FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Youth at Sixty

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

PHOTO CREDIT: Glen Burrows 

Youth at Sixty

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AS this year is not done when it comes to…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Richard Ecclestone

birthdays of important people in music, I can dedicate some Lockdown Playlists to those who are ending 2020 with double cheer. As the amazing producer, Youth (Martin Glover), celebrates his sixtieth birthday today (27th) I thought I would unite songs that Youth/Martin Glover has produced. He is also the founding member and bassist of Killing Joke - but I want to focus on his production for this playlist. These songs are from albums he has either produced or co-produced. From Bananarama’ s Pop Life in 1991, through to Melanie C’s upcoming (untitled) album, he has lent (will lend) his name to some real musical treasures. Here is a mixture of brilliant tracks from one of music’s most-respected and…

ADMIRED producers.

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Great Traditional Latin Music and Awesome Latin Pop

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Rosalía/PHOTO CREDIT: Roger Kisby for Rolling Stone 

Great Traditional Latin Music and Awesome Latin Pop

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IN all of my Lockdown Playlists….

 IN THIS PHOTO: Buena Vista Social Club

I have not really covered Latin music, both traditional and newer. This Playlist will include various different Latin sounds…but I will bring in some more traditional Pop music. Not only is there great energy, rhythm and passion in many of these songs; there might be artists and tracks that you have not heard before. If you need a bit of wiggle and alternative festive spirit to get you into 2021, then I think the songs below should do the job. It has been a pretty tough and eventful 2020, so let’s hope that the next year provides…

 IN THIS PHOTO: J Balvin/PHOTO CREDIT: Julien Mignot for The New York Times/Redux

MORE hope and brightness.

FEATURE: A Buyer’s Guide: Part Thirty-Five: Paul Weller

FEATURE:

 

 

A Buyer’s Guide

PHOTO CREDIT: Nicole Nodland

Part Thirty-Five: Paul Weller

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THERE are few musicians…

PHOTO CREDIT: Nicole Nodland

as prolific as Paul Weller. The former lead of The Jam and The Style Council has had a rich and busy solo career. He released the phenomenal On Sunset this year, and he has announced the release of his next album, Fat Pop (Volume 1), for next year. It seems he is in the most productive form of his life right now! It is always great having Paul Weller music in the world, as he seems to get better and better with every album. To celebrate the legend, this A Buyer’s Guide collates his four essential albums; the underrated gem that you need to investigate; his latest studio album – in addition to a good book that makes for a good companion. Here is the essential work from a musician who…

I have huge respect for.

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The Four Essential Albums

 

Wild Wood

Release Date: 6th September, 1993

Label: Go! Discs

Producers: Paul Weller/Brendan Lynch

Standout Tracks: Sunflower/Can You Heal Us (Holy Man)/Hung Up

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=80396&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/10Yg6lPdGtqdF6nj4yTesC

Review:

“Paul Weller deservedly regained his status as the Modfather with his second solo album, Wild Wood. Actually, the album is only tangentially related to mod, since Weller picks up on the classicism of his debut, adding heavy elements of pastoral British folk and Traffic-styled trippiness. Add to that a yearning introspection and a clean production that nevertheless feels a little rustic, even homemade, and the result is his first true masterwork since ending the Jam. The great irony of the record is that many of the songs -- "Has My Fire Really Gone Out?," "Can You Heal Us (Holy Man)" -- question his motivation and, as is apparent in his spirited performances, he reawakened his music by writing these searching songs. Though this isn't as adventurous as the Style Council, it succeeds on its own terms, and winds up being a great testament from an artist entering middle age. And, it helped kick off the trad rock that dominated British music during the '90s” – AllMusic

Choice Cut: Wild Wood

Stanley Road

Release Date: 15th May, 1995

Label: Go! Discs

Producers: Paul Weller/Brendan Lynch

Standout Tracks: The Changingman/I Walk on Gilded Splinter/Out of the Sinking

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=80428&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/6AchAV6b4UKi1fZK3Q1aWo

Review:

““I walk on gilded splinters” carries on in a similar vein with a focus on Weller’s guitar prowess and features Noel Gallagher on acoustic guitar, Weller himself famously contributes the guitar solo on “Champagne Supernova”. “You do something to me” is one of the most beautiful tracks Weller has ever recorded and finds him in fantastic voice, it contains a mesmerising solo and some great lyrics. “Woodcutters son” takes us back to more Jam territory mixed in with some Britpop lyricism with a guest contribution from Steve Winwood (Traffic, Spencer Davis Group)

“Time passes” and “Stanley Road” are both more stripped back affairs, the latter of the two reminiscent of Weller’s work with The Style Council as he mulls over his childhood in Woking, with its almost jazz piano intro. It is also one of the poppiest tracks on the record, showing the array of talents at Weller’s disposal and the number of styles he has incorporated into his music over the years.

“Broken  Stones” has groove aplenty with its funky intro and remains one of the most recognisable tracks from the record for good reason it’s a fantastic song again with Wellers vocals front and centre.

Weller himself considers this one of his finest releases commenting that all the stars aligned on the making of this record and while has enjoyed considerable success as a solo act since, he has never scaled quite the same heights he did in the 90s peaking with this 95 masterpiece” – Words for Music

Choice Cut: You Do Something to Me

Wake Up the Nation

Release Date: 19th April, 2010

Labels: Island (U.K., E.U.)/Yep Roc Records (U.S.A.)

Producer: Simon Dine

Standout Tracks: Andromeda/In Amsterdam/Up the Dosage

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=243582&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/7zYTrbchN1TIBEUM6X3eqx  

Review:

“Occasionally his usually sure hand on the songwriting slips and it sounds unfinished, as if he started experimenting, then stopped without actually reaching a conclusion. Nevertheless, that seems a small price to pay for having this many ideas flying past you at a breathless pace: funk decorated with autoharp; chaotic, sprawling guitar topped with Jerry Lee Lewis piano; a Dusty Springfieldish ballad augmented by woozy, off-kilter strings; an instrumental influenced by Broadcast. The track 7&3 Is the Strikers' Name sees Weller returning to politics, albeit of an even less considered and nuanced variety than in the Red Wedge era, when he was wont to write things like "see how monetarism kills whole communities, even families". Here, he explores how republicanism would advance the egalitarian cause of a meritocratic democracy thus: "Them fuckers in the castles, they're all bastards, too." This clearly isn't going to win the Johan Skytte prize in political science, but there's something about the gusto of it – not to mention the fathomless layers of feedback beneath it – that's hugely exciting.

The latter is also true of Trees, a five-part suite that flails wildly from piano ballad to psychedelia to electronica to hoary soul and features Weller singing: "Once I was a man, my cock as hard as wood." It looks ridiculous on paper, and, in fairness, sounds pretty ridiculous coming out of the speakers, but the sheer conviction with which it's performed carries you along despite yourself, wearing the astonished expression almost all of Wake Up the Nation provokes. As the title of one instrumental has it, Whatever Next?” – AllMusic

Choice Cut: Wake Up the Nation

A Kind Revolution

Release Date: 12th May, 2017

Label: Parlophone

Producer: Paul Weller

Standout Tracks: Long Long Road/The Cranes Are Back/Satellite Kid

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=1178759&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/0mbzS8xzbJj3sK2n0g6nPh

Review:

“But 40 years after the release of the first Jam album, Weller -- who turns 59 later this month -- hasn’t gone completely gooey and sentimental on us. The snarling, angular art punk of “Nova” recalls Berlin-era Bowie. The bluesy strut of “The Satellite Kid” allows Weller to show the teeth of his earlier, more menacing Jam days. One of the more oddly satisfying tracks, “Hopper” -- an ode to legendary painter Edward Hopper -- is a fractured psych-pop gem that recalls Ray Davies at his most baroque. Weller’s incorporation of blues, punk, soul and British Invasion power pop all within the span of 10 tracks and 43 minutes keeps his healthy sense of eclecticism intact. With beautiful, ambitious albums like the moodily psychedelic Heliocentric and the sprawling, conceptual 22 Dreams, Weller has experienced a few minor moments of self-indulgence, but on A Kind Revolution he manages to rein it all in quite admirably.

With a long, varied career that’s managed to dip into nearly every conceivable style with great ease, Weller insists on looking forward (don’t count on a Jam reunion happening, ever), with his music taking more and more chances and conceding less and less to the whims of the industry. A Kind Revolution is a vital, confident new entry in the catalog of a man who could very easily retire but still has too much music to share” – PopMatters

Choice Cut: Nova

The Underrated Gem

 

As Is Now

Release Date: 11th October, 2005

Label: Yep Roc Records

Producers: Paul Weller/Jan ‘Stan’ Kybert

Standout Tracks: Come On / Let's Go/Here's the Good News/Savages

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=80530&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/64NotyzBKMHzqRu0LRElUm

Review:

“A year on from his covers album, the Modfather returns with his first new material in three years, and even sceptics will acknowledge it as a return to form. True, not everything matches the bouncing bass and duelling guitars of 'Blink and You'll Miss It' or the spry single 'From the Floorboards Up', but there are some great moments. 'Here's the Good News' is all Beatles modulations and 'Lovely Rita' piano; 'The Start of Forever' features fine picked acoustic guitars; and Weller lays the Surrey mockney on thick for the lively 'Come On/ Let's Go'. Not sure about the portentous piano plodders ('Pan' could almost be King Crimson) but the quirky interludes keep the pace going” – The Independent

Choice Cut: From the Floorboards Up

The Latest Album

 

On Sunset

Release Date: 3rd July, 2020

Label: Polydor

Producers: Paul Weller/Jan Kybert

Standout Tracks: Baptiste/Village/Earth Beat

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=1765601&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/1waaO5SrI0BdKtdR9YZLRu

Review:

“On Sunset finds Paul Weller returning to Polydor Records, the label both the Jam and Style Council called home back in the 1980s. Polydor and Weller parted ways after he delivered Modernism: A New Decade in 1989, an excursion into house music that the label deemed too uncommercial at the time. Ironically, On Sunset finds Weller picking up some of the threads left hanging by Modernism, not by reviving the big beat of house music but rather delving deep into soul-rock that looks forward and backward in equal measure. Reuniting with Jan Kybert -- the collaborator who co-wrote and co-produced 2015's Saturns Pattern but largely sat out its 2017 sequel, A Kind Revolution, and didn't appear at all on 2018's True Meanings -- Weller pushes himself into new textural territory, adhering to his love of soul, '60s rock, and folk yet assembling the parts in unpredictable fashions. All this is apparent from the moment the cool electronic groove underpinning the opening "Mirror Ball" starts fracturing into space, losing its rhythm and melody as it enters the stratosphere. A few other songs perform a similar trick -- particularly those like "More," which seem to stretch out across the horizon -- but that fluid sensibility enlivens the leaner tracks, most of which arrive on the second half of the album. As the songs grow tighter, Weller indulges in a few familiar obsessions -- pastoral folk vies with psych-pop in the tradition of Steve Marriott -- but everything is cloaked in a glassy, reflective sheen, one that can sound progressive or electronic or traditional depending on perspective. The ever-changing sound exists largely on the surface, not the songs themselves, as they're sturdy, winning tunes that find Weller in an appealing troubadour mode. What's different about On Sunset is that expansive hybrid of electronic and R&B, a fusion colored by just enough experimentation and craft to make the album feel fresh and distinctly belonging to Weller” – AllMusic

Choice Cut: On Sunset

The Paul Weller Book

 

Suburban 100 (Paperback)

Author: Paul Weller

Publication Date: 2nd September, 2010

Publisher: Cornerstone

Synopsis:

“This edition of Suburban 100 includes new lyrics from the critically acclaimed albums, 22 Dreams and Wake Up the Nation, which has been nominated for the Mercury Music Award.

Paul Weller first burst onto the national music scene with The Jam in 1977 and was quickly marked apart from his contemporaries as a brilliant lyricist. In a writing career that has now spanned three decades, his songs have been acclaimed, imitated and loved by many.

Suburban 100 - the first selection of Paul Weller's lyrics - draws on songs written for The Jam, The Style Council and solo releases that, together, tell stories of life and love, rage and romance. The youthful frustrations of small-town life that fuelled Weller's early writing is palpable, as is the angry but poignant response to Thatcher's Britain. His lyrics, rooted in English suburban culture, explore the hopes, dreams and crashing disappointments of ordinary people. They also revel in the mystical beauty of the English country landscape and repeatedly revisit dreamlike childhood summers.

For the first time Paul Weller shares his reflections on his lyrics, offering candid insights to his writing process and the inspiration behind some of pop music's best loved songs. Suburban 100 reveals aspects of a famously private man” – Waterstones

Order: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Suburban-100-Paul-Weller/dp/009955349X/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Suburban+100+%28Paperback%29&qid=1608562013&sr=8-2

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: NME’s 20 Best Debut Albums of 2020

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

NME’s 20 Best Debut Albums of 2020

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A few months back…

I put out a feature declaring my favourite debut albums of 2020. I don’t think many people have discussed brilliant debut albums of this year, but NME recently put out their feature of the best twenty debuts. It is an interesting article, and it alerted me to a few debut albums that I overlooked. Because of that, this Lockdown Playlist collates two songs from each of those albums. I would urge people to check it out and, if you like the sound of any of those albums, go out and buy them. Here are forty songs, taken from twenty incredible debut records, from artists who…

ARE primed for big things in the future.

FEATURE: Second Spin: All Saints – All Saints

FEATURE:

 

 

Second Spin

All Saints – All Saints

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BACK in the 1990s…

IN THIS PHOTO: All Saints in 1997/PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Roney/Getty Images 

there were quite a lot of girl groups and boybands. Those terms might not seem appropriate or correct now, but that is what they were referred to back then. All Saints are still going today and their most-recent album, Testament, was released in 2018. I feel that the U.S. R&B girl groups like Destiny’s Child had better songs, vocals and dynamics than the British equivalent. That said, there were some stronger alternatives in the U.K. By 1997, when All Saints’ debut arrived, the Spice Girls’ eponymous debut had been out for a year – they released their second album, Spiceworld, just over two weeks when All Saints arrived on the scene. Preceded by the successful single, I Know Where It’s At (which reached number-four in the U.K. charts), All Saints came out on 15th October, 1997. I think it is an album that deserves new attention because, if you look at the reviews, they are quite mixed. Maybe critics were comparing All Saints with U.S. groups like En Vogue, and Destiny’s Child – who had more attitude and, arguably, better tracks – and feeling they were not quite as strong. As this was a year when Spice Girls were really breaking out and dominating (Spiceworld was a worthy follow-up to their massive debut), I do think there was this great time where there were a variety of girl groups and boybands. En Vogue released EV3 in 1997 and, whilst it is not as remarkable as 1992’s Funky Divas, it is a great album.

