FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: Kirsty MacColl - Kite

FEATURE:

 

 

Vinyl Corner

Kirsty MacColl - Kite

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IT is sad to think that…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kirsty MacColl in 1989/PHOTO CREDIT: Honey Salvadori/National Portrait Gallery, London

the final album from Kirsty MacColl arrived twenty years ago. Tragically, MacColl died in December 2000 in an accident in Mexico. Her final album, Tropical Brainstorm, was released in March 2000 and it is a phenomenal record. It is a happier and much more uplifting album than Titanic Days of 1993. That album is incredible, but it has quite an unhappy heart. Tropical Brainstorm sounds much more enlivened and revitalised – as MacColl said she would only record another album when she was in a better place -, so it makes it all that more bittersweet that the album release and MacColl’s death were so close together. I want to look back at her second studio album, Kite. Following the patchy-if-promising debut, Desperate Character of 1981, it did take a while for that second album to arrive. I am not sure what influenced the gap, but Kite is a stronger and more effecting listen than the debut; MacColl’s voice is stronger and her songwriting stepped up a gear – even though it was pretty good on Desperate Character! Produced by her then-husband Steve Lillywhite, it was her first album for Virgin Records.  One big reason for selecting this album was that there is a nice mix of covers and originals. Go and buy Kite on vinyl, as you can pick it up for not a lot and it makes for a wonderful listen!

One of my favourite cover versions ever is MacColl’s version of The Kinks’ Days. Her voice adds something emotional and stunningly beautiful to a track that, whilst great in its original state, is elevated to new heights by MacColl! Match this against originals like Innocence, and Free World, and Kite is a splendid album where MacColl really shines. I like the two tracks she wrote with Johnny Marr, The End of a Perfect Day, and You and Me Baby – these tracks end the album in superb fashion! MacColl’s beautiful harmonies are all over the album, and her voice has so much character and so many different sides. I want to wrap up with a few reviews of Kite, just to show the affection that is out there for a simply staggering album. The BBC tackled Kite in 2005:

“MacColl, the maverick performer much loved by the Brit rock illuminati, has been described as 'a great British artist' by Bono, a 'genius' by Holly Johnson, and the forthcoming release From Croydon To Cuba...An Anthology has been described as a 'work of art' by art-rockers Talking Heads. Praise indeed and utterly deserved.

Here we have Kite, first released fifteen years ago. Kite is full of the honest purity and humour that was synonymous with MacColl, and is packed with hits, bonus tracks and remixes. That's before you even get to the mammoth box set From Croydon To Cuba or the eclectic explosion that is Electric Landlady, also released imminently (featuring the work of Billy Bragg and Johnny Marr). Make no mistake, this special lady left a mighty legacy”.

“Kite features her hit single, "Days", brimming with beautiful simplicity, and all the more poignant since her tragic death in 2000. Age has not withered this sweet song, it retains every ounce of uncynical magic that made it a hit in the first place.

"Free World" is a high octane track dominated by a distinctly U2-esque rhythm guitar. You can hear bands like The Cranberries have clearly taken note of every strata of her style in tracks such as this.

"No Victims", an unsugary ode to love gone wrong bursts with blatant truth but without bitterness. A similar feel is conjured by the trad jazz-infused stomp "Fifteen Minutes", where Kirstyplainly speaks out against hypocrisy and 'bozos'. But there is never a sting in the tail, just eyes-wide-open honesty and integrity: a quality particular to the likes of MacColl and punk poet Billy Bragg.

MacColl's trademark harmonies are wrapped around "The End Of A Perfect Day", a vibrant, complex song that I defy you not to bounce up and down to. This is followed by the shimmering ballad "You And Me Baby", sure to calm you down if all that bouncing gets a bit much...

A thing of simple beauty from a much missed troubadour”.

I have been listening to Kite a lot more over the last few weeks, as I am finding comfort in the songs and MacColl’s voice. Although she would go on to make other brilliant albums, I think Kite is up there with Tropical Brainstorm in terms of her very best work.

In their review of 1990, Rolling Stone noted that, whilst MacColl has not released much music in the past decade, what she delivered on Kite was amazing:

 “Kirsty Maccoll does not suffer fools gladly: "It's a bozo's world and you're a bozo's child" is just one of a quiverful of arrows she slings at both men who are self-centered manipulators and women who put up with them. "I'm no victim to pity and cry for/And you're not someone I'd lay down and die for" is another. The effect, at least lyrically, is a sort of distaff Elvis Costello: sharp-tongued, literate and – in its own distinctive way – charming.

The charm is derived in no small part from MacColl's songwriting skill. (Remember Tracey Ullman's 1984 hit "They Don't Know"? MacColl wrote it.) She is, after all, the daughter of the late Scottish folk singer Ewan MacColl, whose "Dirty Old Town" was recorded by the Pogues and many other artists. She's also the wife of producer Steve Lillywhite, and with help from him and the likes of guitarist Johnny Marr, MacColl has created a sparkling, modern folk-rock sound that at turns bounces, forces and eases her scoldings on, with her plain but attractive voice layered throughout.

"Free World" slams home a warning of women's frustration in the world with U2-like frenzy; "Fifteen Minutes" is a tart kiss-off to a fair-weather lover; "What Do Pretty Girls Do?" makes a case that it's the plain Janes that learn the best lessons from life; and rounding out the package are two lovely, bittersweet tracks: an eye-watering version of the Kinks' "Days" and the closer, "You and Me Baby." The real bittersweet fact about Kite, though, is that it's only MacColl's second recording and her first in almost ten years. It's unfair for someone with this much to say and this much skill at saying it to be so stingy. (RS 579)”.

I will round up soon but, if you have not encountered Kirsty MacColl or are unsure where to start, I would say that Kite is a great introduction to her enormous power and unique voice. In their review, AllMusic had this to offer:

“Only Kirsty MacColl's second solo album in the tenth year of her career (she took several years off to have children after marrying producer Steve Lillywhite), 1989's Kite is the pinnacle of her achievement. By far her best-sustained work, this lengthy 15-track album features some of the singer/songwriter's best work on both sides of the hyphen. Her always-terrific vocals -- MacColl was quite likely the best female singer of her generation -- are overdubbed several times on most tracks to create thick, lush harmonies, most notably on the gorgeous cover of the Kinks' "Days." Her songwriting is excellent as well, with some of her sharpest and cleverest words and most memorable melodies found here. The piercing "Innocence" and "Free World" are two of MacColl's most combative songs, while "What Do Pretty Girls Do?" and "Fifteen Minutes," for all their tart lines, are MacColl at her most sympathetic. Besides the excellent originals, another pair of terrific covers -- the Smiths' "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby" and Kate and Anna McGarrigle's "Complainte pour Ste. Catherine" (given a rather Cuban rearrangement that foreshadows her later experiments in Latin music) -- show both MacColl's widely varied influences and her immense interpretive powers. [In 2005 EMI reissued Kite with the bonus tracks "Happy," "Am I Right?," "El Paso," "Le Foret de Mimosas," "Complainte Pour Ste Catherine," as well as alternate mixes of "Freeworld," "Innocence," "No Victims [Guitar Heroes Mix]" and "End of a Perfect Day."]”.

Make sure you go and get a remarkable album from one of the music world’s greatest voices. It is sad we mark twenty years since Kirsty MacColl’s death in December, but we will always remember her talent and the beautiful music she gave to her. I think Kite is a magnificent album where MacColl is seen…

IN full flight

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: New Beginnings, Starting Over, and Hope for the Future

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The Lockdown Playlist

 PHOTO CREDIT: @rosiekerr/Unsplash 

New Beginnings, Starting Over, and Hope for the Future

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AFTER a lot of tension and delay…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Joe Biden/PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Joe Biden has been named President of the United States of America. It was a desperately stressful vote count, and it is a relief that somebody better and more ethical is in The White House. Because there is relief and a sense of things starting fresh, I have collated some songs that are about hope and new beginnings; tracks that look to the future and have a brighter aspect - and some that are, in my mind, a jab at Donald Trump. It is too early to say just how Biden will mould the U.S.A., but so long as Trump and his futile legal threats – he is unhappy about the count and whether there was voter fraud – stay away, I think it will be a great new era for America – one which is overdue. Let’s hope that things work out okay but, in celebration of a result that has cheered many, I present some songs that…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @benwhitephotography/Unsplash

DEFINITELY fit the mood.

FEATURE: From Album to Fanzine… A Look at the Magnificent Coffee Homeground from Kate Bush’s Lionheart

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From Album to Fanzine…

COVER PHOTO: Gered Mankowitz 

A Look at the Magnificent Coffee Homeground from Kate Bush’s Lionheart

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THIS feature will be fairly short…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz

and it will be my last feature relating to Lionheart as Kate Bush’s second album turns forty-two on 12th November. Lionheart is, as I have said a few times, really underrated and an album that came out really well considering she recorded and released it only months after her debut, The Kick Inside. There was not a great deal of time for Bush to write new songs for a second album as she was still promoting her debut! One of the three new songs that was written for Lionheart was Coffee Homeground. I thought the song dated back to 1977, but Bush actually wrote it whilst she was in the U.S.A. in May 1978. I am not sure whether she had designs to include it on an album or whether it was just something she had in mind and wanted to get on paper. I think, alongside other newly-written songs Full House, and Symphony in Blue, Coffee Homeground fits well alongside the seven ‘older tracks’ on Lionheart. The fact that Bush released a ten-track album when her debut contained thirteen songs was, perhaps, another sign that she was very short on time creating new songs or felt other ideas were not strong enough to make it on the album. She has said in interviews how recording Lionheart in France was quite productive and there were ideas and songs, but I still think she would have felt a little pressured or rushed having to put together an album considering her debut came together very differently – some songs she wrote a long time before the album was released; Bush entered the studio to record The Kick Inside when she was ready and the time was right.

I am not sure where in the U.S. Bush was when she wrote Coffee Homeground, but this article from Kate Bush Encyclopaedia gives us some more detail:

“['Coffee Homeground'] was in fact inspired directly from a cab driver that I met who was in fact a bit nutty. And it's just a song about someone who thinks they're being poisoned by another person, they think that there's Belladonna in their tea and that whenever they offer them something to eat, it's got poisen in it. And it's just a humorous aspect of paranoia really and we sort of done it in a Brechtian style, the old sort of German [vibe] to try and bring across the humour side of it. (Lionheart Promo Cassette, EMI Canada, 1978)”.

The inspiration and memory of that taxi driver came to her at an opportune moment, and the song that came from it is among the most distinct on Lionheart. There is orchestration and a synthesiser and one hears a dizzying, almost circus-like sound at work. The Kick Inside was a little simpler regarding composition and style, whereas Coffee Homeground is wilder and more eccentric. There are a couple of songs on Lionheart that look at paranoia – the other is another new song, Full House -, and it is interesting that, so soon after her debut album, Bush was bringing the subject of paranoia into her work. Not to suggest this reflected a fatigue from endless interviews and travelling, but she made this huge and interesting leap in terms of her songwriting so soon after The Kick Inside came out.

I do like the way Bush’s voice skips and conspires in the chorus – “Well, you won't get me with your Belladonna - in the coffee/And you won't get me with your aresenic - in the pot of tea/And you won't get me in a hole to rot - with your hemlock/On the rocks”. One best not look too deep beyond Bush’s own story about Coffee Homeground’s start, but I think there is a bit of her own fear and stress in a track that is very much about mistrust and wanting safety. Although Bush had a pretty broad palette through The Kick Inside regards her lyrics, she was touching on new themes and ideas on Lionheart. Coffee Homeground is a really interesting song, and one that contains some of Bush’s best lyrics to that point. Some critics highlighted the track as one of the weakest on Lionheart, but I think it is as arresting, interesting and accomplished as the album’s highlights (songs such as Wow, and Symphony in Blue). There is a bit of history and the fantastical in the song, sort of in the same was as we hear on In Search of Peter Pan earlier in the album. I do love the story in Coffee Homeground. The paranoid man refuses a coffee, as he knows that there is something darker happening downstairs – the coffee shop is almost like Sweeny Todd’s barbershop, where selected patrons are primed for imminent death. “Offer me a chocolate/No thank you, spoil my diet, know your game!/But tell me just how come/They smell of bitter almonds/It's a no-no to your coffee homeground/Pictures of Crippin/Lipstick-smeared/Torn wallpaper/Have the walls got ears here?”.

Bush summons up these smells, strange feelings and vivid images that, in 1978, might have seemed a bit odd to critics who were expecting something more traditional; perhaps they felt the chorus was a bit too throwaway. I think there is more of a Sweeny Todd nod later in the song as the protagonist muses where certain people are who were here before; have they been served a coffee homeground and done away with?! This protagonist will not be lured by a tempting smell – “Maybe you're lonely/And only want a little company/But keep your recipes/For the rats to eat/And may they rest in peace with coffee homeground”. I wonder whether Coffee Homeground is set in a 1970s coffeehouse, but the protagonist is recasting it more of a Victorian locale; perhaps the fear and paranoia has created these strange sights and suspicions! At the end, there is a weird and wonderful mantras: “With your hemlock on the rocks/"Noch ein Glas, mein Liebchen?"/With your hemlock on the rocks/"Es schmeckt wunderbahr!"/With your hemlock on the rocks”. Although every Lionheart track was performed during Bush’s 1979 The Tour of Life, Coffee Homeground at least enjoyed a life beyond the album. Tracks such as Kashka from Baghdad, and Oh England My Lionheart were never released as singles or B-sides; Coffee Homeground did make it as a B-side to Lionheart’s first single, Hammer Horror – both songs have elements of fear and the macabre, so I guess it made sense pairing them.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Press Association

Another new track, Full House, was the B-side to Wow, so I am glad that these songs made it beyond the album – Full House was also released as a B-side to the Japanese single version of Symphony in Blue. The penultimate track – before Hammer Horror – on Bush’s sophomore album, I really love Coffee Homeground and I definitely feel it is one of her hidden treasures. Bush’s experimentation and growth really started to happen on her third album, Never for Ever, after a successful tour and the incorporation of the Fairlight C.M.I., though one can hear shades and flavours of that confidence and boldness on the mad, magical and mysterious Coffee Homeground. Not only is the song a cracker, but it was adopted, in part, as the title to a long-running Kate Bush fanzine. HomeGround is available in book form, and it is well worth getting. The longest-running Kate Bush fanzine started life in 1982. The final printed issue, number 79, was published in 2011. It was run by Krystyna Fitzgerald-Morris, Peter Fitzgerald-Morris and Dave Cross in the U.K. The fanzine was conceived in Dave Cross's flat in May 1982. Twenty-five copies were run off an office photocopier. Through the years, the fanzine was produced with ever more professionality, and in fact got the support of Kate Bush and the people around her. Fans contributed stories, artwork and poetry, while the editors followed every detail about Kate in the press worldwide, even during quieter times. Even though there is a mere nod to Coffee Homeground, it is cool that a treasured and vital part of Kate Bush’s legacy was partly inspired by a great track from her second album of 1978. One can hear some flights of fancy and something very different (compared to The Kick Inside) on Coffee Homeground; it was only a couple of years later when Never for Ever arrived and Kate Bush…

WOULD really start to take flight!

FEATURE: Generations Rock: How New and Classic Rock, Through Streaming and Cross-Pollination, Is Alive and Kicking in 2020

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Generations Rock

IN THIS PHOTO: St. Vincent at the Way Out West Festival, Gothenburg, Sweden in 2018 

How New and Classic Rock, Through Streaming and Cross-Pollination,  Is Alive and Kicking in 2020

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EVERY year…  

IN THIS PHOTO: Brooklyn’s Charly Bliss are among the best Rock bands of the moment

there are these questions as to whether Rock is alive and well or whether it is a spent force. Certainly, the scene and feel of Rock is very different to what it was a couple of decades ago! Rock is not as part of the mainstream as it once was, and I think other genres have been fused with Rock to create new sounds. If the days of Rock bands dominating and soundtracking music is perhaps distant in the past, one cannot say that Rock has waned and there has been this decline. Music Week have been putting Rock in the spotlight this week, and they spoke to various people as to how streaming is promoting Rock and how artists are using these platforms. Last year, Kerrang! wrote how Rock is in rude health:

“Let’s be real: in the recent past, rock music — specifically hard rock, punk, metal, and their many offshoots — has been relatively underground. Sure, huge bands like Guns N’ Roses and Foo Fighters have remained in the public eye their whole career, but even they have felt a level more entrenched than the average rap star or pop singer over the past decade. But while plenty of critics have often made the tired “rock is dead” argument, or wondered if rock will ever “reclaim its throne”, fans and artists within this community have been focusing on what’s important. If rock isn’t the flavor of the week, we’ve realized, then we have to work to make it happen.

IN THIS PHOTO: Foo Fighters/PHOTO CREDIT: Brantley Gutierrez 

Maybe that’s why it felt like 2019 was one of rock’s biggest years to date. Huge bands reunited, underground stars rose to the forefront, and once again the community rallying behind these musical subcultures became too loud to ignore. On top of that, these self-contained and culturally-devout genres became fascinating to those outside of them, who are fascinated by the idea of people believing in something after being fed a whole lot of nothing. It feels as though rock’s power has built in 2019 — and 2020 will be the year the dam breaks, and all the riffs surge forth upon the world at large”.

I do feel that modern music is as eclectic and broad as it has ever been, so I think it is harder to gauge Rock’s impact and popularity. Certainly, there are some great artists shaking up the scene. Louder Sound highlighted artists who will shake up this year, and I have been following inclusions like The Glorious Sons, and John (TimeTwo) closely. As you can see from the playlist below (which I have assembled from Louder Sound’s suggestions), there is such a lot of character and some fascinating sounds being made. I would keep an eye out for these acts, as they are terrific indeed.

I will come to the Music Week and their features soon, but one thing I wanted to highlight was women in Rock. I think there are so many solo and female-led Rock bands around at the moment, but playlists and features are still largely skewed towards men. From classic artists to newcomers, there are some terrific women in Rock. I am a particularly big fan of Nadine Shah, Jehnny Beth, and Haim, and there has been some tremendous Rock albums released this year. Again, Louder Sound nominated their pick, and I have made another playlist here. Kerrang! have chosen their favourite albums of the year (I have compiled a few songs from some of the albums). SPIN have also suggested Rock bands to keep an eye out for this year (or the rest of the year and moving forward), and I do think things are looking very promising for Rock. In terms of the question as to whether Rock is dead, one can see it is definitely not, but it is evident that there is more cross-pollination and diversity in the genre. If Pop and other genres share a bigger share of the market, I think Rock is poised for another breakthrough and wave next year.

