proceeds of the release went to Planned Parenthood. Apple also recorded a song for a Halloween episode of Bob’s Burgers.

Apple even said she’d be willing to collaborate with Lil Nas X on his debut album. The offer to collaborate was extended by Nas X after Apple called him out for sampling her 2012 song ‘Every Single Night’ on his 2018 song ‘Naserati’, which was released a year before he became a household name with ‘Old Town Road’”.

To celebrate some upcoming brilliance from Fiona Apple – you just know her fifth studio album will be awesome! -, I have compiled an assortment of her very best cuts. It proves what an extraordinary and captivating artist…

FIONA Apple is

FEATURE: WOW! Through the Lens: The Captivating Kate Bush

FEATURE:

 

WOW!

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush shot for the U.S. release of The Kick Inside’s album sleeve session in March 1978 (EMI America had rejected the original cover)/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz 

Through the Lens: The Captivating Kate Bush

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EVEN though I have written about…

PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz 

Kate Bush and her image before, I have been thinking about a book that has been delayed for a while now. Kate Bush: Symphony of You is a book I am dying to buy because, as Waterstones write, it is a must for fans and newcomers alike:

“Symphony of You is a complete celebration of Kate Bush - her music, her look, her impact, her creativity. Showcasing hundreds of Gered Mankowitz's breathtaking photographs from the early years of Kate's career, the majority of the images in this book have never been seen outside of the author's own private works. The book also features essays from authors across a number of disciplines - from best-selling novelists and award-winning musicians to academics - offering their opinions on how Kate has shaped the cultural landscape. Symphony of You is a truly special collection, and a homage to a unique artist”.

There are a couple of other invaluable photo resources/books that I want to point to. The reason I am writing about Kate Bush photographs and her incredible allure is because, when people write about her, there are aspects overlooked. People talk of the music and the incredible voice; they mention Bush’s image, but how many concentrate on that hypnotic sense of connection and soul-baring? There are Kate Bush photo collections available but, the more I research her, the more I think about photos and image. There is something about Bush that sets her aside from other artists.

IN THIS PHOTO: A press shot for Bush’s 2011’s album, Director’s Cut/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

Even if a musician entrusts a great photographer, they (the photographer) do not always manage to tease something extraordinary from their subject. Right from the start of her career, Bush has oozed something extraordinary and breath-taking. There was a Pink Leotard series for Wuthering Heights shot in January 1978. The intended image for the single was not used. The photo from Gered Mankowitz does capture a young artist who looks sensual, relaxed, yet intriguing. Maybe it was because the photo showed Bush’s nipples, or maybe it was deemed inappropriate – in the end, a modification of The Kick Inside’s design was used as the cover for Wuthering Heights. From her teenage years, Bush has drawn the lens and captured the heart. She can naturally evoke this incredible aura and power that few other artists can rival. One can see Bush’s best images online, but there are people who will want to see her best photos collected together. Although expense, WOW! by Gered Mankowitz is a collection of photos from 1978/1979 that highlights this incredible new artist whose looks and images were integral to her music. For more information regarding Mankowitz’s photos, see here:

“WOW! Kate Bush by Gered Mankowitz features the very best work from Gered Mankowitz’s incredible 1978 / 1979 archive of Kate Bush photographs, with the majority of photographs previously unpublished. Each copy is personally signed by Gered Mankowitz.

PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz 

As with all previous Ormond Yard Press volumes, it is a book on a spectacular scale: a hardcover volume housed in its own printed slipcase and measuring 24 inches high x 18 inches wide (60x45cm) when closed, 24 x 36 inches (60 x 90cm) when open, with 96 pages of photographs. The physical scale may be large, but the edition size for WOW! is reassuringly small – just 750 individually signed and numbered copies are available to collectors worldwide”.

Whether it is a single or album cover, or a photo-shoot, there is never anything ordinary regarding Kate Bush! Another important collection of photos is Kate: Inside the Rainbow by John Carder Bush – Kate’s older brother. You can buy it here - and it is a vital documentation of Bush from childhood to 2011:

“KATE: Inside the Rainbow is a collection of beautiful images from throughout Kate Bush’s career, taken by her brother, the photographer and writer John Carder Bush. It includes outtakes from classic album shoots and never-before-seen photographs from sessions including The Dreaming and Hounds of Love, as well as rare candid studio shots and behind-the-scenes stills from video sets, including ‘Army Dreamers’ and ‘Running Up that Hill’.

These stunning images will be accompanied by two new essays by John Carder Bush: From Cathy to Kate, describing in vibrant detail their shared childhood and the early, whirlwind days of Kate’s career, and Chasing the Shot, which vividly evokes John’s experience of photographing his sister.

A beautiful, full-colour coffee-table hardback with a quarter-bound linen cover and head and tail bands

Includes more than 250 stunning rare and unpublished black and white and colour photographs, taken between 1964 and 2011”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Bush shot by Gered Mankowitz for the Wuthering Heights session in 1978

There are articles about the book here and here, and I suggest anyone who wants to see how an artist can truly stagger and stun the senses buy the book. Maybe it is the brother-sister bond, but one looks at the shots through Kate: Inside the Rainbow, and your heart sort of melts. Perhaps it is that smile or the way Bush can connect with the camera, but I feel Bush’s style and visual engagement is as crucial as her music. So many artists do not really connect their image to their music, but in Bush’s case, the two are interconnected. One only needs to watch her videos and see photos of her on tour to realise here was a woman who understood the importance of art. It is hard to put into words, but I was drawn to Kate Bush because of her videos and how different she was to anyone else. From Wuthering Heights and early singles to her promotional images for 50 Words for Snow, there is nobody like her! It is rare to gravitate towards an artist because of how they connect with the camera, and how they can embody different characters and guises through the years. Maybe David Bowie is the other great artist who has a similar gravitas and genius.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1989/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

I know Kate Bush: Symphony of You is mooted for an autumn release, and I will be snapping up the book! Bush’s music tells us a lot about her, but I think photos reveal new sides to her. She always seems so confident and effortless in front of the camera; she has that ability to switch between shy and assured; to assume these different personas but, beneath it all, remain this unique and endlessly inspiring person. I would compel people to buy books like Kate: Inside the Rainbow, as every picture tells a story. One can see the change and growth of this fantastic person who, very early in her career, was making hearts skip and standing out from the pack. I am not sure what the future holds for Bush and her music – and whether she will ever release another album -, but I am spending a lot of time revisiting her videos and photos. I have not even mentioned her videos, but maybe that will be for another feature! They are always fabulous and like these mini-films that engage the senses and tell these wonderful stories. There is so much I love about Kate Bush, but her affinity to amaze without saying a word is very high up the list. For over four decades, she has amazed and wowed people in so many different ways. If you think you understand and connect with Bush through her music, you get yet more layers and beauty when you encounter her…

PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

THROUGH the lens.

FEATURE: Glastonbury 2020: Why Its Survival Will Bring Us Together

FEATURE:

 

Glastonbury 2020

IMAGE CREDIT: Glastonbury

Why Its Survival Will Bring Us Together

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SO many gigs and festivals are…

IN THIS PHOTO: Dua Lipa

being cancelled at the moment because of the Coronavirus spread. It seems that the music world in general is going to have to lockdown for a few weeks at the very least. Last week, the line-up for this year’s Glastonbury was announced. As the festival takes place between 24th and 28th June, there are no immediate plans to cancel. This BBC article explains more:

“Dua Lipa, the Pet Shop Boys and Mabel will all play the Glastonbury Festival this summer - provided it isn't cancelled because of the coronavirus.

More than 90 names were added to the line-up on Thursday, joining headliners Taylor Swift and Sir Paul McCartney.

US rap star Kendrick Lamar will top the bill on Friday, with Supergrass, Lana Del Rey and AJ Tracey also due to play.

Emily Eavis said organisers had "fingers firmly crossed" the event would go ahead in June.

She said she was releasing a poster of the line-up "with the best intentions" given "the current circumstances".

"As things stand we are still working hard to deliver our 50th anniversary festival in June and we are very proud of the bill that we have put together over the last year or so," she said.

“No one has a crystal ball to see exactly where we will all be 15 weeks from now, but we are keeping our fingers firmly crossed that it will be here at Worthy Farm for the greatest show on Earth!"

The coronavirus outbreak has already affected several tours and festivals, with acts like The Who, BTS, Miley Cyrus and Madonna having cancelled or postponed shows.

IN THIS PHOTO: Paul McCartney

In the US, April's Coachella festival has been delayed, while music industry showcase South By Southwest, was scrapped altogether.

The Country To Country festival, due to take place in London, Dublin and Glasgow this weekend, was also postponed at the last minute on Thursday night. Rescheduled dates will be announced "in the coming days," organisers said”.

I do think that it will be a case of calling it off in the next few weeks because, if it is left any longer, I have the feeling it will be too late to reorganise or figure out a plan that benefits artists and fans. The biggest problem is artists contracting Coronavirus, which would leave holes in the (excellent) line-up. If fans are affected, they cannot attend, and I there will be measures to ensure anyone attending is responsible and safe. The fact of the matter is that Glastonbury is over two months away, so there is no telling how bad things will be. Although experts say the virus will be at its most severe by June, one cannot say for sure. There is a chance that things will be contained here by then and, although Coachella and other major festivals have rescheduled, I can understand why Glastonbury is going ahead. Some say it is irresponsible and, inevitably, there is the chance lots of fans and artists will have to change their schedules. There is a chance organisers will have to push Glastonbury back to the autumn, but that would mean the entire bill having to rejig their diaries to accommodate.

As so much work has been put in already, it would be heartbreaking to make an early call without more information. I know Emily Eavis will have to monitor the news and make a call one way or the other, but there are so many people looking forward to Glastonbury. On its fiftieth anniversary, so many people are excited to see artists like Paul McCartney and Diana Ross play! It will be a massive event that includes so many terrific artists new and established. I have said before how this year’s Glastonbury will be a chance to join together. We have all been through so much over the past couple of years. The seemingly never-ending Brexit drama is over, and there is the looming and ever-present trouble regarding the environment. Although the world will always have its troubles, I think we can all feel lifted and united by music. It would be a shame if things were cancelled, but many are optimistic, and there have been so many cancellations already – I think we all need Glastonbury to stay focused and go ahead. Of course, if there is no choice but to cancel, then it will have to be pushed back and, although there will be financial losses, these things cannot be helped. Glastonbury has the sort of magic and spirit that brings us together, gives us that joy, and stays in the memory. Everyone is hoping that, in June, Glastonbury goes ahead. Being able to all see Glastonbury’s fiftieth in a few months is…

IN THIS PHOTO: Taylor Swift/PHOTO CREDIT: Erik Madigan Heck

THE sort of good news we all need!

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

FEATURE:

 

Sisters in Arms

IN THIS PHOTO: Kehlani

An All-Female, Winter-Ready Playlist (Vol. X)

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AS this is a weekend…

IN THIS PHOTO: Starley

where a lot of people are staying in, I think music is more important now more than ever! It is vital that we support musicians, and we try and buy music if we can – as a lot of artists are having gigs cancelled because of what is happening now. This female-led playlist has some terrific tracks that you will definitely want to get behind. If you need some entertainment to kick your weekend off, take a gander at the tunes below. It is another busy week where the incredible women of music have produced some seriously…

IN THIS PHOTO: Dream Wife

WONDERFUL cuts.  

ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Artists

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Deradoorian – Saturnine Night

Margo Price – Twinkle Twinkle

Ultraista – Harmony

Lucy May Walker – Obsessed with You

Kehlani – Toxic

The Endorphins – Dead or Alive

ALMA – Stay All Night

Eliza Shaddad – Pure Shores

FLETCHER – Forever

Georgia & The Vintage Youth – You + I

PHOTO CREDIT: @jennifer___honda

HARLOE – Rivers Run Dry

Lennon Stella – Jealous

Starley – Arms Around Me

Rita Ora – How to Be Lonely

Biond – TFW

IN THIS PHOTO: Ms Banks

Cadenza, Ms. Banks, Spice – Walk Out

Runrummer – I Like Getting High (But Not All the Time)

JFDR – My Work

KEYAH/BLU – If You Know

SASAMI – Mess

PHOTO CREDIT: @chantalaanderson

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith – Expanding Electricity

PHOTO CREDIT: Misha Meghna

Sabiyha – Choorile

Stella Angelika – Little Serenade

Girlpool – Like I’m Winning It

Polly Scattergood – After You

PINS – Ponytail

Dream Wife – Sports!