Destiny’s Child released their debut single, No, No, No, very shortly after All Saints came out, so they were creating a lot of attention. I guess 1997 was a year when things were shifting. Britpop was in its late stages, and the apex of boybands and girl groups in the U.K. was also over. In terms of the most-popular albums of 1997, Radiohead’s OK Computer, Björk’s Homogenic, The Verve’s Urban Hymns, The Prodigy’s The Fat of the Land, and Foo Fighters’ The Colour and the Shape were providing something deeper, more serious and very different to what British audiences were eating up a few years previous. I think that, if All Saints came along in 1994 or 1995, then their debut might have been held in higher regard – and it would have fitted in with the height of Pop. As it is, All Saints is an album with terrific singles that sound great today, in addition to album tracks that are really interesting. I think all of the songs on All Saints’ debut has a personal touch. With group member Shaznay Lewis co-writing most of the songs, it is not a case of teams of writers directing the group and talking for them. There are a couple of diverse covers. I am not such a fan of their take on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Under the Bridge, as that original is quite gritty and personal.

Vocalist Anthony Kiedis wrote the lyrics to express feelings of loneliness and despondency and to reflect on narcotics and their impact on his life. In the hands of All Saints, the song takes on a different life and does not hit as hard. On the other side is their feisty and catchy version of Lady Marmalade (by American girl group, Labelle) - that (deservedly) went to the top of the charts. Even though it is strangely low in the tracklisting – it is track ten, when I think it should have been in the first three or four songs - the group put their own stamp on Lady Marmalade. I Know Where It’s At is a really strong and memorable first single. The stunning second single, Never for Ever, is one of the best songs of the 1990s and was another number-one for the group. It is clear that they had popularity and a huge fanbase from the start. I think, as a unit, All Saints are stronger vocalists than the Spice Girls but maybe do not have the same sort of commercial appeal – in the way they each had nicknames and coined ‘Girl Power’. I am going to bring in a review or two of the All Saints album soon but, to me, I think there is a case of the tracks being amazing but being in the wrong order. Never for Ever is a perfect opener, but I think I Know Where It’s At should have followed it – rather than the sexier and slower Bootie Call.

I think Bootie Call might be my favourite song from All Saints, but it could have been dropped to tracks five or six. Putting Bootie Call, and Under the Bridge together in the middle of the album would have been wiser and Lady Marmalade would have been a better third track; shift War of Nerves from track-twelve to a higher position on the album, then place Lady Marmalade at the end. I think the singles could be rearranged so that there is better flow, equal weighting in terms of the start, middle and end of the album, and that would allow some of the excellent remaining songs – such as Alone, and Beg - to support those singles. Some critics were just being sniffy in the sense that they might have been comparing All Saints to the harder-edged bands around or felt that the girl group scene was past its best. I would disagree. There was still a lot of demand in the market, and All Saints’ debut has a great mix of lighter and more singalong Pop with tracks that have a bit of edge and emotion. I think all five of All Saints’ five studio albums are underrated; I especially feel like the solid Saints & Sinners of 2000 was overlooked – and with singles like Black Coffee, and Pure Shores, there was no shortage of quality!

Maybe, like I have been saying, the comparisons with the Spice Girls was a bit of a burden – All Saints were their own group and were not trying to replicate them or trade in on their success. In a more mixed review, AllMusic remarked the following regarding 1997’s All Saints:

“As the first group of consequence to be saddled with the "new Spice Girls" tag, it would be reasonable to expect that All Saints would be cut-rate dance-pop without the weirdly magical charisma that made the Spices international phenomenons. It is true that All Saints lack the personality of the Spices, but they make up for that with musical skills. All four members have better voices than the Spices, and they all have a hand in writing at least one of the songs on their eponymous debut, with Shaznay Lewis taking the most writing credits. More importantly, they and their producers have a better sense of contemporary dance trends -- there are real hip-hop and club rhythms throughout the record, and samples of Audio Two, the Rampage, and (especially) Steely Dan are fresh and inventive. But what really makes the record are the songs. The singles are the standouts, with the party-ready, Steely Dan-fueled "I Know Where It's At" and the extraordinary gospel-tinged "Never Ever" leading the way, but the covers are well chosen (their take on "Under the Bridge" eclipses the Red Hot Chili Peppers', boasting a better arrangement and more convincing vocals) and the lesser songs are pleasantly melodic. Sure, there's some filler, but that should be expected on any dance-pop album. What counts is that the performances are fresh, the production is funky, and there is a handful of classic pop singles on the album, and you can't ask for much better than that from a dance-pop record, especially one from a group that almost beat the Spice Girls at their own game”.

In a more positive review, Nick Butler of Sputnikmusic gave it a positive review, giving the album it five stars out of five. He felt that the musical direction and sound "had aged well," and praised the group's creativity - he stated they were "considered the credible alternative to the Spice Girls". The singles have aged well and should be studied more by Pop artists of today. I don’t think there are many fillers on All Saints. It was an impressive debut from Shaznay Lewis, Melanie Blatt, Natalie Appleton and Nicole Appleton. The English-Canadian band originally formed in London in 1993. They started out as All Saints 1.9.7.5 and were formed by Sugababes manager Ron Tom, with members Melanie Blatt, Shaznay Lewis and Simone Rainford. After some initial disappointment, by 1996, the group were joined by sisters Nicole and Natalie Appleton and signed to London Records under their shortened name. The debut sound fully-formed and, whilst there was a six-year gap between Saints & Sinners and 2006’s Studio 1 – there was a delay and tension, apparently, in the group over an incident at a photoshoot! -, and a ten-year gap between that album and Red Flag – after Parlophone dropped the group, there was a belief they would not get back together -, they are still together today; they seem so focused and tight! It has been a rough road for the group, but I look back on the debut and I can hear that sense of togetherness and how the songs pop and fizz. There is a lot of variety that means All Saints is not just about straightforward Pop and R&B. I really like the fantastic 1997 debut and, if you get a moment, give the album a spin. To me, it is much better…

THAN people give it credit for.

FEATURE: All the Love Revisited and Remastered: The Podcast Plan: Episode One (The Dreaming)

FEATURE:

 

 

All the Love Revisited and Remastered

The Podcast Plan: Episode One (The Dreaming)

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BACK in April…

I pitched out a Kate Bush podcast, All the Love. Since then, I have made amendments and there have been delays. COVID-19 has not helped, and it has not been ideal trying to plan something fairly ambitious and involved when there is no certainty - and it is not possible to interview people in person. As things might be brighter by summer, I guess it will be easier to have a podcast where people can get together in the room and we can have something a bit more professional-sounding – I am in a quite noisy area, so it is hard to soundproof and avoid outside interference on any recording. I am pretty determined that something will come about next year, as the motivation to do a podcast has not been there in a dark year. I am aiming, ideally, to record at a particular venue/studio rather than from home. The All the Love podcast will take in Bush’s studio albums, live albums, in addition to compilations. It would provide an opportunity for people to come together to give their thoughts regarding certain albums and go through them track by track. Rather than do all the albums and compilations chronologically, I thought it would be better to take them out of sequence, in order to provide a less predictable listening experience. It brings me to the proposed first episode and which album is best to kick things off in 2021.

I have a lot of love for The Dreaming and as the song, All the Love, is from that album, it seems like a great place to begin. I have already written quite a few features about The Dreaming and various songs from it; how it was this transformative and very experimental album that was different to anything that Bush had recorded before. I have not approached people regarding speaking about The Dreaming, but author Andy Miller is someone I know loves the album. Artists such as Björk and Big Boi have cited The Dreaming as one of their favourite albums and, whilst it might be hard to get them on board, I want to have at least two guests discussing the record. Not only is the podcast’s title taken from The Dreaming, but there is so much to discuss. In addition to all the sonic incorporations and vocals Bush deploys, there are so many terrific songs that deserve new attention! In terms of Bush’s best-reviewed albums, Hounds of Love (1985), 50 Words for Snow (2011), Aerial (2005), and The Sensual World (1989) are the ones that have got the biggest praise. I think The Dreaming remains so underrated and, whilst many fans love the album, it still sort of splits critics. Maybe some are put off by how intense some songs are and the fact that, in many places, it is a dark and edgy album.

It was a leap from 1980’s Never for Ever to The Dreaming just two years later, but I think Bush producing alone for the first time allowed her the freedom she needed to take the songs where she felt fit. I want to bring in some section from a Pitchfork review of last year. There are some interesting observations:

“The Dreaming was a turning point from Kate Bush, pop star to Kate Bush, artist: a fan favorite for the same reason it was a commercial failure. Part of the Athena myth around Bush is that she arrived to EMI at 16 with a huge archive of songs, and from this quiver came most of the material for the first four albums. The Dreaming was her first album of newly composed work and for it, her first real chance to rethink her songwriting praxis and to produce the songs on her own. Using mainly a Linn drum machine and the Fairlight CMI—an early digital synth she came to master in real time—she cut and pasted layers of timbres and segments of sound rather than recording mixing lines of instruments, a method that would later be commonplace among the producer-musician. At the time, it was still considered odd, especially for a first-time producer, and especially for a young woman prone to fabulous leotards.

The result was an internal unity, a more well-paced album than anything she’d done prior. The songs are full of rhythmic drive, moody synth atmospheres, and layered vocals free of the radio-friendly hooks on earlier albums. The sounds that kept her tethered to rock—such as guitar and rock drum cymbals—are mostly absent, as are the strings that sweetened her prior work. The fretless bass—often the masculine sparring partner to her voice—is still omnipresent. The instrument that connects this all, as always, is the piano, that plodding Victorian ringmaster of Bush’s weird carnival. Considering that the same new-wave combo of drum machines, synth leads, and girlie soprano drove fellow Brits Bananarama to the top of the charts in the same year, it’s easy to hear how far Bush went to tune out the zeitgeist. Accordingly, critics didn’t quite understand it, radio mostly ignored it, and the label hated it. But the album gave Bush the space to build her dream world, and once she figured out what sounds and character should be there, she could make pop again, her way.

All this excess is her sound: a strongly held belief that unites all of the The Dreaming. Nearly half of the album is devoted to spiritual quests for knowledge and the strength to quell self-doubt. Frenetic opener “Sat in Your Lap” was the first song written for the album. Inspired by hearing Stevie Wonder live, it serves as meta-commentary of her step back from the banality of pop ascendancy that mocks shortcuts to knowledge. A similar track, “Suspended in Gaffa,” laments falling short of enlightenment through the metaphor of light bondage in black cloth stagehand tape. It is a pretty queer-femme way of thinking through the very prog-rock problem of being a real artist in a commercial theater form, which is probably why it’s a fan favorite.

The closer “Get Out of My House” was inspired by two different maternal and isolation-madness horror texts: The Shining and Alien. In all three stories, a malevolent spirit wants to control a vessel. Bush does not let the spirit in, shouts “Get out!” and when it violates her demand, she becomes animal. Such shapeshifting is a master trope in Kate Bush’s songbook, an enduring way for her music and performance to blend elements of non-Western spirituality and European myth, turning mundane moments into Gothic horror. It’s also, unfortunately, the way that women without power can imagine escape. The mule who brays through the track’s end is a kind of female Houdini—a sorceress who can will her way out of violence not with language, but with real magic. At least it works in the world of her songs, a kingdom where queerly feminine excess is not policed, but nurtured into excellence”.

I don’t think there is a weak track on The Dreaming, and it is fascinating hearing Bush as lone producer letting her imagination run wild. There were doubts from EMI that Bush should produce again after The Dreaming but, even though she was exhausted, and it was a tough album to record, the autonomy she had meant a great deal. I think The Dreaming sowed the seeds for Hounds of Love; Bush proved she could produce alone. The Dreaming was not a massive commercial success but, when Hounds of Love did so well, I feel that this was proof that she was right!

I am looking forward to exploring The Dreaming and seeing how people perceive it after all these years. It is thirty-eight years old, and I feel perceptions have slightly improved since 1982. There are still many that feel The Dreaming is too eccentric and weird; that many songs are not overly-accessible. I love the balance of sounds and how the songs are sequenced. The first single, Sat in Your Lap, opens the album. It is quite fast-flowing and has that energy that perfectly welcomes people in. It is one of the songs on the album that is not quite as ‘out-there’ as many others. There Goes a Tenner sees Bush adopting a cockney accent, whilst Pull Out the Pin is one of the less accessible (but most extraordinary) songs. There is a blend of the edgier and warmer songs, and we end with the epic Get Out of My House – inspired by the Stephen King book, it is one of the most rapturous and intense songs Bush has ever recorded. There are so many textures and different themes explored throughout The Dreaming!

In terms of the production, how Bush’s career changed, the subjects tackled in the songs, and Bush’s various accent through the album, lots of talking points are available. It makes The Dreaming a great place to start and, hoping to get All the Love started and rolling by the summer (if things are better), things would go from there – maybe taking on 50 Words for Snow, or Aerial next, before heading further back. I am baffled by some of the mixed reviews and how some people feel the album has some weak moments. Maybe it is colder and more claustrophobic than many of her albums but, as Bush was always evolving and doing something different, The Dreaming is her expanding her horizons and doing something bigger than what was on her first three albums, but also paving the way for Hounds of Love and how she came to work thereafter – producing alone and, in many ways, trusting her own instincts. The Dreaming is a remarkable and fascinating album that…

MANY people need to listen to more closely.

FEATURE: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life? Where Will Pop Music Head in 2021?

FEATURE:

 

 

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life?

IN THIS PHOTO: Billie Eilish/PHOTO CREDIT: Sebastian Sabal-Bruce

Where Will Pop Music Head in 2021?