Before coming to the articles and narrowing in, I wanted to highlight a couple of incredible women in Rock who have delivered some brilliant Nine Inch Nails covers – as the band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. As Pitchfork reported, Vincent and Jehnny Beth put their spin on some terrific Nine Inch Nails songs:

“This Saturday night (November 7), Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Whitney Houston, the Notorious B.I.G, the Doobie Brothers, and T. Rex are getting inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Ahead of the ceremony, Amazon Music has recruited various artists to cover some of the inductees’ songs.

St. Vincent has covered Nine Inch Nails’ “Piggy,” while Jehnny Beth takes on NIN’s “Closer.” Real Estate play the Doobie Brothers’ “What a Fool Believes.” The Kills covered T. Rex’s “Cosmic Dancer.” And Eyelids put their spin on Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence.” Hear the covers below. (Pitchfork earns a commission from purchases made through affiliate links on our site.)

In a press release, St. Vincent said:

[“Piggy”] remains one of my favorite Nails songs to this day.… I am obsessed with the slinky tambourine that is just a little lazy in feel. And when I took this song apart to cover it, it took me a long time to really understand the immensity of the groove. It’s a dark, industrial reggae. Muscular, but never as distorted as you imagined it when you think of it in your head…. They made a complicated thing seem easy and made big, bold sonic choices.

In the past, there has been snobbishness regarding Pop artists covering Rock songs, but I think Pop and Rock are integrating more. One artist who knows her way around great Rock songs is Miley Cyrus. Her album, Plastic Hearts, is out on 27tyh November, and I think she is one of the finest voices in modern Rock. There are a lot of terrific artists out there who are taking Rock to new places and, as we head towards 2021, there will be many asking that age-old question as to the genres validity. I think Rock festivals need to be more open-minded and progressive regarding their line-ups to include more women and minority artists on the bill, in addition to not leaning on the same bands to headline. With great Rock artists from around the world putting their stamp on the scene and creating their own sound, I am excited to see where Rock heads in the next year or so.

I want to bring in a Music Week article shows how Rock has fared in a very tough year – and how popular artists from other genres have joined forces with established Rock musicians and how that has resonated in terms of streaming:

“There are a great many lingering assumptions about rock music that are grating. While the classic ‘rock is dead’ theory is the most commonly cited (not to mention the most demonstrably untrue), here I’d rather explore a different one. It’s the belief that, for a good while now, it has been behind the curve of other genres. As explored in the new issue of Music Week, in the unforgiving world of streaming data alone this is true. But the more you look at it, the more you realise how these metrics don’t tell the full story of the role rock has in permeating music and culture right now.

The argument that rock’s influence has been greatly diminished is a strange one in a year that has seen so many contemporary superstars turn to it as a veritable source of rock-et fuel. Post Malone – he of 42 million monthly Spotify listeners – not only united with Ozzy Osbourne for a track, but also played a whole Nirvana covers set in lockdown (14m views on YouTube). Elsewhere, Miley Cyrus has covered Pearl Jam and even hinted that she has a Metallica covers album in the works. Machine Gun Kelly, meanwhile, who first made his name in the hip-hop world, has just released a pop-punk album and scored a No.1 in America and No.3 in the UK charts. The point is this: rock’s impact isn’t always fully accounted by streaming data.

 That said, lest we forget, even in a year in which big albums left, right and centre have been pushed back or delayed, 2020 still delivered UK No.1 records for Green Day, Biffy Clyro, Queen and Idles, with Metallica, Enter Shikari, Ozzy Osbourne, Pearl Jam, Deftones, Creeper, Neck Deep, Five Finger Death Punch, Deep Purple, Bon Jovi, Nothing But Thieves and Massive Wagons all securing Top 10 finishes”.

Whilst I think streaming services need to do a bit more regarding gender and racial equalisation in terms of promotion, the big players in the streaming market each have their own strategies and goals regarding Rock. In a further Music Week feature, Deezer were in the spotlight:

“Here, Rod Glacial, Deezer’s global rock and metal editor reveals his big ambitions for the genre on the global streaming platform…

How are you supporting rock as a genre on the platform?

"There are lots of exciting things we can do to shine the spotlight on rock. It doesn’t matter if it’s an up-and-coming new band with 300 fans or a huge comeback of a famous artist. For example, every month, I celebrate a band’s anniversary or a comeback by making them cover stars of our most important Rock & Metal playlist – Best Rock Of All Time. I also regularly update the Essential albums and 100% carousels, to showcase different artists and forgotten masterpieces.

 “Our artist marketing team also supports rock with creative campaigns that aim to bring the fans even closer to their favourite artist. Earlier this year, we transformed our flagship playlist Rocket into a live event in Paris, with performances from Twin Atlantic and Circa Waves. We also hosted an exciting Halloween Zoom Party with Yungblud, to give fans a chance to connect directly with a rock superstar.”

Has rock grown in terms of streams, and what are the opportunities for further growth?

“Rock is very much alive and kicking! The genre has loyal and dedicated fans around the world streaming their favourite rock music. We’ve also had some big surprises lately, like the resurgence of 80s Pop Rock. It has been really interesting to see how people are engaging with the vibe of 80s legends. We’re really excited to see the future streaming growth of rock, especially given it’s one of our biggest played genres on Deezer”

I want to highlight two more Music Week features, as it is interesting seeing the relationship between various streaming platforms and their relationship with the Rock genre. It seems that Spotify have some plans in the pipeline:

“Here, James Foley, editorial lead at Spotify, and Annika Walsh, artist and label partnerships lead, open up about the streaming giant’s backing for rock…

How are you supporting rock as a genre on the platform?

James Foley: “We are supporting rock as a genre on the platform in a number of ways. I’m responsible for the editorial side of music at Spotify, and so for me and my team it’s about having a robust playlist ecosystem, which we continue to develop on an ongoing basis. Flagship playlists like The Rock List, The Punk List and Metal UK have all become popular destinations for rock fans in the UK and Ireland and beyond. More recently we have launched The Pit for heavier rock and Misfits 2.0 speaks to the new generation of artists with large, hyper-engaged audiences who are making music that crosses out of, and beyond, the traditional rock sound.

IMAGE CREDIT: Spotify 

“We have long supported rock not just through playlists that speak to fans of that genre but also through mood and activity playlists that can appeal outside the core rock listener. Walk Like A Badass, Rock Workout and Air Punch are all examples of this and they perform really well for us. Then you have Blood, Shred and Tears – a mood playlist that showcases a more delicate rock sound, which is also proving popular. Catalogue lists are still vital within the overall ecosystem too with Rock Classics and Legendary among the big titles.”

Annika Walsh: “Outside of editorial and playlists, Spotify partners on rock releases in the UK and Ireland all year round. We’re always looking at new ways to support existing and up and coming artists through artist partnerships. This includes significant marketing investment, be it on-platform with our tools such as push notification, home banner or CRM email, or off platform with organic social content, paid social campaigns, and comprehensive artist marketing campaigns which can include ATL support, PR, events and more.

What are the opportunities for further growth for the genre?

JF: “Building on audiences who interpret and connect with rock in its modern form, who have really redefined the genre for the streaming era, presents some really exciting growth opportunities for the next wave of British and Irish rock stars on Spotify. I would also say that surfacing the relatively untapped wealth of catalogue, which is still loved by audiences young and old can fuel even more growth. Creating spaces for previously underrepresented talent also provides a massive and important opportunity to let new voices through”.

There are different ways that Rock artists are having an impact on streaming services. Some are covering popular Pop hits; there is crossover and collaborations, and many are covering classic hits and introducing that song and themselves to a new audience. In this feature, Neck Deep’s manager, Leander Gloversmith talked about how the band made am impression regarding streaming:

“How have Neck Deep cracked streaming and how can they go further?

“I’d say that it’s at least in part a generational thing. The band and their fanbase are digital natives; Neck Deep’s career has co-existed and developed alongside the growth and evolution of streaming platforms, and of streaming as a listener habit. So the band have benefitted from the simple fact that consuming and discovering music via DSPs is what a portion of their demographic accepts as normal. The internet, social media, smartphones, etc, are all totally standard tools for the band and their fans alike. But that said, the balance of Neck Deep’s physical unit sales and streaming presence remains very much tilted in favour of physical, so there is a lot of room for them to grow in the digital space still.

“In terms of going further, we have discussed embracing features and crossover collaborations with other artists who straddle the worlds of rock and what I suppose one might call the ‘streaming mainstream’, to introduce Neck Deep to the emerging next generation of listeners, where genre has become almost totally irrelevant.”

IN THIS PHOTO: Neck Deep 

What do DSPs need to do to support the genre – are there encouraging signs?

“Encouraging signs for sure: Ali Hagendorf is champion for the genre at Spotify, and very much in tune with the genre’s heritage but also where it’s headed next. Spotify recently launched the Rock This podcast on the platform which Ali hosts (tied in with the biggest rock-geared editorial playlist on the platform, Rock This – 4.5m followers). On that show, Ali is highlighting that new generation of artists, who are essentially reframing rock and alternative for the next generation of listeners. Elise Cobain at Amazon Music UK is also doing amazing things for the genre, and is really invested in bringing the weight of the brand to helping rock music and culture grow, evolve and reach new people.

And what do bands/labels need to look at to boost streaming results? Are rock covers of pop hits a good idea?

“I think the willingness to collaborate with DSPs and super-serve audiences is absolutely there. There are just not enough toolkits available to the labels and bands of the genre as of yet, and not enough conversations are happening about how to best help rock and alternative culture translate and transpose into these digital spaces. As I said, there are some awesome lone wolves on staff at DSPs, but single people can only do so much.

IMAGE CREDIT: Amazon Music 

And it’s likely a cycle: why would you double down on a genre that looks like it’s underperforming? So many of the successes in this space occur in the ‘real’ world, at massive shows and festivals and in merchandise sales etc, and these things just aren’t being communicated or quantified in the streaming data. I think everyone who really watches and gets this world totally understands that phenomenon, but there’s a bit of a glitch in the communication chain, as it were.

“In terms of covers, I think that’s totally subjective. Personally I believe that they’re for the most part counterproductive in the long run. It’s a culture that thrives, ultimately, on integrity over novelty”.

It has been interesting, not only looking at the great Rock artists emerging, and the terrific albums released, but how streaming sites are marketing Rock; the different ways the genre is evolving and how its future looks. After such a bleak year, it would be nice to think that there would be a 2021 version of Britpop, where Rock artists come to the forefront. Maybe there would not be the same anthemic and chorus-rich songs as we heard back in the 1990s, but I think there is an urgency and physicality in the genre that is perfect for a new explosion and revolution. From terrific new Rock bands to established artists like System of a Down, St. Vincent, Jehnny Beth, Green Day and Deftones, there has been plenty to suggest that Rock is as potent and popular as ever. For those who keep asking whether Rock is alive and means anything, I hope that we can…

PUT that question to bed.

FEATURE: Second Spin: Bananarama – Bananarama

FEATURE:

 

 

Second Spin

Bananarama – Bananarama

___________

THOUGH some prefer the debut…

from Bananarama, Deep Sea Skiving, I am a bigger fan of their second album. Their debut of 1983 is an accomplished and broad album that is satisfying and has more than its share of terrific cuts – including Really Saying Something, and Young at Heart (later covered by The Bluebells). I think Bananarama is a more confident album and, at a time when Madonna was starting out and Amy Grant was developing as an artist, the British alternative to those American mainstream stars showed great originality and consistency on their second album. Released in 1984, the album peaked at number-sixteen on the U.K. album chart, also reaching the U.S. top-forty album chart. I think people see groups like Bananarama as a bit of a guilty pleasure, but Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward are incredible singers and they blend together wonderfully. Writing alongside producers Steve Jolley and Tony Swain – who worked with them on their debut -, and I think the collaboration is great. Bananarama achieved their first big U.S. success with Cruel Summer; Hot Line to Heaven, Robert De Niro’s Waiting…, and Rough Justice are great tracks. It is an album that got some positive reviews upon its release, but I don’t think that is gets enough praise when it comes to the great albums of the 1980s.

Although there is a lot of fun and terrific Pop, Bananarama tackled societal injustices towards children, poverty and starvation on Rough Justice, and I think there was a move from a lot of Pop artists of the 1980s to mix in heavier themes alongside songs of love and relationships. This gives Bananarama more weight and variability, and the group sound as captivating and meaningful when singing about something quite weighty as they do when delivering something sugary.  I think Bananarama warrants some fresh listening and focus. In their review of 2018, this is what AllMusic had to say:

“For their second album, Bananarama underwent a telling change in persona, from the flyaway-haired, overall-clad everygirls of Deep Sea Skiving into a sleeker and glammier look. Similarly, the album has a much more polished feel than the occasionally scattershot debut, which is not always a good thing; sticking with Tony Swain and Steve Jolley to produce the whole thing (the duo had shared production duties with three others on the debut), Bananarama traded their early tropical-tinged playfulness and ironic overtones for a more commercial sound that scored well on the charts (the terrific opener "Cruel Summer" was a worldwide hit, and several other tracks were U.K. hits) but was less unique than before. What's most unusual about Bananarama is the content of the songs. Lyrically, the album is surprisingly serious, with topics ranging from sectarian violence in Ireland ("Rough Justice") to domestic violence ("King of the Jungle") to drug use ("Hot Line to Heaven"), none of which are in keeping with the trio's frothy image.

Indeed, under the singalong chorus, the album's best track, "Robert de Niro's Waiting," turns out to be the traumatized musings of a teenage rape victim, set to an improbably dreamy, carefree melody. Even comparatively light songs like "State I'm In" and "Dream Baby" have an oddly paranoid tone to them. Of course, the detour into mature themes didn't last long, as the group's next album introduced the chart-bound frivolity of Stock-Aitken-Waterman into the picture, but Bananarama in an intriguing and often excellent side trip. Important discographical curiosity: original U.S. copies of Bananarama included an extended seven-minute take of "Hot Line to Heaven." After the fall 1984 release of the single "The Wild Life" (the theme to Cameron Crowe's second movie), U.S. copies of Bananarama were altered to include the new single at the start of side two, followed by the superior single edit of "Hot Line to Heaven”.

I think one gets the impression that a lot of Bananarama’s songs are quite lightweight and cliché, but they can disguise something quite explicit and moving around a big chorus and polished production. That is not a bad thing; it is just the fact people misinterpret their work and write them off. I think Bananarama is one of the boldest and most striking Pop albums of 1984 and, as Madonna was putting out a more daring and broader album than her 1983 debut (with Like a Virgin), I think it is interesting that there is this parallel to Bananarama. I think a lot of critics in 1984 felt that Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward sounded a bit threadbare and sighing, rather than imbuing their words with power, personality and edge. I have never thought Bananarama lightweight or lacking edge; I think their vocal style is perfect for their music and they give full focus to every song. If you have not heard Bananarama or have avoided them in the past, then I would recommend their eponymous album; it is most definitely…

WORTH spending some time with.

FEATURE: A Fascinating Chapter: Kate Bush and Japan, June 1978

FEATURE:

 

 

A Fascinating Chapter

Kate Bush and Japan, June 1978

___________

I sort of mentioned Japan in the…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in Japan in June 1978

context of Kate Bush’s career in 1978 in a different feature. This is a really interesting part of Kate Bush’s career that does not get talked about much. For most artists, they are encouraged to reach as much of the world as possible, and one of the biggest goals is to ‘crack America’. For Kate Bush, I don’t think America was on her radar much. She would achieve recognition there by the time The Dreaming arrived in 1982 and, even though she recorded an alternative video for her debut single, Wuthering Heights, for America, when it came to her first album, The Kick Inside, I think America was further away in her mind than a country like Japan. It is interesting thinking about the countries Bush’s singles were released in – in the sense of her releasing specific songs especially for certain countries. On The Kick Inside, Strange Phenomena was released for Brazil, whereas Moving, and Them Heavy People were released in February and May respectively for the Japanese market alone. I am not sure why Japan was a country of target for Bush and EMI right from the start. Lionheart’s Symphony in Blue was released in Japan and Canada only, whereas she would market more for the U.S., Europe and Australia after 1978 – Them Heavy People reached number-three on the Japanese charts, whilst Moving was a popular single. Maybe popularity waned in Japan after The Kick Inside, or Bush’s experiences in the country meant that she was reluctant to release singles and promote there more after 1978.

I feel that it was a bit odd that Japan was selected as a big market right away. I think the country was more receptive to Bush’s music early on compared to America, and there are influences of the East on the album cover for The Kick Inside – that said, my favourite cover for The Kick Inside is the Japanese edition (featuring an iconic photo shot by English photographer, Gered Mankowitz). Maybe the more spiritual and soothing nature of Moving was more receptive and resonant to a Japanese audience, as America was experiencing Punk and a lot of heavier sounds in 1978; Them Heavy People, also, has a quirkiness and sound that I feel is more suited to a Japanese market – one that is a little more broad-minded when it comes to music and the odder side of the coin. I love Bush’s experiences in Japan, as it must have been unusual stepping foot in the country. To be fair, she seems to have adopted some Japanese culture for The Kick Inside – as some promotional photos show her in a kimono -, and I think the country took her to heart quickly. The language barrier was a bit of an issue. Whereas translation was not a problem in the U.S. and other English-speaking nations, Bush would have found it trickier navigating Japan – she did visit Australia and New Zealand in 1978, but I think her Japanese trip is much more illuminating.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978

Bush would engage in advertising in 1994 for Fruitopia – a fruit drink range launched by Coca-Cola – and she composed a series of short instrumental pieces for various-flavoured drinks. Strangely, Bush recorded a television commercial for Seiko while she was in Japan in 1978. A few print ads, featuring Kate wearing Seiko watches, were also produced. The television commercial featured a sample from her song, Them Heavy People, which was released as a single in Japan at the time. She also performed this song during a few Japanese television programmes during her visit in Japan. Maybe the decision for her to advertise was more directed by EMI’s hand, but Bush would not use her music for advertising in the same way after that Seiko advert. I am going to repeat myself a bit as, when I looked at her time in Japan earlier in the year, I quoted from a website that dedicated a page to a wonderfully different experience for Bush. Travel and promoting far afield was something she came to dislike early on, and I am not sure how comfortable Bush would have been in Japan and immersing herself fully. It is wonderful that the country bonded with singles like Them Heavy People, and it is interesting to think how her singles would have fared in Japan if she released promotional singles there after Lionheart. The six-month whirlwind of touring that she undertook to promote The Kick Inside must have been gruelling!

