FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: MOBO Awards Nominees

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Tiana Major9 is nominated for three MOBO Awards (including the Best Female Act)

MOBO Awards Nominees

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THIS year’s MOBO Awards…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Nines/PHOTO CREDIT: Filmawi Efrem

takes place on 9th December, and the nominees were announced earlier this week. As you can see, Hip Hop king Nines leads the nominations. The North West London MC has picked up five nominations: Best Male Act, Best Hip Hop Act, Album of The Year for the critically-acclaimed Crabs in a Bucket, Video of The Year for Clout, and Best Album (2017-2019) for 2018’s Crop Circle. Like I did with the GRAMMY nominees a couple of days ago, this Lockdown Playlist is a collection of songs from many of those nominated for MOBOs. The award ceremony is always eclectic and packed with talent (if, as I say with all playlists that rely on Spotify, if you see any tracks greyed out, just search ‘The Lockdown Playlist: MOBO Award Nominees’ and it should take you there). As we can see from the list of nominations for 2020, the quality is as…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Stormzy

HIGH as ever.

FEATURE: The November Playlist: Vol. 4: Angels Like You Are So Lucid

FEATURE:

 

 

The November Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Rina Sawayama

Vol. 4: Angels Like You Are So Lucid

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THIS is a fulsome week…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Miley Cyrus/PHOTO CREDIT: Mick Rock

of new releases where some major artists have given us some treats! Among the new cuts this week include songs from Rina Sawayama, Miley Cyrus, Tori Amos, Liam Gallagher, Arlo Parks, The Smashing Pumpkins, Phoebe Bridgers, FLOHIO, Jennifer Lopez, King Princess, Taylor Swift (ft. Bon Iver), Billie Joe Armstrong, AJ Tracey (ft. slowthai), and Sam Fender. There is also music from NewDad, Maxïmo Park, Field Music, Cosha, and Maddy Storm. Have a listen to the terrific releases this week, as there is a reliably great mixture that will kick your weekend off in style! On a very cold day, I think that these songs can bring some…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Tori Amos

HEAT and comfort.

ALL PHOTOS/IMAGES (unless credited otherwise): Artists

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Rina Sawayama – LUCID

PHOTO CREDIT: Harry Durrant

Miley Cyrus – Angels Like You

PHOTO CREDIT: Des Willie courtesy of Atria Books

Tori Amos – Better Angels

PHOTO CREDIT: Charlie Cummings

Arlo Parks – Caroline

PHOTO CREDIT: Georgia Flynn

Liam Gallagher – All You’re Dreaming Of

FLOHIO – Roundtown

PHOTO CREDIT: Molly Matalon for FADER

Phoebe Bridgers – If We Make It Through December

The Smashing Pumpkins – Starrcraft

PHOTO CREDIT: Mert & Marcus

Jennifer Lopez – In the Morning

Cosha – Berlin Air

PHOTO CREDIT: Warner Records

Billie Joe Armstrong – Kids in America

PHOTO CREDIT: Mr King

Daniel Knox - Fall Apart

King Princess – PAIN

AJ Tracey (ft. slowthai) – Graveyard Shift

The Lottery Winners – An Open Letter to Creatives

Maddy Storm – The Art of Giving

Taylor Swift (ft. Bon Iver) – exile (the long pond studio sessions)

PHOTO CREDIT: Andy Martin

Field Music – Home for Christmas

Maxïmo Park – I Don’t Know What I’m Doing

Eli & Fur - Otherside

Anna Straker – Break Up Song

YUNGBLUD – mars

NewDad – I Don’t Recognise You

PHOTO CREDIT: Evelin van Rei

Low Island – In Your Arms

Sam Fender – Winter Song

Daisy Godfrey – Fade Away

Sabrina Claudio, The Weeknd – Christmas Blues

Call Me Loop – Rosé

Daniel Avery - Petrol Blue

Steps – To the Beat of My Heart

You Me at Six – SUCKAPUNCH

Zeplyn – Bad Love

Rosie Carney - Sulk

LAOISE – Movies

Julia Church – Cups and Balloons

Will Joseph Cook – Boundary Street

Jenn Grant – Winter Wonderland

Greta Isaac – Power

Julia Carlucci – Ocean Avenue

Nicole Millar – Boring!

PHOTO CREDIT: Lola Stephens

Mandrake Handshake – Gonkulator

Nice Swan Records · Mandrake Handshake - Gonkulator

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: BBC Radio 6 Music’s Top-Ten Albums of 2020

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

IN THIS IMAGE: The cover for SAULT’s phenomenal album, UNTITLED (Black Is) - which BBC Radio 6 Music declared their favourite album of 2020 

BBC Radio 6 Music’s Top-Ten Albums of 2020

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ON Tuesday…

IMAGE CREDIT: @BBC6Music

BBC Radio 6 Music announced their favourite ten albums of this year. Lauren Laverne read out the list on her breakfast show; the winning album was UNTITLED (Black Is) by SAULT. The top-ten was quite interesting and, whilst there weren’t not too many female artists in the ten – two in total -, there was ample variation and solid music! You can see the nominated ten here - but this is what was said about SAULT’s 2020 masterpiece (one of two albums they put out this year!):

“There are few concrete details that we truly know about SAULT, the mysterious UK-based collective that span genre lines and keep their true identities firmly under wraps. What we do know, however, is that the music they’ve been steadily releasing since emerging seemingly out of nowhere in 2019 has been so breathtakingly singular that - unlike many similarly enigmatic acts - the autobiographical question marks that still surround those behind the project almost feels like an afterthought.

After a prolific 2019, which saw the release of two studio albums (‘5’ and ‘7’), SAULT upped the ante in 2020 with a dual offering of double albums: 'UNTITLED (Black Is)’ in July, followed by ‘UNTITLED (Rise)’ in September. Of the intent-signalling former of these releases (which features Michael Kiwanuka on a track), the band issued a statement that read: “We present our first ‘UNTITLED’ album to mark a moment in time where we as Black People, and of Black Origin are fighting for our lives… Change is happening… We are focused.”

 Aptly described by one critic as “a robust collection of funk, soul, meditative spoken-word and protest chants meant to score the full spectrum of Blackness”, it’s a record that delves into the past by reshaping inherited genres and sounds into something entirely modern and self-contained. Whoever SAULT may be, you’ll find few other artists this year creating music quite as urgent and revolutionary.

Gilles Peterson: “I’ve been following SAULT for a while now, and loved their two records in 2019. So when I heard that there was a new album coming this summer, amidst such a tumultuous year, I just had a feeling that would do something special, and they absolutely came through.

They sent it to me on the morning of my show, and I listened to it from beginning to end. And I was like, “I’m playing the whole thing!”. It’s that strong. It’s undoubtedly going to be my record of the year, I can’t imagine anyone is going to come close to it.

It was basically that sense that you got when you listened to a record like The Specials – ‘Ghost Town’, or Gil Scott-Heron, The Clash - those classic records that have just lasted forever, that have political energy, and are of the moment, which is so important in music. That’s what it’s all about - forget the decadence and the escapism - this was a real record; this was about how we can all make a difference through music”.

Because BBC Radio 6 Music have declared their chosen ten albums of 2020, this Lockdown Playlist (Run the Jewels’ RTJ4 tracks might not be available for some, so you will need to navigate from there; you can also search in Spotify under ‘The Lockdown Playlist BBC Radio 6 Music’s Top-Ten Albums of 2020’) takes two songs from each of the ten albums. You can see that this year has been…

 IMAGE CREDIT: @BBC6Music

AN incredibly strong one.

FEATURE: The Green on the Grey: Kate Bush’s Majestic Under the Ivy: The Single That Never Was

FEATURE:

 

The Green on the Grey

PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush 

Kate Bush’s Majestic Under the Ivy: The Single That Never Was

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I do not want to suggest that…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional image for Hounds of Love’s The Ninth Wave/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush 

Kate Bush’s Under the Ivy was ever pencilled in as a potential single but, on 1985’s Hounds of Love, she was in such rich form that, alas, Under the Ivy was included as a B-side to Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)! The song has said of taken on its life and, not only is it the title of Graeme Thomson’s much-referenced (on this site) Under the Ivy: The Life & Work of Kate Bush, but the track features high in poll’s of Bush’s best tracks – MOJO placed it at number-seventeen in their recent feature about Bush (remarking how it was bafflingly provided as a B-side and is, literally, “a hidden treasure”; LOUDER ranked it at sixteen in their list of her greatest songs. Given the fact that many consider Under the Ivy as one of Bush’s top-twenty tracks, it is surprising that the song was never included on Hounds of Love! I guess, when you consider the songs on the album, then it might not have fitted time-wise. That said, thematically, it could have worked on either side. It could have been on the first side and slotted after Mother Stands for Comfort (and before Cloudbusting) and maybe it would have slotted on The Ninth Wave as a possible dream-type song - maybe coming between Watching You Without Me, and Jig of Life. I am going to dissect the track in a bit more detail soon.

Before that, I wanted to bring in some details from the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia - where we learn more about Under the Ivy:

“'Under The Ivy' we did in our studio in just an afternoon. (Peter Swales, 'Kate Bush'. Musician, Fall 1985)

It's very much a song about someone who is sneaking away from a party to meet someone elusively, secretly, and to possibly make love with them, or just to communicate, but it's secret, and it's something they used to do and that they won't be able to do again. It's about a nostalgic, revisited moment. (...) I think it's sad because it's about someone who is recalling a moment when perhaps they used to do it when they were innocent and when they were children, and it's something that they're having to sneak away to do privately now as adults. (Doug Alan interview, 20 November 1985)

I needed a track to put on the B-Side of the single Running Up That Hill so I wrote this song really quickly. As it was just a simple piano/vocal, it was easy to record. I performed a version of the song that was filmed at Abbey Road Studios for a TV show which was popular at the time, called The Tube. It was hosted by Jools Holland and Paula Yates. I find Paula’s introduction to the song very touching.

It was filmed in Studio One at Abbey Rd. An enormous room used for recording large orchestras, choirs, film scores, etc. It has a vertiginously high ceiling and sometimes when I was working in Studio Two,  a technician, who was a good friend, would take me up above the ceiling of Studio One. We had to climb through a hatch onto the catwalk where we would then crawl across and watch the orchestras working away, completely unaware of the couple of devils hovering in the clouds, way above their heads!  I used to love doing this - the acoustics were heavenly at that scary height.  We used to toy with the idea of bungee jumping from the hatch. (KateBush.com, February 2019)”.

There has been speculation that the song could be about suicide but, to me, it is more about capturing an innocence and embracing passion under the ivy. Bush – or whether she is playing a protagonist -, asks the man to find her away from the party and in this secluded space; the first verse alone summons up so many gorgeous and evocative images and possibilities: “It wouldn't take me long/To tell you how to find it/To tell you where we'll meet/This little girl inside me/Is retreating to her favourite place”. I will talk about why Under the Ivy would have fitted as an album track but, consider the child-like imagery and the way Bush/the heroine is sort of regressing and trying to escape something quite hectic or sad, it seems, to me, it would have been a perfect vision summoned up during The Ninth Wave!