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I know that the term ‘Pop music’ is quite general…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kylie Minogue/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

but, in my mind, I am thinking about popular artists covering a few genres, rather than something more defined and genre-specific. Like I often do, I have been looking at The Guardian’s articles. Alexis Petridis wrote a feature regarding the sound of 2020 and how things differ to last year. I want to quote a section:

“If the pandemic impacted on the sound of pop at all, it was in a shift away from melancholy introspection. While Lewis Capaldi had five of the 40 biggest songs of the year by October despite releasing no new music this year, the expected post-Capaldi glut of sad acoustic troubadours never materialised – it was hard not to wonder if labels planning to launch such acts decided to hold off on the grounds that the public tolerance for dejected solipsism had dipped – while Sam Smith’s forlorn album Love Goes noticeably failed to repeat the blockbusting sales success of its two predecessors. Instead, the music that hit big in 2020 suggested an audience keen to retreat from the present into a more comfortable, escapist space, and a wave of nostalgia manifested in a variety of ways.

The big pop trend was disco revivalism, which, in various hues, touched everything from Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia to Róisín Murphy’s Róisín Machine to Jessie Ware’s What’s Your Pleasure? to Kylie Minogue’s prosaically titled Disco, at one point the fastest-selling album of year. These were largely made before Covid hit, yet disco revivalism made a perfect kind of sense amid the strangeness of 2020. As a genre, disco is lavishly escapist, but the best of it invariably comes with a curious undertow of melancholy. It is music that celebrates the transportive hedonism of the dance floor without ever entirely forgetting that there is something out there you’re keen to be transported from”.

It could easily have been the case that musicians this year felt the weight and fear in the air and responded with music that was quite glum and tense. There have been albums like that but, as Petridis mentions a Disco revival – with artists like Kylie Minogue, Dua Lipa, and Róisín Murphy giving a new spin on a classic genre – and the fact that many artists have been releasing music that nods to the past, we have not only witnessed quite a lot of joy and energy, but also a great mix of modern and forward-thinking artists splicing in older sounds to create something progressive and stunning. One cannot say that all music by our most popular artists has been upbeat. Even when we have heard Disco -inspired albums from Jessie Ware and Dua Lipa, there has been sadness and an undercurrent of loss on certain songs. I don’t think Pop or Disco is synonymous with uplift as a whole but, in a really bad year, so many albums have burst with colour and life! Alongside albums that have been harder-hitting and more political, brilliant releases from Charli XCX (how I’m feeling now), Rina Sawayama (SAWAYAMA), Tame Impala (The Slow Rush), Chloe x Halle (Ungodly Hour), and Lady Gaga (Chromatica) have delivered some huge rushes. Whilst there has not been a definitive sound of 2020, I think there has been a lot more positive and fun than I was expecting – in terms of the tone of albums and the energy levels.

It has been an awesome year for music where artists right across the board have delivered sensational albums. I am always interested by the way Pop evolves and how it is impacted by politics and the larger world. From Disco queens brings elements of the 1970s and 1980s to a modern template, to those fusing together early-2000s sounds together with something original, I think it has been a much more interesting and fulfilling year than the past few. From a more mature sound of Taylor Swift’s folklore, and evermore, to some beautiful music from Laura Marling (Song for Our Daughter), and a career-high album from Nadine Shah (Kitchen Sink), there has been so much variety and quality! In terms of the most popular artists and how music will transition in 2021…I think we will see more of the same, but with some additions. Many artists recorded their albums before the pandemic was announced, but many were writing and recording whilst in lockdown. Next year, for the first few months, will be kind of similar to this one. I think there will be a lot of albums looking back on 2020 and how we tackled a tough year as people. I do feel that Pop artists will produce some big and bright albums with some more stirring and personal moments; I don’t think we will see a return to the wave of more doom-laden and downbeat acoustic artists that seemed to be everywhere as recently as a few years back.

I am not sure what is already slated for 2021, but I do think there will be more albums with a Disco tinge; quite a few bigger and rising artists looking back and taking inspiration from past decades. That has always been the case but, in a year we all want to forget, it is expected that so many are finding comfort and inspiration in older music. The sense of nostalgia, I don’t think, will be too overwhelming, and I think we will hear a lot of optimism and hope in 2021. As I said, many will look back and give an overview of the world in 2020, but with things looking more promising in 2021 there will be a lot of albums that exude something warmer and more hopeful. That is not to say that next year will be similar to this one. Maybe comfort and tenderness will be more prevalent than outright joy and big choruses, but it has been interesting to see more warmth and positivity come into Pop. I have written several articles about Pop music and whether it has stagnated and is too downbeat. That was definitely the case in the past, but I have heard a lot of wonderfully variegated music that not only harks back to the best Pop of the 1980s and 1990s, but it is very inventive and nuanced – so many songs and albums still in my head. It will be very hard for artists planning on releasing albums next year.

Nobody knows for sure when live music will return and when they can promote their work like they did pre-pandemic. We hope that the worst is over and things will be significantly better by Easter, but there are no guarantees at all. I want to finish by returning to that article from The Guardian, as one interesting point was raised: artists who are not touring and out there have more time to write. I do think a lot of the biggest artists are so busy during the year that writing can be a drain; either that or they are quite fatigued – and that can feed into their music. Not that lockdown and isolation has cheered artists up, but there has been increased productivity from many; others have listened to other music more and incorporated it into their own sounds:

“It is telling that for all the undoubted misery and upheaval caused by the shutdown of live events, some pop artists – particularly women – seemed empowered by being temporarily unshackled from the album/promotion/tour cycle. It is unlikely that Taylor Swift would have made two albums this year had she been required to promote the first one live. Currently in the process of following up her vastly successful breakthrough When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? when she should have been touring the world, Billie Eilish recently said: “As much as I wished that I had been able to have the year I was planning on having and tour and blah blah blah, we would never have made this album … we would have made something, but it would have been completely different.” Whether the music industry takes notice of this and alters its approach to promotion and touring remains to be seen – either way, a year stuck in the past may have irrevocably changed pop’s future”.

This year has seen a transformation in terms of Pop’s outlook and model, and I predict we will see further change and extraordinary releases. Whether there is more hope and togetherness in terms of the lyrics or bold compositions and more revisionism, it will be interesting to see. I do think that 2020 has seen Pop transcend to new heights, not just in terms of quality and emotional variety but the way artists have adapted in such a retched year. Even though a lot of 2021 will be quite restricting and strange, I think we will see Pop artists and music…

GETTING better and better.

FEATURE: My Artist of 2020: Arlo Parks

FEATURE:

 

 

My Artist of 2020

Arlo Parks

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I am going to do a few end-of-year features…

PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Kurunis for AnOther

before 2020 is done, as it is good to do a round-up and mark a strange-yet-remarkable year for music. Whilst there are polls and publications nominating artists to look out for in 2021 – I will do something like that soon -, I wanted to reflect on the year and represent the artist who, I think, has made the biggest impression. In terms of promise for 2021 and what she has put out in 2020, I feel that Arlo Parks has stood out the most. Her debut, Collapsed in Sunbeams, is out on 29th January…and it will be one of the most-anticipated of next year. On last year’s E.P., Super Sad Generation, Parks produced a truly extraordinary collection of tracks. This is what Vinyl Chapters said:

“On her ravishing debut, Super Sad Generation, Parks weaves a series of lovelorn, stark and mournful narratives around her wistful, beguiling and softly-spoken croon, slippery drum sounds, flu-sick flecks of vinyl static and digitised tweeting, deftly painting pictures with words. Themes of mental illness, economic instability, raging desire and heartbreak illuminate a taut set whose myriad charms and saturnine depths proliferate with repeated exposure.

The lyrics of the title track exemplify the disorderliness and tumult portrayed throughout a record whose currency is that of getting wasted, falling in and out of love and holding out for optimism amidst the enveloping gloom: “When did we get so skinny/Started doing ketamine on weekends/ Getting wasted at the station/Trying to keep our friends from death”.

The morose lope of Sophie and the prettily acoustic Angel’s Song are stand-outs of an album which operates as a canvas for the ominous and unsettling outpourings of a self-described outsider, a loner who started off moulding scratchy spoken-word pieces which morphed into fully-formed nuggets of lo-fi pop. Elliptical traces of Portishead, Denai Moore, Lily Allen and Corinne Bailey Rae hover into view intermittently, but this is very much the work of a fascinating and singular talent. Beset by a wounded insecurity that’s both pained and intoxicating, Arlo Parks has created a brilliantly tense and brooding record in Sweet Sad Generation”.

I am going to bring in a couple of interviews that Park conducted, as she is an artist who has grown and is looking forward to a (let’s hope!) great 2021. I think her album will garner a lot of attention and love and, with singles such as Caroline, and Green Eyes really sticking in the mind, I am really looking forward to hearing Collapsed in Sunbeams! Independent Venue Week takes place in January and, in one of the most important years, Arlo Parks has been named as its Ambassador. Even though artists have not been able to perform live much this year, I have seen a couple of streams where Parks has delivered her songs in a somewhat different setting. She can create chills and incredible reactions whether she is in front of a crowd or almost alone in a room. I know she will be keen to get on the road and perform as soon as it is safe.

Parks recently spoke with Shannon Mahanty of AnOther - she was asked about her lyrical inspirations and what it has been like putting a debut album together during such a challenging year:

“SM: The opening line of the song is about watching a couple fight while waiting for the bus, are you much of a people-watcher? How does the behaviour of strangers inform your music?

AP: I write from a personal perspective, but sometimes seeing something in the street like that will spark something that reminds me of my own experiences. Caroline was the first time I’d written about strangers, generally I’m inspired by the things that have happened to me or the people close to me, but I do watch people; even facial expressions or clothes can be the start of something.

I wrote Caroline during lockdown, in March. I remembered having seen this couple having a fight outside Hammersmith Broadway, near where I live. It was really difficult to know without context whether that was an explosion that might happen monthly or whether that fight was the end for that couple and that’s kind of the point of the song. The ambiguity really interested me. I was listening to a lot of Radiohead – In Rainbows and Hail to the Thief – and The Streets, particularly their first album, Original Pirate Material. That idea of storytelling really came through.

SM: Your lyrics tend to stand out for their emotional frankness. What do you attribute that quality to?

AP: I’ve always been quite a direct person. As kids if we were ever sulking or upset about something, my parents would always say, “What’s happened? Tell us how you feel.” I always found that really helpful; talking something through and vocalising what’s wrong. I’ve found that internalising things just makes them come up in uglier ways further down the line, so it’s definitely something I’ve tried to maintain throughout my life.

SM: How has the pandemic impacted work on your debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams?

AP: The reason why it was so helpful was really being able to sit with my thoughts and really think about what message I want to put forward and what I wanted it to sound like, because I’ve never written an album before. Having that extra time really gave me space to breathe and to experiment as well.

I think Collapsed in Sunbeams is definitely a product of its environment, but I guess I’ll never know whether I would have done this anyway. We kept the same method in terms of getting an Airbnb and writing and recording in there. I approached it very much song by song, I would just wake up and say OK, I’ve been listening to Nick Drake or I’ve been listening to Portishead; let’s do something like that today. I tried to not put pressure on myself. I was very concerned before the pandemic about finding a thread and knowing what the concept was going to be, but having space allowed me to just focus on each song as it came”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Waespi for W Magazine

One of the most evident and touching elements of Arlo Parks’ work is her sense of empathy and warmth. I think a lot of songwriters project from a personal place, but the songs can often by quite detached or they lack a certain sense of understanding of others. Even though Parks (on her website) says that her tender and confessional style of music is inspired by Portishead and Earl Sweatshirt, I think that people in general motivate her work and feed into every note. I want to grab from an interview from The Guardian, where we get some explanation as to why Parks’ music has that warmth; we also learn how Parks processes her thoughts when things get too much:

“She calls this her superpower, even if it does leave her spent. “Sometimes I’m just giving, and giving to people who aren’t always deserving. But I’ve learned to listen and approach people without judgment. I’ve had so many conversations with so many different kinds of people – it’s opened my heart, which is useful when I’m writing songs.”

“This skill was something she adopted from her parents, whom she describes as “extroverted, warm people”. Her father is from Nigeria, while her mother was born in France. Growing up, she says, “we were always encouraged to talk about our feelings. That sense of transparency, that sense of unconditional acceptance, was instilled in me very young. I feel grateful because not everyone has that. There was nothing that was seen as too small or shameful to discuss.”

That openness is manifested in her music. Parks says she always understood her bisexuality to be part of herself. Her song Eugene is about falling in love with a straight best friend, but explores the confusion and jealousy of the situation without shame or self-castigation.

When it does all get too much, meditating and writing a journal help Parks to process things, as does her team, filled “with women and people from different backgrounds, as that’s what makes me feel held”. The journals also remind her why she writes songs. “I found one from when I was 13 and it said: ‘I want to make music because I want to help people’,” she says. “When you approach the world with such vulnerability and openness, people return that energy. It’s draining, but it fills me with a purpose. I wouldn’t trade it for anything”.

I would advise people to order a copy of Collapsed in Sunbeams, as there are some familiar tracks (Black Dog, Eugene, Caroline, Green Eyes) sitting alongside some songs we have not yet heard. After such a bad year, it will be great to have Arlo Parks’ debut album out there! I think her singles, live performances and words have moved so many people, and she is an artist who will dominate 2021. It may seem like things are at their peak when it comes to Parks and the love she will receive but, really, things have…

ONLY just begun.

FEATURE: High from the Rocket’s Tail: Kate Bush and the Wonders of the Trio Bulgarka

FEATURE:

 

 

High from the Rocket’s Tail

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush and the Trio Bulgarka 

Kate Bush and the Wonders of the Trio Bulgarka

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WHEN talking about Kate Bush and her music…

I do not often mention artists and musicians who appear on her songs. If there is a well-known collaboration, then that will come to my attention - there are other voices and players that are not as well known that I have not mentioned. I have written before about the vocals in Kate Bush’s work and how she layered her own voice, delivered accents and used other singers. Up until The Sensual World in 1989, there were not many people outside of Bush’s band/musicians providing backing vocals. Apart from Roy Harper singing backing on Breathing (from Never for Ever) and a few other examples, most of the vocals were handled by Bush. The Red Shoes (1993) is especially full when it comes to other voices, and whilst some do not work and sound out of place, there are some that really stick in the mind. Kate Bush has always been experimental and open-minded when it came to incorporating other sounds and nationalities into her work. Through her career, she has taken us on a musical tour of the world; many people might not even be aware of all the different instruments and tones that are going into the blend! Her brother, Paddy, was pretty key when it came to giving his sister inspiration and new sounds. The Trio Bulgarka are, to me, one of the most important aspects of The Sensual World, and The Red Shoes.

