FEATURE: Spotlight: Pale Waves

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Pale Waves

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FOR the last couple of Spotlight features…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Heather Baron-Gracie of Pale Waves

I have been focusing on acts who have quite a large fanbase but are, maybe, not as played as well-known as they deserve to be! This week, I wanted to throw some light on Pale Waves. They are an Indie-Pop band from Manchester who formed in 2014. Pale Waves were  originally founded  as ‘Creek’ when lead singer and guitarist Heather Baron-Gracie met drummer Ciara Doran while attending university in Manchester. The band’s line-up was completed by the addition of guitarist Hugo Silvani and bassist Charlie Wood. I first heard of Pale Waves when they released their debut single, There’s a Honey. The band have come on strides since their formation in 2017. The BBC included them in their Sound of 2018 poll; NME have thrown them a lot of love and, on 14th September, 2018, they released their debut album, My Mind Makes Noises. I am going to bring in a glowing review for that album in a second but, as we look to 2021, there is good news for Pale Waves fans as the band will release their second studio album, Who Am I? on 12th February through Dirty Hit. It is going to be a great album and I think the band have grown stronger since their debut – a new track like Change are really exciting! I am looking forward to the new album; the band will definitely acquire a lot of new fans. Although some critics were not too hot on their debut album, there were those who found a lot to love.

In their excellent review, this is what DORK wrote:

“For all the polished perfection, though, there are three tracks that underpin a debut with genuine emotion too. Sort-of-title-track ‘Noises’ appears early, its honesty bringing the barriers down in a disarming admission that connects all the dots. It plays spectacularly against the record’s true beating heart, ‘Drive’. Running on fight or flight adrenaline, it’s the counterpart which opens up new worlds - choosing to push onwards and upwards rather than look down at the fall below. As a shorthand for Pale Waves’ unstoppable rise, it’s note perfect.

It’s ‘Karl (I Wonder What It’s Like To Die)’ that will do the damage, though. Featuring frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie and a single acoustic guitar, it’s a track so raw that - against the sheen of the album around it - genuinely shocks. Lyrically both intimately heart-warming and utterly devastating, it’s never mawkish or trite. Less a closing track, it’s more a full-stop - the only way to slam the breaks on a record that otherwise might keep throwing out bangers until the end of time.

‘My Mind Makes Noises’ isn’t a grand concept album. It’s not challenging the bleeding edge, or attempting to make huge statements about the world around it. It’s a personal document on a grand scale - a collection of doubts and dreams exploding onto the biggest possible stage. Staggeringly effective at what it sets out to achieve, its greatest strength comes in never trying to be something it isn’t. In understanding exactly who they are, Pale Waves just broke orbit. Next stop – anywhere”.

I want to bring in a couple of interviews with the band that reflects where they are now and where they are headed. In an interview with DIY, Heather Baron-Gracie discussed the upcoming album and how relocating to L.A. has helped the music:

“Decamping to Los Angeles on her own, Heather says the decision changed the course of the album, and led the band to make what she describes as “the best thing we've ever created”. Indeed, the singer speaks of Pale Waves’ upcoming release with the same confidence and swagger that she’s developed on stage over the last year. “That first album has given us this foundation, and done so much for us,” she reflects. “It's got us to where we are now. But I'm just excited to release the second album, because this second album... it’s just something else.

“It's a beast of its own kind,” she beams. “It's a lot more open, and I’m less hidden. It's a lot more vulnerable; I actually sound like I have a voice in this. I've talked about real shit that's happening with the world, it's not just a few romantic songs with some fancy metaphors to hide behind. It's me talking about things that are going on in society, and things about me that people might find uncomfortable. The subject matter is a lot more intense, but really important.”

 “This is my time to really speak up about my sexuality, and be open about it,” Heather says, referring to another new track ‘She’s My Religion’, which she teased on social media recently with the caption: ‘gay anthem’. “That's what's so different with this second album,” she continues. “I'm a lot more open about that, and I feel like it's going to really help the fans too. We have so many gay and queer fans and you need a place to go and to feel connected, and I can [provide] that. I might as well speak the truth with what's going on in my life.”

“I'm a very closed-off person, and I don't really like opening up,” she continues. “The only time I'll open up is in the music. [On album two] I knew I had to embrace myself and give myself to people more in the music. That's what I did on this album. There are so many gay anthems!”

If the Manchester quartet’s new effort does what Heather hopes - and believes - it should, then the as-yet-untitled release should turn Pale Waves into bona fide big time stars, ones who really mean something to an increasingly large amount of people. Yet, though the singer is still as likeable as those early days, timidly playing ‘There’s A Honey’ to crowds far larger than their minimal experience, there’s an undeniable confidence to her now, too”.

I think Who Am I? is going to be a real breakthrough and change for Pale Waves. I think every band changes between their debut and second album - but a lot of has happened in the camp that has affected their direction and mood. I want to bring in a feature from NME, where the band talked about a near-fatal bus crash that almost ended their careers:

“Ah, yes. The crash. It’s hard not to frame Pale Waves’ second album ‘Who Am I?’ around such a devastating moment. In February 2020, the band’s tour bus was involved in a near-fatal road accident, their double-decker skidding off an icy road and rolling into a ditch as they travelled between shows from Sweden to Germany. The band – Ciara Doran (drums), Hugo Silvani (guitar) and Charlie Woods (bass) – survived and escaped any life-altering physical injuries, as did their crew.

Heather wasn’t on the bus that night. She’d flown ahead with her girlfriend to the next show, who was wary about the drive; she had implored the rest to do the same.

While Pale Waves previously drew on synth-pop tricks cribbed from their heroes The Cure and The Cocteau Twins, ‘Who Am I?’ embraces the pop-rock sensibilities that have brewed since their teens. Imagine Taylor Swift and Courtney Love belting Avril Lavigne’s ‘Complicated’ at a karaoke dive bar, egged on by Alanis Morissette and ’90s indie icon Liz Phair, who are necking shots at the bar. It sounds an unlikely combination – but also fun, right?

In terms of direction, it does seem like Pale Waves are bringing in more attitude and edge. I was fascinated to read that Avril Lavigne, strangely, is a source of reference and inspiration for their upcoming album!

“I know there are a lot of my fans that love Avril so I know they’re gonna dissect my album and know what I’ve pulled from Avril,” Heather laughs. “But I went back to my roots with this album with someone like Alanis as well. She’s just unapologetic, and I wanted to be like that in this album.”

There was more drama to navigate, though, as the writing duo of Heather and Ciara was broken for ‘Who Am I?’ when Heather said that the songwriting needed a shake-up. Since meeting at the BIMM (British and Irish Music) Institute in Manchester as teens, the pair had penned almost every song together – Heather taking on a writing role, while Ciara focuses on production. This album, however, sees new songwriters and session musicians coming into the creative process.

What remains on ‘Who Am I?’ is something far gnarlier. ‘You Don’t Own Me’s gritty riffs sound like they’re peeled from the tables of trashy bar they were conceived in, while ‘I Just Needed You’’s dream-grunge picks up where Smashing Pumpkins left off. Their pop leanings are never abandoned though, with ‘Run To’s spritely chorus and ‘She’s My Religion’”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Jenn Five for NME

I am glad that Pale Waves can repair after a horrific bus crash and I know that 2021 will be a productive one for them. They would have liked Who Am I? to have arrived this year and that to be followed by tour dates but, like all musicians, things have had to change. Let’s hope that they do get the chance to play some festivals in the summer, as it seems like the record has some big anthems and plenty of moments where fans can sing along and rally behind the band. I know the group have a lot of supporters behind them, but they also seem still to be a bit of a hidden treasure. I am looking forward to seeing where they go and what they can achieve. At the moment, they are awaiting the response of their second album but, soon enough, they will be touring internationally and commanding some big stages! I shall leave things there, and I would encourage people to check out Pale Waves and follow their music. They are an exciting act that have had a fairly tough last year or too but, with an album due in February, they have a lot to look forward to! I think Who Am I? will get a bigger response than My Mind Makes Noises. 2020 has been a bit of an odd and disruptive one but, like all musicians, 2021 looks set to be…

A brighter year for Pale Waves.

________________

Follow Pale Waves

Official:

https://www.palewaves.co.uk/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/palewaves

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/palewaves

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/palewaves/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0wOej91SVqB1zcYkW6xUtA

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkk4nuvE6HzYw1g8UBsutag

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow

FEATURE:

 

 

Vinyl Corner

Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow

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I have been listening to Jefferson Airplane…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Jefferson Airplane photographed by Herb Greene in San Francisco in 1966 (top row from left: Jack Casady, Grace Slick and Marty Balin; bottom row from left: Jorma Kaukonen, Paul Kantner and Spencer Dryden).

since I was a child, and I never realised that Somebody to Love, and White Rabbit were from the same album! Surrealistic Pillow, the American band’s second album, was released in February 1967 - and I think it is one of the best albums of the late-1960s. The 1966 debut, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, was a good album, but the terrific Surrealistic Pillow was the first to feature Grace Slick on vocals and Spencer Dryden on drums. Slick’s introduction especially reinvigorated the band and her track, White Rabbit, is a true classic! I think the album is packed with wonderful songs. It is no wonder that it reached number-three on the Billboard album chart. The album is not only one of the finest Psychedelic Rock albums of the 1960s, but it is an album that has appeared in many critics’ lists of the best albums ever. It is amazing that Surrealistic Pillow is such a cohesive record considering the personnel changes in 1966. Original drummer Alexander ‘Skip’ Spence had left the band in mid-1966. He was replaced by Spencer Dryden, a Los Angeles Jazz drummer. Grace Slick, formerly a member of the band The Great Society, joined Jefferson Airplane in the autumn of 1966. Slick and Dryden, together with the male lead vocalist, Marty Balin, guitarist-vocalist-songwriter Paul Kantner, lead guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, and bassist Jack Casady formed the band’s core – and it would remain as such until the early-1970s.

I would encourage people to buy Surrealistic Pillow on vinyl as  it is a phenomenal album and one filled with such stunning songwriting! The entire band are incredible, but I especially love the power of Grace Slick’s vocals! In their review, AllMusic said the following about Surrealistic Pillow:

“The second album by Jefferson Airplane, Surrealistic Pillow was a groundbreaking piece of folk-rock-based psychedelia, and it hit like a shot heard round the world; where the later efforts from bands like the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and especially, the Charlatans, were initially not too much more than cult successes, Surrealistic Pillow rode the pop charts for most of 1967, soaring into that rarefied Top Five region occupied by the likes of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and so on, to which few American rock acts apart from the Byrds had been able to lay claim since 1964. And decades later the album still comes off as strong as any of those artists' best work. From the Top Ten singles "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love" to the sublime "Embryonic Journey," the sensibilities are fierce, the material manages to be both melodic and complex (and it rocks, too), and the performances, sparked by new member Grace Slick on most of the lead vocals, are inspired, helped along by Jerry Garcia (serving as spiritual and musical advisor and sometimes guitarist). Every song is a perfectly cut diamond, too perfect in the eyes of the bandmembers, who felt that following the direction of producer Rick Jarrard and working within three- and four-minute running times, and delivering carefully sung accompaniments and succinct solos, resulted in a record that didn't represent their real sound.

Regardless, they did wonderful things with the music within that framework, and the only pity is that RCA didn't record for official release any of the group's shows from the same era, when this material made up the bulk of their repertory. That way the live versions, with the band's creativity unrestricted, could be compared and contrasted with the record. The songwriting was spread around between Marty Balin, Slick, Paul Kantner, and Jorma Kaukonen, and Slick and Balin (who never had a prettier song than "Today," which he'd actually written for Tony Bennett) shared the vocals; the whole album was resplendent in a happy balance of all of these creative elements, before excessive experimentation (musical and chemical) began affecting the band's ability to do a straightforward song. The group never made a better album, and few artists from the era ever did”.

I have been playing Surrealistic Pillow quite a bit over the past few days, as I think it is one of those albums that has survived through the decades and could be picked up by anyone now. By that, I mean one does not need to remember the album from the first time or have knowledge of Psychedelic Rock at all. Before finishing off, I want to bring in an article from The Observer from 2017 where they looked back on Surrealistic Pillow fifty years after its release. It is a fascinating album that, as the article notes, has many great moments away from the hits:

“Although the media generally fixated on Slick, listening to the Airplane one had to wonder who actually was the lead singer of the band.

At any moment there could be three—Marty Balin, Grace Slick, Paul Kantner—or four, as Kaukonen would join in from time to time, as well as offering the occasional songwriting gem like “Good Shepherd” (from 1969’s Volunteers). Their voices would swoop and weave, circling, chasing each other, until ultimately coming together like a ragged Wagnerian choir. Meanwhile, Kaukonen’s snaky lead guitar smoldered with blues and stinging tremolo overtones that threatened to obliterate the song altogether.

Beyond the hits, Surrealistic Pillow offered a wide assortment of songs strung together like a bright glittering chunky necklace of love beads. Written by the tragic Skip Spence, the Airplane’s drummer who jumped ship to form the fabled but doomed Moby Grape, “My Best Friend” evoked the Mamas and the Papas’ lilting sound as Slick and Balin’s vocals volleyed playfully back and forth on the song’s coda.

The introspective “Comin’ Back to Me” is a perfect example of ’60s-style mind-melting musical meandering. Following this momentary bout of belly-button gazing, “3/5’s of a Mile in 10 Seconds,” as its title (randomly inspired by a newspaper headline seen by Balin) suggests, smokes like a patch of freshly laid rubber, bursting with the kind of fire and edge that was previously the domain of Brit invasion bands like the Stones, Kinks and the Who.

Play Surrealistic Pillow loud and in its entirety. It unfolds from song to song like a strange flower whose aural perfume continues to intoxicate 50 years on”.

Go and grab the magnificent Surrealistic Pillow on vinyl and play an absolute classic! I love the dreaminess and drama mixing together; the fact that lead vocals are shared although, to me, Grace Slick is the most prominent and memorable performer. It has been a pleasure revisiting such a…

INFLUENCIAL album.

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Tom Wait Gems

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

Tom Wait Gems

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AS the legendary Tom Waits…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Jesse Dylan

is seventy-one today (7th December), I wanted to put out a birthday Lockdown Playlist (any old excuse!). I am keeping the title of this piece because someone, somewhere is in lockdown - or, at the very least, there is a restriction in movement, so keeping it as a lockdown-themed playlist is apt. This one is all about the iconic songwriter who, to me, has one of the greatest and most distinct voices in all of music. I really love his music and feel that Waits is one of the most accomplished and fascinating songwriters we have ever seen. Rather than give a biography and quotes, I shall let the legend do the talking! On his birthday, have a listen to a Lockdown Playlist that tips a hat to…

ONE of music’s absolute best humans.