I love how Bush wrote the song quickly because there were songs on Hounds of Love that were quite a task to get together (especially The Big Sky). Although Bush views the song as a last gasp of innocence or this sort of wonderful bonding in a garden, one can interpret the song in other ways. It is such an interesting and deep song where one cannot help but immerse themselves in. Consider the lines: “I sit here in the thunder/The green on the grey/I feel it all around me/And it's not easy for me/To give away a secret/It's not safe”. There is definite emotion and tension in Bush’s heart, but I feel there is this desire and need to embrace someone and fulfil a desire inside her. I have seen some view Under the Ivy as Bush/the heroine submitting and disappearing but I don’t feel that way. There is a video of Bush performing the song, but I would have loved to have seen Under the Ivy visualised through an official music video. I could just imagine all the gorgeous colours and scenes that we would see in the video; maybe with Bush directing it, it would definitely be a stunning video! Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) reached number-three in the singles chart in the U.K. and, whilst that has a lot to do with the song itself, I think this remarkable B-side also contributed.

There can be no doubt that Under the Ivy is Kate Bush’s greatest B-side - and it is one of music’s greatest ‘what-ifs’. I have speculated where it could have fitted on Hounds of Love and, as I said, it would have been okay on either side. The Ninth Wave seems to be the best place for Under the Ivy; where we could have seen the heroine adrift at sea casting her mind to a party where she had this beautiful moment – possibly towards the end as there is light at the end of the tunnel. Sonically, it would have been perfect after Watching You Without Me and the more spirited Jig of Life. At 2:16, adding Under the Ivy would have taken the running time for The Ninth Wave to 28:28, which not only provide nice symmetry but it would have added even more body and wonder to a great suite! Maybe Bush would have felt The Ninth Wave a little bloated at eight tracks if Under the Ivy were included. Alternately, it could have fitted on the first side maybe, as I mentioned, after the dark and eerie Mother Stands for Comfort. I think it would have been a great accompaniment to another child-like song, The Big Sky, which appears before Mother Stands for Comfort; we would get this nice run of three songs were childhood, in some form, is examined.

Maybe, as Cloudbusting also nods to a child – in this case, Peter Reich, son of Wilhelm Reich, working on a cloudbusting device -, it would have been too samey. I reckon it could have worked alright. The running time for that first half would have been about twenty-three minutes and, as Under the Ivy is such a short song, I don’t think it would have overloaded the first half – and it would have meant that there was six tracks on the first half (it would have balanced out the two halves better). I guess Bush did need a B-side for Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) and, as it was the first single from Hounds of Love, she wanted to go in strong with an incredible B-side! I think Under the Ivy could have worked as part of a double A-side. Bush had other great B-sides that she released through the promotional campaign for Hounds of Love – including My Lagan Love (from Cloudbusting), and Burning Bridge (Hounds of Love) -, but there is something utterly wonderful and unmatched on Under the Ivy! I know Under the Ivy was released on a flexi-disc in Poland but, apart from that, there has not been a lot of attention for it as a standout track. It surely ranks as her greatest ‘lost’ track and, to me, it is in her top-twenty all-time best songs.

One can find Under the Ivy included on the album, The Other Sides, which was given a stand-alone release in 2019. Alongside Ran Tan Waltz, and You Want Alchemy, Under the Ivy is one of those lesser-known tracks that should be covered in greater depth – and get some more airplay on radio. It is a shame we never got to see an official video for the song, but the fact the song exists at all is a blessing. It just shows the sort of creative level Bush was during Hounds of Love that a song as majestic as Under the Ivy could be written so quickly and considered only as a B-side! Whilst it may seem personal to Kate Bush, I think many listeners can transport themselves inside the song and make the lyrics relevant to themselves. Listening to Bush perform Under the Ivy on The Tube in 1986 elicits shivers, and one can see that the song means a lot to her! It is such a remarkable moment in a career full of them and, if you have not heard the song, I would urge people to buy The Other Sides as it displays the variation and eclectic nature of Bush’s B-sides. Even though Under the Ivy was not given an outing on Hounds of Love I think, as a song, it is utterly engrossing.  It is a completely wonderful track and…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1985/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush 

AN evergreen treasure.

FEATURE: Brilliance Overload: Sugarbabes’ One Touch at Twenty

FEATURE:

 

 

Brilliance Overload

Sugarbabes’ One Touch at Twenty

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I wanted to do a quick feature…

on an album that turned twenty yesterday (27th November). It is amazing to think that Sugarbabes were dropped by their label after One Touch sold fewer copies than they hoped. The Pop market was pretty competitive in 2000, and it was a bit unfair that a new group had such expectations on their shoulders! Sugarbabes have gone through various iterations, but I think they were strongest on their debut. I remember the album coming out when I was in sixth form college, and I was hooked and really fascinated by the group. Prior to 2000, I think my experience with female Pop groups was the likes of All Saints and Spice Girls. To be fair, I think Sugarbabes were more eclectic than those groups from the start. I always felt Sugarbabes were far cooler and edgier than any other group there because they had this confidence and quality that was both accessible but unique. They could also put out more emotive songs, and I was really struck by that diversity and richness. Original member Siobhán Donaghy left the group in 2001. She initially stated that she wanted to pursue a fashion career, but she was eventually diagnosed with clinical depression amid reports of in-fighting between the Sugababes members. Only after one album, such a promising group were faced with split and disaster! Their second studio album, Angels with Dirty Faces, was released in 2002 and is not nearly as successful and memorable as One Touch. It has been ten years since the group released their final album, Sweet 7, and there is a distinct Sugarbabes-sized hole in music!

I forgot that the Sugbabes’ debut turned twenty yesterday, and I saw an article on CLASH – which I shall quote from soon – that highlighted it. I think the year 2000 was this very excited yet strange year where we said goodbye to the epic ‘90s and many were wondering how music would change and where it would head. There were some interesting and hugely popular girlbands still operating like Destiny’s Child, and All Saints, and Sugarbabes arrived with their own style and brand. I like the fact that the group - Keisha Buchanan, Mutya Buena and Siobhán Donaghy – co-wrote many the songs on One Touch. Of course, Overload is probably the most notable and popular single from the album. It was released on 11th September, 2000 and reached number-six in the U.K. There are other clear highlights like Soul Sound, Run for Cover, and New Year - and it is a surprise that the album did not do huge business! I will source from one of many positive reviews in a second but, right now, I wanted to bring in some observations from CLASH. The following is taken from a very illuminating retrospective:

“One Touch' opens with 'Overload', perhaps the most definitive opening statement of any British girl group, give or take a 'Wannabe'. Its refrains of teenage preciousness - "Strange fear I ain't felt for years/The boy's coming and I'm close to tears" - are paired, counter-intuitively, with a forthright bassline, reverberating clatter, random whooshes and later, surf guitars. It is impossibly groovy but held together with some diffident insouciance; an unbothered ditty crooned by teenage girls filing their nails.

This was very much the template for the Sugababes’ entry onto the music scene; a bunch of teenage girls somehow above it all. Live performances of 'Overload' had the three girls half-heartedly performing a routine on barstools, only magnifying this effect. To a market saturated with bright-eyed and eagerly performed pop, it must have been some hook.

Vocally, it is even more accomplished. The murmured quietness that forms the ambiance of the album frequently breaks out into flourishes from all three vocalists. The fact that they were teenagers is a fault only in comparison to the vocal heights all three themselves would go on to scale. Buena, as one of the voices of her generation; Buchanan, as the rich, honeyed gel to multiple incarnations of Sugababes; and Donaghy, as a crystalline bell jar on her own.

But on this first, lone outing, there is a certain magic when those voices come together, with quiet intimacy and nervous chemistry, particularly in their seamless harmonies - gorgeous and stirring one second, and wispily fluttering away in the background the next.

These technical aspects are perfect complement to the album’s high point which is its lyrical substance. The three members co-wrote most of the songs here, and their ruminations on growing up and finding your way through love and life here, despite the markers of adolescence attached to them, seem universal in many ways.

The jittery nervousness of approaching a new crush ('Overload'); the confident reproach of an uncommitted lover ('One Foot In'); and the bold excitement of revelling in a new love (the title track) are, after all, hardly limited to teenagehood. In the best of girl group tradition, most of the album reads like hanging out with a close friend, full of confessions and building up esteem”.

It is wonderful that there was some love and good vibes for One Touch on social media yesterday; it is kind of sad that such a promising group faced struggles and record label disappointment. Maybe their label, London, launched Sugarbabes as rivals to the American girlgroups that were coming through or dominating in the 1990s. There are blends of American and British influences through One Touch, but I feel the trio managed to create their own identities and there is a nice mixture of sounds throughout their debut. Perhaps a comparative lack of feelgood tunes and big energy put some off. I still find it baffling, even when we bring in the standards back in 2000, that Sugarbabes were sort of written off right away! I want to bring in a review from a review in Drowned in Sound from 2000:

“However , just when you thought if you saw another girl-group you'd lock yourself in a cupboard and slowly starve yourself to death only wishing it was they that were suffering your fate , Sugababes come along smelling of authenticity , kneeing convention in the balls , breathing indie-cool and screaming "The NME like us. The f*ing NME !!!!"

It is , in contrast to the other non typical NME acts to have featured in the NME this year (Kelis anyone ?) , understandable why. For a group of 16-year olds they write remarkably mature and sophisticated songs that could theoretically attract admiration from George Micheal and Damon Albarn (Not Bono though , no "own instruments" just yet).

Whereas the Spice Girls are currently the botched genetic epression to meld Destiny’s Child , Artful Dodger , Mariah Carey and early-Madonna , the Sugababes are the genetic experiment to throw together the conglomerate worldly dance-funk of modern Madonna and the loved-up tearful ballad William-Orbit-ingrained-into-it’s-soul brilliance of the All Saints. This experiment was almost perfect and even though the album contains nothing quite as brilliant as the debut single ‘Overload’ , which Radio One has almost certainly burnt into your brain by now , but it is still the finest collection of pop-songs released this year by a new artist. An album that kicks the collective asses of both Girl Thing AND Coldplay.

Just admit it , you loved ‘Overload’ and admit that you were wrong in your preconception that anything resembling anything Svengali-cultivated was totally soulless. Just take a listen to forthcoming single ‘New Year’ (“Older than my years / Drowning in my tears “ )

They ARE better than 90% of the corporate indie scene and underline the falseness of mainstream contemporary sounds. That Limp Bizkit’s anger is just as compulsively phoney as any marketable facet embraced by the Spice Girls. Fred Durst’s “difficult” childhood no different to Mel C’s apparent clinical epression. (Have you ever wondered where Fungus got the inspiration for ‘A fanclub would be nice’ ? Now you know)

Motwon Junk this ain’t. Unlike Girl Thing , they aren’t “Another Invented Disease”. Sugababes are 4REAL and if they come head-to-head with the Manics next summer who’s your money on”.