FEATURE: Sure Shot: Beastie Boys Story: The Ultimate Playlist

FEATURE:

 

Sure Shot

Beastie Boys Story: The Ultimate Playlist

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NOT only did we receive the…

IN THIS PHOTO: Adam Yauch/MCA (left) with the Beastie Boys in 1987 - Yauch died in 2012/PHOTO CREDIT: Ebet Roberts/Getty Images

good news last week that the Peter Jackson-directed/produced documentary film about The Beatles is coming soon; we also know that the anticipated Beastie Boys-Spike Jonze hook-up has a release date. I cannot wat to see it. Beastie Boys Story will be a must for dedicated fans and new converts alike. In this article, Pitchfork provide more details:

“The Spike Jonze-directed Beastie Boys documentary is coming to IMAX theaters on April 3 and will then stream on April 24 via Apple TV+. Following a teaser earlier this year, the film’s first full-length trailer was shared tonight. It features archival video as well as new footage of Mike D and Ad-Rock talking about the band’s history on stage.

Prior to the documentary’s release, Jonze will put out a Beastie Boys photo book, compiling shots from throughout their career. It’s out March 17 via Rizzoli”

I am doing a couple of shorter pieces this weekend, that focuses on a particular artist. I like a good playlist and, as the Beastie Boys’ documentary is coming up very shortly, I felt it only right to combine their best songs together. As Adam Nathaniel Yauch (MCA) died in 2012, there will be no more Beastie Boys material. It is a tragedy, as they are among my favourite groups ever. To celebrate the upcoming documentary, have a look at the playlist and…

WITNESS their timeless genius.

FEATURE: The March Playlist: Vol. 2: The Almighty Rubbernecker

FEATURE:

 

The March Playlist

PHOTO CREDIT: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs

Vol. 2: The Almighty Rubbernecker

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THIS weekend is a bit of…

IN THIS PHOTO: Dream Wife/PHOTO CREDIT: Joanna Kiely

a strange one, and many people are staying inside because of what is happening with the Coronavirus outbreak. Musicians and venues are being affected, and it is a challenging time for everyone right now. Whilst we are not sure what is going to happen and how bad things are going to get, it is a busy time for new music. Artists are putting out fantastic songs, and it is another eclectic week. Whatever situation you are in, make sure you take a listen to the fantastic songs below. The weather is improving; the music is coming in thick and fast, so sit back…

IN THIS PHOTO: Tim Burgess

AND drink it all in.

ALL PHOTOS/IMAGES (unless credited otherwise): Artists

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Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Rubbernecker

Little Mix – Wasabi

Dream Wife – Sports!

Tim Burgess – The Mall

Working Men’s Club - A.A.A.A.

Born Ruffians – Wavy Haze

The Killers – Caution

HARLOE - We’re All Gonna Lose

PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Blouin & Jodi Heartz

Nap Eyes - Mystery Calling

Gia Woods – EGO

Lennon Stella – Jealous

PHOTO CREDIT: Jordan Hemingway

Yves Tumor – Kereosene!

Rita Ora - How to Be Lonely

PHOTO CREDIT: Andy Hall

The Boomtown Rats - Sweet Thing

Porches – I Wanna Ride

PHOTO CREDIT: Joshua Cohen (Memorials of Distinction)

Porridge Radio – Pop Song

Circa Waves – Battered & Bruised

PINS – Ponytail

PHOTO CREDIT: NPR/Mhari Shaw

Jordan Rakei – Borderline

SASAMI – Mess

Rosie Carney – when i look at you.

Enter Shikari – the kiing

PHOTO CREDIT: Josh Shinner

Jordan Mackampa – Care for Your Mother

Sinead O Brien – Fall with Me

ALMA –Stay All Night

PHOTO CREDIT: Sam Crowston

The Lathums – It Won’t Take Long

Four Tet – School

Maribou State – Mother

Ultraísta – Harmony

FEATURE: Tota Veritas: Music to Arm the Next Generation

FEATURE:

 

Tota Veritas

IN THIS PHOTO: Laura Marling/PHOTO CREDIT: Elle Carroll

Music to Arm the Next Generation

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I often write…

about music of the moment, and how it has changed a lot through the decades. Politics and the real world have always been part of the agenda, but I do not think we have seen a time where so many artists are using music to call for change and reflect what is happening around them. Whilst there are inevitable downsides to that – a lack of fun and it can get a bit heavy -, there are artists who, as I have said before, are telling the whole truth at a time when politicians are not doing enough – not that they ever have! I am compelled to revisit this subject because, wonderfully, Laura Marling is releasing her seventh solo studio album. It does not have a title at the moment, but she has just turned thirty, and her world/personal view is changing. This NME article reveals more details:

“Laura Marling has discussed her upcoming seventh album in a new interview, in which she also confirmed that it is completely finished.

Last month, it was announced that Marling had signed a new record deal – a new venture between the re-launched Chrysalis Records and indie label Partisan – to release a new album in 2020.

“It’s finished as far as I’m concerned,” she continued, before diving into the feelings behind the upcoming LP. “I was thinking a lot about how I would arm the next generation in a way that I haven’t been armed. That’s the heavier side of it. 

“But I was also thinking about trying to not write the same song that I’ve written over and over again for the last ten years. That’s a good one to avoid.”

She continued: “I’ve kept an inward gaze, but I’ve gone horizontally downwards to another generation. I turned 30 two weeks ago, so I’m feeling in a different position in my life, and whether there is a responsibility to be a certain way or to consider things about the next generation, which there certainly is”.

I think we have got to stage where people need to speak out, and there is so much misinformation out there. It will be interesting to see what Marling delivers, as her past material has been more rooted in the personal and literary. That is not to say she will go political and completely change, but it seems like more of today’s challenges will be included. Look around music now, and Laura Marling is definitely not the only artist tackling everything from politics to climate change. From great bands like Fontaines D.C. and Green Day to solo artists like Kate Tempest, nearly every genre of music is reacting to the current state of the world. I had never thought about it before, but Marling talked about arming the next generation. I listen to music now, and I think it an immediate thing that urges us to think and react in the moment.

Rather than a lot of modern music being about this year and the current time, there is all this guidance, information and wisdom for the next generation. It is that contrast of politics and music. Those in a position of power seem less effective and trustworthy of musicians so, when we have so much digital power at our disposal, I think artists are going to be the ones people turn to when it comes to galvanising us and bringing people together. I never really listen back to music from years ago as instruction for today. Maybe that is because artists now are more potent and political, but I like that idea of music that can rouse and inspire the next generation. Whether that is a call to arms (in a peaceful sense), or to become more involved in battling climate change and inequality, it is a good thing. Although I have suggested there is a bit too much anger and the downbeat in modern music, maybe that is a reaction to a tension that needs to be released. I do feel that, in an age where there is social media and so much information, younger listeners are growing up not really knowing what to believe or being buried in political obfuscation. Whether it is the environment, gender issues, or anything else, I think music can speak loud and cross borders. Can music change the world and make a difference? I do feel it can, and the more artists reaching out to the next generation, the better. Laura Marling is among a whole host of modern musicians who are using their platform to make…       

PHOTO CREDIT: @li_anlim/Unsplash

A real difference.

FEATURE: Immerse Your Soul in Love: Radiohead’s The Bends at Twenty-Five

FEATURE:

Immerse Your Soul in Love

Radiohead’s The Bends at Twenty-Five

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EVERY time an important album…

nears an anniversary, it provides me an opportunity to do a bit of research and discover more about it. Radiohead’s second album, The Bends, is twenty-five on 13th March, and it is a record that so many people hold dear. I love Radiohead to death, and The Bends is my favourite album of theirs – I would place it in my top-five albums ever. I am not sure whether any other artist has made such a leap between their debut and sophomore albums, but Radiohead’s progress was startling! I have probably mentioned this in other features regarding The Bends, but few who listened to their debut, Pablo Honey, in 1993 would have predicated an album like The Bends to come so soon – if at all, for that matter! It must have been tense in the Radiohead camp in 1993. Pablo Honey is a solid (if unspectacular) record, which most people remember for the single, Creep. By the time the band began touring the U.S. early in 1993, Creep was a massive hit and there was this pressure to follow it. It is strange to think that, at one point, Radiohead were considered a one-hit wonder. Radiohead cancelled an appearance at the Reading Festival, as Thom Yorke was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Maybe the story is untrue, but EMI wanted the band to get sorted and sort of get their act together within six months, or else they’d be dropped.

That expectation to keep touring and produce more music must have been intense for the band, but I imagine Yorke, as Radiohead’s lead, struggled the most. Radiohead did set to work following up Pablo Honey. They were pleased to work with producer John Leckie and engineer Nigel Godrich (who would become their producer after The Bends - and he is to this day), but EMI were keen for them to have an album out by October 1994. A lead single was needed, and the band had a choice between The Bends, Just, Sulk, and (Nice Dream). Early on in the recording process, there was this tension and sense of split. The band could not discuss which single to release first, and John Leckie faced challenges with guitarist Jonny Greenwood – Greenwood was experimenting with new sounds (on rented guitars); Leckie felt Greenwood’s sound was already good and did not need to change. Early in 1994, there was slow progress, and songs were coming together gradually. By April, there was a bit of tension between Yorke and the band as to whether they should take a break. Leckie told Yorke to go and record some songs by himself. The group were scheduled to go on tour from May until mid-June, and they resumed recording in the middle of June. Recording at The Manor, Oxfordshire, there was definitely improvement and a more relaxed band. Despite some strains and false starts, The Bend was released on 13th March, 1995. The Bends is a more expansive, experimental, and interesting album than the Grunge-inspired Pablo Honey. The guitars are more interesting and varied; the lyrics mix the cryptic with personal, and there are more sounds thrown into the pot.

Whilst the album did reach number-four on the U.K. chart, there were some mixed reviews when The Bends arrived. It seems extraordinary to think about it now, but the fact The Bends was snubbed by some is outrageous. 1995 was the height of Britpop, and Radiohead did not really fit in with other bands like Blur and Oasis. Shortly before The Bends was released, Oasis and Blur were embroiled in a famous chart battle – Blur’s Country House pipped Oasis’ Roll with It to the top spot. The Bends received the praise it deserved in retrospective reviews. That said, Radiohead were credited with widening the British music scene and creating some diversity in a time dominated by Britpop. The Bends did take Radiohead from potential one-hit wonders to a band on the rise. I do wonder what those critics were listening to when they were a bit tepid regarding The Bends. Those who did praise the album in 1995 knew Radiohead were a properly big band who were releasing stadium-sized gems. Since The Bends, Radiohead have evolved their sound and seem to reinvent themselves on every album. Whilst many people say The Bends’ follow-up, OK Computer (1997) is their finest moment, I think The Bends is the best album they produced. This is AllMusic’s assessment:

“Pablo Honey in no way was adequate preparation for its epic, sprawling follow-up, The Bends. Building from the sweeping, three-guitar attack that punctuated the best moments of Pablo Honey, Radiohead create a grand and forceful sound that nevertheless resonates with anguish and despair -- it's cerebral anthemic rock. Occasionally, the album displays its influences, whether it's U2, Pink Floyd, R.E.M., or the Pixies, but Radiohead turn clichés inside out, making each song sound bracingly fresh. Thom Yorke's tortured lyrics give the album a melancholy undercurrent, as does the surging, textured music. But what makes The Bends so remarkable is that it marries such ambitious, and often challenging, instrumental soundscapes to songs that are at their cores hauntingly melodic and accessible. It makes the record compelling upon first listen, but it reveals new details with each listen, and soon it becomes apparent that with The Bends, Radiohead have reinvented anthemic rock”.