FEATURE: From Utah Saints and Natalia Kills Through to The Organon Mix: Kate Bush’s Catalogue and the Sampling and Remixing Potential

FEATURE:

 

 

From Utah Saints and Natalia Kills Through to The Organon Mix

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush shot in February 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz 

Kate Bush’s Catalogue and the Sampling and Remixing Potential

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WE got to experience some Kate Bush songs…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Trevor Leighton 

remixed on The Other Sides in 2019. Listening to those got me thinking about her work in general and how it has been reworked and repurposed by other people. Not to strip and pick through Bush’s catalogue for any song that can be sampled or remixed, but looking at the list of those who have sampled some of her tracks makes for amazing reading! I was not aware of the artists who have spliced in Kate Bush music into their songs, but I feel there is even more room for some of her great songs to work into modern tracks – and across all genres of the modern scene. Among those who have sampled Kate Bush, we have Wuthering Heights in Free by Natalia Kills (2011); Cloudbusting in Something Good by Utah Saints (1992); Wow in Slaves by Rum & Black (1991); Feel It in Feel It by Scroobius Pip (ft. Natasha Fox) (2011), and Houdini in Join the Groove by Mad Riley (2015). It is good to see that Bush gives clearance so that artists can use her music. Looking at the list of the ninety-four that have sampled her, and there are a lot of lesser-known and obscure artists on the list. That suggests that the cost of getting clearance is quite low but, more than anything, I wonder how many people have heard a lot of the songs that contain Kate Bush samples.

I guess Something Good by Utah Saints is the most known and heard – but I have never been a big fan of that song at all; it is not quite as good a track as it could be! It may step on the heels of a recent feature where I discussed how there should be a Kate Bush tribute album….it has been a while since one was done and, with so many artists owing a debt, there would be enough demand for a fresh album. I think the days of prolific sampling are gone, just because it is hard to get clearance and rights to use songs; many estates and artists will charge a lot to those who which to sample their songs. There has been some widespread sampling of Bush’s songs, but the fact there are many small artists doing it, perhaps, means there is not the sort of recognition and understanding as there could be. I think it would be wonderful if larger artists were to sample her work. I feel Hip-Hop is a genre that samples less than it did in the 1980s and 1990s and, with artists like Big Boi name-checking Bush as influential, it would be marvellous to hear one of her tracks infused into one of his songs! Although some of the underrated Bush tracks have been sampled, there are whole swathes of her work that, if sampled, would sound cool in a new context - but it would also be a nice way of introducing her work to new people.

On every album, there are tracks that are almost born to be sampled; intriguing cuts that have a great sound and flavour. From The Kick Inside, Them Heavy People stands out as one that has huge potential. The chorus seems like a mantra and has a rolling, hypnotic quality. Full House off of Lionheart is a quirky and energetic song that could give a new song a real kick and, in the process, people would be made aware of one of Bush most-underrated albums! Never for Ever’s Blow Away (For Bill), and The Wedding List are songs that are rarely played and, as they are unique and full of nuance, I am surprised more people have not used these tracks and worked them into their own. The Dreaming is packed with unusual and eclectic sounds that, to me, are ripe for sampling! I will reiterate my point when I say people shouldn’t pillage Bush’s work; only that there are so many of her songs that have this magic that could be infused into a modern song and give them extra spice and quality. Sat in Your Lap, Pull Out the Pin, Night of the Swallow, and Get Out of My House are extraordinary songs that have multiple passages and moments that could be taken from The Dreaming and reworked beautifully. I don’t think any album is sacred but, even with a record as good as Hounds of Love, I think artists can sample from it without denting its impact – so long as they use the sample effectively and tastefully. From that album, The Big Sky from the first side seems evocative and perfect; Waking the Witch, and Jig of Life from The Ninth Wave are such rich and interesting songs that one would love to hear them in a new form.

Not only can samples of Kate Bush’s music open her catalogue to new people but, on lesser-celebrated albums, others can take songs/sounds from them and we can see them in a new light. The Red Shoes is one such album and, whilst songs such as Why Should I Love You? have been sampled already, Rubberband Girl, Eat the Music, and Top of the City are full of life and colours that I feel would sound wonderful integrated into an original song! Even though Aerial, and 50 Words for Snow are calmer and more contemplative in their tone, there are gorgeous songs from those albums that would inject purity, beauty and a fresh lease to other people’s songs. King of the Mountain, How to Be Invisible, Prelude, and Aerial Tal from the former stand out; Misty, and Wild Man from the latter are brilliant. I have been thinking a lot about the golden age of Hip-Hop and how, a) not many of Bush’s songs pre-1989/1993 were used by artists in this genre and b) how improved and excellent it would have been to hear a track like Moving (from The Kick Inside), or All the Love (from The Dreaming) adding something immense to a Hip-Hop song! Maybe there is a sense from modern artists that touching Bush’s work would be disrespectful or that the original tracks are best left untouched. People cover her songs as a way of affection and respect, so there is not a lot of difference using a sample.

When Hip-Hop and Rap albums contained a lot of different samples – everyone from Beastie Boys to De La Soul did it -, the listener heard this clash of sounds and artists and, in the process, they were introduced to music they might not have otherwise discovered. Also, I think samples give songs new layers and add an almost filmic touch. There are conversations happening in the background and one can hear new nuance and resonance when an older sample is united with a contemporary track. Maybe 2021 will see more Kate Bush samples being used but, as I said at the start, most of the artists who have sampled Bush are quite minor and don’t get played a lot. The same logic applies to remixes. There have been some remixes through the years but, in the same way as artists cover Kate Bush songs to give them their own stamp, I would love to hear certain tracks remixed. I don’t think the fanbase would be disappointed and, if anything, we would get to hear particular tracks in a new light. I will not do a list of the songs that would sound good remixed, but there are songs from Never for Ever, and The Sensual World that spring to mind. There has been a lot of time and admiration for Bush’s music through 2020 and, whilst there have not been a load of covers – oddly, Radiohead seems to be one of the most-covered major acts this year! -, there have been a few. Some fans are uneasy about hearing covers and feel they do not add much to the original and, whilst I feel some of the ‘acclaimed’ Bush covers are overrated, it is always nice hearing artists add their own interpretation to a particular song – and how different artists have differing angles on the same song! In the feature I recently wrote about a Kate Bush tribute album, I think a lot of those artists could sample Kate Bush and it would be incredible. From Guy Garvey, to Solange, through to St. Vincent and Tricky, these celebrated artists could bring some of Kate Bush’s lesser-exposed songs…

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

TO the mainstream.

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: The Cream of Philadelphia

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: The exceptional Philadelphia-born singer-songwriter, Jill Scott 

The Cream of Philadelphia

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BECAUSE one of the greatest…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The cast of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air/PHOTO CREDIT: Rex

T.V. shows of all time, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, is coming back to the BBC, I wanted to mark that with a Lockdown Playlist – albeit slightly tenuously. This article from the BBC tells us more about its return:

“It will be the first time since 2004 that the hit nineties comedy The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air will be back on the BBC. The classic series, which launched 30 years ago and originally aired on BBC Two in the UK, will drop on BBC iPlayer on New Year’s Day with all 148 episodes from six seasons available to watch.

It launched the screen career of Will Smith who plays a fictionalised version of himself that famously moves to live in Bel-Air, California with his Auntie and Uncle (starring Janet Hubert/Daphne Maxwell Reid and the late James Avery, alongside Alfonso Ribeiro, Karyn Parsons, and Tatyana M. Ali, as Smith’s cousins and Joseph Marcell as the butler Geoffrey).

With its signature blend of hilarity and sincerity, it is recognised as one of the most iconic sitcoms of the 90s, and has remained culturally relevant - influencing writers and actors from all over the world ever since it first aired. Decades later, the series continues to appeal to future generations”.

Because the titular character (played by Will Smith) hailed from West Philadelphia (“Born and raised…”), I have put together a playlist of artists who call Philadelphia, Pennsylvania home - or those who moved there (I will also put in a song from DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince and Will Smith in order to bookend the playlist with the main man himself!). This Lockdown Playlist is all about some truly great artists from the…

CITY of Philly.

FEATURE: Modern Heroines: PART Twenty-Three: Haim

FEATURE:

 

 

Modern Heroines

PHOTO CREDIT: Reto Schmid

Part Twenty-Three: Haim

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THIS weekend finds me...

 PHOTO CREDIT: Drew Le Fore Escriva/The Guardian

putting out an extra edition of Modern Heroines: where I nod to an all-female group/female artists who has the promise to be an icon of the future. This time, I wanted to throw some light on the incredible Haim – and I will finish with a playlist that collects together their very best songs. I am going to source from a few interviews but, right now, I want to nod to their most-recent album. Women in Music Pt. III ranks alongside this year’s absolute best and it has won enormous critical praise. This year has been an exceptional one for music but, to me, I think the very best has come from women. That may sound all-sweeping and vague, but I have been blown away more by female artists than the men. Haim’s Women in Music Pt. III was preceded by three singles that did not appear on the album – Summer Girl, Now I’m in It., and Hallelujah. These are amazing tracks, and the fact they were not on the standard release of the album of 26th June shows that the U.S. trio had ample inspiration! The Californian Haim consist Este Haim (bass guitar and vocals), Danielle Haim (lead vocals, guitar, and drums), and Alana Haim (guitars, keyboards, and vocals), and their third studio album is a masterful work! Their previous album, Something to Tell You, arrived in 2017 and, to many, did not contain the same pop and excitement as their 2013 debut, Days Are Gone.

Even though some noted Women in Music Pt. III contains a few stuffed songs and one too many sonic experiments, the risks that Haim took were worth it.! They maintain an aspect of their summery vibe and brightness, but there is more variation and genre-splicing on their third studio album. The reviews for Women in Music Pt. III are sensational! This is what AllMusic had to say when they assessed the album:

“They sound intimately familiar with depression in all its states, whether they're turning away from the wearying, pointless challenge to prove themselves to men in media and the music industry on "Man from the Magazine," sinking into isolation on the oddly comforting standout "I Know Alone," or emerging from the darkness on "Now I'm in It," a slow-building anthem that could be the album's statement of purpose. Women in Music Pt. III's creative process echoes its feeling of growing agency. For the first time, Danielle took on production duties alongside Rechtshaid and Rostam Batmanglij, and impressionistic touches like the seagulls and alarm clocks that embellish "Up from a Dream" or the way the guitar and saxophones drift through "Los Angeles" echo Batmanglij's dreamy musical memoir Half-Light. HAIM let each song and each mood be exactly what it needs to be, making for a collection of moments that are more interesting and real than if they'd attempted a more uniform sound across the album.

The band's love for the '90s is as strong as ever on the Roxette-like "Another Try" and "3 AM"'s flirty homage to the era's R&B. Their singer/songwriter and folk-pop roots get their due on "Hallelujah" and the gorgeous "Leaning on You," a pair of songs that unite the sisters' voices and struggles in perfect harmony. The lightness HAIM use to combat the heavy things going on in their lives reaches its peak at the album's end: Written in the wake of Rechtshaid's diagnosis, "Summer Girl," taps into memories of the good times to get through the bad ones and borrows the effortlessness of Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side," but trades that song's aloofness for unconditional love. Sprawling and intimate, breezy and affecting, Women in Music Pt. III is a low-key triumph”.

I do love the originality of Haim’s music, but I also love how they can evoke memories and sounds of different decades in a single album! It is so rewarding and pleasing listening to their music and, after such a strong third album, I feel they will get even better! This is what The Guardian remarked when they reviewed Women in Music Pt. III:

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

PHOTO CREDIT: Burak Cingi 

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

Haim have been nominated in the Album of the Year category for next year’s GRAMMY Awards, but they have also had their track, The Steps, nominated in the Best Rock Performance field! This year’s category is all-women – which marks a progressive and positive step. Taking on the likes of Fiona Apple and Brittany Howard, there will be some tough competition indeed! Some have suggested Haim cannot be categorised as ‘Rock’ band and that they are quite lightweight compared with male bands. The GRAMMY nods not only proves they are a bona fide Rock band, but they are joined by some fantastic women. I think some of Rock’s most exciting and interesting music is being made by women at the moment – Jehnny Beth and Anna Calvi are among the biggest names.

I want to drop in my first interview, as it is an illuminating one from late last year – new music was coming from Haim, but we did not know about Women in Music Pt. III. They discussed (with The Guardian) the mixed reaction to their second album; we also learned about their earlier life and inspirations, in addition to how they were perceived as not being Rock enough by some radio stations:

“Before they started writing songs, Haim were obsessed with LA rock folklore, reading books about Joni Mitchell and Crosby, Stills and Nash, and forensically studying episodes of VH1’s Behind the Music. When people started taking interest in their own band – before topping 2013’s BBC Sound Of... poll, they would often play covers with their parents, under the name Rockinhaim – they felt prepared after an adolescence imbued in the history of California music.

“The Valley is still not cool but it’s such a big part of who we are, we ride or die for it,” says Este as we pull up round the corner from their family home. “Growing up, we were surrounded by these virtuoso musicians; not the actual stars who lived in Beverly Hills or wherever you get the actual stars, but like the back-up guitarist for Pink Floyd or a session player for Pat Benatar; it was unpretentious, and these people would show up at our house and want to jam.”

That early musical proficiency and confidence around older wizened rockers quickly defined Haim as artists. Emerging at a time when musicians tend to be introverted, electronic and serious (and guitar music has been declared dead so many times the coroner is hoarse) they have bucked every trend: a band of brash, accomplished female musicians playing classic rock while gaining a reputation as professional goofs, whether that’s with their choreographed dance-routine tour announcements or photobombing Liam Payne at the Brit awards.

“I mean,” Danielle continues, “there was definitely a time when we wanted to be on the rock stations, and they were saying that we weren’t rock enough, which felt like a big slap in the face, especially when they play so many bands that make the same shit as us but they’re men and they play them.”

“What rock bands don’t understand about us, is that we make fun of ourselves; we love to have fun but sometimes that makes people think we don’t take music seriously,” says Alana as the sisters start to rile each other up.

“Yeah! I can go toe-to-toe with any male rock band and blow them out of the water,” shouts Este”.