Nostalgia can be quite a dangerous and misleading thing, but I think the Sugarbabes exciting debut is packed with some great tracks and really confident performances that stand up now and sounded great back in 2000. Unlike many girlgroups, I think there is so much vocal strength and individuality in Sugarbabes; despite some in-fighting, they have a connection on One Touch. Twenty years later, the album still pops and really produces some surprises! It makes me wonder whether we will ever see a fresh and cool girlgroup like Sugarbabes come along because, apart from Little Mix, there are not many options! In a rather difficult and challenging 2020, I would recommend people revisit…

A classic from the year 2000.

FEATURE: Inside the Pages of MARINAZINE: Reviving the Fanzine

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Inside the Pages of MARINAZINE

Reviving the Fanzine

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I discussed this a while back…

Fan art 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xbRyRivMoa

— Marina (@MarinaDiamandis) November 20, 2020

when I covered the Kate Bush fanzine, HomeGround, that ran for years and stopped when she released 50 Words for Snow in 2011. I wonder whether there are fanzines anymore because, when I was growing up, they were very much a thing. It was a way for fans to bond with artists and, at the end of it, we got this eclectic and interesting magazine-cum-newspaper that was made with a lot of love! There are articles that discuss the history of fanzines (or just zines) - and there is one artist who is releasing her own fanzine. MARINA (formerly Marina and the Diamonds), as this NME article explains, is putting out MARINAZINE.

 “The singer, whose last album ‘Love + Fear’ was released in two parts last year, is expected to return in the coming months with her fifth album (her second since she shed the ‘And The Diamonds’ part of her moniker).

Marina released her new single ‘Man’s World’ earlier this month, and now she’s announced a physical, limited edition zine entitled MARINAZINE.

MARAZINE will include essays, artwork, photography, poetry and more, according to Marina, who tweeted news of the zine on Saturday (November 21). She added that she wants fans to submit their work to feature in the first issue.

In August, the musician posted a series of photographs and videos from an idyllic writing session, writing: “GOOD ENERGY! Bursting with sun beams to tell you that I’m close to finishing writing my 5th album in a little corner of paradise.”

There is currently no album title nor release date publicised for Marina’s new record”.

MARINAZINE! https://t.co/zHMsy5TiPL

A beautiful physical zine that will accompany each single release. Submit your essays, artwork, photography, poetry or any other form of expression for the chance to be featured in the first issue, "Man's World". pic.twitter.com/c1LRAq9kQH

— Marina (@MarinaDiamandis) November 21, 2020

I wonder whether other artists will follow suit. There have been some great fanzines through the years, and I do think that there is too much reliance on the digital nowadays. One can connect with artists through social media, but it would be nice to bring back the physical in a way. We do not really have fan clubs anymore. There was the day when you could be part of a fan club and, when a band or artist went on tour, you could get discounted tickets and exclusive stuff. Maybe there is a bit of it still, but it has definitely diminished over the past couple of decades. I don’t think that artists nodding to the past is gimmicky or insincere. In fact, I think more and more artists are trying to involve their fans more with music and have a sort of physical connection. By producing fanzines that have artwork, letters and all sorts of other bits is not only a way for fans to join together but I think they act as interesting objects to own. I always prefer a physical record to digital and a real book to something online. Similarly, music journalism is always more rewarding in a physical form - and I guess the fanzine died out because of the Internet and the fact that we can now digitally interact. It will be interesting following MARINAZINE and, hopefully, we can see more fanzines come from various artists going forward! Beyond gigs, it can be hard having a relationship with fans beyond the tweets and digital updates. I will be interested to see if other artists…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @craftedbygc/Unsplash

COME out with their own fanzines.

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: GRAMMY Nominees

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Beyoncé received nine GRAMMY nominations - she remains the most-nominated female artist of all time/PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew D. Bernstein 

GRAMMY Nominees

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ON Tuesday…

IN THIS PHOTO: Post Malone/PHOTO CREDIT: Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for Universal Music

the nominees for this year’s GRAMMYs was announced. There were some definite talking points and, whilst it is good that the Best Rock Performance Category is dominated by women, the Album of the Year category has some notable omissions – many felt Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters should have received a nod! On 31st January, we will find out who has won what and, to honour the announcements, this Lockdown Playlist collates some of those nominated. I have included an array of names and, whilst I could not cover all of the eighty-three categories, there is a healthy amount! As usual, there may be problems accessing some songs in the playlist below (you can access a link here) so, if that is the case, then you can search ‘The Lockdown Playlist: GRAMMY Nominees’ in Spotify and access it all there – it is just one of those annoying things about Spotify! Take a listen to the brilliant names who, on 31st January, will be competing at…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Fiona Apple

A hugely prestigious event.

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Jimi Hendrix Fire

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

PHOTO CREDIT: David Montgomery 

Jimi Hendrix Fire

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ON this day (27th November)…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Linda McCartney/National Portrait Gallery/Smithsonian Institution

seventy-eight years ago, the genius Jimi Hendrix came into the world. Although we lost him at the age of twenty-seven in 1970, the music he left has inspired scores of guitarists. Recording with The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and  Jimi Hendrix/Band of Gypsys, Hendrix’s vocabulary and dexterity on the guitar is immense! I wanted to put together a Lockdown Playlist on his birthday containing album tracks, live cuts, in addition to rarer tracks that many people might not have heard of. In his short life, Hendrix laid down so many staggering works and, to me, he was an underrated singer. His voice is so commanding, expressive and versatile and that, combined with his guitar and Noel Redding (bass), and Mitch Mitchell (percussion) – in The Jimi Hendrix Experience -, led to some truly wonderful music. To tip my cap to, perhaps, the greatest guitarist who has ever lived, here are some epic Hendrix licks, jams and guitar explosions that displays his…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Mike Berkofsky

ENDLESS talent.

FEATURE: Let the Record Show: The Ongoing Boom of Vinyl Sales and How It Could Lead to a Growth on the High Street

FEATURE:

 

Let the Record Show

PHOTO CREDIT: @amartino20/Unsplash 

The Ongoing Boom of Vinyl Sales and How It Could Lead to a Growth on the High Street

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I am going to do a related Lockdown Playlist…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @amartino20/Unsplash

that combines songs from the forty best-selling vinyl albums of this year as, whilst other areas of the economic map are struggling and businesses are closing, things are looking rosy for vinyl and record shops. Whereas things are a bit fraught regarding venues and other sides of the music industry, it is clear that people have a huge appetite for vinyl. It is not just vinyl that is on the rise: cassette sales are also increasing and, in a year when streaming services are being criticised for not paying artists enough, more and more people are paying money for vinyl records. The Guardian reports some good news:

“UK sales of vinyl records are set to reach a three-decade high as fans unable to attend live music events during the pandemic channel their spare cash into building up their record collections.

Vinyl sales are up almost 10% this year, well on track to break the £100m mark by the end of 2020, making for the best year since 1990 when Sinead O’Connor and New Kids on the Block topped the charts. Sales by volume are also set to beat last year’s 4.3m.

It marks a remarkable bounce back given the market for physical music, from vinyl and CDs to cassettes and DVDs, plunged by almost half in April as the first lockdown shut high streets across the nation.

“We have seen 250% growth from the bottom of lockdown to where we are now,” said Drew Hill, managing director of Proper Music, the UK’s biggest independent distributor of vinyl and CDs. “I thought it could be catastrophic for the industry but during lockdown the kind of people buying records also probably went to a lot of gigs. They can’t do that so it seems fans are spending the money they used to on going to gigs each month on records.” Last week, Kylie Minogue wound back the years as Disco topped the vinyl album chart.

PHOTO CREDIT: @iampatrickpilz 

The pandemic has also fuelled the ongoing revival of cassettes, with sales up 85% so far this year, putting total sales on course to top £1m for the first time since renewed interest wound back the years for the format.

However, the picture is much less rosy for CDs, already facing inexorable decline at the hands of the streaming revolution, with sales down 30% in the year to date, according to the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA). If that trend continues in the final weeks of this year CD sales will reach about £150m, the worst year since 1987.

Natasha Youngs, co-owner of Brighton-based record store Resident, said that owners have worked hard to shift sales online but it has proven difficult given vinyl fans’ love of the in-store browsing experience.

“We’ve had to adapt our business to provide our customers with as close to a normal service as possible and customers have really responded,” said Youngs. “As a result our online sales are considerably up year on year. But this in no way compensates for the sales we have lost over the counter. We can’t provide the face-to-face service that we pride ourselves on – it is missing a vital element of what a record shop is all about”.

I was worried, when the pandemic started, that we would lose so many record shops and there would be this depletion on the high street. Instead, many have offered online deliveries - and this has kept them in business.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @rocinante_11/Unsplash

For many record shops, they have seen sales increase hugely and, thanks to Record Store Day being split over three different days, shops have seen huge queues and enormous demand! I think this popularity and craving for vinyl will continue into next year. As things improve and we start to see a return to normality, I think more and more people will come out and support their local record stores. Thinking about the report and how sales are rising, I wonder whether this will lead to a revival in the high street. At the moment, rent prices are forcing many record shops away - and that is still an issue they face. I am thinking about chains like HMV that have seen shops close, and I think that there could be this new demand that sees many reopen. Of course, vinyl sales alone cannot save and sustain chains like HMV, but it would be wonderful to see new independents open because, at the moment, I know it can be hard locating a nearby record shop. Look at central London and, maybe because of extortionate rent prices, it is really hard finding a record shop! That is the case with many cities but, because vinyl sales are exploding, there is a possibility that the revenue from sales could cover rent prices were there to be new shops opening. It is definitely heartening to see so many record stores survive and report great trading.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @rocinante_11/Unsplash

Few would have anticipated this during a pandemic but, rather than this being benevolence and people supporting shops through some sense of guilt, there is just this genuine love of vinyl and desire to support artists. Though the browsing experience is a little different this year, that has not put people going to their local record shop and inspecting the racks! I do think that digital music is great but, in terms of sound quality and the listening experience, nothing can replace vinyl. Alongside this, cassettes are seeing a resurgence…so it is strangely like going back in time! I do think it would be wise of the Government to think about the rental prices and how businesses are struggling. I am not the only one who would welcome new record shops on high streets. Online ordering is convenient, but the sensation and process of going to a record store and spending time selecting vinyl is unbeatable! Going forward, and I think there will be a further increase in vinyl sales as we head to Christmas. In a year of bad news and disappointment, having some good news and cheer is definitely inspiring. Let’s hope that the rise in vinyl sales continues into 2021. In the run-up to Christmas, be sure to support your local record shops(s) by picking up some great vinyl and…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @jamessutton_photography/Unsplash

PUTTING the needle down.