When they reviewed The Bends in 2008, the BBC had some really interesting points to make about an album that was not only a big change in terms of Radiohead’s output, but a hugely important album for the British music world in 1995:

“Thom Yorke and his band of merry men have taken the musical landscape and toyed, spliced and even at times mollycoddled it. Where most bands pick a path and stick to it, the Oxford five-piece have danced over and beyond various musical landscapes, carving out a unique hollow for others to marvel at. But before they achieved such a status, Radiohead had some establishing to do.

At a time when the main argument in the music industry was Blur vs. Oasis, Radiohead were following up their debut Pablo Honey with a more progressive move towards the largely unpopular art rock movement. The Bends sounded different. Why? It had subtle creativity at its core. Producer John Leckie, who also produced Pink Floyd, gave the band an unprecedented freedom of expression and the band had more than enough ability to take the ball and run...

The first track Planet Telex feels genuinely refreshing even thirteen years later. Further on, High and Dry and Fake Plastic Trees are simply acoustic treats – stirring and poignant. Bones swiftly picks up the mood before Just blows most of the previous tracks out of the water, with the gain whacked up to ten and '90s guitar solos aplenty. Street Spirit (Fade Out), although notoriously downbeat contains one of the most recognizable guitar riffs in musical history. Accompany that with haunting harmonies and a string section and it all amounts to a stunning finish to the album.

Popular opinion places OK Computer as Radiohead's finest release to date, yet the The Bends was where they really put themselves firmly into the public consciousness. On the title track, Yorke sings, ''where do we go from here?'' like he didn’t have a plan…Luckily for us, he had a pretty good one.

From its first defiant line, “Where do we go from here?”, Radiohead’s landmark releaseThe Bends is a polished bottling of the quintet’s napalm, teething through post-rock classicism and bursting with a tortured falsetto from our beloved Thom Yorke. It combines the darkest tones of rock with a haunting dread that makes it marginally okay to digest it all — even if every song sees no resolution amid the harshness of reality. It feels honest. We’re all aware that making music is no easy feat. Since The Bends has always felt like the product of both ideas and effort, the fact that it sounds like it took neither idea nor effort is an upshot of talent. This is a raw ritual, a visionary blend of brooding texture, tension, spirit, and synth”.

As I said earlier, it is staggering to see how Radiohead went from being defined by Creep to releasing an album that is considered one of the best from the ‘90s. I do not think there are any anniversary releases planned to mark The Bends’ twenty-fifth anniversary – I think the band are working on something to celebrate Kid A’s twentieth later in the year -, but I would encourage people to go and seek it out. You can buy it on vinyl, or just go and stream the album.

It is a wonderful album that still sounds unrivalled nearly twenty-five years after it was brought into the world. Five years ago, many people reviewed and reassessed The Bends. I came across an article from Consequence in Sound that is fascinating to read:

“So what do Radiohead’s undisputed craftsmanship and self-projection add up to here? After all, the one great theme of this work is that it’s thrilling because it’s just so unassuming. An acoustic-sounding guitar, bass, drums, and striking synth harmonically open up lyricism that creates new possibilities for improv. At the time, no one would have dreamed there was anything lyrical or lean coming from a band who two years prior wrote a song called “Anyone Can Play Guitar”. Yorke’s best lines sound less like they’ve been written with force and more like they’ve just seeped from a conversation or personal thought. “You can force it, but it will not come/ You can taste it, but it will not form,” he murmurs on “Planet Telex”. And later, “Everything is broken/ Everyone is broken” finds him flippant without apology, cerebral without warning. “All your insides fall to pieces,” goes the line from “High and Dry”; returning seconds later with a hurt soaked in passive bitterness, he sings: “You will be the one screaming out.”

With a gentleness whose comforts only a corpse could resist, the cracked cadence of the word “be” during the beautiful “Fake Plastic Trees” plea of “if I could be who you wanted” knocks you off your feet fast enough to swivel you around and catch you again. Of course, the riling guitar-howler “Just” and the barrage of Jonny Greenwood’s strings on “My Iron Lung” tear through bass lines so fast that it purges the air right out of your lungs, but it’s perhaps Pablo Honey’s poppier colorations, marking songs like “Sulk”, that allow Yorke and crew to slather thick coats of dread onto “Street Spirit (Fade Out)”.

You can love this record, because it’s brave, because it’s needed. So “where do we go from here?” Radiohead leaves us with the last line on the album to answer that question: “Immerse your soul in love”.

There is barely a wasted or weak moment anywhere on The Bends (that being said though, I have never been a fan of the opening number, Planet Telex). From the intense and captivating songs like The Bends, Just, and My Iron Lung, to the more emotional High and Dry, Fake Plastic Trees, and Bullet Proof… I Wish I Was, The Bends is such a rounded and accomplished album. The track programming is perfect, so the first half has The Bends, High and Dry, and Fake Plastic Trees; the second half contains Just, My Iron Lung, and Street Spirit (Fade Out). Thom Yorke (lead vocals, guitars, piano and string arrangements), Jonny Greenwood – (guitar, organ, recorder, synthesizer, piano and string arrangements), Ed O'Brien (guitar and backing vocals) Colin Greenwood (bass) and Phil Selway (drums) are sublime throughout, and I especially love Thom Yorke’s huge vocal range and lyrical dexterity. I am sure you can find some rarities from The Bends at the Radiohead library, and it is clear the album influenced a host of British bands. Maybe it was Thom Yorke’s angsty falsetto that seemed like a real change against singers like Liam Gallagher (Oasis). Before The Bends, there were not a massive amount of popular bands whose singer was projecting this falsetto sound – it is hard to imagine Coldplay were it not for The Bends. Quite a few of Radiohead’s albums appear in the lists of the best albums ever – including OK Computer and Kid A -, but it is clear The Bends most certainly deserves every accolade it gets! Maybe there was some tension and struggle at the start, but Radiohead produced a simply stunning album in 1995. The album’s swansong highlight, Street Spirit (Fade Out), ends with the line “Immerse your soul in love”. That seems like a perfect way…

TO end one of the best albums ever..

FEATURE: It's Not Right and It's Not Okay: Time to Put Hologram Tours to Rest

FEATURE:

 

It's Not Right and It's Not Okay

IN THIS PHOTO: Whitney Houston

Time to Put Hologram Tours to Rest

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I am a big fan of Whitney Houston…

IN THIS PHOTO: A hologram Whitney Houston/PHOTO CREDIT: Danny Lawson/PA

and I have written about her before. Her death in 2012 took everyone by surprise, and her absence in the music world is still being felt. Although it is not a recent occurrence, deceased artists are being made to live on through holograms.  I have discussed this before but, as Houston is the latest star to receive this rather weird treatment, I wanted to re-investigate. NME caught the experience at the Manchester Apollo on 28th February:

“Good evening everyone and welcome to Whitney Houston – very much live!” gushes the controversial Whitney Houston hologram, performing at the Manchester Apollo eight years after the global icon’s death. “There’s going to be a lot of love coming off the stage tonight! We’re going to be giving you the best we’ve got!”

As avatar Whitney launches into ‘Saving All My Love For You’, the woman next  to me erupts into tears. Some fans are so taken in by the digital phantasm, they wave at ‘her’. At points, words can’t quite do justice to how unusual tonight is – the dictionary is waving a white flag.

An Evening With Whitney Houston has been endorsed by Houston’s estate, but early reviews of the first night in Sheffield were splenetic, with reports that audiences had taken to heckling, which feels like a very 2020 “Sue, you’re shouting at a hologram!” moment. But this didn’t deter the crowds from turning out in droves to Manchester; some I spoke with have come as far afield as Poland. Like many here, Oliver – celebrating his 17th birthday – was too young to see IRL-Whitney when she was in her prime. He doesn’t feel it’s macabre – or “ghost slavery” as one critic memorably dubbed it. 

Because it’s obviously a pre-recorded singing voice taken from live performances, there’s no spontaneity, no interaction, no sense of drama over whether she’ll hit the high note. While Houston’s stunning, soulful vocal pyrotechnics cut through the artifice, it’s often more interesting to watch how the crowd reacts to the hologram than what’s onstage. They clap after each song (which initially feels akin to saying “Thank you” to a self-service check-out). By the time ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)’ rolls around, they’re up out of their seats and moving with abandon. Some even suspend disbelief enough to cry a euphoric, “G’wan Whitney!’.

Whitney always strove for perfection: this is the idealised Disney-version fans see in their mind’s misty eye, and some have even claimed that tonight has helped them wash away memories of her disastrous 2010 tour, where she appeared drug-ravaged and raddled. The atmosphere is that of a communal live album listening party meets mass raucous hen do. Take the moment, during ‘I Will Always Love You’, when Whitney’s vocal pauses for tension and dramatic effect: fans drunkenly finish the lyrics before she does, with multiple karaoke renditions competing with each other and sounding like a fire on Noah’s Ark”.

One can only imagine the oddness of seeing a Whitney Houston show and, instead of her on the stage interacting and belting out her classics, there is this projection that, oddly, will receive applause and adulation! Perhaps people saw this coming years ago because, as technology becomes more advanced, we are finding new waves of delivering music.

IN THIS PHOTO: Roy Orbison

Everyone from Tupac to Roy Orbison have been revived and returned to the stage as a hologram. I can understand why some would want to see a hologram version of their favourite artist. It provides a chance to see them perform again, but what is the point of watching a dead artist when they cannot connect with the audience and there is no sense of connection?! Maybe we joked about cartoons and comedies that had people projecting images of dead people through headsets and were able to communicate with them. That was okay, as it seemed so far-fetched and extreme. Now, there is this odd craving for holograms that seems to make no sense. I know people who saw Houston’s show paid so much for that experience, and one wonders what they got out of it. Surely, a Netflix show could have been made and fans could watch it for free?! That image of people all together and seeing an artist who has been dead for years….it sort of unnerves me. Sadly, as people do go and watch these shows, there will be demand; another famously departed artists will be reanimated for their fans. There were plans for Amy Winehouse to return as a hologram but, thankfully, I think that has been held back! The pleasure and magic of a gig is seeing the artist and them reacting to the fans going wild.

IN THIS PHOTO: Amy Winehouse/PHOTO CREDIT: Phil Knott

Having a hologram that is unable to respond seems very cold and robotic. It can be hard letting go of artists we all love…but is that why fans pay lots of money to see a hologram version?! I worry it is us as people not being able to detach from technology. Whilst fans cannot film holograms – their images will not show on phones -, it is people watching music rather than actually experiencing it. I would hate to see artists like Tom Petty or David Bowie come back as a hologram, and I hope their estates refuse any offer, should it come their way. I cannot see any justification for having holograms perform. It seems more expensive than seeing the live artist, and what difference is there between YouTube videos and old T.V. footage and a hologram?! It is all rather unsavoury, and I do sort of question anyone who would happily see a deceased artist back on the stage in such a ghoulish form. The revolution is here to stay, but I struggle to get my head around it all. It seems that profitability and revenue is, as always, at the heart of things – as this fascinating article explains:

“Pop-star holograms are exploding out of a chemical reaction between three elements that have been influencing human decision-making for thousands of years: supply, demand, and survival instinct. Binelli points out in the Times that, per Pollstar, “roughly half of the 20 top-grossing North American touring acts of 2019 were led by artists who were at least 60 years old,” including the top three: the Rolling Stones, Elton John, and Bob Seger. His conversation with a member of one major hologram-production company suggests this technology could transform those data points from evidence of an imminent music-industry crisis into evidence of an enduring business opportunity:

“If you’re an estate in the age of streaming and algorithms, you’re thinking: Where is our revenue coming from?” Brian Baumley, who handles publicity for Eyellusion, told me. Some of those estates, Baumley bets, will arrive at a reasonable conclusion about the dead artists whose legacies they hope to extend: “We have to put them back on the road.”