NME spoke with Haim when they were promoting Women in Music Pt. III, and there is fascinating revelation regarding some personal struggles they have been through in addition to the way they have evolved as a unit through the years. I want to bring in a couple of segments from the interview: one which notes how, despite all they have been through, there is optimism in their latest album; another nods at the ongoing gender imbalance at festivals and how Haim are a prime example of the wonderful music being made by women – I should really say ‘womxn’ as a mark of respect and inclusion:

“There are moments of optimism peppered throughout the album, though. If ‘I Know Alone’ was hiding your head in your hands, ‘I’ve Been Down’ is fighting your way out of the fog of depression with your head held high. “It was more…” Danielle begins, before starting to half-sing while punching imaginary demons out of the way: “‘I’m gonna get this out of this, get the fuck out of my way!’”

‘Leaning on You’, a lovely folk moment, sums up the tight bond that the three sisters share. Over jangling ‘70s guitars, the sisters sing in tight-knit harmonies with lyrics that’ll give you warm fuzzies: “You take care of us when I make it tough” and “So won’t you let me know / If I’m not alone / Leaning on you”.

With headlining festivals comes the discussion of gender balanced line-ups. British bands like Foals and The 1975 have said that they want to only play festivals with equal representation. Is it as much of a conversation in the US?

“I mean, it’s definitely one that we’ve been having with our agents,” answers Danielle. “It feels kind of like a slap in the face. I’m gonna mince who it was, but I saw some quote from a festival booker that was like: ‘There’s just not enough women.’ And it’s like, what are you fucking talking about?”

Haim have consistently lifted up other womxn in the music industry. Their Sister Sister Sister tour in support of ‘Something To Tell You’ featured only female support acts, bringing Lizzo, Maggie Rogers and Grace Carter on the road with them. In 2018, Haim fired their booking agent after discovering a male band at the same level on the line-up was getting paid 10 times more than what they were. Given that they’re so outspoken, would they ever consider including inclusivity riders in their contracts?

“I mean… it’s like all these festivals, it shouldn’t even be a question,” Alana says. “Why is it even a thing? Book women. Just do it.”

“It really is kind of laughable, right? That it’s even a thing. It’s crazy. I think women make the best rock music,” Este adds. “There, I said it!”

I want to bring in one more interview, as I feel it is important to get some information and words from Haim themselves - just to show what they are about and why they are so awesome.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Taylor Hill/Getty Images

It has been a year of ups and downs for them – like everyone -, but when Haim spoke to Variety they talked about one of the best thing about their music videos (except for ones filmed during the pandemic): the simplicity of them walking the streets singing along to their songs:

“Fans who didn’t make it to the shows were transfixed by music videos from a group that’s made the best use of them by anyone since the golden age of OK Go. No Rube Goldbergian contraptions or stop-motion gimmicks are necessary, though, to pique interest in the Haim sisters: Their best videos, historically, have had them walking, whether it was the “Want You Back” clip in which they stroll down a strangely deserted Ventura Boulevard at the magic hour, or the recent Anderson-directed “Summer Girl” that comically depicts the liberating peeling off of endless layers of clothing while they stroll past L.A. landmarks like the New Beverly Cinema, Bookstar in Studio City or, of course, Canter’s (site of their first backroom gig, where they were paid in matzo ball soup).

“Honestly, I never thought that a thing that I do every day — walk — would make such an impact on people, but I guess we’re super good at walking,” deadpans Alana. “And we’re from Los Angeles, so that’s an oxymoron. No one does that here — songs have been written about such things,” she says (alluding to Missing Persons’ KROQ classic “Walking in L.A.”). Thanks to Haim, there may be a whole flyover nation that has mistakenly come to think of Los Angeles as a pedestrian town.

I alluded to the fact that Women in Music Pt. III was born out of some bleak times; we learn more about the struggles and how, despite them, the sisters have created some great, uplifting music:

“Many of these songs were born out of a dark time that befell all three women after they returned from their last tour in 2018. Danielle’s boyfriend and the group’s co-producer, Ariel Rechtshaid, was fighting cancer. Este continued to grapple with her long-standing Type 1 diabetes. And Alana had lost one of her best friends in a car accident immediately before going out on tour, something she hadn’t processed and grieved until coming off the road. All were dealing with a postpartum, post-tour letdown that allowed them their first downtime since the group started. These are the sorts of circumstances that led to lines like: “It takes all that I got not to f–k this up, so let me know if I’m not alone.”

“We’re self-aware enough to know that sometimes we’re not the best at communicating,” says Este. “It’s this weird dichotomy that we tend to tell each other everything, and then wear the emotions of each other. So when one of us is feeling glum or blue, the other two tend to join that person in their loneliness. If I know that, do I really want to divulge how I’m feeling, if I know that my family is going to feel that way too? For me, at least, it was a big push and pull: I wanted to be able to share my experience, but was also conscious that my sisters were not feeling in the best headspace. We are so close, but we still felt lonely and isolated at the same time.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Elizabeth Weinberg for The New York Times 

Yet when it came to recording, joy returned in a big way. Danielle says, “It was the most fun we’ve had making an album, and the most spontaneously that we’ve ever made music. This is my favorite album we’ve made, and I hope that people can hear that confidence. We wrote a lot of these songs in this dark place, but we had this lightness making the recorded music — I mean, it’s bizarre”.

I do think that Haim are going to be future legends and, in such a great year for music, they have put out one of the very best albums. With some of the best Rock music being made by women, I feel bands like Haim will lead a charge when it comes to festival line-ups adopting a more gender-balanced line-up. Above all, Haim are helping make the genre more eclectic and emotionally rich. I feel that, on future albums, Haim will continue to hone and improve. They are a remarkable force and, with such a close bond existing between the sisters, I feel they will be together for decades more to come! If you have not heard the music of Haim then do investigate their music and throw some love their way. I have put a playlist in at the bottom of this feature to highlight the power and incredible music…

OF the amazing Haim.

FEATURE: Eat the Music: Kate Bush: 2020-2021

FEATURE:

 

 

Eat the Music

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional photo for The Sensual World (1989)/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari 

Kate Bush: 2020-2021

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THIS will be a short one…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush at her family’s home in East Wickham, London in September 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Moorhouse/Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Whilst I have plenty of Kate Bush features going up before the very end of this year, I wanted to sort of look back and forward at the same time. This year has been a very busy one in terms of Kate Bush. Although there have been no new songs put into the world, there has been this flurry of activity and attention! As I write this (2nd December), there is a magazine coming out from Record Collector that, as the title suggests, is about collectable music and rarities. I am going to do a few features off the back of that in the next week or so but, looking back, and it is amazing to see all the love that Bush’s music has inspired. I have said it before but, when we look at iconic artists still with us, how many inspire such impassioned following and fascination?! Even though Bush’s last album was released nine years ago, people are still interested in her and there are legions of new people discovering her music. I wonder whether she is aware of just how many people on social media throw love at her music and how much discussion there is! Every day, there is this wave of affection and  fascination. I have already written features around MOJO and PROG publishing these wonderful features and spreads dedicated to Kate Bush. Not only have these magazines opened Bush’s music to people who might not have known about her, but we all have learned more about an inspiring and enigmatic talent.

In addition to these great magazines revolving around Bush’s wonder, as three of her albums have celebrated big anniversaries this year – Never for Ever (forty), Hounds of Love (thirty-five), Aerial (fifteen) –, this has provoked a lot of focus on the remarkable music. I am not sure whether there will be anything else arriving this year regarding Bush and her music but I have been thinking back on everything that has come and the sheer size of respect there is for her! This year has been a really tough one and I wonder whether Bush’s music has provided comfort for people who are struggling. For me, I am listening even more because her songs do inspire strength and a sense of protection. I know that many people who only associated Bush with albums such as Hounds of Love have dug deeper and are discovering albums and revelations that alluded them previously. It goes to show that an artist does not need to put out albums regularly or saturate social media with endless posts to get people listening and paying attention! The power and influence of Bush’s music is clear and, as I have also noted in a previous feature, I do feel that other artists have injected a bit of Kate Bush into their own sounds. Now, more than ever, there are so many who are incorporating some D.N.A. of Bush and are moved by her music.

This sort of gets me back to a subject that I have broached a few times: the relative restrictions that radio stations place on her work. I do hope that stations broaden their remit and widen their net when it comes to Kate Bush in 2021. As much as I love the songs of Hounds of Love and the singles that we often hear, it is baffling that only a small number of her songs are ever played. If this year has proved anything regarding Bush, it is that all of her music affects people. I don’t think we should easily define any artist and, for one as broad and fascinating as Bush, it is a pity that radio playlists are so predictable and formulaic when it comes to her music! This sort of makes me wonder what next year has in store. There aren’t any huge anniversaries regarding her albums – The Whole Story (her greatest hits package) turns thirty-five, whilst 50 Words for Snow is ten -, but I feel there will be a lot of focus still on Kate Bush. It is exciting to think what will come and how her music will reach fresh ears. I know there is at least one book coming out next year - and I think that we will see more come onto the market.

Maybe there will be more magazines that spotlight Bush or an aspect of her career but, really, people want to know whether there will be another album. I do not want to suggest or predict, but it would be a perfect follow-up to a bad year if Bush was to announce another album – maybe one for the autumn or winter 2021. It will be a very interesting year, and certainly one better than 2020! I am amazed that there has been so much Bush-related material put out but I am not shocked. It is so heartening and inspiring seeing so many people come across her music and modern artists tackling her work – and other simply acknowledging how much she means to them! There is a lot to look forward to next year, and I do feel that we will get some interesting books, magazines and other Kate Bush-themed goodies out! Perhaps there will be a new album but, before then, I would urge people to listen to what is already out there and dive as deep as you can! If radio stations are ridiculously narrow in terms of their representation, the listener has a lot more freedom and flexibility. Kate Bush herself could not have envisaged that her music would reach so many people and would be so cherished this many years down the line. I think about Bush in 1977 recording The Kick Inside (her debut) album; something she had always dreamed of but, really, there was no dreams of fame or long-term goals. Could she imagined such passion for her music in 2020?! Nearly forty-three years after the album came out, her army fans has grown and grown! As 2021 comes into view, we will all watch…

 

WITH great interest.

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: A Christmas Party Mix

FEATURE:

 

The Lockdown Playlist

PHOTO CREDIT: @paullywooten/Unsplash 

A Christmas Party Mix

___________

I have done a few…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @thoughtcatalog/Unsplash

Christmas-related mixes but, inspired by BBC Radio 6 Music’s Sleigh Home: Rave Safe mix (I have included quite a few of their tunes here) and BBC Radio 2’s all-day Christmas playlist (both from 1st December), I wanted to compile a playlist of some great tunes that, whilst not necessarily all related to Christmas, have that party spirit and should get you in the mood! It has been a rotten year in so many ways so, for many reasons, we do not some cheerier music and some great vibes. This Lockdown Playlist – I know lockdown is over here, but some people are still locked in – is all about songs that will bring some energy and smiles. Sit back and enjoy some…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @dioseptiann/Unsplash

CRACKING tunes.

FEATURE: A Buyer’s Guide: Part Thirty-Two: Luther Vandross

FEATURE:

 

 

A Buyer’s Guide

Part Thirty-Two: Luther Vandross

___________

THIS A Buyer’s Guide…

concerns the incredible music of the much-missed Luther Vandross. The American singer, songwriter and record producer was an in-demand background vocalist for several different artists including Todd Rundgren, Judy Collins, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Ben E. King, and Donna Summer. I really love his albums and it is not surprising that people called Vandross one of the greatest singers of his generation! His music will live forever and we will never see anyone with his amazing voice and passion again. To honour the great man, I have recommended four essential albums; an underrated album of his worth investigation; his final album and, to top it off, a book that is a useful companion. Here is a node, salute and a compassionate look at the music of…

ONE of the finest singers ever.

___________

The Four Essential Albums

 

Never Too Much

Release Date: 12th August, 1981

Label: Epic

Producers: Luther Vandross/Larkin Arnold (exec.)

Standout Tracks: Don’t You Know That?/You Stopped Loving Me/A House Is Not a Home

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/Luther-Vandross-Never-Too-Much/master/130344

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/1B4oPgG5ljWTRxsKcTHAYn?si=RwuXm097Suy2WLCUlY_b6g

Review:

“The debut solo album from Luther Vandross featured one outstanding song after another. Vandross concocts a bouncy, vibrant flow on his up-tempo numbers and an intimate, emotional connection on his moderate grooves and his lone ballad. The title track stormed up the Billboard R&B charts to number one where it remained for two weeks. The mellow groove of "Don't You Know That," which checked in at number ten, was the second single. "Sugar and Spice" had less of an impact on the charts due to its short stay of six weeks. However, this feverish number gets all the juices flowing as does the unreleased "I've Been Working." Also featured on this set is the sentimental number "You Stopped Loving Me." The song was written by Vandross but initially released by Roberta Flack; both versions stand tall. "A House Is Not a Home" is the only ballad, and an elegant one it is, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and originally sung by Dionne Warwick nearly 20 years prior. Vandross orchestrates a contemporary masterpiece with this vintage number. Though it was never an official release by the label, it's a quiet storm jewel. In addition to his many music credits, Vandross was a featured guest vocalist with the progressive band Change. The same vocal savvy and smooth styling that the New York City native exhibited on songs like "Searching" and "Glow of Love" resurface here. This is one of the better R&B albums of the early '80s” – AllMusic

Choice Cut: Never Too Much

Forever, for Always, for Love

Release Date: 21st September, 1982

Label: Epic

Producers: Larkin Arnold (exec.)/Luther Vandross

Standout Tracks: Bad Boy /Having a Party/You’re the Sweetest One/She Loves Me Back

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/Luther-Vandross-Forever-For-Always-For-Love/release/123359

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/3oG1ai7tyPHOm2w2ZkjpLi?si=y9dwJSRFTlugrkj3-oKP4w

Review:

“The most gifted male pop-soul singer of his generation, Luther Vandross has broken away from the macho chest-beating of the likes of Teddy Pendergrass by crooning instead of roaring at moments of high passion. Forever, for Always, for Love, his second solo album, hits emotional peaks when the singer is choking back his feelings in broken, soft-spoken phrases that transform intense sexuality into pure emotion.

The romantically atmospheric style of Vandross’ self-production perfectly complements his intimate, vulnerable delivery. The title cut, in which Vandross elaborates his passion with quivering redundancy, twirling the phrase “forever, for always, for love” over and over and savoring its nuances, is a gem of soft-focus, pyrotechnical pop singing and production. And “She Loves Me Back” rekindles the flame of Vandross’ first hit, “Never Too Much.”