FEATURE: Open to Interpretation: Envisaging a Kate Bush Covers Album

FEATURE:

 

 

Open to Interpretation

IN THIS PHOTO: Solange Knowles has covered Kate Bush during her live performances 

Envisaging a Kate Bush Covers Album

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JUST recently…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1982/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

I put out a feature into the world that suggested why, at a time like now, we need more Kate Bush projects in the world. I have kicked around the idea of a new Kate Bush covers album because, in 2020, there has been a lot more attention and love for her music. There are cover albums online like this one, and there has been a reissue of an older covers compilation. These collections are great and, whilst they do put new spins on familiar songs, I do think that there is a chance to have a new and more expansive collection. Maybe recording one for a charity like Crisis – which Bush herself is a supporter of -, there are so many artists out there influenced by her work that have either not covered her work live or versions of Bush’s songs have not appeared on any of their albums - a percentage of the proceeds would go to the charity, whereas the rest would cover the recording and other costs/go to Bush herself. I mooted recently how it would be great if someone like John Grant tackled a song such as The Man with the Child in His Eyes (from The Kick Inside, 1978) - as I adore his voice - but, really, there is an ocean of choice regarding artists and songs! Everyone from Rufus Wainwright, Anna Calvi, Mica Paris, Guy Garvey, St. Vincent, Madonna, Emma Pollack, Field Music, Björk, Big Boi, Charli XCX, Regina Spektor, Beth Orton, Florence Welch, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Billie Marten, Ellie Goulding, KT Tunstall, Alison Moyet, Grace Jones, Gemma Hayes, Boy George, Hayden Thorpe, Bat for Lashes, Stevie Nicks, PJ Harvey, London Grammar, Bright Lights, Elton John, Bright Lights, Annie Lennox, First Aid Kit (who covered Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) live) and Brett Anderson have been influenced by Kate Bush in some form - or cite her music as important (Saint Saviour covered Army Dreamers a few years back and it blew me away!). One can keep that list going - and some curveballs like IDLES or some unknown artists mixing in the pack would add some definite variety! - but, whilst they have talked about her and, in some form, write their music with a bit of Bush in the mix, there have not been a lot of covers - maybe it seems odd covering Bush’s songs on their own albums.

Over the past year, there have been a few Kate Bush covers from some lesser-known artists and, through the years, everyone from The Futureheads and Placebo have taken on Bush’s catalogue. Maybe people think that it is a bit intimidating covering her music and it seems a bit daunting. I can appreciate that! Consider the vocal sounds and pitch on The Kick Inside and it would be hard to reinvent the songs on that album and retain the beauty and original wonder. I think albums such as The Dreaming have so much invention and different vocal sounds on them; that opens the door for artists to have a look and give particular songs a new slant. Bush reworked some of her songs on Director’s Cut in 2011 but, even though she focused on tracks from The Sensual World, and The Red Shoes, I still think other artists could take those songs and put their own print on them. There are lesser-known Bush tracks and B-sides that could be given a fresh boost and, when you look at the sheer number of artists who owe a nod to Bush – including Tricky, Neil Hannon, The Anchoress, k.d. lang, FKA twigs, Little Boots, Perfume Genius, and Alison Goldfrapp -, I would love to hear what they do with some of her songs! Also, Peter Gabriel has recorded with Kate Bush a few times, and it would be wonderful to see what he would do with one of her songs! Maybe there would be a battle over particular songs that many people would want to cover – including Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) -, but it would be fascinating hearing diverse artists take these songs to new places.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Tricky

I don’t think one can be precious when it comes to artists covering icons and, whilst I am not completely sold on some of the Kate Bush cover versions that have been put out, there have been some good attempts! There are articles like this and this that rank the covers and, looking at those names, and I would particularly like to hear Solange’s cover of Cloudbusting (that she performed at Coachella in 2014), and Tori Amos’ take on And Dream Of Sheep from her live set put on a record! Hearing studio versions of these tracks alongside rising artists and familiar names bringing together a covers album would be awesome! I think of it more as a tribute to her because, as there has not been a documentary for a few years, I think a covers albums would show what love there is for Bush from so many different artists. One might have to put out a double album - and I can easily imagine around about twenty-five/thirty or so worthy and stunning covers from a selection of brilliant musicians (maybe a selection of artists could each take a song from Hounds of Love’s The Ninth Wave?). Maybe it would need to be on several vinyl records, but I think a lot of people would buy it and, as I said, a proportion of proceeds could go to Crisis. Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) is a song that Chromatics, Placebo, and First Aid Kit have all covered and, whilst their versions are brilliant, there would be room for another. It would take a great producer to bring everyone together and, whilst Kate Bush herself would not do it (that would be weird), I think the legendary Tony Visconti would be perfect; there was a brief moment before Bush produced The Dreaming herself when Visconti’s name was in the frame - Bush admired Visconti’s production and his work with David Bowie especially.

There are so many songs that have not been covered so, for that reason, it would be interesting to see what artists come up with. Of course, I would urge people to hear the original Bush recordings - but a tribute/covers albums could be a way in for many people. I will keep this short but, whilst one does not want to overload the market with Kate Bush-related products to an extent, I think there would be huge demand at a time when Bush’s music is as popular as at any other time! Maybe an album could collect together studio recordings others have done of her tracks, but I think wiping the slate clean and inviting a range of artists to take on songs fresh in the studio would be better. I have not really opened this up to people to see what the opinion is but, with no real contemporary tribute album to her, there is definitely a gap in the market. One could dream of which artist could take which song, but I’d love to hear a new recording of St. Vincent doing Hounds of Love, or Tricky taking on Breathing – both artists talked about these tracks in the BBC documentary of 2014, The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill. Maybe it could be a possibility after the pandemic has died a little and it could mean artists could get to the same studio – Abbey Road Studio 2 - or Studio 3 for tighter and more intimate takes - seems like the perfect place (Bush worked at Abbey Road Studios on the albums Never For Ever, The Dreaming, and Hounds of Love in Studio 2, and the orchestral parts for the albums The Sensual World, and The Red Shoes). The plan of getting international artists together might be tricky in terms of cost and logistics but, if most artists could get there and others could do it from different studios, then that could work. Of course, if the recordings have to take place remotely, then that would be fine - it is more about getting the songs down than the importance of where it is recorded. It is a theory/speculative project right now, but a Kate Bush tribute album would open up…

 IN THIS PHOTO: St. Vincent/PHOTO CREDIT: Scandebergs for GQ

SUCH interesting possibilities!

FEATURE: Time and Time Again, Line and Line Again: Kate Bush and Acting: Les Dogs, The Line, the Cross and the Curve and Beyond

FEATURE:

 

 

Time and Time Again, Line and Line Again

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 197/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz

Kate Bush and Acting: Les Dogs, The Line, the Cross and the Curve and Beyond

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I have spoken before about…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1993/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

how film and literature has played a role in Kate Bush’s music through the years. Whilst she was not necessarily a veracious reader, a lot of her best moments were either inspired by literature or a classic text – James Joyce’s Ulysses famously, can be felt through The Sensual World’s title track (it was re-recorded for 2011’s Director’s Cut under the title Flower of the Mountain; Bush was able to include Molly Bloom’s soliloquy from the novel after being granted permission by the estate). Film and T.V., I think, have been a more powerful tool of inspiration for Bush regarding her music. This article from the BFI highlights how horror and the gothic have influenced many of her songs:

“Despite a well-publicised reluctance to perform in front of an audience (with her 2014 Before the Dawn concerts a glorious exception), Kate Bush has embraced film, and many of her music videos are works of art in themselves. ‘Cloudbusting’ may be the most celebrated, an exhilarating and moving short conceived with Terry Gilliam and starring Donald Sutherland, but the video for ‘Experiment IV’ – a darkly comic tale of government conspiracy starring Dawn French, Hugh Laurie, and Bush as a horrific banshee – has to be seen to be believed.

Movies – specifically gothic horror movies – have had an acknowledged influence on Bush’s back catalogue. ‘Hammer Horror’, named after the British production company, tells of a death and subsequent haunting on the film set of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. One of her most unnerving tracks, ‘Waking the Witch’ from Hounds of Love, imagines the drowning of a woman accused of sorcery and seems indebted to Michael Reeves’s Witchfinder General (1968). Sutherland was cast in the ‘Cloudbusting’ video following his appearance in Don’t Look Now (1973), and she borrowed the choral section of ‘Hello Earth’ – the Georgian folk song ‘Tsin Tskaro’ – from Werner Herzog’s remake of Nosferatu (1979)”.

From the powerful imagery of The Shining (film) to an adaptation of Wuthering Heights, Bush has been struck by the screen and she has, in kind, made her videos so powerful and visually arresting. I often look at some of Bush’s videos as little films. From Army Dreamers, to Cloudbusting, she approached her videos almost as films. From Hounds of Love onwards (until 2005’s Aerial), Bush directed/co-directed her videos and put her visual stamp down. I have spoken about her videos before, but I have been re-watching them quite a lot and flipping the view: Kate Bush as an actor in front of the camera. One can say a musician is like an actor in a sense, because they perform in their videos and that involves a lot of the same disciplines an actor would have. This is also true of live performance, where one needs to act and project, both physically and verbally. Despite relatively few live outings, Bush mounted a huge production in 1979 with The Tour of Life, and she did so again with 2014’s Before the Dawn. In her videos, we got different sides to her and these guises are intriguing and so engaging all these years later! If there is a certain amount of acting skill required for live work and videos, I think things are a bit different with something non-musical and straighter.

Especially early in her career, Bush was offered various acting roles, and she was offered a part opposite Oliver Reed in Castaway in 1986 – the role went to Amanda Donohoe. Maybe the idea of being naked with Reed was a bit unwelcome and intimidating, but I do think that she wanted to focus on music. Although Bush’s music has been used in films such as Vampire Diaries, Palm Springs and The Golden Compass, she has not stepped into acting as much as many would have liked. I guess she would have been sent scripts that typecast her a bit, either as a sexual figure or someone who was a bit odd. Maybe people were reacting to her videos, but I wonder how many scripts and treatments came her way for serious roles that would have allowed her to stretch her wings? The reason I bring this up is because I think the little we did see of Bush on screen outside of the music videos is quite powerful and intriguing! Because she did not tour or perform widely between 1979 and 2014, aside from making albums, there would have been this opportunity to take on film and T.V. roles. Bush has this filmic quality, and I think she could have handled a range of different roles. From an old-fashioned Hollywood starlet, an aspiring artist in London (playing herself to an extent), to a vampirical heroine or something meatier, I have been imagining Bush’s IMDB profile being beefed up to include these acting roles!

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during filming for The Line, The Cross and the Curve in 1993/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

I know she was offered roles in biopics, and it would have been interesting to see her translate her love of film into bigger acting roles. I will come to a couple of acting roles Bush did undertake, but I have been wondering whether it was the intensity of recording or the lack of appealing roles that kept her away from the small and big screen. Certainly, she had (and has) a charm and allure that would have won critics. Just look at every one of her music videos (where she appeared), and Bush has this radiance and flexibility where she could easily inhabit so many different looks and pull them off! The fact that she went on to direct her videos meant that she wanted to take greater charge in that sense, so maybe working with another director on a film would have been a bit much. Look at people like Lady Gaga and other great artists who appeared in film (including one of her idols, David Bowie) -, and it would have been tantalising to see Bush follow suite. Prince appeared in a Rock musical version of Purple Rain (in the film of the same name), and I often wonder what it would have been like if Bush had done the same with Hounds of Love, or even The Dreaming.