PHOTO CREDIT: @ericmuhr/Unsplash

The art industry has just as much of a stake in extending the legacies—and profit windows—of major talents approaching (or past) the ends of their productive lives. By this point in time, the interplay between aesthetic evangelism and financial opportunism has been incentivizing choices within artists’ studios and estates for over a century, with each project finding its ethical level based on weighing those two factors.

Consider that every single plaster, bronze, or marble cast by Auguste Rodin was actually fabricated by another skilled artisan using only Rodin’s small clay models. Or that the Dia Art Foundation and the artist’s estate (with funding from Gagosian) completed Walter De Maria’s installation Truck Trilogy four years after his death. Or that the estates of Roy Lichtenstein and Constantin Brancusi both produced new editions of important sculptures decades past the dates their respective creators beamed up to that big studio in the sky.

Assuming performance art’s popularity surge continues, then, why wouldn’t a major gallery and/or institution be tempted to restage, say, the centerpiece of Abramović’s “The Artist Is Present” via hologram for a paying audience? Abramović herself might—might—be appalled by the idea as she lives and breathes now, but anything can happen when opportunities present themselves to estate executors. After all, visitors to the Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida can already interact with a ghost of its namesake digitally resurrected on flat screens throughout the institution”.

I shall leave things here but, whilst I can appreciate technology allows artists to live after death, it also gives record labels an excuse to milk their legacy – and artists who have died do not have a say in things. Although the hologram market is a lucrative one, our beloved and departed favourites…

PHOTO CREDIT: David Corio

ARE worth far more than that.

FEATURE: With the Summer Looming… The Coronavirus and How It Will Affect Live Performance

FEATURE:

 

With the Summer Looming…

PHOTO CREDIT: @trapnation/Unsplash

The Coronavirus and How It Will Affect Live Performance

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THERE is a lot of doubt…

PHOTO CREDIT: @v_well/Unsplash

as to how the coronavirus will spread and what impact it will have on the music industry. Of course, some nations are affected worse than others, and it will be a while before the disease is contained and things can return to normal. I have seen some gigs in the U.K. cancelled (near areas where people have tested positive) but, so far, it seems like Glastonbury is going ahead – as this article from The Guardian explains:

“The London book fair, which was scheduled to run from 10-12 March, has been one of the highest-profile cancellations, but organisers of other mass participation events taking place in the spring and early summer are ploughing on with their plans.

Glastonbury takes place in 16 weeks’ time, with Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney and Diana Ross as headline acts and more than 200,000 people expected to attend. Organisers said they were working closely with all the relevant agencies: “We continue to plan and prepare for the event, while at the same time closely monitoring developments with the coronavirus situation”.

It must be a tense time for music fans, as we do not know how far the disease will spread and whether it will impact summer festivals nearer the time. At the moment, only a very small number have people have contracted coronavirus, so I think it is a case of hoping for the best. There is a worry that festivals and gig organisers might err on the side of caution when it comes to protecting the public.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jay Janner/Associated Press

I think festivals closer to big cities will be more vulnerable, as there will be more tourists and those from overseas attending. It is hard to protect those festivals and gigs already announced, but one of America’s biggest annual festivals has been struck:

“Following South by Southwest’s announcement on Friday that the annual conference will not be held this year due to concerns over the coronavirus, artists and other members of the music industry say they’re losing critical professional opportunities and financial investments.

SXSW was scheduled to start next weekend and run March 13-22, but was canceled following a press conference where Austin Mayor Steve Adler declared a local disaster. This is the first time SXSW's 34-year history that the entire event has been cancelled.

For emerging artists in particular, SXSW provides a significant platform for fan and industry exposure alongside networking opportunities with members of the music business whom they may not otherwise encounter. Many of the artists, managers and publicists with whom Billboard spoke say that their tours, album releases and marketing campaigns were designed around the conference, which last year drew close to 160,000 attendees.

“We picked March to put out our record because we were gonna go to SXSW,” says Sean Solomon, singer-guitarist for L.A. post-punk band Moaning, who were scheduled to play more than a dozen shows at the festival. “Every time we played past years, we were able to reach as many people as we would touring for a whole month, because you’re playing three or four shows a day.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Jack Plunkett/AP

Solomon continues, "Had I known I wasn't gonna be there I would've tried to get work in L.A. We still operate as an indie band, we're not raking in a ton of money. We all have jobs. Now I don't have anything lined up."

It is hard for those acts who were due to play SXSW this year. I wonder whether there will be smaller gigs organised around the world that includes the artists booked for SXSW. Maybe some of the smaller acts who rely on the exposure of SXSW will be able to band together and perform. In any case, there will be eyes trained the way of festivals here like Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds. As I say, there have been no announcements regarding cancellations, but we are hearing of more cases of the coronavirus, so I am not sure. It is a shame for the ticket holders, but the biggest loss is for the artists themselves. So many hungry and promising artists were due to attend SXSW, and it would have been a massive opportunity. I hope there are contingency plans should a major festival like Glastonbury have to be scaled-back or cancelled. Whilst it would be rash to cancel any big festival here without just cause, there does need to be some sort of guarantee for artists playing festivals. I know organisers are not to blame when they have to cancel, but it is gutting if you have to lose out on this big festival/gig appearance.

PHOTO CREDIT: @arstyy/Unsplash

This article explains what has been cancelled or postponed, and I wonder whether SXSW could have been reorganised or held somewhere else – maybe it is a bit too close to the day to do that. I think other festivals should offer a rescheduled date(s) if the worse comes to the worse, but let’s hope things will be alright. I feel sorry for artists who have been building to a big festival, and they have found the thing cancelled. Smaller venues have less to lose – and artists cancelled can book at another venue – but live music around the world is being affected. Some fans would argue that, in the case of SXSW, they would have risked things, and it is a bit premature cancelling an entire festival when measures could have been taken to isolate those with coronavirus from the rest of the punters. It is tricky to see whether, in the U.K. at least, there will be a big rise in cases, and when we might see the last of it. Every sector is being impacted at the moment, but there is something heartbreaking when an artist is not able to perform and fans are unable to see them. Every music fan hopes that, in this current climate, our summer festivals…

PHOTO CREDIT: @marvelous/Unsplash

WILL be alright.

FEATURE: Spotlight: PINS

FEATURE:

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Debbie Ellis

PINS

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THERE are a few different reasons…

why I am including PINS in this feature. Usually, I include acts that are a bit newer, but I think the Manchester-fronted band warrant a lot more exposure, and they are on the precipice of hitting the big-time. Consisting singer/guitarist Faith Vern, guitarist Lois MacDonald, and bassist Kyoko Swan, PINS have been around for a few years, but they look set – I hope – to release a new album this year. Having already released E.P.s and a couple of albums, the PINS trio are fully in their stride, but I keep looking at festival line-ups that lack women on them. The argument, from organisers and a lot of ignorant music fans, is that there are not enough women to fill slots; most great bands are men and, so, festivals have to respond to demand. International Women’s Day was yesterday, and I saw so many posts bigging up female artists and highlighting the great work done by women in music. With bands like PINS capable of owning the stage and providing a storming set, I know they will headline a major festival very soon. I love their single, Aggrophobe, with Iggy Pop from 2017 and stormers like All Hail. The band are sensational and, according to their Twitter feed, they have some exciting news to share with us this week – might it be a new album?! This is what makes this feature timely: PINS are new to some people, and they need to keep their ears and eyes trained the way of this incredible trio.

By the time many people read this, the news from PINS will be out. Before I conclude, I want to bring in reviews from their two albums, and quote from an interview they provided to promote their E.P., Bad Thing. Girls Like Us arrived in 2013 and, as debuts go, it is pretty impressive! It is rare for a band to put out a debut that is tight but has so much going on; a blend of emotions and sounds with a distinct and fresh personality. I can recall hearing about Girls Like Us in 2013, and I could not think of anyone on the scene like them – to be fair, I still cannot compare anyone to PINS. Girls Like Us received some positive reviews. In their assessment, this is what Pitchfork had to say:

“Similarly, the band manage to obtain a skilful control of dynamics and pacing throughout the course of the record's wiry 33 minutes; meaning that it coalesces into far more than the sum of its parts. And in terms of standout points, the superb ‘Get With Me’ twists and turns around a memorable anthemic chorus, the aforementioned ‘Lost Lost Lost’ carries a superb understanding of pop music within its chameleonic DNA, whilst the spoken word ‘Velvet Morning’ – set against a kaleidoscope of backwards guitars, descending chord sequences and intricate drum work – is quite beautiful.

Influences carry scant relevance when they’re used appropriately. The truth is that any guitar music is heavy with influences spreading back over six decades. It is the way that you distil said influences that matter and when they’re sprinkled throughout the course of a record in carefully dropped combinations, they become an amalgam, a catalyst: their own. What PINS do is to turn those influences into their own sound: a synthesis that Walter White would approve of to create a record that genuinely strikes out PINS as a thrillingly new and unique voice in the contemporary British scene”.

Whilst a couple of the songs on the album include some less-than-striking lyrics, the energy, tightness and force you get from this band is clear! It would be two years before they followed up their debut, but they were definitely in demand on the live circuit. If you want to catch them this year, check out if they are heading your way. I think PINS’ instant appeal came from the fact that there was a gap in the market in 2013, and many people hooked on to Girls Like Us. In 2015, they put out the stunning Wild Nights. Perhaps a little stronger than their debut, there were some great reviews for Wild Nights. Apart from a few tin-eared critics (I’m looking at Pitchfork!), most people were on board with another cracking album. The Line of Best Fit were eager to (all) hail PINS:

“Fear not though, PINS haven’t lost their bite. Certainly their second effort eschews aggression for aggressions’ sake – but rather than wasting their breath howling and rallying, the band whip up tension in order to harden their edges.

“House of Love” has a dusty, almost western feel which is built around a monotonous bassline and Holgate’s deadpan intone of:  “Before you leave this house of love, take more, it’s what you came here for.” Later, “Oh Lord” walks a wire stretched to breaking point before insistent bass and angular guitars disintegrate into a messy climax.

The clamorous moments are not over-laboured, however. Wild Nights is a much more concentrated effort than its predecessor: the songs here are streamlined and longer than on their debut, yet the album itself is shorter. The noise-based, jammy interludes that interspersed Girls Like Us have been abandoned.

In 2012, PINS were put together by Holgate who longed to be in a band without having to be the token female member, but a real bond was forged between the girls over a love of Hole, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Best Coast records. Their second album is ultimately the sound of the band exploring the myriad influences that make up their sonics, in doing so realising who they are and focusing bloody-mindedly on driving the point home”.

I like the fact that PINS were formed because of a desire to have an all-female force, rather than there being one woman surrounded by men. There are all-female groups at the moment – including The Big Moon, and The Staves -, but not a whole lot. I think PINS have actually inspired a lot of other women to form bands, not that there is anything wrong with a male band with a female lead. There are some great interviews online with PINS, but I wanted to source from a Skiddle interview of 2018. The band were promoting their Bad Thing E.P. and, among other things, they talked about working with Iggy Pop. They were also asked about releasing music on their own label:

 “Tell us a bit about your label Haus of PINS?

That's pretty much something we started as soon as we started the band because we wanted to release our own first single, which was called 'Eleventh Hour'. We hadn't really got into it with any labels at that point, different people we're asking us if they could put it out for us, but we didn't want to be tied down to something so early because we'd literally played about three gigs.

PHOTO CREDIT: Asupremeshot

So we decided - in true PINS fashion - just to make our own label and the first thing we released was our own music. After that, we spoke to the bands we met while we were out touring and if any of them wanted to put something out we would take it and create the artwork and everything.

Why did you create your own label? Is it important to you to be able to put your own music out?

Yeah! I think it's good because there needs to be a stepping stone between being a band that's completely alone and being a band that's on a label. You need that in between, where you're not tidied down to being in a contract but you can still release some music - it was just enjoyable to work with other bands. We've kind of gone full circle because we released the record we just did on Haus of PINS, so we've gone from Haus of PINS, to being on a label, back to Haus of PINS again.