Bush was being shuttled between various countries and T.V. shows where she was performing live and talking about her album – those who feel Bush did not perform live much need to remember how many times she performed live when promoting her singles and albums! Kate Bush’s trip to Japan in June 1978 was an extraordinary one. I am quote from the excellent Dreams of Orgonon, who talk about it:

“On the 18th of June, 1978, Kate Bush performed “Moving” to an audience of 11,000 people at the Nippon Budokan for the 7th Tokyo Music Festival. This is just the number of people watching who were present, however. About 33 million people watched Bush on TV, a staggeringly large number. Japan and its huge physical music market had its eyes on Bush, and she was suitably terrified. For all that the lead track status of “Moving” makes it a fitting opening number for a performance, Bush is visibly terrified while singing this song, her voice wavering as a band she’s never met before coming to Japan played her music”.

About a year after Bush and her band were performing modest gigs in pubs around London prior to The Kick Inside being released, she was performing to a massive audience on a grand stage! I am not sure whether Bush was fully aware how many people would see that performance, but even though she brought her extravaganza, The Tour of Life, to the world in 1979, the thought of repeating such an immense and nerve-wracking experience would have held little appeal!

There is this odd clash between Bush respecting Japanese culture and engaging with traditions – she attended a Shinto shrine when she was there -, and the slightly misleading and irrelevant (to most) oriental influence of The Kick Inside’s cover. Bush would have been keen to indulge in Japanese rituals and the scene and accommodate her hosts. As Songs of Orgonon write, Bush “slightly flubs her one English TV interview discussing Japan when she refers to Japanese people as “not saying how they feel.” It’s a cryptic moment and some of the messages it sends aren’t great”. It is a shame that the videos we have of Bush in Japan are pretty poor in quality and we cannot really get a sense of the atmosphere and look of her performances. It would have been great to have some rare footage out there to show Bush away from performance; her in Japan and visiting various sites. I suppose she would have been going through the motions to an extent and she was out of her comfort zone, but I am fascinated by the ‘Japanese chapter’ and the trip she made there. One thing I knew about Bush is that she had a love for The Beatles – I mean, most artists do! I think she cited Magical Mystery Tour as her favourite album of theirs and, when performing with the KT Bush Band in 1977, The Beatles’ Come Together was played. Maybe as a way of familiarising herself to Japanese audiences in 1978, she did play Beatles tracks - as you can hear from this vinyl release.

Even though she did perform covers of Beatles songs well, perhaps something was lost in translation to an extent:

“In addition, Bush performs a surprising amount of Beatles songs. As a solo act, she sings “She’s Leaving Home” and “The Long and Winding Road.” As part of an ensemble, Bush performs “Let It Be.” The results are mediocre at best: Bush whoops the relatively silent “She’s Leaving Home,” runs into the basic problem of nobody ever having made “The Long and Winding Road” work exacerbated by saccharine orchestral accompaniment, and across three takes of “Let It Be” struggles to maneuver her way into the song (we’ll deal with another version in the Tour of Life post, and her final recording of “Let It Be” is too big for this blog post). Perhaps the most notable common element of these songs is their writer, Paul McCartney (John Lennon wrote the chorus of “She’s Leaving Home,” but the bulk of the song is McCartney’s). McCartney is certainly the poppiest of the Beatles —Harrison and Lennon would never have penned something like “Let It Be.” A number of his songs can be described as feelgood (this is the man who would write “Ebony and Ivory,” you understand). This suggests Bush likes a certain degree of pop in her music, with emotional characters and sweeping melodrama. She’s long staked her flag in the ground as a Sgt. Pepper stan. This explosion of pop showmanship can be considered a Beatles tribute, Bush’s dabbling in Marianne Faithfull waters for a day”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush featured in a Japanese magazine in 1978

Maybe her Japanese trip of 1978 was influential when it came to the way Bush approached live performances and the studio going forward. The Tour of Life was performed in Europe, but she did not undertake any big promotional jaunts to Japan after 1978. Indeed, she kept closer to home when performing live and, after 1979, she retreated more into the studio and undertook fewer promotional activities and T.V. performances. Though she did perform on T.V. (most of this involved U.K. promotion), when she did perform for T.V. shows further afield, I don’t think she ever came to love the experience. One feels sad that entire albums of hers were never brought to the stage – such as the marvellous The Dreaming of 1982 -, and one cannot blame her Japanese sojourn for that omission. I think there was an eagerness from EMI to push Bush as far as possible on her debut album, in the sense that they wanted her to impact and penetrate as many nations as possible. There was great faith in her music and popularity, but I wonder how much planning went into the itinerary and readying Bush for various different countries and cultures. Bush threw herself into every promotional junket, and I feel like the Japanese trip was a lost opportunity. Only a few months after The Kick Inside came out, she was charged with promoting it there!

Such a huge and influential nation, I think she would have felt more comfortable and would have hit harder if there was more planning and discussion. In any case, I think it is a really fascinating aspect of 1978. I might turn my attentions to Australia and her promotional activity there, as it seems like she had a better time and was more at ease. Despite some flawed moments, advertising a watch brand and a hugely intimidating live performance, there are some positives. Bush would have definitely got some benefits and pleasures from exploring Japan – even if her time there was limited -, and she released two successful singles there and would have introduced her music to a lot of new fans. Also, that performance at the Nippon Budokan was a huge leap from her KT Bush Band duties, the appearances on T.V. shows like Top of the Pops and a properly big musical audience. As The Tour of Life was more rehearsed and she was in the company of band members and trusted friends, it was a smoother experience, yet she had an early lesson in handling nerves and delivering her music to a big (if uninitiated and slightly muted) audience. Kate Bush’s moving (pardon the pun!) experience in Japan would have opened her eyes and, negatively or positively, impacted future decisions and her career in general. Even though it is a small part of her early-career story, I think Bush’s Japan odyssey is…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in Japan in June 1978

A very important one.

FEATURE: A Buyer’s Guide: Part Twenty-Eight: Can

FEATURE:

 

 

A Buyer’s Guide

IN THIS PHOTO: Can (from left: Jaki Liebezeit, Holger Czukay, Irmin Schmidt and Michael Karoli)/PHOTO CREDIT: Faber & Faber 

Part Twenty-Eight: Can

___________

I am heading in a slightly different…  

musical direction for this week’s A Buyer’s Guide. I am featuring Can. They were a German Experimental Rock band formed in Cologne in 1968 by the core quartet of Holger Czukay (bass, tape editing), Irmin Schmidt (keyboards), Michael Karoli (guitar), and Jaki Liebezeit (drums). The group cycled through several vocalists, most prominently featuring the American-born Malcolm Mooney (1968–1970) and the Japanese-born Damo Suzuki (1970–1973), as well as various temporary members. Can are renowned for their experimentation and innovation, and artists like Brian Eno, and the Happy Mondays cite them as influences. To honour the pioneering group, I recommend their four essential albums; an underrated record that is worth another look; their final studio album and, finally, a Can-related book that you should explore. Immerse yourself in a group who, to me, are almost peerless in terms of their…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Press Ltd./Alamy

EXPERIMENTATION and importance.

______________

The Four Essential Albums

 

Monster Movie

Release Date: August 1969

Labels: Music Factory/Liberty

Producer: Can

Standout Tracks: Father Cannot Yell/Mary, Mary So Contrary/Outside My Door

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/The-Can-Monster-Movie/master/7774

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/2GXaLHeT6znG6x0U4y1U8h

Review:

“Riding a particularly Velvet Underground vibe, "Father Cannot Yell" sounds like post-punk before punk even existed. Irmin Schmidt's brittle keyboard squalls and dissonant rhythms and Mooney's buried recitations predated the Fall, Swell Maps, the noise scene, and generations of difficult sound by years and in some cases decades. Holger Czukay's pensive basslines are also an already distinctive calling card of the band on this debut, providing a steadfast glue for the barrages of noisy tones, edits, and pulses the record offers from all angles. The 20-minute album closer "Yoo Doo Right" is an enormous highlight, cementing the locked-in hypnotic exploration Can would extrapolate on for the rest of their time and come to be known for. Mooney's raspy vocals range from whispery incantations to throaty rock & roll shouts, building with the band into an almost mantra-level meditation as the song repeats its patterns and multi-layered grooves into what feels like infinity. Legend has it that the final side-long version of the song was edited down from a six-hour recording session focusing on that tune alone. Given the level of commitment to experimentation Can would go on to show, it's not hard to believe they'd play one song for six hours to find its core, nor is it unfathomable that Monster Movie was the more accessible album they recorded after their first attempts were deemed too out there to be commercially released. Even in their earliest phases, Can were making their name by blowing away all expectations and notions that rock & roll had limits of any kind”- AllMusic

Choice Cut: You Doo Right

Tago Mago

Release Date: February 1971

Label: United Artists

Producer: Can

Standout Tracks: Paperhouse/Halleluhwah/Aumgn

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/Can-Tago-Mago/master/11512

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/058qBjhg9yzbRGZCqOBX42

Review:

“Tago Mago is seven songs in 73 minutes; the first half is big-beat floor-fillers, the second half yanks the floor away. For those first four songs, drummer Jaki Liebezeit is the star of the band, setting up rhythmic patterns of his own devising (isolate his part of almost any Can song, and you'd immediately know what you were listening to) and repeating them like mantras. His drumming is actually the lead instrument on "Mushroom", which could very easily pass for a post-punk classic from 10 years later; everything else just adds a little tone color. (The song might be about a psychedelic mushroom, or a mushroom cloud, or maybe just the kind that comes in a can.) And his deliberate, crisply articulated marching-band-of-the-unconscious beat is the spine of the overwhelming "Halleluwah", possibly the only 18-minute song that would be too short at twice its length” – Pitchfork

Choice Cut: Mushroom

Ege Bamyası

Release Date: November 1972

Label: United Artists

Producer: Can

Standout Tracks: Pinch/Soup/Spoon

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/Can-Ege-Bamyasi/master/11693

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/5HpEJLvy9LxTVUbINGTLRM

Review:

“The follow-up to Tago Mago is only lesser in terms of being shorter; otherwise the Can collective delivers its expected musical recombination act with the usual power and ability. Liebezeit, at once minimalist and utterly funky, provides another base of key beat action for everyone to go off on -- from the buried, lengthy solos by Karoli on "Pinch" to the rhythm box/keyboard action on "Spoon." The latter song, which closes the album, is particularly fine, its sound hinting at an influence on everything from early Ultravox songs like "Hiroshima Mon Amour" to the hollower rhythms on many of Gary Numan's first efforts. Liebezeit and Czukay's groove on "One More Night," calling to mind a particularly cool nightclub at the end of the evening, shows that Stereolab didn't just take the brain-melting crunch side of Can as inspiration. The longest track, "Soup," lets the band take off on another one of its trademark lengthy rhythm explorations, though not without some tweaks to the expected sound. About four minutes in, nearly everything drops away, with Schmidt and Liebezeit doing the most prominent work; after that, it shifts into some wonderfully grating and crumbling keyboards combined with Suzuki's strange pronouncements, before ending with a series of random interjections from all the members. Playfulness abounds as much as skill: Slide whistles trade off with Suzuki on "Pinch"; squiggly keyboards end "Vitamin C"; and rollicking guitar highlights "I'm So Green." The underrated and equally intriguing sense of drift that the band brings to its recordings continues as always. "Sing Swan Song" is particularly fine, a gentle float with Schmidt's keyboards and Czukay's bass taking the fore to support Suzuki's sing-song vocal” – AllMusic

Choice Cut: Vitamin C

Future Days

Release Date: August 1973

Label: United Artists

Producer: Can

Standout Tracks: Future Days/Spray/Bel Air

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/Can-Future-Days/master/11765

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/6FjeEDB8LT95KDxUVgU6OS

Review:

“It was certainly an end of Damo Suzuki’s spell with the band and it could have been of that rocking freakout Cope is so fond of (who isn’t?). Unfortunately, it also spelt the end of Can’s most productive streak, as all their albums proper that followed were actually hit and miss affairs. Fortunately, on the other hand, it brought along with it a musical inspiration for everything that came from then on, from ambient, motorik, various new wave experimentations to post-rock on the level that was Velvet Underground’s Velvet Underground & Nico.

So where could the problem lie? With the 'Future Days’ itself. The opening title track, that is. It is most probably the best musical piece that came out of Krautrock and one of the best in modern music! The combination of Czukay’s and Leibzeit’s intricate and undefinable rhythms, Karoli’s scratchy, on the edge of funky guitar scratches, Schmidt’s absolutely inventive use of synthesisers (almost unknown at the time) brought an almost mystic musical experience with such a number of musical strands that in themselves created an infinite number of possible musical paths.

Then there were Suzuki’s vocals, a story of its own. Damo Suzuki to this day remains one of the most inventive vocalists around. During his stint with Can, he was singing in something that certainly resembled the regular English language, with Suzuki interpreting his vision of what it should sound like, sometimes using ‘regular’ English words, sometimes, twisting them, sometimes inventing new ones. You can call it ‘Damoinglish’. “Future Days” itself was the pinnacle of Suzuki’s invention - he was whispering words that could have come from the language that is yet to be, with just the main phrase being clear and understandable to everybody. Future days, indeed.

Everything that comes afterwards probably would pale in anybody’s ears, no matter how good it was. And the rest of the album almost reaches that absolute brilliance only once, with the ever-shifting, almost 20 minutes long closer “Bel-Air”, which some of the current best post-rock/ambient bands wouldn’t be able to come up with.

Still, both “Spray”, and “Moonshake” rank among the best music Can have come up with, on any of their albums, but suffer the fate of being sandwiched between the grandeur of the two incredible ‘bookends’. That is particularly the case with “Spray” with its incredible rhythmic shakes, while “Moonshake”, the briefest track on the album, indicated the more ‘pop’-oriented direction Can would go on to after Damo Suzuki left” – Soundblab

Choice Cut: Moonshake

The Underrated Gem

Landed

Release Date: September 1975

Labels: Hörzu (Germany)/Virgin

Producer: Can

Standout Tracks: Full Moon on the Highway/Hunters and Collectors/Unfinished

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/Can-Landed/master/11429

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/6KPX8qdYQzYTeBZWNYBJJ0

Review:

““Vernal Equinox” is the undisputed highlight of the album. It's a massive, nine-minute jam-fest filled to the brim with energetic guitar, keyboard and drum solos... It's completely nuts, and the only place on this album where I get the feeling that they were actually trying to experiment intensely with the textures. There are no melody nor lyrics ... it's just a bunch of crazy instrumental solos that are coming in and out like waves. Ya gotta hear it! They follow that up with the relatively uneventful “Red Hot Indians,” but that's still a fairly fun song in its own right. Some light bongo drums patter around whilst a somewhat detached rhythm guitar comes in and plays a groove. I'm a particular fan of that alien saxophone that comes in like some manic depressive doo-wop player who forgot to take his medicine. (They introduce a guitar riff in the middle of the song that bears an uncanny resemblance to PiL's “Disappointed.” I won't complain too much since the PiL song is vastly superior to this.)

And the album closes with a 13-minute monstrosity called “Unfinished.” Some listeners have found it tedious, but I sort of think it's cool. It's just a lot of creepy, ambient waves of sounds... It's the spitting image of atmospheric video game music for Myst-like adventure games, and at least it's really interesting that Can was able to predict such music. Just for the slightly psychotic atmosphere, I'm willing to give it my thumbs up, but they really should have worked a little harder on it... It had a lot of potential, but they just didn't have enough momentum going to keep it sustained that long. The first minute of it is pretty great, but for most of the rest of it starts to grow tedious. Some musical sections seem to drag on too long and they're sometimes even predictable. It still would have worked as video game music since it is indeed atmospheric and is pretty successful at creating a mood... and you never listen directly to that stuff anyway.

I can't imagine why people who like Can would want to completely snub this record. As I said earlier, it's nowhere near as challenging or entertaining as their classic albums, but this has enough merits on its own to be worth a listen once a year or so” – Don Ignacio

Choice Cut: Vernal Equinox

The Final Album

 

Rite Time

Release Date: October 1989

Label: Mute

Producers: Michael Karoli/Holger Czukay

Standout Tracks: The Withoutlaw Man/Like a New Child/In the Distance Lies the Future

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/Can-Rite-Time/master/16239

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/5d6Qzg2oooAK5a3YC64W6g

Review:

“An unexpected reunion from Can (made even more unexpected by the presence of original singer Malcolm Mooney, who left the band in 1969), 1989's Rite Time is in large part a return to form for the group, especially when one considers how weak Can's last few '70s albums were. Wisely, the quintet doesn't try to replicate the sound they created over two decades before on albums like Monster Movie. Instead, Mooney and company make Rite Time a document of where they're at musically at the time. In short, it's funkier ("Give the Drummer Some"), funnier ("Hoolah Hoolah," which takes that old schoolyard rhyme about how they don't wear pants on the other side of France as the jumping-off point for its melody and lyrics), and more abstractly ambient (the elliptical closer "In the Distance Lies the Future") than before. Rite Time doesn't have the rubbery, polyrhythmic intensity of classic Can albums like Ege Bamyasi or Future Days, but it's a solidly listenable album that, unlike the majority of reunion albums, doesn't soil the memory of the band” – AllMusic

Choice Cut: On the Beautiful Side of a Romance

The Can Book

All Gates Open: The Story of Can

Authors: Rob Young/Irmin Schmidt

Publication Date: 3rd May, 2018

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Synopsis:

“All Gates Open presents the definitive story of arguably the most influential and revered avant-garde band of the late twentieth century: CAN. It consists of two books. In Book One, Rob Young gives us the full biography of a band that emerged at the vanguard of what would come to be called the Krautrock scene in late sixties Cologne. With Irmin Schmidt and Holger Czukay - two classically trained students of Stockhausen - at the heart of the band, CAN's studio and live performances burned an incendiary trail through the decade that followed: and left a legacy that is still reverberating today in hip hop, post rock, ambient, and countless other genres. Rob Young's account draws on unique interviews with all founding members of CAN, as well as their vocalists, friends and music industry associates. And he revisits the music, which is still deliriously innovative and unclassifiable more than four decades on. All Gates Open is a portrait of a group who worked with visionary intensity and belief, outside the system and inside their own inner space. Book Two, Can Kiosk, has been assembled by Irmin Schmidt, founding member and guiding spirit of the band, as a 'collage - a technique long associated with CAN's approach to recording. There is an oral history of the band drawing on interviews that Irmin made with musicians who see CAN as an influence - such as Bobby Gillespie, Geoff Barrow, Daniel Miller, and many others. There are also interviews with artists and filmmakers like Wim Wenders and John Malkovitch, where Schmidt reflects on more personal matters and his work with film. Extracts of Schmidt's notebook and diaries from 2013-14 are also reproduced as a reflection on the creative process, and the memories, dreams, and epiphanies it entails. Can Kiosk offers further perspectives on a band that have inspired several generations of musicians and filmmakers in the voices of the artists themselves. CAN were unique, and their legacy is articulated in two books in this volume with the depth, rigour, originality, and intensity associated with the band itself. It is illustrated throughout with previously unseen art, photographs, and ephemera from the band's archive” – Waterstones

Order: https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Gates-Open-Story-Can/dp/0571311490

FEATURE: Two Souls Divided Through Time: 50 Words for Snow’s Snowed in at Wheeler Street

FEATURE:

 

 

Two Souls Divided Through Time

50 Words for Snow’s Snowed in at Wheeler Street

___________

I want to do a couple of additional features…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional image for 2011’s 50 Words for Snow

about Kate Bush’s 50 Words for Snow, as the album turns nine on 21st November. This is the last studio album Bush has put out, and many wonder when she might put out her eleventh studio album. I am going to highlight a particular song from the album but, before then, it is worth remarking how incredible 2011 was for Bush. Aerial arrived in 2005, and that was her first album in twelve years. There was a six-year gap until Director’s Cut arrived in the summer of 2011, and many mused before then whether Aerial was a brief return before Bush retired. She put out Director’s Cut so that she could strip back and re-record tracks from two previous albums, The Sensual World, and The Red Shoes, that she wasn’t completely happy with. Because 50 Words for Snow is a wintery album, Bush had to release the album before the end of the year, so she set herself the challenge of getting two albums out quite quickly! In 1978, she released two albums – The Kick Inside, and Lionheart -, but I think 2011 was different as I sort of think of Bush being more on her on in 2011. I know that is not true, but it is clear she had her hands full, and I can imagine there were days when recording for Director’s Cut was overlapping with 50 Words for Snow!