Her albums provoked big visions and possibilities, and I guess music videos are a way of portioning out these performances. Even though Bush did bring Hounds of Love to the stage I a big way in 2014, I think many of her fans would have loved to have seen her in a tasteful and challenging drama; maybe appearing in a crime caper – one similar to her single from The Dreaming, There Goes a Tenner. Bush had a real love of comedy and possessed a flair for the comedic. Her Comic Relief duet with Rowan Atkinson on the song, Do Bears… , shows she did have great comic timing - she would have excelled as a comic actor. Rather than me listing what-ifs and musing, I wanted to bring in a couple of times where Bush engaged in different acting projects – one of which was a short film composed of her own music. One of the things that a lot of people might know is that Bush appeared (in a silent role) in a television film called Les Dogs. As The Kate Bush Encyclopaedia explains and illustrates, it was a very interesting role (and one of two times when Bush worked alongside Miranda Richardson):

“1990 television film written by Peter Richardson and Pete Richens, directed by Peter Richardson, and part of The Comic Strip Presents series of programmes. A wedding photographer becomes enraptured by a bride's beauty, and the story drifts into the surreal realm of his imagination.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1990 

Kate made her acting debut in the role of bride Angela Watkins in this film; Miranda Richardson and Alexei Sayle portrayed Angela's parents, Tim McInnerny and Julie T. Wallace played her in-laws, and Danny Peacock earned the envy of millions in the role of her newlywed husband while Peter Richardson earned the further envy of millions as her lover.

“Peter Richardson worked on the video [for The Sensual World] and it was a lot of fun, and we stayed in touch as friends. When he was working on The Comic Strip series, I got a script and he asked me if I'd play a part. I felt very honoured to be asked”.

I do really like Bush in Les Dogs, and it is almost a shame that she was not given more responsibility and dialogue. I think she manages to shine on screen without speaking and, as I said earlier, there is this magnetic quality that Bush has! Maybe it is her beauty and dance ability that brings her videos to life like nobody else; perhaps it is her love of film and T.V. that means she has this ambition to tackle various looks and approaches, but I feel Bush is just a natural actor! Three years after Bush appeared in Les Dogs, she was seen in the short film, The Line, the Cross and the Curve.

This was a period where Bush put out an album (The Red Shoes), but there was a lot of personal loss and stress that meant she could not fully commit to other roles. As actor, writer and director of The Line, the Cross and the Curve, there was a lot being taken on at a time when things were pretty hectic! Maybe the nerves of performing live is a reason why Bush did not commit to acting and exploring that side but, despite some mixed reviews, I think there is a lot of promise in The Line, the Cross and the Curve. From a visual sense, the film is gorgeous and there are some spectacular moments! Even if Miranda Richardson provides steadier acting and dialogue, I do think there is potential in Bush’s acting and, if she was being led by another director, she would have turned in quite a sturdy and impressive performance. She was, despite some headaches, committed to her role, and it was a great learning experience. Here are some more details about the film:

“In this version of the tale, Bush plays a frustrated singer-dancer who is enticed by a mysterious woman (Richardson) into putting on a pair of magical ballet slippers. Once on her feet, the shoes start dancing on their own, and Bush's character (who is never referred to by name) must battle Richardson's character to free herself from the spell of the shoes. Her guide on this strange journey is played by Kemp.

The film premiered at the London Film Festival on 13 November 1993. Kate got up on stage before the screening to thank "everyone who'd been a part of making the film" and to speak of her trepidation because her opus was following a brilliant Wallace & Gromit animation by Aardman called 'The wrong trousers'. Subsequently, the film was released direct-to-video in most areas and was only a modest success. Soon after its release, Bush effectively dropped out of the public eye until her eighth studio album Aerial was released in November 2005.

Two years after UK release, due to the late promotion in the US, the film was nominated for the Long Form Music Video at the 1996 Grammy Awards. The film continues to be played in arthouse cinemas around the world, such as a screening at Hollywood Theatre in 2014 where the film was screened along with modern dance interpretations to Bush's music”.

One can never say never regarding Kate Bush and acting, but with such a stunning career under her belt, I could imagine Bush adding to that with some brilliant film and T.V. roles. It would have been amazing to think, because I have always associated Bush to be – through her videos and live performances – such a multifarious and striking performer.  If there had been film and T.V. acting roles between albums, it would have added another string…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz

TO her amazing bow!

FEATURE: The F-List: Making Music Festivals Gender-Balanced in 2021

FEATURE:

 

 

The F-List

IN THIS PHOTO: Charli XCX/PHOTO CREDIT: Griffin Lotz 

Making Music Festivals Gender-Balanced in 2021

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I have talked a lot about…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Redwood

the gender discrepancy at festivals and how, even last year, there was a huge imbalance regarding male and female artists. This year, before the pandemic struck, I was going to sort of say how we had turned a corner, as Glastonbury announced a line-up with more women than men for the first time; other festivals were at least moving closer to fifty-fifty. Look through the best and most popular albums of the past five years and you can see female artists scoring huge. Many of the brightest new artists around are women and, when you look at the best of what is around now and the most engaging artists coming through, there is more than enough talent to ensure that the majority of music festivals can be gender-equal. There is a document, the F-list, that has collated a directory of musicians that, fortunately, makes it impossible for festival organisers to avoid! This BBC article explains more:

“When festivals finally resume in 2021, the line-ups could be more gender balanced than ever before, thanks to a new database of female artists.

The F-list provides details of more than 4,500 musicians in all genres of music, and is free to use.

It was compiled by equality campaigner Vick Bain, who first uploaded it as a sprawling online spreadsheet.

The directory proved so popular that she has re-launched it as a fully-searchable, not-for-profit website.

IN THIS PHOTO: Annabel Grace Steele 

It aims to improve representation of women at all levels of the industry - from session musicians and arrangers, to producers and festival headliners.

"The problem for women in the UK music industry is they are still in the minority when it comes to professional work," Bain told BBC Radio 4's Today.

"Only 20% of musicians signed to record labels are women and about 15% of festival headliners are women. So they don't have much presence, professionally, even though they consist of nearly half of all music degree students."

The launch of the F-list website aims to correct that problem, while a concurrent community interest company will champion equality and diversity in the industry.

"We are going to raise awareness, we're going to create initiatives to help facilitate training and development, we are going to increase knowledge about gender inequality," said Bain. "We want to be a major authority for promoting women in music."

Sitar player Anoushka Shankar will be the inaugural president of the enterprise, having become aware of how gender imbalance impacted her own career.

"As a musician with 25 years in the industry, I have seen how women just aren't booked the same way as men," she told Mishal Husain.

"[And] I noticed that, even as a female artist and a self-proclaimed feminist, I was hiring way more male musicians than female and it was something I had to try and actively correct”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Rina Sawayama/PHOTO CREDIT: Jess Farran for DIY

I have talked a lot about how it is inexcusable that we are still striving for equality at festivals given the incredible women in music. Just this year, stunning albums from Laura Marling, Nadine Shah, Dua Lipa, Fiona Apple, Waxahatchee, Charli XCX, Taylor Swift, Grimes, Rina Sawayama, Lady Gaga, Jessie Ware, Chloe x Halle, Hayley Williams, Megan Thee Stallion, and Kylie Minogue have dazzled critics. There are headliners in there and, at the very least, a huge range of sounds covered. There is argument from organisers and fans of some Rock festivals that there are not many women who can provide as hard a sound as male bands. That is patently not true and, from female-led bands like Amyl and The Sniffers, and Rews through to solo female artists, there is more than enough choice! The great newcomers of the past couple of years also provide plenty of food for thought – Arlo Parks is one of my standout artists from this year. It is not hard to balance festivals without compromising and losing quality. Back in February, Glastonbury’s Emily Eavis talked about her desire to create a fifty-fifty gender split - and it was not long after that the line-up or this year’s (proposed) Glastonbury went online with more women than men – a rare female headliner in the form of Taylor Swift too!

“Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis says the festival has to achieve a gender balanced line-up as soon as it can.

"Our future has to be 50/50," she tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.

"It's a challenge. Everyone's finding it hard - but the acts are there," she says, adding that past Glastonbury line-ups have "always been male-heavy".

IN THIS PHOTO: Emily Eavis/PHOTO CREDIT: Dave Benett

Her comments come after criticism that many festivals don't have enough female or female-fronted acts on their line-ups.

Emily was named godlike genius at the NME Awards in London, where Glastonbury was named best festival in the world.

"When I look back at past Glastonbury line-ups, I realised it's always been male heavy.

"Unless you consciously change and really address it, then it will stay the same because we're always going to be flooded with male acts".

There are no excuses now that the F-list is out and there is this catalogue of great women! That will only build and update as more and more great artists come through, so I think festivals that are especially lax when it comes to gender equality – Reading and Leeds must be near the top of the pile! – need to resolve to change their ways and push progression. Not only is the over-reliance on male artists boring and formulaic – the same acts booked time and time again -, but there are so many women and female-fronted acts that are being denied a platform! I am not sure what the state of play will be regarding festivals next year and whether there will be announcements soon, but I think Glastonbury are hoping to go ahead in June – whether it is with the same line-up as this year I am not sure. Festival organisers have plenty of time to plan and use the F-list as an invaluable glossary of names that they can borrow from when formulating a more gender-balanced, diverse and exciting line-up. This year has been awful, but next year has the potential to be a lot brighter; not just in music but in society in general. When it comes to music and festival line-ups, let’s hope that organisers reference the F-list hard so that, in 2021, we can see…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Amyl and The Sniffers

SOME real progress!