Is there a particular reason you went from releasing music on a label to going back to putting it out yourself?

I think it was just about... because we were in between everything and not sure what the next step should be, we just thought, "well, let's do what we usually do and take back the control and do it out own way", because then we know everything that's happening with the release and there's no extra people involved - to an extent anyway.

Obviously we're fortunate enough to have radio people now, and press people, but with the actual record that was just completely down to us. The artwork, what songs went on it, when it was released, what video would go with it. So we just wanted to hold the reigns again for a little while.

Where there any particular influences on the new Bad Things EP?

I think the whole thing just took more of an electronic influence. That was our first introduction to having drum pads and I think they're used on every song. So Sophie has drum pads and samples now, which she didn't have before. I think that was the main thing that's made it sound a little bit different to what we were doing before. I can't think of a band I could say it was specifically influenced by, just generally more electronic sounds.

There's a Joy Division song on there. I wouldn't say that it necessarily stayed true to the Dead Souls song, but maybe there's a bit of a New Order influence. I don't know if you knew, but I think it's on the Unknown Pleasures Joy Division album, they made like spray sounds. I don't know whether they actually used a can of aerosol into the microphone for that, so it's like "chh chh", so we recorded or own version and made a sample of that, we put that all over the record too.

Was there a particular influence for the EP artwork? It's very striking and bold, is that what you were aiming for?

Well, we always aim for timeless - but we don't always get it right - that's always the aim. Just something bright and colourful because everything's always been so dark before. We just wanted to do something a little bit more cheeky with this. Something that says, "Yep! We're here, we're doing this now, deal with it." I guess we wanted to be a bit sassy with it!”.

I have been a fan of PINS before, but I know there are those who have not discovered them yet. I definitely feel they are one of the bands to watch in 2020 and, whatever news it is they have to announce next week – whether it is a new track or album -, that will only increase the interest their way. I am looking forward to seeing what comes next, and I know 2020 will be very busy for PINS. Let’s hope there are festival dates, and that we get to see a lot of them on the road. Whatever is going down this week, it is an exciting…

PHOTO CREDIT: James Sutton

CHAPTER for the band.

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Follow PINS 

Official:

https://www.wearepins.co.uk/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/wearepins/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/WeArePins

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/wearepins/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2kbO657SWC6kiO1Dni3ook

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6eAqSYNyE3_qIXDusQrAUA

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: Björk – Homogenic

FEATURE:

Vinyl Corner

Björk – Homogenic

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ALTHOUGH this album is not…

IN THIS PHOTO: Björk in 1997/PHOTO CREDIT: Danny Clinch

celebrating an anniversary, I think everyone should buy Björk’s Homogenic on vinyl if they can. I am a big Björk fan, and it is hard to rank her albums. Homogenic is her third album, and it was released on 22nd September, 1997. Whereas her first two albums – Debut and Post – were more energised and club-based, Homogenic is Björk returning to her native Iceland, in musical terms. There is a beautiful blend of electronics and strings to create an album that sounds gorgeous and stirring at the same time. At the time of making the album, Björk was based in London, and recording started there. The album was later recorded in Spain, and there was a little bit of movement and disruption before Homogenic was completed. Björk’s first couple of records were noted for their eclectic, multidimensional sounds; she explored genres and different worlds in these evocative and broad albums. Homogenic is a more stripped and simpler album in many ways, though it manages to arrest the senses like Björk always could! Maybe, because the album is a paen to Iceland, there is a chillier sound than previous Björk outings. I love the fact she could have repeated her first two albums but, as is common with all innovators and great artists, Björk keep moving, both sonically and geographically. I think there was some uncertainty from critics and fans in 1997, as Homogenic does not sound too like Debut and Post – it is an album harder to define than its predecessors.

Producer Markus Dravs recalled how Björk wanted to project the sound of rough volcanoes with soft moss growing. Homogenic is so hard to label, which is what you want from an album. I feel, in a year that saw Radiohead release OK Computer, Spirtualized put out Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, and the mighty Dig Your Own Hole from The Chemical Brothers hit the market, Homogenic sounded like a natural companion. There is a clash of the natural world and technological in Homogenic. In 1997, technology was on the rise, yet Björk was fascinated by the beauty of her homeland – both are contrasted against one another on the album. Even though Homogenic was released almost twenty-three years ago, it still sounds completely original and ripe for exploration. The reviews for Homogenic was hugely positive. In their assessment, this is what AllMusic had to say:

“By the late '90s, Björk's playful, unique world view and singular voice became as confining as they were defining. With its surprising starkness and darkness, 1997's Homogenic shatters her "Icelandic pixie" image. Possibly inspired by her failed relationship with drum'n'bass kingpin Goldie, Björk sheds her more precious aspects, displaying more emotional depth than even her best previous work indicated. Her collaborators -- LFO's Mark Bell, Mark "Spike" Stent, and Post contributor Howie B -- help make this album not only her emotionally bravest work, but her most sonically adventurous as well.

A seamless fusion of chilly strings (courtesy of the Icelandic String Octet), stuttering, abstract beats, and unique touches like accordion and glass harmonica, Homogenic alternates between dark, uncompromising songs such as the icy opener, "Hunter," and more soothing fare like the gently percolating "All Neon Like." The noisy, four-on-the-floor catharsis of "Pluto" and the raw vocals and abstract beats of "5 Years" and "Immature" reveal surprising amounts of anger, pain, and strength in the face of heartache. "I dare you to take me on," Björk challenges her lover in "5 Years," and wonders on "Immature," "How could I be so immature/To think he would replace/The missing elements in me?" "Bachelorette," a sweeping, brooding cousin to Post's "Isobel," is possibly Homogenic's saddest, most beautiful moment, giving filmic grandeur to a stormy relationship. Björk lets a little hope shine through on "Jòga," a moving song dedicated to her homeland and her best friend, and the reassuring finale, "All Is Full of Love." "Alarm Call"'s uplifting dance-pop seems out of place with the rest of the album, but as its title implies, Homogenic is her most holistic work. While it might not represent every side of Björk's music, Homogenic displays some of her most impressive heights”.

Although Björk was only on her third album, she had been in the industry for many years – both as part of The Sugarcubes; her actual solo debut album was released when she was a child. Many people had watched this unique and highly captivating artist evolve and produce these incredible songs. I think Homogenic is one of Björk’s best works – in a career where she has barely put a foot wrong -, and I think it set a course for her.

She would revert back to some of Debut and Post’s tones for future albums, but Björk as this artist who mixed technology and nature together came to the fore on Homogenic. In this interesting review from Pitchfork, they talk about Björk’s evolution, and why the incredible Homogenic resonates:

“By 1997, when she released Homogenic, Björk had been a familiar face to pop fans for a decade. The Icelandic singer and composer had first appeared on many listeners’ radars in 1987, when the Sugarcubes’ surprise hit “Birthday” made actual stars out of a quintet whose entire raison d'être had been to lampoon pop. (Her countrymen, meanwhile, had been listening to her since 1977, when she recorded her debut album—a collection of covers translated into Icelandic along with a few original songs, including an instrumental written by Björk herself— at the tender age of 11.)

But the main theme running through the album is the wish to rush headlong into a life lived to the fullest—an unbridled yearning for the sublime. “State of emergency/Is where I want to be” she sings on “Jóga,” a song dedicated to her close friend and tour masseuse, in which churning breakbeats and slowly bowed strings mediate between lava flows and Björk’s own musculature—a kind of Rosetta Stone linking geology and the heart. “Alarm Call,” the closest thing on the album to a club hit (the Alan Braxe and Ben Diamond remix, in fact, is a storming breakbeat house anthem) shouts down doubt with the indomitable line, “You can’t say no to hope/Can’t say no to happiness,” as Björk professes her desire to climb a mountain “with a radio and good batteries” and “Free the human race/ From suffering.”

If you’re looking for catharsis, you won’t find better than the album’s final, three-song stretch: Following “Alarm Call” comes the incensed “Pluto”: “Excuse me/But I just have to/Explode/Explode this body off me,” she sings, launching into an ascending procession of wordless howls as buzzing synthesizers flash like emergency beacons. Finally, the quiet after the storm: The soft, beatless “All Is Full of Love,” a downy bed of harp and processed strings. The title is self-explanatory, the lyrics wide-eyed, nearly liturgical. It is a song about ecstasy, about oneness, about infinite possibility—and about letting go”.

If you are new to Björk, I would say Homogenic is as good a start as any! She is a terrific artist who, for decades, has startled and moved people. Her ninth studio album, Utopia, was released in 2017, so many people will ask whether we will see another album this year. Björk is always working, and you just know she is brewing something, somewhere. I would urge people to pick up a copy of Homogenic and…

EXPERIENCE the album on vinyl.

FEATURE: After an Ocean Rescue and a Glorious Summer’s Day… Might Kate Bush Record Another Song Suite Like Hounds of Love’s The Ninth Wave and Aerial’s A Sky of Honey?

FEATURE:

 

After an Ocean Rescue and a Glorious Summer’s Day…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush photographed for The Ninth Wave (from the album, Hounds of Love) in 1985

Might Kate Bush Record Another Song Suite Like Hounds of Love’s The Ninth Wave and Aerial’s A Sky of Honey?

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I must note two things before…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush captured in 2005/PHOTO CREDIT: Trevor Leighton/National Portrait Gallery, London

continuing on. For one, I have featured a lot of women on my site over the past week. That is never an apologetic thing: I understand I need to balance things a bit to include some guys soon but, with so many incredible female artists around, it seems only right to acknowledge them. The other thing I should mention is that, previously, I have tried to limit the number of Kate Bush-related posts on this site. I figured, even at one a month, it was a little excessive! Although my site is not a Kate Bush fan page, there are a lot of articles dedicated to her. Whilst I shall limit myself to two features concerning her this month, I have other angles I want to explore throughout this year. In fact, there is a relevance to his article. Apart from the news that Prime Minister Boris Johnson counts Bush as one of his five favourite women (and managed to do so in an unsettling way!), it is International Women’s Day. I have been celebrating female artists on a weekly basis, but today is especially important – and what better artist to write about than Kate Bush?! Now that I have cleared all that up, I am excited because, later this year, three of her albums celebrate big anniversaries. Her third album, Never for Ever, is forty in September; Hounds of Love is thirty-five on 16th September, whilst Aerial is fifteen on 7th November.

Of course, I will investigate each album closer to their anniversaries, but there are similarities between them that are worth noting. Both albums are, in a sense, crucially important. Hounds of Love was the album that followed The Dreaming. The Dreaming was the first album Kate Bush produced on her own, and it was her most experimental and challenging work to date – I don’t think she has made an album as loaded with texture and different styles. Although The Dreaming is an underrated masterpiece, it did divide critics, and there were big changes between The Dreaming and Hounds of Love. Bush changed her diet and took up dancing again; she moved to the country and built her own studio. If The Dreaming was made in the city and has quite an intense feel, Hounds of Love reflects nature and is more open; an album containing different colours and an artist hitting her peak. Hounds of Love was the first Kate Bush album with a song suite/cycle. Before then, she was working with songs in a traditional format; Hounds of Love featured a first side of separate tracks, whereas the second was a concept called The Ninth Wave: a woman is alone at sea and, until her rescue, she battles to stay awake and, when it seems hope is slipping away, she remembers her family and yearns for the mundane comfort of daily life.