Before exploring some of the songs they appeared on, here is an illustrative article from the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia that explains who the Trio Bulgarka are – and an interview where Kate Bush mentioned them:

“Trio Bulgarka (also known as 'Three Golden Coins', previously known as 'Bulgarka Folk Trio') is a Bulgarian vocal ensemble, consisting of Stoyanka Boneva, Yanka Rupkina and Eva Georgieva. Their diversity of regional backgrounds - they came from three different Bulgarian regions - enabled them to create a unique sound to their music. They signed to record labels Bulgaria Balkanton and Hannibal in 1987. In 1988 their debut album 'The Forest Is Crying' was released.

Kate Bush apparently heard this album - and its predecessor 'Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares', which the Trio contributed to and which was released in the UK in 1986 - and wanted to use the trio on recordings for her 1989 album The Sensual World. They sang on three tracks: Deeper Understanding, Never Be Mine and Rocket's Tail. In 1993, they also appeared on the songs The Song Of Solomon, Why Should I Love You and You're The One on the album The Red Shoes”.

 “Suddenly, there I was working with these three ladies from a completely different culture. I've never worked with women on such an intense creative level, and it was something strange to feel this very strong female energy in the studio. It was interesting to see the way the men in the studio reacted to this. Instead of just one female, there was a very strong female presence. (Terry Atkinson, The Baffling, Alluring World of Kate Bush, Los Angeles Times, 28 January 1990.)”.

I think the three songs that the Trio Bulgarka appear on are some of the best from The Sensual World. Even though Bush re-recorded Deeper Understanding, and Never Be Mine for 2011’s Director’s Cut, I don’t think that is an indication regarding her feelings about the Trio’s performances. They are sublime and add something incredible to the songs, but I think Bush wanted to strip the songs out and approach them from a different angle. Rocket’s Tail is a song the Trio Bulgarka recorded on The Sensual World that has not been revised. The Sensual World is quite a busy album in terms of the instruments and compositions, but there are not that many backing vocals. I think the weight and power of the Trio Bulgarka on three songs really does not need embellishment. Even though the Trio Bulgarka spoke very little English, there was a clear and easy bond between them and Bush where there was no need for an interpreter. Even though their translation of Bush’s words was not always accurate (sometimes intentional), they held a lot of affection for her. Borimira Nedeva (who worked as a facilitator during The Sensual World) said, of the sessions where the Trio worked with her, that her gentleness was infectious – how they could not help falling in love with her. Bush first heard of the Trio Bulgarka in 1985 during the sessions for Hounds of Love. With the force of Yanka Rupkina (who provides a solo vocal on Deeper Understanding, and Rocket’s Tail), Eva Georgieva, and Stoyanka Boneva getting into Bush’s heart and mind, it was love at first sight (or listen?). There was a bit of influence from Bulgarian music in the West, but there were not a lot of artists tuning into the prowess and beauty of this amazing nation’s music.

When Paddy Bush introduced the music to his sister, she was blown away. The Trio used diaphonic stylings – the lead sings a melody as the others hold a single drone note -, and there is o much new technique and magic in their style and delivery that was foreign to many ears in the West. Bush delayed approaching the Trio Bulgarka as she was not sure whether Bulgarian Folk would fit on a more transitional Pop album and whether they would want to do it. Bush made a call to producer Joe Boyd – who had worked with the Trio in 1986 -, and she found herself traveling to Sofia (the Bulgarian capital) in October 1988. This was quite bold for her, as she had not travelled a huge amount in recent years; Bulgaria was a very different culture and backdrop to what she was used to! She spent a weekend in Sofia, and they all returned to London a week later to work on the three songs from The Sensual World. Bush was looking for inspiration and direction after Hounds of Love, and it was not until 1987 when she had that push (thanks to Graeme Thomson’s Under the Ivy: The Life & Music of Kate Bush for this information). Not to say that the Trio Bulgarka transformed Kate Bush’s music and define The Sensual World, but it was a clear spark that took her music to a different plain.

It is clear that there is a lot of new-found female energy on The Sensual World, and I feel the Trio Bulgarka are a big part of that. I can’t think whether Bush had used any female singers on her albums prior to 1989 – I don’t think so -, so it was clear she was stepping in a new direction. There is pain and loss on The Sensual World, but there is also warmth and sensuality; a lot of the new passion and beauty that radiates from the album is from the Trio Bulgarka. Despite some important and notable sonic changes between Hounds of Love, and The Sensual World, the big role of the Trio Bulgarka is the most obvious and resonant change. Rocket’s Tail is a song that Bush could not rework for Director’s Cut, as it is so much about the Trio Bulgarka and their unique gift. Even though the song is (partly) about one of Bush’s new kittens (after the passing of her beloved Zoodle in 1987), Rocket’s Tail is more about risk-taking and living in the moment. Bush flew to Sofia with Joe Boyd in October 1988 to meet the Trio Bulgarka. It was an eventful few days. One of the biggest problems was translation and adapting Bush’s music. The Trio and Bush spent two days in a small room; she had a beat box and they worked on how to melt their vocals and get the song down.

Not a lot was achieved that weekend but, when they moved to Angel Studios in London, work recommenced. Bush put the Trio around a single microphone and, in these long sessions, things started to come together. There was this great bond between them so, with that trust, Yanka Rupkina improvised an incredible solo (based on a translated suggestion from Bush) and this incredible rocket-like noise and explosion was created. The Trio were not able to communicate in English, so there was a lot of improvisation in the studio. I will move on, but I just want to bring in another article from the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia where the song is discussed (through interview archives of Bush):

“I wrote this for the trio, really, musically, in that I wanted a song that could really show them off. The other two songs that they appear on were already structured and in a way they had to very much fit around the song's structure to become a part of it, but this song they were there en masse, really, the whole song was based around them. And I wrote it on a synthesizer with a choir sound and just sang along. We put John's on and I had no idea if their voices were going to work on it at all, really, so the whole thing hung on the fact of whether when we went out to Bulgaria, whether it worked or not. And the arranger we worked with out there was such a brilliant man.

 In some ways, I think that the fact that we didn't speak the same language made our communication much easier because he seemed to know exactly what I wanted, and, really, just after a few hours he was coming up with the most incredible tunes, and I just had to say "Oh yes, I like that one", "Er, no, not too keen on that one," "Umm, that's lovely!" and just go away and write it out. It was incredible, I've never worked like that before, so quickly with someone I've never met before. It was really exciting to find that kind of chemistry. (...)

Rocket is one of my cats, and he was the inspiration for the subject matter for the song, because he's dead cute [laughs]. And it's very strange subject matter because the song isn't exactly about Rocket, it's kind of inspired by him and for him, but the song, it's about anything. I guess it's saying there's nothing wrong with being right here at this moment, and just enjoying this moment to its absolute fullest, and if that's it, that's ok, you know. And it's kind of using the idea of a rocket that's so exciting for maybe 3 seconds and then it's gone, you know that's it, but so what, it had 3 seconds of absolutely wonderful... [laughs]  (Roger Scott, BBC Radio 1 (UK), 14 October 1989)

For a couple of friends this song was very phallic. I was so concerned I tried to change the "it was the biggest rocket I could find" line but "the most expensive rocket I've ever seen" wasn't quite the same. It's just the idea a rocket is only there for three seconds but those three seconds are lived fully and totally. ('Love, Trust and Hitler'. Tracks, November 1989)

It was a vehicle to get their voices on a track in as dominant a way as possible. So I put this down with a DX7 choir sound so it had this kind of vocal feel. Then we got a drummer in and got this big Rock 'n' Roll thing going. Then I got some friends in to hear what it would sound like with big block vocals singing behind my voice, and although they were English people that sing completely differently, it still gave me a sense of vocal intensity. So these two friends must have spent all day trying to sing like Bulgarians. But it was so useful, because there were so many things I immediately understood we couldn't do, and lots of things it felt like we could do.

So we took it to Bulgaria and started working with this arranger. I told him what I wanted, and he just went off and said "what about this?" and they were great. He kept giving me all these things to choose from, and we worked so well together. It was so good that we decided to hold the drum kit - it was originally starting much earlier in the song. Then we let Dave Gilmour rip on it, so we'd have this really extreme change from just vocals to this hopefully big Rock 'n' Roll kit, with bass, and guitar solos. (Tony Horkins, 'What Katie Did Next'. International Musician, December 1989)”.

Many have noted how the Trio Bulgarka’s contributions on The Sensual World transform the record and really stand out. There was this connection and trust between them and Bush, and one feels shivers and electricity when they sing.

Although the Trio played a smaller role on The Red Shoes, it was no less an important contribution. Bush has worked with different singers before, but it was rare that she would invite them back for another album – I am referring to those outside her band and singers brought in especially. Although The Red Shoes features Lenny Henry and Prince (on Why Should I Love You?), it is the Trio Bulgarka’a performances (arranged by Dimitar Penev; he arranged them for The Sensual World) on The Song of Solomon, Why Should I Love You?, and You’re the One that, once more, stand out! Maybe they are less at the forefront then before – The Red Shoes is a denser and more layered album - but they definitely make an impact. I think they are best on You’re the One but, provided with less remarkable material than on The Sensual World, they couldn’t soar and high and proudly. I would recommend this great podcast for more story and background to Kate Bush and the Trio Bulgarka forming this wonderful partnership. I have not gone into amazing depth regarding the Trio Bulgarka and Kate Bush and their time together, but I wanted to mention these extraordinary singers who helped turn The Sensual World into a masterpiece. On songs such as Rocket’s Tail, they lit a fuse and took the music…

TO a different world.

FEATURE: Five Years: Remembering David Bowie

FEATURE:

 

 

Five Years

Remembering David Bowie

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2016 was a devastating year where….

we lost some huge musicians, including Prince. David Bowie died on 10th January - and I can’t believe that it has nearly been five years since we lost the genius! Releasing his twenty-fifth and final studio album, Blackstar, two days before he died, we had this strange week where we celebrated one of David Bowie’s very best albums and then, so soon, we had to process his death! It is strange to think that Bowie would have known he would die before he could realise how his album affected people. Very few people knew that Bowie was even ill – he died of liver cancer at the age of sixty-nine. Since his death, there have been special releases and stuff that has come out. One of the most recent, I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74), was released as part of Record Store Day on 29th August. As a very sad anniversary is approaching, BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio 4 are celebrating his life. This article from Music Week explains more:

“BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio 4 have announced Bowie Five Years On, a series of programmes to celebrate David Bowie’s life and work on the fifth anniversary of his passing.

Since his death, David Bowie’s sales and streams have continued strongly thanks to a reissues campaign from Warner Music. The 2016 Legacy collection is still in the Top 75 and has sales to date of 578,500, according to the Official Charts Company.

The BBC celebration of his life includes Bowie: Dancing Out In Space, a two-hour show to be simulcast for the first time between BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 6 Music, as well a host of other content across the two networks.

Elsewhere across the BBC, the anniversary will see a BBC Radio 2 Sounds Of The 70s special, and a BBC Four night of programming (January 8) with another chance to see some classic Bowie documentaries, including David Bowie: The Last Five Years.

On Sunday, January 10, the fifth anniversary of his death, 6 Music and Radio 4 will air Bowie: Dancing Out In Space (8-10pm). This special show, presented by Stuart Maconie with leading figures from music, dance, literature, philosophy, technology and comedy, will explore the impact of David Bowie on their lives and how he always managed to be ahead of the curve.

Programming across 6 Music throughout the day will mark Bowie’s achievements. David Bowie Star Special airs from 1pm-2pm. Rarely heard since it was made in 1979, in this programme Bowie presents some of his favourite music, which ranges from The Velvet Underground to Elgar and Little Richard to The Mekons.

From January 4-6 on 6 Music, Marc Riley (7-9pm) will be airing again a three-part interview with Geoff MacCormack, Bowie’s lifelong friend, that was originally broadcast on the first anniversary of bowie’s death in 2017.

Radio 4 programming includes Archive on 4: Bowie Verbatim (January 9, 8pm), a repeat of an episode about the story of David Bowie's life and career told in his own words.

 Samantha Moy, head of BBC Radio 6 Music, said: “We miss David Bowie. To think of the music he would have made, the words he would have written, the thoughts and ideas he would have shared with the world – his absence is more keenly felt as each year passes. His influence is woven into the fabric of 6 Music and is kept alive by the curious spirit of our listeners. The broadcast of Dancing Out In Space – a programme celebrating the ultimate trailblazer – with our friends at Radio 4 will be a very special moment and testament to the legacy of an absolute icon.”

Mohit Bakaya, controller, BBC Radio 4, said: “David Bowie was a rare and beautiful beast – an artist whose life and work spoke to people in all walks of life, with an intellectual curiosity and instinctive drive that meant he was always one step ahead of the pack. He’s an artist that many of the Radio 4 audience will have grown up listening to as well as being the defacto patron saint of 6 Music, so I’m delighted that we’re coming together, station to station, with an eclectic mix of thinkers, musicians, writers and critics to discuss the great man’s music and ideas”.

It will be wonderful listening to the programmes and learning more about David Bowie and his brilliant songwriting. So many people across various fields have been impacted by Bowie; not just in terms of his music, but his image, art, personality and the way he thought. Just think about the musical evolutions that occurred so regularly and how he could inhabit different guises…you can trace that to so many artists since who have been moved by Bowie’s almost limitless ability.

I don’t think that everything Bowie touched turned to gold; he did release a few average albums in his lifetime. That said, I am reconnecting with albums that I have not heard in a while – such as 2003’s Reality, and Black Tie White Noise of 1993. I think even many of the lesser-heralded albums have stunning music on them, and there is always debate as to which David Bowie album is the very best. I really love Station to Station, as it came between Young Americans in 1975, and Low in 1977. The 1976-released Station to Station is different to both of those albums; a great trio of albums that explored different genres and subjects. I like the longer and more experimental songs on Station to Station, but I have affection for so many Bowie albums and the way he always remained original, pioneering, unpredictable and thrilling. It is such a shame that he left us long before we were ready. As a musician, Bowie has really inspired me as a music lover and journalist…and I know so many people who owe a debt to him. It will be upsetting looking back on the fifth anniversary of his death, although it is clear that his spirit and legacy will never die. He is one of the greatest artists the world will ever see and, closer to the anniversary, I want to go into more depth regarding various aspects and how he transformed music and popular culture. Listen to the music and magic of David Bowie and experience a human being who is…

STILL so deeply missed.