A connoisseur of pop-soul oldies, Vandross also revives the Temptations’ “Since I Lost My Baby” and Sam Cooke’s “Having a Party” in suave, handsome settings. By comparison, Vandross’ original songs are amorphous mood pieces built more around vocal arrangements than thematic concepts. And the relaxed, hovering atmosphere of Vandross’ productions are likewise more singer- than song-oriented. But by bending the conventions of pop to serve his vocal whims, Vandross has helped to expand and enrich a tradition that had become too locked into formulas” – Rolling Stone

Choice Cut: Since I Lost My Baby

The Night I Fell in Love

Release Date: 8th March, 1985

Label: Epic

Producers: Luther Vandross/Marcus Miller

Standout Tracks: 'Til My Baby Comes Home/It’s Over Now/Wait for Love

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/Luther-Vandross-The-Night-I-Fell-In-Love/master/155534

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/20okHMjdnVL1rDtgPo81vY?si=SaXQNvi7RvqY0yT4LvljhQ

Review:

“Still, this is an eminently listenable album that skillfully evokes the light, romantic mood Vandross is so fond of. The LP hits its stride with a cover of Brenda Russell’s “If Only for One Night,” where Vandross’ brokenvoiced, pianissimo pleading is set against tinkling piano rills and a whispering synth. Demonstrating his unsurpassed skill with vocal arrangements, Vandross takes the sophisticated samba of Stevie Wonder’s “Creepin'” at the half-whisper of Brazilian pop. The addition of multitracked voices and the rhythmic singing of the female backup singers make a very tasty reading. This record’s remarkable polish is also the result of the sympathetic work of singers and musician-arrangers who have been with Vandross since his first LP. Nat Adderley Jr.’s string, rhythm and synth arrangements are particularly apt on the beautifully orchestrated dreamscape of “Other Side of the World” – Rolling Stone

Choice Cut: If Only for One Night

Luther Vandross

Release Date: 19th June, 2001 (U.S.)

Label: J

Producers: Luther Vandross (exec.)/Clive Davis (exec.)/Nat Adderley, Jr./AllStar/Jon B./Babyface/Eddie Berkeley/Warryn Campbell/Shep Crawford/Eddie F./Keir Gist/Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence/Darren Lighty/Marcus Miller/Soulshock/The Underdogs/Junior Vasquez

Standout Tracks: Can Heaven Wait/I’d Rather/Any Day Now

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/Luther-Vandross-Luther-Vandross/master/310325

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/2YPEpjWlezCbj9jizr6ZeS?si=JFv7vNc8T2uELsg72u-UKg

Review:

“Luther's career has spanned three decades. He made his first breakthrough with "Everybody Rejoice (A Brand New Day)", which he wrote for the hit Broadway musical 'The Wiz' which was later remade for the big screen with an all star cast which included Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. He has had several successful collaborations over the years with the likes of Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson, just to a name a few. Mr Vandross is also a renowned producer, songwriter and arranger and has penned soul classics such as "Power of Love/Love Power" and "Secret Love".

Luther Vandross, his 15th solo album, doesn't disappoint. The opening track "Take You Out" (already a big hit in the clubs), sets the mood as Luther takes you through a journey of love, sorrow and life. "Bring your heart to time" is the stand out ballad of the album, closely followed by the haunting "Heaven can wait". However don't be fooled into thinking that this is just another album of romantic love songs; Luther forges his way into the new millennium with the upbeat, no messing r & b track "How do I tell her". He doesn't forget his roots either; we are taken on a trip down memory lane with "Let's make tonight the night", a track reminiscent of the funky soul of the 80's, the music that really brought him to our attention.

With this album Luther has stepped into the 21st century with style. He's combined his classic soul sound with the new digitised r & b beat, therefore cleverly pleasing his die-hard fans and also paving the way for a new generation of followers. Luther is undisputedly still the king of soul ballads but he is also recognised as a force to be reckoned with on the new r & b scene. He was recently awarded the Music Of Black Origin (MOBO) Lifetime Achievement Award. I think we can safely say that Luther's lifetime achievements are far from over” – BBC

Choice Cut: Take You Out

The Underrated Gem

 

Never Let Me Go

Release Date: 26th May, 1993 (U.S.)

Labels: Epic/Legacy

Producers: Luther Vandross/Marcus Miller

Standout Tracks: Little Miracles (Happen Every Day)/Can't Be Doin' That Now/Hustle

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/Luther-Vandross-Never-Let-Me-Go/master/253447

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/6LKej6X33QEOH1IIL9FWX5?si=05H4vLT2Tam6h82oRUzxvA

Review:

“Save for 1985’s ”The Night I Fell in Love,” Luther Vandross’ albums always come this close to perfection — and Never Let Me Go is no exception. As always, his enunciation is eloquent, his phrasing fierce; and the R&B as smooth as glass. This time Luther stumbles where he usually triumphs, on covers: in this case, a three-song medley that opens with the Bee Gees’ ”How Deep Is Your Love” — a cappella. It’s hard to hear the man who turned Dionne Warwick’s ”A House Is Not a Home” into his own heart-wrenching signature tune now drawing material from as cheesy a place as the ”Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack” – Entertainment Weekly

Choice Cut: Heaven Knows

The Final Album

 

Dance with My Father

Release Date: 10th June, 2003

Label: J

Producers: Luther Vandross (also exec.)/Nat Adderley Jr./Shep Crawford/Marcus Miller

Standout Tracks: Think About You/The Closer I Get to You/Right in the Middle

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/Luther-Vandross-Dance-With-My-Father/master/166303

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/43Ci8cugIRwfmkXEyEgfVM?si=XDs-cEm2Q2aNeLWzCXMCNA

Review:

“Luther Vandross pours his heart and soul into Dance with My Father's title track, an ambitious kickoff single that misrepresents an album where most highlights are down-tempo. Vandross' own serious ailment at the time of the single's release makes the song's references to absent loved ones even more poignant. In top form at the time of recording, he is able to deliver the song with a voice strong enough to handle the monolithic sentimentality of the lyrics and Richard Marx's swollen production. The six-minute, sensual quiet storm "The Closer I Get to You" is the other high-profile track, a duet with Beyoncé Knowles holding her own with Vandross' perfect phrasing. The rest of the album's winners are the most restrained numbers, often with Marcus Miller or Vandross himself in the producer's chair. The Vandross-helmed "If I Didn't Know Better" is a complex combination of bitterness and vulnerability, with Vandross confronting a two-timing lover. Miller's "She Saw You" borrows heavily from Timbaland's production style, adding a tasteful Wes Montgomery-toned guitar to surround another story of betrayal. Superstar R&B album conventions being what they are, Busta Rhymes' and Foxy Brown's guest spots feel more mandatory than necessary, but Queen Latifah's contribution to "Hit It Again" is welcome and inspired. Tacked onto the end of the album, "They Said You Needed Me" is a silly, light calypso and also the one true dud. Dance with My Father isn't able to maintain the high standards it often achieves, but Vandross' voice is always compelling and the background singers live up to the superior arrangements throughout. With nearly 70 minutes of music on the disc to choose from, more savvy listeners will be able to program their CD players for a more focused and rewarding listen” – AllMusic

Choice Cut: Dance with My Father

The Luther Vandross Book

 

Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross

Author: Craig Seymour

Publication Date: 20th December, 2017

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Synopsis:

“"Seymour's brilliant book is like a great Luther song: elegantly written, effortlessly executed and eloquently delivered." - Michael Eric Dyson "Craig Seymour paints an intimate portrait of the man behind some of the most beautiful love songs of our time...Full of juicy anecdotes, fast-paced writing, and interesting analysis, the book reveals surprising new dimensions of this much-beloved balladeer." - E. Lynn Harris "...a sympathetic look at the most popular soul singer of his generation" - New York Daily News On July 1, 2005, the world lost one of the greatest R&B vocalists of all time, Luther Vandross. He left a legacy of some of the most enduring love songs of our age: “Here and Now,” “Superstar,” “If Only For One Night,” and “A House Is Not A Home.” The notoriously secretive star also left behind many questions such as the real-life inspiration behind all of those yearning love songs. The newly updated and expanded edition of Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross takes you deep inside the singer’s private world. It chronicles his underdog journey from the projects of New York City’s Lower East Side to the top of the charts, selling more than 20 million albums along the way. The book details Luther’s triumphs, as well as his struggles: his battle with weight; his feuds with Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker, and En Vogue; the 1986 car accident that killed his best friend and nearly destroyed his career; and the rumors about his sexuality that followed him throughout his life. The book offers specific new details about Luther’s love life that will help illuminate the private pain of the man who brought the world so much joy” – Amazon.co.uk

Order: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Luther-Life-Longing-Vandross/dp/1974001490/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2YPUV1UQTKEID&dchild=1&keywords=luther+vandross+book&qid=1606897016&s=books&sprefix=luther+vandross%2Caps%2C160&sr=1-1

FEATURE: Too Good to Be Forgotten: Songs That Are Much More Than a Guilty Pleasure: Vanessa Carlton – A Thousand Miles

FEATURE:

 

 

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

Vanessa Carlton – A Thousand Miles

___________

HERE is a song that can divide people…

and I have seen it mentioned on some pages that list guilty pleasure songs. Released on 12th February, 2002, Vanessa Carlton’s A Thousand Miles is a song that was popular at the time but, maybe, some feel has not aged too well! I have a lot of time for the song, and the energy of Carlton’s piano and vocal definitely invests you and means that it stands up to repeated listens. Produced by Curtis Schweitzer and Ron Fair, the song was released as the lead single for Carlton's album, Be Not Nobody (2002). This song was a huge hit for Carlton and, in 2002, you heard it everywhere on the radio! To date, it remains her biggest hit in the United States - and her only single to reach the top-ten of the Billboard Hot 100. I am not surprised A Thousand Miles got to the top-ten in many countries – including the U.K. – and went to the top of the charts in Australia. I always see the year 2002 as a year being dominated by heavy albums and more experimental artists. The likes of The Streets, Queens of the Stone Age, Beck, and Red Hot Chili Peppers brought out great albums, but there was this band of great Pop and slightly lighter music that was providing a good balance – Coldplay released A Rush of Blood to the Head in 2002.

Interestingly, Vanessa Carlton wanted the song to be called Interlude, but she faced resistance from the head of A&R Records, Ron Fair. There must have been some doubts from the record label when it came to releasing A Thousand Miles as a single. In July 2002, Norah Jones released her piano-led song, Don’t Know Why, and that was a huge success and features vulnerable and tender vocals. I think some would have wanted Carlton to release a different single because A Thousand Miles is piano-led and quite vulnerable but, clearly, there was something about this type of music that resonated with fans and critics at the time! The charm and sweetness of the song was felt by critics; there were a lot of positive reviews for A Thousand Miles in 2002 and, whilst it is the standout from her Be Not Nobody album, she did release other terrific songs like Ordinary Day - there was a definite hunger and demand for her music. Because there were quite a few songwriters producing more downbeat and tormented songs, having artists like Carlton provided a great option away from slightly heavier music. Those critics who disliked A Thousand Miles in 2002 and continue to do so remarked how there is little substance to the song; she does not have much to say and it doesn’t have the emotional weight and songwriting sharpness one might look for. I really appreciate A Thousand Miles and, in a music scene of 2002 that was varied and exciting, there was plenty of room for Vanessa Carlton and her terrific sound.

I feel the track sound good now and it is not one of those songs from the time that has aged badly and only captured a particular moment. With Pop music still providing ample misery and anxiety, we do need more music that has a sense of spirit and optimism! One cannot doubt the sincerity and conviction with which Carlton delivers A Thousand Miles, and Be Not Nobody is full of solid songwriting and quality. Some reviewers have noted how there are songs on the album that evoke songwriters like Tori Amos and Fiona Apple, and whilst Carlton did not have the same sort of edge and sexuality as contemporaries like Christina Aguilera, I think she was a refreshing artist who was honest and earnest – and did not feel the need to get raunchier or change her style to adapt to the times/mainstream! For anyone who feels that A Thousand Miles is a bit weak and a guilty pleasure then I would advise them to have a rethink. The song is instantly catchy and it can definitely put you in a better mood! It sounded brilliant and original in 2002 and, even though musicians like Tori Amos and Regina Spektor are a little more compelling and varied when it comes to their music, it is unfair to make comparisons. A Thousand Miles is a quality song - and one that should be played and covered a lot more! Her sixth studio album, Love Is an Art, was released in April and it received some positive reviews. Rather than judge the song or write it off as a guilty pleasure, play A Thousand Miles and…

SURRENDER to its charms.

FEATURE: Globe Alone: Creativity in a Time of Lockdown and Solitude

FEATURE:

 

 

Globe Alone

IN THIS PHOTO: Charli XCX wrote her album, how i’m feeling now, whilst in self-isolation

Creativity in a Time of Lockdown and Solitude

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THIS is a subject that I don’t think…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @craftedbygc/Unsplash

has been raised much but, as this year has been extraordinary, it is very different for songwriters. Someone mentioned it on Twitter – I don’t recall who -, but the fact that many songwriters have not been able to collaborate in the same way and have been performing less has altered their productivity. We could go into the whole psychology about how the changed mindsets and mental-health of musicians contributes to the way they process and produce music. I guess touring takes up a lot of the year and it can be tough creating music on the road. Maybe some artists have a better time of it but, as many have been stuck at home, they have been writing more. Judging by what has been produced this year in terms of singles and albums, the pandemic has not necessarily led to a moodier and darker sound. In fact, many have reacted to the dislocation and struggle with tracks to elevate and lift the mood! I think this mirror’s people’s listening habits. I have heard from more than one musician how a lack of social interaction and performance has meant that their creativity has increased. Some might say that time alone to reflect would lead to an increase in output but, considering there is still so much stress, uncertainty and darkness around, I would have assumed the opposite! That said, my output has increased a little bit! I think writing can be quite a useful distraction and it focuses all that nervousness and anxiety into something useful.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @dangribbin/Unsplash

Many artists have found inspiration from the way people have come together during lockdown and, even though the lockdown has ended in England, we are still not back to normal. We can sort of get together virtually and, so long as they are socially distanced, artists can get into studios and combine with producers and musicians. I am not suggesting that every musician in the world is alone and they are not able to work in a manner similar to last year. It is obvious that most have had to isolate and have not been in a room of vibing fans from live crowds (and got inspiration that way). One artist who has definitely seen her output up over the past few months is Billie Eilish. Maybe there is something to do with having more time to concentrate on writing but, even in a very scary and solitary time, she has been writing hard – as this article from NME explains:

“Billie Eilish has revealed she has 16 new songs in the works with brother and producer Finneas.