I have not done it full justice but, on an album where Bush was under a bit of pressure, she created this magnificent suite that is accomplished, cinematic, and unique. It was rare, in 1985, for a Pop artist to construct an album with two distinct sides – even in 2020, one does not see it too often. That idea of someone being lost at sea and you do not know if they are going to be saved…I think it is a fear, irrational or not, we all share. The Ninth Wave is one of many reasons why Hounds of Love is considered Bush’s finest moment. The second time she created a suite of songs for an album was twenty years later for Aerial. If Hounds of Love was a huge evolution and a return from, if not absence, then exhaustion, Aerial was a return from the wilderness. Of course, Bush was not idle between The Red Shoes (her 1993 processor to Aerial) and her 2005 comeback. She had a son, Bertie, in 1998, and was enjoying being a mother; in addition to preparing her first double album. Not only do Hounds of Love and Aerial celebrate big anniversaries later in the year, I think both albums represent a sort of creative, spiritual, and personal rebirth. Both are very connected to nature and, whilst Hounds of Love’s suite is about the water, morning fog, and the fight for life, Aerial’s A Sky of Honey is the course of a day; a look at the sunset, of nature, and a modern-day Classical piece that is among the best things Bush has ever written – A Sky of Honey was re-titled An Endless Sky of Honey in 2010 when Aerial was released for the first time on iTunes (I have embedded the 2018 remaster of Aerial, as Rolf Harris appears on the original release, on the tracks An Architect's Dream and The Painter's Link - Bush’s son, Bertie, replaces him on the 2018 version). It is a single piece of music, but there are separate song titles and movements we run through.

Bush has said in interviews – she was asked which of her albums she likes best in a 2011 interview to promote 50 Words for Snow -, how much she loves Aerial and the importance of Hounds of Love. Although the albums were released at different points in her life, one can analyse The Ninth Wave as, perhaps, being a subconscious reaction to the post-The Dreaming period and a sense of dislocation – in spite of the fact that the album is remarkable. Aerial’s light and captive sound seems to reflect Bush as the new mum; someone embracing the tranquillity of home, but someone who was also releasing her first album in twelve years. Bush combined both of her suites when she performed in Hammersmith in 2014; her Before the Dawn residency linked her simply brilliant Hounds of Love majesty with the incredibly beautiful A Sky of Honey (such a great title!) from 2005. I have been thinking really deeply about Hounds of Love and Aerial. It has almost been fifteen years since Aerial arrived, and nearly nine years since 50 Words for Snow, I wonder whether Bush’s next album will contain a suite. The remarkable and immersive Aerial appeared three albums after Hounds of Love – The Sensual World (1989), and The Red Shoes (1993) appeared between them -, and, if there is another Bush album, that would be the third after Aerial – 50 Words for Snow was preceded by interesting Director’s Cut in 2011.

I am not going to speculate when Bush might release another album, but I do feel she will explore another suite. Given the fact the environment is under great threat, could there be a sort of combination of The Ninth Wave and A Sky of Honey?! I do think some of Bush’s most vivid, spellbinding and immersive songs have come from her song suites. I am not saying her next album should be a concept album, but a sort of modern update of Hounds of Love or Aerial would be very intriguing. Of course, she may have already recorded new songs, so my curiosity is moot. In a time for music where singles are released so quickly and there is a flood of stuff out there, do artists feel like they need to put out material quickly, or they cannot spend too long releasing a song cycle that would require some serious attention? I love the usual format of an album and singles, but there is something wonderful about concepts and song suites. Hounds of Love’s The Ninth Wave took us from the discovery of a woman at sea to her rescue; A Sky of Honey is a single piece of music revelling in the experience of outdoor adventures on a single summer day, beginning in the morning and ending twenty-four hours later with the next sunrise. Maybe the fact Bush’s son, Bertie, is in his twenties and things have changed in the world drastically since 2005 will force her mind in the direction of a new chapter; who knows what could come?! When it comes to Kate Bush and her next musical steps…

YOU just never know what you’ll get.

FEATURE: Stage Bite: The Struggles of Touring Life for Older Artists

FEATURE:

Stage Bite

PHOTO CREDIT: @josephtpearson/Unsplash

The Struggles of Touring Life for Older Artists

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THIS matches a feature…

PHOTO CREDIT: @roccocaruso/Unsplash

that was published in The Guardian last week. Whilst any artist is capable of suffering injury or getting ill, one has to look at the touring demands that most major artists face, and it is amazing that there is not more absence and suffering! It is always sad when an established, iconic artist has to retreat from the stage because of ill health or they cannot carry on. The legendary Tom Petty died only a few days after finishing a tour. He was sixty-six. He was taking medication for pain associated with touring, and it is heart-breaking realising that Petty would still be here if the rigors of touring had not have taken its toll. Artists like Tom Petty do not want to let their fans down, and they love live performance. I think touring schedules have become more punishing, and people expect bigger and bigger shows. The article from The Guardian raised some interesting points about artists who has quit the road and how profitable older acts are:

 “All this comes hot on the heels of an escalating wave of older stars who’ve either quit the road entirely or begun their last hurrahs, including Paul Simon at 78, Bob Seger at 74, Kiss aged between 68 to 70, Neil Diamond at 79, and Eric Clapton at 74.

“The fact is, it’s really hard to tour,” says Dave Brooks, who covers the concert industry for Billboard. “It’s terribly hard on your body, and mentally difficult too.” 

IN THIS PHOTO: Paul Simon/PHOTO CREDIT: Myrna Suarez

Jem Aswad, senior music editor of the trade publication Variety, says: “People think it’s easy to be a rock star. But try to hold the attention of 18,000 people, and perform really well, for two and a half hours every night. It’s an incredibly tough thing to sustain.”

If all that wear-and-tear takes a toll on older performers, their increasing absence from the road threatens to weaken the concert industry’s bottom line. According to the industry’s most authoritative source, Pollstar, five out of the top 10 worldwide tours of the last year featured band members over the age of 50. Three of those were peopled with players aged 60 to nearly 80. In Pollstar’s list of top 200 North American tours, the top three earners were over 70, including Elton, Bob Seger and the Stones.

When it comes to the highest grossing single shows worldwide, four of the top five positions were occupied by a group with players over age 70, while 16 of the top 20 shows featured the same band. That would be the Rolling Stones, who are about to embark on yet another American jaunt this spring and summer, despite the fact that Mick Jagger had to have heart valve replacement surgery last April”.

There is this struggle between the profitability and popularity of older musicians and the natural results of touring extensively. Although artists like Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones seem immortal and are performing lively in their seventies, the reality for most older artists is different.

PHOTO CREDIT: @kdarmody/Unsplash

One cannot blame fans and demand for the retirement of great artists and the health problems of others. I do wonder whether labels and promoters need to be a bit more vigilant and ensure that artists of a certain age – I am not sure what the best term to use is! -, are not pushed too far. Cases like that of Tom Petty’s are rare, but I worry so many artists in general are taking medication to cope with pain, and then are taking more than prescribed so they do not have to cancel gigs. Whilst the stage is not only for the young, it does seem like a very daunting place for artists from past generations. Now that the Internet allows fans and artists to connect, I feel tour schedules in general are more demanding, and artists have to travel further. It is inspiring that there are so many of the old guard on tour, and that is because they love their fans and the thrill of live performance. Musicians across the board are experiencing mental-health issues because of touring, and this also impacts older artists. At a time when Spotify is replacing physical sales to an extent, are artists touring much more so they can make the money they used to with album sales? Maybe the modern age and all its convenience will negatively impact various sides of the music industry. I was reading that Guardian article, and I did not realise just how popular – compared to younger artists – older acts were.

IN THIS PHOTO: Elton John/PHOTO CREDIT: Greg Gorman

Maybe it is that need to go on the road and fulfill demand that means, invariably, there will be consequences. Look at artists like Elton John who, at the moment, is working his way through an epic, months-long farewell tour. He has not been free from illness recently, and I can imagine how affected he is when he has to pull dates because of this. It is tricky finding a balance and remedy, though it is clear that, for many older artists, the stage today is quite intimidating. In a wider sense, I wonder whether touring has become more taxing with digital music. It would be nice to think that all of the legends still touring will be able to do so for many more years, but I think there will be a time when the physical and emotional cost will become too much. I was aware that a few classic artists have had to retire for various reasons, but reading more about this, and it is clear that many older artists are finding it hard to remain on the stage – despite the fact they are among the most popular and profitable in all of music. It is easier for younger artists to break through and perform, because of platforms like Spotify. Just look at festival line-ups, and there are so many artists there who have only been performing for a few years. Radio stations, largely, feature music from younger acts – meaning it is harder, even for the icons, to get the same sort of attention and demand without slogging it out in the live arena. I do hope things improve regarding touring and our more experienced artists because they are people who…

PHOTO CREDIT: @horizonchurch/Unsplash

MEAN so much to us all

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

FEATURE:

 

Sisters in Arms

IN THIS PHOTO: Millie Turner

An All-Female, Winter-Ready Playlist (Vol. IX)

__________

IN terms of weather this weekend…

IN THIS IMAGE: Austra

it is a bit less drastic outside, and starting to feel a tiny bit like spring. Tomorrow is International Women’s Day, so this playlist feels appropriate and timely; showcasing some of the fantastic women in music at the moment. I am going to post a few features tomorrow, but I was keen to put out this playlist with as many artists as I could – some of the very best tracks of the past week. Have a listen to the cracking tunes below, and I know you will find much to enjoy. As we head into the weekend, I think we need music accompaniment. Let’s hope there is something in this playlist that…

IN THIS PHOTO: Greentea Peng

CATCHES your attention.  

ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Artists

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Rina Sawayama – XS

HAIM – The Steps

Blondage – Over It

Dixie Chicks – Gaslighter

Jhené Aiko – Speak

PHOTO CREDIT: Si Moore

Esmé Patterson – Light in Your Window

Overcoats – I’ll Be There

Lisa Marini – Kite

Brandy Clark – Apologies

PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Lovell-Smith

Nadia Reid – High & Lonely

Millie Turner – Jungle

PHOTO CREDIT: Amalia Navarro

Berne – To the Lions

PHOTO CREDIT: Lucy Foster Photography.

Saint Sister – Dynamite

Grace VanderWaal – Today and Tomorrow (From Disney’s Stargirl)

PVRIS – Dead Weight

IN THIS IMAGE: Peaking Lights

Automatic, Peaking Lights – Calling It (Peaking Lights Disco Rerub)

Austra – Anywayz

Courtney Marie Andrews – If I Told

PHOTO CREDIT: She Is Aphrodite

merci, mercy – Fucked Myself Up

MORGAN – My Year

Empress Of – Give Me Another Chance

PHOTO CREDIT: Adeline Mai

The Aces – Daydream

Greentea Peng – Ghost Town

Katie Malco – Animal

PHOTO CREDIT: Willie Runte

Luna Bec – Come over Tonight

SKIA – IDWTAI

Fickle Friends – Eats Me Up

PHOTO CREDIT: El Hardwick

Porridge Radio – Circling

Róisín Murphy – Murphy’s Law

Hilary Woods - The Mouth

Hazel English – Combat

Hannah Georgas – That Emotion

Chromatics – Famous Monsters

PHOTO CREDIT: Jessie Morgan Photography

Orchards – Magical Thinking

Diet Cig – Thriving

PHOTO CREDIT: Rasmus Luckmann

Kiesza – All of the Feelings

FEATURE: A Year for Acknowledgment and Progress? International Women’s Day 2020

FEATURE: 

A Year for Acknowledgment and Progress?

IMAGE CREDIT: Rough Trade

International Women’s Day 2020

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AT this time of year…

IMAGE CREDIT: Kelsey Dake

I think about women in music a lot. It is International Woman’s Day on Sunday (8th March), and it is a day where we celebrate women’s rights, call for chance and ask for a more equal world. This year’s International Women’s Day seems very appropriate and something we can all agree on:

“International Women's Day 2020 campaign theme is #EachforEqual

An equal world is an enabled world.

Individually, we're all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day.

We can actively choose to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women's achievements.

Collectively, each one of us can help create a gender equal world.

Let's all be #EachforEqual”.

Music, like so many other industries and corners of the landscape, is affected by sexism and a lack of gender equality. Although Reading & Leeds Festivals added some more women to their line-up very recently, they were called out because of their male-heavy line-up. It is sad that there is still so much ignorance of great music made by women, across so many genres and styles. Festivals, especially larger ones, are culpable of lacking awareness and ignoring a lot of great female artists. Festivals like Glastonbury are yet to announce their bill, but I think we will see a fifty-fifty gender balance; they have already booked one female headliner, Taylor Swift. There are minor steps occurring regarding festival bills, but it is shocking that we are still so far away from seeing equality in 2020 – the rest of this year needs to be about reversing past omissions and acknowledging the great women who deserve exposure and their opportunity.