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional image for Director’s Cut (2011)/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush (from the book, KATE: Inside the Rainbow)

She said in interviews how her head was all over the place as to which album she was promoting, and I think one of the reasons why she gave relatively few interviews for Director’s Cut is because she had another album coming and did not want to get confused which album she was promoting. Bush spoke with John Wilson to promote Director’s Cut in 2011, and she revealed how a ‘guest vocalist’ was coming for a new song – that is the artist and song I will come to soon. It is amazing that Kate Bush managed to put out two albums in a year; given the fact they are both so different, 50 Words for Snow is incredibly focused and unaffected by a heavy workload. Even though the album has seven tracks, the album lasts sixty-five minutes, and there is some of Bush’s most accomplished compositions throughout. I am coming to my focus soon but, before then, I want to mention reviews. Aerial got some phenomenal love in 2005 and, though Director’s Cut got more mixed feedback – as she was reworking older songs, there was always going to be people who felt it sacrilege or they would compare the old and new versions -, 50 Words for Snow got the most positive reviews since The Sensual World in 1989 – actually, one might need to go back to Hounds of Love in 1985 to compare the wave of affection she received!

There were very few who had a bad way to say about 50 Words for Snow. In their assessment, this is what The Guardian wrote:

“But in one sense, these peculiarities aren't really that peculiar, given that this is an album by Bush. She has form in releasing Christmas records, thanks to 1980's December Will Be Magic Again, on which she imagined herself falling softly from the sky on a winter's evening. She does it again here on opener Snowflake, although anyone looking for evidence of her artistic development might note that 30 years ago she employed her bug-eyed Heeeath-CLIFF! voice and plonking lyrical references to Bing Crosby and "old St Nicholas up the chimney" to conjure the requisite sense of wonder. Today, she gets there far more successfully using only a gently insistent piano figure, soft flurries of strings and percussion and the voice of her son Bertie.

No, the really peculiar thing is that 50 Words for Snow is the second album in little over six months from a woman who took six years to make its predecessor and 12 to make the one before that. If it's perhaps stretching it to say you can tell it's been made quickly – no one is ever going to call an album that features Lake Tahoe's operatic duet between a tenor and a counter-tenor a rough-and-ready lo-fi experience – it certainly feels more intuitive than, say, Aerial, on which a lot of time and effort had clearly been expended in the pursuit of effortlessness. For all the subtle beauty of the orchestrations, there's an organic, live feel, the sense of musicians huddled together in a room, not something that's happened on a Bush album before.

That aside, 50 Words for Snow is extraordinary business as usual for Bush, meaning it’s packed with the kind of ideas you can’t imagine anyone else in rock having. Taking notions that look entirely daft on paper and rendering them into astonishing music is very much Bush’s signature move. There’s something utterly inscrutable and unknowable about how she does it that has nothing to do with her famous aversion to publicity. Better not to worry, to just listen to an album that, like the weather it celebrates, gets under your skin and into your bones”.

Every Kate Bush album is very different but, on several of her albums, she sort of delivers a theme and suite of songs. Hounds of Love’s The Ninth Wave has a distinct context and concept, as does Aerial’s second disc, A Sky of Honey. Whereas that was more to do with the light and beauty of a single day, 50 Words for Snow changes the seasonal palette and sound direction – it is a colder album (in terms of themes), yet Aerial, and 50 Words for Snow allow for more space and less traditional song structures; both have a lot of weather and the outdoors being described - they are performed in a gorgeous and symphonic manner. When they reviewed the album, Pitchfork made some great observations:

“While much of 50 Words for Snow conjures a whited-out, dream-like state of disbelief, it's important to note that Bush does everything in her power to make all the shadowy phantoms here feel real. Her best music, this album included, has the effect of putting one in the kind of treasured, child-like space-- not so much innocent as open to imagination-- that never gets old. "I have a theory that there are parts of our mental worlds that are still based around the age between five and eight, and we just kind of pretend to be grown-up," she recently told The Independent.

PHOTO CREDIT: @thebeardbe/Unsplash 

"Our essence is there in a much more powerful way when we're children, and if you're lucky enough to... hang onto who you are, you do have that at your core for the rest of your life." Snow isn't a blissful retreat to simpler times, though. It's fraught with endings, loss, quiet-- adult things. This is more than pure fantasy. When faced with her unlikely guest on "Misty", Bush pinches herself: "Should be a dream, but I'm not sleepy".

Each song on 50 Words for Snow has its own tale and quality, but I like the fact that the album features some very well-known people contributing vocals. Andy Fairweather-Low provides backing vocals on the album’s single, Wild Man, whereas Stephen Fry guests on 50 Words for Snow’s title track. The most prominent and high-profile person to appear on the album is Elton John on Snowed in at Wheeler Street. Kate Bush said the following about the track:

“The idea is that there are two lovers, two souls who keep on meeting up in different periods of time. So they meet in Ancient Rome and then they meet again walking through time. But each time something happens to tear them apart. (...) It’s like two old souls that keep on meeting up. (John Doran, 'A Demon In The Drift: Kate Bush Interviewed'. The Quietus, 2011)”.

I think Snowed in at Wheeler Street is one of the most underrated tracks on 50 Words for Snow, and Bush combines seamlessly with Elton John. It was a case of John not wanting to hear a demo or know much about the song before he turned up to record. I can imagine him arriving at Kate Bush’s house and the two of them delivering this very powerful song out together.

Bush has said how Elton John is one of her heroes and how she grew up listening to his music. John, in return, has been affected by Bush’s music. He attributes her duet with Peter Gabriel, Don’t Give Up, as a moment that saved his life, and the two are good friends – Bush attended Elton John’s wedding to David Furnish in 2014. She would have been considering working with Elton John for years, and I think Snowed in at Wheeler Street is a perfect song for them. John’s voice is lower than normal – something Bush really loved -, and the two share verses and take lead at alternate moments. I love the opening verse where the two are together: “Excuse me I'm sorry to bother you/But don't I know you?/There's just something about you/Haven't we met before?/We've been in love forever”. I like this story of two lovers missing one another through time and there being these near-misses. There are various vivid scenes where Bush and John see one another, but my favourite is the fourth verse (that Bush sings): “Then we met in '42/But we were on different sides/I hid you under my bed/But they took you away”. There are a lot of words and thoughts through the track. It would be easy for it to wander and lose its impact, but I think it keeps the listener immersed to the end.

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

The chorus where Bush and John sing together - “I don't want to lose you/I don't want to lose you/I don't want to lose you again” – is heartbreaking and impassioned, and it is a shame that Bush didn’t make a film for this song as her and John would have been great in it. Although there are some slightly less sharp and deep lyrics - “9/11 in New York/I took your photograph/I still have your smiling face in a heart-shaped frame” -, I do like the time-straddling element and whether they actually end up together. Snowed in at Wheeler Street is a typical Kate Bush song in terms of its imaginative and unconventional nature, and Bush’s piano is superb throughout the song – she must have been nervous to hear what John thought about her playing, given that he is so synonymous with the instrument! 50 Words for Snow mixes Chamber Pop and Jazz together; the songs stretch and allow the composition to grow more than we heard on some of her older albums. I really love how Bush was less slavish to traditional song length and there are these longer tracks on 50 Words for Snow. I think Elton John and her together is a highlight, and it was a partnership both of them would have been eager to do. I hope they get together again on future projects, as the chemistry is amazing! Before 50 Words for Snow’s ninth anniversary, I will do another song-specific feature – perhaps focusing on the title track and Stephen Fry’s part!

I want to bring in an interview from The Quietus, where Bush was asked about working with Elton John:

“Now, ‘Snowed In At Wheeler Street’ features the vocal talents of Sir Elton John and I was wondering, was the track written with him in mind?

KB: Yes. Absolutely

How long have you known him?

KB: Oooh. I’ve known him for a long time. He used to be one of my greatest musical heroes. He was such an inspiration to me when I was starting to write songs. I just adored him. I suppose at that time a lot of the well-known performers and writers were quite guitar based but he could play really hot piano. And I’ve always loved his stuff. I’ve always been a fan so I kind of wrote the song with him in mind. And I’m just blown away by his performance on it. Don’t you think it’s great?

Yeah, he really gives it his all.

KB: He sings with pure emotion.

It’s good to hear him belting it out. Back when you were 13 years old and practicing playing the organ in your parents’ house and just starting to write your own songs and lyrics, what was the Elton John album that inspired you?

KB: Well, I love them all and I worked my way through them but my absolute favourite was Madman Across The Water. I just loved that record. I loved the songs on it and the production. It’s a really beautiful album.

Now please correct me if I’m wrong but this song, in my mind at least, seems to hark back to ‘The Man With The Child In His Eyes’ because it’s about a fantasy – almost idealised - lover.

KB: No it isn’t. It’s nothing to do with that at all. The idea is that there are two lovers, two souls who keep on meeting up in different periods of time. So they meet in Ancient Rome and then they meet again walking through time. But each time something happens to tear them apart.

So it’s more like a metaphysical love story between two spirits who span time by the occupation of different bodies?

KB: Yeah. It’s like two old souls that keep on meeting up”.

It is sort of a pity that this song was not part of the set for Bush’s residency, Before the Dawn, in 2014. Only one song from 50 Words for Snow was performed, Among Angels, and that was only included in the encore. I can appreciate how she wanted to focus on the conceptual sides from Hounds of Love, and Aerial, but I think people would have loved to have heard Kate Bush and Elton John duet on the stage for Snowed in at Wheeler Street! There is no telling whether there will be another Kate Bush album and whether it will be similar in terms of 50 Words for Snow when it comes to song structures and the overall sound. I really love 50 Words for Snow and there is not a weak song on the album. Among the highlights is the powerful and evocative Snowed in at Wheeler Street. It is a beautiful story of two old, lost souls…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional image for 50 Words for Snow/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush (from the book, KATE: Inside the Rainbow)

FROM two firm friends.

FEATURE: Record Highs: My Ten Favourite Albums of 2020 (So Far)

FEATURE:

 

 

Record Highs

IN THIS PHOTO: Nadine Shah 

My Ten Favourite Albums of 2020 (So Far)

___________

ALTHOUGH this year has hit the music industry…  

 IN THIS PHOTO: Moses Boyd/PHOTO CREDIT: Dan Medhurst

pretty hard, and it has been a bad one for us all, some positives have come out. I think the standard of music has been higher than ever, and some of the best albums of the past decade have been released this year! It has been a very good and busy year for albums, but there are some that stand out from the rest. I have really loved what has come through and, as we are near the end of the year, I am going to put my favourite albums out there. I know it is risky given the fact that there is a couple of months left, but I will do another feature in January just to update things. Here are the albums that, to me, have made a pretty dark year…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Haim/PHOTO CREDIT: Daria Kobayashi Ritch for Rolling Stone

QUITE a bit brighter.

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Róisín Murphy - Róisín Machine

Release Date: 2nd October

Labels: Skint/BMG

Producer: Richard Barratt

Standout Tracks: Something More/Incapable/Murphy's Law

Buy: https://roisinmurphy.tmstor.es/cart/product.php?id=71260

Key Cut: Murphy’s Law

Review:

“It only makes sense to start the album with the beginning of their long-simmering partnership: eight years later, "Simulation" remains as stunning as when it first appeared, with reflections upon reflections of Murphy's voice unfolding over its steady beat and pulsing synths. Though the track sets the tone for what follows, Róisín Machine never feels predictable. More than on some of her previous releases, Murphy winks at the playful artificiality that has been her trademark since the Moloko days. She's often seemed like she could be an android with her shape-shifting vocals and unexpected songwriting choices; only she would name a sultry track "Shellfish Mademoiselle," and only she could get away with it. Fortunately, this more straightforward approach doesn't detract from the power of her illusions. The gradual smoothing of her style that started on Overpowered and made Hairless Toys so gorgeously sophisticated attains a fittingly mechanical perfection on Róisín Machine. It's as seamless as a mix album, with a haziness that calls to mind the magic of the dancefloor on tracks like the ghostly "Game Changer." With Barratt's help, Murphy dives deeper than ever before into the disco and house roots that make up the foundations of her solo career, but even with a narrower focus, she finds a wide range of expression. On "Kingdom of Ends," she ascends to her rightful position as the empress of dance music on steeply rising synth strings that feel infinite. On "Narcissus," those strings become a nervy, restless loop as Murphy riffs on Greek mythology, one of many moments on Róisín Machine where she melds fantasies and club culture into songs that are as artful as they are kinetic. She's never sounded as velvety as she does on "Murphy's Law," her version of the classic disco trope of dancing through heartache, while the emotional complexity she brings to "Incapable" and "Jealousy" works with their driving beats, not against them. From start to finish, Róisín Machine is cohesive and spellbinding. Murphy truly is a machine in her consistent creativity, and this is a particularly well-oiled example of her brilliance” – AllMusic

Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters

Release Date: 17th April

Labels: Epic/Clean Slate

Producers: Fiona Apple/Amy Aileen Wood/Sebastian Steinberg/Davíd Garza

Standout Tracks: Shameika/Newspaper/Ladies

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/fiona-apple/fetch-the-bolt-cutters

Key Cut: Under the Table

Review:

“She calls men out for refusing to show weakness, for treating their wives badly, for needing women to clean up their messes. Where The Idler Wheel explored a form of self-interrogation—“I’m too hard to know,” she crooned—on Fetch the Bolt Cutters, she unapologetically indicts the world around her. And she rejects its oppressive logic in every note. The very sound of Fetch the Bolt Cutters dismantles patriarchal ideas: professionalism, smoothness, competition, perfection—aesthetic standards that are tools of capitalism, used to warp our senses of self. Where someone else might erase a mistake—“Oh fuck it!” she chuckles on “On I Go”—she leaves it in. Where someone might put a bridge, she puts clatter. Where she once sang, “Hunger hurts but starving works,” here, in the devouring chorus of “Heavy Balloon,” she screams: “I spread like strawberries/I climb like peas and beans.” There is nothing top-down about the sound of Fetch the Bolt Cutters. “She wanted to start from the ground,” her guitarist David Garza told The New Yorker. “For her, the ground is rhythm.”

There’s considerable power in how Apple entertains so many of these wild, inexhaustible impulses. “Don’t you, don’t you, don’t you, don’t you shush me!” she chips back on “Under the Table.” She will not be silenced. That’s patently clear from the start of Fetch the Bolt Cutters. In gnarled breaths on its opening song—feet on the ground and mind as her might—Apple articulates exactly what she wants: “Blast the music! Bang it! Bite it! Bruise it!” It’s not pretty. It’s free” – Pitchfork

Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher

Release Date: 18th June

Label: Dead Oceans

Producers: Tony Berg/Ethan Gruska/Phoebe Bridgers

Standout Tracks: Punisher/Chinese Satellite/I Know the End

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/phoebe-bridgers/punisher

Key Cut: Garden Song

Review:

“There are love songs, but they are as coarse as they are caressing. “You couldn’t have stuck your tongue down the throat of somebody who loves you more,” she sings on “Moon Song”, her weary falsetto accompanied by a few nylon guitar chords and the squeak of a finger sliding up and down a fret. “I’ll drive around again/ One hand on the wheel, one in your mouth,” goes “Savior Complex”, on which her voice lies on a soft bed of swirling strings. On “Chinese Satellite”, she recalls a lover “screaming at the evangelicals” about the non-existence of God. “But you know I’d stand on a corner embarrassed with a picket sign,” she confesses, “if it meant I would see you when I die.” Punisher is both poetic and prosaic, like a dusty drive along a dirt road.

“Kyoto” is what Bridgers calls a “resentment song” – though its chugging bass riff and extroverted eruptions of brass belie this – about how the dream of constant travel fails to match up with the reality, especially when you’re dogged by depression. She’s been touring almost constantly since her 2017 debut Strange in the Alps – a sombre indie-rock record that showed a similar knack for wry observation and emotional sucker punches – and so here, she craves home. There is an irony, of course, in yearning for comforting confinement now we’re all being told to stay indoors. In the lead up to this album’s release, Bridgers wasn’t supposed to have a day off for three months; instead, she’s been at home walking on her treadmill all day” – The Independent

Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways

Release Date: 19th June

Label: Columbia

Standout Tracks: I Contain Multitudes/Black Rider/Goodbye Jimmy Reed

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/bob-dylan/rough-and-rowdy-ways

Key Cut: False Prophet

Review:

“This is obviously humour of a dark hue: if Tempest’s prevalent mood was one of murderous fury, then here it’s brooding menace and imminent doom. It’s there in the music – the weird tension in Crossing the Rubicon’s muted R&B shuffle and the way the backing on Black Rider keeps lapsing into ominous silence. You lose count of the lyrical references to judgment day and Armageddon, of the mysterious characters that keep cropping up with malevolence on their minds: “I can feel the bones beneath my skin and they’re trembling with rage, I’ll make your wife a widow, you’ll never see middle age,” he sings on Crossing the Rubicon. Of course, grouchily informing the world that everything is turning to shit has been one of Dylan’s prevalent songwriting modes for a quarter of a century – it’s the thread that binds Not Dark Yet, Things Have Changed, Ain’t Talkin’ and Early Roman Kings, among others – but this time the message seems to have shifted slightly: if you think everything has turned to shit now, Rough and Rowdy Ways keeps insisting, just you wait.