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Amazing Freddie Mercury Vocal Performances

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

PHOTO CREDIT: Peter Still/Redferns 

Amazing Freddie Mercury Vocal Performances

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TODAY (24th November) marks twenty-nine years…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Freddie Mercury with Queen/PHOTO CREDIT: Richard E. Aaron/Getty Images

since the world lost the remarkable Freddie Mercury. The Queen frontman has been responsible for some of the most powerful vocal performances in history. Although I was a little too young to remain Band Aid in 1985, few will forget the stunning set from Queen! Through the years with the band, Mercury helped bring the band to the masses. Although many find some of Queen’s lyrics a bity silly, Mercury elevated them and made them sound so important and grand! I am not sure whether there is a single performance of his that is better than the rest but, to mark the sad passing of one of the finest singers ever, I have compiled a selection of Freddie Mercury’s…

VERY best vocal turns.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Drug Store Romeos

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Melanie Hyams 

Drug Store Romeos

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THE band take their name from…

the Tennessee Williams play, A Streetcar Named Desire and, whilst being based in Fleet, Hampshire might sound worlds away from that play and relevant quote (“No, I have the misfortune of being an English instructor. I attempt to instill a bunch of bobby-soxers and drugstore Romeos with a reverence for Hawthorne and Whitman and Poe!”), Drug Store Romeos are now based in London and looking to release their first E.P. I have been listening to their latest track, Jim, Let’s Play, and there is a mix of dreamy vocals and a hazy feel, combined with Trip-Hop beats and elastic strings. Even though they have not been going too long, the incredible three-piece have released some great tracks! I am going to bring in a few interviews so that the band themselves can give some insight, but I think that 2021 is going to be a good year for them! They would have hoped, having moved to London, that they could have gigged a lot this year and honed their skills but, with everything happening, that has been put on hold until next year. If you need a good introduction to Drug Store Romeos, then this interview from The Line of Best Fit from August provides detail:

“Hampshire itself is not so much notable for its vibrant youth culture as it is for its cricket pitches and (sort of) proximity to London, and after sitting down for a long and varied chat with Sarah, Charlie and Jonny from the band, it appears that they have shed the small-town mentality, if it ever existed at all.

 Referencing their inconspicuous musical upbringing, there is more than a hint of sarcasm in Charlie’s tone as he describes the “great music” which comprises the Hampshire music scene. The irony is compounded by reference to Fleet’s most notable venue, a library-cum-music-hall where Jonny recalls a time where, “they had the Bananas in Pyjamas do their thing”. Sarah interjects: “One time there was literally Harry Styles’ second cousin’s, best friend’s, sister’s dog and I saw it.”

Instead, the band found musical stimulation through interaction with each other. Jonny and Charlie are school friends, whilst Sarah completed the lineup later, in response to a Facebook advert: “They wanted a bassist and I wanted to be in a band.” For Sarah, the “obsession” to be in a band trumped any sort of concern. “I would meet up with random strangers online and then travel to like Portsmouth with a guitar,” she says. In this case, Sarah’s lack of proficiency on the bass guitar was remedied by the suitably rock and roll exchange of cigarettes for lessons with Jonny.

Gesturing towards new music and a potential unity in the sound, Charlie contends that the space between these distinct singles is where the rest of an impending album will occupy. What remains consistent in this exciting potential album is how the band collaborates, a process which itself involves its own quirks. This is no truer than in lyric writing, with words a medium of expression which the band unanimously agree is one of their sharpest musical tools”.

I think the group are going to find plenty of opportunities and gigs when venues reopen next year because, not only are they determined and passionate, but the music they are putting out is very different to anything else. I like the way they melt styles like Trip-Hop and Pop with something altogether theirs. Listen to a song like Quotations for Locations, and there are these hazy and soothing vocals that are slightly similar to The Sundays or even The Cardigans, combined with this backing that one might expect to hear scoring a song a lot heavier. That blend of emotions and weights makes their music so layered and nuanced. In an interview with DORK, Charlie from the band discussed the influence and under-use of Trip-Hop:

“Charlie adds: "I think trip-hop is an underutilised style in music because there are a few trip-hop bands like Portishead and Bowery Electric, but I think there is a massive hole where bands could use that drum style and the [same] kind of atmosphere, but use it [to make] like a three-minute pop version." He continues, "A lot of our songs aren't trip-hop really, so maybe it was a bit bold to put trip-hop in the title. We might back step from that." In a kind of defiance and sticking to the roots of how she joined the band in a 'fake it 'til you make it' kind of attitude, Sarah adds: "It sounds like a genre, so we've just got to make it."

In the same interview, the band talked about their path to where they are now. Many might assume they have just arrived from Fleet and have only been playing for a few months or so. They have had quite an eventful and busy past:

“To those who are hearing of Drug Store Romeos for the first time, it would be an easy mistake to assume that they are still in the toddler stages of their musical careers. In actuality, they've already had quite the ride. From cutting their teeth at The Five Bells in New Cross, to being the wedding band for a certain Breaking Bad actor – they've already played a plethora of gigs. But the most interesting of them all? A nursery. Charlie's mum invited the band into her classroom of two-year-old children, so that they could perform a post-punk rendition of 'Old McDonald Had a Farm' allowing the children to participate via a microphone that was hooked up to a delay pedal, and try their tiny hands at the instruments afterwards. (Yes, reader, they gave us a snippet of what it was like, and yes, it is just as magnificently bizarre as you're imagining.)

Charlie describes Drug Store Romeos as an "abstract, playful band". The kind of people that "think it's important that every day you look outside and think 'well, I'm alive!' and then everything you see, you're kind of appreciative of and excited by." Given that their supergroup would consist of Alex G on drums, Henry Rollins playing the harp, Skrillex shaking maracas through a distortion pedal, and Beyoncé on bass, it's safe to say that they have quite the eccentric imaginations”.

Drug Store Romeos are an original prospect and are going to, one would think, put out an E.P. soon that collects together their singles and adds in a couple of other gems. Like very artist I feature, I like to discover what their influences are and the type of acts that have compelled them. Looking at an interview from DIY, and that subject was raised:

“Who were some artists that inspired you when you were just starting out (and why)

Charlie: We were into bands like Beach Fossils, DIIV, Mac Demarco, Sunflower Bean, Wolf Alice and (Sandy) Alex G.

At 16 I decided that I wanted to feel the way that this type of music made me feel all the time. Especially when dealing with negative emotions I found it had strong healing powers that soothed the feelings vs amplifying them like punk did. The members of these bands were also pretty much all soft 22 year olds that we related to. Most of them came from a DIY bedroom perspective whilst being popular enough to tour the world playing to people our age. To us this was so enticing - to think maybe one day we could be at a similar level

Also clean guitars through Roland JC 120 amps sound...um... cool!

Musically or otherwise, what are you most looking forward to this year?

Charlie: We’re recording our album this year and I really can’t wait”.

I will wrap things up soon but, with an awesome new track out, they will be finding their music picked up by new people. I think Let’s Play, Jim is one of their strongest efforts, but one cannot ignore the previous two tracks, Frame of Reference, and Quotations for Locations. These are glistening cuts that exemplify and underline the confidence the trio have and the incredible sound that defines their work. In this interview, we get some more insight into two wonderful songs:

“Can you tell us more about the stories behind your singles ‘Frame of Reference’ and ‘Quotations for Locations’?

Charlie: Here are some tidbits that we haven’t shared before. For ‘Frame of Reference’, over the email we asked the mixer to make one sensible mix and another one that was an “experimental and sound changing mix in which it has a raw 70s/80s/90s new wave weirdo post punk power pop kinda feel.” Then when we went into his studio to listen to both mixes to finalise it, we decided to use the bass sound and the drum fill sound from the experimental mix and everything else from the sensible one. The backing echo synth is taken straight from the original demo. We spent a while in the mixing stage deciding between four different versions of the flanger effect on the synth that happens just before the drums come in!

For ‘Quotations for Locations’, the chorus lyrics were “Manny molovile sings like a madman” for about eight months until I decided to rewrite them whilst I was feeling depressed on Christmas. This was one of the first songs written in the time period in which we went from playing a show a week to none at all so that we could go completely in on ourselves. This song marked the change from our previous shoegazey indecipherable reverb vocal sound to us deciding that dry and upfront vocals were the direction that we wanted to head in”.

I shall leave things there but, in a year that has been a bit rubbish, there have been some real bright spots in music! Among the newer artists rising and putting together their earliest steps, Drug Store Romeos are among the finest. I am interested to see where they head from here and how their career pans out. I guess an E.P. might arrive next year and, when venues safely open, they can get out there and bring the songs to the stage. They already have quite a rosy and growing fanbase, and I am glad that their music is getting some decent airplay! I hope the band have a restful rest of 2020 and, looking ahead to next year, I think they will make some big steps. Follow Drug Store Romeos if you have not done already and show some love to…

A great young band.

______________

Follow Drug Store Romeos

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/drugstoreromeos/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/DrugStoreRomeos

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/drugstoreromeosband/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV3a1gCmTYMlwRJTr-he-uQ

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7MMjkDVrjxW9iObeZeeejh

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Songs from the Forty Best-Selling Vinyl Albums of 2020

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

Songs from the Forty Best-Selling Vinyl Albums of 2020

___________

AS we are hearing in music news…

that vinyl sales have increased this year, it has made me think about the most popular albums on that format. As this article lets us know, there has been a blend of classic albums selling well and new releases competing:

“Topping the overall year-to-date list is Fleetwood Mac’s classic album Rumours. The record - released in 1977 - remains a popular choice on vinyl and regularly features in the weekly Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40. Just over 19,000 sales of the album have been logged on vinyl in the UK this year.

Other new releases that rank in the Top 10 best-sellers on vinyl this year include Harry Styles’ Fine Line (5), Lady Gaga’s Chromatica (6), and Fontaines DC’s A Hero's Death (7).

Further down, Scottish musician Gerry Cinnamon places 11th with his 2020 Number 1 album The Bonny, Biffy Clyro’s latest chart-topping collection A Celebration Of Endings is 13th, and Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia places 23rd. Rising British band Sports Team bow at 40 with their debut album Deep Down Happy”.

As the list of the forty best-selling vinyl albums has been announced (the chart positions are true as of 23rd November), I have compiled a Lockdown Playlist that takes songs from those albums (the only album I could not find on Spotify is 80s - Various Artists, but I have linked a song included on that album at the end; if there are any songs that cannot be played, then the playlist is here - and you can open the artist’s page and access the album there). As you can see and hear, there is a satisfying and eclectic mixture of the older…

IN THIS PHOTO: The cover of Lady Gaga’s 2020 album, Chromatica

AND the new.

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: Fugees – The Score

FEATURE:

 

 

Vinyl Corner

Fugees – The Score

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I am surprised that I have not…

included this album in Vinyl Corner before! I was aware of the Fugees when they released their debut, Blunted on Reality, in 1994, and it as an album that did pretty well and got some great reviews. It is a tragedy to think that their breakthrough second album, The Score of 1996, was their last! This is an album that was a big part of my early life, and I recall hearing songs from the album in 1996 and being blown away! I would urge people to buy The Score on vinyl, as it is an essential purchase for anyone who loves great music. Not only is The Score and album that transformed Hip-Hop in the 1990s, but it is a varied and busy album that contains some great samples. We all know the big hits like Ready or Not, Fu-Gee-La, Killing Me Softly with His Song, and No Woman, No Cry (the latter two are covers), but I think every track from the album is a winner! There are a great mix of samples, but I especially love the fact Ready or Not contains samples of Boadicea by Enya, God Made Me Funky by The Headhunters, and an interpolation of Ready or Not, Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love) by The Delfonics! It is such a deep, detailed and inspiring album that, I think, showcased the M.C. skills of Lauryn Hill best.