FEATURE: The Clique Inside: A New Kate Bush Fan Club Community for 2021

FEATURE:

 

 

The Clique Inside

 A New Kate Bush Fan Club Community for 2021

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MAYBE I have nodded to this before…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush performing Wuthering Heights on Top of the Pops in 1978

when I was discussing the books, HomeGround, and how that is a chronical of the Kate Bush fan club, HomeGround, that ran from 1982 to 2011. They would publish regular fanzines with articles, photos, poems and other bits and pieces from fans and the press. It was a great way to keep updated with everything Kate Bush and, sadly, it ended after all of that time. I guess there is the digital takeover so, in this age, something more traditional is always going to be threatened. We still have music magazines, but I wonder whether they will decline in years to come. You do not really get fanzines and fan clubs anymore; it is another one of those things that seems to have gone with the advent and growth of the Internet. I have speculated before but, as Kate Bush’s fan numbers continues to rise and there is this affection from all corners of the globe, why isn’t there a club or community that can draw us all together? I don’t think restarting the fanzine would be a bad idea because, as always, there is a demand for physical music – I think there is also a desire for the printed word. There is something more personal about a printed fanzine, and I like the fact that you can compile so many interesting things into this magazine or paper. Maybe it would be a bit old-skool, but I think there is this growing demand for Kate Bush and her work and there isn’t really a worldwide fan club.

I don’t know whether any conventions could take place as that used to happen years ago. Bush would occasionally attend, and it was a way for fans to come together and show their appreciation for a heroine. I would say that, since the 1980s and 1990s, the fanbase is broader and more devoted. One does not really get to connect with Kate Bush fans through the Internet. There are so many different tweets and posts daily and, aside from The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever – where fans get together each year to recreate the video for Wuthering Heights (the U.S. version) -, there is not that much community en masse. Maybe there are smaller clubs here and there but, as we have felt disconnected and distant this year, I do think that something akin to the HomeGround fanzine would be great. It is wonderful seeing so much love for Bush and her music. I don’t think that will diminish, so how many would object to a fan club?! I reckon it would be a great way of not only getting fans together around the world on an annual basis, but it would provide a space for fans to share their memories and favourite Kate Bush music. I published a feature recently after MARINA announced a fanzine, MARINAZINE, and it got me thinking about how artists are trying to get closer to fans.

It is really difficult having a bond with fans when everything is digital. This move from MARINA seemed like the start of something bigger. Not to say that Kate Bush herself would spearhead a fanzine or fan club, but I do know how much she means to so many people so, rather than there being all this Internet love she may never see, a return to the older ways would be awesome! Not only could there be a fairly regular fanzine printed and sent – either every month or a few times a year -, but a great new fan club would be something more than retro throwback. It would give fans this community and, more than that, I think it would give people/fans a more physical and human connection with her work. I think 2021 will be a busy year regarding Kate Bush. Maybe not in terms of her releasing music, though many artists will cover her songs and there will be salutes from the media, in addition to a massive wave of affection from social media. This year was pretty eventful, as several magazines focused on Kate Bush – which goes to show that she is as popular now as ever. I would love for there to be this fan club that starts off small and has its own fanzine and, as it brings in more people and big names, it keeps growing and there is this wonderful thing that joins fans together! I shall leave it there, but I have been thinking about how artists are represented now in terms of fandom and how impersonal and disconnected it seems. I suppose that is the way things go with things moving more online, but that does not mean we have to ignore things of the past and rekindle the notion of fanzines and fan clubs. Maybe, as Kate Bush record label is called Fish People, a fan club/fanzine could be called the same/similar; a way to illustrate how there is an ocean of support and love…

 FOR a musicians we all admire so much.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Denise Chaila

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

 PHOTO CREDIT: Shane Serrano 

Denise Chaila

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I am going to bring in a few interviews…

because there is a lot to know and respect about Denise Chaila. Although she has just released her debut mixtape, GO Bravely, Chaila has been on the music scene since 2012. Born in Chikankata, Zambia, she moved to Limerick, E.I.R.E. and has made a name for herself there. An incredible rapper and musical talent, her debut E.P., Duel Citizenship, came out in 2019 - and it marked her out as a major name. There is a lot of buzz around her after the release of her debut mixtape and, when you listen to her music, you can feel this rising talent primed for a lot of success and popularity! Her fanbase is growing all the time; I am already a big supporter of what she is putting out. Many might think that E.I.R.E. is not quite as productive and standout when it comes to amazing artists, but there is such a hotbed of quality there. I especially think that the female artists of the country are especially strong and, whilst gender inequality on radio playlists is starting to improve, there is still a way to go. There are some interviews that I want to grab from so, first, we get some introduction from IMAGE (when they spoke with Denise Chaila back in September):

“Born in Zambia, Denise lived there until the age of eight when she moved to Ireland with her family. Her formative years were spent in the same manner as any other Irish teenager, and she disagrees with people who box her into one category. She believes her heritage to be fluid, saying: "I feel as much raised by Zambia as I do by Ireland but when I was trying to find my own voice and seeing who I was as a person, that was happening in Lucan when I was begging my mom to let me go to the GAA discos. It's just funny when I hear people attach me so closely to an idea of Zambianess that I am not going to model perfectly."

This fluidity has influenced her music by what she calls her "healthy disregard for borders" and her healthy scepticism of people who do. A point of frustration for her is the stereotyping of identity which joins in tandem with issues such as race”.

The subject of identity and finding a place in Ireland is a subject that comes up a lot in interviews. It is clear that there are not many Rap/Grime artists like Chaila in the country. I still think there are some in Ireland that have a perception of what ‘Irishness’ is and the way people fit in. That sounds like the country isn’t progressive but, through her career, she has faced some challenges and pushback. Chaila recently appeared on a chat-show in Ireland – which I shall mention soon – and she talked about racism she received following an Other Voices performance ("I felt like it was actually a moment for me to realise I needed to be more responsible about how I navigated my blackness in this country because up until that point and with all of the Black Live s Matter protest, we had been talking... We had been vocal but it took a very long time for white people in this country to see the reality of the trauma and the wound that black Irish people deal with”). Maybe that is a minority who are to blame, but there are some in Ireland who have a narrow mentality and cannot accept anyone who does not fit into their ideals of an ‘Irish artist’ – whether that is white or someone who performs Folk. When she spoke with gal-dem, Chaila discussed Irish identity and home:

“I had this identity crisis cos going to Zambia…it’s like going back to your house and finding out your parents turned your bedroom into an AirBNB. It’s still your house, you still grew up there. But it’s kinda not your room anymore in the same way it used to be – you don’t have sole ownership of it.

Whereas living over here, in Ireland, kinda felt like moving out for the first time and staying with a friend. But you moved into their house, right? And you co-own it and you’re renting it out but you don’t really wanna put your feet up on the table sometimes.

How quickly is the culture of the house gonna change, what can you take ownership of? Can I leave my stuff in the fridge overnight? Am I able to cook in the kitchen by myself or are you going to have a fit if I use this cutlery instead of this cutlery? And at some point you have to lay down the law and be like, “I pay rent here too!”. We came from other houses. This home that we made together, it is only right and normal that we’d carry on some habits from what we learned and how we grew. But if you try to enforce your mother’s law in our kitchen, I’m gonna fight you, because it’s our kitchen – we both need room in the cupboards.

Imagining Ireland put me on the bill – and I’m a grime artist. I don’t make folk music, I’m not talking about Irishness in my bars the same way someone who’s white Irish who has a lineage and a heritage that they can trace in this land has. Grime in Ireland is still quite new, the history and richness of it, however, are not.

A lot of everything that I’m doing and saying completely flies in the face of “traditional Irishness” because I am self-created and I revel and celebrate that in so many ways that depart from what nationalism says you should value yourself as. I start to talk and I open my mouth and just by virtue of being black I’m getting people shook. People don’t want to hear that or question or integrate the idea of “Irishness” – but all of these things that you’re basing your Irishness on seem quite flimsy. Like [people will say to me] “you can’t be Irish cos if you’re Irish then what does Irishness even mean?” – and I’m like, if the definition of Irishness is that fragile it deserves to crumble. If it’s just folk music and whiteness then it’s going to crumble”.

I want to end with a review of her new album, GO Bravely, as it is one of the best releases of this year – and one of the finest debut mixtapes. Denise Chaila recently appeared on The Late Late Show in Ireland; her performance garnered a lot of praise from those who noted how confident and assured she was. She spoke to Hot Press about the experience:

“Stuart: Were you nervous about performing and chatting with Ryan Tubridy on the Late Late Show?

Denise: I was nervous about the appearance weeks in advance. I’m rarely sick to my stomach about something but I know the importance it has as an institution in Irish TV. I was running through disastrous scenarios in my head, like what if I go there and embarrass myself in front of the nation? There just seems to be so much weight attached to it. I leant into the fact that I’m rarely alone, the guys are always with me. Somebody is there to catch me when my anxiety spikes and pats me on my shoulder and says, “You’re doing great, don’t overthink this, you’re going to overthink this but don’t be mean to yourself.”

For many of us, music plays a very important role in our lives, and it can be hugely powerful and comforting. It is clear that music and communication is vital to Denise Chaila. Music came into her life at a very young age and spoke to her in a very moving way.

In the interview with Hot Press, she was asked when the transformative power of music became apparent to her – she was also asked about lockdown and how she has fared this year:

“I said my first words at seven months, so it was obvious I was going to be a talker. For a long time we said in my family that I was going to be a politician. That’s the frame of reference they had for people who wanted to talk like that. As I got older I was inspired by the film Sister Act and by Lauryn Hill, Aaliyah, Missy Eliott and Busta Rhymes. Janelle Monae’s The ArchAndroid was a really big record for me. I remember babysitting my brother when he was really small and us dancing round the kitchen for an hour to ‘Tightrope’. I heard her music and felt like I shared the references. I know for a fact that she loves Aretha and Stevie Wonder, which is what I grew up with, and that she’s a nerd. I know that she’s really, really politically conscious. She’s all of these things that I feel I am too, and one day I’m going to meet her and we’ll be friends and we’ll work together. I just have to put myself in the position where I can!

As someone who suffers from anxiety, has lockdown been especially difficult for you?

It has for many reasons. When you’re given a lot of space to be alone with your own thoughts, pain becomes very loud. Sometimes you really need someone there to shout down what seems logical to you, but wouldn’t be logical to anyone else who heard you speak. There’s something very profound about the aloneness of it all, which gives way to hopelessness. I’ve had so many moments that I know I’ll remember for the rest of my life, both positively and negatively. Things have happened in such extremities that I’m going to be processing it for a very long time.

What are the negatives?

It’s the combination of the pandemic and really going through and unpacking all of the racism that’s been burdening us. It’s one thing to live under systematic oppression for your whole life and another to do it whilst you’re not allowed access to your community. That’s been a very difficult thing to process and work through, because sometimes someone will send you a death threat that’s very graphic and visceral. “I know where your parents work, it’s not hard to find out where you live” – that kind of tone. You’re just left there to look at your phone in your home and maybe no one’s there and you can’t ask for a hug. Maybe you can only call someone and cry at the same time. My access to my therapeutic processes is gone. I write music, I perform and I work it out with other people. How do I deal with the violence towards me not just as a black person but also as a public figure whose face is known, and who can have very specifically targeted things sent to them? How do you do that knowing that you have a family that you want to protect?

Denise Chaila has achieved so much already, but it is clear that she has big visions for her music - and to use her voice to reach as many people as possible. The subject of ambitions was put to her:

Other than becoming friends with Janelle Monae, what goals have you set yourself?

I want to go as far and as fast as makes sense for me. I want to be an international superstar but in a humble way. I want to be at the stage in my career where I can go back to Victoria Falls and buy that statue of Livingstone and drop it in the water. That’s my main goal. I want to be at the point in my career where I can go to the National Museum in London and get back Zimbabwean artefacts. I want to be at that point in my career where I’m able to sit there with my Emmy and my Grammy and my Oscar and my Tony, but also to give other people opportunities. I want my Mom to be able to go back home and have her family plot and buy the deed.

Is that all?

No. I want security, I want ownership, I want recognition so that I can do more, I want to have music that I can just wake up and make. I want to make sure that my children and my children’s children never have to force themselves to fit into the mould of anyone else’s expectations and can just actualise for the rest of their lives too. It’s a marathon, you know?”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Tara Thomas Photography

I was eager to include Denise Chaila in my Spotlight feature as she is a fantastic artist, but she is also someone who has faced discrimination and had to battle prejudice. I hope that there is improvement regarding racial perception and what constitutes Irishness, as it is alarming to read that Chaila was the recipient of racism and poison earlier in the year! I genuinely think she will make a big change in Ireland regarding attitudes and, as one of the finest rappers in the country, many people are opening their eyes to a sensational talent who deserves a lot of respect and support. GO Bravely is a stunning and revealing mixtape that is such a powerful listen and stays with you long after you have heard it. The Irish Times provided their opinion regarding GO Bravely:

“She’s the artist everyone is talking about, a household name for many off the back of a handful of singles. So how did Denise Chaila get here? More importantly, why has her star ascended so quickly?

It’s true that the Zambian-born, Irish-raised rapper has an eloquence, intelligence and ability to engage when it comes to the big issues troubling the world in 2020: gender, racism, culture, the struggle to find your place in an increasingly chaotic life. It’s also true that she has charisma, presence and vocal dexterity required of a hip-hop star in the making. But why her?

 Chaila’s debut mixtape (ie a more casual compilation of songs designed to set the scene for an album proper) goes some way to answering those questions, augmenting the promise first heard as a guest MC on on Rusangano Family’s Isn’t Dinner Nice back in 2016. That track lambasted domestic violence and gender inequality in a powerful manner; on her 2019 solo EP Duel Citizenship, she challenged the bigoted custodians of Irish culture and savaged misogynists of the hip-hop scene with just two pithy songs”.

I know there are many who will want an album from Denise Chaila next year, as there is so much momentum right now and she is putting out such phenomenal music. Not only is she a natural artist but, as many witnessed when she was on The Late Late Show, she is such a professional when being interviewed and facing a big television audience. She is definitely armed and ready to conquer E.I.R.E. and, after GO Bravely received such praise, there is going to be huge demand from around the world in terms of gigs. When things start to go back to normal, Chaila will hit the road (one hopes) and she will be taking her music to the masses. This year has been a big one for her in spite of everything. I feel that next year will be an even more successful. Make sure you check out her music, get involved with her social media and…

FOLLOW her closely.