In the fourth edition of her annual retrospective interview with Vanity Fair, Eilish, now 18, opened up about identity, using her platform for good, the tumultuous year that’s been 2020, and how she’s been filling the time – working on new music.

“Right now I have 16,” the singer responded when asked how many songs she was currently working on. “We’ve been working. And I love them all.”

Eilish also discussed feeling more confident in her songwriting abilities, advocating for herself and communicating her ideas.

“I think Finneas and I have just seriously really gotten in the groove. We do it so fast,” she explained

“There was a period of time, a month ago or something, we were just texting the label like, ‘Song done, another song done, another song done.’ So, I’m so much better at it. I love it so much more. I actually really do enjoy it now and I do feel like I’m pretty good at it now”.

I am fairly new to the link between solitude and creativity; I had never really thought that there was a relationship. This year, I was expecting new music to be quite downcast and lacking energy. Similarly, I felt artists would shrink away and they would wait until the pandemic passed until they put out new stuff. The opposite seems to be true. Some albums were pushed forward – such as Laura Marling’s, Song for Our Daughter -, whereas the likes of Charli XCX and Paul McCartney have recorded albums in lockdown! In the most challenging time musicians have faced, the music that has been put out is amazing! Not only is the consistency and quality terrific, but there have been surprise releases and albums coming sooner than we anticipated! I do wonder whether the need to find some optimism and purpose at a time when many feel tired and worried has spurred some extra creativity?! I wonder whether next year will see any transition and difference. Will a gradual return to normality mean that creativity levels change? I do know that artists will want to go back to performing as much as possible, but I feel many will try and find more time than normal to write and spend time creating. I guess one positive that has come from the coronavirus and lockdown is many artists have turned to writing and channelling their conflicting emotions into some sensational music! Although collaboration is essential and can be the key to unlocking creativity, solitude can also provoke a lot of  soul-searching and brilliant work. This article explains more and raises some interesting findings:

“You can benefit from interacting and brainstorming with others, but awesome creative work can be achieved by shutting out the outside world, whilst you insanely focus on your craft.

Research by Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi author of Flow (The Psychology of Optimal Experience) found that exceptional creators are more likely to be introverted.

PHOTO CREDIT: @katstokes_/Unsplash 

The best creative minds are flexible, and spend quality time working alone, but they don’t ignore the value of other ideas.

n physics, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and James Clerk Maxwell, three of the greatest creative contributors, worked almost entirely alone.

They profited from other people’s ideas not in direct collaboration, but by reading research papers and books.

In music, Michael Jackson and Roger Waters needed the input of Quincy Jones and David Gilmour, respectively, to produce a great product.

For artist Louise Bourgeois, aloneness was the raw material of art.

She writes: “After the tremendous effort you put in here, solitude, even prolonged solitude, can only be of very great benefit. Your work may well be more arduous than it was in the studio, but it will also be more personal.”

You can lose yourself in your work, when you are consciously in the flow without distraction. Louise further says:

“Solitude, a rest from responsibilities, and peace of mind, will do you more good than the atmosphere of the studio and the conversations which, generally speaking, are a waste of time”.

Although this article from The Atlantic concerns the lesson author Dorthe Nors took from Ingmar Bergman, I think a lot of what was written can directly be applied to musicians. There is something about solitude and being alone that can make a big difference:

“And then there’s the fact that he emphasizes “solitude”—that the artistic process unfolds in the lonely hours. That’s when the work happens. You have to control the creative energy that you've got. You have to discipline yourself to fulfill it. And that work only happens alone.

Solitude, I think, heightens artistic receptivity in a way that can be challenging and painful. When you sit there, alone and working, you get thrown back on yourself. Your life and your emotions, what you think and what you feel, are constantly being thrown back on you. And then the “too much humanity” feeling is even stronger: you can't run away from yourself. You can't run away from your emotions and your memory and the material you're working on. Artistic solitude is a decision to turn and face these feelings, to sit with them for long periods of time.

PHOTO CREDIT: @tinamosquito/Unsplash 

It takes the courage to be there. You run into your own pettiness. Your own cowardice. You run into all kinds of ugly sides of yourself. But the things that you've experienced in your life become the writing that you do. And there's no easy way to get to it, if you want to write literary fiction.

And that's what Bergman and other Swedish writers have taught me—to stay in that painful zone, discipline myself through it to get where I want.

I reckon there should be more articles written about solitude and creativity that is tied to music. As I started by saying, there are artists who have written so much more and have seen their creativity levels peak when they have been forced away from others and locked away. Naturally, the opposite is true for many people - and one cannot say that everyone works the same when it comes to solitude and how they approach writing. I was interested in exploring the subject of solitude/being alone and whether that can be beneficial in terms of the music bring produced. It has been a very tough year but, remarkably, the music put out has been among the best we have seen for years! From amazing albums recorded in lockdown such as Charli XCX’s how i’m feeling now to memorable singles, it has been a very busy and interesting year. Let’s hope that artists can tour soon and get into studios in a less restrictive ways. Aside from some online collaborations, I think many artists have had to adapt to a new way of writing. For many who might have written in teams previously, I think some time alone has made them write more independently and personally - and, rather than absorb dark emotions and the fear around the world, many have turned that into something wonderfully revealing and moving. I would not advice enforced and prolonged periods of solitude to see how the music scene changes going forward but, in one of the strangest and hardest years we will ever see, some disconnection and isolation has…

LED to some phenomenal music.

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Amazing Hidden, Secret or Bonus Tracks

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Janet Jackson in 1993/PHOTO CREDIT: Shutterstock 

Amazing Hidden, Secret or Bonus Tracks

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IT may seem slightly redundant…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Lauryn Hill photographed in New York City in 1998/PHOTO CREDIT: Anthony Barboza/Getty Images

producing a playlist with album hidden tracks as, in the age of streaming, that sort of mystery and surprise has sort of gone – and I can’t recall the last time an artist put a hidden track on an album! That said, I am fascinated by the hidden track. Also included in this playlist are great bonus tracks, songs that may not have appeared on a vinyl tracklisting (but then featured on C.D. versions), and those tracks that did not feature on the original studio album but, due to demand, made it onto re-releases. You may have to excuse tracks where the hidden track is also included – rather than them being separate, they are paired with the final track of that album -, but I think this playlist makes for interesting listening! Here are some cool tracks where artists slipped them after the listed album tracks or, as I said, they appeared on different versions of the same album (if you have trouble accessing any of the tracks in the playlist below, you can access it here or search Spotify for ‘The Lockdown Playlist: Amazing Best Hidden, Secret or Bonus Tracks’). It would have been cool if I included a hidden track of my own composition at the end but that would take needless effort! This is an assortment of tracks for those who were patient when they bought their albums, kept the record spinning and discovered…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Nirvana in 1991

A hidden gem!

FEATURE: Minnie, Moony, Vicious, Vicious, Buddy Holly, Sandy Denny: Kate Bush’s Blow Away (For Bill)

FEATURE:

 

 

Minnie, Moony, Vicious, Vicious, Buddy Holly, Sandy Denny

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during The Tour of Life in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Max Browne

Kate Bush’s Blow Away (For Bill)

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I have covered a very special Kate Bush song…

before when talking about Never for Ever (the album it is taken from). The one I am referring to is Blow Away – or, as it should be known, Blow Away (For Bill). It is a track with a sad background. The Kate Bush Encyclopaedia is on hand to explain who the exceptional Bill Duffield was:

“Lighting director for the Tour Of Life. On 2 April 1979, after a show at the Poole Arts Centre in Dorset, the equipment had been loaded for the journey to the next date, and Bill Duffield was having a last look around the stage area to make sure nothing had been left behind. Someone had left an open panel inhe flooring. As Bill crossed the stage he tripped and fell 17 feet onto a concrete floor under the stage. He was rushed to the hospital but tragically died a week later.

It was just prior to the official start of the Tour Of Life. A decision had to be made whether or not the tour would continue. The general consensus was that Bill would have wanted the show to go on. Less than a month later, on 12 May 1979, in the midst of the final days of the tour, Kate performed a memorial concert for Bill Duffield at the Hammersmith Odeon. Also appearing were special guests Peter Gabriel and Steve Harley, who had each worked with Duffield in the past”.

The fact that Bush, in some way, dedicated a song to a member of her tour crew is really touching and wonderful! There are other people mentioned in the song – as I shall explore and explain soon -, but Blow Away (For Bill) is the third track on Never for Ever, and it arrives in the middle of a run of three very beautiful songs – Delius (or Delius (Song of Summer), and All We Ever Look For are either side. I have seen a few sites and magazines rank Blow Away (For Bill) as one of Kate Bush’s best songs – MOJO listed it as their forty-first favourite songs (out of fifty) of hers.

There is the painful background of the song’s title and the death of someone who meant a lot to Bush. When it comes to exploring the various figures mentioned in Blow Away (For Bill), we get to ‘meet’ various departed musicians. Another article in Kate Bush Encyclopaedia provides us with times when Bush discussed the song:

“'Blow Away' is a comfort for the fear of dying and for those of us who believe that music is perhaps an exception to the 'Never For Ever' rule. (Kate Bush Club newsletter, September 1980)

So there's comfort for the guy in my band, as when he dies, he'll go "Hi, Jimi!" It's very tongue-in-cheek, but it's a great thought that if a musician dies, his soul will join all the other musicians and a poet will join all the Dylan Thomases and all that.

None of those people [who have had near-death experiences] are frightened by death anymore. It's almost something they're looking forward to. All of us have such a deep fear of death. It's the ultimate unknown, at the same time it's our ultimate purpose. That's what we're here for. So I thought this thing about the death-fear. I like to think I'm coming to terms with it, and other people are too. The song was really written after someone very special died.

Although the song had been formulating before and had to be written as a comfort to those people who are afraid of dying, there was also this idea of the music, energies in us that aren't physical: art, the love in people. It can't die, because where does it go? It seems really that music could carry on in radio form, radio waves... There are people who swear they can pick up symphonies from Chopin, Schubert. We're really transient, everything to do with us is transient, except for these non-physical things that we don't even control... (Kris Needs, 'Lassie'. Zigzag (UK), November 1985)”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during The Tour of Life in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Max Browne

I really like Blow Away (For Bill), but some critics have singled it out as being quite weak and throwaway. In the sense that it reveals very little about Bush and it is a song that tells of departed famous musicians, it is not as memorable and important as, say, Don McLean’s American Pie – one where an iconic and departed musician, Buddy Holly, is very much at the heart of it. I love the ethereal nature of Blow Away (For Bill) and how gorgeous Bush’s voice is! She layers her vocals and we get these nice rises and echoes that make the song seem ghostly and far-away. I think the track is brilliantly arranged so that we get this spectral sense; Blow Away (For Bill) is also very grounded and affecting. It is a shame the track could not have been released as a single but, as I often say, there had to be limits and Bush might not have wanted too many tracks taken from Never for Ever – even though only three singles were released from the album. Even though Blow Away (For Bill) is not one of my favourite Bush songs, I think it is one of my favourite vocals from her. I also really love the fact Bill Duffield lives on through the song and, like all Bush songs, it is interesting and has something in it that few other artists would have thought of. I want to bring in an interesting article about the song that discussed Bush newfound confidence (on Never for Ever) and her approach to mortality – and how Blow Away (For Bill) deals with the afterlife:

“Bush’s newfound confidence as a songwriter was accompanied by her newfound lack of certainty about the world. The songs of Never for Ever ask bigger questions than her first two albums do. “Blow Away” is one of Bush’s many songs to deal with death, and issues of consciousness. It’s an ethereal dirge, sung “For Bill,” referring to Bush’s engineer Bill Duffield, who was accidentally killed on the first night of her tour in an especially grim bout of party-pooping. It’s rare for Bush to sing about her personal life and friends, (we’re still far away from “Moments of Pleasure”) but there’s a whole song on her tertiary LP dedicated to an engineer she knew for a probably rather short period of time.

While we’re dealing with mortality, we have to deal with the jaw-dropping fact that Bush quotes Othello in this song. “Put out the light/then put out the light” is her Shakespeare line of choice. In the context of the song, the quote is the opener for the meandering third verse. The lines that follow never quite cohere into a strong verse (“dust to dust/blow to blow”), but it’s worth thinking about why Bush copped this Othello quote. The line comes from Othello’s ending, in which Othello is preparing to murder his wife Desdemona in her sleep, falsely believing her to be an adultress. The line is a Shakespearean double-entendre, referring both to snuffing out Desdemona’s life and to her pale skin (the race politics in Othello are among the most fascinating and analyzed in all of literature). The actual meaning of this line is, of course, lost when deprived on context. Yet it’s an interesting line for Bush to lean on.

So what does “Blow Away” think of the afterlife? Well, it clearly thinks there is one. The dead have souls in Bush’s music. Her universe is populated by spectres — “The Kick Inside” and “Hammer Horror” demonstrate that. “Blow Away” fills their slot on Never for Ever — the song for those beyond the grave. Yet “Blow Away” is more optimistic about their chances of a happy eternity. Consciousness may thrive after death, but Bush has finally liberated her deceased characters of their mortal woes. Part of this is a matter of taste: everyone knows Keith Moon is in hell, but in 1980 it wouldn’t have been politic to say it in a song. Yes, there’s reverence for these musicians in this song, but the nostalgia is alleviated by the thoughtful weirdness of the song. It’s not the most radical song on the album, but it’s assuring that Bush’s optimism for the power of artistic imagination extends beyond the grave”.

I have a lot of time for Blow Away (For Bill) and I wanted to spotlight it because it is so interesting and one of those overlooked and hidden gems on Never for Ever. The death of Bill Duffield clearly affected Kate Bush, and she honoured his memory in more than one way – she put on a benefit concert in 1979. Check out a magnificent song that many might not even be aware of. It is a stunning work from one of Kate Bush’s…

MOST interesting and under-discussed albums.