This isn’t perhaps the most comforting communique to issue in the middle of a global pandemic, but then the man behind it has seldom dealt in soothing reassurance. And besides, it doesn’t matter. For all its bleakness, Rough and Rowdy Ways might well be Bob Dylan’s most consistently brilliant set of songs in years: the die-hards can spend months unravelling the knottier lyrics, but you don’t need a PhD in Dylanology to appreciate its singular quality and power” – The Guardian

Laura Marling – Song for Our Daughter

Release Date: 10th April

Labels: Chrysalis/Partisan

Producers: Laura Marling/Ethan Johns

Standout Tracks: Alexandra/Strange Girl/Fortune

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/laura-marling/song-for-our-daughter

Key Cut: Song for Our Daughter

Review:

“The title track plays out like a bedtime story and a life lesson. The patchwork of slow acoustics builds as strings come in, reflecting the swell of affection for another person. “You won’t be forgotten for what you had not done yet,” she sings; it’s a graceful ode to anyone making it out alive in a ruthless world. ‘Hope We Meet Again’ sees her reflect on the past while still walking bravely ahead. Some of the most stunning lines (“I tried to give you love and truth / But you’re acid-tongued, serpent-toothed’) interlace with the echoing twang of the pedal steel guitar and angelic backing vocals. This is masterful stuff.

The album closes humbly, with a demo recorded and performed by Marling and her partner. “I thank God I‘ve never met, never loved, never wanted,” she sings. The track reaches out to a higher power, imploring that we’ll all be OK.

“An album, stripped of everything that modernity and ownership does to it, is essentially a piece of me, and I’d like for you to have it,” Marling has said of ‘Song to My Daughter’. Album seven is a piece of a person we are familiar with. It might be less folky than her previous work, more guided by vital words than percussive rhythm, but it still feels cohesive and like a safe haven. The album is a balm, Marling a lifeline – and a source of stability. We’re lucky to have her” – NME

Rina Sawayama – SAWAYAMA

Release Date: 17th April

Label: Dirty Hit

Producers: Clarence Clarity/Chris Lyon/Valley Girl/Bram Inscore/Danny L Harle/Rina Sawayama/Jonathan Gilmore/Kyle Shearer

Standout Tracks: XS/Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)/Chosen Family

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/rina-sawayama/sawayama

Key Cut: STFU!

Review:

“Rina’s vocal presence is just as impressive as the album's genre span. Across the 13 track span of 'Sawayama' you’ll hear the powerful tones of a woman whose passion and fierceness is undeniable - never more than in uplifting tracks such as ‘Love Me 4 Me’ and ‘Chosen Family’.

The tracks ‘Akasaka Sad’ and ‘Paradisin’ specifically explore those memories of growing up between two places (for Rina, Japan and the UK) and the conflicting emotions that must come with that challenge, the first being about feeling displaced wherever in the world, and ‘Paradisin’ honing in on rebelling against authority, AKA… mum.

Although ‘Sawayama’ is a deeply personal album, the range of emotions portrayed throughout can be felt and personalised by anyone. The use of heavy metal, theatrics, synth and pop each have their hand in portraying so many varied emotions - from anger to guilt, confusion to elation. Each of these layers add to the melting pot, and these tough emotions have ultimately contributed to the creation of a flawless pop record.

Raw artistry paired with rich heritage makes for a magnificent, spine-tingling first album for Rina Sawayama” – CLASH

Moses Boyd – Dark Matter

Release Date: 14th February

Label: Exodus

Producers: Moses Boyd (exec.)/Koyejo Oloko (also exec.)

Standout Tracks: Stranger Than Fiction/Dancing in the Dark/Nommos Descent

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/moses-boyd/dark-matter

Key Cut: Y.O.Y.O.

Review:

“At its darkest, Dark Matter descends into brooding electro more akin to tech house than hard bop. Electronic drum grooves meld with synth baselines and Theon Cross’ throbbing tuba. It seems Cross’ 808-like sub-harmonic tones have become a ubiquitous part of the London jazz scene. RIP bassists.

However, though the record is by and large a collection of dense, stoic grooves, there is one outlier. The single “Shades of You” featuring vocalist Poppy Ajudha sits strangely bright alongside the rest of the track listing. While the album as a whole evokes images of sweaty dance floors and caustic youth, this poppy, upbeat single jerks the listener out of the reverie. I feel like I’ve been suddenly transported into a third wave coffee shop, where I find myself ordering a $5 latte.

Jazz fusion records (and let’s face it, that’s what this is), have a tendency to lean on zeitgeist-y tropes and production techniques to distance themselves from their stiff-collared traditionalist brethren. What the gated drums and FM synths were to the 80s, the trap hi hats and side chain are to our epoch. Hip today, dated tomorrow. Current trends pop up again here on Dark Matter. This album is not a timeless classic, it is a du jour album that showcases a drummer and producer’s talent at capturing the sound of the times. It should be enjoyed as such: a testament to young musicians blending tradition and modernity in exciting new ways” – The Line of Best Fit

Nadine Shah – Kitchen Sink

Release Date: 26th June

Label: Infectious

Producer: Ben Hillier

Standout Tracks: Ladies for Babies (Goats for Love)/Trad/Prayer Mat

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/nadine-shah/kitchen-sink

Key Cut: Club Cougar

Review:

“The fourth long-player from the spell-casting English singer/songwriter, Kitchen Sink is aptly named, as Nadine Shah and longtime collaborator/producer Ben Hillier have crafted a wily and inventive collection of songs that pair astute social commentary with crisp, cosmopolitan arrangements drawing from a deep and intuitive arsenal of styles. The follow-up to Shah's Mercury Prize-nominated Holiday Destination, the 11-track set commences with the airy and funky "Club Cougar." Like its predecessor, the scathing "Ladies for Babies (Goats for Love)" is awash in wiggly beats, staccato horns, and flourishes of Tropicalia, with Shah's evocative lyrics and stately, confidant voice wryly and vividly parsing the relationship between sexism and fertility. Exploring the notion of what it means to be both a woman in your thirties and an outsider (Shah was born of Pakistani and Norwegian parentage), the sinewy title track's clanging guitars and strident piano mirror the narrator's insistence on combating cognitive bias with confidence -- it's a strut, not a sprint. There are echoes of Shah's bluesy, noir-pop past peppered throughout Kitchen Sink, most notably on the cinematic "Kite" and the sumptuous closer "Prayer Mat," but the overall vibe is as playful as it is rooted in emotional and societal discord. Like her sonic contemporaries PJ Harvey, Cate Le Bon, and Fiona Apple, Shah presents as a mystery wrapped in an enigma, when in reality she's just innately talented and resolute in her convictions. Unsurprisingly, the mesmerizing Kitchen Sink distills those two predilections into something that's both compelling and otherworldly” – AllMusic

Haim – Women in Music Pt. III

 Release Date: 26th June

Label: Columbia

Producers: Danielle Haim/Rostam Batmanglij/Ariel Rechtshaid

Standout Tracks: Los Angeles/Gasoline/Man from the Magazine

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/haim/women-in-music-pt-iii

Key Cut: 3 AM

Review:

“Melancholy and aimlessness are a change in pace for three sisters known for their vivid Fleetwood Mac homages, taut pop rhythms and arresting demands for clarity. Danielle, bassist Este and guitarist Alana all experienced depression while writing Women in Music Pt III, which they once might have sublimated with euphoric pop. Instead, they translate desolation into richly searching music, putting familiar sounds through their distinctive filter: fluttering G-funk (3am), homages to Walk on the Wild Side (Summer Girl) and Joni Mitchell at her most seething (Man from the Magazine, an acoustic riposte to a leering journalist), and Led Zep bounce (Up From a Dream).

They subvert pastiche with explosive yet contained production – agitated rhythms, corroded riffs, unexpected celluloid-melt transitions – that suggests Danielle bristling against her own limitations, yet never inhibits a massive chorus. The Steps turns a petulant stomp into an anthem of frustration, while a cathartic scream crests through the hook of All That Ever Mattered. The familiar becomes bracing. The album is also their first real foray into detailed emotional songwriting, Danielle outlining a visceral sense of disconnect from signs in dreams that nobody can read, strangers’ beds and estranged lovers’ clothes. By leaning into the lows, Haim open up bold frontiers” – The Guardian

Bruce Springsteen – Letter to You

Release Date: 23rd October

Label: Columbia

Producers: Ron Aniello/Bruce Springsteen

Standout Tracks: Letter to You/Janey Needs a Shooter/If I Was the Priest

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/bruce-springsteen/letter-to-you

Key Cut: I’ll See You in My Dreams

Review:

“But above all, there’s the songs. The title track is classic Springsteen rock, an old-school rambling groove with a hopeful message about our best efforts being worth it, regardless of the result. “The Power Of Prayer” finds the Boss delivering a simple descending melody paired to a celebration of the most important things sometimes being right where you need them. “House Of A Thousand Guitars” stands out as a highlight, an exhortation to find support in each other through music—despite being written before the pandemic, as was the rest of the album, its clarion cry to bring people together promises eventual light at the end of the tunnel.

Even the likely anti-Trump song “Rainmaker” avoids cheap indictments, instead dwelling on how life’s miseries unfortunately mean “Sometimes folks need to believe in something so bad / so bad, so bad.” (It’s definitely about Trump.) By the time “Song For Orphans” finds Springsteen in full-on Dylan mode (“The multitude assembled and tried to make the noise / The black blind poet generals and restless loud white boys”), the record has coalesced into a singular document of tension and release, nostalgia and regret, loss and salvation, these opposing pairs flip sides of the same coin of a life, if not always well-lived, then certainly defiantly lived. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have created a musical testament to survival—the toll it exacts, the struggle it requires, but also the beauty to be found in the very cracks that give shape to our damaged souls. It’s one for the ages, and apparently Springsteen is finally the perfect age to deliver it” – The A.V. Club

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Seriously Big Disco Jams

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

PHOTO CREDIT: @jurienh/Unsplash 

Seriously Big Disco Jams

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LOOKING back on all of the Lockdown Playlists…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @matthewlejune/Unsplash

and I can’t recall doing a Disco selection! I will rectify that because, as it is Saturday morning, we are in a new weekend and I feel we all need some energy and groove to make things better! It has been a strange and tense last week or so, and what better way to unwind and motivate than to get down to some classic cuts from the floor of the disco! If you do require some fire and boogie to get you up and about, then I think the selection of songs below should provide you with plenty of cheer, ecstasy and some much-needed…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @5tep5/Unsplash

KICK in the step!

FEATURE: Too Good to Be Forgotten: Songs That Are Much More Than a Guilty Pleasure: Natalie Imbruglia - Torn

FEATURE:

 

 

Too Good to Be Forgotten: Songs That Are Much More Than a Guilty Pleasure

Natalie Imbruglia - Torn

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I will head to the 1980s, perhaps, for my…

next instalment, but I have been listening back to a lot of songs from the 1990s. In some ways, it is nostalgia and looking back at a safer time but, mainly, it is to remind myself just what a broad and extraordinary decade it was for music! I think a lot of artists today have taken something from the 1990s, and there was a lot going on in every year. I have been thinking about songs from the 1990s that were played a lot then and we might not listen to as much now. I feel some people think of Natalie Imbruglia’s Torn as a bit of a guilty pleasure. It is one of those songs that was everywhere in the ‘90s - but there are some who feel it is was one of the weaker or more overrated ‘classics’. To me, it is a great song that should be played more. Natalie Imbruglia was not the first to get to Torn. It is a cover version and, prior to her recording it, it was performed by Lis Sørensen, then two years later by the American Alternative Rock band, Ednaswap and, in 1996, by American-Norwegian singer Trine Rein. Torn was Imbruglia’s debut single of 27th October, 1997, and it is the opening track to her debut album, Left of the Middle. I think this is one of the more undervalued debut albums of the 1990s, and there are so many great tracks on the album – including Big Mistake, and Wishing I Was There.

Torn was a huge success. Imbruglia's version was recorded with David Munday (lead guitar), Phil Thornalley (bass, rhythm guitars), Chuck Sabo (drums), Henry Binns, Sam Hardaker (Zero 7) (drum programming) and Katrina Leskanich (background vocals). It was mixed by Nigel Godrich. Imbruglia received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, losing to Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On. Recently, I put out a feature regarding the best one-hit wonders, and I included Torn. That might be unfair to Imbruglia, as she released quite a few other successful songs, but what I meant was that Torn was such a massive success that other songs released after that paled in comparison. Torn sold more than four-million copies worldwide, and it is the eighty-fifth biggest-selling single ever. In the United States, the song peaked at number-one on the Hot 100 Airplay chart for eleven consecutive weeks. Maybe it is because Torn was synonymous with the late-1990s that people do not revisit it much, and I think only certain radio stations play the song – those stations who cater for a slightly more ‘mature’ audience. So many people did not realise (in the ‘90s) that Torn was a cover, and years later, I think it is still providing revelation. It is a song that, as it was recorded by minor artists before it became a huge hit, was assumed to be an original.

In a decade that provides some of the greatest music ever, I think Torn is a song that sits alongside the best of them. I can appreciate how it might not be to everyone’s tastes, but listen back to it now and Torn will have an effect on you. The lyrics are really interesting, and I love lines like “So I guess the fortune teller's right/Should've seen just what was there and not some holy light/But you crawled beneath my veins and now”. The video is quite effecting and memorable, and Imbruglia’s vocal is incredible. I think she is one of those artists who was slightly dismissed because she was an actor – having appeared in Neighbours as Beth Brennan for a couple of years -, but she proved through Left of the Middle that she could mix styles and moods and pull them off – that entire album is worth checking out. Torn is a song that gets under the skin, and I don’t think that people should consider it to be a guilty pleasure or one of those songs from the 1990s that was a little bit cheesy and lame. It is a powerful song and, for Natalie Imbruglia, I think it set this impossible task of trying to follow it and get the same success with future singles. Her most-recent album, Male, was released in 2015, and I wonder whether she will put out more material. The popularity of Torn is clear and, whilst it divides some people, the fact a new generation are discovering the song and singing along shows that it is a powerful and captivating thing. One of the best covers of the 1990s, I really have a lot of time for Torn, and when it comes to me compiling my favourite tracks of that time, it is a song that I am…

PROUD to play and include.

FEATURE: Crazy for You: Madonna’s The Immaculate Collection at Thirty

FEATURE:

 

 

Crazy for You

Madonna’s The Immaculate Collection at Thirty

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I would not normally review…

an anniversary of a greatest hits collection but, on 13th November, 1990, Madonna’s The Immaculate Collection was released. There are various release dates being provided (some say it was released on 9th November), but most reliable sources say it was 13th November. I love the album, as it is the greatest hits of one of the biggest Pop artists ever. I was seven when the album came out, and I can remember hearing about the album. Until then, I think my exposure to compilation albums was for chart hits, and I don’t think I was aware of greatest hits relating to a single artist. In 1989, Madonna released Like a Prayer, and she was an enormous star! Until that point, she had put out four incredible studio albums and appeared in several films – in addition to having conducted massive world tours. Her Blond Ambition World Tour was fresh in the memory (it ended in August 1990), so there was this demand for all of her best songs to come together on her album. The Immaculate Collection, obviously, is a rewording of ‘immaculate conception’, and it is a reference to the Virgin Mary. She actually dedicated the album to The Pope, so there was religious influence and imagery. All the songs on The Immaculate Collection, with the exception of the two new songs, were remixed by Shep Pettibone alongside Goh Hotoda and Michael Hutchinson through QSound - a then-new technology that gives recordings three-dimensional sound on standard stereo systems. It became the first album to feature the technology.

Tracks were edited from their original running time to fit on an album and, even though C.D.s allowed for more room, it was still a job fitting everything in! I think releasing The Immaculate Collection was an obvious decision, but it could have signalled to the world that Madonna was sort of cashing in or it was a bit too soon for a greatest hits. Obviously, having put out so many great songs since 1990, there have been other collections that have scooped together all of her great tracks. I am surprised there is not a thirtieth anniversary edition of The Immaculate Collection and, whilst one fan has put out their own version of an anniversary boxset, I feel a new edition would have been welcomed. The Immaculate Collection has Material Girl with a new outro in place of the original fade-out. The most interesting thing, like most greatest hits collections, is that there is new material. I can understand why artists do this but, with so much great material in her locker, it could have been risky for Madonna overlooking popular songs in favour of some new material. One of the new songs, Justify My Love, was originally written by Ingrid Chavez, Prince's protégé and friend, and Lenny Kravitz. The song has spoken word vocals and Trip Hop vibes, and it sort of continues where Like a Prayer leaves off - and sort of indicated where Madonna would head with Erotica in 1992.

It is amazing to think that, in 1990, Madonna released both Vogue, and Justify My Love – so different in terms of tone; just showing how broad she was! Rescue Me was also added to the compilation as a new song. The songs run chronologically on the album, which allows one to see how Madonna’s sound changed in a few years. Big songs like Holiday, Like a Virgin, and Material Girl mix with Lucky Star from her 1983 debut and the underrated Crazy for You – from the 1985 film, Vision Quest. There is nothing controversial in terms of omissions but, even though there was no Everybody (from Madonna, 1983), Dear Jessie (Like a Prayer, 1989), or film tracks like Who’s That Girl (Who’s That Girl, 1987), most of the biggest numbers are accommodated…and we get the two new numbers at the end. Even though it was only seven years since her debut album came out, few can easily compare the Madonna on 1983’s Holiday and the woman that they hear on Justify My Love in 1990. It is clear that artists have this accelerated maturation in the public eye, as there is this desire for them to evolve and not repeat themselves. It is evident that Madonna was a lot bolder and more expressive in 1990 compared to her first couple of albums. You can get The Immaculate Collection on vinyl, and it raises a good question: Is this album the best greatest hits collection?

 IMAGE CREDIT: Bradley Pratt

Stepping into controversial, but it is definitely one of the most acclaimed greatest hits - simply because of the recognisability and popularity of the hits and where Madonna was in her career in 1990. Near the end of the first year of her second decade in music, it was clear her sound was changing and she was reaching new heights of fame after her Blond Ambition World Tour. In a retrospective review, AllMusic gave their views on The Immaculate Collection:

“On the surface, the single-disc hits compilation The Immaculate Collection appears to be a definitive retrospective of Madonna's heyday in the '80s. After all, it features 17 of Madonna's greatest hits, from "Holiday" and "Like a Virgin" to "Like a Prayer" and "Vogue." However, looks can be deceiving. It's true that The Immaculate Collection contains the bulk of Madonna's hits, but there are several big hits that aren't present, including "Angel," "Dress You Up," "True Blue," "Who's That Girl," and "Causing a Commotion." The songs that are included are frequently altered. Everything on the collection is remastered in Q-sound, which gives an exaggerated sense of stereo separation that often distorts the original intent of the recordings. Furthermore, several songs are faster than their original versions and some are faded out earlier than either their single or album versions, while others are segued together.