____________

Denise Chaila

PHOTO CREDIT: George Voronov 

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/DeniseChaila

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/denisechaila/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/denisechaila

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2VjvDoPMZvWItuivXdoe5Y

FEATURE: Four of Us: Looking Ahead to the Get Back: The Beatles Film and Book

FEATURE:

 

 

Four of Us

Looking Ahead to the Get Back: The Beatles Film and Book

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YESTERDAY…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Apple Records/Press

there was a lot of excitement online, as director Peter Jackson shared a trailer for the approaching documentary/film, The Beatles: Get Back. The film was due to come out this year but it has been pushed back to 27th August, 2021. There is an accompanying book that I would urge people to pre-order but, in such a bad year, it is nice to have an extended clip where we get to see The Beatles in the studio! There is this misconception that they were fighting all of the time when the sessions for Let It Be were happening. There were some debates and clashes but, as the film will show, the general mood was upbeat and positive. I think the perception of fighting and warring in the final year or two has followed The Beatles for decades. So many people are looking forward to having the film and book out and, after the delayed release, it will be something we can all love in 2021. I am not sure whether there will be an album tied to the film/documentary and there is going to be recordings of demos and in-studio chatter. Back in June, Udiscovermusic documented what we know so far about the exciting The Beatles: Get Back:

“It was made with the full co-operation of the band

Both Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have sung the film’s praises, while John Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono Lennon, and George Harrison’s widow, Olivia Harrison, have also offered their full support of the project.

It will be the ultimate fly-on-the-wall experience

“It’s like a time machine transports us back to 1969, and we get to sit in the studio watching these four friends make great music together,” Peter Jackson has said. The footage used in Get Back was originally shot for Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s 1970 documentary, Let It Be, which captured intimate moments in the studio while the band rehearsed and recorded the songs for what would be their final album. The footage, now revisited by Jackson in a new light, is the only material of note that documents The Beatles at work in the studio.

It will feature the famous rooftop performance in its entirety

On 30 January 1969, The Beatles played a surprise performance on the roof of their Savile Row studio. Though footage of the live set has been well documented over the years, it has never been shown in its entirety. Jackson’s film will include the entire 42-minute performance”.

The band’s true relationship is revealed

While Lindsay-Hogg’s feature film offered an in-depth look at The Beatles’ sessions, it also revealed some of tense moments in the studio. In many ways, it documents a band on the verge of a break-up. Get Back, in contrast, looks at the footage as a whole, and paints a very different picture of the band’s time together. In a recent interview on The Howard Stern Show, Paul McCartney said, “We’re obviously having fun together. You can see we respect each other and we’re making music together, and it’s a joy to see it unfold.”

Meanwhile, Starr recalled, “There was hours and hours of us just laughing and playing music… There was a lot of joy, and I think Peter will show that. I think this version will be a lot more peace and loving, like we really were.”

 “The reality is very different to the myth,” Jackson himself revealed. “After reviewing all the footage and audio that Michael Lindsay-Hogg shot 18 months before they broke up, it’s simply an amazing historical treasure-trove. Sure, there’s moments of drama – but none of the discord this project has long been associated with.”

“The film creates a cheerful counter-narrative to the Beatles’ 1970 swan song “Let It Be” film, which essentially documented the group’s breakup and is a rather downbeat experience. The new film feels completely different, with the four members laughing and clowning around in classic moptop fashion,” writes Variety, who were able to view segments of the film”.

A Christmas present has come in the form of this trailer; Paul McCartney has seen the film - and he has said that it showed the boys loved each other! The four of them (five if you include producer George Martin) were putting together music and, whilst there was tension and times when everything could have fallen apart, the vibe and overall sensation is one of love and togetherness. I hope people reassess albums like Let It Be knowing this and, as I said, maybe we will get a new album or re-expanded edition of Let It Be. Over fifty years since The Beatles split up and we are still learning things about…

THE Liverpool legends!

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: Beyoncé - B'Day

FEATURE:

 

 

Vinyl Corner

Beyoncé - B'Day

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THIS is one of these recommendations…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Evan Agostini

where one might have to pay a little more than expected for the vinyl copy. I am focusing on Beyoncé’s 2006 album, B’Day - which I would urge one to buy on vinyl -, as it is a fantastic album. I have featured the albums of Beyoncé a bit on the site (I focused on 4 for Second Spin earlier in the year). B’Day is Beyoncé’s second solo album, and it followed the stunning Dangerously in Love (2003). I think B’Day is an underrated album that contains some of Beyoncé’s best tracks. In 2002, she had productive studio sessions while making her debut album where she recorded up to forty-five songs. After the release of Dangerously in Love in 2003, Beyoncé had planned to produce a follow-up album using several of the leftover tracks. In 2004, Columbia Records announced that Beyoncé had put her plans on hold in order to concentrate on the recording of Destiny Fulfilled, the final studio album by Destiny's Child. Beyoncé also landed the lead role in Dreamgirls. Wanting to focus on one thing at a time, where was this three-year gap between albums, but I think that acting role and finishing with Destiny’s Child gave her new impetus and inspiration for her second studio album. Dangerously in Love showed that Beyoncé could stand as a solo artist and successfully transition from Destiny’s Child. After the big reviews for her debut, there was a bit of pressure to equal the weight of that album on B’Day.

=

With songs like Déjà Vu (ft. JAY-Z), Ring the Alarm, and Green Light, Beyoncé was delivering these incredible confident songs that could appeal to fans of her Destiny’s Child work and everyone else! B’Day is such a varied and interesting album that anyone can pick it up and get something from it. There are a couple of more delicate moments on the album, but the emphasis on B’Day seems to be energy and independence. I think Beyoncé would explore more emotional depth on later albums, but that was something that split critics; some feeling her ballads were her weakest point, whilst others welcomed a bit more maturity and growth. I think Beyoncé really hit a new high on B’Day; it is an album that turned her from this R&B star into a worldwide megastar who was ruling the world! There are some mixed reviews for the album but, before I bring in a couple of more positive ones, it is worth noting that B’Day debuted at number-one on the US Billboard 200 - selling over 541,000 copies in its first week of sales; scoring the second-highest debut-week sales for Beyoncé. It is clear that her role in Dreamgirls inspired songs about feminism and empowerment, and there is also a great array of different genres and styles utilised throughout B’Day – from Funk and Hip-Hop to Soul and R&B. I do really like the blend of sounds and how everything mixes together really well. B’Day has one or two songs that are not to the high standard of the rest, but that never detracts from the quality and consistency of the album.

I want to highlight a couple of reviews to show how critics perceive the album. There was some mixed reaction, where some felt that Beyoncé was not hitting her true heights or the songs were not as classic and instant as what we heard with Destiny’s Child. I think B’Day is a great album that is among her very finest work. Arguably, she found her true voice on later albums such as Beyoncé (2013), and Lemonade (2016) - but B’Day is a solid and appealing album that should be picked up on vinyl. In their review, this is what AllMusic had to say:

“While Beyoncé does sound like she's in a bit of a hurry throughout the album, and there are no songs with the smooth elegance of "Me, Myself and I" or "Be with You," it is lean in a beneficial way, propelled by just as many highlights as the overlong Dangerously in Love. Two collaborations with Rich Harrison swagger and preen: "Been locked up in the house way too long/It's time to get it, 'cause once again he's out doing wrong" (the blaring/marching "Freakum Dress"); "Don't give me no lip, let mama do it all" (the spectacularly layered "Suga Mama"). The Neptunes assist on "Green Light," an ambitious, fleet-footed number that continually switches tempos and sounds, as well as "Kitty Kat," a deceptively sweet, rainbow-colored track -- where what sounds like purrs are more like claws-out dismissals -- that could've been pulled from one of the first three Kelis albums.

And even with an entirely bonkers line like "I can do for you what Martin did for the people," "Upgrade U" is the most potent track on the album, a low-slung Cameron Wallace production where Beyoncé wears and buys the pants while making her proposition sound more like empowerment than emasculation. If the circus surrounding this whole thing -- which could take up to ten pages to document -- was an elaborate ploy to transform Beyoncé into an underdog, there really is some kind of genius at play, but it's extremely unlikely that anyone in her camp could've predicted that the expectations and reactions would be less rational than any of Beyoncé's decisions and actions. There is nothing desperate or weak about this album”.

Although Pitchfork were more mixed in their reaction to B’Day, they did highlight one particular song for recommendation:

“Ironically perhaps, this switch delivers its biggest pay-off, and B'Day's best song, with the ballad-of-sorts "Irreplaceable". It's as if, having lost the Midas touch of gleaming pop perfection, Beyoncé has opened up the possibility of stumbling on brilliance by accident. "You must not know 'bout me/ I can have another you in a minute/ Matter-fact he'll be here in a minute," she boasts to a swiftly exiting lover, in a hopelessly unconvincing attempt at callous indifference. Before, Beyoncé's approach to heartbreak was always literal, her voice and her words declaiming her feelings with a studied earnestness that at times was difficult to believe, let alone connect with. "Irreplaceable" is the first song in which Beyoncé lies to herself, and the way her voice perfectly betrays that lie (revealing a giveaway tremble in the stiff upper lip of the lyrics) simultaneously renders it her most sophisticated and her most honest performance to date”.

I think B’Day is an album that has been under-appreciated, with many feelings there were too many weak moments. I think it is a hugely important step and transition from Beyoncé. She was still exploring her true potential as a solo artist, but there are fantastic glimpses of who she would become a few years later. 2006’s B’Day has more than its fair share of highlights, and it is…

WELL worth some time and attention.

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Frank Zappa’s Best

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

PHOTO CREDIT: Jerry Schatzberg/Corbis

Frank Zappa’s Best

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AS the late Frank Zappa was born on…

21st December, 1940, today would have been his eightieth birthday. Zappa died in 1993, and his remarkable work was characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, and sonic experimentation. In a career spanning more than thirty  years, Zappa composed so many different genres together and he produced almost all of the sixty-plus albums that he released with his band, The Mothers of Invention, and as a solo artist - and he inspired the likes of Jeff Buckley, Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, and The Beatles. I am not going to try and collect together all the best songs from his albums but, as it is his eightieth birthday, I feel a selection of some of his best songs is fitting. Here is a collection of great cuts from one of music’s…

REAL innovators.

FEATURE: The Beauty of the Dawn Chorus: How Birdsong Can Be Transformative – and Why More Modern Artists Need to Use It in Their Work

FEATURE:

 

 

The Beauty of the Dawn Chorus

IMAGE CREDIT: @bostonpubliclibrary/Unsplash 

How Birdsong Can Be Transformative – and Why More Modern Artists Need to Use It in Their Work

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NOT to lean on The Guardian too much…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Musician Cosmo Sheldrake/PHOTO CREDIT: Peter Flude/The Guardian

but I was inspired by an article they published where they met musician Cosmo Sheldrake - he is on a mission to highlight the loss of U.K. birdlife with an album of avian song. It got me thinking about popular songs that incorporate some form of birdsong and how impactful it is. It seems idyllic recording birds and their unique sounds for an album:

“His studio-cum-field-station is a metre from a bird feeder. Inside the studio is a bed, an armchair and a scruffy collection of boxes. He puts the sound recordings into his computer and slows down individual calls. It’s like intercepting morse code, revealing delicate cadences you don’t hear when the songs are rattled out at speed. The blackbird is a guttural, gritty character, while the robin’s voice has bell-like purity.

“Birds live on a different time axis,” says 30-year-old Sheldrake. “There’s a spectrum of relationships with time – we look at birds and think they’re very ‘other’, but when you slow their song down, you get an idea of the tapestry of what they’re saying and they sound strangely human. These are very subtle, integrated phrases that we miss when they’re singing at their normal speed.”

And so these little characters and conversations have been pieced together in an album that follows the natural acoustics of the day; it starts with a nightjar, which sings just after dusk and through the night, then goes to a nightingale, and then the dawn chorus, before working its way through the day. A chord can be composed of five or six different aspects of a song played simultaneously. Tracks are based on sounds that already exist and have their own identity and character. “It’s a collaboration,” says Sheldrake, “except without explicit consent from the birds.”

Part of his aim is to highlight how we may not be conscious of the loss of wildlife from our lives. Many of the birds featured on his album, such as marsh warbler, mistle thrush and dunnock, are no longer a ubiquitous part of our soundscapes. The star performers from today’s chorus – blackbirds and robins – didn’t make it on to Sheldrake’s album because they are not (yet) on the red or amber list of endangered British birds”.

It is clear that nature is good for our health, and birdsong can be transformative for our mental and physical wellbeing. Maybe there are more songs that I realise, but I can only think of a few tracks that feature the calls and conversation of birds. I am including one from The Beatles and another from Kate Bush - both are examples of where you get this very moving and immersive sound that heightens the music around it. At a time when we can go outside but not get too close to one another, it seems that nature and the outdoors is a better option. Not only is there the visual delights of the changing season, but there is also the audible benefits. I think the hum of nature in general is great, but there is something about birdsong that is both relaxing and informative. I am not suggesting that everyone in music starts putting the sounds of birds in their songs, but it does seem to be an untapped area that Cosmo Sheldrakei has highlighted. I do feel that, like instruments, birdsong adds so much texture and language to a song…so I feel that artists are leaving a nutritious source of inspiration cold. There have been Classic pieces inspired by birdsong (and pieces that use birdsong), but I wonder whether there will be any popular tracks or non-Classic cuts that have nature and birdsong either at the forefront or at the background. Maybe some associate that kind of sound with Ambient music or they feel that birdsong is too distracting and it would be hard to combine it with other instruments or feed it into a conventional song. Not only could artists help highlight the danger many bird species face, but there are such calming properties to the sound of birds. From the few songs where one can appreciate birds in unison or solo, the effect is…

UTTERLY sublime.