FEATURE: Second Spin: Arcade Fire – Everything Now

FEATURE:

 

 

Second Spin

Arcade Fire – Everything Now

___________

I have included Arcade Fire on my blog…

when it comes to celebrating their classic work but, to me, their last two albums have been underrated! Everything Now was released in 2017, and it didn’t quite get the great reviews I thought that it would. That being said, the same can be noted of the album before that: the incredible Reflektor from 2013. Maybe Everything Now is not up to the Canadian band’s usual standard of excellence but, to me, it is a great album! To be honest, it has received some praise, but there are a few reviews that have marked it down and compared it negatively to Arcade Fire works of genius like Funeral (2004), and The Suburbs (2010). The problem was that two big and five-star reviews came in very early for Everything Now. NME, and The Independent both gave it top marks, and I wonder whether they were judging that on the basis of a couple of songs and whether they really listened to the album. There is something inherently flawed about the way albums are reviewed: we get them new and have to assess them after a listen or two; certain albums grow in strength the more you hear them and with the passing of time. I would not say Everything Now is a five-star album but, as many people gave it middling grades, I feel it is worth more than that! I think the songs, Everything Now, and Put Your Money on Me, are two of the best songs the band have ever recorded – the latter has a nice ABBA feel to it!

Everything Now is quite a tight album, in the sense that it is just over forty-seven minutes long and no track last that long – We Don’t Deserve Love is nearly six-and-a-half minutes but it is one of the weaker numbers. Overall, Everything Now has a load of gems and, despite a couple of weaker tracks, it is a satisfying album where anyone can get something from it! The tracks are nicely arranged so that each half of the album is quite strong and, on Everything Now (Continued), we get a solid finish! I think some were put off by a couple of especially weak numbers. To me, Peter Pan, and Chemistry should have been left off of the album; they are not particularly interesting and, although they are fairly short tracks, they do sap some of the momentum of the album! They are tracks five and six respectively so they are out of the way with soon enough. Apart from some missteps, there is a lot to love about Everything Now. From the exert of The Coffee Cola Song by Francis Bebey on the title song, through to the addictive chorus of Put Your Money on Me, to the nuances of Signs of Life, and Creature Comfort, there is more than enough to recommend about Arcade Fire’s fifth studio album. Maybe critics were comparing it too readily with their earlier work or were expecting something that was like Reflektor – although Everything Now has a great title track, nothing can match the majesty of the David Bowie-featuring Reflektor!

I am going to bring in a couple of reviews that sort of show differing opinions. The first is a five-star review from NME. This is what they had to say about Everything Now:

“Arcade Fire have spent a career making a virtue of their own pomposity. Since 2004 debut ‘Funeral’, they’ve been unafraid to wrestle with big ideas that most bands wouldn’t touch with a barge pole. If it sometimes appears as though they believe society’s ills can be solved, or at least diagnosed, through the medium of grandiose art-rock records, you nonetheless have to admire their conviction that music ought to represent something more than mere ‘content’. Thankfully, after the ambitious-but-uneven ‘Reflektor’ (2013), ‘Everything Now’ marks an emphatic return to those lofty standards.

“Every song that I’ve ever heard is playing at the same time, it’s absurd,” declares starry-eyed frontman Win Butler on the album’s title-track, which is certainly one way to describe its mash-up of ‘Dancing Queen’ and Talking Heads’ ‘Road to Nowhere’. Uplifting, incisive and sublime would be another.

On the flipside, the empty hedonism of ‘Signs of Life’ and the self-loathing, suicidal youths of ‘Creature Comfort’ – one of whom, Butler notes, “Came so close/ Filled up the bathtub and put on our first record,” – serve as a reminder of the cruel irony that in this age of total connectivity, we’ve somehow contrived to make ourselves more isolated and alone than ever. ‘Everything Now’ might occasionally marvel at how far we’ve come, but it’s tempered by notes of dread at where we’re going.

Aptly enough for a record about information overload, it’s also had the veritable kitchen sink thrown at it, employing myriad styles, multiple big-name producers and the sort of ingenious, overblown marketing campaign that’s become the norm for this band. On the two-hander of ‘Infinite Content’ and ‘Infinite_Content’, the same song is presented in contrasting styles – one as a knowing postmodern thrash, the other as a languid acoustic ramble – but ultimately it’s the album’s sense of humanity, not its innate clever-cleverness, that elevates it to something special. “If you can’t see the forest for the trees, just burn it all down,” urges Butler as the mournful synth-pop of closing track ‘We Don’t Deserve Love’ builds to its climax, no longer sermonising from his pulpit, but howling in empathy from the ether”.

Contrast this with a review from AllMusic who, whilst offering some praise, are a bit more constructive and measured in their review:

“The lyrics found on "Creature Comfort" are another good summation of this issue: in an effort to say something meaningful, Arcade Fire simply sound like they're trying too hard. A handful of standouts will no doubt stand the test of time, but unfortunately not enough for a cohesive and fulfilling statement. Thematic flubs aside, the production and sonic directions on Everything Now sound great. The band recruited an enviable team -- including Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter, Portishead's Geoff Barrow, Pulp's Steve Mackey, and longtime collaborator Markus Dravs -- that infuses a groove and danceability that Arcade Fire first touched upon on Reflektor.

On the bright title track, the dramatically funky "Signs of Life," and the glittering "Electric Blue," Everything Now fully embraces the disco spirit. Elsewhere, the band trades the sparkle of the disco ball for visceral throb, like on the urgent "Creature Comfort," the strutting "Good God Damn," and the hypnotizing "Put Your Money on Me," which sounds like Röyksopp remixing LCD Soundsystem. Peppering Everything Now are some potentially divisive experiments -- like the heavy dub of "Peter Pan" and the New Orleans big-band jam of "Chemistry" -- that don't really fit in with the rest of the album. They're interesting experiments outside the band's comfort zone, but distract from the album's flow. Overall, there is just enough on Everything Now to appease fans and attract newcomers with accessible singles, but as an Arcade Fire record, it's unfortunately too inconsistent and ultimately hollow. Arcade Fire sought to make a Big Statement but instead produced one of their least impactful works”.

I would lean more to NME’s side of the fence when it comes to Everything Now. I think the standout tracks outweigh the weaker moments and, as I said, there are a few lesser moments but there is more good and richness than poor tracks. I believe Arcade Fire are working on new material, so we might get a sixth studio album very soon! That would be good news but, if we are looking at the great work of the band, we have to commend Everything Now. Whilst now as emphatic and timeless as one of their earliest albums, it is an album that warrants…

A second spin.

FEATURE: A Festive Tradition: Looking Ahead to the Top of the Pops Christmas and New Year Specials

FEATURE:

 

 

A Festive Tradition

IN THIS PHOTO: Clara Amfo and Fearne Cotton will host two one-hour Top of the Pops specials (on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve)/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC 

Looking Ahead to the Top of the Pops Christmas and New Year Specials

___________

THE Christmas T.V. line-up on BBC One…

 IN THIS PHOTO: BBC Sound of 2020 winner, Celeste

looks a bit patchy this year. There is a combination of animated films, re-runs and EastEnders! Maybe Channel 4 or other stations will play more appealing Christmas things like The Snowman but, in the schedule, we have Top of the Pops. The long-running T.V. institution came to an end in 2006 but, happily, there is a Christmas special and one for New Year’s Eve. This year’s shows looks pretty decent:

“TV’s biggest pop party will return to BBC One screens this festive period with BBC Radio 1’s Clara Amfo and TV and radio presenter Fearne Cotton reprising their roles as hosts. Recorded at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, London, the one-hour specials will feature new exclusive performances from some of 2020’s most exciting pop stars.

The star-studded Christmas Special will feature brand new performances from (in alphabetical order):

AJ Tracey x Aitch

Becky Hill

Celeste

Clean Bandit & Mabel

Ella Henderson

Jamie Cullum

Joel Corry & MNEK

KSI ft. Craig David & Digital Farm Animals

Fearne and Clara will return to the nation’s TV screens for the New Year Special, taking a look back at the year in music to bring the year to a close in style. The performers are (in alphabetical order):

Alfie Templeman

Arlo Parks

Becky Hill

Nathan Dawe ft. KSI & Ella Henderson

Sigala & James Arthur

Wes Nelson ft. Hardy Caprio

YUNGBLUD

IN THIS PHOTO: Alfie Templeman 

As well as brand new performances, both shows will also feature live highlights from the past twelve months. Viewers can re-live performances of some of the biggest songs of the year from the likes of Miley Cyrus, Harry Styles, Lewis Capaldi and Dua Lipa.

Mabel says: “So excited to perform at this year's Top of the Pops. It's always an honour performing on such a legendary show! Me and Clean Bandit are gonna give you a special performance to round off your 2020!''

Celeste says: "I’m ecstatic to be invited back on to Top of the Pops for the second year in a row.  It’s been such a crazy year so to be ending in this way is such an honour.”

Clean Bandit say: ““We’re excited to be performing alongside some of our favourite artists and collaborators this year - TOTP is a Christmas TV tradition!”

YUNGBLUD says: “Some of the greatest artists in history have played Top of the Pops and I've watched and been inspired by those performances. After a year of being trapped inside and bottling my ADHD up, it’s all gonna come out in this performance. We’re gonna burn the house down...bring a fire extinguisher.”

Clara Amfo says: “I’m delighted to be part of Top of the Pops this year. As we know, 2020 has been a challenge and as always music is a constant balm for us! I’m really looking forward  to celebrating the artists with Fearne and everyone watching at home.”

 Fearne Cotton says: “I’m delighted to be returning to host Top of the Pops with Clara again this year. It’s always a brilliant way to round off the year in music, and this year more than ever we’re all in need of a bit of sparkle! There have been some brilliant musical moments in 2020 and we can’t wait to celebrate some of the biggest tracks and artists with everyone at home.”

Top Of The Pops Christmas Special will be on BBC One on Friday 25 December at 11.55am and Top Of The Pops New Year Special will be on BBC One Friday 31 December at 4.20pm.

Top Of The Pops Christmas and New Year Specials were commissioned for BBC One by Katie Taylor, Commissioning Editor for Entertainment. Alison Howe is the Executive Producer and Caroline Cullen is the Producer for BBC Studios Entertainment and Music”.

It is a shame that Top of the Pops is not on anymore because, in its heyday, it was essential viewing - and we were introduced to so many varied artists! It seems strange at a time when we have more artists than ever before that there are fewer music T.V. shows. It also seems odd that there is no dedicated music show to upcoming artists because, as you can see from the line-up above, there are some of 2020’s hottest artists. I wonder whether they will do some Christmas classics or perform their own material; maybe we will get something a bit different but, whatever happens, it will be a treat for Christmas. I will also be curious to see how the New Year’s Eve one differs and whether there is a similar vibe.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Mabel

I guess the question about whether there will be anyone in the audience stands. I am not certain whether the show has already been taped, but Top of the Pops’ real charm comes from the audience and the enthusiasm they have for the songs! Maybe there will be a limited studio audience. It will be interesting to see how things are staged. It makes me nostalgic for the older days when Top of the Pops was running. Maybe the Christmas special will compel T.V. bosses to introduce a new music show as, in 2020, it is alarming that there really isn’t anything out there for artists to showcase their music away from radio! Make sure you tune in on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve and get a warm blast from a legendary T.V. show. It has been a bleak year and one with very little light but, as good news is starting to come through, there will be something extra-special about watching Top of the Pops. Many of the artists who will feature I have never seen perform or heard much of their music; many others will discover some great artists. The Top of the Pops gap is quite a big one but, with two new shows lined up, we will tune in and…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Jamie Cullum

WELCOME it back!

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Spotify’s 2020 Wrapped

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: The Weeknd’s album, After Hours, is the third most-streamed album on Spotify this year

Spotify’s 2020 Wrapped

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ALTHOUGH most of us are not...

 IN THIS PHOTO: Halsey is the fifth most-streamed female artist on Spotify in 2020/PHOTO CREDIT: Jake Michaels for The New York Times

locked down or self-isolating, I am going to keep these playlists going until next year! I have enjoyed exploring different subjects and, now, I am reacting to an article that was published earlier in the week. This relates to Spotify’s annual ‘Wrapped’ feature where they present the most-streamed artists, albums and songs. Every year is interesting but, in a very odd time, the results are especially illuminating and curious. Here is some more information:

“Most Streamed Artists Globally

Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny claims the top spot with more than 8.3 billion streams this year from fans around the globe. His album YHLQMDLG—released in late February and featuring collaborations with Sech, Anuel AA, and Daddy Yankee—is the number one streamed album as well. Following Bad Bunny is Drake and Latin star J Balvin. The fourth most-streamed artist is the late rapper Juice WRLD, followed by The Weeknd.

Billie Eilish continues her reign as Spotify’s most-streamed female artist for the second year in a row, followed by Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande in spots two and three. Coming in as the fourth and fifth most-streamed female artists are Dua Lipa and Halsey.

IMAGE CREDIT: Spotify 

Most Streamed Songs Globally

The most-streamed song of the year is The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” which held out strong after being the second most-streamed song of the summer with almost 1.6 billion streams this year. In the second and third spots, respectively, are Australian ex-busker Tones And I’s viral 2019 earworm “Dance Monkey” and Roddy Ricch’s “The Box.” The fourth most-streamed song is the catchy “Roses – Imanbek Remix” by Imanbek and SAINt JHN, followed by “Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa.

Most Streamed Albums Globally

The most-streamed album of 2020 is Bad Bunny’s YHLQMDLG with over 3.3 billion streams, followed by The Weeknd’s After Hours and Post Malone’s Hollywood’s Bleeding. Rounding out the list of most-streamed albums you’ll find Harry Styles’ Fine Line and Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia”.

Because Spotify’s interesting and revealed Wrapped has been unveiled this year, this Lockdown Playlist takes songs from artists and albums mentioned. It has been fun compiling it and, like many people, it has led me to some…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Bad Bunny is the most-streamed artist globally according to Spotify’s Wrapped survery/PHOTO CREDIT: STILLZ

NEW discoveries.

FEATURE: After the Snow Has Melted… Kate Bush and the Calming Influence of Her Music

FEATURE:

 

 

After the Snow Has Melted…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a photo taken during the promotion of 50 Words for Snow in 2011/PHOTO CREDIT: Trevor Leighton 

Kate Bush and the Calming Influence of Her Music

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THIS is quite a general piece…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1979

because, having revisited Kate Bush’s 50 Words for Snow on its ninth anniversary a couple of weeks back, I have been thinking about how that album has a stillness that helps to calm and soothe. My upcoming features will be more specific in terms of albums and songs but, as we approach the end of the year and it has been such a tough one, many of us have been embracing music that makes us feel better and safer. I am not sure what 2021 holds in terms of the Kate Bush universe, but I feel we might get an album and, at the very least, there will be plenty of people discussing her music - and, like this year, maybe there will be one or two magazines dedicated to her work! I have said it before, but I do love how there has been a flurry of activity regarding Bush’s music. Even though her last studio album was nine years ago, so many people have expressed their love of her music; why she is so influential today and how her music has changed modern music. I love Bush’s more experimental albums like The Dreaming (1982), and Hounds of Love (1985) - and the more spirited and impassioned songs on those albums are incredible. What I really love about Bush – and why I was keen to do some features on 50 Words for Snow – is when she produces compositions, scenes and vocals that knock you over with its beauty and soothing nature!