She, Pras Michel, and Wyclef Jean would go on to have successful solo careers but, like the Fugees themselves, Hill’s solo career has been so brief! Her only solo album to date, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill of 1998, is, debatably, more important and influential than The Score - and one wonders when she will follow it up (if ever). Even though the Fugees only recorded two albums and disbanded by 2007, it was clear that the three members were bonded through The Score. It is reported that Hill was crying when delivering her lines to Ready or Not. The emotion of the song and the issues she and the other members were going through was clearly having an impact! One can feel real emotion and strength through the album. There are a variety of producers on The Score, and I think they each bring something to the plate and helped shape its eclectic nature and confidence. The blend of sampled melodies and live instruments makes the album so rich and interesting, and it is no surprise that The Score is considered one of the greatest Hip-Hop albums ever. I will bring in a couple of reviews but, through the years, journalists have explained the impact and legacy of The Score. In 2013, NME detailed why The Score is such a staggering and original record:

“At the time, Fugees (formerly Tranzlator Crew) were in their 20s – Lauryn Hill was just 21. They’ve described the recording process in interviews as relaxed and organic; you can’t hear the tension between Wyclef Jean and Hill that would lead to the band’s break up a year later. That’s not to say it’s all cupcakes and unicorns: ‘The Score’ contains grisly portraits of life in the ghetto. It’s a theatre of pandemonium, pain and pride shot with colour, dialogue, sound effects and some of the finest lyrics commited to tape. Hill herself saw it as:

“An audio film. It’s like how radio was back in the 1940s. It tells a story, and there are cuts and breaks in the music. It’s almost like a hip-hop version of ‘Tommy’, like what The Who did for rock music”.

Their approach to gender roles was revolutionary

The most potent difference about ‘The Score’? Gender. There are very few mixed sex hip-hop groups, and there are even fewer groups in which the female is centre stage. Exceptions – Digable Planets, Arrested Development and Juice Crew – didn’t break through the mainstream in the same way. The Black Eyed Peas are excluded for their disgraceful recent output. It’s refreshing to hear an album completely without sexism or misogyny. As a female hip-hop fan I often cringe at mentions of porno lyrics casting females as “pussies”, bitches, and nothing more. There’s no danger of that here. Hill’s narrative as a woman and her emotions are given space to breathe, most significantly in ‘Manifest’, a song about a guy who “stole the heart beating from my chest”, and ‘The Mask’, in which she takes on a guy trying it on in a nightclub. And, simply speaking, I like male voices, I like female voices – I want to hear them both at the same time.

The album also marked a departure from the commercial success of gangsta rap; it was alternative hip-hop, if you like, that challenged the perceived ideology of the genre. Pras makes it implicit in ‘The Mask’: “Well did you shoot him? Naw kid I didn’t have the balls, That’s when I realized I’m bumpin’ too much Biggie Smalls”.

Their references were colourful and weird

Obscure references punctuate ‘The Score’, setting it firmly in the 90s as a piece of historical art. From politicians (Clef compares Bill Clinton to Batman, for example) to Biblical references, scientific mentions to strange animals, and the miscellaneous mentions of Dick Van Dyke, Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals and Zsa Zsa Gabor, it’s a vibrant mix.

‘The Score’ is one of the finest albums ever made. There’s a poignancy to it as well; it was Fugees final record after a nasty break up. Afterwards, Hill made the extraordinary ‘Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’, Pras did ‘Ghetto Superstar’ and Jean’s recorded with The Rock and went for the Haiti president job. A 2005 tour received mixed reviews. The end of the Fugees embalms ‘The Score’ in 1996, protecting its legacy and integrity. It is, without doubt, one of the greatest albums ever made”.

There are interesting articles out there that provide story and background, and I would especially recommend an article from Pitchfork published in 2016. We get a retrospective view from those who worked on the album twenty years after its release - and it makes for very interesting and insightful reading. I will just bring in the one review, I think, for The Score, but it is one that sort of says it all. This is what AllMusic wrote when they reviewed the album:

“A breath of fresh air in the gangsta-dominated mid-'90s, the Fugees' breakthrough album, The Score, marked the beginning of a resurgence in alternative hip-hop. Its left-field, multi-platinum success proved there was a substantial untapped audience with an appreciation for rap music but little interest in thug life. The Score's eclecticism, social consciousness, and pop smarts drew millions of latent hip-hop listeners back into the fold, showing just how much the music had grown up.

It not only catapulted the Fugees into stardom, but also launched the productive solo careers of Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill, the latter of whom already ranks as one of the top female MCs of all time based on her work here. Not just a collection of individual talents, the Fugees' three MCs all share a crackling chemistry and a wide-ranging taste in music. Their strong fondness for smooth soul and reggae is underscored by the two hit covers given slight hip-hop makeovers (Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly With His Song" and Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry"). Even when they're not relying on easily recognizable tunes, their original material is powered by a raft of indelible hooks, especially the great "Fu-Gee-La"; there are also touches of blues and gospel, and the recognizable samples range from doo wop to Enya. Their protest tracks are often biting, yet tempered with pathos and humanity, whether they're attacking racial profiling among police ("The Beast"), the insecurity behind violent posturing ("Cowboys"), or the inability of many black people in the Western Hemisphere to trace their familial roots ("Family Business"). Yeah, the Chinese restaurant skit is a little dicey, but on the whole, The Score balances intelligence and accessibility with an easy assurance, and ranks as one of the most distinctive hip-hop albums of its era”.

The Score remains this staggering album that took Hip-Hop in a new direction and was so different to a lot of the harder-edged and far less intriguing music that was being made. It is amazing to think what the Fugees could have achieved if they recorded a third album, but one sort of got a glimpse listening to each of the members’ first solo albums. I think Lauryn Hill especially was really finding her voice and, on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, she confirmed her place as one of the finest artists of her generation. Nearly twenty-five years after its release and The Score remains this wonderful, hugely significant album that I think everyone should buy on vinyl and…

REALLY treat themselves to!

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Christmas Come Early!

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

PHOTO CREDIT: @rpnickson

Christmas Come Early!

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I am going to put out a Christmas playlist…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @erwanhesry/Unsplash

nearer the big day of alternative Christmas songs but, as it has been a bad year and many people are readying themselves for Christmas now, I thought I would also start a bit early when it comes to the tunes! In this Lockdown Playlist, there are some known classics and some lesser-known and newer ones that I felt were worth covering. What I will do in the next playlist for Christmas is include songs that are sort of the anthesis of the romance and familial vibe of Christmas – these songs are just about celebrating the spirit of the time or yearning for someone or better times (for the most part). These songs, I hope, will bring some joy; there is a combination of the classic numbers and some that many people have not even heard - there are a few more emotive and melancholic moments thrown in for balance. Even though there is over a month to go until Christmas, I think we can agree that we all need a bit of Christmas cheer…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @frostroomhead/Unsplash

A little early.

FEATURE: Ran Tan Waltz: The Illustrated Kate Bush

FEATURE:

 

 

Ran Tan Waltz

ART CREDIT: Noelle McClanahan Broughton

The Illustrated Kate Bush

___________

THE title of this feature…

doesn’t really mean too much really, but I am running out of song-based titles - and Ran Tan Waltz will play a part in something I want to discuss later. I have covered a few different areas regarding Kate Bush projects and stuff that needs to be on the market that is not there already. I have already written about a possible podcast before and I am also keen to explore a documentary somewhere down the line. There are definite gaps in the market that could be usefully filled, but one area that is a little under-represented is books. There are some great Kate Bush books around already; from Under the Ivy: The Life & Music of Kate Bush by Graeme Thomson, to John Carder Bush’s KATE: Inside the Rainbow – her brother’s unique and loving visual documentation of her young life and career. There has not been much in the way of new books for quite a while. I know there is at least one scheduled for early next year. Here are some more details regarding Kate Bush On Track: Every Album, Every Song:

“Kate Bush started her career at the top, the spellbinding 'Wuthering Heights' giving her a number one hit single with her first release. Yet from there, artistically at least, the only way has been up. For while the sales of both singles and albums over the five decades since have had their peaks and troughs, every new release has seen Bush refuse to be boxed in by past success but instead continue to take the musical chances that have characterised her career from day one.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional photo taken during her visit to Holland in spring 1978

 Across ten studio albums, including director's cut reassessments of two of them, and a live record of the 2014 Hammersmith Apollo residency, Kate Bush has constantly sought new ground, reinventing her sound time and again. She has often strayed from the commercial path of least resistance to examine the less travelled musical byways that have provided the inspiration for an extraordinary body of work, quite unlike anyone else's. With a string of platinum albums and hit singles to her credit, Kate's is a fascinating journey. This book examines her entire recorded catalogue from The Kick Inside through to Before The Dawn, hoovering up all the B-sides and the rarities along the way. It's a comprehensive guide to the extraordinary music of Kate Bush”.

Aside from that book coming out, I don’t think there is anything else planned at the moment. Max Browne was looking to release a book of photographs that he took of Bush during 1979’s The Tour of Life, and that would be fascinating to see if it ever comes to life. There were also plans for Gered Mankowitz to release a photobook, Symphony of You, around this time, but those plans were shelved – I am not sure whether it will ever see the light of day. A book of lyrics, How To Be Invisible, was published in 2018, and I think this is the most-recent book regarding Bush and her work.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during the Hounds of Love era in 1985

Nobody really knows what is going to happen next year regarding projects around Kate Bush and whether she will release music herself, but I am interested in both Bush’s visual side in addition to her magnificent work. I feel a lot of people do not know about the sheer depth and scope of her music and career. One can see a lot of great photos in books like KATE: Inside the Rainbow, and it provides snapshots and illustration of who she was and how her music and personality entwined and evolved. I really love that book, and I also really like Graeme Thomson’s biography, as it is authoritative and deep. One gets to learn a lot about Bush as a child and at every turn of her career, and there is enough on the market, in book form, that gives you really good detail and depth. One book that I really like is Visualizing the Beatles: A Complete Graphic History of the World's Favorite Band, which is wonderful in the way it mixes great visuals and brings The Beatles’ music to life. For example, we get to learn the types of guitars the band played, how their style changed through the years; there are quotes and lyrics sprinkled in. I think The Illustrated Kate Bush would be a useful compendium. Similar to the book about The Beatles, there could be illustrations that looks at every single and its chart position; the fabulous and rare tracks (like Ran Tan Waltz), and Bush’s appearances on T.V. through the years. There could be graphs and illustrations regarding her dates for The Tour of Life, the various famous faces who attended 2014’s Before the Dawn, and the visual breakdown of that show in 1979.