FEATURE: Death by Sound: Kate Bush’s Experiment IV

FEATURE:

 

 

Death by Sound

Kate Bush’s Experiment IV

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THERE are few songs in the Kate Bush cannon…

that I have neglected to cover but, for this feature, I want to explore Experiment IV. Many people might not be aware of the song as it did not appear on a studio album. I am always fascinated by artists who release a greatest hits album and put a new song on. There is an argument that there’s a danger of missing out on a classic in favour of something new, but many artists have the odd song left over that they want to include. That is not to say that the songs are throwaway; I think it is fine having a packed greatest hits album with one new song. Kate Bush’s The Whole Story turns thirty-five next year (on 10th November). Released a year after Hounds of Love, there was this feeling from EMI that Bush has gained a whole new audience – including a lot of attention from the U.S. – and it was the right time to put out a greatest hits. After five studio albums, one gets a nice spread of tracks. It is singles that we get in The Whole Story so, at twelve tracks, one does not get too many deeper cuts. There is subjectiveness as to what constitutes the best songs of artists, but there is a lot of variation and quality on the album. Experiment IV appears near the end between Sat in Your Lap, and The Dreaming (both from The Dreaming). I am not sure whether

Bush intended Experiment IV to appear on Hounds of Love but, as it is similar in places to Mother Stands for Comfort, perhaps it was kept aside for that reason. The single was released on 27th October, 1986 and it was a great launch of The Whole Story. With this new song in the world, fans had this treat and could look forward to an album that, unsurprisingly, sold really well – The Whole Story reached number-one on the U.K. album charts and has sold well over one-million copies to date. Experiment IV was also included on The Other Sides last year. The track concerns a secret military plan to create a sound that is horrifying enough to kill people. It is a typically unique perspective and story from Kate Bush, and I really love the star-packed video – which I shall get to soon. Experiment IV peaked at twenty-three in the singles chart in the U.K., simultaneously with Don't Give Up (Bush's duet with Peter Gabriel, which reached number-nine). I recently talked about Bush’s amazing duet with Peter Gabriel, and I love the fact that Bush was involved with two successful songs not included on any of her studio albums. After the huge success of Hounds of Love in 1985, I am not surprised that The Whole Story performed so well. It would be a further three years before Bush released The Sensual World, but I really love her greatest hits album and the fact there was this exciting new song.

Last year, Kate Bush herself gave her recollections of Experiment IV:

“This was written as an extra track for the compilation album The Whole Story and was released as the single. I was excited at the opportunity of directing the video and not having to appear in it other than in a minor role, especially as this song told a story that could be challenging to tell visually. I chose to film it in a very handsome old military hospital that was derelict at the time. It was a huge, labyrinthine hospital with incredibly long corridors, which was one reason for choosing it. Florence Nightingale had been involved in the design of the hospital. Not something she is well known for but she actually had a huge impact on hospital design that was pioneering and changed the way hospitals were designed from then on.

The video was an intense project and not a comfortable shoot, as you can imagine - a giant of a building, damp and full of shadows with no lighting or heating but it was like a dream to work with such a talented crew and cast with Dawn French, Hugh Laurie, Peter Vaughn and Richard Vernon in the starring roles. It was a strange and eerie feeling bringing parts of the hospital to life again. Not long after our work there it was converted into luxury apartments. I can imagine that some of those glamorous rooms have uninvited soldiers and nurses dropping by for a cup of tea and a Hobnob.

We had to create a recording studio for the video, so tape machines and outboard gear were recruited from my recording studio and the mixing console was very kindly lent to us by Abbey Road Studios. It was the desk the Beatles had used - me too, when we’d made the album Never For Ever in Studio Two. It was such a characterful desk that would’ve looked right at home in any vintage aircraft. Although it was a tough shoot it was a lot of fun and everyone worked so hard for such long hours. I was really pleased with the result. (KateBush.com, February 2019)”.

On the B-side of Experiment IV (the U.K. single) is Wuthering Heights with a new vocal. Although I much prefer the original Wuthering Heights, I think that it is cool that we got these two new recordings. Although there are one or two quite intense songs on The Sensual World, and The Red Shoes, I think Experiment IV is one of her last songs that has the same sort of experimental and eerier quality of tracks on The Dreaming, and Hounds of Love.

Maybe Experiment IV was the last throw of that dice, or it was a bridge between where Bush was and where she was heading. I want to finish off by sourcing from an article on the Behind the Couch website (from 2013), where we get some more detail about its video:

“Throughout the song the listener is fed snippets of exactly what has gone into creating this devastating sound – From the painful cries of mothers, To the terrifying scream... We recorded it and put it into our machine. The dark subject matter of both the lyrics and the video - sinister music that can harm and kill the listener, coupled with the strange technology the scientists use to create it (most hauntingly of all it’s never revealed why) - calls to mind the work of British sci-fi/horror writer Nigel Kneale, who frequently blended science and supernaturalism with anti-authoritarian undertones. In works such as Halloween III and The Woman in Black – and indeed John Carpenter’s homage to the work of Neale, Prince of Darkness – technology is presented as a quasi-magical force with severely sinister connotations.

Dawn French and Hugh Laurie provide a little comic relief as two scientists ensconced in the dubious research, and the reluctant Professor overseeing the research is named Jerry Coe; perhaps a reference to Jericho, the walls of which crumbled at the sound of the Israelites’ trumpets at the end of a war, as described in the biblical book of Joshua.

The horrific effects of the scientists’ research is featured throughout the video, as various test-subjects are shown writhing around in straitjackets after hearing the sound. Finally, when the sound is 'unveiled', it appears as a spectral siren which suddenly takes on the form of a terrifying winged ghoul, which then proceeds to wreck havoc in the lab, slaughtering the scientists and test-subjects alike. The camera then assumes the role of the creature and pursues various scientists along the starkly lit and increasingly chaotic corridors of the facility, eventually tracking outside to reveal the rather apocalyptic aftermath of the incident – pre-empting ‘contagion horrors’ such as 28 Days Later etc. A cordoned-off vicinity around a music shop (revealed to be a front for the shady government project) – in which the shopkeeper is displaying copies of Experiment IV – is strewn with the bodies of the dead. Lastly, we see Ms Bush hitch-hiking on a nearby stretch of road and clambering into a van, but before she does, she turns to wink at us knowingly, suggesting this is only the beginning of her deadly mission… It could sing you to sleep, But that dream is your enemy! Incidentally, the sound of the helicopter heard at the end of the song as the military make a hasty retreat, is the very same helicopter sound heard in Pink Floyd's The Happiest Days of Our Lives from The Wall. Dave Gilmour and Kate are good friends”.

I will write some more features about The Whole Story as it gets nearer to its thirty-fifth anniversary, but I was keen to dig deep into a song that many people might not be aware of. I think Experiment IV is one of Kate Bush most-underrated songs…its video is startling, scary and amazing. It shows that there are truly…

NO limits to Kate Bush’s talent.

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: A Ma Rainey-Inspired Blues-Fest

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Ma Rainey 

 A Ma Rainey-Inspired Blues-Fest

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ALTHOUGH the tone is not too Christmas-like….

 IN THIS PHOTO: A promotional image from the play, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

I wanted to put out a Lockdown Playlist inspired by Ma Rainey. She is the subject of a new Netflix drama, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (a film adaptation of August Wilson’s play starring Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman). She has been called the ‘Mother of the Blues’, and she has inspired a lot of other artists. The Guardian have provided more details about Ma Rainey:

“Rainey – pioneering as a blues singer, businesswoman and liberated bisexual – grew up in the Jim Crow south in the late 19th century. By her own account, she was born Gertrude Pridgett in Columbus on 26 April 1886, although other records suggest she was born in Alabama in September 1882.

She married singer, dancer and comedian William Rainey when she was 18 and, billed as Ma and Pa Rainey, they toured as performers for minstrel shows that travelled towns setting up their own tents and stages. After the couple separated in 1916, Rainey launched her own touring performance company, Madam Gertrude Ma Rainey and Her Georgia Smart Set.

She joined a wave of African Americans who quit the south to pursue dreams in desegregated northern cities such as Chicago. She signed with Paramount, a furniture company in Wisconsin that had got into the recording business, and became one of the first recorded blues musicians. Between 1923 and 1928 she made nearly a hundred records – one such recording session forms the basis of Wilson’s play – and had numerous hits.

Rainey, who wrote her own songs, was a mentor to singer Bessie Smith and worked with the likes of Louis Armstrong and Thomas Dorsey, who was musical director on some of her recordings. Her full-throated vocals have inspired singers from Dinah Washington to Janis Joplin”.

In honour of the pioneering Ma Rainey and her incredible life, this Lockdown Playlist includes a couple of her best tracks, but it also features other great Blues/Blues-Rock tracks. I will make the next Lockdown Playlist a bit cheerier but, to salute a Blues great, here are some great songs from…

AN underrated and underplayed genre.

FEATURE: Coming Strongly into Focus: Awesome Music Videos from 2020

FEATURE:

 

 

Coming Strongly into Focus

IN THIS PHOTO: Moses Sumney/PHOTO CREDIT: Pari Dukovic

Awesome Music Videos from 2020

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WHILST there is always a lot of attention….

 IN THIS PHOTO: Dua Lipa/PHOTO CREDIT: Erik Madigan Heck

this time of year regarding albums and singles, fewer sites and people mention music videos. This year has been an especially tough one when it comes to filming ambitious videos and, whilst some managed to complete theirs before the pandemic struck, others have had to make do with limitations and social distancing. It is hard whittling down the best videos of the year so, instead, I have selected some particularly brilliant ones that differ in terms of why they are standout – whether it is the simplicity or the sheer colour and vibrancy of it (Thanks to Insider, Billboard, and Paste, and Pitchfork for their descriptions and thoughts on each). I feel sorry for artists putting music out this year, as they have had to deliver videos and do their very best under tough conditions. Here are some incredible videos that prove that, even in a bleak year, artists have managed to…

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

PRODUCE some ace visuals!

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HAIM - I Know Alone (Director: Jake Schreier)

“Of all the beloved dance-focused videos Haim has made, none offer a better marriage of moves and subject matter than the accidental quarantine anthem "I Know Alone," written about by pre-COVID depression and isolation. With co-choreographer Francis and the Lights, the sisters created a routine that's both strikingly literal -- standing six feet apart, they mime aimlessly swiping on through their phones -- and subtly layered: Este, Danielle and Alana give a performance about going through the motions of life without actually going through the motions on camera. The fact that the sisters never interact despite their proximity also gives the video a surreal feeling, as if they could have been spliced together in post-production -- simultaneously together and apart, like all of us in 2020” - Billboard

 Ariana Grande – positions (Director: Dave Meyers)

“For the video to the title track from Ariana Grande’s sixth album, the pop star tries to relieve the nation’s collective anxiety around the presidential election by gifting us a blissful fever-dream version of the White House. Grande swans around in Jackie Kennedy outfits as the commander-in-chief (with a gilded portrait of her chihuahua Toulouse in the cabinet room), with a fabulous group of aides that includes regular collaborators Victoria Monét and Tayla Parx. She even awards a Medal of Freedom to USPS workers, another anti-Trump jab in a clip full of them” - Pitchfork

 Christine & The Queens - La vita nuova (Director: Colin Solal Cardo)

 “Earlier this year, Christine and the Queens released a surprise EP with an accompanying short film titled La vita nuova. The film was shot by Colin Solal Cardo at the Palais Garnier and features Caroline Polachek, who appears on one of the EP’s tracks. Choreography for the film was handled by Ryan Heffington, known for his work with Maddie Ziegler for Sia’s “Chandelier” video, as well as Arcade Fire’s “We Exist.” The film has a luscious, glittery sheen and bodily, primeval dancing reminiscent of Luca Guadagnino’s recent Suspiria remake. Chris (or Héloïse Letissier) struggles with her feelings for a horned creature credited as “The Fauna” (Félix Maritaud). There’s several gorgeous shots of the famed Parisian opera house, with styling that reflects the eclectic blend of baroque, classic and renaissance architecture present within the building” - Paste

 Rico Nasty - Own It (Director: Philippa Price)

 “When it comes to pulling off decadent, eccentric looks, Rico Nasty remains in a league of her own. For the swaggering “Own It,” her best video yet, she struts through a series of eye-popping sets, each one more stylishly freakish than the next. Pushing a stroller of ducklings while wearing acrylics and a neon gimp mask with icicles sticking out of it? Sure. Swaying on a swing set strung up with taxidermied opossums? Of course. Did I mention the dangling eyebrow piercings and inexplicable, oversized feet? Each visual oddity bears out Rico’s over-the-top vision with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, making the video as delightful as it is bizarre” - Pitchfork

 Arca – Nonbinary (Director: Frederik Heyman)

 “Arca’s very existence defies conventions—not to mention the challenging experimental soundscapes that brought her fame. Several of the visuals for her latest album KiCk i portray the Venezuelan-born electronic artist as an androgynous cyborg, and they are subversive, sensory explosions. The start of the video for “Nonbinary” finds a human Arca presumably mortally wounded before she’s gradually revived by highly-advanced cyborgs and gracefully reemerges from a shell. In the final scene, two identical Arcas appear while arguing—one dressed in black, and one in white—amid violently shaky cameras and raging flames. It’s full of contradictions and cloaked in symbolism, both subtle and overt. We see a dramatic, mythical tug-of-war between organic matter and machines, masculinity and femininity, heaven and hell—plus the “thorn” in her side, and the lyrics displayed on screen which alternate between lowercase and uppercase letters” - Paste 

 Moses Sumney - Me in 20 Years (Director: Allie Avital)

 “When crafting the visuals to accompany sophomore album græ, Moses Sumney took creative control into his own hands to communicate the sense of yearning at the core of the album. In his latest clip, for “Me in 20 Years,” Sumney cakes on old-age makeup and creeps around a dilapidated apartment in Kyiv, Ukraine, rendering the song’s loneliness in very literal terms. “With your imprint in my bed/A pit so big I lay on the edge,” he sings, a lyric that comes to life here in the form of an ominous space of darkness on his empty bed, festering like an open wound. Throughout the clip, Sumney seems as if he’s tending to this black hole, perhaps eventually succumbing to it entirely” - Pitchfork

 Perfume Genius - Describe (Director: Mike Hadreas)

 "Can you describe them for me?" When it comes to Perfume Genius' self-directed music videos, the answer is never accurately or really appropriately -- they manage to be moving and tactile and memory-searing without ever cooperating with easy summarization. The "Describe" visual feels part barn-raise, part cult ritual, part theatrical workshop, but more importantly, it feels as earthy, sensual and poetic as the grunge-pop lurcher it accompanies, a world entirely of its own making” - Billboard

 Kate NV - Plans (Directors: Kate NV & Pavel Kling)

 “Moscow pop experimentalist Kate NV is a collector of unusual inspirations, from ’80s Japanese pop music to ’70s Russian children’s shows. Together they form a tuneful, unconventional vision of pop music, with dreamy lyrics in French, Russian, and English. The video for “Plans,” the upbeat latest single from Kate NV’s forthcoming third album Room for the Moon, is her best yet. In a screwy take on public-access television, she creates “Kate TV,” a station where she’s the lead news anchor (in a suit and severe makeup that channels both Laurie Anderson and Christine and the Queens). The clip takes full, cheeky advantage of its green-screen conceit, with a miniature version of Kate dancing on her own gloved hand, a dance sequence in front of a weather map that catches fire, and a cast of confused reporters who reappear in increasingly ridiculous outfits. The joyously absurdist clip leads up to an ecstatic, confetti-showered climax that perfectly channels Kate NV’s winsome charm” - Pitchfork

Beyoncé, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer – Already (Director: Joshua Kissi)

 “Of course, "Already" is better when it's consumed within the greater framework of "Black Is King." But even on its own, this video is a painstakingly styled and deeply impressive enterprise. You can pause "Already" at literally any moment and it will look like a painting. In fact, it's more performance art than music video.