I am going to end with a Kate Bush playlist – After the Snow Has Melted: Warm and Soothing – that will provide some beauty and comfort if you need it right now! 50 Words for Snow has so much depth and fascination throughout, but I think the album is one where you can close your eyes and get lost in. The album is not set at Christmas, but there is something timely about it in the way it makes you feel and how it moves you! Maybe it is the fact that there are few instruments and there is an emphasis on the piano and percussion. Bush has multiple sides and facets, but I especially love how her music can seduce and buckle the knees. Perhaps that is why The Kick Inside (1978) is my favourite album. There are faster and more energetic songs together with eye-opening lyrics, but I associate that album with incredible beauty and grace – as I have remarked before. I recently covered Moving (the opening track of the album) and discussed its stunning beauty; there are plenty of other songs on The Kick Inside that cast you into this dream world and draw you into a wonderful state of mind. The Man with the Child in His Eyes is a passionate and accomplished song, but it is one where you are stunned by its stillness and intimacy. I have been feeling especially anxious and stressed at the moment and I know there are particular Kate Bush songs that can make me feel lighter and more relaxed.

Feel It, and L'Amour Looks Something Like You are another couple of songs from The Kick Inside that gets into the heart and gives me some strength. I don’t want to rigidly define Bush as an artist who is just about summoning up beauty and gentleness because, if you know her work, you can hear so many different styles, sounds and sides. Every album of hers showcases that but, when I consider the best songs from Lionheart (!978), and Never for Ever (1980), they are the ones that transport me somewhere utterly beguiling and heavenly! Maybe I will do a feature about Bush’s voice and why it provokes different emotions. Symphony in Blue, In the Warm Room, and Kashka from Baghdad are sublime and spine-tingling; you listen to these songs and not only imagine what Bush is singing and paint these images, but the way she can evoke such power and passion whilst not exploding and letting her voice fly is amazing! Even when Bush was using technology more and had greater production direction from 1980, I think that she was aware that one of her greatest strengths is these ethereal and angelic performances. Delius (Song of Summer) is one of her most gorgeous tracks, whilst Blow Away (for Bill), All We Ever Look For, The Infant Kiss, and Night Scented Stock are incredibly atmospheric and beautiful – and they fit nicely with harder-edged and bolder songs like Babooshka, The Wedding List, and Breathing.

I think many look at The Dreaming and find it is quite a raw and edgy album. There is definitely a lot of strange sounds and voices but, as I keep saying, there are contrasts and blends that mean Bush always retains the magical and tender whilst deploying something odder and darker! This album is a classic case of these polemics. As much as I admire the more layered and arresting songs, it is those that ease the nerves and melt you that have been coming to mind more lately. From the verses of Houdini to the emotional All the Love, and the magnificent Night of the Swallow, these are songs that I have been returning to in order to provide a comfort blanket. Even on an album like Hounds of Love, where there is a lot of drama, energy and wildness, I love the way And Dream of Sheep makes me feel and the emotions that build up. It is one of those songs that moves me greatly but, at the same time, I can feel a warmth and protection that makes me less fearful! Hello Earth, and The Morning Fog (the last two tracks on The Ninth Wave/Hounds of Love) build a bit more - but I love when Bush’s voice is softer and, in a way, she is enveloping us in this hug! Even though The Sensual World contains fewer songs that have the same stillness and calm as her previous albums, This Woman’s Work – the final song on the album – is another one that can calm me.

That may seem strange when we consider the lyrics and the fact the song is quite heavy, but it is the way Bush sings and the emotion in her voice that, perhaps, makes me feel a sense of empathy and compassion. And So Is Love, and Moments of Pleasure from The Red Shoes are these incredible songs where there is something in the tracks that can ease stresses and make you feel warmer inside. I think the two albums that have been of particular comfort lately are Aerial (2005), and 50 Words for Snow. Maybe these albums are especially beautiful and still because of Bush’s changing domestic life and her priority of family over promotion, but there are very stirring moments and wonderfully rich and filmic compositions that have both stirred and settled me when I have required that. This is not to say that Bush’s music is a panacea that can eradicate all the stresses and fears we have, but there are these artists who have a gift when it comes to making us feel better and more positive. Listen to How to Be Invisible, and A Coral Room from the first disc of Aerial. These are songs that I can play and dive into. There are some sadder lines in places, but it is the way Bush sings and the feel of these songs that can ease burdens and anxiety. This is especially true of the second disc of the album, A Sky of Honey.

 The entire suite of songs seems designed to cool the brow and warm the soul. There is so much beauty in the composition and so much love and tenderness in Bush’s voice that means, especially right now, Aerial seems like a real tonic and remedy against stress. There are songs not on studio albums that I would recommend to people if they want something calming and warm. Whilst I cannot include the track, Warm and Soothing, in the Spotify playlist (as it is not available on the platform for some reason) I will include it at the end separately. That sort of takes us back to 50 Words for Snow and album that seems feather-light but contains so much life and weight. Among some of the billowier scenes and compositions are these delicate touches and a blend of spoken passages and gorgeously sung tracks. Almost the entirety of 50 Words for Snow has this ability to make the listener feel, ironically, warmer and more positive. I have done a pretty quick sweep across Bush’s catalogue, but not too many people have spoken exclusively about the way her songs can envelope one in soft layers at times as dark. From her debut in 1978 through to her most recent album, I have been revisiting Kate Bush’s music and finding it so useful and reassuring when it comes to moving forward! I guess a lot of artists have the power to cocoon people whilst, at the same time, giving them a lift and unveil all these stunning colours and beautiful fragments of light. To me, few do it as well and consistently…

AS Kate Bush.

FEATURE: The December Playlist: Vol. 1: A Loser with Some Major Shortcummings

FEATURE:

 

 

The December Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Rico Nasty

Vol. 1: A Loser with Some Major Shortcummings

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JUST over two weeks before Christmas Day…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Sleaford Mods

and the pace and quality of 2020’s music is not dropping a step! Not only are there new songs/videos from Rico Nasty (ft. Trippie Red), Sleaford Mods, Britney Spears, IDLES, The Staves, The Anchoress, Goat Girl, and Greentea Peng; there are also some epic slices from shame, Burial + Four Tet + Thom Yorke, Celeste, YUNGBLUD, The White Stripes, Rina Sawayama, Phoebe Green and a whole host of other artists! It is a packed and exciting playlist that should give everyone some energy, excitement, and influence. If you do need some warmth on a chilly and oppressive day then I think there is some great music in here that should put you in a better mood! Although 2020 is not done, there are still jewels and gems being offered up by musicians. It will be interesting to think what might come as we head into the last weeks of…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Rina Sawayama

A challenging year.

ALL PHOTOS/IMAGES (unless credited otherwise): Artists

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Katie McCurdy

Rico Nasty (ft. Trippie Red) – Loser

Sleaford Mods - Shortcummings

Britney Spears – Swimming in the Stars

PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Ham

IDLES - KILL THEM WITH KINDNESS

The Staves - Satisfied

PHOTO CREDIT: Roberto Foddai

The Anchoress – Unravel

IN THIS PHOTO: Thom Yorke/PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Lake

Burial + Four Tet + Thom Yorke – Her Revolution / His Rope

The White Stripes - Let’s Shake Hands

PHOTO CREDIT: Holly Whitaker

Goat Girl - The Crack

Greentea Peng – Spells

PHOTO CREDIT: Pooneh Ghana

shame - Snow Day

Arctic Monkeys - Arabella (Live at the Royal Albert Hall)

Celeste – I’m Here

Phoebe Green – Grit

YUNGBLUD - ice cream man

Phoebe Bridger - Savior Complex (Live for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon)

Rina Sawayama – We Out Here

Jenny Lewis & Serengeti - Unblu

The Hold Steady - Family Farm

LAUREL – Appetite

Sydney Sprague - staircase failure

Gorgon City – Trapdoor

Wolf – High Waist Jeans

Melanie C – Into You

Ella Henderson, AJ Mitchell – Blame It on the Mistletoe

Blossoms – Pure Pop

Alex Amor – Motion

Olivia Dean – What Am I Gonna Do on Sundays?

Shawn Mendes – Teach Me How to Love

PHOTO CREDIT: Daniel Regan

Maggie Lindemann - Loser

Amy Macdonald – Fire

Amy Shark – All the Lies About Me

Mondegreen – The Avenue

FLETCHER – Last Laugh (From the Promising Young Woman Soundtrack)

grandson – In Over My Head

Sea Girls – This Is the End

PHOTO CREDIT: Galin Foley

Esther Rose – Keeps Me Running

Sofia Valdes - The Sweet Escape

Marie Noreger - Eager to Feel

The Cribs – Christmas (All Year Long)

Midnight Sister - Foxes

FEATURE: Pay for What You Get: Making Sure We Reassess Musicians and Their Value in 2021

FEATURE:

 

 

Pay for What You Get

PHOTO CREDIT: @kaelbloom/Unsplash 

Making Sure We Reassess Musicians and Their Value in 2021

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I am sort of going to do a…

 IN THIS PHOTO: A BBC spokesperson said the decision to drop Amaraterra (pictured) from the programme was made for editorial reasons, rather than them asking to be paid to perform

continuation of a recent feature, where I discussed Spotify and the fact that streaming rates are still very low. I will introduce an article that recently focused on that but, generally, I think that we do not appreciate how little artists are paid. There is a difference between the problems on streaming services and musicians and performance. It has been a very strained and quiet year for many musicians. I have seen on social media so many suffering because gigs have been cancelled and, of course, that means a main stream of revenue has been taken away. Streamed gigs and online events have helped recoup some money and, together with album sales, it has not been a total disaster for some. Many of us get music for free on streaming sites and we do not buy merchandise and records much so, when we think of musicians, do we consider the importance of performances and how important it is that we support them that way – and that they are paid at the very least? This feature has been provoked by news that musicians who were due to play a Strictly Come Dancing spin-off, It Takes Two, were taken off/dropped because they asked for money - though the BBC cites another reason for their cancellation. This article from The Guardian explains more:

“A group of professional musicians have said they were dropped by Strictly Come Dancing after they asked to be paid for performing on the programme’s spinoff show.

Amaraterra, a band who perform traditional southern Italian music, said they were excited when they were approached by producers who were enthusiastic about them appearing on the BBC companion programme It Takes Two.

IMAGE CREDIT: BBC 

However, when they asked for a fee to compensate them for a day’s work the BBC producers told them, in emails seen by the Guardian: “We just don’t have money in the budget to pay for contributors.” Instead, they were offered a free lunch and it was suggested that they would receive a “decent amount of screen time, as well as a mention of your group name”, which would help boost the band’s following on Instagram and Facebook.

“Hopefully, when things return back to normal, and the arts is final[ly] restored, taking part in this [recording] for such a great show will be of benefit to you,” they were told by the show’s producer, who wanted them to perform with the professional dancers Nadiya Bychkova and Graziano Di Prima.

Band member Cassandre Balosso-Bardin said the band responded by asking the BBC to honour the relatively low rates agreed with the Musicians’ Union for session work, in addition to to the hours of practice required. They then did not hear back for several days, only to be told the show had dropped them”.

That is, of course, a T.V. show we are talking about - and it is not indicative of the way people treat professional musicians in general It does seem that some feel that exposure and opportunity is enough for musicians and, for that reason, why would they want to be paid?! Even if a band or musicians are in the background and contributing a small amount, that does not mean they have no value and should do things for free!

 PHOTO CREDIT: @gwundrig/Unsplash

I can only imagine how galling it is for musicians do look forward to performing and then be told they can’t. In a wider sense, I have been considering musicians and whether we appreciate them as much as we should. From quartets performing at, say, a street event or somewhere like Covent Garden to larger concert gigs, these players add so much to our culture! The same is true of more traditional bands and singer-songwriters. Many artists have been steaming for free during the pandemic or they have charged fans very little to see them perform. Money is tight for everyone, but I feel that we try and get as much for free as possible and we do not think about how much work and time is being sacrificed by musicians. For those Strictly musicians, they had travel and practice time before they got to the venue. I don’t think it is cheeky for anyone to ask to be paid for professional services and, when the story broke, a lot reacted angrily on social media. A lot of upcoming artists, prior to the pandemic, played gigs at pubs and, often, they were not paid. Maybe there is a deal linked to the drink sales and whether pubs can afford to pay artists but I think, in a year where music has helped so many people and enriched us through the darkness, we need to alter the way we digest and enjoy music.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @dsoodmand/Unsplash

Most of us cannot afford to spend a lot on live music and streaming but, when we balance this against other costs that are perhaps more frivolous, then do we have an excuse to expect our music to be free?! This takes me back to the debate about streaming; a hot issue that still rumbles on! If classical musicians have been living on poor wages/earnings for a long time, the same is true of other musicians. Streaming should provide a steady amount of revenue for rising and established artists alike. I do feel guilty that I only pay £10 a month to use Spotify, and when we think about the lost revenue that would have been accrued through gigs, the small amount artists receive through Spotify is alarming. There are some who think artists should really triple compared to what they are paid now. For artists who do not get millions of streams with every single release, the reality is that they earn extremely little from Spotify and other services! The sites themselves need to rethink their models and pledge to improve in 2021. I think all is can afford more than £10 a month to have access to all of music! Guy Garvey of Elbow has asked for fans to pay more – as this article explains:

“Music fans have to be prepared to pay more for the songs they love in the streaming age, according to Elbow’s Guy Garvey, who says the next generation of bands are being lost because they cannot sustain careers in the current climate.

IN THIS PHOTO: Guy Garvey/PHOTO CREDIT: Thomas Butler/The Guardian 

Garvey, who gave evidence last week to a Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport inquiry into the impact of streaming, told the Guardian he believed services such as Spotify and Apple Music were not charging enough.

“The big picture is that £10 a month for access to all music is too little,” he said. “It came out in the committee the other day: everyone feels a little bit guilty for having access to all this music for fuck all. It’s not sustainable and the emergency is we’re losing artists because they’re demoralised and they can’t afford to live.”