In other words, while all the hits are present, they're simply not in their correct versions. Nevertheless, The Immaculate Collection remains a necessary purchase, because it captures everything Madonna is about and it proves that she was one of the finest singles artists of the '80s. Until the original single versions are compiled on another album, The Immaculate Collection is the closest thing to a definitive retrospective”.

Madonna would go on to release sensational albums like Erotica (1992), Ray of Light (1998), and Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005), so there has been revision through the years, yet I think The Immaculate Collection is the best greatest hits collection as it has become so iconic. It would have been a perfect early Christmas present for any Madonna fan in 1990 and I think it still sounds amazing today! At thirty, The Immaculate Collection still stands out as one of the best greatest hits packages, and after the success of Like a Prayer, Madonna was conscious of the fact that she was ending one phase of her career, and the idea of a greatest hits album was less about making money and capitalising on her commercial appeal and more closing that chapter and starting the next one. With so many incredible hits from the 1980s (and a bit of 1990), it is a collection of some of the best Pop music…

THAT has ever been recorded.

FEATURE: The November Playlist: Vol. 1: Show Your Face If You Don’t Want to Miss a Thing

FEATURE:

 

 

The November Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Kylie Minogue 

Vol. 1: Show Your Face If You Don’t Want to Miss a Thing

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THIS is one of those weeks…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Anchoress

where there is a small selection of big releases and popular tracks, and a collection of great songs from smaller artists. I have tried to put together the best of this week and, alongside heavy hitters like Kylie Minogue, The Anchoress, Brittany Howard, System of a Down, Jade Bird, Bree Runway (ft. Missy Elliott), Little Mix, Giggs, and Wyvern Lingo, are tracks from Jordan Adetunji, RAYE, Mae Muller, James Vincent McMorrow, Matilda Mann, Imelda May, and Birdy. Throw in some Tunng, Neil Young (with Crazy Horse) with Cheat Codes, Lily Ahlberg, and Hope Winter, and it is an eclectic and interesting week for music! It has been a stressful and long one for most of us and, as we climb into the comfort of the weekend, this week’s finest tunes should definitely help take some of the strain away whilst adding a much-needed…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Bree Runway

INJECTION of energy!

ALL PHOTOS/IMAGES (unless credited otherwise): Artists

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Kylie Minogue – Miss a Thing

The Anchoress - Show Your Face

System of a Down - Protect the Land

Jade Bird – Headstart

Bree Runway (ft. Missy Elliott) - ATM

Little Mix – Confetti

James Vincent McMorrow – Gone

Wyvern Lingo – Rapture

Matilda Mann – Japan

Giggs – Debonair

Hayley Mary – The Chain

Imelda May – Never Look Back

BENEE – Happen to Me

Neil Young, Crazy Horse - Bandit - Live

Birdy – Just Like a River Does

Tunng – Eating the Dead

PHOTO CREDIT: Anthony Harrison

Brittany Howard – You’ll Never Walk Alone

RAYE – Love of Your Life

Fred Hersch – After You’ve Gone

Mae Muller – dependent

Cheat Codes – Washed Up

Baby Queen – Want Me

PHOTO CREDIT: Mark Noall

Molly Hocking – After the Night Before

Ellie Bleach - I Thought I Saw You Last Night

Lilly Ahlberg – Call Me

Heather Trost – Love It Grows

Jordan Adetunji - Around

PHOTO CREDIT: Charlie Lipman

Dermot Kennedy – Days Like This

Hope Winter – I’m Gonna Love Me

Meg Ward – Melbourne Street

PHOTO CREDIT: Samantha Guess

VUKOVI – SLO

Glass Caves – Who Are You?

Oscar Scheller – Half Eaten

Thelma Plum – Better in Blak

Evie Irie - Misfit

Be Charlotte – Back to Life

FEATURE: Deep Inside an Architect's Dream: Kate Bush’s Aerial at Fifteen: A Sky of Honey

FEATURE:

 

 

Deep Inside an Architect's Dream

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 2005 

Kate Bush’s Aerial at Fifteen: A Sky of Honey

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I realise that…  

in the course of assessing and covering Aerial, I have written about its second disc, A Sky of Honey before. As Aerial is fifteen today (7th November), I wanted to talk about an extraordinary suite of songs. I was musing about how it would look if the songs were translated to the screen. Kate Bush did, alongside Hounds of Love’s The Ninth Wave, bring A Sky of Honey to the stage for Before the Dawn in 2016. I did not get to see the show, but it seems like the songs translated really well and sat alongside the epic scenes from The Ninth Wave. Apart from Rolf Harris’ parts on Aerial – who appeared as ‘The Painter’ on An Architect’s Dream, and The Painter's Link – being recast for her son, Bertie, for the stage (and on the album on every release apart from the 2005 original), everything flowed naturally and beautifully. I wonder if the concept could be taken further and made into a short film. I still think The Ninth Wave would be a beautiful and thrilling short, but there is something tender, peaceful, and immersive about A Sky of Honey that lends itself to the screen. From the beautiful birdsong of Prelude, running through to An Architect’s Dream – where Bush sings “Watching the painter painting/And all the time, the light is changing/And he keeps painting/That bit there, it was an accident/But he's so pleased/It's the best mistake, he could make…” -, there is so much life, light and wonderful moments!

 PHOTO CREDIT: @dfkt/Unsplash

Aerial Tal finds Bush ‘duetting’ with a bird and deeply engaging with her surroundings, whilst Nocturn has so much romance and one of Bush’s best vocals and set of lyrics (“Could be in a dream/Our clothes are on the beach/These prints of our feet/Lead right up to the sea/No one, no one is here/No one, no one is here/We stand in the Atlantic/We become panoramic/We tire of the city/We tire of it all/We long for just that something more”). I love how much variety and cinematic brilliance there is through A Sky of Honey. Whilst it is interesting to isolate tracks and focus on different snatches, the best listening experience is to do it all in one go; taking yourself from the morning through to the evening, then back into the breaking light - one is entranced and stunned throughout. Not only was it ambitious of Kate Bush to put out an album – as Aerial is a double album – that consists of a concept, but she executes every thought and song with conviction and nuance. I love how rich A Sky of Honey is, and I can picture Bush composing each of its tracks knowing what she wanted to achieve as a whole. Maybe it was her new life and domestic situation – giving birth to her son in 1998 – and the fact she was spending more time in the garden and playing with Bertie that meant the garden and nature was in her mind.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @martz90/Unsplash

One can envisage a large and peaceful garden with Bush relaxing and surrounded by nature. Not that A Sky of Honey is all about nature and the garden; Bush very much takes us on a tour far and wide, and I think A Sky of Honey is one of her greatest achievements. A lot of people preferred Hounds of Love’s The Ninth Wave to the first side, as there was a greater variation of sounds and it was grander and more impactful than a series of songs. Maybe Bush was thinking about Hounds of Love and a time when she was very happy; it came after a difficult time where she really pushed herself on 1982’s The Dreaming. Returning after the harder experiences of The Red Shoes and her life in 1993, I feel she wanted another song cycle to get her teeth into that would give her opportunity to write in a very different way. Of course, there was a lot of excitement when Bush announced Aerial, and I can only imagine how people reacted when they heard A Sky of Honey! It is very different to A Sea of Honey and, perhaps, it is the closest Bush has come to writing a Classical symphony or her own version of an opera. When AllMusic reviewed Aerial, they highlighted the beauty of A Sky of Honey:

“A Sky of Honey is 42 minutes in length. It's lushly romantic as it meditates on the passing of 24 hours. Its prelude is a short deeply atmospheric piece with the sounds of birds singing, and her son (who is "the Sun" according to the credits) intones, "Mummy...Daddy/The day is full of birds/Sounds like they're saying words." And "Prologue" begins with her piano, a chanted viol, and Bush crooning to romantic love, the joy of marriage and nature communing, and the deep romance of everyday life.

There's drama, stillness, joy, and quiet as its goes on, but it's all held within, as in "An Architect's Dream," where the protagonist encounters a working street painter going about his work in changing light: "The flick of a wrist/Twisting down to the hips/So the lovers begin with a kiss...." Loops, Eberhard Weber's fretless bass, drifting keyboards, and a relaxed delivery create an erotic tension, in beauty and in casual voyeurism.

"Sunset" has Bush approaching jazz, but it doesn't swing so much as it engages the form. Her voice digging into her piano alternates between lower-register enunciation and a near falsetto in the choruses. There is a sense of utter fascination with the world as it moves toward darkness, and the singer is enthralled as the sun climbs into bed, before it streams into "Sunset," a gorgeous flamenco guitar and percussion-driven call-and-response choral piece -- it's literally enthralling. It is followed by a piece of evening called "Somewhere Between," in which lovers take in the beginning of night. As "Nocturne" commences, shadows, stars, the beach, and the ocean accompany two lovers who dive down deep into one another and the surf. Rhythms assert themselves as the divers go deeper and the band kicks up: funky electric guitars pulse along with the layers of keyboards, journeying until just before sunup. But it is on the title track that Bush gives listeners her greatest surprise. Dawn is breaking and she greets the day with a vengeance. Manic, crunchy guitars play power chords as sequencers and synths make the dynamics shift and swirl. In her higher register, Bush shouts, croons, and trills against and above the band's force.

Nothing much happens on Aerial except the passing of a day, as noted by the one who engages it in the process of being witnessed, yet it reveals much about the interior and natural worlds and expresses spiritual gratitude for everyday life. Musically, this is what listeners have come to expect from Bush at her best -- a finely constructed set of songs that engage without regard for anything else happening in the world of pop music. There's no pushing of the envelope because there doesn't need to be. Aerial is rooted in Kate Bush's oeuvre, with grace, flair, elegance, and an obsessive, stubborn attention to detail. What gets created for the listener is an ordinary world, full of magic; it lies inside one's dwelling in overlooked and inhabited spaces, and outside, from the backyard and out through the gate into wonder”.

Many people highlighted how Aerial sounds like an album recorded in isolation. One can imagine that Bush was tied to the home raising a young son, and she was taking more inspiration from her home and her imagination whilst there than she was from other people and the wider world. In 2020, her situation is very similar to back then - albeit she does not have a young son to raise. One wonders whether we will get a similar album to Aerial if Bush chooses to release any music.

Lockdown and these strange times would certainly have changed her approach to music and writing and I wonder, if there is another album, whether she has brought people into her home studio, or there have been parts recorded remotely, or she has written and composed everything herself – sort of like Paul McCartney doing everything for the upcoming McCartney III. I am not sure what the future holds regarding Kate Bush’s career but, fifteen years after Aerial was released, I think the album is more powerful and meaningful now as it was in 2005. The music seems to go deeper, and it provides great escape. I would urge everyone to listen to A Sky of Honey, as it can soothe the nerves and calm, but it is swelling and passionate; the instrumentation and performances are exceptional and, backed by some sublime players – including Danny McIntosh (her husband), Del Palmer, the London Metropolitan Orchestra, and Gary Brooker -, she created this mini-masterpiece. I am not sure what celebrations there will be to mark Aerial’s fifteenth anniversary today, but the album is hugely important for different reasons. To me, it is the sound of Bush in a happy new phase of her life; someone who has greater meaning and fulfilment than ever before and, as a songwriter, she sounds stronger and more ambitious than ever. Aerial is a splendid double album, but I have a fond love for A Sky of Honey because of its story arc and all the wonderful sounds throughout – including stunning bird song. I love revisiting the nine tracks on A Sky of Honey, as it is a listening experience that is…

ABSOLUTELY astonishing.

FEATURE: A Gentleman of a Certain Age: The Lockdown Playlist: The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon at Fifty

FEATURE:

 

 

A Gentleman of a Certain Age

PHOTO CREDIT: Annett Bonkowski 

The Lockdown Playlist: The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon at Fifty

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BECAUSE it is the birthday of…

The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon tomorrow (7th November), I wanted to put together a special Lockdown Playlist. It is not just any birthday, mind – Neil Hannon will turn fifty! I think he is one of the most innovative songwriters of our age and, on last year’s Office Politics, Hannon proved he had lost none of his chops! Since the debut album of the Divine Comedy, Fanfare for the Comic Muse of 1990, we have received this tremendous songs from the inimitable Hannon. That album turned thirty earlier this year, and I would recommend everyone go and get The Divine Comedy on vinyl, as their albums are sensational – although I sort of view The Divine Comedy to be a solo outing. To mark the fiftieth birthday of Neil Hannon, I have put together a playlist of his best songs with The Divine Comedy. As you will see, he is one of the finest songwriters ever and he has this lyrical voice like nobody else. Enjoy some wonderful songs from…

 PHOTO CREDIT: David Conachy/The Irish Independent

A musical treasure.

FEATURE: Reasons to Be Cheerful – Part II: How 2020 has Highlighted the Importance and Necessity of the Music Industry

FEATURE:

 

 

Reasons to Be Cheerful – Part II

PHOTO CREDIT: @karsten116/Unsplash 

How 2020 has Highlighted the Importance and Necessity of the Music Industry

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MANY will argue that this year…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @timmossholder/Unsplash

has been one of the worst ever, and there is no reason to be cheerful or have any optimism! For many who have lost their jobs and suffered because of the pandemic, that is very true. It has been a tough one, but I think there is a greater appreciation of the value of arts and the music world. There has never been any doubt that the music industry is vastly important, but I think there has been this new wave of love. Lockdown restarts again today, so record shops are going to be closed once more. That said, vinyl sales in this country have surged despite the pandemic, and it seems that, when record shops required support more than ever, people have responded! Not only does this mean that many have survived and continue to trade, but I think a lot more people have discovered both the importance and pleasure of vinyl and the true value and vitalness of record store. On that tip, record shops themselves have flourished. The recent Record Store Day Drop 3 led to crowds queuing to get some great releases and, looking ahead to next year, I think that appetite will continue. That is not to say that C.D.s will decline, but there is this additional surge in vinyl sales that creates a very promising outlook for record shops around the country (and the world). Venues have had a tougher time of things, as most have not been able to operate and many have closed down.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @beeford/Unsplash

Much-needed money has been designated to venues across England already, and I think, so long as the virus can be contained and reduce by spring, most can reopen their doors in some capacity and welcome people in. It is hugely necessary for venues to exist, as they are the beating heart of communities and, looking on social media, the amount of passion and support that venues have received is enormous! As we have all been affected and hit by the pandemic, I think this sense of darkness has brought people together when it comes to live music and the phenomenal venues all around the country. The Government, finally, have opened their eyes to the importance venues have to the economy. Given the tremendous amount the U.K. music scene continues to the economy, it is only right that the Government assisted and, as the future is unsure, let’s hope there is additional funding if venues have to remain closed for too much longer! On a very simple level, the deprivation we feel regarding live music has highlighted its positive effects. Damon Albarn has come out and underlined how we need live music back, and I think 2021 will be a year when live music becomes more important than ever. I am not sure when live music can truly come back, but venues will be busier than ever; the number of people attending gigs will be higher than ever and, after such a rough year, we will see so many new acts, faces and masses descend upon venues and celebrate – even if it is not until the middle of the year.  

 PHOTO CREDIT: @theblackesper/Unsplash

A recent report shows that representation of women, and Black, Asian and minority artists has increased:

“The proportion of people from BAME communities working in the industry has risen from 15.6% in 2016 to 22.3% this year.

Female representation has gone up from 45.3% in 2016 to 49.6% in 2020.

Among those earning more than £100,000 per year, only 27% were women and 12.2% were from a BAME background.

These figures rose to 59.4% and 33.6% respectively for those earning less than £15,000.

Women made up 60% of those doing unpaid work while the figure for those from a BAME background stands at 40%”.

If this year has shown us anything, it is that there is still massive division around the world it comes to race. Movements such as Black Lives Matter have helped provoke and spread conversation and awareness and, in the music industry, the figures above are promising. Whilst there is not the level of representation and opportunity we would like, I do feel like the statistics will improve further next year. I think, when festivals return, they will be more gender-balanced, and we will see more Black, Asian and minority artists on the bill. I think so many eyes have been opened this year, and I think 2021 will be a year when we see real progress and change in the music industry.

I have mentioned the relevance of music venues at this hard time, but since artists have not been able to get out and perform to the people, that has led to some new innovations and alternatives. Virtual gigs have been quite common and worked as a temporary stand-in. Whether an artist is performing via YouTube or the production values are a little bigger, we have seen how virtual gigs can work. That will not replace live gigs but, as there are still concerns regarding the environmental impact of worldwide touring and the effect it can have on mental-health, I think virtual gigs, mixed with live gigs, might be a way of helping in that area. So many people have seen live music in a different way this year. Personally, I have watched more live music this year and last and, whilst not ideal, virtual gigs are very accessible and varied. I think there has been incredible engagement between artists and fans this year. One artist who has brought a lot of delight is Sophie Ellis Bextor. Her Kitchen Discos have been a real highlight, and so many people have been helped and made happier watching her! In any other year, she might not have felt the need to do this and, when things start to get back to normal, I hope she still does some occasional kitchen gigs! Artists and entire festivals have streamed live this year, and, as many people cannot attend gigs or do not have access, the success and growth of online gigs could be an alternative for them.

Also, some big artists like Laura Marling, Phoebe Bridgers, Arlo Parks, Glass Animals, and Billie Eilish have opened doors. I think live/pay-per-view gigs could stand alongside regular gigs and, whilst the nature of live music might change in 2021, I do think what artists have done in 2020 has expanded the realms of live music and what can be achieved. There are concerns that a no-deal Brexit might severely effect live music, but let’s hope that there can be a solution. I am going to produce a feature regarding my favourite albums of 2020 very soon but, compared to the last couple of years, I think the quality of music being put out has increased. Maybe not directly linked to the pandemic, but the very best albums of this year have outranked albums of the past few years – from Haim, Fiona Apple, Run the Jewels, and Rina Sawayama, the music we have heard this year has been unbelievable. So many great new acts have emerged and, even though the music industry is in a precarious place, I think there is a lot of reason to be optimistic regarding the new eave of artists; so many brilliant albums have made 2020 so much better. Other great revelations, such as Tim Burgess’ listening parties have brought so many people together. This has been running since long before this year, but I think its role and importance this year has increased and managed to bring some terrific artists and fans together.