On top of its sheer beauty, "Already" features countless details that pay homage to pan-Africanism, including West African symbolism, Ghanaian excellence, and Nigerian fashion.

Not to mention: Beyoncé nailing the Gbese and sticking out her tongue? That two-second clip alone would be enough to land at No. 1 on this list” - Insider

 FKA twigs - sad day (Director: Hiro Murai)

“While touring behind 2019’s MAGDALENE, FKA twigs performed the martial art of wushu, which involves a jian sword and incredible self-control. She puts those skills to use in the video to the album’s crushing centerpiece, “sad day,” helmed by “This Is America” and Atlanta director Hiro Murai. The short film captures a clash between twigs and a man sitting in a café—their connection is left unspoken, but as the two launch into a sword fight that crashes out onto the streets and rooftops, it’s obvious something much more intense is going on. All of twigs’ videos for MAGDALENE have been cinematic and emotionally wrenching, but here she and Murai craft a surprising spin on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon that perfectly fits the song’s cutting depiction of a breakup” - Pitchfork

Rina Sawayama – XS (Director: Ali Kurr)

  “Japanese-British force Rina Sawayama blessed us with her debut album this year, and one of the highlights was obviously "XS." (Or rather, “excess.” Get it?) The video is huge in scope, as Sawayama appears on an HSN-style network and hawks “RINA Water” products over slammin' guitars, all between exaggerated choreography. But things start to deteriorate when we get a look at the factory workers bottling a product that just might be toxic -- and which is extracted from a pitiful jailed creature -- and Sawayama’s shiny television personality malfunctions. It’s entirely over the top, and a clever commentary on glitzy consumerism to boot. Oh me, oh my!” - Billboard

 Cardi B (ft. Megan Thee Stallion) – WAP (Director: Colin Tilley)

  “As Stereogum's Tom Breihan writes: "In a summer that's been hopelessly devoid of crowd-pleasing spectacle, the 'WAP' video is the closest thing we have to a new 'Avengers' movie."

"WAP" is precisely the kind of music video that elevates a song from catchy to iconic. The song is unabashedly, gloriously filthy, and only a video that appropriately celebrates Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion — meaning both their talent and their curves — could have done it proper justice.

But the genius of "WAP" doesn't stop there. For the price of one video, you are also blessed with a Normani dance break and the endless amusement of angry, horny conservative pundits voluntarily exposing their utter lack of interest in female pleasure” - Insider

 Kelly Lee Owens - On (Director: Kasper Häggström)

“A man and his adorable golden retriever go on a seemingly mundane road trip in the video for “On,” from electronic artist Kelly Lee Owens’ forthcoming second LP Inner Song. Filmed with the gloss of a car commercial, the clip follows them on a long drive through the countryside, watching from the backseat as they stop to play catch and run along the beach. The sentimental journey raises questions about where they’re headed and why, with those answers ultimately revealed in a sequence at a ferry landing that’s both crushing and oddly hopeful. Its simple visual concept is delivered with a clear, compassionate touch” - Pitchfork

Crack Cloud - Ouster Stew (Director: Self-directed)

 “In comparison to the tightly-coiled, guitar-driven post-punk of Crack Cloud’s self-titled release, “Ouster Stew” is more colorful and eccentric—adding synths and saxophone into the mix. Lead singer Zach Choy’s (the group are adamant not to call him a frontman, doubling down on their decentralized model) vocals are positively waggish as their guitars squawk with an art-rock-meets-funk vivacity. Perhaps most unexpected is the bare, pronounced, mid-song drum solo, during which chaos breaks out in the song’s dramatic, high-concept video. Their visuals and sonic ambition recall the aesthetics of U.K. outfit HMLTD, whose 2020 debut album, West of Eden, also infused militaristic, high art, gothic and theatrical imagery” - Paste

 Phoebe Bridgers - I Know the End (Director: Alissa Torvinen)

 “Crescendoing closer “I Know the End” is one of the most stunning moments on Phoebe Bridgers’ Punisher, and the video captures that same anthemic quality. It finds the singer in her now-trademark skeleton onesie as she endures various states of instability: sunken in an overflowing bathtub, fleeing on the back of a pickup truck, running through an empty football stadium in the dark. Then, just when it seems like things couldn’t get more surreal, the clip climaxes with one of the most unexpected makeout sessions in recent music video history” - Pitchfork

 Lady Gaga - 911 (Director: Tarsem Singh)

 “The most conceptual video of the Chromatica era so far is a feat of COVID-era filmmaking — nothing about Gaga's or director Tarsem Singh's vision feels compromised by the realities of the pandemic. And what a vision it is: The "911" video resembles a turducken of metaphors, telling the story of a mental health crisis through the story of a car crash and the imagery of the 1969 Soviet Armenian film The Color of Pomegranates. Like Gaga's best videos, there's a certain je-ne-sais-WTF element, at least until the big reveal. But like any good psychological thriller, the "911" video more than earns its twist. Gaga and Singh create a world so rich with symbolism that decoding it doesn't feel like the end — it's an invitation to dive back in” - Billboard

 Slowthai - BB (BODYBAG) (Directors: THE REST)

 “slowthai’s “BB (BODYBAG)” is a pure shot of adrenaline, with rapid-fire threats delivered over a relentlessly rolling beat by Mount Kimbie’s Dom Maker. Its video ups the ante by dropping us into a tense game of Russian roulette in a parking garage, and it never eases up on the dread: The Bajan-British rapper sports a mask made of cigarette butts, raps through the POV of an open mouth like the dentist in Little Shop of Horrors, and plays a knife game with his hand as flames rise behind him. Menace runs deep in slowthai’s feverish rap, and here he amps up the imagery to brutal new highs” - Pitchfork

 Halsey - you should be sad (Director: Colin Tilley)

  “On an album full of courage, chaos, and bare honesty, "You Should Be Sad" is a particularly bold highlight.

With cutting lyrics like "I'm so glad I never ever had a baby with you / 'Cause you can't love nothing unless there's something in it for you" — largely inspired by country music's history of petty and powerful breakup bops — this song always deserved an equally splashy, dauntless visual. Thankfully, Halsey delivered just that.

The music video doubles as a sexy hoedown and a salute to some of Halsey's female idols, including Christina Aguilera, Carrie Underwood, and Lady Gaga.

Every detail is deliciously on target, from the dark, fiery tear-stains painted onto Halsey's face to the cheetah-clad reference to Shania Twain's "That Don't Impress Me Much” - Insider 

CHAI - Donuts Mind If I Do (Director: Hideto Hotta)

 “The Japanese rock band CHAI have a stellar track record for unexpected, creative videos, whether popping their arms and heads through bright-pink paper backdrops or smearing frosted icing on each other’s faces in a parking garage. For their breezy new song “Donuts Mind If I Do,” the band’s easygoing camaraderie is given a literally timeless portrayal. Set at a tea party on a bucolic hillside, the band eat colorful, plate-sized donuts. Then everything time-jumps to the same location years later, with CHAI dressed in old-age makeup, complete with headwraps and clunky eyeglasses. They’re still eating their donuts and enjoying each other’s company, lounging on trees and reading books together. It’s a charming testament to enduring friendship” - Pitchfork

 Dua Lipa - Break My Heart (Director: Henry Scholfield)

 "I've always been the one to say the first goodbye," Dua Lipa laments at the top of "Break My Heart," and the video fittingly finds her slipping in and out of various scenes, Inception-style, without breaking a sweat. We see her plummeting through the pink-purple sky until an airplane constructs itself around her; dropping into a bubble bath only to reappear floating in a fizzy cocktail; and dominating a dancefloor until the camera pulls back, revealing it was just one small dot on a domino – which another Dua Lipa, naturally, knocks over” - Billboard

FEATURE: In the Arms of the Angel Gabriel… The Spine-Tingling Impact of Kate Bush’s Vocal on Don’t Give Up

FEATURE:

 

 

In the Arms of the Angel Gabriel…

 The Spine-Tingling Impact of Kate Bush’s Vocal on Don’t Give Up

___________

I do get a bit annoyed…

when people refer to Don’t Give Up as ‘a Kate Bush song’, as it was written by Peter Gabriel and appears on his 1986 album, So. I guess, as it is a duet, one can say that it is sort of half-and-half, but it is very much a Gabriel song. I will come to the track in a bit, but there is a whole new feature waiting that explores the influence of Peter Gabriel on Kate Bush. When it comes to breakthroughs in music, Peter Gabriel introducing Kate Bush to the wonders and layers of the Fairlight C.M.I. counts as one of the most important. Bush used the Fairlight C.M.I. on Never for Ever in 1980 but more fully from The Dreaming (1982) onwards. The two worked together on Gabriel’s third self-titled album of 1980, and one can feel Bush adding something special to Games Without Frontiers, and No Self Control. Those vocal parts were backing parts, but she incorporated something special to each song! Although Gabriel never appeared on a Kate Bush studio album, his impact on her was big. He featured on Bush’s Christmas special of 1979; introduced as ‘the Angel Gabriel’, the two performed a haunting duo on Roy Harper’s Another Day. Gabriel also appeared on stage with Kate Bush and Steve Harley to cover The Beatles’ Let It Be at a benefit concert for Bill Duffield (a lighting engineer that died during Kate Bush’s The Tour of Life) in 1979.

The most complete and astonishing collaboration between Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush arrived on 1986’s Don’t Give Up. This article from the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia provides more details:

“Song written by Peter Gabriel. Originally released on his fifth studio album 'So' in 1986. Also released as a single from the album in October 1986. Gabriel originally wrote the song from a reference point of American roots music and he approached entertainer Dolly Parton to sing the song with him. However, Parton turned him down, so his friend Kate Bush took her place. She recorded her vocals in February 1986 at Peter Gabriel's home studio in Ashcombe House. Peter had already recorded his vocals, so she followed his lead. After this recording, she felt she had "messed it up" and so she returned later to sing it again.

Peter Gabriel has performed 'Don't Give Up' live various times, amongst others during his Secret World live tour in 1993. Kate Bush performed the song with him just once, when she was a surprise guest on Peter Gabriel's concert on 28 June 1987 at Earl's Court, London”.

The track was recorded during 1985 – which was a remarkably fertile period for Kate Bush -, and it reached number-nine in the U.K. I love to think of these two major artists enjoying some real highs getting together in the studio. Bush released Hounds of Love in 1985, whilst So was the first Gabriel album in four years. In terms of Kate Bush and her sound, there is a leap from the songs on Hounds of Love and what we hear on Don’t Give Up.

I don’t think Bush had been as heart-breaking and heart-warming up until this point. The sheer emotion and passion she put into the song is incredible - and I wonder whether Don’t Give Up inspired the direction of The Sensual World (1989) and songs like This Woman’s Work. I wanted to talk about this song, not only to show that Bush was a wonderful collaborator and there was this close harmony between her and Gabriel, but to prove how important the track is in 2020. In such a tough year, a song about a man losing his job and trying to keep his head above water sounds especially stirring and moving. I love the reassurance from Bush and what her voice does in the chorus. Don’t Give Up is one of Gabriel’s greatest songs, and I like the fact he was generous regarding giving Bush enough spotlight and a big role. It is one of those classic duets where the two have their own verses and then combine when needed. It is this conversation where Gabriel, as the hero, looks around and realises he is not the same man…then we have Bush providing a shoulder and reassurance. Right from the first verse, the emotions performed (by Gabriel) are so powerful: “No fight left or so it seems/I am a man whose dreams have all deserted/I've changed my name, I've changed my face/But no one wants you when you lose”. Gabriel is bereft and is searching for a new lease whilst Bush, as his lover/friend, gives these beautiful words of comfort: “Rest your head/You worry too much/It's going to be alright/When times get rough/You can fall back on us/Don't give up/Please don't give up”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush in 1987/PHOTO CREDIT: Dave Hogan/Getty Images

When Gabriel is at his most troubled – “Got to walk out of here/I can't take anymore/Going to stand on that bridge/Keep my eyes down below/Whatever may come/And whatever may go/That river's flowing/That river's flowing” –, Bush gives him this stability and knowledge that he has friends and is not alone. There have been songs before and since with similar themes, but I don’t think any have quite matched the intensity and sheer emotional impact of Don’t Give Up! Peter Gabriel is one of the most underrated singers ever, and he brings so much to the song. His vocal has a roughness and rawness to it, whereas Bush offers something sweeter. I know she was not happy with the first go she had at the song, but I love what is on the record as Bush sounds concerned-yet-strong; she provides this soft and sweet vocal, but there is also this real sadness and heaviness that seamlessly combines. Both are at their very best on the song and, in a rotten year, I think many people have taken a lot from this track and can relate to it. I think it is a song that people should listen to should they find themselves in a very bleak place. For Bush, this was her stepping into someone else’s world and adding something incredible; for Gabriel, Don’t Give Up was a standout on the So album. Sitting alongside songs like Sledgehammer, and In Your Eyes, he was in tremendous form as a songwriter! If you need some wisdom and words to give you strength, then consider Kate Bush’s in the final moments of Don’t Give Up: “Don't give up/'Cause I believe there's a place…

THERE’S a place where we belong”.