Also, similar to the book that is coming out each year, there could be this section regarding each album and a song-by-song guide that has illustrations that bring various lyrics and facts to life. I like the idea of putting in various lyrics and unseen photos. Record Collector is bringing out a special edition dedicated to Kate Bush next month that looks at her collectables and memorabilia, a look at every album and some unseen photos, so a lot might be covered then. I think there is plenty of scope for addition and expansion. Hounds of Love’s The Ninth Wave is such a cinematic piece, and I like the idea of a chapter charting those songs and illustrating each moment of that suite – in a similar way, one could also do that with Aerial’s A Sky of Honey, as it is similar epic and immersive. From memorabilia and chart records through to innovations and various musicians and singers she has worked with, bringing that to life through charts and illustrations would be easier to absorb and digest, I think, than a longer biography. There are album cover designs and photos with great stories behind them, so they could be illustrated and annotated. There are so many great Kate Bush interviews that could be charted and exposed.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during filming for The Line, the Cross and the Curve in 1993/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

I do think that the book coming out next year that explores every Bush album and track will be quite detailed but I wonder if, like Caroline Sullivan’s Madonna: Album by Album, there could be an integration of that idea in a Kate Bush book; in the sense that each album has a lot of story, detail and background – maybe the Kate Bush On Track: Every Album, Every Song will be great but not as comprehensive as possible. There is so much to explore when it comes to Bush’s long career, little-known details, biography, lyrics and so much more. Putting all that together in a hardback book that is beautiful and detailed, I think, would appeal to the fanbase and bring in new people – many discovering Bush and her music for the first time. This is another idea I am punting out there but, like a new podcast and a documentary, I do think that there is room and demand in the marketplace to have these out there! I look forward to the new book coming next year regarding her songs and albums – and how it explores them -, in addition to the much-anticipated Record Collector magazine that is arriving in December. I like what some magazines have done this year regarding Kate Bush’s music. MOJO ranked Bush’s best songs, and they also talked about her 1979 tour and residency in 2014. Another great aspect was the stories behind albums like Hounds of Love (1985) - and the terrific details laid out. Maybe The Illustrated Kate Bush could bring timelines to life and introduce great diagrams that includes all the pertinent date, but does it in a very captivating and easy-to-absorb manner. There are some great Kate Bush-related books that were published years ago worth seeking out such as Kate Bush: Complete Recordings Illustrated: Volume 1 (which is current out of print), but an up-to-date book that draws in everything fans want to know could, I feel, provide…

 QUITE a popular addition.

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Stunning Duets

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: George Michael and Elton John 

Stunning Duets

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AS the Elton John album…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Brandy and Monica/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Duets was released on 23rd November, 1993, I am marking that upcoming anniversary by putting together a Lockdown Playlist with some of the best duets ever – or ones that I just really like. This is dedicated to the great duets that are either fairly new to people or are legendary and need to be treasured. Many will have their own ideas as to the best duets around, but I think there is great a nice spread in this playlist. I hope that the assorted songs below help guide you to some songs you might not have been aware of and will also help to…

 IN THIS PHOTO: David Bowie and Freddie Mercury (Queen)

LIFT the mood.

FEATURE: Digital Vinyl: Sleevenote and the Physical Music Device

FEATURE:

 

Digital Vinyl

IN THIS PHOTO: Tom Vek has launched a Crowdfunder for a new playing device, Sleevenote/PHOTO CREDIT: Gabriel Green

Sleevenote and the Physical Music Device

___________

I am going to tie together…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @fixelgraphy/Unsplash

two different ideas and theories because, with music consumption becoming more digital and less tangible, I do yearn for those days of the physical music device. With Spotify and other streaming services not offering artists a great fee and slice of the pie, I do worry about the market and whether artists will forego streaming sites because of the payment discrepancies – larger artists who stream millions are alright, but most artists receive hardly anything. I have always preferred physical music because, not only do you feel more money goes to artists – though one feels the labels get a big cut -, but the listener experience feels purer and engaging. In a similar vein, I love physical devices and playing music through a turntable. One reason why I connected with music at such a young age is because the social connection and exposure came through sharing cassettes and listening to music in a physical form. I remember owning a cassette player/boombox and playing albums with friends. I know a lot of people listen to music through their phones, but I think there is a big difference between experiencing music that way and the old-style devices. Whilst it is not a return to the past and the days of listening to music through hardware, I am interested in any technology that can help bridge the reliance and need for digital music, together with cool new pieces of kit.

PHOTO CREDIT: Sleevenote/Tom Vek

I was reading NME a little while back. They covered the news regarding a new innovation from musician Tom Vek. Sleevenote sounds like a real interesting idea:

“After six years away, Tom Vek has been very busy indeed. Today, he unveils the fruits of his labour by dropping his surprise new album ‘New Symbols’ and unveiling a new music playing device that he’s designed, by launching the Crowdfunder for Sleevenote.

Described as a “visual hi-fi” device and “the music player for album lovers”, Sleevenote is a stand-alone music player that “brings hi-definition, full fidelity album artwork to digital music” and allows the listener to fully appreciate and engage with an album’s sleeve and visuals. He’s launched a crowdfunder today to find the first 1,000 people to buy a Sleevenote and get them into production.

Hello Tom. How do your new album and Sleevenote relate to each other?

Tom Vek: “Over the last few years I’ve been working as a designer and met a software developer. That’s what led to the Sleevenote project. The excitement of that coming together is what spurred me into getting the record finished. I was excited about it being so unusual for a musician, as my interests have grown into design and product design, because I need that extra excitement. When I was a teenager, releasing an album was the most exciting thing. Now I’m quite excited that the album is part of a bigger picture. I figured that I’m going to have to go crazy on Sleevenote marketing-wise – and I can’t say that I’m a recording artist if I haven’t released an album in six years!”

PHOTO CREDIT: @blockerphoto/Unsplash 

So, what does it do?

“It’s all about keeping each album’s identity going. When albums are presented inside a clean interface, it puts it behind a sheet of glass and inside a box to make for a more ‘tasteful’ user experience. Whereas with us, the character of the record is right up there and up front. It has interactive tracklist art where you tap the name of the song into the art to play it. That will be different for every album, so they’ll be in different places. We can also bring back the hidden track. Whoever made it so you could just see ‘hidden track’ on Spotify and iTunes, that’s such a joyless decision.”

And it’s just about the music?

“I like the idea of going back to listening to music on something that isn’t a multi-use device. You can just enjoy it without checking another feed or getting a notification or an email or whatever. It’s just an ideal setting for enjoying an album and getting lost in the art. You can look at this standalone thing and know that’s where your music is”.

In this feature with It’s Nice That, we get more details when it comes to the Sleevenote concept and what the physical product will actually consist:

“Album artwork has always been the handle, the grip to pin down the sort-of shapeshifting nature of music,” Vek tells It’s Nice That. “It’s like ‘that’s what it looks like, that album that has that song on it that I love’. The signifier is all-powerful, you see an album cover you like and it releases all these memories and feelings you have associated with the record, you can almost hear it.”

The device is square, almost the size of a 7” record, with a high-resolution display, designed to show covers in all their glory. It has a touch screen but also physical buttons on top, to keep the user interface away from the artwork. But the most important bit is the world of artwork it unlocks. The Sleevenote database already holds over 1,000 album covers and booklet artwork images, but Vek and his developer Chris Hipgrave have also built a platform for designers, labels and fans to upload album art. Once approved, it will automatically show up in the device and apps for everyone to enjoy. The player can also be used a “music vault” for your owned music, and supports streaming platforms Apple Music and Spotify, with more to be added on demand. It also uses Sleevenote API to source new artwork when requested.

“The crux of the product harks back to music and artwork being intrinsically linked. On the Indiegogo page, Vek says that digital music is “great for discovery but not so great for an immersive album experience” and that people usually listen to music on a multi-use device, where it competes for attention with other apps. In the transition to digital, album art has been “miniaturised and compromised” he says, and Sleevenote aims to lead “the digital album artwork revolution”.

On the £533 price tag he adds that prospective customers are “people with a certain amount of cash to invest in a cool bit of digital music tech, who have nice hi-fi gear, and also a nice bluetooth speaker, a Sonos setup, people who like minimal setups, who are digital-only, or still want a great place for stuff they can’t get on vinyl. If you like the idea of having friends over and saying “put some music on” and it being from your collection, not ‘hey find something, anything on Spotify’, or having those moments where you are like ‘what music I have liked?’, and actually liked, not what an algorithm thinks you will like. It’s great seeing the rise of Bandcamp, and I think it’s the perfect device for saying ‘I want to buy that album and get stuck into it, I’m going to put it somewhere valuable’”.

I do like the idea of Sleevenote and what Vek is trying to accomplish and, looking forward, I wonder whether there will be any other physical devices. I don’t necessarily like how there is so much reliance on the digital and, apart from vinyl, how often do we experience music physically? I think a lot of people who listen to C.D.s do so in their cars, and I wonder how many are listening to them through hi-fis.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @thanospal/Unsplash

I think we will see a decline in non-vinyl physical music in years to come as more and more people are either listening to music through streaming services and their phones or, when they do listen physically, it is through a record player – which are, obviously, fixed and you cannot take them with you. Sleevenote seems like a great way of experiencing an album and artwork in a similar way to those who listen to and digest vinyl. Not that I want a return to the past when music listening was entirely through devices, but I do miss that experience of hearing physical music on the go and having that sort of connection! Cassette sales are rising, and I think it more than mere nostalgia. Maybe people do feel unethical streaming or paying so little for music, but I reckon many just want a more human bond with music. The long-gone days of the mixtape seems strange when we consider the number of playlists that are around. I wonder whether anyone will make a device that maybe embraces a digital mixtape. I actually like the new boom of cassettes, and it would be great to see a modern version of the Walkman produced – I think it is quite hard to procedure Walkmans now! Similarly, iPods and Discmans have gone out of fashion and, when digital music started to take hold, there was a waning demand for physical devices.

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Sony Walkman TPS-L2 was first introduced in 1979

I feel the rise in people buying cassettes, vinyl and even C.D.s does signal that people want to listen to physical music. I think we would see a new generation experience music how I did – in a more physical and sociable way – if there was a resurgence in playing devices. Sleevenote, I think, is just the start of people coming up with new ways of staying current and modern but reconnecting people to the visual and physical aspect of music. Maybe it would not be a magic cure when it comes to funding artists and ensuring they are compensated, but I am fascinated by technology that looks forward but also takes us back. Maybe someone will invent a device that can combine vinyl and something more portable; perhaps a twenty-first century Walkman that also has a digital element, or a revitalisation of the iPod that would give people access to a digital library, but there would be new features (like Sleevenote) that expose and promulgate the importance of the album as an artform. I also like the concept of having a device that lets someone buy a song or album, but they can remix the song and isolate various tracks – a forensic approach to music where you can dissect songs and albums and maybe rearrange the track order. I am also still hooked on the romantic notion of a mixtape and whether a piece of kit could come about where one could buy tracks online from a device that would then instantly put them onto a cassette. I like the new-style SONY Walkman that, although not as evocative and special as the original, does at least keep the name alive. There are devices like Mighty that hooks the physical to the digital, and there are some good MP3 players around. There are not that many devices which encourage the use of C.D.s, cassettes and vinyl but bond it with digital technology – most of what is on the market is people streaming and downloading music and playing that through a device. I am interested to see what 2021 brings and, with great new releases like Sleevenote, I think more and more people will experience, explore and appreciate the album…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The MYMAHDI M350 MP3 Player

AS a physical format.