Have you discovered a band or an album at the @LlSTENlNG_PARTY, that’s now a favourite of yours?? What records have you bought after hearing them for the first time at #TimsTwitterListeningParty? pic.twitter.com/upeHh8soZ9

— Tim's Listening Party (@LlSTENlNG_PARTY) October 3, 2020

Though there are some bleak projections regarding revenue and the profitability of music this year, there have been some great breakthroughs and moments that I wanted to highlighted. Looking online, and I have seen so many people connecting randomly when they might not have otherwise – people supporting those in need. A lot of artists have been keeping in touch with fans and building that relationship. In a year when they might otherwise have been promoting albums and busy touring, there has been this new bond and experience where I have seen so many artists spending more time communicating with their fans. Radio has been a comfort for many of us and, in the U.S. and the U.K., radio has made us feel more informed, together and less alone. For me and many people, music stations have been crucial, and I think one positive aspect of 2020 is how radio’s power and importance has also been brought to the fore. I think more people have been listening to the radio and music’s connective power is very obvious in 2020. Podcasts have been popular for years, but so many new podcasts have come out this year and the growth in the industry is wonderful. I think so many podcasts have been created based on the frustrations and limitations of 2020, and that has brought so much to so many people! Before the end of the year, there are some cracking albums due, and I think there are things we can be thankful and look forward to.

Whilst COVID-19 is not going anywhere for a while, many artists are putting gigs in the diary, which makes people optimistic and hopeful as we can plan ahead. Similarly, venues are thinking about 2021 and, off of the support they have been given this year, let’s hope that they can host as many gigs and events as possible. I think it is important to find some light in a year that, for all of us, has not given much in the way of cheer. The music industry has been hit hard and not been able to provide much live music. I think the virtual gigs and way artists have found a way to connect with their fans has been amazing, and there have been other stories and aspects to provide positivity. Many people will have their own brighter experiences of music in 2020, and lots of people are looking ahead to 2021 and a more hopefully, bright year. At the heart of everything is the way music is so necessary and fulfilling to all of it. From its economic role to the benefits of live music, there is no doubt why the music industry requires committed support and financing at a hard time. I hope many venue doors will open next year, and we will all get a chance to see live music. Despite the washout of 2020 and some bad moments, I (and many people) have seen some positives. Whilst they do not outbalance and overwrite the negatives, I think 2020 has given us a few…

PHOTO CREDIT: @priscilladupreez/Unsplash

REASONS to be cheerful.

FEATURE: Top of the City: A One-Stop Kate Bush Pop-Up Shop

FEATURE:

 

 

Top of the City

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush (from his book, KATE: Inside the Rainbow)

A One-Stop Kate Bush Pop-Up Shop

___________

MOST of my recent Kate Bush features…  

 PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari (from his book/collection, The Kate Inside)

have pertained to various songs and albums. In a more general musing, I have been thinking both about the ongoing popularity of Bush’s music and how fascinated people are, and the need both to put more Bush-related goods/ideas into the world - and, also, raising awareness of the ones that are already out there. Over the past couple of months, there have been a couple of magazines/cover stories dedicated to Kate Bush. I have already talked about MOJO’s Collectors’ Series edition, and one can grab hold of it. I have also been reading the new edition of Prog, where they mark forty years of her third studio album, Never for Ever. There is genuine excitement when magazines feature Kate Bush now and, considering the fact that her music has been played for decades all over the world, there are new people discovering her work; others who have had their love rekindled and augmented when special editions and magazines come out. It shows that there is an appetite and demand for printed music journalism, and there is something special about owning anything that puts Kate Bush at the centre. Even though Q no longer exists, there are older editions where Bush was interviewed; many other magazines through the years where she is at the core. Although my idea would not raise money for charity specifically (though it could), there was a pop-up shop when Bush released and remastered her albums.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Fish People/Parlophone/Rhino

It was a rare and wonderful opportunity to see a pop-up shop dedicated to Kate Bush. It was such an exciting moment. Her official website announced the news:

“A special pop-up shop will open at London’s Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross from 5 - 9th Dec 2018. 331

All profits will go to the national homelessness charity, Crisis.

The shop is at 108 Lower Stable St, London, N1C 4DR and opens at 10am on Wednesday Dec 5. The shop closes at 8pm on Sunday Dec 9.

Specific opening times are:

Wednesday 5th December: 10am to 10pm

Thursday 6th December: 10am to 10pm

Friday 7th December: 10am to 10pm

Saturday 8th December: 10am to 8pm

Sunday 9th December: 11am to 8pm

Full Press Release:

Coinciding with the release of definitive remastered versions of her music catalogue, as well as the publication by Faber of the lyric book How To Be Invisible, the shop will sell the vinyl, CDs and book plus a selection of exclusive specially made items. Each book sold will include an exclusive bookmark.

In addition to the stock there will be a daily raffle with very special prizes which will be announced on social media. The store is located in a space at 108 Lower Stable Street, a sunken street within the new Heatherwick Studio designed Coal Drops Yard shopping district, directly adjacent to King’s Cross’ Granary Square.

DAILY RAFFLE:  every day these prizes are there to be won:

'How To Be Invisible' lyric books (standard edition) signed by Kate   x 10

Calligraphic art print of '50 Words For Snow', signed by Kate   x 10

Rare 'King Of the Mountain' picture disc (Originally created for a Record Store Day) unsigned   x 4

Rare 'Running Up That Hill' picture disc (Originally created for a Record Store Day) unsigned  x 16

 PHOTO CREDIT: Fish People/Parlophone/Rhino 

Kate said “I can’t imagine how it must feel to be homeless. Our attention is drawn to this tragic issue at Christmas when most of us can share the celebrations with those we love but, of course, homelessness is there all year round - all the time. It must be so frightening. Without charities like Crisis, who would people turn to? Who would help? Where would the hope of a future come from? I hope this pop up shop will raise some money for Crisis and raise more awareness of this life-saving charity”.

Crisis Chief Executive Jon Sparkes said; “We’re absolutely thrilled that Kate Bush has chosen to support us this Christmas by donating all of the profits from her pop up shop.

“Homelessness is one of the most urgent issues of our time – across the country thousands of people are needlessly suffering life on the streets or trapped in hostels and B&Bs. We simply can’t carry on like this when we know that homelessness is not inevitable.

“The money raised by Kate and her fans will help us provide food, warmth, and vital services to thousands of homeless people this Christmas – as well as the year round support they need to leave homelessness behind for good – and for that we’re incredibly grateful”.

Thinking about her support of Crisis, and I guess a pop-up shop now could benefit them and have the same ethos as the 2018 shop. To me, the pop-up shop would exist for a brief period – maybe a couple of months – but move between cities. From London to Manchester and beyond, I think the demand for Bush’s music and words is greater than it has ever been.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Neal’s Yard, London

There are a lot of great Kate Bush records, books, and memorabilia that I think would benefit fans new and old, and it could also benefit charities. I am not sure where it would start in London but, as Bush spent time in Covent Garden at dance classes, maybe Neal’s Yard. This area is vibrant and alive, and I think a great building (or spare unit) could give home to Kate Bush produce for a short time. Just thinking about the music, and there are all her studio albums that, in 2018, were remastered. There are boxsets of her albums that are great value for money, and you can get her studio albums individually. There are less-common releases like her On Stage E.P., and the fabulous Before the Dawn. Yes, one can buy these goods online, but there is limited stock even across cities like London, and the joy of buying at a record shop is greater than ordering online. I am not sure how feasible it would be, but I know that there are foreign pressings of her albums, singles on 7” and 12”, and there are also rarer prints that are not commonly available through record shops and sites like Amazon – one has to ferret around eBay and auction sites. A pop-up shop could have the studio albums and boxsets in one section, and then other albums in another part.

Though we do not use VHS anymore, from a memorabilia standpoint, there are used VHS’ like her Whole Story, and The Single File. I think new copies could be made on VHS but having them in a shop, I am sure, would attract people – I would definitely buy the VHS’, as they are a part of her history. There would be C.D. albums alongside the vinyl but, in the music section, I think a cool cassette vending machine would be awesome! Maybe the demand would not be as huge as vinyl, but having her studio albums on cassette would be great, and even a simple nostalgia value would lead to popularity and demand. I might have missed other music/vinyl, but there are interviews and releases that could make for a vivid and varied selection! There are fewer books relating to Kate Bush available, but magazines could be combined. There would be a magazine rack/section sitting beside bookshelves that would stock Kate Bush books. Ones I have mentioned before like KATE: Inside the Rainbow, and Under the Ivy: The Life & Work of Kate Bush, are ones everyone should own, and I would also recommend Homeground: The Kate Bush Magazine: Anthology One: Wuthering Heights to The Sensual World, and the second volume. Like the vinyl, there would be a section for the rarer and more expensive. For example, Guido Harari’s The Kate Inside is a gorgeous photo collection - there is a terrific Deluxe Edition. Also, the excellent Gered Mankowitz book, WOW, is one that I would love to own.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz (from his book/collection, WOW)

Of course, the 2018 book of lyrics, How to Be Invisible, is a great release, and a unique insight into her beautiful words. There are other books that are either used or not regularly available in shops, so I would be interested to see how many new/used copies are available that could be put into a shop. I think there is enough there and, when it comes to the other sections of the shops, I guess one could divide it between signed/rare goods and general memorabilia. There are some really cool Kate Bush-related T-shirts that, whilst not official merchandise, would be snapped up! There are great T-shirts available through Amazon, Red Bubble, and Etsy. Look around the Internet, and one can find memorabilia, signed items, and other wonderful, if expensive rarities.  Bringing in items that are already available through Kate Bush’s online store, and I think a pop-up shop larger than the one we saw in 2018 could raise money for charity, get fans together and house some brilliant and rarer Kate Bush goods all in one place! I think Neal’s Yard would be a perfect location for a Kate Bush shop, but thinking about all the products available, maybe a two-storey space would be best. Of course, it would have to happen post-COVID-19, as I think there would not be a lot of space to move around, and to maximise profit/money to charity, having as many people in the shop as possible would be best. It is just a thought at the moment but, looking at the love Bush continues to receive and the way her music and work is so in-demand, I think there would be enormous demand for a…

KATE Bush pop-up shop.

FEATURE: Warmer, Barer, Fuller: The Pleasures and New Realisations on Kate Bush’s Director's Cut

FEATURE:

 

 

Warmer, Barer, Fuller

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush (and a very cute feline friend) in a promotional shot for 2011’s Director’s Cut/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush (from the book, KATE: Inside the Rainbow) 

The Pleasures and New Realisations on Kate Bush’s Director's Cut

___________

WHEN I have mentioned this album before…

I have sort of intimated that it is inessential in terms of Kate Bush’s very best. Director’s Cut was released in 2011 and it is very much part of the cannon. The ninth studio album by Bush, it was released on the Fish People label on 16th May, 2011. It is made up of songs from her earlier albums, The Sensual World, and The Red Shoes which have been remixed and restructured; three of which were re-recorded completely. All the lead vocals on the album and some of the backing vocals have been entirely re-recorded, with some of the songs transposed to a lower key. Additionally, the drum tracks were reconceived and re-recorded. I think my problem is that I am a bit edgy when it comes to Bush re-recording any of her songs. For The Whole Story in 1986 – a greatest hits package -, she put out a new version of Wuthering Heights. Essentially, it was a new, slightly lower vocal, but the original is faultless and timeless for a reason. I guess Bush was wary that Wuthering Heights, whilst genius, was singled out because of a very high-pitched and wild vocal. Maybe she felt, as she was turning twenty-eight in 1986, that the song she recorded when she was nineteen could benefit from a slight update! I get a similar feeling when people cover Kate Bush songs, in the sense I think the originals are best and it is hard to make them better.

I know people love Futureheads’ version of Hounds of Love, and Placebo’s Running Up That Hill and, whilst different to the originals, I think they lack the beauty and power demanded. Maybe it is me. I think Bush has always put her everything into every song and, when you have a voice and instinct like hers, no other artist can touch that – there have been some good cover versions, but none that touch the originals! I was thrilled when Bush announced she was bringing out a new album in 2011, and she was doing something she had not done in such a fashion before – namely, reworking so many of her older songs. Using an article from the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia, and Bush talked about the reason why she took on Director’s Cut:

“For some time I have felt that I wanted to revisit tracks from these two albums and that they could benefit from having new life breathed into them. Lots of work had gone into the two original albums and now these songs have another layer of work woven into their fabric. I think of this as a new album. (Sean Michaels, 'Kate Bush reveals guest lyricist on new album - James Joyce'. The Guardian (UK), 5 April 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2015)”.

Although I think there are only a couple of songs on Director’s Cut that equal or top the originals – Song of Solomon (The Red Shoes), and Top of the City (The Red Shoes) come to mind -, there are defining characteristics of the album that make it an interesting listen.

For one, the opening track, Flower of the Mountain, has a fascinating story. The Sensual World’s title track had intended to use Molly Bloom’s soliloquy from James Joyce's Ulysses, but Bush could not get permission at the time. Although the lyrics are brilliant, Bush really wanted to use those words from Joyce, so when the estate granted permission for Director’s Cut, Flower of the Mountain uses only that beautiful and stirring soliloquy. One suspects it was less to do with yielding to demand as it was that the statue of limitations/restrictions were invalid, as the novel was published in 1922. I love the new version, because one can feel how meaningful it is to Bush. Rather than her copying the original songs with lower vocals for Director’s Cut, there are definite twists and turns. Top of the City seems tauter and livelier, whereas Rubberband Girl – which she almost considered leaving off the album – is more Blues/Rock. If one listens to Director’s Cut as a new album and doesn’t compare them to the originals, I think it is a more rewarding listen; one where you can appreciate the songs anew. One of the issues Bush faced with The Sensual World, and The Red Shoes, is that the production is quite edgy and lacks a certain space. I think The Sensual World is quite sensuous and warm, but C.D.s were around in 1989, and I think there was this need to fill each disc and put as much in/as many layers as possible.

This is true of The Red Shoes which, at fifty-five minutes, is a bit overlong; most of the tracks are over four minutes, and there is a lot of production and sheen on some songs that require something barer. I think, too, one or two potentially strong songs either suffer because of the sound on The Red Shoes, or Bush did not attack and approach the song as she should have. I am surprised there were songs reworked from The Sensual World, as that is one of her best albums. That said, This Woman’s Work is given new meaning and depth! That song is a highlight from The Sensual World, but Bush makes the song sound even more effecting on Director’s Cut. Apart from Deeper Understanding – the only single released from Director’s Cut – not quite hitting the mark and losing something (in a track that talks about our reliance on computers, something that sounded prophetic in 1989 seems outdated and strangely dial-up connection in terms of its sound and potency in 2011), the other tracks are really interesting! I just want to bring in a couple of reviews for Director’s Cut. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian had his say:

“…In fact, it's the only moment when you can honestly say the rerecording pales next to the original. At worst, they sound as good as their predecessors, which leaves you wondering what the point is, even as you succumb to their manifold charms. It was obviously a bind that the Joyce estate refused permission to use Molly Bloom's concluding soliloquy from Ulysses as the lyrics to The Sensual World, but whether it's a vastly better song for finally having them in place of Bush's facsimile is rather a moot point.

Song of Solomon, on which Bush finally abandoned her apparently bottomless store of metaphors for female sexuality in favour of a direct demand for a shag – "Don't want your bullshit," she cries, "I'll come in a hurricane for you" – is a fantastic song whether the rhythm track features pattering tom-toms or a lightly brushed snare. Occasionally, the changes genuinely add something, usually by taking things away. The force of The Red Shoes' depiction of Bush's troubled relationship with the creative impulse was always a little blunted by its presentation as a kind of perky Irish jig: with the Celtic pipes shifted to the background, it sounds sinister and more urgent. Moments of Pleasure's rumination on death is more introverted and affecting stripped of its dramatic orchestration, while This Woman's Work – the rerecording of which caused the most unease among fans – is amazing: emptier, darker and quieter than before, it's even more heart-rending. Given that the original was heart-rending enough to soundtrack a charity campaign against child abuse, that's no mean feat”.

A publication not normally renowned for their positivity is Pitchfork. They reviewed Director’s Cut, and they made some interesting and warm observations:

“What Bush has done on Director's Cut, put simply, is to strip the 80s from these songs. (That goes for the Red Shoes material, too, even though the album was released in the 90s.) The gigantic drums and digital polish, what both dated the music instantly and gave it that stark contrast between accessibility and the deeply personal, have been replaced with less showy rhythm tracks, and a warmer, more intimate atmosphere. On the original "The Sensual World", the elements drawn from Celtic folk felt like striking intrusions in an all-digital world. Renamed "Flower of the Mountain" here, those rustic elements no longer feel quite so out of place, whether you found the original an intriguing hybrid or an awkward merger of old and new.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional shot for Director’s Cut/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush (from the book, KATE: Inside the Rainbow)  

The songs still don't have the feel of a band playing together, but they have a new unity, even the synthetic elements part of a lovingly handcrafted sound. "The Red Shoes", another Celtic-inflected standout, with one of Bush's wildest performances, gains a new intensity precisely because the instruments no longer feel so sterile. But not every element of this patchwork has been pieced together perfectly. The eerie keyboard textures on "And So Love Is", the kind of sour 80s kitsch beloved by Gang Gang Dance, seem surprisingly natural in this new environment. But Eric Clapton's bluesy wanking sounds even more out of place now, stadium pop bluster in a homemade world. It produces tension for sure, but the wrong sort”.

I think the takeaways from the reviews seem to revolve around how Bush added something new to well-known songs rather than lazily re-record them without change. To me, the warmth and full sound of the songs is clear. Bush has said how she prefers tape because it has a warmer, fuller sound, and she always felt that digital and techniques of the late-1980s and early-1990s were too edgy - I word that keeps coming up! - and lacked something. Allowed to take her songs into the studio and strip them away, the resultant Director’s Cut is fascinating! It makes me wonder whether she will go back further and rework songs from other albums in years down the line, but I can understand why she felt The Sensual World, and The Red Shoes were a bit too layered, lacking in real warmth and, perhaps, there were too many instruments and too much unnecessary energy.

What we got in 2011 was a then-fifty-two-year-old revisiting songs that she first recorded in her thirties. Since then, she has aged and become a mother, and I think she approaches the tracks with a fresh passion and beauty. One interesting aside is that Bush released Director’s Cut on her Fish People label. She was previous on EMI, but she wanted to have more control of her music and, after thirty-five years, there were few at EMI who she felt close to or had an intimate working relationship with. It seems symbolic that the first album she released on her own label reworked songs from albums that EMI put out. I will write a separate feature about Fish People and whether she will sign names to the label, but I think Director’s Cut is much-needed because it allowed Bush to scratch an itch of slight disappointment. Many raved about Director’s Cut, but others felt a little inclined, as it was her first album in six years - one that many felt was a covers album. If that was the only thing that she released in 2011, then there might have been this sense of Bush signing off and, after releasing 2005’s Aerial following a twelve-year gap, this was her writing a final chapter – where she got to record and produce songs now how they should have been back in 1989 and 1993. Instead, Bush was clearing the way for new work.