It is not only festivals that have a problem with sexism. The music industry as a whole has an issue, but the past couple of years has been defined by incredible women dominating and releasing some of the best music around. It is impossible for me to name all the great female artists who have strengthened music and could own festivals, but artists such as Grimes, Halsey, The Big Moon and Georgia have already released huge albums. Last year, FKA twigs, Solange, Little Simz and Lizzo were among the tremendous women making 2019 bright, varied and packed with wonder. I think there was the assumption – or still is – women are solo artists and, as bands are favoured at festivals, that explains the lack of women on bills. From female-fronted bands like Wolf Alice and Amyl and the Sniffers to female bands like The Big Moon, there is no shortage of options. If you want women who can shred it with the best of the rest, there is Anna Calvi and Sharon Van Etten; confident and impassioned performers like Lizzo and Christine and the Queens can rule, whilst Billie Eilish is a sensational fit for any bill. In a wider sense, the lack of respect provided to women is unacceptable. I think music is best when everything is embraced, but I look around and there are still woeful imbalances that are not being corrected.

It is mostly women calling for change, with relatively few men in the industry joining them in condemnation and protest. I keep saying how 2020 needs to be a year for clear vision and balance, and International Women’s Day will shine a light on the importance of women in music and how, when you listen to the best music of the moment, so much of it is coming from them. There are articles that state how we really need more women producers and musicians in order to work towards parity. In terms of producers, there are women in studios and many others coming through – studios are still male-heavy, and I think there is this assumption that women cannot produce or do not want to. Whilst there might be fewer women making music than men, there are more than enough stunning artists out there. The imbalance and ignorance has very little to do with statistics and percentage graphs: more accurately those in power (mainly men) are peddling the same excuse when women are not booked for festivals and, when it comes to change, how many men are actively committed to listening to women’s voices and asking why so many women are leaving music because of abuse and exclusion?! Rather than end on a sour or angry note, it is International Women’s Day on Sunday, so I will end with a playlist that puts some of music’s finest women in the spotlight. Of course, there are many more women – and many more current women – making the music industry so strong and promising, all of whom deserve equality and a fairer industry. Let’s hope, after the countless social media posts regarding women in music and why International Women’s Day is so important, it will spur those in power to…

MAKE promises they can keep!

FEATURE: The March Playlist: Vol. 1: House Music All Night Long Is Murphy’s Law

FEATURE:

 

The March Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Róisín Murphy

Vol. 1: House Music All Night Long Is Murphy’s Law

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WHILST there are fewer big releases…

IN THIS PHOTO: The Lemon Twigs

than previous weeks, there are still some mighty artists in the mix. Included in this week’s selection are Róisín Murphy, JARV IS…, The Lemon Twigs, and Katy Perry. There are also tracks from Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, HAIM, and Sea Girls. It is another typically eclectic week, so there should be something in there for everyone! I think this weekend is going to be more settled than previous ones in terms of the weather, so more of us will be venturing out. Take this playlist with you, and discover some of the best tracks from this year. Enjoy this assortment of huge tracks, and I hope there is more than enough included that…

IN THIS PHOTO: Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott

GETS the weekend off to a flyer!

ALL PHOTOS/IMAGES (unless credited otherwise): Artists

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JARV IS... - House Music All Night Long

Katy Perry - Never Worn White

PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Thomas Anderson

Haim – The Steps

PHOTO CREDIT: Adrian Samson at Industry Art

Róisín Murphy - Murphy's Law

The Lemon Twigs – The One

Rina Sawayama – XS

Little Dragon (ft. Kali Uchis) - Are You Feeling Sad?

Demi Lovato - I Love Me

Porches – Patience

Biffy Clyro – End Of

PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew Cooper

Sea Girls – Why Won’t You Admit

Bush - Flowers on a Grave

Dixie Chicks – Gaslighter

PVRIS - Dead Weight

Empress Of - Give Me Another Chance

Deacon Blue – In Our Room

Austra – Anywayz

Kodaline – Sometimes

Megan Thee Stallion – Captain Hook

Lauv – Invisible Things

Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott – A Good Day Is Hard to Find

Luke Sital-Singh - Undefeated

PHOTO CREDIT: Mariella Driskell

Stealing Sheep – Just Do

The Aces – Daydream

The Jaded Hearts Club, Miles Kane – Nobody But Me

Dermot Kennedy – Resolution

PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Lovell-Smith

Nadia Reid – All of My Love

FEATURE: Second Spin: Betty Boo – Boomania

FEATURE:

 

Second Spin

Betty Boo – Boomania

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I am starting a new feature…

that shines a light on the albums that were underrated at the time of their release, deserve wider acclaim now, or have aged better as the years have progressed. There are a couple of reasons why I am featuring Boomania as the first album of this feature. For a start, the woman behind the Betty Boo alter ego is Alison Clarkson. She is fifty today (6th March), and Boomania turns thirty later this year. I also remember Boomania fondly when it came out. I was seven when the album came out, and Boomania, to my young ears, was an exciting and exceptional addition to 1990. At the end of the 1980s and the start of the 1990s, there was this wave of great Dance, Club, and Pop music that was defined by its anthemic, fun, and catchy tone. This feature from Louder than War, published in 2016, talks about what was happening in 1990:

“It’s 1990. Pop/Rock Music was in flux. Madchester!  Soul II Soul. Rock was ‘Dead’ – apart from in the USA where punk was ‘breaking’.  I was still young (at 26) and my musical identity was somewhat in-flux too.  Goth had become a joke. The Mary Chain were repeating themselves. The Pixies were the only band that mattered until the fledgling Manics emerged…  so even I resorted temporarily to Pop Music as a source of tacky disposable joy.

Neneh Cherry was cool -due to her associations with the Slits and Co -and was the Queen of Pop – peerless and majestic rap/pop which never sounds nothing more than joyful.

Salt’n’Pepa had appeared on the Tube as early as 1987 (My Mic Sound Nice, Check One, My Mic Sound Nice Check Two, Are. You. Ready!) pre-major label make-over and were inspirational and a gap must’ve appeared in the market for a UK equivalent.

Deee-Lites Groove is in the Heart was the party record of 1990 but Betty Boo just looked fabulously right and we wanted her to be Grrrreat!”.

I was just musing, when thinking about Betty Boo/Alison Clarkson, about another British talent who released her debut album in 1990. Monie Love was born a few months after Clarkson; both are London artists and, in terms of their rapping style, there are some similarities. If Monie Love’s debut, Down to Earth, was better reviewed – and she and Betty Boo were very different in terms of their backgrounds -, I think there was something in the air in 1990. Maybe it was a continuation of the 1980s’ gold, but 1990 was a stunning year for music. Maybe Betty Boo got overlooked when you consider we had Soul II Soul and Deee-Lite owning the airwaves. What I love about Betty Boo is how she mixed elements of the cartoonish with the serious. Clarkson, as a twenty year old, was sassy and mature, but there was a sense of the throwaway and camp in her videos. That mix of the sassy and flirty can be heard in big hits like Doin’ the Do and Where Are You Baby?

These are the two songs that we all remember from the album, but there is huge quality throughout. 24 Hours and Don’t Know What to Do are classic Pop gems and, throughout Boomania, there is plenty of energy and vitality. Like all good albums, there is emotional blend and balance – Boomania would be too exhausting were it all wild jams and giddy choruses! Although some feel Boomania has not aged well and was very much a product of its time, I feel it is an underrated album that warrants a second spin. Other albums I will include in this feature have fared better through the years and are regarded more fondly, but one cannot dismiss the big moments and confidence that runs through this 1990 debut. This article from 2012 digs deeper into Betty Boo’s Boomania:

“Although Boo’s biggest hit was the slightly kitsch and commercial ‘Where Are You Baby?’, which reached #3 back in 1990, the remainder of the album is full of brassy raps delivered over hip-hop beats, matched with infectious pop choruses. Her initial break came courtesy of a collaboration with Beatmasters in 1989, appearing as the guest vocalist on the #7 hit, ‘Hey DJ/I Can’t Dance (To That Music You’re Playing)’. This single was rightfully included on Boomania, and was a great introduction to the Boo persona.

Other tracks released from Boomania were ‘Doin’ The Do’ and the superb ‘24 Hours’. The former was her first solo single and opened with the lines ‘It’s me again / Yes, how did you guess? / ‘Cause the last time you were really impressed’ – Boo certainly started as she meant to go on. The latter (embedded below) was the final single to come from her début, sadly and undeservedly reaching a paltry #25 on the UK charts. It wouldn’t be until Craig David’s ‘7 Days’ that the days of the week would again be used so well in a song’s chorus.

The great thing about her début album is how it mixes up the pace perfectly. Boo handles up-tempo and mid-tempo equally well, even throwing in the occasional curveball such as the striking and rather haunting ‘Valentine’s Day’. A particular highlight for me though is the quirky funk of ‘Mumbo Jumbo’ which sees Boo in 100% fierce mode, sending a lover packing for two-timing her. The attitude overflows here, beginning with her yelling, ‘You’re a damn liar!’, followed by the sound of a door slamming”.

I think there is some interesting Pop music coming through now that takes from what was around in 1990, whether it was Betty Boo, Madonna, or The Sundays. I think there is a relative lack of joy in Pop. Do people look back and feel albums like Boomania are too twee and gleeful? Unlike some of her contemporaries, I think Betty Boo managed to bring plenty of attitude and class to the party.

Although Betty Boo burned brightly for a short time – Boomania’s 1992 follow-up, GRRR! It's Betty Boo, was not as successful as her debut; she is yet to release a third album -, I think Boomania is a great album that deserves more respect. Last year, Classic Pop caught up with Alison Clarkson and asked her about that debut album and how she got into music:

“Growing up, pop music and football were Alison Clarkson’s twin obsessions. Duran Duran (John Taylor in particular) would battle it out with Glenn Hoddle and Garth Crooks for space on her bedroom wall, but it was Adam Ant who was the adolescent Clarkson’s biggest musical crush. “His videos were like mini films,” she coos. “I think they probably had a huge impact on when I started making records, that I wanted videos to be a bit more fun.”

The arrival in the mid-80s of a tornado of searingly provocative, lyrically inventive hip-hop bands would however prove the catalyst for Clarkson to strike out as a musician. She devoured the work of Public Enemy, EPMD, LL Cool J and Erik B & Rakim before forming the Salt-N-Pepa-inspired She Rockers with chums Donna McConnell and Dupe Fagbesa while still at school. Keen to make her own records, she signed on for a sound engineering course, only to drop out after a year. “It was far too technical,” she winces, “I just wanted to get on and make music”.

“Though she succumbed to Rhythm King’s desire to hire a seasoned producer to sprinkle some professional fairy dust over her bedroom-demoed tracks, it’s clear that Clarkson, for all her diffidence, had a steely determination to remain in control of her artistic output. The Betty Boo persona wasn’t committee-cooked or crafted by a gaggle of image consultants, it was 100% Alison Clarkson. A long-time fan of The Avengers TV show, she’d been inspired by that series’ Emma Peel, the feminine, kickass superspy played with flirtatious relish by Diana Rigg. “The way she looked, the catsuits, it was so simple, but so powerful,” enthuses Clarkson. In the Doin’ The Do video, she’s there, strutting imperiously around a school in a leather jacket and hotpants, topped by her iconic black bob ‘do. As videos go, it feels electrifyingly rebellious”.

I do miss some of those Pop artists from the 1980s and 1990s and wonder, if they arrived now, would they fit in? 1990 was a brilliant year for music, and Betty Boo was part of a Pop/Rap wave that managed to blend the fun with the strong. She was not a marketed and committee-spun Pop artists that one might have found on Top of the Pops at the time. Will we ever see another Betty Boo album?