Garvey is pushing for equitable remuneration in which streams are split 50/50 between labels and groups, meaning a percentage goes directly to the people who made the recording. He called it “reliable income that’s nothing to do with the labels or to do with the streaming platform – it’s a right”.

Equitable remuneration already applies to broadcast usage in the UK, and Garvey and others who gave evidence – including the founder of the #BrokenRecord campaign, Gomez’s Tom Gray – want it to be extended to cover streaming.

“People don’t realise that their artists don’t get their cash and that needs fixing,” he said. “I think it will be fixed and it will be the labels and the artists and a bit of government, and it will also be the streaming platforms, and it will be the consumers that fix it”.

Nadine Shah wrote an ex cellent feature in The Guardian that emphasised the problems with streaming and the disparity between bigger artists and other artists:

“Streaming only really works for superstars and super record labels. Instead of receiving a direct amount per sale, as with downloads or physical purchases, it’s a “winner-takes-all” system. The way it works is the combined revenue of every streaming subscriber is divided by by “market share”. For example, suppose Bruno Mars releases an album and – rightly, because he’s amazing – Bruno appears on the surface of every phone, on every playlist, pushed by every algorithm. He could potentially end up with 5% of the whole world’s streaming money. Or, to be accurate, his record label will pocket that 5%. Bruno might see about 20% of that if, and only if, he’s repaid his recording costs. Pre-digital artists may be on pre-digital deals, so they may see nothing.

Even before Covid, the major labels were making almost $20m a day from streaming. And this year has seen a a huge increase in streaming subscriptions, as fans turn to platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify to help ease their locked-down minds. The three major music groups, Sony, Warner and Universal own about three-quarters of the music ever made so, by this system, they’ll pocket about three-quarters of streaming revenue every month. Independent or self-releasing artists share the rest.

For all the promise of digital democratisation of music, the opposite appears to be happening. For an independent artist with a dedicated audience, the system doesn’t work. And neither does it work for loyal fans. If you are a dance fan, jazz fan, or metal fan, the artists you love and listen to are unlikely to see a penny of your subscription.

Streaming is the future, but to deliver a rich and culturally diverse musical future, non-mainstream music needs to be able to keep its head above water. This is especially true as radio and TV continue to morph into streaming platforms. A playlist on the BBC Sounds app doesn’t pay performers in the way the same song on BBC radio would.

What can we do to fix it? Last week, I appeared beside Guy Garvey of Elbow, Ed O’Brien of Radiohead and Tom Gray of Gomez, to give evidence in front of the DCMS inquiry. It was terrifying. Music and politics rarely come face to face. Musicians are supposed to rail against politicians, not testify in front of them. But now we’re asking the government to intervene and correct the streaming market where it’s failing”.

Reading her words above, and you know her frustration and situation is one shared by thousands of artists around the world; those we stream and listen to regularly are getting such a minute slice of the pie and, in 2020, have been struggling to live, make music and survive! Nile Rodgers is giving evidence to M.P.s next week regarding streaming - musicians from all corners are speaking up. It seems baffling that there is such a gap in streaming payment between the biggest artists and everyone else. From streaming and classic musicians, through to live streams and gigs, I do think that we all need to reserve more money for the very valuable and important musicians who work so hard to give us all a lot of positivity and enrichment! I appreciate how some people do not have a job and others are struggling to make ends meet but, for most, there is an opportunity to give artists more. I hope that the It Takes Two controversy awakens eyes and minds to the way musicians are undervalued - and, going forward, I think the Government need to pledge more money to support the arts and force streaming giants to increase subscription fees and reassess their payment structure (I know there is something in process., so we might get some good news). Musicians do not only contribute to us as individuals, but they also make so much money for the country; they give their music to film and T.V. – which augments and transforms memorable scenes - and they touch all of us. If we continue to experience music for free or for very little money, that could have a huge impact on the numbers of musicians we have in the U.K. These are very valuable people that we…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @srd844/Unsplash

CAN’T afford to lose them.

FEATURE: Modern Heroines: Part Twenty-Two: FKA twigs

FEATURE:

 

 

Modern Heroines

Part Twenty-Two: FKA twigs

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I have not put out one of these features...

for a long time now, so I wanted to revisit it. The artist I am including in Modern Heroines today is the fantastic FKA twigs. I have so much love and respect for FKA twigs, as she is an artist who is so utterly compelling and inspiring! I discovered her, like so many people, through her debut album, LP1, of 2014. That was a hugely acclaimed debut, but it took five years for her second album, MAGDALENE, to arrive. She was not idle in that time and, I think, to follow an album as accomplished and personal as that she needed time to create! I am not going to gloss over her debut, but I think her most recent album is her finest release to date and it was, to me, one of the very best albums of 2019. At just nine tracks, there is an experimentation and sense of concision but, when you listen to the songs, they are so evocative and nuanced – one needs to go back time and time again to fully appreciate them. I am going to highlight that album and bring in a fascinating spotlight that The New York Times published recently. It seems, pleasingly, that FKA twigs has been working on new music during lockdown:

“FKA twigs sat down for a virtual chat on the Grammy Museum’s Programs at Home series with moderator Scott Goldman. At the beginning of the interview, twigs revealed that she’s made an entirely new album during the months of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I ended up, in actual fact, making a whole album in quarantine,” she said. “I just decided one day. It was kind of, maybe one-third of the way through and I just said, ‘you know what, I’m just going to make an album,’ and I just went and did it. And it was really amazing because I worked predominantly with an amazing artist and producer called El Guincho, and I did the whole thing with pretty much all of the collaborators over FaceTime.” Watch the full interview here.

FKA twigs said that she is “just finishing” the new record; she did not mention a title or release date. She also discussed the remote collaboration process. “I was working with people I’d never met in real life and we were doing the whole thing over FaceTime and it was great because I couldn’t go in the studio at the beginning,” she said. “So I was getting beats and having to work from MP3s, and then I would writing melodies in the day with [El Guincho] and then in the night I would call some of my friends in America who made music and I would have a glass of wine and chill and write lyrics and talk about what the song’s about.”

FKA twigs also mentioned that during quarantine she started learning to play piano and read sheet music. Elsewhere in the interview she discussed her interest in wushu martial arts, her latest album MAGDALENE, and more”.

I am still listening to tracks from MAGDALENE like sad day, and cellophane. There is a richness and real sense of reward listening to the album as a whole. I want to bring in a couple of interviews from FKA twigs, as we learn more about an extraordinary Gloucestershire-born artist. I think she is one of these artists who could headline huge festivals and has that sense of pull and power. I hope that festival organisers have her near the top of their list for headliners next year because, after two studio albums – and a few E.P.s -, here is an artist who has the potential to be an icon! At just thirty-two, she has many years ahead of her, but I find it remarkable how fast she came out of the blocks with LP1 and what a tremendous album that was! Despite a bit of a gap, few were expecting something even stronger and more resonant than that album. MAGDALENE is a staggering work that received enormous praise.

Here is what AllMusic wrote in their review:

“As she hones Magdalene's themes, Barnett broadens her music. Handling most of the production herself, she uses her signature bone-rattling beats more sparingly to clear space for melody and, especially, her classically trained voice. There's a dewdrop purity when she sings "Would you make a wish on my love?" on "Sad Day," one of several songs where she evokes Kate Bush's poignant magical realism. On the aching "Mirrored Heart," she stretches to her highest and lowest ranges to encompass the magnitude of her loss. Barnett matches the directness of the album's music with impressively naked -- and often uncomfortable -- emotions. "Apples/cherries/pain" she growls on "Home with You," where her physical and emotional suffering merge in seething distortion and throbbing beats that isolate her from someone dear until she realizes they're lonely together. Inadequacy, whether it's in the eyes of a lover or the world, is a major motif: The beautifully nightmarish "Thousand Eyes" is steeped in anxiety that churns in its spiraling pianos and when Barnett sings "It's gonna be cold out there with all those eyes" in an anguished soprano that could cut glass. Later, she plays with these feelings on "Cellophane," whispering "Why don't I do it for you?" with equal amounts of melodramatic flair and heartbreaking realness. This complexity extends to "Daybed," a slow spin of feelings -- sorrow, weariness, peace -- that are equally soothing and suffocating. At once more delicate and more concentrated than any of her previous work, Magdalene is a testament to the strength and skill it takes to make music this fragile and revealing. Like the dancer she is, Barnett pushes through pain in pursuit of beauty and truth, and the leaps she makes are breathtaking”.

I am going to wrap up soon but, before then, I want to bring in a couple of other pieces. I was not aware that The New York Times had highlighted FKA twigs in the same way as me for a feature last month. They went deep with a staggering and highly accomplished artist. I wanted to quote a few passages from that article:

“Breakup aside, Twigs created “Magdalene,” her second full-length album, the first record she had released in three years and the most widely acclaimed of her career, in the midst of another personal crisis: her diagnosis with uterine fibroids — what she has called her “fruit bowl of pain.” Pole dancing is an unlikely discipline for someone recovering from uterine surgery, as it’s dependent on intense core strength and often expressive of sexual confidence. Yet Twigs’s Los Angeles-based pole choreographer and instructor, Kelly Yvonne, who worked with her on “Cellophane” and on her earlier pole routine for the rapper ASAP Rocky’s 2018 video for “Fukk Sleep,” explains that the art form is not simply a tool of male gratification centered in strip clubs; pole classes have helped women to “regain their bodies, to regain their sexuality, to take that power back.” Viewed in this light, Twigs’s use of the pole tempers the song’s story of loss and rejection with a vision of strength and prowess. At the same time, her use of oddness and artifice (the theatrical setting, the phoenix, the mud) subverts the cultural expectation that a Black woman’s performance will be simple and transparent — a straightforward narrative of recovery, a diary, an open book.

But in recent years, Twigs, now 32, has begun to harness her pursuit of avant-garde innovation and technical virtuosity toward a deeper exploration of pain and insecurity — to unite stage presence with soul. One can find analogues between her work and that of contemporary artists: the showmanship of Janelle Monáe, the introspection of Fiona Apple and Solange, the vocal drama of Lana Del Rey. But Twigs is less earnest and more shape-shifting than those artists. Perhaps no other pop star delves inside as deeply while stretching so far out — plumbing the interior, sometimes from a wry distance, while making of her own body a spectacular work of art. 

PHOTO CREDIT: Liz Johnson Artur for The New York Times

BORN TAHLIAH BARNETT, FKA Twigs was raised in suburban Cheltenham; her mother had moved there from Birmingham, a city in western England, to give her daughter a better, or at least a more pastoral, life. They ran low on food and didn’t always have heat, but her mother worked to make life special for Twigs, her only child. Instead of decorating Twigs’s room with the glow-in-the-dark stickers her friends had, she had her daughter’s ceiling painted dark blue and speckled with stars. When Twigs was 17, she moved with her mother to study dance at the BRIT School, an institution whose alumna include Amy Winehouse and Adele, and which Twigs describes as “a bit of a hood performing-arts school in South London.” While there, she realized that her primary love was not dance but music, but she was rejected from the music program, so she left and went to nearby Croydon College to study fine art, literature and philosophy instead. For a time, she was a youth worker who helped traumatized kids create art, as well as a backup dancer in other artists’ music videos, but she lost her job when funding was cut for civic programs, and so she began to pursue her own music through the club and cabaret scenes. In her early 20s, she sang at the Box, a debauched though commercial London club where aerialists and fire-breathers performed for stars like George Clooney and Queen Latifah, she recalls, and where she says she felt “like a lamb to the slaughter” but developed “nerves of steel onstage.” When I suggest that the move from studious, working-class striver to underground it-girl was not an intuitive arc, she challenges the terms of the question: “But striving to do what? Striving to sing and dance?” Those aspirations were themselves odd where she came from; and, despite her academic achievements, middle-class security was never her aim. What she wanted above all was to make things and live an interesting life”.

I have taken quite a lot there, but it is a wonderful interview and feature that provides so much detail about an artist that I am very fond of. I wonder where she will go from here and, if reports suggest, we may get a third album pretty soon! It is evident that she has been inspired over the past few months - and many will be itching for another album after the immense MAGDALENE. It has been a very bleak year, and the possibility of more music from FKA twigs is a welcome balm – something to look forward to! It may seem premature calling FKA twigs an icon-in-waiting but I do feel that she is such an arresting and fascinating human being…as an artist, there is nobody like her. Not only is she one of the finest creatives in the world, but she is inspiring so many other artists and people around the world. I will finish off soon but, just now, I want to bring in an interview from The Guardian from last year that is well worth a read! There are many sections that moved and intrigued me. I have highlighted a few:

“It’s been a while since twigs has been asked to look so far back, and she is different now, she says. “I was a young woman, stepping into my sexuality and owning it. I was sassy! Coming from the outside and being alternative. Not like a Nubian queen, not a powerful goddess – but something just as powerful, but fractured. Like in Japan, where they smash the pots but join them up again with gold.”

Now, though less sassy, she still feels good. “People thought I was quite odd-looking, until a white male validated my beauty,” she says. (She means Pattinson.) “That’s frustrating and I still don’t accept it. But if I sing really well, you can’t question that.

PHOTO CREDIT: Campbell Addy/The Guardian 

If I dance well, you can’t question that. If I express myself honestly, or if I’m pole dancing or wushu-ing excellently, you can’t question that. I’ve never felt more beautiful because I’ve never been more skilled. Everything else is ephemeral.”

She’s a mass of contractions, twigs: a homebody who sparkles in the limelight, a seeker of male approval who wants to own her sexuality, a willing apprentice who’s made for centre stage. And the next few years will be about her. She might be in a new relationship – “Don’t get me wrong, I’m completely open to love” – but she doesn’t want to compromise, to mould her life around someone else, man or child. “I’d like children in my late 30s,” she says, “because as a dancer, your body doesn’t come back.” She wants to enjoy her new strength. “It would be a shame if I didn’t question what it is to be in a relationship,” she says. “I think I need to do that, to grow. And to make sure when I meet someone wonderful, it can be on my own terms. I hesitate to talk to you about it, because I would love to have a piece written about me where my name is not attached to a man.”

But you were dating someone very famous, I say.

“But my work was so beautiful,” she says. “It was so much louder than my love life. It is so much louder”.

There is no stopping the sheerly amazing FKA twigs! I think she is going to keep getting better and grow stronger as the years pass. So far, we have learned so much about her and her music - but I think there are more chapters that are being written. I have put together a short playlist of her finest cuts to date but, in concluding, I think that FKA twigs is…

A legend of the future!