I stated before how albums like The Red Shoes were a bit long but, as you look at the running times, most of the songs on Director’s Cut are longer than the originals – Deeper Understanding is almost two minutes longer on Director’s Cut compared to The Sensual World! Rather than extend songs with the same production sound, Bush stripped them out and expanded them; breathing more life and consideration into the words and moods; following on instinctively from Aerial’s expansiveness and sense of the open. Bush said that Director’s Cut was a stepping stone to new work. She acquired new confidence, and I can understand why she had the inspiration and energy to record and release another album after Director’s Cut. 50 Words for Snow followed in November 2011, and very few would have guessed that Bush would release another new album so soon after putting out an album where she redid older tracks. I will finish off soon but, just before, I wanted to source from a couple of interviews Bush to promote the album. In an interview with Interview Magazine, she was asked about her approach to looking back and reconsidering songs she wrote years previous:

“DIMITRI EHRLICH: It’s funny. I’d think revisiting those songs would almost be like looking at old photographs or reading old love letters from a long time ago, because as a songwriter, the emotions that you’re tapping into are the most primal, raw, and immediate ones. Was it strange to step into the emotional clothing you had worn 20 years ago and see how it fit and wonder, Who is this person?

BUSH: Yeah, it was. At first, it was quite difficult, and, at a couple of points, I nearly gave up the whole process. I found that by just slightly lowering the key of most of the songs, suddenly it kind of gave me a way in, because my voice is just lower now. So that helped me to step back into it. And although they were old songs, it all started to feel very much like a new process and, in a lot of ways, ended up feeling like I was just making a new album—it’s just that the material was already written. When I listen to it now, it feels like a new record to me.

EHRLICH: Why did you decide to re-record existing material rather than do something new, or just release the old versions remixed, or whatever?

BUSH: Well, I really didn’t see it as a substitute for a greatest hits package, but it was something I’d wanted to do for a few years. I guess I just kind of felt like there were songs on those two albums [The Sensual World and The Red Shoes (1993)] that were quite interesting but that they could really benefit from having new life breathed into them. I don’t really listen to my old stuff, but on occasion, I would either hear a track on the radio or a friend might play me one, and there was generally a bit of an edgy sound to it, which was mainly due to the digital equipment that we were using, which was state of the art at the time—and I think everyone felt pressured to be working that way. But I still remain a huge fan of analog. So there were elements of the production that I felt were either a little bit dated or a bit cluttered. So what I wanted to do was empty them out and let the songs breathe more”.

In an interview with Pitchfork, the subject of uncluttering songs and toning things down came up. With the vocals more composed and less acrobatic (providing backing vocals were Ed Rowntree, Mica Paris, Jacob Thorn, Michael Wood, and Jevan Johnson Booth), and the instrumentation more subtle and less layered (there were about eight musicians credited on Director’s Cut, whereas there are twice that on The Red Shoes alone), there is a notable difference between the songs on their original albums and Director’s Cut:

“Pitchfork: Listening to Director's Cut, a few of the songs that struck me the most were the ones where you took out big chunks of instrumentation. What was the logic behind that?

KB: There were some good songs on those albums that perhaps weren't speaking the way that they could, so I just wanted to let them breathe a bit more. One of the main things was to strip out a lot of the tracks and, in some cases, lengthen them in order to let the original musicians' performances shine out a bit more, too.

Pitchfork: A lot of the songs you picked for Director's Cut are pretty personal, and there seems to be less theatricality involved compared to the originals. Do you feel like the distance between your more performative side and your more personal side has changed through the years?

KB: [laughs] Oh, that's a really deep question. I don't know how to answer that because I'm always in the process, but hopefully I'm starting to get the hang of how to put it all together more. Sometimes when I look back on myself on those earlier records, there was so much effort going in, so much trying. With this, I was trying to make it much more laid back”.

I wanted to do a feature on Director’s Cut, as I have sort of ignored it or felt that the originals were so good that they should not have been touched. Having read interviews Bush conducted and her reasoning behind Director’s Cut, I can appreciate the album in a new light! If the songs from The Sensual World, and The Red Shoes were a little busy and over-layered, Bush’s first album of 2011 provided these terrific songs with…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional shot for Director’s Cut/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush (from the book, KATE: Inside the Rainbow)  

SO much warmth, style and space.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Ari Lennox

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Ari Lennox

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I am featuring an artist today…  

who is very popular and has big social media numbers, but she is not known to everyone. I think there are many who are unaware of the music of Ari Lennox, so I wanted to put her into the Spotlight feature. One of last year’s best debut releases came from her Shea Butter Baby album. That album received some huge reviews, and the songs on it are so soulful and pure - but there is definite fire and emotion. I think everyone can appreciate the album and, with a new song out in the form of Chocolate Pomegranate, there are a lot of eyes on Lennox. I am going to bring in a review of Shea Butter Baby, but there are some great albums out there with Ari Lennox. One interesting interview that caught my eye is from GQ . It is clear that Ari Lennox would always make it into music with a voice like hers:

 “The 28-year-old, who spent her formative years in the DMV area, wasn’t a child prodigy who always knew her vocals would carry her to stardom. She worked a dozen or so jobs in her 20s, moving constantly, and aimlessly. Born Courtney Salter, she got her stage name from Mary Lennox, the little girl in the film adaptation of The Secret Garden. “She was a spicy thing,” Ari says. “I always wanted that life, just a nice garden and a sexy, tall guy.”

On Shea Butter Baby, Lennox tells us about suitors being “lost in the shape of [her] hips,” and provides plenty of updates on her search for a sexy, tall guy. (No word on how the garden is going.) But she also sings about finding one such man in a CVS, while she’s a sick mess in need of Ricola cough drops. She sings about how shitty dating apps have been for her, and the unique joys of having her own apartment for the first time. It is an eminently relatable record, and the strongest R&B album of the year thus far.

A couple months ago, you tweeted, "I want to stop being compared to y'alls fave so badly." Who do you hear about the most that you're sick of being compared to?

So, I'm only sick of this because it sometimes makes me feel like there's no room, and that's Erykah Badu. Absolutely no shots at her, she's amazing and a legend. But for me, it's like, if you guys think I sound just like Erykah Badu, is there room for Ari to ever be her own artist? Plus, I've never met Erykah. I'm scared to for a million reasons, and I also don't want her thinking I'm trying to jack her swag or anything. I guess that's my biggest fear—I don't know why she would have time to think about me at all. That's my paranoid mind.

I really think only Erykah Badu can be Erykah Badu. I wish I could create something as legendary as Mama's Gun and Baduizm. That's an all-time body of work right there.

This interview is beautiful because you're asking about so many different things. But a lot of times people just jump straight to, "Yeah, you remind me of Erykah," and I'm just like, "Man, did you check out other things? Do you really know my discography? Do you know anything about me?”.

One of the things that I especially like about Ari Lennox is that her music and voice has that classic edge and sounds very oldskool, but there is that modernity to the music. It is a rich blend that has captivated so many people. I think, with more albums under her belt, Lennox will definitely be a big festival headliner and hugely inspiring artist for those coming through. I want to take from an interview in DJ Booth, as Lennox was asked about mixing the new and old on Shea Butter Baby:

“You have a lot of classic vocal influences, but your songwriting has very modern themes. Is that a conscious choice to bridge the two disciplines?

I think it started as a conscious choice, for sure. Now, I just want my music to be soulful and nostalgic, but I have to talk about what I’m going through. I have to do it in a way where it’s coming from me, and not from somebody else.

The real win of this album is how honest and specific your songwriting has become.

I’ve just always been very blunt. I’ve always been too blunt. I’ve always been too honest.

Is that a virtue?

I think it’s very positive. It’s so easy to put on a mask and not be real about what we’re feeling and who we are. But it’s the only way you can free yourself”.

Who is your ideal Shea Butter Baby listener, and what do you want them to take from the record?

First and foremost, this project is for Black women. I feel like we are not represented the way we should be worldwide, but specifically in America, I feel like they sleep on us. They sleep on us in our natural form, with our natural hair, and our natural noses. The natural Black woman, or even if you’re natural under your weave, this is for you. Or, even if you’re aspiring to be natural. This is for the Black woman because we just don’t get enough love and I want little girls to look at me and I want them to say: “I’m proud of my Blackness. I’m proud of my skin. God made no mistakes when he created us.”

Overall, this album is for the woman. Women owning their power, owning who they are, owning their sexual power. It’s for women”.

If you have not checked out Shea Butter Baby, then make sure that you do, as it is a gorgeous record, and one that points to a very bright and promising future. The twenty-nine-year-old from Washington, D.C. was the first woman to be signed to J. Cole's record label, Dreamville Records. She (Courtney Salter) co-wrote all twelve tracks on her debut album, and there is so much honesty and rawness in the writing. She described how it was quite a blunt experience writing Shea Butter Baby and the real-life turmoil she faced.

This, matched with such an incredible voice, provides plenty of emotional reaction and memorable tracks. When they reviewed Shea Butter Baby, this is what CLASH had to say:

“Lennox’s artistic depth and quality has always been clear to see, but part of the appeal of ‘Shea Butter Baby’ is its lingering commercial appeal, that’s crying out to be explored. This can be seen early on, when ‘BMO’ leaps centre-stage and demands chart attention. Again borrowing from earlier eras, the ‘Space’ sampled [Galt MacDermot] number proves instantly infectious, and has quickly become a fan-favourite on social media. It’s the perfect spring mid-tempo cut, and provides more than enough sass, innuendo, and funk-fuelled energy to engage wider audiences.

The issue of navigating relationships is a foundational crux of R&B, and Ari Lennox channels and tackles both the good and the bad of this. At her most vulnerable – which is arguably on ‘I Been’ – the artist slows it down and keeps things relatable. Somewhere between the purple haze, Tinder references and dodging lies, the 28-year old manages to impart some wisdom to her female fans: “Life is too short to be blocking your blessings like that.”

Lennox learns that no relationship is worth emotional trauma and transforms into a contemporary empowerment leader. In an era defined by ‘situationships’, ‘I Been’ serves as a valuable reminder that toxic environments shouldn’t be tolerated.

Perhaps the most endearing aspect of ‘Shea Butter Baby’ is an authentic innocence that threads through it – the subtle interludes that feature in the space between songs lay bare Ari Lennox’s passions, fears, desires, and intentions. They allow listeners to get to know the singer and her universe, evoking an undeniable form of humility – something that makes the soloist captivating.

‘Shea Butter Baby’ manages to meld contemporary R&B with other sounds like soul, funk, and blues, all while introducing us to the Ari Lennox of today – and the inspirations that guide her every move”.

If you are new to Ari Lennox, then make sure you follow her on social media (see below) and go and investigate her music. She is a definite future icon, and I do love her Neo-Soul vibes mixed with something very modern and of-the-moment. It is no surprise that Lennox is seeing her stock rise and winning so many fans as her music has this transporting quality. I have been following her since just before her debut came out, and I cannot wait to see what she offers up next. There are so few artists as memorable and talented as Ari Lennox, so it is exciting to imagine just how far she can reach. Her music is fabulous and, after just one hit, you will be…

TOTALLY hooked.

____________

Follow Ari Lennox

PHOTO CREDIT: Cassidy Sparrow/Getty Images

Official:

http://www.arilennox.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/AriLennox/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AriLennox

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/arilennox/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1vaQ6v3pOFxAIrFoPrAcom

YouTube:

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

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: Pulp – Different Class

FEATURE:

Vinyl Corner

Pulp – Different Class

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EVEN though its twenty-fifth anniversary…  

was last Friday (30th), I wanted to include Pulp’s Different Class in Vinyl Corner, as it is one of the best albums from the 1990s. I would recommend people buy it on vinyl, as it is a tremendous record. Different Class is the fifth studio album by the legendary Pulp, and I think it is a step up from their previous best, 1994’s His 'n' Hers. That album was nominated for a Mercury Prize in 1994; Different Class was nominated and won in 1996 and I think, when it comes to albums that define the spirit of the 1990s, Different Class instantly comes to mind! Songs like Common People, and Disco 2000 are classics, and these are cuts that were ubiquitous and oft-quoted when I was at school. Jarvis Cocker’s lyrics are exceptional and incredibly sharp on Different Class, and he tackles sex and social class in ways that other writers cannot even imagine.  Different Class was a huge critical and commercial success, entering the U.K. chart at number-one. It has been certified four-times Platinum, and had sold 1.33 million copies in the United Kingdom as of 2020. It is often considered to be one of the greatest albums of the 1990s, and there is an embarrassment of riches to be found – from Mis-Shapes, and Something Changed to Sorted for E's & Wizz, Different Class is a truly phenomenal album! I cannot believe that it is twenty-five years old, as one can put on the album at any time and completely relate to the songs.

There is something ever-fresh and stunning regarding Cocker’s songwriting, and Pulp are at their strongest on Different Class. They did hit another peak on 1998’s This Is Hardcore, but I think there is something extra-genius and memorable about 1995’s Different Class. In their review, AllMusic had the following to offer:

“After years of obscurity, Pulp shot to stardom in Britain with 1994's His 'n' Hers. By the time Different Class was released at the end of October 1995, the band, particularly lead singer Jarvis Cocker, were genuine British superstars, with two number two singles and a triumphant last-minute performance at Glastonbury under their belts, as well as one tabloid scandal. On the heels of such excitement, anticipation for Different Class ran high, and not only does it deliver, it blows away all their previous albums, including the fine His 'n' Hers. Pulp don't stray from their signature formula at all -- it's still grandly theatrical, synth-spiked pop with new wave and disco flourishes, but they have mastered it here. Not only are the melodies and hooks significantly catchier and more immediate, the music explores more territory. From the faux-show tune romp of the anthemic opener "Mis-Shapes" and the glitzy, gaudy stomp of "Disco 2000" (complete with a nicked riff from Laura Branigan's "Gloria") to the aching ballad "Underwear" and the startling sexual menace of "I Spy," Pulp construct a diverse, appealing album around the same basic sound.

Similarly, Jarvis Cocker's lyrics take two themes, sex and social class, and explore a number of different avenues in bitingly clever ways. As well as perfectly capturing the behavior of his characters, Cocker grasps the nuances of language, creating a dense portrait of suburban and working-class life. All of his sex songs are compassionate, while the subtle satire of "Sorted for E's & Wizz" is affectionate, but the best moment on the album is the hit single "Common People," about a rich girl who gets off by slumming with the lower class. Coming from Cocker, who made secondhand clothes and music glamorous, the song is undeniably affecting and exciting, much like Different Class itself”.

In 1995, Britpop was at its peak, and there was the infamous battle between Oasis and Blur. I often think of Pulp as being ‘outside’ of Britpop, as the music seemed so much smarter and a bit too cool in its own way for such a scene. Thinking about it, and I guess one has to class Different Class as Britpop. Before coming to an article that argue Different Class helped define the scene, I want to quote from Pitchfork’s review of Different Class from 2016:

“Cocker’s songs on Different Class are such a rich text that you can go quite a long way into a review of the album before realizing you’ve barely mentioned how it sounds. Pulp aren’t an obviously innovative band, but on Different Class they almost never lapse into the overt retro-stylings of so many of their Britpop peers: Blur’s Kinks and new wave homages, Oasis’ flagrant Beatles-isms, Elastica’s Wire and Stranglers recycling. On Pulp’s ’90s records, there are usually a couple of examples of full-blown pastiche per album, like the Moroder-esque Eurodisco of “She’s a Lady” on His ‘N’ Hers. Here, “Disco 2000” bears an uncomfortable chorus resemblance to Laura Branigan’s “Gloria,” while “Live Bed Show” and “I Spy” hint at the Scott Walker admiration and aspiration that would blossom with We Love Life, which the venerable avant-balladeer produced.

Mostly though, it’s an original and ’90s-contemporary sound that Pulp work up on Different Class, characterized by a sort of shabby sumptuousness, a meagre maximalism. “Common People,” for instance, used all 48 studio tracks available, working in odd cheapo synth textures like the Stylophone and a last-minute overlay of acoustic guitar that, according to producer Chris Thomas, was “compressing so much, it just sunk it into the track.... glued the whole thing together. That was the whip on the horse that made it go”.

If you have not experienced Different Class, then I think it is a good investment on vinyl - and it is one of those albums that you will return to time and time again. For those of us who were around in 1995, I think this Pulp masterpiece really changed the game and provided so much pleasure. It was an album that I was very attached to, and my respect for Sheffield’s Pulp raised significantly! An article in COMPLEX from 2015 discusses the importance of Different Class in the Britpop movement:

“Slow start aside, Pulp peaked at the pinnacle of the Britpop movement and became the very embodiment of Britpop. What makes Cocker's brand of crooning wordsmithery so important to the genre is that he really captured the ennui and frustration of middle-class youth. He sang for people like himself—common people, as their hit single would have it—those raised on a diet of broken biscuits, those who would drink and dance and screw because there's nothing else to do.

The opening track on Different Class served as the record's thesis: "Mis-Shapes" rebelled against the airhead rich kids, immediately putting Pulp in the team of the "other," or rather, a different class. "Check your lucky numbers/That much money could drag you under, oh/What's the point of being rich/If you can't think what to do with it?" Jarvis Cocker sings between choruses about making moves, coming out of the sidelines, and using "the one thing we've got more of—that's our minds." The opening track waged an us vs. them war, and Pulp made it exciting to be a misfit.

"They think they've got us beat, but revenge is going to be so sweet," snarls Cocker, before the second track, "Pencil Skirt," cues up—an anthem about screwing over the rich by, literally, screwing their wives. Cocker promises to be there "when he's not in town" and "show you how you're doing it wrong." They're not rich, but they can certainly fuck better, is what he seems to be saying. (He's probably not wrong.) Just two songs later, Pulp's seedy "I Spy" touches on the same topic, as he sings, "I've been sleeping with your wife for the past 16 weeks/Smoking your cigarettes, drinking your brandy/Messing up the bed you chose together/And in all that time I just wanted you to come home unexpectedly one afternoon/And catch us at it in the front room." "I specialize in revenge," he emphasizes once again. Sex has always been one of Pulp's greatest assets. Cocker has been naturally gifted with the ability to seduce by whispering sweet nothings, between moans and hip swishes from his lanky figure, his fingers always curled in that come-hither sort of way. For any common listener, Pulp's sex was sexy, making it one of the irresistible appeals of Different Class”.

On Friday, Different Class was celebrated and lauded by so many people across social media, and many people were sharing their memories of when it came out and the tracks that mean the most to them. I have always loved Disco 2000 most, but everyone will have their own standouts. That is the thing with Different Class: it is an album so overflowing with brilliance that it is hard…

TO narrow down to a single song!