“But what about new Betty Boo material? With her back doing the live thing, is there any hunger to finally put out that long-waited-for third album? It’s not even like ‘Betty Boo’ has ever gone away. It’s never just been a professional alter ego. Even today, most of her mates call her ‘Boo’. And that famous black bob with the flipped-up sides is comfortingly intact, three decades on. “It just does that,” she smiles. “Because I play a lot of tennis I try not to get it cut too often. It was flat when I left the house, then it just went whoop!”

As regards that new music then…?

“Now I feel like it’s the right time,“ she says, “because even people that were before me, like Bananarama, they keep making records and I’m thinking, I’ve gotta do it! What’s stopping me?”

What indeed? But who would the performing Betty Boo be at 49? What would a middle-aged Betty Boo rap about? “That’s the thing!” she laughs. “Country life? Tennis? I’m hoping the spark will just come. I think I’ve got quite a few fans out there who’d still like a record from me and I’d do it just for them really”.

As it is Alison Clarkson’s birthday today, I have been compelled to look back at the debut Betty Boo album and wonder whether people got too fixated on the two big singles – Doin’ the Do and Where Are You Baby? – and ignored the rest of the album. Sure, there were stronger albums out in 1990, but I think Boomania could provide inspiration to artists/bands emerging now regarding how to write a Pop gem – in fact, 1990 in general is a year many acts should study closely. Although there are no plans for another album, I do believe Betty Boo is touring this year. Nearly thirty year after its release, the epic Boomania…

STILL sounds fresh and intoxicating.  

FEATURE: Nostalgia vs. The Present: The Difficulty in Defining the ‘Best Year in Music’

FEATURE:

Nostalgia vs. The Present

The Difficulty in Defining the ‘Best Year in Music’

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I am bringing up this subject…

because there is always a debate about which year is the best for music. I think it is impossible to limit it to a single year but, ask most people and see most polls, and many of the years selected will be before the last decade. In fact, there is always a focus on the 1970s and 1990s. Maybe a prosperity in these decades means that people recall them fondly. I have alluded to James Acaster before but, when thinking about this recent article from the BBC, something interesting popped out. He didn’t explicitly say that 2016 was the best year for music, but he says it is one of his favourites – and he brought up a debate regarding nostalgia and current music; whether we need to open up more to new music and how it is important to have a blend of the old and new in the mind:

“What was the greatest year for music of all time? Many of us, when asked, would probably choose an era from our own youth.

Certain songs or albums which remind you of school, your rebellious teenage years or college and university are the ones most people would choose to return to again and again.

But not James Acaster.

In his new book, Perfect Sound Whatever, the comedian argues 2016 was the greatest ever year for music. And, to be fair, he puts forward a compelling case.

IN THIS PHOTO: James Acaster/PHOTO CREDIT: James Acaster

Some of the albums he highlights were both groundbreaking and hugely successful. Beyonce's Lemonade, for example, or Frank Ocean's critically-acclaimed Blonde. Kanye West and Radiohead are also namechecked, as is David Bowie's final studio album Blackstar, released days before his death.

And while some albums he writes about are much more obscure and unlikely to be remembered by anyone other than the most dedicated fans, Acaster says overall it was a significant year for evolution and innovation in music.

"We need to stop this writing off of modern day music, because the rules for what was the best year for music of all time keep getting made by old people," he says. "I bought over 500 albums from 2016... and if I list my favourite albums now, most of them were released in 2016.

"So I'd be a liar if I said any other year was the best for music. I just think there are so many different types of music now, a level of diversity across all the genres. People go on about the '70s, and you've still got the same styles as there were in the '70s, but [there are] even more now. Music keeps progressing and keeps getting more exciting".

It is interesting because, as part of my existence relies on scouring for new artists and sharing fresh sounds, I am heading back in time more and more. Perhaps, as I have said previously, this is a reaction to hard times and the embrace of the warm and familiar. I think there are elements of the past that are missing from today’s scene: The Pop market is not as uplifting as it was; there was definitely greater unity, and it was easier to get on top of all the new music coming out.

I would say my favourite year for music is 1994, but I cannot confidently claim this is music’s greatest year. Although 1994 was rich with diversity and genius, there are plenty of other years that come close. I wouldn’t say the past decade or so has been a bit bare in comparison, because there have been plenty of brilliant albums released. 2016, as Acaster noted, in bounteous and it (the year) gave us some gold. It is tempting to define a year as being the best – as we would with an album or song -, but I think we can be too subjective and ignore a lot from these times. Although the last decade has not been as memorable as, perhaps, times past, there is so much music coming out from all corners, one cannot ignore what has been happening the past few years. I think it is tempting to be overtly-reliant on the past, but music from now instructs our future and is moulding so many people. We often choose a year from our childhood as being best, as the memories we had back then were stronger and, perhaps, more instrumental and defining. Today’s music is more advance and varied than ever; the past couple of years has seen great strides and revelations; the sheer number of new artists adding different shades and contours to the landscape is stunning.

Whilst I will always reserve my preference of older music, I do love new music. That said, I have been ignoring a lot of new music and becoming too insular regarding discovery. It is hard to absorb so much of what is being put out, which can make us feel a little intimidating. Whilst one cannot listen to everything good, I think there is a lot to be said of modern music. Politics and social issues are prevalent; there is greater visibility of artists from other nations (apart from the U.K. and U.S.), and so many original and innovative albums are being released. It is too tempting to snuggle into the warm embrace of past sounds, but I think what is happening in music at the moment is really interesting. The best blend is to keep alive those old favourites whilst splicing in the best of the contemporary. As I said, it can be tricky controlling the stream of new music. There is no right answer when it comes to which period/year was best for music, but I do think a lot of people either neglect the potential of new music or they are a little narrow regarding their focus. The greatest thing one can experience in the world…   

PHOTO CREDIT: @nataliedivine/Unsplash

IS music’s rich variety and evolution.  

FEATURE: Spotlight: Gerry Cinnamon

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Gerry Cinnamon 

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THERE are some artists who…

are quite divisive, and one never knows why there is objection and that negativity. Gerry Cinnamon is an artist I have been aware of for a while now, and I was told about his music about a year ago. He has been compared with artists like Lewis Capaldi but, to be fair, Cinnamon is more interesting and attractive then Capaldi. I really like his music, and he is an artist who puts on a top live set, and builds word of mouth. I love artists who build that word of mouth, and you get people chatting passionately. Although some find Cinnamon a little controversial or a bit similar to other artists, I think he is an original voice that has a long future. This interesting NME feature from last year shone a light on a breakthrough artist with an amazing sound:

 “The lack of mainstream media uptake on Cinnamon speaks to a sort of snobbishness about his genre of music and his fans. It’s easy to caricature him as nu-ladrock (‘Belter’ is about a girl who is “a belter”) and his fans as stray members of Liam’s parka monkey tribe, but that is, at heart, regional and class snobbery.

Cinnamon makes music for mates, essentially. And everyone here is in a group of mates who’ve shared his music among them. It’s a word-of-mouth sensation, the kind of analogue oddity you don’t expect in the digital age, but is so much bigger and stronger than Twitterati leaping on the latest trend.

Cinnamon’s presence here, and that of peoples’ prince Lewis Capaldi, and The Courteeners, is a marker of a revolution that’s happening in music at the moment – ordinary people bashing down the doors previously guarded by tastemakers”.

Cinnamon is set to release The Bonny on 10th April; it follows his 2017 album, Erratic Cinematic. I am looking forward to that album, and it will be interesting to see what Cinnamon produces. It is clear that Cinnamon’s early life – he was born Gerry Crosbie – was pretty tough, and I think a certain determination and toughness feeds into his work. He is an exceptional live performer, and he makes for a compelling interviewee. When he spoke with The Face last year, we learned more about an artist who can charm and wow people with ease:

“Gerry Cinnamon – born Gerry Crosbie – is a 35-year-old musician from the Castlemilk housing scheme in Glasgow. His childhood was challenging (“my life was fucking mental growing up”): no father figure around, it seems, and some trouble in his teens. He’s worked as a scaffolder and plumber, and he’s tried the band route, but it didn’t suit him. He has, then, some life experiences under his belt, and it comes pouring out in his songs.

He’s a stick-thin pocket Mod, lean and compact and smiley, a cheerful man bristling with wiry energy. Underneath his near permanently-affixed Bob Dylan cap is a carefully coiffed Britpop haircut. The rest of his uniform comprises skintight, heavy selvedge jeans and Adidas sportswear. Covering the entirety of the back of his right hand is a full tattoo of the face of his beloved Rascal. The wee terrier accompanies Cinnamon on tour, as does his (Gerry’s, not the dog’s) manager, Kayleigh. She’s given up her dayjob as a human rights lawyer to look after her partner. Cinnamon doesn’t drink before shows and is trying to give up the fags on this tour, but is allowing himself the odd weed vape now and then.

Before he comes onstage, he tickles the audience with a carefully curated playlist: a bit of Oasis, a bit of Courteeners, before climaxing with Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline, which everyone in the room tears into with vocal gusto. It’s like your best mate’s bevvied-up birthday party or wedding, or an arena-sized one-night alcoholiday.

The music and the vibe of Gerry Cinnamon, then: it’s not cool, it’s not clever, it’s not edgy. It’s just real. He’s just real. That’s all – and everything – his fans want.

“I started writing songs, and I was like: right, I need to gig these,” he begins by way of explaining his one-man-band approach. But playing multi-band bills in the pubs and clubs of Glasgow, typically, ​“you get ripped off. They take five to six quid for a £7 ticket. You need to sell between 25 and 50 tickets, then you have to get on the bill and stuff and it’s a fucking cattle market.

“I thought, ​‘fuck this, man,’ and sold all my electric guitars. With the money, I bought a loop pedal.”

That way, even when playing shitty pub gigs, Cinnamon could control his own sound. ​“When the sound guy fucked off for a fag, I could [hit] a kick drum, do my own mix and if he’s done a shit mix, just pump the volume. I would have the place absolutely rocking. And then from there you start taking over a wee bit, you know what I mean? I started establishing myself”.

I have seen a lot of ‘ones to watch’ lists for 2020, and I have not seen Gerry Cinnamon appear as much as he should have. Maybe the fact he has been recording for a few years means he is considered a bit established and not ‘new’. I think it is well worth checking out Cinnamon’s work, and go and follow him on social media if you can – the links are at the bottom of this feature.

I am going to wrap things up in a bit but, with an album due and a lot of new fans discovering his music, I think 2020 will be a stellar year for Cinnamon. I think his live sets are largely responsible for so much buzz and word of mouth. He seems to transform himself when he is faced with an audience. This is The Guardian’s review of a performance in Sydney from December:

“On stage Cinnamon transforms them into out-and-out bangers. Armed busker-style with an acoustic guitar, harmonica and a loop pedal with a stonking sonic boom, he stomps and shouts and races about, barking with delighted laughter mid-ballad and serving up a leave-everything-on-stage energy that sends audiences into ecstasy.

When Cinnamon finally takes the stage he launches straight into the bluesy, riff-laden Lullaby, its chorus accompanied by stage-to-ceiling blasts of smoke (as if Sydney needed any more), then the breezy album opener, Sometimes. Both are songs you could end a set with and are met with rapture.

Dark Days, from the forthcoming album The Bonny, delivers the line: “These are the best days that you’re ever gonna have.” Canter starts with: “This is the beginning of the rest of your life / You better start movin’ like you’re running out of time.” Exhortations to seize the moment, and this man is playing as if it’s his Last. Gig. Ever.

The crowd are dancing and moshing and singing and hugging and high fiving and livestreaming the show to friends back home, whose stunned faces stare back at us from phones held high. It’s a sweaty, glorious frenzy of connection”.

If you want to see Cinnamon perform, then you can do so. He is a fantastic musician and someone who will keep on growing and noticing up success. If you need a new artist that is different to everyone out there, then Gerry Cinnamon is…

ONE to look out for.  

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Follow Gerry Cinnamon

Official:

https://www.gerrycinnamonmusic.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Gerrycinnamonmusic/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/GerryCinnamon

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/gerrycinnamon/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7cpCnhhBIU1gA7EhTFApN1